What's New In Dart's iPod #93 AKA The Black August Edition

This week's review blog will actually be posted on the day it's expected for a change. I'll be writing about the Patriots preseason games on Armchair Linebacker and I'll get back to posting guest blogs on Nerd With Swag this weekend as well. I'm still behind on a gang of posts in spots I saved over the past few weeks so bear with me as my post count for August raised to close to 20 over this weekend. I can't wait to hear "OB4CL2' & "Foundation" after hearing the snippets. I'm really worried about "The Blueprint 3" after hearing that song " Ghetto Techno" that won't even be on the album. Ouch! September is gonna be interesting.

This week I'll be reviewing four new projects that recently hit the 'net/bloggerverse and/or will be landing on store shelves soon in the following order: Beanie Sigel "The Broad Street Bully", Blue Scholars "OOF! EP", DJ Skee & Freddie Gibbs "midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik"and Trey Songz "Ready". 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.

I'm like Sonny, I peep game in reverse/man, y'all game is rehearsed/ I came from the dirt... © Beanie Sigel



Best Joints: Why Wouldn't I, Tear Drops, Where's My Opponent, Ready For War, All For It, Sicker Than Your Average, Run To The Roc, Bang Bang, Return Of The Chain Gang, You Over Did It & The Ghetto

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: "The Solution" was a disappointment. This is a gang of "The Solution" era material including a few State Property collabos that most definitely should've been on that album instead. You can go on ahead and buy this CD with no reservations that it's gonna be lackluster. This album makes me kinda wish Jay-Z went back to biting Young Chris' flow. I give this project a recommended maybe.





Best Joints: Bananas, Hi-808, Coo?, New People, Hello, Cruz, Ahi (instrumental), Hi (instrumental), Lucky Chances (instrumental), Tako (instrumental), Postal (instrumental) & Havva (instrumental)

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: This EP consists of six laid back tracks in the spirit of "808's & Heartbreak" and the relaxed nature of the islands of Hawaii. After those tracks play out, you have the instrumentals for the same 6 tracks. Since I prefer the more high energy Blue Scholars material to these collected tracks the best I can give it is a maybe. If you somehow managed to sleep on Blue Scholars previous releases then slap yourself and get right. Congratulations to the guys for signing to Duck Down Records, I can't wait to hear the full length jawn.






Best Joints: Midwest Malcolm (Inhale), Boxframe Cadillac, Sumthin' U Should Know, For My Niggas, Murda On My Mind, Womb 2 The Tomb, County Bounce, How I Feel, Talkin' Bout You, Still Standing, I'm The Man, Bussdown, Playa, Iodine Poison, Just Tryin' Ta Make It and Higher Learning (Exhale)

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: How the hell are people sleeping on this dude outta Gary, Indiana? After last year's "The Education Of Freddie Gibbs it's completely beyond me. DJ Skee hooks up with him to create "midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik" which is executed damn near perfectly in my opinion. The production was on point. The lyrics and flow kept the listener entertained from beginning to end. I was surprised that I'd like it this much and I'm STILL playing "The Miseducation Of Freddie Gibbs" on my iPod Touch. I have no choice but to give "midwestgangstaboxcadillacmuzik" a mos def. Download it here





Best Joints: Neighbors Know My Name, I Invented Sex, I Need A Girl, One Love, Does He Do It, Say Aah (that hook...Why?), Be Where You Are, Successful, Jupiter Love, Black Roses, Love Lost, Holla If Ya Need Me and Yo Side Of The Bed

Hot Garbage: LOL :-) (I'm NOT amused),

Dart's Take: It's yet another 2009 R&B album that sounded like that Techno-ish shit that made me roll my eyes throughout Keri Hilson. Jamie Foxx, Ciara, Beyonce, The-Dream, Ne-Yo, Day 26 & Bobby Valentino's albums. I prefer to have more Soul in my R&B so this album was meh to me with the exception of a few jams that caught me (Neighbors Know My Name, Black Roses & Love Lost) other than that it just sounded like everyone else's shit. I give it a maybe because most of the listening public now will go for this kinda R&B where I'm not impressed with it sonically.





Late Passes (For Doz Dat Slept):


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

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, Son Of Chico Dusty
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
Ghostface Killah-Wizard Of Poetry
Eternia & MoSS- At Last
B.O.B.-The Adventures Of B.O.B.
Billy Danze-Behind Gatez
Masta Ace & Ed O.G. (A&E)-Arts & Entertainment
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


Jay-Z, he's bigger than Hip Hop....R.I.P Edward "Ted" Kennedy. It's truly the end of an era

One.