What's New In Dart's iPod #100 AKA I Keep It 100

This week was epic musicwise and sucked in many other aspects (again). My Patriots lost in Denver in OT when they had the game won and once again I've failed to post about it on Armchair Linebacker. I need to post something on on Nerd With Swag soon. The Boston Red Sox got swept by the Los Angeles Anaheim Angels as we saw the Red Sox pull off an epic fail with a big lead. In Fenway Park. With Papelbon on the mound. FUCK! Well, at least the Celtics look really impressive this preseason, huh?

I'm continuing to pray for the quick recoveries of Hex Murda, Kon of Kon & Amir & DJ Hideo. I'm hearing that Hex is improving so thank God for that. Remember that the Hex Murda benefit will be in Detroit tonight (I know this entry is late...I'm the one writing it, after all) and feature damn near all the illest cats in Detroit Hip Hop (hence Hip Hop, period). If you can't make it down I hope you just donate to the fund out of the kindness of your hearts. Being that this is the 100th "What's New In Dart's iPod" and I haven't held my tongue reviewing in excess of 500 albums, EP's & mixtapes I won't do so now. I'm gonna share a lil' story with you:

Back 1999, when I was still rhymin' with my record bag over my shoulder full of the latest Hip Hop vinyl 12"s, I was in a cypher right around Newbury Street in mid day (this would NEVER happen now, fellow Bostonians). Guys & girls were spittin' bars, some off the top some written...it didn't really matter as long as it was nice. This one dude new to the cypher starts spittin' and we began to look at each other like "What the fuck?". Dude is biting Breezly Brewin of Jugganots flow, style & delivery so badly you'd think he was doing an impersonation.

Eight bars in, everyone is tense and confused. Twelve bars in we're pissed the fuck off. Before he made it to sixteen the fists started flying. Dude got beat the fuck up and the cipher continued as we pretty much stepped OVER him and moved 20 feet away. Dude got up, realized WHY he got his ass beat and why he was seeing our backs, then he left bleeding. We saw him again two weeks later and he had his own style and he was let back into cyphers and even got down with some open mics in Boston before he moved. The point is that there were clear cut rules in this Hip Hop shit and violating them was a corporal offense in some cases. In this hyper commercialized corporate Rap music climate? That wouldn't happen.

The reason Hex & I could relate to each other so well is because we both came from an era where if shit wasn't right you kept it 100 with people and you spoke your mind. If you can't rhyme? Stay the fuck out of the studio until you get good enough to hang in a cipher. No yes men or yes women are allowed, it's all about quality control. In business, you're held to your word. If you say you'll deliver X by date Y and pay Z THEN DO SO. If not? Whose gonna want to fuck with you? Your word is everything. In this world of wack rappers, copycat producers, janky promoters, bullshit labels and corporate assholes with no integrity, dudes like Hex Murda who know the real when he sees it and whom people in Hip Hop respect across the board are a rare breed.

That's why I don't hold back when an album is garbage. That's why I told my own readers that REGARDLESS OF IF I LOVE OR HATE AN ALBUM LISTEN TO IT FOR YOURSELVES BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE SAME EXACT TASTE. Who does shit like that? That's why major label refuse to send me albums or send them hella late in fear I'll berate their artists, curse the label, executives & A&R's for allowing such bullshit to be made and pressed then distributed to the listening public. They're right. I WILL. If something's bullshit much like myself, Hex will be the first dude to say so. They aren't enough real cats like him in the industry...it's the main reason I got the fuck out of it and got a job back in '98. Onto the reviews...

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: Camp Lo "Another Heist", Cormega "Born & Raised", Fashawn "Boy Meets World", Paten Locke "Super Ramen Rocketship" and Royce Da 5'9" "Street Hop". 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.

It rools © Hex Murda


Best Joints: Another Heist, Uptown, Satin Amnesia, Get Em Lo, Boogie Nights, Son Of A, Good Green, Beautiful People, Bionic, Black Connect 3, I Love It Then and Uptown (Remix)

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: This is the second Camp Lo jawn of the year (I guess they aren't still fuckin' with SRC who wanted them to become "The Lo" (?)) after the "Stone And Rob: Caught On Tape" project that spent a fair amount of time in the rotation earlier in '09. The difference with "Another Heist" is that it's entirely produced by Ski where the previous material was alternately produced by Ski, Apple Juice Kid and others.

Sonny Cheeba and Geechi Suede haven't lost a step after 15 years in the game now but I still liked "Stone And Rob" slightly more even though it boasts bangers like "Another Heist", "Get Em Lo", "Boogie Nights", "Son Of A" and "Bionic" on it. I give "Another Heist" a recommended maybe. Keep in mind that I have every Camp Lo release to date (including the Japan only EP "Short Eyes").





Best Joints: Prelude/Intro, Girl, Love Your Family, Get It In, The Other Side, Live And Learn, Make It Clear, Journey, Define Yourself, What Did I Do, Dirty Game, One Purpose, Rapture and Mega Fresh X

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: Cormega is one of the most well respected dudes in the entire Hip Hop game. He's built quite a following and name for himself as an underground emcee following being dropped by Def Jam a decade ago. His long awaited (No...it actually is long awaited. This isn't an e-mail blast) album "Born And Raised" finally drops boasting an all star lineup of legendary producers and guest appearances. It's supposed to be a project honoring being born and raised in New York by paying homage to the Hip Hop aesthetic, artists and rules of conduct he grew up with. He did a damn good job in that respect.

Cormega spit over production from DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor, Easy Mo Bee, Buckwild, Ayatollah, Havoc, DR Period, LES, Nottz, Khyrsis! and Bear One and featured Marley Marl, Havoc, Lil' Fame (of MOP), Tragedy Khadafi, Red Alert, Parrish Smith (PMD), Grand Puba, KRS One & Big Daddy Kane. If you're a Hip Hop head chances are you're gonna love this album...since I'm a Mega fan already this was a bananas album. Dude needs to wrangle beats for Nas on the real (at least he answers when DJ Premier calls/has his math!). My neck still hurts from noddin' to this shit. "Born And Raised" gets a highly recommended maybe.




Best Joints: Intro, Freedom, Hey Young World, Stars, Life As a Shorty, Ecology, Our Way, Why, Samsonite Man, Father, Sunny CA, Bo Jackson, Lupita, When She Calls, Boy Meets World, The Score, Breathe and The Outer City

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: If you somehow missed Faswhawn's "Higher Learning" mixtape then chances are you had no idea that "Boy Meets World" was a potential Hip Hop classic in the making. Fashwan. Exile. Aloe Blacc. Evidence. Blu. Planet Asia. Co$$. The more you hear of this project the deeper the rabbit hole goes. Fashwan spits fire all over the place and the production side is handled perfectly by Exile. Exile even spits on "Bo Jackson"! It was like '98 all over again, damn near. Which jawns are bangers you ask? "Look at the fuckin' tracklisting" I'd respond.

Cop "Boy Meets World" on October 20th. People claim Hip Hop is dead and there isn't anymore classic Hip Hop dropped anymore. They're clearly full of a shit and albums like this that drop each year are proof that this artform is alive & well. I give it a mos def.





Best Joints: Soup For One, Breakthru, Good Muse, Ash On Em, Auto Reverse, Brava, Funky Hit Record, Ventilation P. Locke, Wadap!, Til The Dawn, Just Me, Super Ramen Rocketship, Off The Grid and After You

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: I've had this album for about 2 months now and it' almost embarrassing the amount of plays this album received in my iTunes in the span of time. Way back in the Summer the 12" for "Breakthru/Funky Hit Record/Just Me" dropped and had me open. Then I heard the entire LP and did a feature for DJ Therapy AKA Paten Locke in last month's "25 More Producers.." list. From the opening of "Super Ramen Rocketship" to the end your head will be nodding, you'll be rewinding clever bars or laughing at punchlines you'll be making scrunchfaces at the beats or the new sequences/changes.

This is going to be one of the best release dates (October 20th, 2009) for Hip Hop in recent memory as jawns like "Soup For One", "Breakthru", "Ash On Em", "Auto Reverse" (a song dedicated to growing up with tapes), "Brava", "Funky Hit Record", etc. (I can keep going) will have you like "Dayum! Why can't a major label album sound like this?". In any event this is amongst the best releases of the year in my opinion and I can finally give it a mos def like I've been waiting to do for the longest. I can't wait until y'all hear this LP.






Best Joints: Gun Harmonizing, Count For Nothing, Soldier, Something 2 Ride 2, Dinner Time, Far Away, The Warriors, New Money, Shake This, Gangsta, Mine In Thiz, Street Hop 2010, Thing For Your Girlfriend, On The Run, Murder, Bad Boy, Part Of Me and Hood Love

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: Are you fuckin' kiddin' me, man? This jawn is coming out on October 20th, too? Nickel Nine spit heat rocks over production from the best in the game (the entire project was executive produced by DJ Premier) and if you can hear tracks like "Gun Harmonizing", "Count For Nothing", "Soldier", "Something 2 Ride 2", "Dinner Time", "The Warriors", "New Money", etc. and not have let a single "Dayum!", "Sheeeit!" "Wooo!" or even toss the headphones off of your head like you've had enough then you might be devoid of a pulse altogether.

Guest appearances from Slaughterhouse, Busta Rhymes, Phonte, Mr. Porter, Bun B, Trick Trick and Kid Vishis only help to make the overall experience that more ridiculous. The final verdict is that including the material we've heard previously like "Shake This", "Street Hop 2010" and "Part Of Me" is first, Royce is underrated at storytelling and "Street Hop" is the shit, fool! If you disagree then you can suck my gun cock...Mos def.




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
Big Boi-Sir Luscious Leftfoot, Son Of Chico Dusty
Pac Div-Grown Kid's Syndrome
Blu-God Is Good
Drake- Thank Me Later
Alchemist & Oh No are Gangrene
Eternia & MoSS- At Last
B.O.B.-The Adventures Of B.O.B.
Billy Danze-Behind Gatez
AG & O.C.-Oasis: Together Brothers
Lil' Fame & Termanology Are 1982
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
Buff1 & Rhettmatic -Crown Royale
Apollo Brown & Boog Brown-UPS


Donate to the Hex Murda benefit if you can't make it down to Detroit, go to http://tiny.cc/TheHexCareFund. Email address is: TheHexCareFund@gmail.com. This is gonna be one hell of a show in the D for a dude that's respected worldwide. Hip Hop needs to take care of it's own.

Shout to Robyn Elaine, the girls, Houseshoes, Trick Trick, Royce, Paradime, Marv Won, Fatt Father, Guilty Simpson, Almighty Dreadnaughtz, Lab Technicians, Black Milk, T3, Elzhi, Phat Kat, Scrap Dirty, Mr. Porter, Waajeed, Ta' Raach, Dwele, Invincible, Miz Korona, Nametag, Ron Dance, Danny Brown, Ro Spit, Six Two, V Stylez, Now On, Street Justus, DJ Butter, and the rest of the extended family/crew in the D. Hold ya heads. Salute *Throws up middle finger (if you know about Hex you'll understand why)*

One.