What's New In Dart's iPod #105 AKA 41 Days Left...

This week was rather interesting as Poisonous Paragraphs & Wake Your Daughter Up were both picked for the XXL list (along with No Trivia)...too bad the list had for too many wack ass "Hip Hop" sites on it for my taste. It's an honor to be listed anyways...I'm just glad that my previous list served as a blueprint for your current one *Shots?* It's been almost three weeks since our collaborative blog Bloggerhouse launched and it's going beautifully. I will be adding new content up there as well as here until I discontinue Poisonous Paragraphs on January 1st, 2010 (that's 41 days away). I'll bring a revamped & streamlined version of "What's New In Dart's iPod" to Bloggerhouse in 2010.

The Patriots lost a heartbreaker earlier this week and I posted about it over @ Armchair Linebacker. Hopefully they kill the Jets dead on Sunday. I really need to post something up on Nerd With Swag badly after I do my "Top 5 Played For The Week" post for Bloggerhouse. The Celtics have returned to winning but they're going to have to beat the Orlando Magic tonight before people continue to think that they're an elite team as the Atlanta Hawks have passed the Celtics, Cavs & Magic in the current NBA power rankings.

The big homie Hex Murda came home (shout out to Robyn Elaine & the girls plus the entire extended fam in Detroit) but you can still contribute to the Hex Care Fund via PayPal through TheHexCareFund@gmail.com. If for any reason you've ever felt like donating to my blog via PayPal for my 3 plus years of blogging I'd ask that you instead donate it to Hex Murda. Please continue submitting material to bloggerhouse@gmail.com and I'll be using poisonousparagraphs@gmail.com forever. Don't send shit to that old hotmail account.

This week I'll be reviewing six new projects that recently hit the 'net/bloggerverse and/or will be landing on store shelves soon in the following order: "Blackroc", That's Major & NBS presents E-Flash "Know The Ledge", DJ Green Lantern & Emilio Rojas "The Natural", Felt (Slug, Murs & Aesop Rock) Felt 3: A Tribute To Rosie Perez." Houseshoes presents Quelle "Blue Mondays" and Wu Tang Clan Meets The Indie Culture Vol. 2 "Enter The Dubstep". 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.

Niggga wanna say he made Hov/If that's so, then OK...make another Hov! © Jay-Z


Best Joints: Coochie, On The Vista, Hard Times (Jay killed this!), Dollaz & Sense, Why Can't I Forget Him?, Stay Off The Fuckin' Flowers, Ain't Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo) (Jim Jones managed to not ruin it), Hope You're Happy, Tellin' Me Things, What You Do To Me (This track is good despite the fact Jomo breathed all over it) and Done Did It (I'm glad Jay put his beef with Dame aside to...wait...this is a dude called NOE and NOT Jay-Z? This is one bitin' ass dude!)

Hot Garbage: Jim Jones & NOE's Jay-Z impression down to the biting the way he does adlibs & overdubs. NOE is a replicant that needs to be retired...where's Deckard at?

Dart's Take: This Black Keys murdered this album. It's dope...I can't front. The two things that prevented the "Blackroc" project from getting a mos def were Jim Jones being involved in any way, shape or form & the fact that NOE completely bit Jay-Z's entire flow & style, That shit is not kosher at all. "On The Vista", "Dollaz & Sense" and "Stay Off The Fuckin' Flowers" were my favorite tracks. I tip my hat to the Black Keys Ol' Dirty Bastard, Ludacris, Mos Def, RZA, Pharoahe Monch, Raekwon, Billy Danze & Nicole Wray. Who'd I leave out? Oh...no one. *Walks away*





Best Joints: Law & Order, Plan B, Run, Street Life, Read Between The Lines, Protect Your Kneck, Temperature Is Rising, Last Ones Left, Message To The Hood, Last Days, Got To Have It, 28 Grams and Street Blues

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: This mixtape is a must download as E-Flash of NBS (Natural Born Spittas) one of the best emcees out of the notoriously bloody CMB (Cambridge, MA) bodies a gang of classic instrumentals as well as production from affiliate 9th Wonder & Large Professor. I'd like to give a shout to Neomatrix for flawless beat selection and my dude E-Flash for his flawless execution. Dude didn't let up for a minute, either. I respect him for that. I can't wait to hear this new NBS project. Shouts to V Knuckles, Oz of C.O.S & G. Valentino Ball. Download this jawn yesterday. Mos def easy...






Best Joints: The Countdown, Piano Bounce, Untouched, Sympathy For The Devil, Only Just Begun, Bold & Arrogant, Breaking Me Down, Tic Toc, Runway, I Want It All, The Rest, Tonight, City Lights and Live For The Moment

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: So...essentially Emilio Rojas has made another ridiculous mixtape in 2009. The first offering was his excellent "Recession Proof" project, this mixtape was overseen by Green Lantern and featured production from M-Phazes, Green Lantern, Nottz, 6th Sence, Sean C & LV, Boi 1-da & Keelay & Zaire amongst others. Emilio Rojas shows off his ability to make commercially viable music in addition to straight up raw shit for the heads on "The Natural". If you work for a label you won't be able to dismiss this kid after hearing his range & versatility. I give "The Natural" another mos def. Download it & play this back to back with E-Flash's mixtape. I did while walking around Boston early this morning, I'm a damn genius. LOL






Best Joints: Protagonists, Felt Chewed Up, Bass For Your Truck, Like You, Permanent Standby, Ghost Dance Deluxe (sometimes I just don't like this song), Revisiting The Styleetron, Whaleface, Glory Burning, Henrietta Longbottom, She Sonnet, Felt Good, Deathmurdermayhem, The Prize, G.I. Josephine (I don't really like this song that much), We Have You Surrounded, Give It Up and Paul Reubens

Hot Garbage: N/A (This project was hit or miss with me. I'd address this below)

Dart's Take: Um...yeah. I wasn't really feeling this jawn like that. I couldn't really get into it. I liked the previous two Felt projects but this one just didn't grab me for whatever reason. I never once felt the need to rewind a beat, verse or track. When I walked around the city playing it I sometimes wanted to scan through the tracks or skip 'em to get to one I could vibe with. Ehh...didn't really happen. The goddess Rosie Perez deserved so much better, fellas. I'm looking forward to hearing Aesop Rock producing the Hail Mary Mallon project provided to sounds more like "Felt Chewed Up" & "Give It Up". Not wack but I'm not feeling the need to play this again any time soon. Maybe. *Kanye shrug*





Best Joints: Special Ingredient, Deal Wit It, The Jones Brothers, Dick Ridah, Blue Mondays, Need U, Put It Down, Running The Show, Vegetables, Yesyallin', Take It From Me, Peace, Keep My Name Out Ya Mouf and Untitled (Let's Get This Money Up)

Hot Garbage: N/A

Dart's Take: It's really hard to give "Felt" a good rating when it got bodied by a project that very well could've been comprised of some brilliant home demos. The production, energy and bars on this album captured my imagination far more than the "Felt" jawn did. Where I didn't feel the need to replay anthing on "Felt 3" I played "Blue Mondays" over and over again. This project's production was mostly handled by Quelle with features from his Crown Nation co-defendant Denmark Vessey. If you want to hear what major label albums can't capture in regards to Hip Hop just play "Blue Mondays" & it will all make sense. Download this free album here & look out for Crown Nation (Quelle & Denmark Vessey)'s "Slut Bag Edition" to drop soon.






Best Joints: Deep Space, New Year Banga, Street Corners, Love Don't Cost A Thing, Knuckle Up, Biochemical Equation, Keep Hustlin, Now Or Never, Cinema, Coke, Iconoclasts, Do It Big, Let's Get It, Think Differently (smart approach), Pencil/My Piano/Firehouse and Alphabets

Hot Garbage: Handle The Heights (should've been an instrumental instead, didn't work with those vocals), Wu-Tang (not w/ those vocals), Lyrical Swords (this song is too lyrical for this treatment)

Dart's Take: This should've featured emcees spittin' on Dubstep beats & not remixes over their acapellas. Way too tough to sync up with lyricists & spitters like the ones associated with the Wu. Had it gone the other way this project could've been something special rather than just a remix album for Dubstep enthusiasts that happen to also be Wu Tang fans or vice versa. I'm gonna give this a maybe but I'd love to have the instrumentals.





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 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
Statik Selektah & Termanology Are 1982
Lil' Fame & Termanology-Fizzyology
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
DJ Muggs & Ill Bill- Kill Devil Hills
Crown Nation (Quelle & Denmark Vessey)-Slut Bag Edition
Jay Electronica x Mos Def x Curren$y-Center Edge Territory


Bloggerhouse has arrived! Dart Adams (Poisonous Paragraphs), Travis Glave (Wake Your Daughter Up), & Eric Coons (When They Reminisce) are the official lineup of Bloggerhouse. Content is king and we are the undisputed kings of content. It's only been three weeks and we've already moved to the top. I have to thank Eric & Trav for all of it. Let's keep it up, fellas! 2010 is ours.

One.