What's New In Dart's iPod #48 AKA The Hey DJ Edition

I decided to switch my schedule up and begin posting my blogs up at midnight and saving the space in the afternoons so I don't miss any more days blogging. I still have one more day to catch up one from last week and my A Tale Of Ten Trailers 10 post is coming tomorrow. I took me a total of 2 days to finish up my Livications blog for Dallas Penn as I was up to 50 blogs and I decided to cut it short and save the others for a part two that I'll post up next week. Grandgood, Hip Hop Isn't Dead, Hip Hop Is Read, Know Good Music, Metal Lungies, UniverSOUL Productions, Rappers I Know, Doorknockers and several other blogs all get love from me as well.

This week I'll be reviewing six new projects that leaked in the following order: DJ Design "Jetlag", DJ Khaled "We Global", DJ K.O. "Picture This..", Raphael Saadiq "The Way I See It", Royce Da 5'9" "The Bar Exam 2" and Jake One presents "White Van Music". 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.

My DJ's better than all these bands! Huh! © Run DMC

Best Joints: Wild Ones, Play, Better Days, Ferocious, Ohh, B-Side Too, Eh Yo, Wave Of The Future, Rugged One, Deadly Deeds, Battle Physically, Here We Go World

Hot Garbage: All A Dream, Major, Get On The Floor and Gates Of Steel

Dart's Take: This album was kinda disappointing for me. The beats ranged from okay to good but never something that smacked of a headnodding banger. Since this album didn't suck (but B Lloyd certaintly didin't help out) but too many of the tracks were just meh the best I can do is a maybe.



Best Joints: Go Hard (stop with the damn Auto Tune already!), I'm On, Red Light and She's Fine

Hot Garbage: Standing On The Mountain Top, Out Here Grindin', Go Ahead, We Global, Final Warning, Fuck The Other Side, Bullett, Blood Money and Defend Dade

Dart's Take: Fuck this album and fuck DJ Khaled. He the worst! Who? Nigga, him!



Best Joints: Here We Go, Best To Do It, Get 'Em, Someday, Ladder Of Success, It's Time, Nobody Like Me, Mind Of A Genius, 3 In The Chamber, This Land, That Knack, Start It All Over, Someday (Remix) and Best To Do It (Remix)

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: Now this is what I'm talking about! A line up of certified spitters (O.C., Talib Kweli, Diamond D, Elzhi, Royce Da 5'9", Wordsworth, Phonte, Eternia, Skyzoo, Torae, Supastition, Emilio Rojas, Chaundon, Median, Kaze, etc.) alongside some of the best producers in the game (Buckwild, 9th Wonder, Ayatollah, Illmind, Black Milk and Analogic) equals one long bangathon. This album was loaded with jams from beginning to end and my neck is still hurting from my last listen. This is a no brainer, "Picture This..." gets a mos def.



Best Joints: Sure Hope You Mean It, 100 Yard Dash, Keep Marchin', Big Easy, Just One Kiss, Love That Girl, Calling, Staying In Love, Oh Girl, Let's Take A Walk, Never Give You Up, Sometimes and Oh Girl Remix

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: Raphael Saadiq is a damn genius. His work with Toni! Tony! Tone! is legendary, his tracks with Lucy Pearl were bananas but his solo albums are on some next shit. If you've never heard "Instant Vintage" or "Ray Ray" before than you need to stop sleeping and cop those as well. Saadiq has done one better than Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi by creating a sound that brings back the old soul sound of the 60's.

You'd swear that the Stax session musicians, the Funk Brothers, or Gamble & Huff were in the building. The old Motown sound also gets replicated in such a way that it sounds just like those old records from my parents' collections. I'm giving this album a mos def.



Best Joints: Heat To The Streets, It's The New, I'm Me Freestyle, I'm Nice, Gun Music, Weathermen, We Deep, Let The Beat Build Freestyle, Royal Flush Freestyle, Jockin' My Fresh, Gettin' Money Freestyle, Gangsta (Rmx), Happy Bar Exam 2, Ignorant Shit Freestyle, Flow Boy, Been Shot Down, Kill 'Em Pt. 2 and Wall Street

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: I've been waiting on this joint since The Bar Exam came out last summer. I was not disappionted as Royce decided to go at Joe Budden and Lil' Wayne making him focused like a laser beam (no Focusin). Royce merked verse after verse over Green Lantern's production and several popular industry beats. Hearing Nickel Nine spit over the "My Life", "Let The Beat Build", "Ignorant Shit" and "Dope Boys" instrumentals is well worth the download, trust me. This gets another mos def.



Best Joints: I'm Coming, Gangsta Boy, The Truth, Turn It Down, God Like, Bless The Child, Oh Really, Hi, Trap Door, Dead Wrong, Kissin' The Curb, How We Ride, White Van, Big Homie Style, Scared, Great Sound, Get 'Er Done, Feelin' My Shit, Soil Raps, Glow, R.I.P. and Home

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: As if my neck wasn't sore enough already, next comes this album! Jake One has been making heat for years on the underground and when D Prosper and Sha Money XL got Jake One's beats to G Unit general 50 Cent it was a wrap and the cat was finally out of the bag.

Jake One's versatile production sounds great whether M.O.P., Little Brother, Brother Ali, Freeway, Slug, Posdnous, Keak Da Sneak, Young Buck, Bishop Lamont, Evidence, Black Milk, Busta Rhymes or Blueprint spit on his tracks. There wasn't a dull moment on this album, even when cats you've never heard of are on it. I'm giving "White Van Music" a mos def. Too bad you gotta wait until October 7th to cop it!




Late Passes (For Doz Dat Slept):



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

Kanye West-808's & Heartbreak
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.
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
The Beatnuts-The Planet Of The Crates
Skepta-Microphone Champion
Wiley-I See Clear
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 19th, 2008):

Glow-Jake One f/Elzhi & Royce Da 5'9" (prod. by Jake One)
Jazz, Soul & Hip Hop-Terrace Martin (prod. by Pete Rock)
The Devil Is A Lie-Killer Mike
Banilla Beans-Afta-1 (prod. by Afta-1)
El Grandes Naglas-Devin The Dude
What's Going On-Charles Hamilton (prod. by J Dilla)
D-I-A-M-O-N-D-Diamond D (prod. by Nottz)
It's Over-John Legend f/Kanye West (prod. by Kanye West)
Like A Muhfucka-Big Shug (prod. by DJ Premier)
Better Days-DJ Design f/Oh No and Dudley Perkins (prod. by DJ Design)
Let the Beat Build Freestyle-Royce Da 5'9" f/Stretch Money
All My Life-The Beatnuts (prod. by The Beatnuts)
For The City-Statik Selektah f/M.O.P. & Jadakiss (prod. by Statik Selektah)
Beatrix-Folk & Stress f/Vast Aire (prod. by Folk)
Trap Door-Jake One f/MF Doom (prod. by Jake One)
What The Future Holds-Outerspace
Amazing-The Knux
Give The Drummer Sum-Black Milk (prod. by Black Milk)
I Will-Wale f/Xscape
Drugs, Crime & Gorillaz-Termanology f/Sheek Louch & Freeway (prod. by Nottz)
There Can Only Be One-Consequence (prod. by Statik Selektah)
Just One Kiss-Raphael Saadiq f/Joss Stone (prod. by Raphael Saadiq)
Transformations-Jay Electronica (prod. by Just Blaze)
Mind Of A Genius-DJ K.O. f/Chaundon, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Finale, Sean Boog (prod. by Analogic)
Magic Remix-Robin Thicke f/Mary J. Blige & Wale (prod. by Mark Ronson)
Promised Land-Malik Yusef f/Kanye West & Adam Levine (prod. by Kanye West)
Hood Shit-Termanology f/Prodigy (prod. by The Alchemist)
Turn Off-Keri Hilson f/Lil' Wayne (prod. by Polow Da Don)
Delivery Man-The Cool Kids
Play-DJ Design f/Oh No and Roc C (prod. by DJ Design)
Heat to the Streets-Royce Da 5'9" f. Kid Vishis (prod. by Green Lantern)
This Is My Day-Promise (prod. by Black Milk)
Staying In Love-Raphael Saadiq (prod. by Raphael Saadiq)
Fresh Rhymes And Videotapes Theme-88 Keys, Dilated Peoples, Alchemist & Aceyalone (prod. by 88 Keys)
Time Is Now-Murs f/Snoop Dogg & Latoiya Williams (prod. by Niggarachi)
Honey Dip-Afta-1 (prod. by Afta-1)
It's Time-DJ K.O. f/SoulStice, Eternia, Kenn Starr, Tiffany Paige (prod. by M-Phazes)
God Like-Jake One f/D.Black (prod. by Jake One)

Who ya wit? © Jay-Z

One.