Album Review: Raekwon- "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. 2"

It's finally here and the years of fruitless rumors and speculation are officially over. Was "Cuban Linx 2" worth the wait, or another half-assed Wu solo album?

1. Return of the North Star (Feat. Papa Wu)

The album appropriately picks up where the last one ended. They even got the same dude from the original "North Star". You kind of have to wonder what he's been up to these last 15 years.

2. House of Flying Daggers (Feat. Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, & Method Man)

I'm not a huge J Dilla fan like everyone else on the internets, but this is a heat rock. This probably has more of the classic, Wu-Tang sound then anything RZA, who invented that sound, has made in the last several years. Everyone goes in on this, too.

3. Sonny's Missing

I bet Pete Rock sold Rae this beat in like 2005 and just said fuck it and went and used it for that Royal Flush song. That or he just pulled a real jack move, but Pete seems like a stand-up guy so I sort of doubt that. For what it's worth, I think it fits this brief, story-telling track real well.

4. Pyrex Vision

This one uses the beat from O.C.'s "Jewelz". I approve. I mean that beat was fucking great and it's not like many people still listen to the Jewelz album anymore. Plus, it's just 55 seconds of Raekwon's most lazy cocaine raps, so its more of an interlude than a real song.

5. Cold Outside (Feat. Ghostface Killah & Suga Bang)

The majority of this song is this guy Suga Bang singing and sort of half singing half rapping and god damn is that shit annoying. It's not like the actual Rae and Ghost part is anything special anyway.

6. Black Mozart

This is grimy on some '94 Wu-Tang shit. I'm not sure what's up with the chorus, though. Or that part with RZA yelling about soldiers. I also have no idea who the second guy rapping is but he kinda killed it.

7. Gihad (Feat. Ghostface Killah)

This came out over a year ago, which is when I started becoming optimistic that this was a real album and not something Raekwon made up to piss off people on the internets. Even though it's old news, this song is pretty fuckin good. Ghostface's verse is just classic.

8. The New Wu (Feat. Ghostface Killah & Method Man)

The lead single. This is the closest thing we'll get to classic Wu-Tang in 2009. I don't know why they changed the "suuuu" from the original version, this one kind of sounds funny.

9. Penitentiary (Feat. Ghostface Killah)

This one has that sort of "Road to the Riches" piano vibe going. Ghostface breaks Raekwon out of jail in this their latest adventure.

10. Baggin' Crack

Another short one, this time with the most generic Erick Sermon beat evar. This is alright if not really nondescript. 

11. Surgical Gloves

The beat from Alchemist is killer. I don't really know what the fuck Rae is rapping about, but it sounds cool. I swear that guy speaks another language.

12. Broken Safety (Feat. Jadakiss & Styles P.)

This sounds like a Raekwon feature on a D-Block song. Except for the Kung-Fu shit at the end there. Styles P.'s verse stood out if only for its shitty-ness.

13. Canal Street

Jacking beats from one of those new AZ albums, as opposed to "Jewelz", maybe not such a great idea. Not that this beat is bad, but Raekwon just doesn't sound right over dramatic, theatrical shit like this.

14. Ason Jones

The tribute to ODB, over another Dilla beat. This is nice for what it is, but that "I understood love when I kissed the n****" part was a little strange.

15. Have Mercy (Feat. Beanie Sigel)

This is real low-key but I like it. The Beans feature is perfect for this track, too.

16. 10 Bricks (Feat. Cappadonna & Ghostface Killah)

Damn, this album might just change my perception of J Dilla altogether. This is one of those choppy, Donuts-style beats that I don't usually like but it hits hard and has the Asian thing going too. If anyone could listen to this album and not conclude that Ghostface is the best in the Wu then I don't know what to say. He murders every track he's on.

17. Fat Lady Sings

Another in this series of brief, story tracks. I kind of like these, if only because they are short.

18. Catalina (Feat. Lyfe Jennings)

The way the Dre beat kicks in after the guy in the intro (same source as the "Rainy Dayz" intro) says "Don't disturb the doctor" is the sickest shit evar. Raekwon's raps on this are good to, but I wonder what "lenses on Chips Ahoy" means.

19. We Will Rob You (Feat. Slick Rick, GZA, & Masta Killa)

This one's kinda crazy. Raekwon and GZA rap about getting arrested (I think) for robbing a buncha people and Slick Rick does the chorus and "Heeeere we go" thing. The only thing I don't understand is Masta Killa's verse, which seems awkwardly tacked on there.

20. About Me

This Dre track is a little more boring than the last one. Busta Rhymes makes a guest appearance and even does that Lil Wayne thing where he mispronounces something and corrects it in rap form. 

21. Mean Streets (Feat. Inspectah Deck & Ghostface Killah)

This beat was on the Tragedy Still Reportin' album. Underrated album. That's a lot of jacked beats at this point but it doesn't bother me so much. This has to be one of the weaker moments on this album. Inspectah Deck, once a master of the guest verse, is especially awful on this.

22. Kiss The Ring (Feat. Inspectah Deck & Masta Killa)

This is sort of low budget sounding compared to the rest of the album. It's not a terrible song, though. 

23. Walk Wit Me

Scram Jones has some heat, but this beat isn't much. Raekwon raps about his girl who happens to be incredibly rich. I almost lol'd when he said "this broad had a horse". I'm not sure what the point of the song was though, as I've already admitted my inability to follow Raekwon after a while.

24. Badland (Feat. Ghostface Killah) (Bonus Track)

This is classic Ghost and Rae but the beat gets kind of repetitive and annoying after a little.

Best Songs: "House of Flying Daggers", "The New Wu", "Catalina"

Comments:

Just a really solid album. I think the fact that there are 24 songs on this distracts you from the fact that there are like 9-10 really good songs on here, which is way more than most albums have. Raekwon (and Ghost and RZA) will never make anything the calibre of "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx". I doubt any rapper will. However, this is about as good of an album as he could've made in 2009, and for that fact this is a worthy sequel.

 

Album Review: Jay-Z- "The Blueprint 3"

I wasn't gonna do this album review, at least not until the album dropped, when I saw that I could just stream it from Rhapsody. That commercial for Rhapsody where Jay recreates all of his album covers is fucking phenomenal. How would the album stack up?

1. What We Talkin' About

The much talked about intro that he kicked a cappella at a few shows. It's funny how I (and probably everyone else) assumed from those videos that this was some spoken word, Def-Poetry style intro, but thats actually how he raps nowadays. 

2. Thank You

This beat would have been perfect for a Jay-Z song, say, around the time of the first Blueprint. Instead, he ruins it with this rambling sort of delivery he's adapted. I guess it could be worse.

3. D.O.A.

No need in reviewing this at this point. I've already heard this like a thousand times between my own free will and MTV forcing the music video down my throat like 20 times a day. I still kinda like it, though.

4. Run This Town (Feat. Kanye West & Rihanna)

Same goes for this one. Except for liking it of course.

5. Empire State of Mind (Feat. Alicia Keys)

Nas was supposed to be on this, no? I bet he was and but Jay didn't want everyone fast forwarding over his verses on his own shit. Alicia Keys kind of sabotages this anyway.

6. Real As It Gets (Feat. Young Jeezy)

Sadly enough, I think this is my favorite, non-D.O.A. song yet. Jay-Z's rapping is the best I've heard so far. Or maybe it just sounds that way next to Young Jeezy verses. Regardless I'd fuck with this before any of this other nonsense.

7. On To The Next One 

This is like "Swagga Like Us" fused with "Elevators" in the worst way possible (its Swizz Beatz, after all). 

8. Off That (Feat. Drake)

This would be better suited for some R&B bitch. Not a legit R&B bitch either, like some low budget singer on Timbo's label or some shit. Drake might as well not even be on this either since he doesn't rap or sing. Jay-Z knows better than to get on a track with Drake anyway. Yeah, I said it.

9. A Star Is Born (Feat. J. Cole)

This beat sounds like something I could make with garage band and a keyboard. I probably wouldn't bother saving it either. Jay-Z raps about all the rappers that were popular these past 15 years or so, himself included. J. Cole, whom I know of because I have to sift through his shit on Nah Right to find something I'm interested in, kicks a guest verse. He sounds like a budget Lupe Fiasco to me, meaning that being Jay-Z's artist likely won't save him from obscurity.

10. Venus Vs. Mars

This could be the least inspired female track Jay-Z has ever done. That includes "I Know What Girls Like" or whatever. From Volume 1. He even drops a Bernie Madoff metaphor in there.

11. Already Home (Feat. Kid Cudi)

This beat isn't half-bad compared to the rest of the album. He actually addresses being called a camel on this. Lolz. If that wasn't enough, on the last verse he ends every line with "already", as if he were Juvenile or something. In all seriousness, this is aight.

12. Hate (Feat. Kanye West)

Auto-Tune, which Jay-Z famously killed 9 tracks ago makes a triumphant return here. I don't even know what the fuck this is. This would make sense on a Kanye album, but its way out of Jay-Z's element. As Game once pointed out, Jay-Z is mad old.

13. Reminder

This, on the other hand, is more in Jay-Z's element. Unfortunately, it sounds like one of the more regrettable moments from Blueprint 2 or maybe Volume 3. Jay-Z's rapping takes a step backward too. At one point he just lists a bunch of years, as though it proves some sort of point. I don't think we need a reminder of Jay-Z at this point as much as he thinks we do. Remember, this is the guy that shows up at random alt rock shows because he feels like it.

14. So Ambitious (Feat. Pharrell)

I guess this isn't the worst thing The Neptunes have done, but Pharrell's "singing" may be at its all-time, um, least bearable here. If you didn't know from listening to the rest of this album or just being aware of pop culture, Jay-Z is pretty affluent and successful. He's got an office!

15. Young Forever (Feat. Mr. Hudson)

The fuck? This is even extremely gay in an era where its commonplace for rappers to wear tight jeans and horn-rimmed glasses. This is on a fucking Blueprint album? I give up.

Best Songs: "D.O.A.", "Thank You", "Already Home"

Comments:

That was just awful. I forecasted this in my last post, but I'm not sure if I could have imagined how tragic it could be. Maybe the worst part of it, as I alluded to in my last song review, was that this album falls under the "Blueprint" title, one once synonymous with classic Jay-Z. Even though Blueprint 2 kinda sucked, it still had the "You Don't Know" remix. And fuckin' "Watcher 2".  Jay-Z should have saved himself some criticism and called this what it was, "Kingdom Come 2". 

I'm Back

That's right, bitches. After an eight month or so hiatus from crying about rap, I'm giving this blog thing another shot because its August and I don't have shit else to do. There are also some pretty big moments in hip hop to look forward to. 

-The Slaughterhouse album drops next week and I'm hoping, for their sake and for hip hop's, that it's at least worth the $9.99 on iTunes. I mean, they've already put out enough good shit that an album flop wouldn't render this project a complete failure, as if this were The Firm, but it would be nice to see these guys enjoy even moderate commercial success. Let's be real, the only reason this group came to be is because none of these guys could get a real record deal and their solo careers were going nowhere fast. Royce, Ortiz, Crooked I, and Budden probably met up to record the song "Slaughterhouse," saw all the daps they got in the comments section at Nah Right and realized that they had nothing better to do than to stay and record a buncha shit.  As much as I'd like to see this do numbers like a major release, even one that sucks, like the new Loso, it just won't. Well, it was worth a shot.

-Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 is finally coming out. They even released that Dilla track I've been hearing about for years and it's actually pretty good. I think that this album is going to be crack but people are still going to hate it on it like crazy. It should be expected for everyone to shit on this after all the hype and the delay and it being the sequel to the best album evar. Still, I'm not sure how this could be bad. Raekwon is not the MC he was 15 years ago to be sure, but you know all those Wu-Tang dudes still have lyrics. Plus, from looking at the rumored tracklisting (I know), the production should be nails. I say, worst case scenario, this album is Fishscale status, but if it is it will get feedback as if it were Lex Diamondz Story or whatever the fuck that was called. I guess this one's on Rae.

-Speaking of long awaited, highly anticipated albums, Rakim is finally putting out The 7th Seal. The single "Holy Are You" just hit the internet a few weeks ago and shit is fire. Even at 41, I'm convinced that Rakim can still go toe to toe with anyone lyrically. I have my doubts that the beats on this, given the albums presumably low budget, will match his rhyming ability, which could be this album's downfall. Maybe Premo could do him a favor and hit him off with a discount. Who else are these beats going to, the NYGz?

-Jay-Z just released the cover art for Blueprint 3. I'm sure you've all seen it, it's really gay, only surpassed in gayness perhaps by the lead single with Ye and Rihanna. I really liked American Gangster but this album has disaster written all over it. The fact is that Jay-Z just can't rap anymore. Either that or he's not trying, which can't be it because he still seems pretty confident that he's crafting the next lyrical masterpiece. I think he's just getting a bit delusional in his old age, like Prodigy or something. All these hip hop blogs have been making a big fuss about how Kanye bested Jay on his own shit, Eminem-style, but what they are missing is the sad truth that Kanye is just a better rapper than Jay-Z at this point, even though he basically stopped rapping like 3 years ago. As I mentioned in my review a while back, his rapping basically sucked on American Gangster, the difference is that album was just about selling drugs whereas now he's telling us about Beyonce and his outfits and whatnot. 

-Lupe Fiasco's Lasers is coming out later this year. At least I thought so, I really haven't been keeping tabs on this. Upon further review, the first two Lupe albums were pretty good, and I had to put "Shining Down" on repeat about a month back. Is this going to be his last album or was his whole retirement thing some old bullshit?

-Lastly, Fif's new album Before I Self Destruct hits stores in September. 50 has yet to hit the jackpot with a radio hit since The Massacre ("I Get Money" was underrated), and can't seem to break the dry spell. Dr. Dre, who used to come up with ingenious ideas for a living, hasn't done anything noteworthy in forever, so at this point 50 is just treading water as far as staying relevant with his beefs and other shenanigans. I'm surprised he even cares about maintaining his popularity, what with his financial situation. It shows commitment on his part that he's still putting out albums at all. That, or he just fucking loves attention. 

PropsOverHere Presents Best of 2008: Top 10 Albums

I think this is the second straight year I've put Statik's album as my #10, but then again it sort of makes sense seeing as they are both kinda similar. If anything, I'd say that this years' album was worse because it didn't have AZ, Cormega, G. Rap, etc. It did have a great roster though and some decent production by Statik Selektah.

I was excited for the eMC album on the strength of Masta Ace's work in recent years which includes two great albums and a couple classic songs. However, Ace only played a moderate role in what was a disappointing album for me. There were a couple good tracks like "Traffic" with Little brother, but this album was sort of boring in general.

This was the first Heltah Skeltah album in a decade and I can't say that I was disappointed. There seemed to be a good stretch of songs kind of in the middle that were pretty low-budget musically but there was some really good shit on here. Even after a decade, Rock and Ruck are still one of, if not the, most entertaining duos on the mic.

After the classic Soul Survivor was followed by the lackluster sequel, I wasn't sure what to expect from this album which didn't carry the title, but was the same idea as the Soul Survivor series. Overall, this was a quality album although many of the songs were pretty old and the production fell short of what I've come to expect from Pete Rock.

Even though I'm not one of those guys who hates on mainstream rap and whatnot I've never been able to get into Ludacris's music. That was until this album came out, which was less Southern sounding than some of his other albums with beats by DJ Premier and 9th Wonder among others. Ludacris isn't a mind blowing lyricist but he is a funny and talented rapper, and I think with the right beats and concepts that he could make even better albums than this.

Black Milk has come a long way since his first couple albums, both in regards to his beats and rhymes. I really wasn't sold on him as a producer until this year, when he dropped this and did the beat for GZA's "7 Pounds" plus probably some other stuff. Also, I never took him to be much of a rapper until this dropped and he went toe to toe with Royce da 5'9" and a bunch of other veteran rappers. This album had two of the years best tracks but was pretty inconsistent, with only 4-5 legitimately good songs which is why I could only give it 3.5 props.

I gotta admit, I thought this was gonna suck ass. I mean Q-Tip kind of lost me when he tried to become a sex symbol and made that lousy Amplified album, and when I heard he was making another album at age 40 something I thought it would be terrible. Luckily, I was wrong. Tip's production wouldn't have sounded out of place on one of those Dilla helmed Tribe albums from the mid-90's, which in 2008 is a very good thing. Plus, his raps are still on some trippy, abstract shit. My only knock on this album is that it sometimes borders on gay and alternative when he ventures away from the boom bap sounding stuff.

Although there were some questionable moments on this album, there is too much to like to drop it much further down. Game isn't the greatest rapper but he is generally very good at picking beats for his albums. Even without Dr. Dre, his albums have very solid production, including this one. All three singles off of this have genuinely good beats which is hard to find in mainstream releases, let alone mainstream rap of this ilk (not the Kanye or Lupe brand). You've got to like Nas, Raekwon, Luda,  Common, and Ice Cube guest rapping, too.

Termanology has some weaknesses as a rapper but its easy to overlook them when he's cosigned by some of the games best producers. The production credits for this reads like an all time best producers list with beats from Premo, Alchemist, Pete Rock, Easy Mo Bee, Havoc, and Nottz. Replace Term with a better rapper and you'd have a classic, but you won't see me complaining. 

Before this album, I knew Jake One as the guy who did some of the best tracks on De La Soul's "The Grind Date" plus some G-Unit stuff. Point is, I knew the guy could make beats, but I was pretty blown away by his work on this his first album. Like most good producer-albums, this had an impressive roster of MCs including M.O.P., Freeway, Young Buck, Posdnous, Prodigy, MF Doom, and many more. While some of his beats are sort of lacking in rhythm (I'm not sure how else to say this, maybe he just straight loops stuff too much), they all have a raw, dirty quality which gives him sort of a signature sound. His work with drums and samples throughout the album is excellent and he is even able to craft some of these beats without samples which is perhaps even more impressive.  Lyrically, this album has a lot to offer as well. I already told you about "Glow" with Royce and Ezhi, but I was also impressed with Freeway's rapping on this. Watch out for Free and Jake One in the future for sure. Between the authentic production and emceeing to complement it, no other 2008 album was this good.

PropsOverHere Presents Best of 2008: Top 25 Songs

2008 was just aight in terms of hip hop but, like every year, it had its moments. Here are the 25 best moments according to me, so probably to you as well.

25.  Reks- Say Goodnight

Reks' "Grey Hairs" got a little love from the backpacker, purist types but was sort of bland. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad album at all, but most of the beats were just ok and Reks doesn't offer anything special lyrically. This track, produced by DJ Premier, was the real standout to me.

24. Kidz in the Hall- Drivin' Down the Block

This borders between pure genius and something the Cool Kids would do for which reason I could only put this at #24. I mean an 808 beat with the chopped and screwed chorus in 2008 is normally a disaster but the ode to Masta Ace is clever  and the the Outkast "ATLiens" part was entertaining as well. Great music video too.

23. Busta Rhymes- Arab Money

This is hardly up to standards musically (did you know Ron Browz produced "Ether"?), but otherwise this is just great. The concept and the auto-tuned Arabic chorus are pretty brilliant, but the dance is one of the greatest things to happen to hip hop since ever. 

22. Prodigy- Veterans Memorial, Pt.2

I always liked these kind of Alchemist beats better than the synth-led ones he always does. Everyone knows Prodigy's lyrics are retarded nowadays, but I still enjoy a good amount of his music. The part about robbing a jewelry store with his dad was at least entertaining if not lyrically special.

21. Kidz in the Hall (Feat. Sean Price & Buckshot)- The Pledge

The Kidz take a break from their hipster (or whatever) style and do a more traditional cut with their new labelmates at Duck Down, Buckshot and Sean P. This is my favorite beat and overall song on the album, which I wasn't too big on.

20. Big Boi (Feat. Andre 3000 & Raekwon)- Royal Flush

This was the lead single for a new Big Boi album which I haven't heard much about since. This was dope to me because its like Outkast circa '95 or something but I'm not sure who told Big Boi it was a good idea to have a lead single with Raekwon on it.

19. Fat Joe- That White

This Premo beat took a few listens to warm up to, but overall this is a pretty good song. I acknowledge that Fat Joe is horrible but its hard to knock the D.I.T.C. shouts and rapping about crack.

18. Q-Tip- Believe

The smoothest cut on an album full of them. This is basically the beat for Large Professor's "For My People" with some Q-Tip-isms and D'Angelo, but jacking old, unreleased beats= a pretty good idea. Like Lupe Fiasco's "London, Tokyo" was a shelved World Renown song from the early '90's.

17. Pete Rock (Feat. Jim Jones & Max B.)- We Roll

Speaking of smooth cuts, this is butter. Jim Jones and Max B. are shitty but if that keeps you from enjoying this then I hate you.

16. Nas (Feat. Joell Ortiz)- Ghetto (Remix)

I made a post a while back about how good Joell's verse was on this. I'm not sure if it takes verse of the year anymore, but it kind of gave me a new perspective of him as an artist. Nas' verse is nice too, and the Green Lantern beat (who knew) is quality. I like how he incorporates the Rakim song in there.

15. Saigon (Feat. Red 5ive)- Believe It

January 1 will mark yet another year without the Saigon album I was promised. I guess if they just leak out one Saigon/Just Blaze track every year for like the next 15 years it wouldn't be so bad. Red 5ive is Just Blaze when he's using the autotune for heads who didnt already know.

14. Ludacris (Feat. Nas & Jay-Z)- I Do it for Hip Hop

I gotta admit I like the idea of this song more than the product itself, but its still good. Jay-Z's verse is beyond retarded though.

13. Termanology (Feat. Bun B)- How We Rock

Since "Watch How it Go Down" came out like 3 years ago and was on every last one of those Termanology mixtapes which preceded the album, I left it off and put this on here instead. This is far from Premo's best work but it still knocks. Bun B sounds surprisingly good over this beat too.

12. The Game (Feat. Lil Wayne)- My Life

This has to be Cool & Dre's best beat since "Hate it or Love it" right? I wasn't put off my Lil Wayne's autotune chorus, either. Not that I like Lil Wayne or the autotune, but I think it sounds pretty good, and at least he doesn't rap.

11. Jay-Z- Brooklyn We Go Hard

These are some of Jay-Z's best raps since The Blueprint 2. "I Jack, i rob, I sin", brilliant! It's too bad this is just for the movie soundtrack and not for Blueprint 3 since this is far superior to "Jockin' Jay-Z" though similar in ways.

10. Royce Da 5'9"- Shake This

Like Saigon and Just, that Royce and Premier album didn't come out this year, but at least we got one song. I like the "One Mic" dynamic on this where the strings come in and Royce gets all angry and loud.

Royce Da 5'9" - "Shake This" from Three/21 Films on Vimeo.

9. Jay Electronica- Exhibit A

I wrote about how I thought Just Blaze's final cut of this was kinda gay but the song the way I downloaded it the first time is great. I've never understood the hype behind this guy until I heard this song which has got all kinds of random references and such.

8. The Roots (Feat. Mos Def & Styles P)- Rising Down

I wasn't a huge fan of that last Roots album but this track is downright filth. There's some good rapping on this too, even some by Mos Def.

7. Black Milk (Feat. Sean Price & Pharoahe Monch)- The Matrix

I guess a track with one of the best beat-makers in the game, two of the best rappers evar, and scratches by Premo should be #1 caliber but this is still nice. Pharoahe and Ruck both have memorable verses and Black Milk is able to hold his own which is impressive in its own right.

6. T.I. (Feat. Jay-Z, Kanye West, & Lil Wayne)- Swagga Like Us

This was another one that I think I like the idea more than the song but its still the most defining rap song of the year. As far as Kanye's new style of beats with the hard drums and vocal samples this is my favorite yet, and this will be the swagger anthem for years and years.

5. Bishop Lamont- Grow Up

I didn't feel that this ever got enough love (though I did hear it a few times on satellite radio). Who knows if Bishop will ever put anything out on Aftermath but this shows how good a Dre/Bishop project could be. This is also one of the very few rap songs with a clear and true message which I appreciate. Some of the lines on this are downright hilarious too. 

4. The Game (Feat. Common)- Angel

It took me a few listens to get used to this since its funky and busy for a Kanye beat but I couldn't get enough of this by the end of the summer. I also found it kind of funny how Common kicks the metaphorical rap about weed  then Game comes on and just does his usual name-dropping, hip hop appreciation raps.

3. Nas- Hero

I took a good deal of heat for disliking the untitled Nas album, but at least it had this one truly epic song. Nas's rhymes and Polow da Don's production make this just fuckin inspirational. 

2. Black Milk (Feat. Royce da 5'9")- Losing Out

Detroit's finest collab for this classic banger. This was kind of weird to me at first with the sped up vocal sample but the way Black and Royce compliment the beat with their verses is genius. Too quote someone from the always enlightening forums at ughh.com, this track is crackmuffins.

1. Jake One (Feat. Royce da 5'9" & Elzhi)- Glow

Speaking of Detroit, this track (along with "Motown 25", look it up) show where the real lyricists are at these days. First of all, Jake One comes with a banger with a great sample and bass line, but the highlight for me (which is unusual) is the rapping. both Royce and Elzhi just black out on this. The moment that sticks out to me are the first few bars of Elzhi's second verse "Create an illy scene/cause what I really mean/I make the whole city glow like the video from "Billie Jean"/Possess it/ I was destined to be fluorescent/ You less slick/I guess its just a finesse that you blessed with." It's not often in these days and times that rappers tear apart a track the way these two do here, which is why it is my choice for the best song of 2008.

PropsOverHere Presents: The Best of the Millennium

Many (meaning a few people on the internet) point to the new millennium as the end of real hip hop. Even though rap isn't what it was in the '90's, a great amount of quality hip hop has come out in the 2000s, even if you don't want to admit it. Here are what I felt have been the top 25 songs of this millennium to this point. 

25. Masta Ace- No Regrets

Masta Ace's "Disposable Arts" is one of a select few post-2000 releases I consider classic. From the reminiscent lyrics to the David Axelrod, "Next Episode" sample, this song is perfect to round off the album.

24. Slum Village Feat. Kanye West- Selfish

Kanye's presence and soulful production on this song gave SV some mainstream notoriety. It is one of the few songs for the ladies that I actually fuck with, and I gotta admit that I even like John Legends vocals on the chorus.

>

23. G-Unit- Hate It or Love It (G-Unit Remix)

This was good the first time around, but when the whole crew got in on it it was a wrap. This also earns extra point for being a great song and also being extremely popular (although technically that was the original).

22. Marco Polo Feat. Masta Ace- Nostalgia

The top song of 2007 as selected by me. Masta Ace takes it back over Marco's perfect, laid back production.

21.  Cunninlynguists Feat. Masta Ace- Seasons

This Masta Ace thing is one of the many weird patterns on this list but thats just how it came out. The concept and the beat on this are pretty fucking genius.

20. De La Soul Feat. MF Doom- Rock Co. Kane Flow

Jake One's beat on this is probably one of the most brilliant examples of production this millennium. De La and Doom drop some crazy, off the wall shit to top it off.

19. Jadakiss- We Gonna Make It

Here's another one that, at a time, was pretty popular. This remains both Alchemist's and Jada's master work as far as I'm concerned.

>

18. Ghostface Killah- Shakey Dog

The horn blasts and Ghost's incomparable story telling kick of '06's Fishscale with a bang. It's too bad that energy was unmatched the rest of the album.

17. Scarface feat. Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel- Guess Who's Back?

This one is really more like a Roc-A-Fella song with Scarface on it, which in 2002 was a pretty god damn good idea. This is probably one of Kanye's best beats ever and Jay and Scarface make for a classic collabo.

16.  Jay-Z- Allure

As much as it makes me cringe to say this, this is sort of like the new millennium "Dead Presidents". In my opinion, this is the best Pharrell beat ever, partly for how perfectly it matches the theme of the song. Plus, you can never go totally wrong with Jay-Z rapping about selling drugs and shit.

15.  The Game- Dreams

To me, this is The Game's best song, but only for its musical value since his quality of rapping doesn't vary much from song to song. I've got a lot of Kanye beats on here, but you'll notice all of them date back at least like 4-5 years ago.

14. AZ- The Come Up

A dream collaboration, Premo and AZ. This was the best song of 2005 unless I'm leaving something out.

13. Fabolous- Breathe

This was the song Fabolous was born to make, a true street classic about how great he is and shooting people and whatnot. It could probably be argued that Just Blaze hasn't matched this quality since then also.

12. Jay-Z- Public Service Announcement

Unless, you count this, but I don't know which came first. Just Blaze flips the Black Moon beat to perfection and Jay-Z shuts it down. The defining moment of "The Black Album" for me.

11. Cormega Feat. Large Professor- The Come Up

This one is a little too brief considering how good it is, but it is the best song by by Cormega, who himself is basically a post-2000 artist. This hits hard even by Large Professor standards.

10. Mos Def- Brooklyn

The way the beat switches up on this is great because its like three Brooklyn anthems wrapped into one.

9. Mos Def- Mathematics

Another classic off of Black on Both Sides. The concept really sells this song, but Premo kills it on the beat and cuts.  

8. M.O.P.- Ante Up

Before their wasted years at Roc-A-Fella and currently G-Unit, M.O.P. had this groundbreaker. If this song doesn't make you want to punch someone in the face, none will. That's really the best way to judge an M.O.P. song anyway, isn't it?

7. Royce Da 5'9"- Boom

So far, I'd have to say Royce's career is sort of a bust, given just how good he can be, but he did have a few shining moments. Most of them came with the help of DJ Premier, who blessed him on this.

6. Nas- 2nd Childhood

This is probably the most brilliant thing Nas or DJ Premier has done this millennium. The beat is so smooth and Nas' story telling is pure genius. See people, these are the  kind of Nas songs that are "deep", not some racial, political propaganda nonsense.

5.  Ghostface- Mighty Healthy

Every line Ghost spits on this is a quotable, even the intro is classic. And try to keep your head still listening to this.

4. Nas- You're Da Man

Two amazing verses over Large Professor's best beat since, what, "Halftime"? Just a classic song, best off of Stillmatic.

3. Nas- Thief's Theme

It was hard to decide between this and the last one, but "Thief's Theme" is just so badass it tough to go against it. It's incredible no one used this sample before 2005 or whatever, but Salaam Remi flipped it in the gulliest way possible as opposed to "Hip Hop is Dead" which is just plain gay.

2. Ghostface Killah- Apollo Kids

Given my preference for big time production, its improbable that my #2 song of this millennium was done by a no name (Hassan, for what its worth).  Regardless, this is fucking epic, and Ghostface goes in as usual.

1. Jay-Z- Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)

What's better than Jay-Z talking down to some haters over the most over the top, wanton, genius Kanye beat ever. Nothing, at least not in this millennium.

Look out for a "Best of the Millennium" mix with some of these songs and some others I left off.

I Wonder What Else Just Blaze Has Ruined

Let me start this off by saying I have nothing against Just Blaze. He is one of, if not the best doing it right now, and not only that, he produces for a lot of great artists and gets real hip hop on the radio. However, I got an unreleased songs compilation this summer which had Ghostface's 'The Champ" in its original, uncleared sample version. Being a big fan of the original song, I was excited to hear it the way Just actually wanted it to be, only to find it considerably worse than the final cut. Then just the other day, I downloaded his new song with Jay Electronica "Exhibit A (Transformations)", and basically had it on repeat the whole day. Yesterday, I saw that the new, final version of the song had come out and was once again excited for how an already great song could have been improved upon. Then I listened to it and it was the same thing but with strings and synths and all sorts of superfluous noises. Just also changed those voice-over things (he does those himself, right? I don't even understand that...) to worse ones and added a minute long instrumental outro. This begs the question, how many of these songs exist? Did Game's "Remedy" have a fresh beat before it was scrapped for "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos"? And please don't let me find that there's a version of "Live Ya Life" without Rihanna singing the Numa-Numa song.

The New Ludacris is Gonna be Crack

A while ago, I went on here pronouncing the same thing about the new Black Milk album, Tronic. Well that dropped tuesday and is pretty damn good but shouldn't be classified as crack, so I'm gonna try it again with Ludacris' Theatre of the Mind. I'm not one of those underground heads who thinks Luda is wack because he raps about cars and nonsense, but I will say that I haven't been a fan of his work in general probably since "Roll Out", and that was like 5-6 years ago. His humorous verse on Game's album and a few decent singles peaked my interest a little bit, but today the tracklisting came out and I'm starting to think this may actually be good, like, really good. Anyway, here it is:

01. Call Up the Homies (Co-starring The Game & Willy NorthPole) (Produced By Clinton Sparks)

02. Do the Right Thing (Co-starring Common & Spike Lee) (Produced By 9th Wonder)

03. Everybody Hates Chris (Co-starring Chris Rock) (Produced By Don Cannon)

04. I Do It for Hip-Hop (Co-starring Nas & Jay-Z) (Produced By WYLDFYER)

05. Last of a Dying Breed (Co-starring Lil Wayne) (Produced By WYLDFYER)

06. Let’s Stay Together (Produced By DJ Paul & Juicy J)

07. MVP (Produced By DJ Premier)

08. One More Drink (Co-starring T-Pain) (Produced By Trackmasters)

09. Southern Gangsters (Co-starring Playaz Circle & Rick Ross) (Produced By STREETRUNNER)

10. Undisputed (Co-starring Floyd Mayweather Jr.) (Produced By Don Cannon)

11. What Them Girls Like (Co-starring Chris Brown & Sean Garrett) (Produced By Darkchild)

12. Wish You Would (Co-starring T.I.) (Produced By DJ Toomp)

13. Nasty Girl (Co-starring Plies & Swizz Beatz) (Produced By Swizz Beatz)

I'm sure there will plenty of wack shit on this as should be expected from anything released on Def Jam, but some of those tracks have mad potential. Here is one man's review of the album.

Rosh Hashana is Officially Hip Hop

This tuesday is the Jewish new year as well as a huge day for some exciting hip hop releases. Off top, the new Termanology, Heltah Skeltah, Murs, People Under the Stairs, Large Professor, and Madlib will be hitting stores on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the only store around that sells CDs around my way is fucking Borders and my computer has a virus so I'm not sure when I'll get around to hearing these. Maybe I'll review them all on my new MacBook, which is apparently impervious to viruses, like Magic Johnson.

The New Black Milk Is Gonna be Crack

I haven't posted in a while, rap is just boring as shit these days. I have gone back and forth on Black Milk as an artist. At first I thought he was gonna be the next Dilla, then I thought he was just boring, but he's been on a roll lately. His new album "Tronic" looks very promising, or at least better than his last album which basically sucked.

Below is a tracklisting and a video of him working on the first single, "Give The Drumma Sum".

1. Long Story Short ft. Dwele
2. Bounce
3. Give The Drummer Sum
4. Without U ft. Colin Munroe
5. Hold It Down
6. Losing Out ft. Royce da 5′9
7. Hell Yeah ft. Fat Ray
8. Overdose
9. Reppin For U ft. AB
10. The Matrix ft. Pharoahe Monch, Sean Price, & Dj Premier
11. Try
12. Tronic Summer
13. Bond 4 Life ft. Melanie Rutherford
14. Elec (OUTRO)