Albums I listened to this week [7/27/08]

The Cool Kids - The Bake Sale EP [2008]
This is a funky little hip hop gem. "What Up Man" starts off the EP with a track composed primarily of human-produced beats, including a voice repeatedly saying "bass" and "clap." As the song says, "did you know I made this beat with my mouth and a bell / Just an FYI." The rest of the beats provide a consistent amount of boom-bap funk.

Since The Bake Sale is an EP it only provides ten songs - but it's a strong ten songs. I will definitely be looking for more material from these kids.

Highlights:
- "What Up Man"
- "One Two"
- "Mikey Rocks"
- "Black Mags"
- "A Little Bit Cooler"
- "Gold And A Pager"
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Nas - Untitled [2008]
After all of the back and forth about the controversy surrounding the album's title, I was concerned that I would be underwhelmed by the actual music. If anything, I was under-prepared. Nas brought it.

Nas focuses much of his attention on social and political topics such as the "N-word," mass media outlets such as Fox News and Senator Obama's run for the presidency. Moreover, the beats are not lacking. The album includes production by:

- Jay Electronica
- Cool & Dre (Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Goodie Mob, Twista, Lil Wayne, Christina Milian)
- Polow Da Don (Pussycat Dolls, Ciara, Ludacris, Will.I.Am, Fergie)
- stic.man of dead prez
- Salaam Remi (Fugees, Canibus, Ludacris)
- Mark Ronson
- DJ Green Lantern

Highlights:
- "You Can't Stop Us Now"
- "Breathe"
- "Hero"
- "Sly Fox"
- "N.I.*.*.E.R. (The Slave and the Master)"
- "Y'All My N*gg*s"
- "We're Not Alone"
- "Black President"
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Fatt Father - You Are The Father
Fatt Father hails from Detroit, which is apparent in his lyrics as he states that he'll ride for the D, argues that Proof of D-12 did not instigate the incident that led to his death, and indicates that he wants to get Swifty McVeigh of D-12 to stop drinking.

While his claims that he is "picking up where Big left off" may be a stretch, his flow and the underlying tracks have some definite appeal. I'm surprised how many top notch beats are making their way onto mixtapes. Why aren't these beats showing up on radio singles somewhere? (Specifically, the simple but enchanting "I Know.")

Of course, the mixtape includes the obligatory freestyle over 50 Cent's "I Get Money." It seems every mixtape includes a freestyle over that or Lil' Wayne's "A Milli." There's also a remake of T-Pain's "Bartender" that is definitely not an improvement on the original.

Highlights:
- "Blah Blah Blah"
- "Fatts Freestyle"
- "I Know"
- "Green Light"
- "Late @ Night"
- "Detroit Playaz" (featuring King Gordy and utilizing the beat and a sample from Notorious B.I.G.'s "Hypnotize")
- "Foe Tha Hood"
- "Would It Be Nice"
- "Right Now"