Album Review Catch-Up, Part 1

05.14.09

There has been so much music coming out over the past few months that I’ve been neglecting a lot of album reviews for the simple fact that I don’t have a whole lot of time. By the time I finally sit down to do an album writeup, there’s 4 or 5 other albums that have my interest. It’s a blessing and a curse to live in this digital age, as we have so much great music right at our fingertips, but not enough time to digest and enjoy it before something new comes along. This especially a problem for someone like me, who loves collecting EVERYTHING. So for the sake of catching up with myself and saving myself time in the future (although a few of these reviews I have half-done already, but am scrapping in favor of this format), here is part one of all of the albums fit for coverage – now in bite size:

The New Classics Mixtape [April 2009]: Download

05.03.09

A few days late, but here it is. No artwork again, but I’m pretty sure most of you don’t care so I’m not going to bother unless I get complaints. It’s all about the music anyway, here’s April’s top 20. It’s springtime, people.

Download> The.New.Classics.Mixtape_april.2009

New Music: Statik Selektah, The Thrill is Gone [ft. Styles P & Talib Kweli]

04.30.09

Song: The Thrill is Gone [ft. Styles P & Talib Kweli]
Artist: Statik Selektah
Album: The Hangover
Label: Showoff Records
Producer: Statik Selektah
Notes: 1st single from LP
Analysis: Anyone who’s been following this site since January knows that Statik Selektah is one of my favorite hip hop producers of today. He’s put out two dope, underrated albums since 2007 with the help of dozens of talented contributers and is readying his junior year LP entitled The Hangover. Speaking of talented contributers you couldn’t ask for much better help than Styles P & Talib Kweli. Statik prepares the beat with some jazz lounge pianos for the two NY-bred emcees to spit over. ‘The Thrill is Gone’ refers to the hip hop genre itself, and what it’s become.

New Music: Saigon, So Cruel

03.15.09

Song: So Cruel
Artist: Saigon
Album: All in a Days Work
Label: Amalgam Digital
Producer: Statik Selektah
Notes: none
Analysis: Saigon has always been one of those rappers to me whose hype outshines the actual outcome. He’s big with those who follow the hip hop blogs, but it always felt like his potential stops there. I can’t ever imagine Saigon ever having a huge hit record and becoming a breakthrough artist. And there’s nothing wrong with that as long as he continues putting out music that people enjoy. He’s good, but there’s never been anything special about him. But All in a Days Work could be the album that takes him closer to proving me wrong.

Mixtape Review / Download: Termanology, If Heaven Was a Mile Away (A Tribute to J Dilla)

01.01.09

I was skeptical at first of the intentions of this mixtape. I am quite sure that Termanology & late producer J Dilla (who passed in 2006) have never previously collaborated. Neither of them share any song credits to my knowledge, and at first I was afraid that the relatively-new MC was somehow capitalizing on the trend of saluting Dilla, who has become more known in death than he was in life. In 2007, Busta Rhymes also released a free mixtape called Dilla-gence, providing new vocals over unreleased Dilla beats, but they had been frequent collaborators throughout their careers. How can someone give a tribute to another person who they’ve never even known? If heaven was a mile away, would J Dilla even know who Termanology was? Then I remembered how good an album Termanology’s Politics as Usual was this past year. And I remembered how Term is one of the nicest upcoming artists in the hip hop world, and how his raw, energetic style is remeniscent of early New York rap that we’ve been badly missing for years now. So I started looking at this mixtape in a different light. Term is simply just a fan.