What's New In Dart's iPod #30 AKA Welcome To Waterworld

For the second straight week in a row hella albums leaked and/or will be available for release this coming Tuesday. Since I know my regular readers would want me to get down to business I’ll do just that and go right into the reviews considering the fact that I'm reviewing 10 LP's this week!

Since Technorati is experiencing issues pinging my blog (and every other Blogger blog is as well) if you don't check back here on your own every day you won't know when I first posted this up. For the uninitiated, I don’t rate albums on a scale or assign them a numerical value out of 5 or 10, instead I merely answer the all important question of “Is it worth buying or not?”. Here's how my "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.

I'm an orgy with beats, fucker/You're barely phone sex! © Nico The Beast

Best Joints: The Prelude, It's Your Choice, Feedin' Time, Gangsta, My Life Is Mine, Mark Of The Beast, Get Away, Be A Man, Play No Games, I Was Told, Wanna Rap Wanna Rhyme, Loving You A Lifetime, Croskey Street, Philly Codes, Alone, Sunshine, How Real Are You?, Fly Wit Me, One Of Those Days

Hot Garbage: Be Alright

The Verdict: Nico The Beast is half of the duo Clean Guns and he verbally stiffarms his way though 20 tracks on "No Beast So Fierce". Highly recommended for fans of that raw lyric based East Coast boom bap Hip Hop shit. Check out his MySpace and if you like what you hear then buy it here





Best Joints: Rockferry, Warwick Avenue, Serious, Stepping Stone, Syrup & Honey, Hanging On Too Long, Mercy, Delayed Devotion, I'm Scared, Distant Dreamer, Save It For Your Prayers & Oh Boy

Hot Garbage: N/A

The Verdict: My least favorite song on the whole LP is the lead single "Mercy"and I like that joint. "Warwick Avenue" and "Steeping Stone" need videos STAT! I've been rockin' Duffy's LP since it dropped in the UK and the US release has bonus tracks on it. It's no brainer, really.




Best Joints: Be No Slave, It Don't Stop, The Last Third, Ole, One To 31, Oowee, Simmer Down, The Understanding, The Upgrade, We Are!, What You Holdin'?, You Out There, The Zone

Hot Garbage: N/A (The second half of this LP is crazy! Once we get to "Oowee" it's banger city from then on until the end)

The Verdict: Highly recommended new Hip Hop LP from the God J-Live. He's weathered the major label storm and come through stronger and better for it. This project is loaded with heat rocks..Cop it!




Best Joints: Laser Beam (Scotty's Theme), Justin Case, Ready To Fly, Speakers Pop, AIM, Laser Ray, Precise Calculator, Same Old S#!+, Let It Go, Speakers Funk

Hot Garbage: CinemaX, Pops (a song addressing homophobia in Hip Hop and how your chosen profession affects your gay dad really plants a landmine in your album's continuity. Props for having the courage to make it in the first place, though.), Do The Robot In Cyberspace

The Verdict: These cats have a fun, laid back style that oftentimes ventures into the corny/nerdy side of Hip Hop. Think if the Beastie Boys, Mountain Brothers and Jurassic 5 all were smashed together but instead of being Chinese the MB's were Japanese. The end result? You'd end up with Giant Panda. Give 'em a listen at least first before deciding...they got beats (Justin Case, AIM, Laser Ray, Speakers Funk, etc.) and they can freak it in Japanese.




Best Joints: The Bridge, We Doin' Our..., Filthier AKA "Place", Got 2 Get Done, Be You, Get Me Inside, Threeemcees, Hip Hop Is Dead II and How Low

Hot Garbage: N/A

The Verdict: You know how Travis is about The Smile Rays? If you haven't heard "Moonlighting", "Tanya Morgan Is A Rap Group"or "Tanya Morgan presents Beat Thieves 2" then you need to get familiar. If you truly love Hip Hop then you should check these cats out. Buy this EP on iTunes now.




Best Joints: I Believe, 4 Tomorrow, A Crying Heart, The Beloved, Hood Nursery, Vintage [Things We Share], The End Is Coming

Hot Garbage: Redemption, Profits Of Man, The World, Looking Glass, I Am, Jeshurun, God's Time, Born To Die, O Emmanuel (Zoom)

The Verdict: Everything on this album was so hard to listen to, even the tracks that I could actually stomach. The beats were all lackluster and KP is just preaching over beats now. He's not even trying to emcee anymore. I think it's time he just goes into ministry or speaking full time about Biblical texts and their different interpretations rather than make albums anymore if he's not even gonna try to rhyme. Only diehards need apply, otherwise don't even bother with this. Just watch the History Channel instead.





Best Joints: That's Us, When I Rock, Lounge, Day To Day, Reasons, War Of The World and Bring It Back,

Hot Garbage: Mama Say, Mama Say Midimarc Remix, Mama Say Midimarc Remix Instrumental

The Verdict: Wow, this was underwhelming to say the least. This first leaked late last week through Okayplayer (you know who you are) and was all over the blogosphere by this Monday. This is some typical 9th Wonder production with some inconsistent performances by Spectac and L.E.G.A.C.Y.

I was convinced that Spec was freestyling on some of these joints (When I Rock, Mama Say, War Of The World) because he was all over the place lyrically. This is way too short and disappointing of a project to pay money for in my opinion. Just because it has some cool beats by 9th and a Phonte verse I say give it a listen because it's not flat out garbage.




Best Joints: II Trill, That's Gangsta, Damn I'm Cold, You're Everything, I Luv That, Swang On 'Em, My Block, Get Cha Issue, Underground Thang, If I Die II Night, Another Soldier, If It Was Up II Me, Angel In The Sky and Keep It 100

Hot Garbage: Pop It 4 Pimp and Good II Me

The Verdict: I'm the kind of dude that used to rock "Heavy Mental" in my Walkman and had to be forced to listen to UGK albums by my cousins from down South (thank you, cuz!). Recently, I was rockin' to II Trill after Killah Priest made my ears bleed (and made me read Hosea 6:4 repeatedly).

This is a damn good album and Bun B fans will not be disappointed at all. "I Luv That", "Swang On 'Em", "Another Soldier" and "If It Was Up II Me" all got reloads in the iTunes. Just for the record, Bun...Barack Obama was one of the few senators with enough balls to vote AGAINST the war in Iraq (I felt what you were saying, though). I recommend it.




Best Joints: Same As It Never Was, On Your Knees, Just Won't Stop, The Next Spot, Can't Help This Feeling (those horns!), Amores Bongo, Street Karma (A Cautionary Tale), You're Not All That, Blackwater Drive, Clap Your Hands, Stranded On Earth

Hot Garbage: Game Set And Match (More Or Les dropped the ball)

The Verdict: Great production, ill scratches and vocalist Jessica Darling stepped up and merked every track she got on. Jean Grae laced the The Herbaliser up with yet another hot track as well. "Same As It Never Was" is another gem dropped for The Herbaliser. If you're a fan than you need to cop this. Pure heat.



Best Joints: State Of Emergency, Looongawaited, Sledgehammer!, People Not Places, Spacious Skies, No Easy Answers, Deuce/Ypsi, Recognize, Ransom Notes, Shapeshifters, Ropes, Keep Goin', In The Mourning, Locusts

Hot Garbage: N/A

The Verdict: I've had a promo copy of this album for damn near two months now. I haven't allowed it the leave my house, no one can copy it and I would not allow this joint to leak. That's how much I believe in this album. From top to bottom this is easily one of the best produced projects of the year. 

Top to bottom, Invincible also delivers one of the best overall lyrical performances on an album this year. I have been killing this album for hella long patiently waiting for the chance to finally review it.

"ShapeShifters" drops on May 17th exclusively through Invincible's EMERGENCE label and will go into wide release in stores on June 17th. Invincible doesn't take a single bar off through 14 heat rocks featuring appearances from Buff1, Wordsworth, Finale, The Anomolies Crew, Tiombe Lockhart and production from Black Milk, Waajeed, Houseshoes, The Lab Techs, Belief, Djimon & Jayhask, Knowledge and Apex.

 For all of you claiming that classic material doesn't get made anymore all I can say is "Here you go". "ShapeShifters" gets an emphatic mos def from me. Cop it now.



Late Passes (For Doz Dat Slept):



Albums I'm Looking Forward To Reviewing Once They Leak...I Mean Drop:

I'm Also Looking Forward To Reviewing The Following Projects:

The Cool Kids-The Bake Sale EP
Rhymefest-El Che

Skillz-Million Dollar Backpack
Joe Budden-Padded Room
Jay Electronica-Act II: Patents Of Nobility
Jay Electronica-Abracadabra: Let There Be Light

Soul Assassins III-DJ Muggs vs. King Madallions (Planet Asia)
Big Boi-Sir Luscious Leftfoot
Magnif & J Dilla-Detroit Royalty
Immortal Technique-The 3rd World
Blu-God Is Good

Termanology-Politics As Usual
Sean Price, Guilty Simpson & Black Milk-Random Axe
Platinum Pied Pipers-Abundance
Method Man & Redman-Blackout 2
Redman-Muddy Waters 2

B.O.B.-The Adventures Of B.O.B.

The Alchemist-Chemical Warfare
Billy Danze-Behind Gatez
AG & O.C.-Oasis: Together Brothers
Baatin-Titus
Common-Invincible Summer
Omen-Be The Judge
Craig G & Marley Marl-Operation: Take Back Hip Hop
Capone-N-Noreaga-Reporting The War
Phat Kat and Elzhi are Cold Steel


Dart's Fat Tape/CD-R (as of May 16th, 2008):

Beat The Speakers Up-Buff1 (prod. by Vaughan T of Lab Techs)
Spazz-N.E.R.D (prod. by The Neptunes)
The Third World-Immortal Technique (prod. by Green Lantern)
The Bridge-Tanya Morgan f/Elucid
Talkin' In My Sleep-Elzhi (prod. by Black Milk)
Serious-Duffy
Everybody Nose Remix-N.E.R.D f/CRS (Kanye West, Pharrell Williams & Lupe Fiasco) & Pusha T
I Believe-Killah Priest (prod. by Kount Fif)
Simmer Down-J-Live
Fall Back-Idle Warship (Talib Kweli & Res) f/Chester French
Yessir-Kurupt (prod. by Pete Rock)
Lookin' Fly-KFi f/Mickey Factz
Don't Feel Bad-Styles Of Beyond f/RZA
Street Karma (A Cautionary Tale)-The Herbaliser f/Jean Grae (prod. by The Herbaliser)
Oowee-J-Live
Philly Codes-Nico The Beast f/Zilla Rocca & 2ew Gun Ciz (prod. by Alex Wood)
Necro- Raekwon f/Ghostface Killah
Money-Rapper Big Pooh (prod. by Young RJ)
Recognize-Invincible f/Finale (prod. by Black Milk)
1-2-1-2-Sandman (Re-Up Gang)
Live Water-Mickey Factz f/Lauryn Hill
Wet Em Up-Tru Life
Warwick Avenue-Duffy
Miami Beach-The Cool Kids
Duece/Ypsi-Invincible f/Buff1, SUN & PL (co-prod. by Djimon and Jayhask & Belief)


No LeBron James team is ever desperate © LeBron James

Let's close 'em out tonight, C's! *Throws threes at the Cavs bench*

One.