What's New In Dart's iPod #46 AKA The Invincible Fall Edition

So as to avoid any angry e-mails from people that just want album reviews and not me going on about politics (which I don't pay nearly enough attention to I'm told...which is true) or racism (which I'm told I pay way too much attention to which I don't know if I agree with) I'll just keep it simple and stick to the reviews this week. This will not be the case next week cuz I'll do whatever the fuck I feel like next Friday, I just think that It's important I take my readers opinions and messages into consideration (at least this one time).

This week I'll be reviewing five new albums that leaked in the following order: Chamillionaire "Mixtape Messiah 4", DJ Muggs & Planet Asia "Pain Language", Gutta "Heads Will Roll", Kardinal Offishall "Not 4 Sale" and Fat Jon The Ample Soul Physician "Repaint Tomorrow". 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.

I push so many pens you'd swear I was into acupuncture © Dart Adams, 1999

Best Joints: The Horror Flick, Go Hard, Roll Call Reloaded, All Around The World, Do It For H Town, My Dream, Gotta Be Playa, The Greatest, On The Grind Homie, What The Business Is, Lovin’ What Ya See, Put On 4 Houston, Top Down, Money Up, Never, 2 Real, 2 MPH

Hot Garbage: The Real Thang, Internet Nerds Revenge, Fire, Answer Machine 3, My Life, Hero, Middle Finger Up, Who Hotter Than Me?, Cadillac & Benz, I’d Rather Get Bread and Block On Smash

Dart’s Take: I couldn’t get into this mixtape at all. Chamillionaire shows flashes of acceptability but then some of his rhymes and lines off of this mixtape sound like a high schooler’s demo. I don’t think Chamillionaire is wack but it’s clear that I’m not in his target audience. I’ll give “Mixtape Messiah 4” a maybe but it’s already been deleted from my iTunes at the time of the writing of this review.




Best Joints: Sleeper Cell, Pain Language, 9MM, That’s What It Is, Black Mask Men, Lions In The Forest, Death Frees Every Soul, All Hail The King, Drama, Deadly Blades, Hashashins, Shadows Of Hell and Triple Threat

Hot Garbage: N/A (Smoke and Language are interludes)

Dart’s Take: Last year’s album “DJ Muggs vs. Sick Jacken: The Mask & The Assassin” was one of my favorites of 2007 so I had high expectations when I heard that DJ Muggs was making a collaboration with West Coast underground hero Planet Asia AKA King Medallions. The lead singles “9MM” and “That’s What It Is” had fans amped for the album and after hearing the finished product I was not disappointed.

DJ Muggs always does his thing behind the boards and Planet Asia spits fire over each track along with the rest of the Soul Assassins crew (B-Real, Sick Jacken, Cynic and Turban) as well as Wu Tang swordsmen GZA, Killa Priest and Prodigal Sunn. If you like that thugged out 5 Percenter/Illuminati rap then this is for you. If a high number of syllables per line isn’t your cup of tea then leave this project alone. I give it a recommended maybe since it isn’t for everybody.




Best Joints: Thrashin’, Beware, Where I’m From, So Much Shit, Walk With Me, Reality Check, I Know, It’s Raining, Riddler, My Triumph, Missles, Gutzilla and This Is My Life

Hot Garbage: Even though the album isn’t wack it’s overwhelmingly predictable. making many of the album tracks just “meh” to me.

Dart’s Take: This album was hit or miss with me. The production was on point and many of the tracks are great lyrically such as “Thrashin’”, “Beware” and “I Know” but I got sick of being beaten over the head with nonstop hardcore/thug shit. Gutta busts his guns, sold drugs, went to jail and he makes it clear that he hates backpackers and conscious emcees with a passion. That's all well and good but this is supposed to be a rap album, now try rapping rather than running down just how gangsta you are for a change.

He keeps it real over Blue Sky Black Death tracks by spittin’ death threats and telling you how apt he is to killing your family members for general principle (even the younglings). Since there wasn’t enough variety on this album and Gutta isn’t Kool G Rap so he can get away with recording this kind of album without making the listeners’ brain sluggish after 13 tracks of nothing but murder death kill (no Demoltion Man) the best I can do for Eyes..I mean “Heads Will Roll” is a maybe.




Best Joints: Burnt, Set It Off, Digital Motown, Gimme Some, Bad Like We Bad, Ill Eagle Alien, Nina, Bring The Fire Out, Family Tree (Still Eyerrize) and Lighter!

Hot Garbage: N/A (Dangerous, Numba 1 (Tide Is High), Go Home With You, Going In and Due Me A Favour were all just meh to me)

Dart’s Take: I’ve been a fan of Kardinal Offishall’s since before he released his first album in Canada and his first album to be released in the US is one of the featured pictures on my blog. If anyone deserves a shot at widespread success after years of grinding it’s Kardi. He hooked up with Akon and he pulled out all the stops to make him an album that would appease his core fans and appeal to new ones.

Even though this project has several tracks on it that could potentially get spins in clubs, licensed for use in television and movies and end up on the radio it’s still hard for me to get used to all the guest spots from Akon, T Pain, The Dream, Rihanna and Estelle. This album does sound kinda Poppy/Top 40 in comparison to Kardi’s previous albums and mixtapes but I’d love to see this dude move a bunch of units for a change so I give this album a recommended maybe.





Best Joints: Kissed In Shadow, Innocent At Once, Soundgirl Personal, W.Y.P.A.U., Rose Antennae, Long Now, Lighthouse Sleeper, Repaint Tomorrow, Imagine Seven, Muses, Leyes, Hero Style, Tranquilizer. Berlin Grey, Sunrain and Aesthetica

Hot Garbage: N/A (Spacesuit Proper, Party Foul and Do It Like My Robots

Dart’s Take: This album is a complete 180º from last year’s chilled out instrumental project “Hundred Eight Stars that I gave a maybe to.”If you’re a Fat Jon fan and you love instrumental albums and you’re a beathead then you should definitely cop Fat Jon’s “Repaint Tomorrow”. I give it another highly recommended maybe.


Late Passes (For Doz Dat Slept):


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

Rhymefest-El Che
Illa J-Yancey Boys
Jay Electronica-Act II: Patents Of Nobility
Jay Electronica-Abracadabra: Let There Be Light
Big Boi-Sir Luscious Leftfoot
Mos Def-The Ecstatic LP
Q-Tip-The Renaissance
88 Keys-The Death Of Adam
Magnif & J Dilla-Detroit Royalty
Blu-God Is Good
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
Omen-Be The Judge
Capone-N-Noreaga-Reporting The War
Phat Kat and Elzhi are Cold Steel
Prodigy-Product Of The 80's
Royce Da 5'9"-The Bar Exam 2
The Beatnuts-The Planet Of The Crates
Skepta-Microphone Champion
Wiley-I See Clear
Statik Selektah-Stick 2 The Script
Ski Beatz-Half Man, Half Amazing
Evidence-Cats & Dogs
New Jack Hustle (Shawn Jackson & Newman)-Sound Check


Dart's Fat Tape/CD-R (as of September 5th, 2008):

Why You Wanna Do That?-Cold Heat f/Sean Price & Craig G (prod. by Large Professor)
Anything Like You-RAtheMC (prod. by DJ Premier)
Mr. Popularity-Statik Selektah f/Consequence (prod. by Statik Selektah)
Stay On Your Level-Charles Hamilton (prod. by Pete Rock)
Triple Threat-DJ Muggs & Planet Asia f/GZA & Chace Infinite (prod. by DJ Muggs)
Ransom-Drake f/Lil' Wayne
Concrete Jungle-9th Wonder & Buckshot f/Mickey Factz (prod. by 9th Wonder)
Can't Let Go-Strong Arm Steady
R U Listening?-Illa J f/Guilty Simpson (prod. by J Dilla)
Please Don't Go-Termanology (prod. by Nottz)
Love LockDown-Kanye West (prod. by Kanye West)
Ferocious-DJ Design f/Guilty Simpson (prod. by DJ Design)
Imagine Seven-Fat Jon (prod. by Fat Jon)
Still Never Happy-TiRon (prod. by Madlib)
World Is A Hustle-Laurryn Hill (prod. by Questlove)
These Days...-Sene (prod. by Mr. Brady)
Fuck The Industry (Remix)-Solange f/Wale (prod. by Green Lantern)
Nina-Kardinal Offishall
Ringtone Murder-LL Cool J f/Grandmaster Caz
Catapults-Now On (prod. by Jake One)
All Hail The King-DJ Muggs & Planet Asia (prod. by DJ Muggs)
Racist Pt.2-Nikal Fieldz f/Emilio Rojas & Sha Stimuli (prod. by OZ)
Thrashin'-Gutta (prod. by Blue Sky Black Death)
I Know You Still Want Me-Che Grand (prod. by Aeon)
Leyes-Fat Jon (prod. by Fat Jon)
The Sun-Fusion Unltd. f/Little Brother, Nickelus F, Hall Of Fame & Skillz (prod. by Fusion Unltd.)

Senator McCain just doesn't get it! © Barack Obama

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