What's New In Dart's iPod #50 AKA 3 Feet High And Rising

Due to the sheer volume of mixtapes and leaked albums from this week and the ones I had left over for review from last week I was backed up in my blogging for the second week in a row. To add insult to injury, while I was doing the "final" part of my "The Official Marvel Guide To The Bloggerverse" I ended up adding about 12 more blogs to my list so I had to add another part to make it four. I'll be posting up parts 3 & 4 this weekend to fill for my missing Wednesday and Thursday posts this week (the Fat Tape/CD-R will be delayed as well). I'll just jump right into the reviews like I did last week.

This week I'll be reviewing eight new projects that leaked in the following order: DJ I-Dee "Solititude", Decay. "The Unlikely Hero", East Coast Avengers "Prison Planet", Kano "140 Grime St.", Blue Sky Black Death & Jean Grae "Jean Grae: The Evil Jeanius", Sadat X "Generation X", Outerspace "God's Fury" and Devin The Dude "Landing Gear". 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.

Kill Bill O'Reilly! © East Coast Avengers

Best Joints: Marble Oasis

Hot Garbage: Intro, The Scratch, Eclectic Dreams, Swollen Dome, 1991, Brutally Raw, Explosion, Eating Up Time and Anxiety all sucked like Cody Lane

Dart's Take: This guy is a great turntablist but this album is garbage in every way imaginable. DJ Craze's first album was a disappointment but this was a colossal failure. The beats sucked, the routines didn't really work on record and he never should've put his own voice on this album because he made himself sound corny. He needs to study what Mr. Dibbs, Rob Swift, Roc Raida, DJ Qbert, Craze, DJ Faust, DJ Shortee, DJ Babu, DJ Rectangle, Mixmaster Mike and other legends did that worked on DJ/turntablist albums. If DJ I-Dee stuck to his strengths this might've worked, instead it's hot garbage. Oh no!



Best Joints: Fanfare, Push, The Unlikely Hero, That's War, Don't Ever Say, Wise, Pills, Shaking Dice Interlude, The Chase, Get Loose, Sunsplash, Easy (The Llama Way) and Oh Lordy

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: The Molemen crew have dropped yet another solid Hip Hop release. Lyric and production wise there is little to nothing on this album that you can find fault with. If you're a fan of good ol' boom bap Hip Hop and you're looking for beats and rhymes then you should cop Decay's "The Unlikely Hero". I give it a recommended maybe.



Best Joints: Prison Planet, Show & Prove, Vengeance, Kill Bill O'Reilly, East Coast Overdose, A Valiant Effort, Let It Knock, Torture Rack, Riot Act, Hey America, The Trouble With Motorcades, Avengers Assemble, Lady Liberty and Clean Conscience

Hot Garbage: Win/Win Situation and Too Much To Ask

Dart's Take: This was yet another solid release form my peoples Esoteric and DC The Midi Alien in association with Trademarc. This album got extra political in a time where most artists are tiptoeing around issues and trying to move units in an anemic music market. The East Coast Avengers get help from their friends Freddie Foxxx, Apathy, Celph Titled, King Magnetic, Termanolgy, Slaine and Statik Selektah and they all deliver. Check this one out if you crave that ol' East Coast lyricism with a political/conscious edge. This also gets a recommended maybe.



Best Joints: 140 Grime St., Hustler, Paper, Hunting We Will Go, These MC's, We Gangsta, Anywhere We Go, Missing Me, Seems Like Things Have Changed, Don't Come Around Here, I Stand By It, Soldier, I Like It, Off Licence, Too Advanced and Aim For The Sky

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: If there is a Grime album for a Hip Hop head to experiment with a purchase it's this one. If you're not familiar with the Grime aesthetic this album will give you an idea of how the musics supposed to sound with a great emcee on it. Not only that but Kano does joints with Ghetts (Ghetto for non Grime heads), Skepta and Wiley...for Grime fans that's a big deal. I give this album a recommended maybe as well and I'm looking forward to releases from Sway, Skepta and Wiley all coming soon (Sway's album drops on Tuesday!).


Best Joints: Shadows Forever, Ahead Of The Game, Strikes, Threats, Away With Me, Even On Your Best Day, Take It Back, Lights Out, Nobody'll Do It For You and It's Still A Love Song

Hot Garbage: N/A (It's ghey that Jean Grae will not be seeing any of the proceeds from this album's sales)

Dart's Take: This was a pretty good album despite being so damn short. Jean Grey really murdered it on "Shadows Forever", "Ahead Of The Game", "Even On Your Best Day" and "Lights Out". The production was on point although Jean does sound better on 9th Wonder's production then over BSBD's joints. Then again that's not a fair comparison given that "Jeanius" is damn near classic material.

Since Jean's not getting any of the money from this album I'd recommend that her fans acquire it because it's a Jean Grey album but don't feel the need to purchase the retail version. Instead find it laying around somewhere on the internet and PayPal Jean Grae between $3-$5 dollars each. It's only right. I give "Jean Grae: The Evil Jeanius" yet another recommended maybe.




Best Joints: This Is Your Life, Jungle, Never, Morning Food, Live, Make It Happen, Cloud, Heart To Heart and New York all ranged from meh to a'ight

Hot Garbage: Now, Think Different, X-Plain, He Walks With Me, X Is The Word, Walk Upright, Hey Baby, The Okeedoke, It's A Demo and Sweat

Dart's Take: Just ignore this album like it never even happened. Move on, nothing to see or hear here. Clear the area. Don't even think to entertain the idea of purchasing it. Oh no!




Best Joints: Quick Draw, What The Future Holds, Lost Battles, American Me, Gods And Generals 2, Living The Life, Anointing Of The Sick, The Killing Fields and Love Don't Pay

Hot Garbage: The Last Supper (Hail Mary, Nicko and Our Father were all meh)

Dart's Take: I'm an AOTS and Jedi Mind Tricks fan but even I have to admit that I'm suffering from AOTS fatigue right about now. The production is there and Outerspace are who we thought they were. It's typical Outerspace fare, hardcore rhymes over sinister sounding beats. If you're a fan cop it, other than that I honestly can't tell you that this album stood out from the rest or blew my mind in any way, shape or form. It's exactly what I expected it to be from jump. Recommended maybe material.




Best Joints: In My Draws, I Can't Make It Home, Thinkin' Boutchu, Let Me Know It's Real, El Grande Nalgas, Me, You, Highway, I Don't Chase 'Em, Yo Mind, Your Kinda Love, I Need A Song and Spray

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: I don't smoke and I've never taken a voluntary drink of alcohol in my 33 years of life. This album didn't really blow me away but I did find it entertaining and enjoyable. Will I be playing this instead of Jake One, Dela, Murs or Now On? No. But I will play this in my headphones as I'm winding down for the night sometime down the line. I'll give it a maybe.



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
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
Phat Kat and Elzhi are Cold Steel
The Beatnuts-The Planet Of The Crates
Skepta-Microphone Champion
Wiley-I See Clear
Ski Beatz-Half Man, Half Amazing
Evidence-Cats & Dogs

Dart's Fat Tape/CD-R (as of October 3rd, 2008):

Hold That-Termanology (prod. by Pete Rock)
Can't You Tell?-Joell Ortiz (prod. by Statik Selektah)
Hate-Wale (prod. by Darkroom Productions)
My City-Skyzoo f/Stimuli & Esso (prod. by Ron Browz)
How I Feel-Freeway (prod. by Cassius)
Touch & Go-Joe Budden
Auditorium-Mos Def
That's War-Decay
Hunting We Will Go-Kano f/Ghetto
Lights Out-Blue Sky Black Death & Jean Grae (prod. by Blue Sky Black Death)
When Your Hear What I Gotta Say-David Banner (prod. by David Banner)
There She Goes-John Robinson f/Jah Orah (prod. by MF Doom)
I Believe-Q-Tip f/D'Angelo (prod. by Q-Tip)
2 It-New Jack Hustle (prod. by Newman)
East Coast Overdose-East Coast Avengers f/Celph Titled & Statik Selektah (prod. by DC The Midi Alien)
Please Believe-Icadon f/E3 & Redman
Fly Away-Termanology f/Jr. Mint & Melanie Durrant
Monolith-Jedi Mind Tricks
Bigger Dreams-Evidence (co-prod. by Cool & Dre & The Game)
On The Marquee-Statik Selektah f/Little Brother, Joe Scudda & Chaundon (prod. by Statik Selektah)
Drug Flow-Curren$y f/Freck Billionaire
No Other Love-John Legend f/Estelle
Living The Life-Outerspace
Easy (The Llama Way)-Decay f/Selfish, Tone Liv & Butta Verses (prod. by Selfish)
The Uprock-Hasan Salaam f/Masta Ace
Bread & Butter-Freeway (prod. by Sap Da Beat Man)
Aim For The Sky-Kano
The Killing Fields-Outerspace f/Vinnie Paz & King Magnetic
Good Morning-John Legend
Lights Out-Blue Sky Black Death &Jean Grae f/Blacastan (prod. by Blue Sky Black Death)
Crazy Music-John Robinson f/Invizible Handz (prod. by MF Doom)
Shed Thy Blood-Prodigy f/Un Pacino (prod. by Jake One)
Talka New York-Sene (prod. by Erik L)
Emeritus-Scarface
Hey America-East Coast Avengers (prod. by DC The Midi Alien)
Heartless-Kanye West (prod. by Kanye West)
Stay In Your Place-Treazon f/Drake, Gemstones & Dow Jones (prod. by Treazon)
My Opinion-DJ Babu f/Bishop Lamont (prod. by DJ Babu)
I Wonder-Reef Tha Lost Cauze (prod. by Marco Polo)
The Matrix-Black Milk f/Pharoahe Monch, Sean Price & DJ Premier (prod. by Black Milk)


Now that's the ultimate bridge to nowhere! © Joe Biden

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