What's New In Dart's iPod #39 AKA The My Laptop Is Still Dead Edition

My old G3 laptop is still dead meaning that I'm extremely pressed for time as I do this particular review blog today. I'll have to find a way to salvage the blog I was trying to do yesterday and somehow manage to get up "A Tale Of Ten Trailers 8 AKA The Bruce Lee Edition" this Sunday (7.20) as well. I apologize for the haphazard way this is going down this week but all y'all care about is the reviews and not me rambling on about some other bullshit, right?

The five projects I'm reviewing today will go in the following order : Fakts One "Long Range", Almighty "Original S.I.N.", Jedi Mind Tricks presents Doap Nixon "Sour Diesel", JME "Famous?" and Reks "Grey Hairs". 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.

Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right? © Genesis 18:25

Best Joints: Grown Folks, OK, Born For This, Don't Stop, The Showstarter, Audiovisual, U From The Q, Set The Mood, Moments Matter, Selfish, Longevity and The Showstarter (Walkman Remix)

Hot Garbage: The Ridin' Dirty intro, Life Music and Moments Matter were all just meh to me.

Dart's Take: This was a solid effort. It didn't blow me away but it didn't have any glaring problems sonically or lyrically ("Moments Matter" was a subpar effort from Fakts and Tajai, though). All of the beats were well constructed and it was good the hear another Perceptionist track as well as Iyadonna who I remember from the old Compound Entertainmet days with Clinton Sparks.

This long delayed album gets a recommended maybe. Joints like "Grown Folks", "OK", "Born For This", "Don't Stop", "Audiovisual", "Set The Mood" with guest verses from Little Brother, Chan, J-Live, Grayskul and more make this a project worth checkin' for.



Best Joints: Wise Words Roll, The Saga Begins, Handle The Heights, Come To Life Faster, Obey (The Statesmen), Soul Position, Daylight, Killa Bee Swamp, Think Piece, Rising Sunz, Dead Flowers. Now Or Never, The Almighty

Hot Garbage: Planet In Peril (what happened to Warcloud?), Keep Hustlin' (too many nobodies on the mic), Top Hat Rap (was anyone wearing headphones? Did y'all even hear the beat?)

Dart's Take: This album is called "Original S.I.N. (Strength In Numbers)", however some of these cats could've sat this project out entirely. Bronze Nazareth did his thing behind the boards and on the mic but half of these tracks are about a minute too long and some of them just get tedious after a while. Killah Priest is one of my all time favorites emcees but I don't think he's even listening to the beat anymore honestly. M-80, 5 Star and Son One bat about .500 when they spit verses and I've never even heard of some of the cats that had guest spots.

This album was a disappointment in the sense that it took to much energy to listen to it and it was too hard to bear listening to so many D listers over an ill beat before you get to some listenable verses. If you're a diehard Wu head who loves that Gods & Earths/5%/Godspeak Hip Hop then check this out. If not then don't even bother with it. I give it a maybe.



Best Joints: Intro, Behind The Music, Tis The Season, The Wait Is Over, Heaven Is Calling, Everything's Changing. Just Venting (Skit), Get Dirty, Warning Shot, Don't Blame Us, Respect My G and Gangsta

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: Doap Nixon's album is that hardcore dirty street level shit that you come to expect from the Army Of The Pharaohs and their affiliates. Babygrande and AOTP are attacking the underground by flooding the streets (of the internet) with album after after by these cats. Doap kills his verses time and time again over sinister sounding beats with plenty of guest appearances by Jedi Mind Tricks, Outerspace and the Army Of The Pharaohs fam.

If you're a fan of AOTP, Jedi Mind Tricks, Outerspace or just love hardcore underground Hip Hop that's still lyrical then you should be checkin' for this. I give "Sour Diesel" a recommended maybe.



Best Joints: Awoh, 123, Standard, Show, P, Go On My Own, Punch In The Face, Ghetto Superstar, Famous, Power, Boogiedown Bass, Sun, Sea & Sand, Shh Hut Yuh Muh and Serious

Hot Garbage: Road Runner irriates me to no end. That chorus is hella annoying.

Dart's Take: If you're a fan of Jamie Adenuga and his brother Joseph (Skepta) then this a no brainer purchase. Fans of JME and Grime music have been patiently waiting for this album for years. His EP's and singles over the years as well as his bars over tracks by Skepta, Jammer, Plastician and Grime Reaper have mad this LP well worth the wait.

If you're just getting into Grime then songs like "Awoh" and "Shh Hut Yuh Muh" will have you like "WTF?". JME kills it on tracks like "123", "Standard", "P" and "Power". The joints "Go On My Own", "Ghetto Superstar" and "Sun, Sea and Sanad" sound like they could be potential singles. The album ends with JME's classic "Serious". If you're trying to get into Grime you should give this a listen although most Hip Hop heads prefer the style of The Movement (Ghetto, Wretch 32, Scorcher and Devlin) or Kano. I give it a solid maybe.



Best Joints: Grey Hairs, The One, Say Goodnight, How Can It Be, Stages, All In One (5 Mics), Next 2 Me. Money On The Ave, Black Cream (The Negro Epidemic), Love Sweet Misery, Rise, Telescopes, Day 2, Premonition, Cry Baby, Long While, Big Dreamers (Lawtown Remix), Isiah and Suicide Note

Hot Garbage: I thought My Life was meh but that was it.

Dart's Take: This is easily one of the best albums of the year in my opinion. Lawrence's own (What up to the W.O.L.V.E.S.!) Reks has stepped up and executed a near flawless LP and he's continued the great line of emcees from Lawtown starting with the legendary Scientifik (R.I.P.), Krumbsnatcha, himself and Termanology. I had to rewind so many joints that it took me a couple of hours just to play it all the way through the first time I rocked it.

The production is bananas, the lyrical performances are top notch and Reks said a lot of shit that heads have been afraid to say on record that aren't named Joe Budden. "Grey Hairs" is the Hip Hop album for the cat who remembers how shit used to be and wishes things could've gone better while still realizing that things can never go back to where they were. The frustration with the state of the industry and the disconnect between generations in the culture are all apparent on this project.

You'll be able to nod your head but also come away with some gems at the end of the day. You should definitely spend you hard earned money on this man's album. I give "Grey Hairs" a most def. Term, you got next fam!


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
Large Professor-Main Source
Kano-140 Grime Street

Dart's Fat Tape/CD-R (as of July 18th, 2008):

Ain't Heard It From Me-Rhymefest f/Wale (prod. by Scram Jones)
Yea Ya Know It-Skillz f/Truck North
Verbal Murder-Mister K.A. f/Royce Da 5'9" (prod. by Mister K.A.)
Hustler-Kano
Love Sweet Misery-Reks
Get That Gun-Zilla Rocca f/Reef the Lost Cauze & Nico the Beast (prod. by Zilla Rocca)
Wild International-One Day As A Lion
Handle The Heights-Almighty f/Bronze Nazareth, Canibus, M-80 and Keith Murray
We Ain't-Mickey Factz f/Tanya Morgan
OK-Fakts One f/King Syze & Outerspace (prod. by Fakts One)
Whatever You Like-T.I. (prod. by Jim Jonsin)
1997-XV (prod. by Smashing Pumpkins)
Brand New (Remix)-Drake f/Lil' Wayne
Take It Back-Talib Kweli f/Marsha Ambrosius
My Wingman & Me-TiRon f/Ayomari (prod. by Phonix)
Money On The Ave-Reks f/Skyzoo (prod. by Soul Theory)
Warning Shot-Doap Nixon f/King Syze, Crypt The Warchild, Planetary and King Magnetic
Long Promised-Bullion (prod. by Bullion)
P-JME
Airtight Ninja-Che Grand f/Andre 3000 (prod. by Andre 3000)
You Got Me-Promise f/Drake & Sacario (prod. by Keynote)
Everybody-Fonzworth Bentley f/Kanye West & Andre 3000 (prod. by Sa Ra Creative Partners)
Whole Time-Wale f/Young Chris
Hated-Kongcrete f/Gabara, Monsta X & R.A.V.A.G.E. (prod. by R.A.V.A.G.E.)
The Showstarter-Fakts One f/The Perceptonists (prod. by Fakts One)


Who watches the watchmen? © Juvenal

One.