What's New In Dart's iPod #38 AKA The False Media Edition

As of this moment I'm absolutely fed up with the media and their characterizations of the Obamas. I'm also fed up with Jesse Jackson and Bob Johnson going in on Barack Obama as well. Nas had some harsh words for Jesse but it was tame compared to the shit I would've said to him if a microphone was put in front of my face (in regards to his Young Jeezy comment, sorry to say but the "hood" listens to Jeezy and Weezy hence the mention. I know, it depresses me on a daily basis but it's true).

I'm sick of Bill O' Reilly, Michelle Malkin and gang of others doing what they claim to be "fair and balanced journalism" when they merely edit, spin and distort things. Oftentimes they just flat out fabricate shit and bring up things that aren't even relevant to the issue or topic at hand. They've also put a black eye on the entire field of journalism and made it so that Edward R. Murrow is rolling over in his grave.

How can these people be allowed to just distribute toxin via the airwaves like that and have zero accountability for their ways and actions? Since when did doing half assed investigating and reporting half truths replace actual journalism? When is it considered crossing the line? When is it considered racist? When do you have to make retractions and apologize for your egregious errors in judgement? Never?

I wonder if these idiots realize that they're the reason that more people watch "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" rather than the actual news now? The last time I watched a Fox News telecast I wondered if they even employed fact checkers or had any kind of failsafes in place to ensure quality control. That's why I don't watch Fox News. I took the red pill a long time ago.

The six projects I'm reviewing today will be reviewed in the following order : N.Y.Oil "Hood Treason" (Deluxe Edition), Killer Mike "I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II", Ave. To "Three Way Intersection", T.H.U.G. Angelz (Shabazz & Hell Razah) "Welcome To Red Hook Houses", J.Rawls presents The Liquid Crystal Project 2 and Ill Bill "The Hour Of Reprisal". For those of you new to the party, 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.

False media, we don't need it do we? © Chuck D

Best Joints: Hip Hop Ya Don't Stop, Don't Get It Twitzed, Purrrfect Beat, Shout It In The Streets, Hood Treason, A Quick 16, Self Destrukkktion, Y'all Should All Get Lynched, The Hate That Made Love, Jazzy Lady, You're A Queen, Misery Loves Company, I Tried, What Up My Wigger Wigger, Unreal, BoomByeYay, Meanay, I Just Met My Father, La La La Laaa, Soldier (Somebody Is Lying), The Difference, I.W.N.B.Y.S.G. and The Moment I Said It

Hot Garbage: The only missteps throughout two whole CD's of music in my opinion where Girls Wanna Dance and Simply Beautiful.

Dart's Take: This is a well executed album from beginning to end and it's about damn time someone took a stand in Hip Hop. This project is packed with joints and there is no reason that someone who loves Hip Hop and is sick of the same ol' shit album after album shouldn't dig into their pockets and support this man. Stop going for the okey doke and get behind somebody real for a change. I give this album a recommended maybe because, face it...some of y'all ain't trying to get preached to.



Best Joints: Intro, 10 G's, Can You Hear Me, 2 Sides, Pressure, Big Money, Big Cars, God In The Building, Super Clean/Super Hard, Woke Up This Mornin', Bang!, Grandma's House, If I Can't Eat Right, I Gotcha, I'm The Shit!!!, Can You Buy That?, You See It, Good-Bye (City Of Dope)

Hot Garbage: It sucks that it ended.

Dart's Take: Killer Mike has just smacked the shit out of about 90% of the major label albums released this year with this project. This was tight from beginning to end. I'm already a Killer Mike supporter but even I was surprised by the overall quality of "I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II". I played so many tracks again that it took me damn near 2 hours just to get a full listen it. If you can make Shawty Lo listenable to me then you did wonders. This gets a well deserved mos def. Cop it now.




Best Joints: Mama's Koolaid, Sand To The Beach, Mass Transit, Cuba Libra, Gallery Place, Natural, Cuz Of U, Glow Nights, Abuja, Future Funk, Loin De Toi, Stank, Xess, Unmandyax and As The World Turns

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: Now this is what I'm talkin' about right here! If you're going to make an instrumental album that uses Jazz, Latin Jazz and Afro Beat influences then this is how you do it. Hip Hop producers Oddisee and Unknown team up with reed player Kolai to make one of the beast instrumental projects of the year only being eclipsed by Jackson Conti's brilliant "Sujinho". I didn't fast forward a moment of this joint and I guarantee it'll end up on my Best Of 2008 lists at the end of the year. This album gets a mos def, easy.




Best Joints: Cab Ride, Welcome To Red Hook Houses, Jail Saga, The Obituary (E.B.G.G.), My Brother's Keeper, Gang Love, South Brooklyn (The Anthem), Audiobiography Remix, Apt. 7G (Blacksmiths), The Visit, Under The Wing, Confessions Of A T.H.U.G. Angel and 144,000

Hot Garbage: This LP was short at just over 45 minutes but they didn't waste any tracks or verses.

Dart's Take: First off, this album isn't for everybody. If all that "God body" talk and Five Percent lessons and Biblical references just rub you wrong then you should just leave this joint alone. If you're a diehard Wu head or if this type of thing is your lane then you need to hear this joint yesterday. This album is so well done that you'll be kinda upset that Hell Razah and Shabazz The Disciple didn't make an album together sooner. This album is a concise chronicle of their time coming up in Brooklyn and the the climate that still exists today in Red Hook.

Hell Razah continues his red hot run as an emcee ("Rennaisance Child" and "Razah's Ladder") and Shabazz returns to the indie fold with this one. I give this album a recommended maybe because not everyone can listen to songs about The Book Of Revelation and enjoy it.



Best Joints: The Lead, A Tribute To The Beatnuts, Digital Funky, Rob's Gem, Loran's Dance Redux (Pushitalong), A Tribute To The Beatminerz, Joshy's Gem (Interlude), Me & Cousin, Capicorn's Reprise, Charlie Chop's Gem, Retreat At Turnberry, Bongosss, Hebejeebees, B's Gem, We Fall Down, Yinde's Gem, The 6th Minute and A Tribute To Souls

Hot Garbage: While nothing was "bad", this entire project was too chilled out, mellow and relaxed for my tastes.

Dart's Take: Compared to the Ave.To album, this project just didn't do it for me. It reminds me of last year when Fat Jon dropped "Hundred Eight Stars" and it underwhelmed me because it was too laid back for me to really get into. If you're into chillout music then give this a listen, to me it's too easy for it to end up being background music you can just ignore. The best I can do for this J.Rawls project is a maybe because it just didn't move me much.



Best Joints: The Revolution Will Be Classified, Enemy, Coka Moshiach, Starsky & Hutch, White Nigger, Thousands To M's, The Plague, Come One, Come All, Sadistic (Remix), Yae Yo, Unauthorized Biography Of Slayer, Apocalypse Now, Paradise Ranch, Swordfish (Remix), Darkness Deepens, I'm From Brooklyn and A Bullet Never Lies

Hot Garbage: Street Villian (sound quality), Awaiting The Hour (Killa Priest was all over the place) and War Is My Destiny (that screaming cat Max Cavalera ruined the whole track for me).

Dart's Take: This advance might not be the final version which is good because the inclusion of older tracks like Street Villain, Yae Yo (The Beatnuts), Thousands To M's (Raekwon), Sadistic Remix (Necro) and a few other joints from other people's projects with no joints like "My Uncle" or some of the other rumored tracks that are supposed to be on the finished product.

Overall, this album is what you'd expect from Ill Bill as far as lyrics and beats go. Bangers like "Enemy", "Starsky & Hutch", "Come One, Come All" and "Apocalypse Now" make this a joint for heads to cop when the final version of "The Hour Of Reprisal" drops on August 26th. I give this a recommended maybe just based on this advance version of the project.



Late Passes (For Doz Dat Slept):






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

Joe Budden-Padded Room
Rhymefest-El Che
Jay Electronica-Act II: Patents Of Nobility
Jay Electronica-Abracadabra: Let There Be Light
Big Boi-Sir Luscious Leftfoot
Magnif & J Dilla-Detroit Royalty
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
Capone-N-Noreaga-Reporting The War
Phat Kat and Elzhi are Cold Steel
Heltah Skeltah-D.I.R.T (Da Incredible Rap Team)
Royce Da 5'9"-The Bar Exam 2
Elzhi-The Preface
Large Professor-Main Source
Kano-140 Grime Street

Dart's Fat Tape/CD-R (as of July 11th, 2008):

Stages-Reks (prod. by Large Professor)
Shine-Skyzoo (prod. by M-Phazes)
Set It Off-Kardinal Offishall f/The Clipse
Wordplay-Donny Goines (prod. by DJ Static)
The Questions-XV f/Mickey Factz & Jesse Boykins III
I Know All The Bitches-Ahu (Dolly) (prod. by Bullion)
Don't Start Nothin'-Jadakiss (prod. by Sean C & LV)
Under The Wing-T.H.U.G. Angelz
Trenchman-Raekwon
Apocalypse Now-Ill Bill f/Q-Unique & Sick Jacken
I'm A G-Reef The Lost Cauze (prod. by Stu Bangas)
Good Night-King Magnetic f/Sean Price
Shout In The Streets-NYOil
Hip Hop Legacy-Praverb (prod. by Smokewell Productions)
She Wanna-Hawthorne Headhunters (prod. by Hawthorne Headhunters)
Time Traveller-Plantlife
Cold World 2-Starrs & Murph f/Termanology (prod. by Statik Selektah)
Starsky & Hutch-Ill Bill f/Big Left
The Vist-T.H.U.G. Angelz f/7th Ambassador
B.I.B.L.E.-Ras Kass (prod. by The Bizness)
The Moment I Said It-NYOil
Who Pt. 1-Joe Budden
Who Pt. 2-Joe Budden
Good-Bye (City Of Dope)-Killer Mike



When is this ignorant shit gonna stop? © Nas

One.