What's New In Dart's iPod #35 AKA The Reggie Lewis Edition

I'm dedicating this edition of my review blog to one of my heroes, Northeastern Huskies and Boston Celtics legend Reggie Lewis. I wrote a blog about him yesterday that due to technical difficulty on my end (laptop issues) I didn't post until this morning. My laptop has died on me again this afternoon so I'll have a rapid fire review blog format today because of time constraints created by my current situation. If things change, I'll revise this post later on.

The four projects I'm reviewing today are as follows and will be reviewed in order of listing: Danny Swain "And I Love H.E.R", RZA "Digi Snacks" , Vast Aire "Dueces Wild" and Immortal Technique's collaborative mixtape/LP with Green Lantern "The 3rd World". 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.

I'm not gonna sleep for a month! © Kevin Garnett


Best Joints: Intro, Guess Who's Back, I Want H.E.R. (She's So Heavy), At What Price, Jet Set, The Groove, Not The One, Misery, Intermission, Wanderland, Where You Goin', Never Change, I Don't Know, Yoko Ono, Do You, After The Love Has Gone and Keep Dreamin'

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: Buy this album if you love some grown folks Hip Hop or if you actually appreciate well made albums and good music. I was right about the Celtics and I've been right about Danny Swain since 2006. This album gets a mos def.




Best Joints: Digi Snacks (meh), Booby Trap (meh), Try Ya Ya Ya (meh), Good Night (meh), Money Don't Own Me, Creep, Drama, Up Again (meh), Love Is Digi (Part II) (meh) and Don't Be Afraid (meh)

Hot Garbage: Long Time Coming, You Can't Stop Me Now, Straight Up The Block, No Regrets, Put Your Guns Down, and Old Day

Dart's Take: This album was a shitstorm of disappointing verses and beats. The guest appearnces were lackluster and most of the songs I liked I didn't want to hear again right after I first heard them. Where's the uptempo tracks? Where are the bangers? Can I get a hot spitter on this album? Where's Killa Sin, Hell Razah, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck or GZA when you need them? Oh, that's right...they ain't fuckin' with RZA right now. Only diehards need apply. I say "Oh no!".



Best Joints: You Know (You Like That), TV Land, Take Two, The Dynamic Duo, Gimme Dat Mic, Mecca And The Ox, Back 2 Basics, Lunch Room Rap, When Starz Fall, The Crush, Shu (The God Of Aire), Graveyard Shift and The Man Without Fear

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: Vast Aire has just dropped his second Top 25 album of 2008 with this one (Mighty Joseph's "Empire State"). The beats are on point, the rhymes were ill and the guest appearances all worked. I was nodding my head nonstop and I had to rewind half the damn album after I first heard it. This LP was the polar opposite of the RZA project. I was waiting for those songs to get "good" and I was checking my iTunes to see how much longer the song was during "Dueces Wild" before I brought the track back to the beginning. Mos def cop this when it drops.



Best Joints: Death March, That's What It Is, Golpe De Estado, Harlem Renaissance, Lick Shot, Apocrypha, The 3rd World, Hollywood Driveby, Reverse Pimpology, Open Your Eyes, Payback, Stronghold Grip, Mistakes, Parole (Evil Genius Mix) and Crimes Of The Heart

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: This mixtape/album is a relentless bangathon of conscious, lyrical and political Hip Hop from beginning to end. This was one long awaited project and the wait was well worth it once you hear the finished product. Immortal Technique merks wack emcees, record labels and corrupt politicians all at the same time while providing bangers that will be blaring out of cars and headphones all summer long courtesy of Green Lantern, The Evil Genius. Cop "The 3rd World" when it drops June 24th mos def!





Late Passes (For Doz Dat Slept):





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

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

Joe Budden-Padded Room
Rhymefest-El Che
Jay Electronica-Act II: Patents Of Nobility
Jay Electronica-Abracadabra: Let There Be Light

Big Boi-Sir Luscious Leftfoot
Magnif & J Dilla-Detroit Royalty
Blu-God Is Good

Termanology-Politics As Usual
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.

The Alchemist-Chemical Warfare
Billy Danze-Behind Gatez
AG & O.C.-Oasis: Together Brothers
Baatin-Titus
Common-Invincible Summer
Omen-Be The Judge
Capone-N-Noreaga-Reporting The War
Phat Kat and Elzhi are Cold Steel
Heltah Skeltah-D.I.R.T (Da Incredible Rap Team)
Royce Da 5'9"-The Bar Exam 2
Elzhi-The Preface


Dart's Fat Tape/CD-R (as of June 20th, 2008):

The Man Without Fear-Vast Aire
Keep Dreamin'-Danny! (prod. by Danny Swain)
Never Die-Young Chris
Reach One-Kame Moye f/Kaze
Creep-RZA f/Monk & Thea
The Virus-Ced Hughes
Rude Effort-Bullion (pod. by Bullion)
Green Light-John Legend f/Andre 3000
I'm Me Freestyle-Royce Da 5'9"
Hip Hop-Punchline f/Torae & Stricklin
Feelin' Jack-Shawn Jackson
My Chippy-Flying Lotus (prod. by Flying Lotus)
Mistakes-Immortal Technique
Co-Star-Marsha Ambrosius (prod. by Focus)
Start It All Over- Skyzoo & Emilio Rojas (prod. Black Milk)
Rockin’ N Rollin-Mickey Factz f/The Cool Kids (ILLFONICS Remix)
You Don't Want Non-Busta Rhymes (prod. by Focus)
Heart Of The City-Amanda Diva
Take Two-Vast Aire
Calling Me-Spec Boogie f/Von Pea, Elucid & Cyren Young
Shady-Dwele
Where & Why-Kam Moye
Never Fall-Buff1 f/Black Milk (prod. by Black Milk)
Get Familiar-Bullion (prod. by Bullion)


I knocked the bully's ass out! © Kevin Garnett

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