Albums I listened to this week [6/15/08]

Busta Rhymes - I've Already Outshined Your Favorite Rapper [2008]
Busta Rhymes will soon release his 8th solo album ("Blessed.") This mixtape is supposed to hold us over until the album drops. Hopefully, the album will live up to the mixtape which has a diverse supporting cast which includes Janet Jackson, Rick Ross, Mario, Plies, Lil Wayne, Baby, Bishop Lamont, Missy Elliott and Fat Joe. (On a side note, Janet appears on a remix of Feedback. Whenever I hear that song it seems like she is singing about a feed bag. Maybe it's just me.)
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Wiz Khalifa - Show & Prove [2006]
Wiz Khalifa hails from Pittsburgh. I'm not sure if Pittburgh would qualify as a Midwest or East Coast city. Similarly, I can't quite classify Khalifa's flow and style as either Midwest or East Coast. Highlights include "Pittsburgh Sound" and "I Choose You" (which relies on the same Willie Hutch sample as UGK and Outkast's "Int'l Players Anthem.") Also worthy of your playlist: "Gotta Be A Star Remix" and "Crazy Since The 80's."
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Wyclef Jean - The Carnival [1997]
Ahhh...this album is refreshing. This album was full of great songs: "Anything Can Happen," "Guantanamera," "Gone Til November," and "We Tryin To Stay Alive." The occasional Lauryn Hill appearance was the icing on the cake.
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Joss Stone - Introducing Joss Stone [2007]
This is Joss Stone's third album, but the first that I've taken the time to listen to in its entirety. I shouldn't have waited this long. The entire album is produced by former Tony! Toni! Tone! member Raphael Saadiq. Joss Stone obtained Common and Lauryn Hill as guest artists. Top songs: "Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now," "Music," and "Bruised But Not Broken."
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Day 26 - Day 26 [2008]

Initially, I found this album to be fairly disappointing. I definitely enjoyed listening to "Exclusive (No Excuses)" when the band was being formed on Making The Band. For me, none of the album's early songs live up to that potential. However, the more I listened, the better it got.

Nonetheless, based on this album, Day 26 doesn't reach the level of New Edition, Guy, Jodeci, Boyz II Men or former Bad Boy artists 112. And with Diddy at the executive controls, I was baffled by the lack of big time guest artists. However, Diddy paid for some quality producers such as:

• Kwame' (YES THAT KWAME' - who has produced for Method Man, Talib Kweli, Lloyd Banks)
  
• The Runners (produced for Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, T.I., Ludacris)
  
• Bryan-Michael Cox (produced for Usher, Joe, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Aaliyah, Toni Braxton)
  
• L.T. Hutton (produced for Mystikal, MC Ren, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Da Brat, Ashanti, Snoop Dogg)
  
• Mario Winans (produced for Jay-Z, Lil Kim, 112, Rick Ross, Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans)
  

Noteworthy songs: "Co-Star," "What It Feels Like," "Are We In This Together" and "Come In (My Door's Open)."
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Agallah - F.A.M.E. (F*ck All My Enemies)
Agallah is one of the more underrated producers in the game - most likely due to the fact that he doesn't produce for that many high profile rappers. In addition to producing many of his own tracks, he has produced for Sean Price, Jus Allah, Das Efx, Group Home, Krumb Snatcha and PMD of EPMD. This is a decent mixtape, but doesn't quite measure up to his 2006 release "You Already Know."

Best beats: "Get That Gat," "Respect The Jux," and "Real O.G."
Avoid: "Who's Knockin' At My Door"
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Chaundon - Carnage [2008]
It's my understanding that rapper Chaundon hails from North Carolina and is down with the Justus League (Little Brother, L.E.G.A.C.Y., Away Team). However, I'm not sure if that's true because I have also heard a mixtape from Chaundon called Live From The 718, which is a New York City area code. Also, the chorus of "3 Kings" includes a line that says "Kiss the rings / It's a New York thing."

At any rate, I'd recommend "Don't Take It Personal" and "Angie."

Guest appearances include: Darien Brockington, Jean Grae, Skyzoo, Torae, Sean Price and Phonte of Little Brother.
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Bill Cosby - I Started Out As A Child [1964]
My view of this album may be slanted by how dated it is (and the fact that it was released over a decade before I was born). For example, a set about the Lone Ranger did nothing for me. I'm sure folks found this to be funny back in the 1960s, but I'll take The Cosby Show in a heartbeat. I probably won't listen to this again.