The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (Week Of 3/23-3/29)

1. Michael Vick-For those who don't know or who haven't been paying attention to NFL in the off-season Vick signed a one-year $5 million contract with the New York Jets on March 21, 2014. Only time will tell how this season looks for him. Hopefully he can mentor fellow quarterback Geno Smith to further greatness. Let's see.

VERDICT: GOOD (?)

2. PETA-When they're not throwing red paint on furs and being advocates for animals, they keep it rather classy. Just check out what they tweeted upon finding out about Michael Vick's new contract with the New York Jets:

At least Michael Vick can’t drown, electrocute, hang, or shoot a football the way he terrorized "man’s best friend. #smh #Jets

I guess all the apologies and the work he's done to rise above his mistakes don't count. Atta way, PETA. Atta way.

VERDICT: UGLY (God hates that, you know)

3. Kanye and Kim's VOGUE cover-People are making a lot of noise about Kanye West and resident baby mama Kim Kardashian being on the cover of VOGUE. I have no opinion, truthfully. OK, I lied. I do. They're stylish so they're on the cover of a style magazine. In theory that's how it works...at least, I thought that was how it worked. As polarizing as people may find them, the truth is the truth. Moreover, this shit is an attempt to divert your eyes from the real issues.

VERDICT: BAD (that this is such a big story)

4. Miracle Watts-I never had a chance to say it but this video vixen is GORGEOUS. I mean, super gorgeous. That's all.

VERDICT: GOOD

5. Duke: For another year Duke is fucking up March Madness brackets once again. This year, Duke loses to Mercer 78-71. For those who thought that Duke could be the team of old, you are sadly mistaken...and extremely disappointed...and out of some money if you bet on them.

VERDICT: BAD and UGLY

'40oz' Of Amazing (Mixtape Of The Week)

I rarely get the opportunity to review a lot of mixtapes from Savannah, GA born artists. As a proud hometown boy it made me proud to be reviewing one.

The artist who brings us this is a rapper by the name of Nicolas Cash. His project, 40oz Dreams, is a strong effort and a slice of Savannah's style and delivery as far as hip-hop is concerned. Featuring production by Tony Skees, Tony Easley, Tha Officialz, NBC, and Taz Gutta is another of those mixtapes that I find myself listening to in its entirety.

Let's jump into it, shall we?

The first track I want to draw your attention to was “40 oz Dreams”. As you'd expect from a good hip-hop mixtape, EP, or LP this track is the standard cool track referencing the beautiful green marijuana. NBC crafts some amazing sounds that feel tailor made for a calm night of puff, puff, pass.

Another two tracks that really appealed to me were both produced by Tha Officialz. One is “Hobby”, a track that references getting, making and chasing money as the 'hobby' that he most actively pursues. Everything about it feels like a hustler's anthem but it to me it speaks to everything that I have come to associate with my hometown. “Yo Mind” is smooth player music at its finest. Here Cash spins a story of easing the mind of a beautiful woman with the promise of an amazing night in the company of a thug. Although it is previously hit point in modern hip-hop, Cash puts his entry into an already well done lexicon.

Producer Taz Gutta samples the Jodeci classic “Cry For You” for “Cry 4 U”. At a glance the song is a more modern take on the classic. The rapping is full of a lot of the emotion but with a decidedly more hood influence to it. Featuring vocals by Lil One the track shows a bit of vulnerability from the tough talking rapper.

Aside from these tracks might I also suggest “Be Right Here”, “Smokin' Solo”, and “My Life”.

With no bias because of being from the same city, 40oz Dreams is a strong mixtape from what I personally think could be a big name in Savannah or a wider area if given the opportunity.

Download the tape HERE: http://www.datpiff.com/Nicholas-Cash-40oz-Dreams-mixtape.589359.html

Hip Hop Radar (Week Of 12/1-12/7)

NACHO PICASSO & AVATAR DARKO - Vampsterdam
The duo Nacho Picasso (@NachoPicasso) and Avatar Darko (@AvatarDarko) strike a decidedly dark theme with their mixtape Vampsterdam. With production that barely rises a certain register, it’s a rather good effort. Their delivery varies between odd, fast, and intelligent metaphors. Something in their music is strangely hypnotic. I find myself enjoying the mixtape as a whole.

SUGGESTIONS: “Vampire”, “Emptiness”, “Mad Max"
RATING: 4.5 of 5
DOWNLOAD HERE: Nacho Picasso & Avatar Darko


MAC X SLIM - Pre Crooklyn
Conversely to the previous tape, Mac X Slim (@MacXSlim) depends on more sounds and really well crafted production. Pre Crooklyn is rhythmic and plays with a cool vibe that sometimes feels like Texas hip-hop. Each beat punctuates an amazing flow that ensnares you with each track. This tape is one of those rare projects to put on repeat as you ride.

SUGGESTIONS: “45”, “Questions”, “Forget Me”
RATING: 4.8 of 5
DOWNLOAD HERE: Mac X Slim


THECOOLISMAC - Underground Grammy
Not many people can pull off a mixtape that sounds like a studio LP but TheCoolIsMac (@thecoolismac) does it on Underground Grammy. Each song seems as if it has been crafted as opposed to written or recorded. With features from Quentin Miller and Scotty ATL, the tape is another strong effort from yet another Georgia born MC. This one is inspired in every sense of the word.

SUGGESTIONS: “Intro”, “FaceCard”, “Live From The A”
RATING: 5 of 5
DOWNLOAD HERE: TheCoolIsMac

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (Week Of 21/1-12/7)

1. Nelson Mandela-We lose a beacon, a lightning rod in South Africa, and a warrior against the apartheid. Although the world mourns him publicly and with fond memories, I am reminded of something that the great man said:

“ Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for the eternity.”

On that note, I move on. Mandela has said it all.

VERDICT: GOOD (for the rest), BAD (for the family he leaves),  UGLY (with these memes lumping his death in with an actor [Paul Walker] and a cartoon character [Brian Griffin])


2. Grammy announcements-The nominees for the Grammy awards have been released. This year looks to be a good one. This mostly hinges on the best people in their given categories winning. The last thing we need is for music industry politics to make the loud outcries overshadow the night.

VERDICT: *insert your verdict here*


3. Kendrick Lamar-The man who woke up hip-hop with his murderous verse on the now infamous “Control” has been nominated for a few Grammys, Album Of The Year and Best New Artist among them. Having seen who he’s cometing with in each field, it’s admittedly strong competition. Despite that I hope he can walk away with Album Of The Year at the very least . Or would that be the very most?

VERDICT: GOOD


4. Q-Tip and Busta Rhymes-What happens when two legends in the hip-hop game collaborate? I’m not sure but in a short amount of time, Q-Tip and Busta Rhymes will show us with their collaborative effort The Dragon And The Abstract. This one’s going to be a classic. At least, I hope so.

VERDICT: UGLY (because it’s about to GO DOWN!)


5. Christmas is coming-Do I even need to say anything here?! It’s fucking Christmas!!!

VERDICT: GREAT (despite the fact that great isn’t in the title)

Hip Hop Radar (Week Of 11/24-11/30)

JAIMZ - Keeping My Balance

London rapper Jaimz (@Jaimzmusic) gives us a strong mixtape called Keeping My Balance. It’s an understated effort that shows his [Jaimz] flow without overproduction or foolish things you’d see from more mainstream artists. His accent in theory should be harder to understand but I find that he’s intelligible and it adds a depth to his delivery. If you’re looking for a unique sound, Jaimz is just the man for the job.

SUGGESTIONS: “My Way”, “Never Know”, “Dead Presidents”

RATING: 4.8 of 5

DOWNLOAD HERE: Jaimz

TINASHE - Black Water

I am enthralled by both vocalist Tinashe (@Tinashe) and her mixtape Black Water. This is a beautiful soul belting out equally beautiful words over great production. This puts me in mind of many artists but sounds like none of them. Tinashe has her own sound, a heavy neo-soul/contemporary R & B groove to it that shouldn’t be ignored in the slightest. It also plays as a dark journey you need to take.

SUGGESTIONS: “Black Water”, “Vulnerable”, “1 For Me”

RATING: 5 of 5

DOWNLOAD HERE: Tinashe

HARDO & DEEZLEE - Fame Or Feds 2

Hardo (@trapnhardo) and Deezlee (@Popn_Deezlee) present a sequel to the original Fame Or Feds, aptly called Fame Or Feds 2. This mixtape strikes me as a narrative told by two rappers who understand that in their current position you can either seek fame or find yourself locked down. The tape is filled with great interludes, strong flows, and relatable anecdotes. This will be a tape that I will be playing heavily for a while.

SUGGESTIONS: “Choices”, “Going Thru My Phone”, “Do It Then”

RATING: 4.9 of 5

DOWNLOAD HERE: Hardo & Deezlee

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (Week Of 11/24-11/30)

1. Black Friday-Once again it’s that time of year for you to be exceedingly greedy and vicious in pursuit of material possessions immediately after the day when we celebrated being thankful for the important things like family, friends, life, and its blessings. I’ve never had (and never have) the desire to freeze my ass of for the newest next generation game console that I’m not even promised to get or a few good deals. I’ll be doing all my shopping online. Fewer lines.

VERDICT: GOOD (for shoppers and companies hoping to make that quota)

2. Broncos/Patriots-This was a good game, all things considered. It started with my New England Patriots fumbling three possessions and giving their opponents on Sunday night a 21 point advantage that they then curtailed into a 24 point lead by the end of the first half. I am unsure what Patriots coach Bill Belichick said to them during halftime but the second quarter saw a decidedly different game and one of the best comebacks ever. Patriots went on to win it 34-31 in OT.

VERDICT: GOOD (for Patriots fans), BAD (for non-Patriots fans), UGLY (depending purely who your fantasy football team has from either team)

3. “Cookie”-Now, I am a fan of R. Kelly and all but this track off his upcoming album Black Panties, a song called "Cookie", is really dirty. And that’s saying something when compared against his catalog of music which includes songs like “Ignition”, “Bump ‘N Grind”, “Sex In The Kitchen”, and “Sex Me”. Keeping in key with his MO, this song is so sonically pleasing that you can easily ignore the content. Damn it, R. Kelly. You've done it again.

VERDICT: BAD (that I love it so much)

4. “Bound 2” parody-Last week I spoke on the ridiculous video Kanye West put together for his song “Bound 2”. Fast forward to this week when actors James Franco and Seth Rogen made a shot for shot remake of the video called “Bound 3”. Franco plays Kanye while Rogen channels Kim K. perfectly. I laughed for like an hour. So did the Internet at large. The saddest thing, though? This video got way more likes than the original by Kim and Kanye.

VERDICT: GOOD

5. Sharkeisha-I’m mostly adding this because it’s been all that people have been making fun of lately. A brief synopsis: Sharkeisha confronts a friend about a dude, friend looks away, gets snuck with a sucker punch that sounds like a video game, more punches and a brutal kic follows. I place this ignorance on here simply because this is a reflection of the next generation that needs to be addressed IMMEDIATELY. Maybe the shame and the jail time will change her mentality.

VERDICT: UGLY

Hip Hop Radar (Week of 11/17-11/23)

CANDICE - Smoker’s Room
Vocalist Candice (@CandiceRnB) kills it eloquently with Smoker’s Room. Her soaring vocals land perfectly in this effort that plays like an amazing weekend story. I say this because its lyrical content includes late nights, copious amounts of cannabis, and not worrying about him or the other girl he‘s with. Listening to this feels suspiciously like a personal set of experience that she [Candice] has lived through and put to song. Definitely worth a listen on those Fridays nights before you head out

SUGGESTIONS: “Smoker’s Room”, “WussaName”, “I Ain’t Leavin’”
RATING: 4.7 OF 5
DOWNLOAD HERE: Candice

LASHUN ELLIS - LaShun Ellis LP
Rapper LaShun Ellis (@LaShaunEllis) offers an intriguing sound profile on his self titled LaShun Ellis LP. Immediately I am hit by the high quality of his flow and his lyrical content. This isn't strictly a hip-hop mixtape but a cool sonic vibe with words to it. I think the thing that draws me in as that it feels almost like neo-soul sometimes with the production and moments in the delivery. I am put in mind in Common and this is a comparison certainly worth looking into.

SUGGESTIONS: “Psycho Star”, “Soul‘d Out”, “You  & Your Friends”
RATING: 4.5 OF 5
DOWNLOAD HERE: LaShun Ellis


FATKIDSBROTHA - Eastside Paradise 2
I like FatKidsBrotha( and their mixtape Eastside Paradise 2. This tape is eclectic and it isn’t for everyone. Personally, I like what I am listening to. There are moments when I listen to their production where I hear notes of 9th Wonder or The Neptunes. As a mixtape it is decent enough but I would have like a bit more personal storytelling. Aside from that one thing the flow is slow and melodic against each beat presented. It is a syrupy sort of sound that I cannot get enough of.

SUGGESTIONS: “Crooks”, “My Mind Only”, “Last Two Orgy”
RATING: 4.4 OF 5
DOWNLOAD HERE: FatKidsBrotha