Info On The New Roots Album

It looks like I have something new to look foward to. Two days ago, Entertainment Weekly reviewed what they had heard of the new Roots, Rising Down. The album is set to drop April 29 with rumored guest appearences from Lupe Fiasco, Common, Mos Def, Q-Tip, Styles P, Wale, and more. Here is the first leaked track off the album, "75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction)"

Album Review: "NY's Finest"- Pete Rock

Almost two months have come and go this year without a single worthwhile release, which will make this, set to drop next tuesday, the first. I have been anticipating this album because I'm big into the whole producer album thing and Pete Rock beats at least garauntee musical quality, though Soul Survivor II showed us all that they don't garauntee entertainment value. This suspense is too much!



1. Pete Intro


Just some clips of people saying shit


2. We Roll (Feat. Jim Jones & Max B.)

I posted this song on the blog four months ago and have bumped it ever since. In regards to Jim Jones, anyone could rhyme over this and I'd still enjoy to some degree. Other, newer producers just don't make them like this.


3. 'Till I Retire

This came out on the 12" with "We Roll" but I never checked it. It's eerie and spacey for a Pete Rock beat but still good. You could assume the subject based on the title, but its basically saying that he's still nice and will be until he retires. To be honest, all I was thinking about during his verses was who his new ghost writers are.


4. 914 (Feat. Styles P & Sheek Louch)

iTunes says that I added this 12/27/06. While I still really like the song, I have to believe that Pete has made enough tracks in the last year plus to fill an album with fresh material. Anyhow, Pete flips the "Ain't No Half Steppin'" horns, naturally in a more tasteful fashion than the other million producers who have done this in the past. Styles and Sheek do their thing reppin NY and whatnot.


5. Questions (Feat. Royal Flush)

Royal Flush (serious!) fields questions and answers in rap form (I'm sure this has been done before, right?). Anyhow, I expected this to be shit considering he probably hasn't made anything worth listening to in eleven years but it was hot. Another darker kind of beat, maybe Pete Rock's new style?


6. Best Believe (Feat. Redman)

Fuckin banger. I'm not even a big Redman fan but he jumps on the crazy horn beat and murders it. The only negative here is LD who handles the second verse. They couldn't get Redman to do two?


7. Ready Fe War (Feat. Chip Fu & Renee Neufville)

After a minute and a half intro about the word "bomboclot", my worst fears were confirmed, a Raggae track. Chip Fu, who used to rap, just does some Jamaican wailing shit like one of those Marley kids or something. Even Pete Rock raps in a Jamaican accent.


8. Don't Be Mad

The point of these albums is to have Pete Rock beats and good rappers over them, no? Well this is a Green Lantern beat with a Pete Rock solo. Not that its awful, but I'm sure the beat would have been better had the Soul Brotha himself handled it, and his rhymes are more difficult to digest in mass.


9. Bring Y'all Back (Feat. Little Brother)

The loop is like a tuba or something but it sounds pretty decent especially when the strongs kick in. Joe Scudda raps on this in addition to LB but they all fail to say anything of interest.


10. The Best Secret (Feat. The Lords of the Underground)

It's almost funny at this point when the guest rapper pops up. I don't think I've heard a post-'94 Lords track and I must say, they are really fucking bad nowadays. The secret is out I guess.


11. That's What I'm Talking About (Feat. Rell)

The less than amusing piano loop with the shaker hi-hat things isn't doing it for me. This Rell guy ruins it with all his fucking singing anyway.


12. The PJ's (Feat. Masta Killa & Raekwon)

Pete takes his recycling to a new level. I got this on that Nature Sounds compilation May, 2006. This track is still as great as it was then. It's like smooth, soulful, and grimey all at once. Can't go wrong with Rae and Masta Killa either.


13. Made Men (Feat. Tarrey Torae)

Not much to write about this. Just boring. Is Torrey Torae just Torae or somebody else completely?


14. Let's Go (Feat. Doo Wop)

A short, messy track. More interesting than the last couple at least.


15. Comprehend (Feat. Papoose)

I'm not sure what to even make of Papoose at this point but I can't say that I'm impressed with anything here. The serious piano beat doesn't suite Papoose very well. Or maybe Papoose just can't ride the beat one or the other.


Overall:

This one was all over the map. The first six songs were great but then the rest was mostly skippable. I want to say that I was dissapointed, but I'm taking for granted the songs that I've already heard which I like alot. Oh, and where was C.L. Smooth for this? They had to rustle up the fucking Lords of the Underground instead? Come on.


Best Tracks: "We Roll", "The PJ's", "Best Believe"

DITC Making a Comeback?

The legendary Diggin' In The Crates crew has some big things planned for 2008. Among the rumored projects are a new Show & AG album, an AG and OC album, a Grand Puba (Of Brand Nubian) solo produced by Lord Finesse, and a DITC album. Here is a new track from AG and OC produced by Showbiz: 2 For the Money.

Underrated Producers

While some producers are known worldwide for changing the game (Dre, RZA, etc.) and others praised by hip hop heads for banging out classics (Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor etc.), there are a few great 90's producers who still get no love. These guys lack the track record of the guys I mentioned, but were still crazy behind the boards.

Jaz-O

Best known for putting Jay-Z on to the game, The Jaz was not only a rapper but a telented beat maker. While DJ Premier gets the credit (as he should) for what is regarded as one of the best produced albums of all time, Group Home's Living Proof, Jaz-O produced "4 Give My Sins" which stacks up fairly well against some of Premo's best work. Premier also had Big Jaz contribute to M.O.P.'s Firing Squad, where it is arguable that he even outshined Premier (not
my opinion) by making the album's most recognizable beat, "World Famous," which was later used for Scarface's hit "My Block." Among his other accomplishments (and basically rounding off his catalaugue) was his work with Jay-Z, including "Ain't No Nigga" and the classic "In My Lifetime (Big Jaz Mix)".

The Vinyl Reanimators

The Vinyl Reanimators are a beat making trio of DJ Shame (pictured), Joe Mansfield, and Rhythm Nigga Joe. While their production credits are limited to a handful of songs, the one's I've heard are all great. "Too Complex" (one of the best beats evar) and "It's Your Life" are two standouts from L Da Headtoucha's Destined For Greatness, and Ed O.G.'s Acting, which will be re-released this year, is a gem produced entirely by the Reanimators. That being said, what they do best is remix classics. Some that I've heard are Kool G. Rap's "Fast Life," De La Soul's "The Bizness," and two (1 & 2) great remixes of Rakim's "Guess Who's Back?"

Album Review: EMC- The Show

I made a post way back about EMC, a (sort of) new group with Masta Ace, Stricklin, Punchline, and Wordsworth. This album has been hyped up for a while now and it looks promising with 24 tracks, a good production lineup, and guest appearences from Sean Price and Little Brother. Plus, with Masta Ace running things this album should have a good idea or two. Does "The Show" deliver?


1. Who We Be


A very solid intro. All the rappers introduce themsleves which is convenient since I haven't really checked for any of these guys minus Ace before this album.


2. Airport (skit)


Like the past few Masta Ace album this is full of skits which follow a storyline, in this case, a show. In the first skit some Jewish show promoter keeps EMC waiting at the airport but he'll make it up to them.


3. Leak It Out


This beat is alright but would be better if this sample hadn't been used before (I couldn't tell you by who because I'm lazy but it's very familar). None of the rappers say anything especially interesting here.


4. The Check In (skit)


The Jew wasn't lying as he hooks them up with a hotel suite but then Masta Ace rolls off in his moms Denali.


5. Traffic (Feat. Little Brother)


A driving anthem or something (nothing new to Masta Ace) over the smoothest, and best, beat on the album so far. Phonte and Big Pooh contribute verses but Ace shines on this track.


6. Say Now


A bad take on one of those Just Blaze kind of beats where its just one note for like 8 beats. I'm not sure the purpose of this song but I'm starting to think that Ace should've just done another solo project instead.


7. Message (skit)


One of the guys not Masta Ace calls up his baby moms who doesn't pick up and he's had it up to here with that shit.


8. Don't Give Up On Us (Feat. ADI)


EMC pleads their girls not to leave them for cooler, more wealthy rappers. Naturally the most broing song yet.


9. Get Some (Feat. Sean Price)


Whoever made this beat should be slapped in the face. It starts off like a banger then the yelling and crashing sound effects just pile on until its just one great clusterfuck. What saves this song is Masta Ace's mention of beef and broccolis and Sean P's verse.


10. We Alright (Feat. Strickie Love)


The beat by Frequency (?) sounds alot like something Nicolay would do which would probably fit some Justus League rappers better but whatever. It's a nice and easy track which is conveniently placed after the chaos that was track 9.


11. Radio Station (skit)


EMC is asked by a radio host what EMC stands for, and something tells me that the next track has something to do with that.


12. EMC "What It Stand For"

This beat by the real Nicolay is just too repetitive and annoying for me to be able to enjoy this song very much. Ironically enough the group just says a bunch of three word phrases that could be abbreviates as EMC but I still have no clue as to what it actually stands for.

13. Angry Merch. Guy (skit)

Some guy selling merch(andise?) tells 'em why he madd.

14. Grudge

Ok this is pretty serious. The beat is a badass guitar riff and EMC raps about holding a grudge if you couldn't assume as much.

15. Make It Better

This is just not a good idea all around. The beat is fruity, the concept (making hip hop better) is weak, and the chorus sounds like something on Barney.

16. The Lobby (skit)

Masta Ace crashed the Jew's moms car and then (oh shit) Stricklin comes down rockin' the puma suit.

17. Winds Of Change

Things have changed since the members of EMC were kids, especially Masta Ace. This is kind of like that Cormega song "Back To The Future" except worse, but I'll take what I can get.

18. The Show (Feat. Ladybuy Mecca)

This plays out like a scene in a movie with Ace, Punch, Words, and Strick rapping about their preparation for the show. The uptempo beat matches the concept perfectly too. This would make a cool music video.

19. Back Stage (skit)

Some dude tries to get backstage to find his girlfriend Christy who I assume is getting railed by one of the guys.

20. Borrow U (Feat. Strickie Love)

The crew members want to chill with some honeys while they're in town. This sounds like a Little Brother song in one of their less creative moments.

21. Once More

I didn't pick up any specific topic on this but it is a good, normal track. The laid back piano beat is especially nice.

22. U Let Me Grow

As far as momma songs go this is pretty good.

23. Feel It (Feat. Money Ham)

EMC is gonna stay on the grind and all that shit. Kind of boring if anything.

24. Bonus

Bloopers from the skits over the "Winds Of Change" instrumental. Ace did the same thing on the last album.

Overall:

None of the post-2000 Masta Ace projects have had much energy or entertainment value because he isn't that kind of rapper, but Disposable Arts and A Long Hot Summer had creative genius to make up for it. This album unfortunately doesn't have that, so while the beats and rhymes themselves may be as good as those on A Long Hot Summer, the skits and storyline which helped make that a great album are watered down on this album. When compared more broadly to other underground rap albums though this is pretty good.

Best Songs:

"Who We Be", "Traffic", "Once More"

Preview AZ's Album

At XXL. The new album is titled Undeniable and is slated to drop in February on KOCH.

Classic Live Performances

This first one is by Philadelphia's new mayor Mike Nutter kickin' it old school with ?uestlove on the wheels of steel.




The second is rap legend Big Daddy Kane. Watch it all the way through for the climax.

New Shit

I usually don't post new albums of download because I'm an advocate for buying and supporting good music but it's not likely you'll be able to get these at Best Buy or anything. They're two mixtapes, the first is Joe Budden's Mood Muzik 3 which comes out in February. It's too bad his major album was so club influenced because he brings heat on this mixtpe series but will probably never get big time production again. On the other hand Bishop Lamont is on Aftermath and maybe if Dr. Dre decides to stop being a lazy douche someday they'll make a classic. For now, we'll settle for Pope Mobile, the entertaining mixtape which dropped on Christmas.

Download

Download

Another new banger for '08 is Freddie Foxxx's new track produced by Primo "My Thoughts." I've never been a huge fan but Bumpy ditches his usual adrenaline rush style to suit the mellow Premier beat. Hopefully that American Black Man album has more of this.

Download

PropsOverHere Presents: Best of 2007- Top 10 Albums

As you'll notice, I gave most of these albums a 3.5/5 rating. In my book, 3.5 means that its better than good/worse than great. It's not to say that my #7 is equal to my #1, but that these albums fall into that categorie. So which album was the most better than goodest?

I gave this album a 3.5 when I reviewed it initially but it wore of quickly so I dropped it to a 3. It has a great guest lineup and some decent production by Statik, an even though I got tired of it, its definitely worth a listen.



Though it fell short of Sean P's comical and brilliant Monkey Bars, his follow up release was still one of the years best. The album had its ups and downs mostly due to boring Justice League beats but was solid overall.



No one is putting this next to 36 Chambers, but this album was far from 'shit' or whatever Ghostface called it. The beats are grimey for the most part and the Clan, though they lack the edge of when they were making classics (its been a decade), do their part on the mic.



Talib Kweli bounced back from a series of botched solo albums with one of the most lyrical albums of the year. The production was a dissapointment given the lineup, but there were about 4-5 great songs on this album.



19 years since winning the first rap Grammy award, DJ Jazzy Jeff is still pushing real hip hop. This album features a mix of random kids and legendary vets over soulful and, well, jazzy instrumentals.



Kanye bodied 50 Cent in the dramatic 9/11 sales feud with his most creative release yet. Setting the tone with the Daft Punk sampling "Stronger", the album is full of that synth, techno, disco shit, aided by Atlanta's DJ Toomp. Kanye probably should've utilized more guests as he did on the first two albums, but this is quality nonetheless.



After fuming over the Wu-Tang album which he was hardly on, Ghost put out his 3rd album in 2 years. While the soul and R&B samples have always suited Ghost well, many of the beats are borderline boring, others straight jacked from old rap songs. In any case, big Ghost steps off laughin.



As I mentioned in my bit about "Wonderful," the group's producer, DJ Kno, is way ahead of the game musically. I have listened to heads raving about him for years now but I was never sold until this album when he went for the more mellow, soulful approach. I'm not sure if I could recite a lyric from this album but it deserves such high praise just for the musical achievements.



Another one of the game's outstanding producers, Marco Polo recruited some of the all-time greats to help him form the second best album of the year. This album is hard and grimey all the way through and of course featured the years best song, Masta Ace's "Nostalgia".



Finally the #1 album, Jay-Z's real comeback, American Gangster. This album is difficult to evaluate because it had a few garbage tracks ("Hello Brooklyn", "Party Life", "American Gangster"), but its standout moments outshined anything else in '07. Three songs off it made my top 16 of the year, while "I Know", the drug metaphor over a flashy Neptunes beat, and "No Hook", Puffy and the Hitmen's best contribution, were tough to leave off the top 25. While Jay-Z can't rap like he could in 1996, he shows in 2007 that he can still make great hip hop.

PropsOverHere Presents: Best of 2007- Top 25 Songs

I thought making this the top 25 would make it easier to chose songs for the list but I found that there were more like 40 very good songs this year. I'm not entirely sure what to make of that, but I'd say it makes 2007 a relative success since 2006 churned out about 4.5 good tracks. Without futher ado, here is the definitive top 25 list of the years best rap songs.

25. Soul Fever- Camp Lo

Camp Lo made a solid return this year with their 3rd album Black Hollywood and an appearence on that 9th Wonder album. The album wasn't so great, but this is an example of the funky songs that they were born to make.

24. C'mon Baby- Saigon

While this could've used more creativity from both Saigon and Just, the single to this 2008 (?) album was pretty gutta.

23. The Hardest- Styles P & AZ

I was kind of lukewarm about this when I posted it a while back but its grown on me since. This never actually came out on an official release but is on the tracklsiting for AZ's Undeniable set to drop in '08. Check the video:

22. The People- Common

While Common's Finding Forever was a letdown, some of that had to do with this being the first single. Unfortunately, Kanye was unable to summon any more of that J Dilla brilliance anywhere else on the album.

21. Rushing Elephants- Wu-Tang Clan

I have to say that I didn't hate 8 Diagrams like all of the other nerds on the internet did. It doesn't exactly stack up with the Wu of the mid-90's but its comparable to The W or Iron Flag, maybe even better. Anyway, this track is an early standout for me. The beat is crazy.

20. Superstar- Lupe Fiasco

I probably didn't like this the first 5 times I heard it, probably because the white guy on the hook. The more I listened however, I found the track to be "stadium status".

19. No Holding Back- Statik Selektah, AZ, & Cormega

No tandem is fuckin with AZ and Mega and the beat by Statik is definitely cool. Seriously those two should make an album together just back to back rhyming and shit that'd be classic.

18. Good Life- Kanye West

It was tough to chose which song off Graduation to put on here, but this prevailed as it was easily the most entertaining 3 and a half minutes of the album. I have to say that releasing this instead of "Stronger" over the summer seems a bit obvious now, not that Kanye's broke because of it, or that anyone else cares for that matter.

17. Desire- Pharoahe Monch

While this album was a depressing waste of time, the title track was pure heat. I heard the Alchemist jacked this beat but who gives a fuck.

16. Success- Jay-Z & Nas

This is another song that has grown on me alot. Jay and Nas' verses definitely stood out, but the beat took some getting used to. I think the fact that it was a new sample/new idea made me appreciate it more.

15. Yolanda's House- Ghostface Killah, Method Man, & Raekwon

This has a classic trio and storyline but the annoying singing over the beat kind of holds this back from greatness. Still good stuff though.

14. Intro (Jesus Price)- Sean Price

This intro set the stage for a pretty mediocre album but its still one of the best tracks (definitely the best intro) of '07. Sean P kills it over a dope flute beat by PF Cuttin, who should have made alot more beats than he has.

13. All I Know- DJ Jazzy Jeff & C.L. Smooth

This, without exaggerating, is like the 2007 version of something off The Main Ingredient. Pete Rock doesn't even make tracks with this much soul anymore.

12. 125, Pt.4 (Finale)- Joell Ortiz

I wasn't really into The Brick street album/mixtape whatever and I guess I can see why Dre dropped him but this is one of the truest songs of '07. The beat is real slick and Joell really puts his heart into these 125 bars which usually doesn't matter to me but I can respect it. Here's the video for it:

11. Practice- DJ Jazzy Jeff & J-Live

This is what all underground rap songs should sound like. The Allen Iverson sample was a clever touch.

10. Country Cousins- Talib Kweli & UGK

When I saw discussions about this album I hardly saw this song mentioned but this was the shit for me. My iTunes says I've listened to it 7 times but its definitely been more. Possibly the smoothest cut of the year. Pimp C R.I.P.

9. Toney Sigel (a.k.a Barrel Brothers)- Ghostface Killah & Beanie Sigel

Ghost and Beans both bring the heat over the banger of the album and maybe the year.

8. DP3- Jay-Z

If this wasn't like a minute it'd be #1. The beat is a perfect spin off of the original and Jay-Z's first 4 bars could stack up to most 16s dropped this year.

7. Ignorant Shit- Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel

In the same vein, if this hadn't been a leftover it would be even higher. The Just Blaze beat is the most interesting he's made in a while even with the "Big Poppa" sample. How about Beanie Sigel on 2 top 10 tracks?

6. Surviving The Times- Nas

Though he wasted it on a greatest hits CD, this is the best Nas song in years.

5. Classic (DJ Premier Remix)- Kanye West, Nas, KRS-One, & Rakim

The best DJ Premier beat this year. In fact, this may be the best beat by anyone this year. It's too bad Nas and KRS mailed it in.

4. Wonderful- Cunninlynguists & Devin The Dude

DJ Kno shows that he is lightyears ahead of the game musically. This beat is a masterpeice, so much so that I don't give a shit what Devin or Deacon or whoever is in the Cunninlynguists these days have to say. They don't take anything away from it at least.

3. I Get Money- 50 Cent

Hate all you want about 50 Cent, but you can not deny this song. Theres a reason your favorite rapper made a little freestyle over this. Shit is pure adrenaline.

2. Fallin'- Jay-Z

Jay did it again this year with American Gangster and this was the perfect conclusion to the story. JD and No I.D. kill this beat and "Success," maybe they should have handled the album instead of Puff and the Hitmen.

1. Nostalgia- Marco Polo & Masta Ace

No song this year came together quite like this one. Masta Ace was the perfect MC for the concept and Marco's beat was perfect for Ace's style. In any case this is an instant undergroud classic. Watch the video and then feel free to complain about my choice.