What's New In Dart's iPod #17 AKA It's Been A Long Time, Sorry I Left You...

I promised that I’d write one last week so here it is, my first “What’s New In Dart’s iPod” post since November 30th. This week I post up reviews for the new joints by Guilty Simpson “Ode To The Ghetto”, Torae “Daily Conversation” and the new EMC concept album “The Show”.

Seeing as how it’s been so damn long since I’ve done one of these I think I’ll try to write out my thoughts and opinions on each individual album by writing out the best joints, hot garbage and my personal take on the project and how it struck me. I’ll start with the reviews in the order I received the albums so “Ode To The Ghetto” goes first, then “Daily Conversation” and finally “The Show”. Here’s the breakdown for how my rather unique "Cop It Or Not" ratings system breaks down below:

Oh No! This CD is a drink coaster/table balancer/doorstop/gerbil/hamster room divider/frisbee/discus/makeshift shield/last ditch choice for a visor/alternate shuriken choice. Sell this shit to whoever is dumb enough to buy it from you.

Maeby (Maybe)! Depending on your own set of personal preferences you might like this joint. Give it a listen first to see if it's in your lane or not.

Mos Def! Cop the album when it drops...'Nuff said.

The sky's the limit until I die and I'm in it! © Joe Budden

Guilty Simpson is a well known emcee in the underground Hip Hop circuit and he’s made quite a few notable guest appearances on some of the most important releases in the last couple of years. His “Stray Bullets” mixtape with Rhettmatic was just a prelude to his debut solo album on Stone’s Throw called “Ode To The Ghetto”. Will his album be able to live up to th line up of producers it has (Madlib, Oh No & Black Milk)? I let you all know below:

Best Joints: “Robbery”, “She Won’t Stay At Home”, “Ode To The Ghetto”, “I Must Love You”, “The Future”, “Pigs”, “My Moment”, “Run”, “Kinda Live”, “Yikes”, “The Real Me”, “Kill Em” and “Almighty Dreadnaughtz”

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart’s Take: I liked this album, but Guilty’s style does sometimes grate on your nerves. I keep wanting him to speed it up or fill in my lines with some more syllables every once in a while. He might work more as part of a group to some but he still has mad punchlines and metaphors to keep you interested. He keeps it thugged out song topic wise (as evidenced by songs like “Getting Bitches”) and that will keep the rah rah muthafuckas listening that crave just the right amount of ig’nant shit with their Hip Hop. I thought this effort was good enough to buy, but it didn’t blow me away or really impress me all that much. I give it a recommended maybe.



Torae has been making quite a bit of noise over the last couple of years with his other Justus League companions and now he’s considered one of the new generation of elite emcees along with cats like Jay Electronica, Joell Ortiz, Blu, Skyzoo, Vandalyzm, Wiz Khalifa and the list goes on. Heads have been waiting for Torae’s new joint for a while and without further ado, here’s my review:

Best Joints: “Callin’ Me”, “Somethin’ To See”, “The Journey Pt. 1”, “Click”, “Fantaztik”, “Think About It”, “Switch”, “Get It Goin’”, “Save The Day”, “Da Nigguz Is Comin’”, “CME The Entity”, “Get It Done”, “Tayler Made” and “Casualty”.

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart’s Take: “Daily Conversation” is bananas from beginning to end, even the intro was a remake of the classic Gang Starr interlude “Alright Chill”. There wasn’t a weak verse on this entire project, his guest appearances were all dope and the beats were all on point. Torae is a top rate lyricist and he fills up his lines with a nonstop delivery and he fills up the missing syllable gap that plagued Guilty Simpson’s album. I didn’t go into this album with any ridiculous expectations but he’s definitely raised the bar and I expect more great material from Torae in the future. This gets a mos def.



The long awaited album from M3 Hip Hop’s underground supergroup EMC is called “The Show” and it features underground vet Stricklin, Lyricist Lounge legends Punchline and Wordsworth and Top 50 G.O.A.T. Lister Masta Ace. The entire album is made around the occurrences and happenings involved with an EMC show. Will the album satisfy all the heads that have been patiently waiting for it since the first EMC song was released around a year ago? Let’s find out.

Best Joints: “Who We Be”, “Leak It Out”, “Traffic”, “Say Now”, “Don’t Give Up On Us”, “Get Some”, “We Alright”, “EMC What It Stand For?”, “Grudge”, “Make It Better”, “Winds Of Change”, “The Show”, “Once More”, “U Let Me Grow” and “Feel It”

Hot Garbage: N/A (but I really wasn’t feeling that “Borrow U” track)

Dart’s Take: This album is dope! It does delve into the realm of “Grown Folks Hip Hop” quite often with tracks addressing real life issues such as the strains made on personal and familial relationships by constant travel. The loss of family members and the bullshit surrounding being an underground emcee. It’s good to hear some new material from these cats. They all perfectly complement each other in a group environment. The beats are up to par and you know that these four cats are gonna bring it lyrically. The interlude placed throughout the project bring the album together and make it once concise listening experience. When this album drops go and BUY IT. EMC’s “The Show” gets a mos def from me.



I want your mind, fuck the money! © Jay Electronica

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