What's New In Dart's iPod #83 AKA The Can You Stand The Rain Edition

I finally made my first trip of the year to Fenway Park. It was everything I hoped it'd be, a bunch of die hard Sox fans, a gang of beautiful women and most importantly the Red Sox won and the Yankees lost. Brad Penny got the win. The bullpen was great. Jacoby Ellsbury hit a home run, Big Papi got a hit & some walks but Yook couldn't hit Bruce Bruce with a two by four. The Lakers dispatched the hapless Orlando Magic due to Stan Van Gundy ineffective panicky ass "coaching". They would've had a better chance to win if Cobra Commander coached 'em.

I had quite a busy week myself since I received a shitload of new promos this week and I was watching my niece and nephew a fair amount as well. Then my dumb ass forgets to bookmark Thursday to make up that post. This week I'll make up Wednesday and post the new installment of "A Tale Of Ten Trailers" on Saturday so that'll bring me up to my customary 5 posts per week. I've also become the newest associate of the brothers over a Nerd With Swag so expect some of my posts to land over there for the forseeable future. The Summer still hasn't shown up yet. It's been dark, gloomy and raining for most of June...it's raining cats & dogs right. Dear Summer...fuck are you at?

This week I'll be reviewing seven new projects that recently hit the 'net/bloggerverse and/or will be landing on store shelves soon in the following order: 5 O' Clock Shadowboxers "The Slow Twilight", The Kickdrums "Just A Game ", L.E.G.A.C.Y. "Suicide Music", Naledge "Chicago Picasso", Pseudo Slang "We'll Keep Looking", Sa-Ra Creative Partners "Nuclear Evolution: The Age Of Love" and Soul Assassins "Intermission". 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 recently revised "Cop It Or Not" ratings system breaks down below:


Opinions be damned. This particular project has no redeeming qualities whatsoever and should come with a Surgeon General's warning and/or a biohazard sticker. It should only be handled by hazmat teams or bomb/demolitions squads. To quote Common & Canibus, this album is your worst nightmare squared.


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.

The arrow points to me...cuz no one is greater than! © L.E.G.A.C.Y.


Best Joints: Bottom Feeders, Eric Lindros (this needs a video STAT), Dead Queens, Stay Clean, Four Speed Interlude, High Noon, No Resolution, Sharpen Their Teeth, Weak Stomach and Rabbit Season (this may not be the final proper track sequence)

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: I got an advance listen to this long awaited project from Douglas Martin & Zilla Rocca (He's the Rap Jack Bauer, I'm the Blog Luke Cage. We tried it the other way...it didn't really work out too well). Let me just say that I had pretty high recommendations coming in and all of them were exceeded. The production blended perfectly with Zilla Rocca and Nico The Beast (he kills beats & chicken parm subs DEAD)'s bars.

Douglas Martin uses excerpts from old film noir crime thrillers and the haunting tone of the project made for a great listen. I loved the whole jawn from beginning to end but my favorite tracks (If I had to pick some) were "Weak Stomach", "Eric Lindros", "High Noon", "Rabbit Season" & "Dead Queens". When the jawn drops on June 23rd you'll see what I'm talkin' about. This shit is dope. Fell free to pat yourselves on the back fellas. BTW, Mr. Martin you're in consideration for the October producer's list easy. "The Slow Twilight" gets a mos def.





Best Joints: Impatient (Slow Down), When I Come Down, Just A Game, Things Work Out, Personal Calamity, Out To Get Me!, Slipping Away, Death Of A Dream Machine and Tell Me Stories

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: This project has been on my radar for a good 6 months now. The Kickdrums are a production team outta Cleveland that have done a bunch of standout production and remix work for a gang of notable Hip Hop acts. Their mix/remixtape "Smash The System" was all over the place this January but my stupid ass thought it came out in December so I left it off my Halftime Show Top 75 LP's, EP's & mixtapes list. I had no idea what to expect but let me just say...Dayum.

It's like one of the atmospheric, Indie Pop/Rock albums that Hip Hop fans have in their collections...you remember when everyone bought Mark Ronson's "Version" back a couple of years ago? This album could be the "Version" of 2009...to Hip Hop heads anyway. There wasn't anything about this project I didn't like. The instrumentation, arrangements, vocals, lyrics...all that shit was bananas. To echo the immortal sentiments of Barry @ Championship Vinyl ("High Fidelity") "It's really fuckin' good" *facepalm*. I give "Just A Game" a mos def. I'll stop playing it soon...I promise. Right after "Out To Get Me!" ends. Seriously.





Best Joints: Suicide Music, The Age (Fish), Bang, 4 Cornered Room, Connector Man, TKO, Policia, The Greatest, Fly So High and Looking Glass

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: L.E.G.A.C.Y. makes dark, depressing, aggressive, brooding music when compared to his fellow Justus League brethren. After hearing a L.E.G.A.C.Y. song you usually have the urge to re-evaluate your personal relationships or perhaps attempt to drown yourself in the shower or tub afterwards. When he's teamed up with Khrysis for 10 tracks and allowed to go for his the result is a damn good album. The beats are ridiculous. Legster's bars are on point & even though the album is only 10 tracks deep you won't feel cheated for spending your money on this product.

"Suicide Music", "The Age (Fish)", "Bang", & "TKO" featuring Phonte, Chaundon & Sean Price will keep you making the scrunchface along with other selections on the album. There's no weak shit on here or space for filler with the length. Since this is only 10 tracks long I couldn't give it a mos def (two more tracks like these and it would've been a no brainer, though). This is turning out to be a good week so far as I give "Suicide Music" a highly recommended maybe.





Best Joints: Some Shit That I Wrote, In My Own World, Standing on Sofas, Focus, Southside Shit, Cleveland Freestyle, Lovin Ya Life, Cool Relax, Viva El Fantastico, Round and Round, It Is What It Is Part 1, The Beat Goes On, Blessed by God, I Don't Even Know You Freestyle, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Star Struck, Crazy, Brothers Keeper, Futuristic Shit and Look at Them Hips

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: Naledge of Kidz In The Hall & Brainiac Society is nice with it...we already know this. On "Chicago Picasso", Naledge Born branches out to do something a little different this time around. He gets production from a number of different heads including collaborations with artists as varied as Mick Luter, Fooch, GLC, Rhymefest, Bun B, Vandalyzm, Jay Electronica, Chip The Ripper, Mickey Factz & Currensy. You can just turn this project on and lot it rock all the way through.

My favorite tracks were "Focus", "Cleveland Freestyle", "Lovin Ya Life", "Cool Relax", "It Is What It Is Part 1", "Blessed By God", "Crazy", and "Futuristic Shit". "Chicago Picasso" fits all of my prerequisites and qualifications to earn a mos def. This is looking like a good ass week. Last week I dropped off oh no's. Find this one and cop it if you're a Naledge fan. Go Ill!





Best Joints: Perfect Beat, Bedouin, Yes Doubt, Myth Of Web-Slinger, Walkin', Omelette, K.I.M., Chill Out $, Out A Touch, Broke & Copasetic and Ogallala

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: Buffalo Hip Hop group Psuedo Slang has been at it for a full decade now, how time flies. This album is well produced and arranged by Tone Atlas and Emcee Sick bars are up to task but this album is really laid back and even keeled. There will be head nodding but little to no face scrunching or rewinding bars for sick punchlines. multis or phors. That being said it's a solid album and a damn good listen from beginning to end. This is an excellent walk around the city or chill in the crib album. You can actually play this one through the speakers without worrying about vulgar content.

That means that this album didn't have the exciting jump out your seat and call your friends up like "You need to hear this shit!" moments many of the other albums I reviewed previously did but it would've easily made by Top 75 Halftime Show list had I only heard it sooner. I give "We'll Keep Looking" a recommended maybe. Look for it and check it out. It's gonna be in my iPod Touch for a while.





Best Joints: Spacefruit, Spaceways Theme, Dirty Beauty, Just Like A Baby, Double Dutch (Co Co Pops), I Swear, Death Of A Star (Supernova), Melodee N'mynor, He Say She Say, Powder Bump, Hangin By A String, Traffika, Soul's Brother, Bitch Baby, Love Czars, Gemini's Rising, The Bone Song, White Cloud, Move You Ass, Love Today, Can I Get You High?, My Star and Cosmic Ball

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: If you're not a Sa-Ra fan or a fan of weird spaced out R&B, Funk & Hip Hop combined (with the occasional Brazilian Jazz interlude) then don't even bother with these weird tight clothes multicolored gear rockin' assholes. OK, you're still here? Buy this shit yesterday. The spaced out funk of Sa-Ra Creative Partners includes a gang of instrumental tracks, some ill jams and some other bugged out selections that'll have your head nodding while you think to yourself "What kind of drugs are these cats on?"

Seeing how weird this shit is and that it's 2 CD's of spacey bugged out funk I decided to give "Nuclear Evolution: The Age Of Love" a highly recommended maybe. If this is your thing check it out. If not, I never wrote this review and this album was never recorded or released.





Best Joints: Figure It Out, Classical, Gunshots, Do It (Em? Is that you?), Rep Yo Shit, Good Evening LA, Meet Your Maker, Intermission, Champions (Remix), Let Go (My Life), Like That Y'all, Call It Like I See It and Matchbox

Hot Garbage: Gangsta Shit was meh

Dart's Take: I'm a fan of DJ Muggs production and the entire Soul Assassins Crew but this album was hit or miss for me. It was too easy for me to pick out my favorite tracks. Although nothing on here was wack most of it was just OK. I guess it's because I was feeling the overwhelming amount of music I got this week and this LP feel way short of the marks the other albums achieved. It's almost like this project was made from discarded tracks from previous Muggs related projects (all of which I own by the way). The best I can do for "Intermission" is a maybe, especially since my favorite track was the title track "Intermission".




Late Passes (For Doz Dat Slept):


Projects I'm Looking Forward To Reviewing Once They Leak...I Mean Drop in 2009:

Rhymefest-El Che
Fashawan-Boy Meets World
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, Son Of Chico Dusty
Royce Da 5'9"-Street Hop
Pac Div-Grown Kid's Syndrome
Magnif & J Dilla-Detroit Royalty
Blu-God Is Good
Drake- Thank Me Later
Sean Price, Guilty Simpson & Black Milk-Random Axe
Alchemist & Oh No are Gangrene
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
Ski Beatz-Half Man, Half Amazing
Evidence-Cats & Dogs
Statik Selektah-The Hangover


This is the film poster for the new sci fi blockbuster film "Surrogates" starring Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Ving Rhames & Boris Kodjoe. It's due in theaters 9.25.09 and I'll post the poster of tomorrow along with 9 other jawns in my next "A Tale Of Ten Trailers" post. It's ill, trust me.

One.