What's New In Dart's iPod #60 AKA The Quiet Storm

As the year 2008 draws to a close labels rush to get albums they think will sell well around Christmas into stores and push back ones they think won't do well with a bunch of other albums around to compete with them, For that reason, we won't be seeing any new material from Eminem, 50 Cent, Jadakiss or Busta Rhymes until 2009. We also won't get to see or hear 9th Wonder "The Wonder Years", Rhymefest "El Che", Raekwon "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2", MF Doom "Born Into This" or the mythical Saigon "The Greatest Story Never Told" until 2009, either

This week I'll be reviewing six new projects that either leaked or recently hit store shelves in the following order: Wiley "See Clear Now", Ghostface Killah "Ghostdeini The Great", Musiq Soulchild "OnMyRadio", Soulja Boy "iSouljaBoyTellEm", Keyshia Cole "A Different Me" and Jamie Foxx "Intuition". For those of you new to this blog, 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.

Our record doesn't matter cuz it'll all get thrown out if we don't win the championship © Paul "The Truth" Pierce


Best Joints: Ryder Intro, I Need To Be and Cash In My Pocket. Summertime, See Clear Now, 5 AM and I Am The Sea were all just meh

Hot Garbage: Wearing My Rolex, Step By Step, Turn It Up and Can't Stop Thinking all made me want to hit people and/or throw things.

Dart's Take: Wiley's oft delayed major label debut may end up becoming his "Universal Mind Control". It's crazy to think that Eskiboy himself will turn 30 this January. With all that said, this ain't Grime. No way in hell. There are far too many attempts at pop singles (like the Mark Ronson produced "Cash In My Pocket" and the Hot Chip guested turd "Step By Step") and potential sales for a Wiley album.

However, if you know nothing about the Grime genre then this album might actually be an interesting listen provided that you realize it's not very grimey at all. I suspect that I should've been tipped off by the godawful "Wearing My Rolex" video from a while back. I give this LP a maybe but check out Wiley and Shifty's versions of "Off The Radar" to get an idea of what I expected from this album.



Best Joints: Kilo (Remix), The Champ (Remix)

Hot Garbage: The only songs I never heard before (Slept On Tony, Be Easy (Remix) and Ghostface X-Mas) were each meh. Tony Sigel, Run (Remix), Mighty Healthy, It's Over, Apollo Kids, 9 Milli Bros, Walk Around, Street Opera, All That I Got Is You, Back Like That (Remix) and Cherchez La Ghost are all songs that any Ghostface fan would either already have or heard a million times before.

Dart's Take: Stick to J Love "Hidden Darts" compilations instead, this shit is a lame attempt at a "Best Of" Ghostface CD. Def Jam, y'all suck. Pay this CD no mind this holiday season and get the old Broiled Salmon joint instead.



Best Joints: Backagain, Until, Ifuleave, Deserveumore, Special, Dearjohn, Loveofmylife, Moneyright, Someone, Iwannabe, Sobeautiful and Radio

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: Musig has done it again, y'all! It's been a minute since he's blessed the public with an LP but he did the damn thing on this one. There is no reason to even touch the FFWD button during "OnMyRadio", just let it rock all the way through. There isn't really a song that I can point to as an obvious favorite because it all blended together to become one spectacularly concise project. I give this joint a mos def and hope that you pick this up this holiday season.

Best Joints:Uhh...yeah, about that. Define "best". I'm Bout My Stax, Bird Walk, Turn My Swag On, Kiss Me Thru The Phone, Booty Got Swag (Donk Part 2), Rubber Bands, Yamaha Mama, Wit My Yums On, Go Head, Shoppin' Spree and Whoop Rico all were in the meh range.

Hot Garbage: Gucci Bandana, Eazy, Hey You There, Soulja Boy Tellem and I Pray were all flaming hot garbage.

Dart's Take: Wow. Oh man...this album (and I use that term loosely) makes me want to boil a huge cauldron of hot water and carry it out to the bus stop outside my home to splash the assmebled throng of folks waiting for the bus with scalding hot liquid so they can feel the searing pain and anguish that I experienced listening to this shit. I want to press charges against this muthafucka for attempted rape of my ears!

With all that said, I could pick out about 4 or 5 joints that could be potential singles or songs I'd hear at an NBA game easy. He doesn't have a current huge single but I'm really afraid he could end up making another one somewhere down the line. I give this album an oh no but if this shit blasts through speakers near you the 106 & Parkers will start jamming like they lost their minds (because they have).

*Goes out to my building lobby and takes the elevator to the basement then walks out the door and tosses "iSouljaBoyTellem" into the dumpster*

Best Joints: A Different Me Intro, Make Me Over, Please Don't Stop, Erotic, You Complete Me, No Other, Oh-oh Yeah-yea, Playa Cardz Right, Brand New, Trust, Thought You Should Know, Where This Love Could End Up, Beautiful Music and A Different Me Outro

Hot Garbage: This Is Us didn't do it for me.

Dart's Take: Damn Keyshia! Keyshia went and got all sexy on us (yeah, like that was hard for her to do!) this time around. She shows off a different side of herself rather than belting out the tortured love songs that she normally sings. She gets kinda jazzy on "Make Me Over", "Please Don't Stop" sounds kinda like a throwback 80's joint but the album really gets cookin' with the four straight jams "You Complete Me", "No Other", the Nas guested "Oh-oh Yeah-yea" and the 2Pac (!) feature "Playa Cardz Right".

This album was an interesting departure from the typical Keyshia Cole fare but it wasn't too much of a stretch where her fans wouldn't be able to rock with it (I still can't bring myself to watch that trainwreck of a BET reality show, though). For that reason I give her new project "A Different Me" a highly recommended maybe. Take that, Jeezy!

Best Joints: Just Like Me, I Don't Need It, Number One, Digital Girl, Blame It, She Got Her Own, Freak'in Me, Slow, Rainman, Overdose, Love Brings Change and Just Like Me (Remix)

Hot Garbage: I Don't Know and Why were both meh to me

Dart's Take: While I still prefer Jamie's 2006 LP "Unpredictable" to this one by a slight edge this album has some great moments on it in "Just Like Me", "Nothin From Ya", "Number One", "She Got Her Own", "Freak'in Me", "Slow" and "Overdose". Based on the solid vocal performances and production I give "Intuition another highly recommended maybe. Got cop this and Keyshia Cole's album on December 16th.




Late Passes (For Doz Dat Slept):


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

Rhymefest-El Che
Jay Electronica-Act II: Patents Of Nobility
Jay Electronica-Abracadabra: Let There Be Light
Royce Da 5'9"-Street Hop
Big Boi-Sir Luscious Leftfoot
Mos Def-The Ecstatic LP
Royce Da 5'9"-Street Hop
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
Ski Beatz-Half Man, Half Amazing
Evidence-Cats & Dogs
MF Doom-Born Into This
Jadakiss-The Last Kiss
Eminem-The Relapse

Adidas Man, he fights for truth, justice and the Bostonian way...Throw your threes and respect to Inoue Santa for designing this T shirt.

One.