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"
==========================
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"
===========================
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"

Albums I listened to this week [7/20/08]

Wale - The Mixtape About Nothing
Wale's prior mixtape (100 Miles And Running) was an extremely strong effort. This go around, he presents a concept mixtape of sorts based upon the Seinfeld premise - a mixtape about nothing. Not only does the mixtape cover stick with this Seinfeld theme, but the opening track (which is actually called "The Opening Title Sequence") samples the Seinfeld theme song. Elsewhere the mixtape mixes in audio from Seinfeld's stand-up routines. The mixtape also includes (apparently) a drop from Julia Louis-Dreyfus giving her version of a shout-out to Wale. And then there's "The Kramer" which mixes in audio from Michael Richards' infamous incident at The Laugh Factory.

Highlights:

• "The Kramer"
  
• "The Vacation From Ourselves"
  

=======================

Larry Larr - Da Wizard Of Odds [1991]
I remember listening to this album in high school. (Scary.) As I recall, I enjoyed the album back then. However, it hasn't stood the test of time like other 1991 releases (such as 2Pac's 2Pacalypse Now, Black Sheep's A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, Chubb Rock's The One, De La Soul's De La Soul Is Dead, DJ Quik's Quik Is The Name, Gang Starr's Step In The Arena, Ice Cube's Death Certificate, Main Source's Breaking Atoms, N.W.A.'s Efil4zaggin and Geto Boys' We Can't Be Stopped - not to mention others).

Nonetheless, the album provides a few good tracks worthy of listening to on multiple occasions.

Highlights:

• "My Ace, My Pal, My Partner" (with Kwame and E.S.T. of Three Times Dope)
• "Confused"
• "My Own Style"
  

===================
88 Keys - Adam's Case Files
88 Keys has produced tracks for Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Consequence, Musiq Soulchild, J-Live, Beanie Sigel and others. "Adam's Case Files" is a mixtape prelude to "The Death Of Adam." Mos of the beats are laid back and smooth. Guest artists include Guilty Simpson, Tanya Morgan and Grafh.

Some of the tracks seem very anti-woman. For example, "Wasting My Minutes" provides lines such as "She's so cool / She's hot / But a scholar / She's not" and "She's as dumb as a rock." Other songs seem to wander into this territory as well.

Highlights:

• "Fibs" (featuring Grafh)
• "Deal Breakers" (featuring Mr. Bentley)
• "Quit Playing" (featuring Serius Jones)
• "Cuddle Bums" (featuring Tanya Morgan)

===============
Big Sean - Finally Famous The Mixtape
Prior to picking up this mixtape, I hadn't heard of Big Sean (except for his one-track appearances on (1) Kanye West's Can't Tell Me Nothing mixtape and (2) 88 Keys' Adam's Case Files mixtape which I just listened to).

Upon listening to the mixtape, I learned quite a bit. Big Sean represents Detroit and is now signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label. His full length album will apparently be titled Finally Famous. And after listening to the mixtape, I am looking forward to the full length album. His style reminds me of a mix between Kanye West and Farnsworth Bentley. On paper, that sounds like a wack mixture, be he makes it work.

Highlights:
- "Get'cha Some"
- "All Night" (with Mr. Bentley)
- "I Get Money Freestyle"
- "Streets On Lock" (with Big Shan)
- "Dreams"
- "All My Life"
- "Call Me"
- "Freestyle" (over the beat from Notorious B.I.G.'s "I Got A Story To Tell")
- "Good Sh..."
- "Never Forget"
- "Money Being Made"
- "Mr. T"
- "Smoke N Drive"
- "Get'em"

Can you tell I really liked this mixtape?

Albums I listened to this week [7/13/08]

Baby D - A-Town Secret Weapon [2008]
Baby D (from Atlanta) released A-Town Secret Weapon in April of 2008. Many facets of the album sound like they have been plucked from other artists. Vocally, Baby D sounds very much like Chingy due to the twangy accent and high-pitched vocal tone.

The beats sound like they belong on a T.I. album, which isn't totally shocking since much of the music out of Atlanta tends to rely on similar beat patterns and styles. Guest artists include Sean P (of the Youngbloodz), Pastor Troy, Gucci Mane, Shawty Lo and Backbone. On the "take it or leave it" continuum, I'd probably leave it.

Highlight: "Get It Girl"
=====================
Gym Class Heroes - As Cruel As School Children, The Match-Up
As I said when discussing the Phillmatic mashup album, I am a sucker for 80's pop music. This time around, the mashup blends Gym Class Heroes with Hall and Oates. This mash-up was produced by J.J. Brown and Dan "The Deacon" Maier.

I was already familiar with J.J. Brown's Ludacris mash-up, Re-Release Therapy, mixing Ludacris with the Jackson 5 (some of which you can check out here, here, and here). I was also familiar with some of his work with rapper Louis Logic (which you can watch here and here).

"Method of Modem Love" is a comical look at Travis McCoy's efforts to pick up a woman via the internet (based on the Gym Class Heroes' track "New Friend Request.") Other tracks were decent, but not especially memorable.

Highlights:

• "For Want Of The White Girl" (which appears to be about drugs)
• "Adult Academics"
  

================
Coo Coo Cal - All Or Nothin' [2004]
Milwaukee's Coo Coo Cal has a decent hit back in 2001 with "My Projects." Despite the success of that single, this is the first Coo Coo Cal album that I have listened to in its entirety. The beats sound similar to those from older Twista or Do Or Die albums - a very Midwest Hip-Hop feel.

Highlights:

• "Midwest Best" (featuring Twista)
• "Who's Callin' Me?"

Avoid:

• "Made A Way"

=======================
Three Times Dope - Live From Acknickulous Land [1990]
E.S.T. (a/k/a "The Greatest Man Alive") was well known for popularizing the Gumby haircut. This crew from Philadelphia had me hooked with their album, Original Stylin'. Live From Acknickulous Land measures up to the quality of the group's debut album, even though it may not have produced a standout single.

Highlights:

• "Mr. Sandman"
• "Mellow But Smooth"
• "No Words"
• "I Ain't Trying 2 Hear It"
• "(Peace) Ya' Self"

=========================
Antoinette - Who's The Boss [1989]
Back in the late 80's and early 90's, Antoinette participated in a lyrical back-and-forth with MC Lyte. Actually, I'd consider it the greatest female MC battle series ever. MC Lyte always seemed to get more of the mainstream attention (and more commercial hits), but Antoinette definitely held her own.

One critique that always MC Lyte (and others) often directed at Antoinette concerned biting. For example, "Baby Make It Boom" sounds like a poor woman's version of Salt 'N' Pepa's "Push It." Also, her lyrical delivery is often described as a female version of Rakim (as noted by MC Lyte when she said "you should have won a prize as a Rakim sound-a-like.")

Despite the criticism, I have fond memories of this album. It reminds me of an era when female MCs were plentiful and respected, including: Queen Latifah, Salt 'N' Pepa, Real Roxanne, Roxanne Shante, Sweet Tee, J.J. Fad, L'Trimm, L.A. Star, Oaktown's 357, Big Lady K, Silk Times Leather and more.
Highlights:

• "Lights Out Party's Over"
• "Who's The Boss?"
• "Watch The Gangstress Boogie"
• "Here She Comes"
• "This Girl Is Off On Her Own"

==============================
DJ Smallz - Can't Ban The Smoke Man [Mixtape] [2007]
DJ Smallz is a busy guy. He has been involved in a variety of mixtape series including "Dirty R&B," "Smokin' R&B," and "Southern Smoke." Here, much of the mixtape focuses on southern-oriented remixes and posse cuts. Artists appearing on the mixtape include: Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Akon, Clipse, UGK, Andre 3000, Rich Boy, Jim Jones, Fat Joe, Baby, Lil Flip, T.I., and more.

Even though this mixtape was released last year, it included tracks that I had not heard before this listening (such as the remix to Fat Joe's "Make It Rain" and the remix to Young Jeezy's "I Luv It.")

Highlights:

• "Blow" (by Rick Ross and Clipse)
• "Lost Ones" (by Lil Flip)
• "Dope Boy Fresh" (by Three 6 Mafia, Project Pat)
• "Player's Anthem" (by UGK and Three 6 Mafia)
• "Whip Game Proper" (by Twista and Lil Wayne)
  

Albums I listened to this week [7/6/08]

Turk - Young & Thuggin' [2001]
Turk is from New Orleans, Louisiana and was, at the time of Young & Thuggin', signed to Cash Money Records. As a result, the entire album is produced by Mannie Fresh. That's a good thing. Also, the album features guest appearances by other Cash Money artists. That's not necessarily a plus.

The themes on this album are fairly predictable:

• Thug
• Beef
• Hustle
• Money
• Shine
• Stunt
  

Will I listen to this album again? If so, it'll be due to Mannie Fresh's beats (who should make at least one instrumental album, or at least reserve the right to use his beats on an instrumental album a year or two after selling the beats to artists).

I can't comfortably identify the songs as highlights. Instead, I'll focus on my favorite beats from the album.

Best beats: "It's In Me," "Yes We Do," and "Untamed Guerrilla"
Songs to avoid: "One Saturday Night"
========================
Snowgoons - Black Snow [2008]
From what I can tell, Snowgoons have had a foothold in Hip-Hop in Germany for quite a while and are well known for their solid production skills. The first time I heard about the crew was upon the release of the full-length album German Lugers in 2007. That album featured vocal appearances by some of the best in underground Hip-Hop: Craig G, Ed O.G., Wise Intelligent, Jus Allah, Chief Kamachi, Sean Price, O.C. and more.

This time around, Snowgoons stick to the script by utilizing a wide variety of underground MCs (meaning MCs you'll rarely, if ever, hear on commercial radio or see on MTV or BET - if you're still watching those channels for music), including: Apathy, Ed O.G., Supastition, Ill Bill, Killah Priest, Defari, Boom Bap Project, Pacewon and Smif-N-Wessun.

Highlights:

• "The Curse" (with King Magnetic, Reef The Lost Cauze, and Charon Don)
  
• "Casualties Of War" (with Smif-N-Wessun and Respect Tha God)
• "Hold Up" (with R.A. The Rugged Man, Lord Lhus, and Savage Brothers)
• "Knockatomi Plaza" (with Side Effect)
• "Lost" (with Respect Tha God, Block McCloud and Doap Nixon)
• "Sick Like" (with Sick Jacken, Cynic, and Bacardi Riam)
  

===========================
Will.I.Am - Songs About Girls [2007]
Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas dropped his solo album last fall. Much of the album sounds like the soundtrack to a college spring break getaway. A few songs in particular have a strong pop feel with lots of male/female call and response elements. I could have done without these songs (such as "The Donque Song" and "I Got It From My Mama"), but I guess I understand the mass appeal behind them.

The album includes a guest appearance by Snoop Dogg and production work by Will.I.Am and Polow Da Don.

I preferred some of the smooth, laid-back tracks such as "She's A Star," "Ain't It Pretty," and "S.O.S. (Mother Nature)." The latter two cuts sound like something I would expect to hear on a K-Os album.
=================
Boyz N The Hood Soundtrack [1991]
I'd forgotten the strength of this soundtrack. It provided a nice balance including west coast rap (Ice Cube, Yo-Yo, Kam, Too Short, Compton's Most Wanted), R&B (Hi-Five, Tevin Campbell, Tony! Toni! Tone!), and jazz (Quincy Jones, Stanley Clarke).

The soundtrack also brings back memories of one of my favorite movies. I can nearly visualize every scene that coincides with each song from the soundtrack (including the scene where Ricky is shot in the back, Tre and Brandi's love scene, and Doughboy's house party when he is released from jail).

Highlights:

• "How To Survive In South Central" (by Ice Cube)
• "Just Ask Me To" (by Tevin Campbell, Chubb Rock)
• "Just Me And You" (by Tony! Toni! Tone!)
• "Just A Friendly Game Of Baseball [Remix]" (by Main Source)
• "Growin' Up In The Hood" (by Compton's Most Wanted)
• "Setembro" (by Quincy Jones)
  

=================
Ras Kass - Razzy Kazzy
Ras Kass would hold a slot somewhere within my Top 20 MC list. It is a travesty that he has never received the acknowledgment he deserves.

I'd heard a few of these tracks before on prior underground releases (such as "Dreams," "Understandable Smooth" and "Home Sweet Home"). That doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Guest artists include: KRS-One, Xzibit, Sheek Louch, Sauce Money, Skillz, Scipio, Kon Artis of D-12, Mad Lion, and Bootleg of The Dayton Family.

Highlights:

• "Sophisticated Thugs" (with Bootleg and Ideal)
• "Dreams" (over the beat from 702's "Where My Girls At")
  
• "One On One" (with Punchline)
• "Understandable Smooth Sh*t" (with Anita Baker sample)
• "Home Sweet Home"

=======================
Snoop Dogg - The City Is In Good Hands
Sometimes I wonder if I'm a hypocrite. Here, Snoop Dogg and DJ Drama provide a mixtape better than most full length albums. However, much of the theme isn't that different than the material on the Turk album that I criticized earlier in this very same post: Be a pimp, be a boss, get money, guns are cool, smoke weed.

Maybe it's because Snoop's track record dates back to my teenage years. Perhaps it's because Snoop's lyrical delivery isn't as simple as Turk's.

Guest artists include MC Eiht, Kurupt, and Goldie Loc. Highlights:

• "If There's A Cure" (which samples Diana Ross' "Love Hangover")
• "The City Is In Good Hands"
• "That Sh*t" (The beat sound like a KLC / No Limit production from the mid 1990s. Also, MC Eiht makes a guest appearance.)
  
• My favorite line: "You ain't gotta pimp my ride / It's already equipped with a pimp inside." Nice little wordplay based on MTV's Pimp My Ride show.
  
• "Diamonds On My Neck" (with Kurupt)
• "Let Me Know" (with MC Eiht, Goldie Loc, and a hook sung by someone who sounds like John Legend)
• "Let Me In This B*tch" (with Warzone)

==================================
R.A. The Rugged Man - Die, Rugged Man, Die [2004]
I have slept on R.A. The Rugged Man for far too long. His lyrics are funny, witty, and full of punchlines (such as "I'll pull an L.L. and leave my draws in your hamper").

His lyrics make it very clear that he loves and respects Hip-Hop. In "Lessons," he provides a brief summary of his Hip-Hop career by discussing a wide variety of topics such as:

• His early interactions with the Neptunes
• The deaths of Jam Master Jay, Big L, Biggie, Big Pun, and Buffy of the Fat Boys
• His role as a white rapper (including references to Bubba Sparxxx and Eminem)
• EPMD's breakup
• His bitterness about Alchemist giving the "I'm The King" beat to Royce Da 5'9"
• Steve Stoute carrying Kid 'N Play's luggage back in the day
• His disdain for fans who don't know of Kool G Rap

The beats don't always provide a great landscape for R.A.'s rhymes, but if you are into lyrics you'll probably see past that. He constantly references the pre-2000 era of Hip-Hop, which is wonderful for someone raised during that time period.

Highlights:

• "Lessons"
• "Chains" (with Killah Priest and Masta Killa)
• "On The Block"
• "How Low" (which samples Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express")
  

=========================

Albums I listened to this week [6/29/08]

Mutek - The Remixes
I can't even remember where I found this. I've tried to find out more about Mutek, but can't find very much. In fact, I am wondering whether Mutek is actually a magazine as opposed to a person. If you know, let me know.

Essentially, this is a compilation of ten remixed Hip-Hop tracks. Most of the beats on these remixed tracks sound like the type of tunes you'd hear during a Sunday brunch at a lounge with a live jazz band. The artists remixed on this album include: Nas, Beastie Boys, Gang Starr, Big Daddy Kane, Common, MF Doom, Skee-Lo, Crooklyn Dodgers, and Outkast.

Based on this album, I would definitely check out more of Mutek's remix work.

Highlights: "Nas Is Like [Mutek Remix]" and "Sure Shot [Mutek Remix]."
====================================
Killah Priest - The Offering [2007]
Killah Priest is one of the more cerebral MCs in Hip-Hop. I definitely learned that after listening to View From Masada [2000], Heavy Mental [1998] and Black August [2003]. The Offering does not veer from this standard.

The album utilizes a massive amount of religious and/or spiritual references. For example, "Uprising" contains references to: The Beast; Three 6's; Christ; disciples; Bible scriptures; the Gate (referring I believe to Heaven's Gate); the pits of hell; and archangels.

Guest artists include: Nas, Hell Razah, Immortal Technique, Ras Kass, Canibus, and Kurupt.

Highlights:

• "How Many?"
• "Happy"
• "Priesthood"
• "Standstill" (featuring Bloodsport and Immortal Technique)
• "Inner G" (featuring Ras Kass, Kurupt and Canibus)
• "Gun 4 Gun" (featuring Nas)

=============================================
The Herbaliser - Blow Your Headphones [1997]
Herbaliser's album features repeat appearances by a female MC known then as "What?What?" (who many now know as Jean Grae). However, most of the tracks are of the instrumental variety, usually with a trip-hop or jazzy feel. Decent, but for instrumental Hip-Hop, I prefer Nicolay, Ayatollah, Nujabes, DJ Shadow and J. Dilla. Nonetheless, the album was solid and I'd probably check for another Herbaliser album.

Highlights: "Another Mother."
================================
LMNO and Kev Brown - Selective Hearing [2008]
I first heard about Kev Brown when he remixed Jay-Z's Black album, calling his version The Brown Album. He also contributed quite a bit to Jazzy Jeff's album, The Magnificent. His beats were consistently jazzy and smooth. He brings the same style to this selection.

This album gets bonus points from me by offering an instrumental version of all of the tracks. The album has 11 full tracks (with vocals and instrumentals) followed by the instrumentals of the same 11 tracks. THANK YOU!!!! Why don't other artists do this more often? This is so much wiser than putting together 11 nice tracks and 11 sorry filler tracks just to reach a 60 - 70 minute album.

Highlights:

• "Who's That?" (which samples Charlie Brown from Leaders of the New School's verse on "Case of the P.T.A." - "Who's that? Broooowwwwwn" - works perfectly for a Kev Brown song.)
• "Selective Hearing"
• "We Got This" featuring Oh No

===============================
Nas & Phil Collins - Phillmatic
Full disclosure: I'm a sucker for 80's pop music and I'm a sucker for blend remixes. This album hits both on the head.

Sometimes I forget how many classic Phil Collins songs exist: "Land of Confusion," "In The Air Tonight," "Sussidio," "Against All Odds" and "Take Me Home" just to name a few. On this mixtape, Phil Collins vocals are blended with Nas beats while Nas vocals are mixed with Phil Collins (or Genesis, a group that included Phil Collins) instrumentals.

For the most part, the mashup works well. There are a few tracks that seem awkward because the vocals don't match the track or because the mixing gets sloppy. But these occasions are the exception rather than the rule. Listening to this album made me want to reconnect with some old school Phil Collins and Genesis. Moreover, it made me want to hear more from the DJs involved in this mixtape: DJ Crazy Chris, Simon Sez, Chong Wizard, and DJ Sixteen.

Highlights:

• "One Mic" lyrics (Nas) mixed with "In The Air Tonight"
• "Tonight Tonight Tonight" lyrics (Phil Collins) mixed with "Made You Look," "I Can," "If I Ruled The World," "Thief's Theme," "Dr. Knockboots," and "Nas Is Like."
• "Invisible Touch" lyrics (Phil Collins) mixed with "Ether."
  
• "Affirmative Action" lyrics (Nas) mixed with "Hold On My Heart."
  
• "That's All" lyrics (Phil Collins) mixed with "Halftime," "Phone Tap," and "Street Dreams."
• "Made You Look" lyrics (Nas) mixed with "I Missed Again."
  
• "Land Of Confusion" lyrics (Phil Collins) mixed with "Rule," "You Owe Me," "You Know My Style."

Black Sheep and Nice 'N' Smooth in Concert

On June 23, 2008, I went to Skully's for the third in Scion's series of free Hip-Hop concerts. (The first two concerts featured EPMD and Too Short).

The show opened with DJ J. Period and a hype man warming up the crowd.

The warm up session included a Hip-Hop trivia bit with free CD giveaways. I ended up winning this Notorious B.I.G. / J. Period mixtape (which is one of the best blend mixtapes I have ever heard):
The opening act was a band called Orgone. They got the crowd and the breakdancers going with some instrumentals.




Next up was Black Sheep. Actually, it was Dres because Mista Lawnge was nowhere to be seen. Dres performed "Similak Child," "Flavor Of The Month," and - of course - "The Choice Is Yours." He performed some more recent material as well.

Nice & Smooth closed out the show. Unexpectedly, Greg Nice was the life of the party. He jumped off the stage and performed two or three songs while standing in the crowd with audience members. He also dry humped a couple of females (you had to see it to believe it) and threw bottled water on the audience.

The duo performed many of their hits including: "Cake & Eat It Too," "Funky For You," "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow," and "Hip Hop Junkies." Also, Greg Nice gave the crowd a beatbox interlude. They closed the show with "DWYCK" which includes a guest verse from Dres of Black Sheep.

Albums I listened to this week [6/22/08]

NYGz - Welcome To G-Dom [2007]
Nearly half of the album is produced by DJ Premier. As a result, much of the album feels like a Gang Starr or M.O.P. offering. Guest artists include Royal Flush, J.U.I.C.E., and Blaq Poet. Welcome 2 G-Dom includes "G'z and Hustlaz" which samples the same beat used in "Gs and Hustlaz" from Snoop Dogg's classic Doggystyle album.

Highlights: "3 Man Weave," "Welcome 2 G-Dom," "Raps 4 U," "Bow Down" and "Laundry Kings."
=========================
EMC - The Show [2008]
EMC is Masta Ace, Punchline, Wordsworth and Strick. With that group of MCs, I knew the lyrics would be strong. All I needed was quality beats. I feel like I got them. The Show includes production by:

• Marco Polo (who has produced for Boot Camp Click, Masta Ace, Pumpkinhead)
  
• Ayatollah (Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Sadat X, Cormega)
  
• Nicolay (Little Brother, The Foreign Exchange, Moon Baker)
  

Highlights: "Who We Be" and "U Let Me Grow."
======================================
Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill [1991]
The masters of high hip-hop. B-Real's nasally delivery was a perfect match for DJ Muggs' production efforts. In many ways, this album's significance was not realized until the album had aged. For example, in a 1991 edition of Rolling Stone magazine, journalist Kevin Powell (who was on season 1 of MTV's The Real World) gave the album 3 out of 5 stars. Eight years later (in 1999), Rolling Stone identified the album as one of the "Essential Recordings of the 90's." Go figure.

Highlights: "How I Could Just Kill A Man," "Real Estate" and "Hand On The Pump."
==========================================================
NameTag - The Rhyme Royal Mixtape
NameTag...he's from Detroit. He appeared on at least one song by Black Milk ("Say Something"). He raps. That's all I know.

I consider this listening to be my introduction to NameTag. Fortunately, the album leaves a better impression than his MC moniker. Seriously? NameTag? He should find a DJ named PostItNote. (I bet there's a deep or emotional rationale behind the name, but I just don't know it.)

The mixtape includes production by Black Milk (who has produced for Canibus, Slum Village, Pharoahe Monch, Skyzoo and Guilty Simpson).

Highlights: "Red Alert," "MC Means...," "So Raw Part 2" and "I Applaud You."
=========================================================
UMC's - Fruits Of Nature [1991]
I forgot that this album had some fun gems on it. Fruits Of Nature was released in a time when it was still okay to be a "fun" MC (such as Digital Underground, Kwame, Black Sheep, De La Soul, Chubb Rock, Kid N Play, Nice & Smooth, Tone Loc, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Leaders of the New School, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, and Heavy D). Everybody didn't insist on being hardcore. It was OK to be everyday people.

Apparently, both of the UMC's are still in the rap game. Hass G produced Magic Stick by 50 Cent and Lil' Kim. Meanwhile, Kool Kim now raps under the name NYOIL (who released a fairly controversial track called "Y'all Should All Get Lynched" which was banned from youtube.com (but you can see it here)).

Highlights: "One To Grow On" and "Blue Cheese."