Album Review: Game- "The R.E.D. Album"

A few weeks back, I forecasted on this site that The R.E.D. Album was going to be garbage. In the meantime, I've heard a few songs off of the album that strongly indicate otherwise. Is this the album I anticipated, full of R&B hooks about sipping Patron, or the new Documentary?

1. Dr. Dre Intro

Dr. Dre introduces Game and re-traces his gang affiliated bloodlines.

2. The City (Feat. Kendrick Lamar)

A dramatic entrance full of singers and choirs and loud percussion bangs like something from "Lion King". Game, in his angriest voice, raps about being the king and everything else while Lamar does the hook and "freestyles" after the beat stops. This goes on forever too.

3. Drug Test (Feat. Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg)

I never thought I'd see the day when Dre monsters aren't even produced by Dr. Dre. The Game once rapped that he might "put out Detox myself", but DJ Khalil might actually be able to do that.

4. Martians Vs. Goblins (Feat. Lil Wayne & Tyler The Creator)

Besides this being a song titled "Martians Vs. Goblins", this is pretty sick. Tyler The Creator who I had kind of disregarded as just a wacky mofo, drops a memorable guest verse.

5. Red Nation (Feat. Lil Wayne)

Maybe it's because I'm partial to the "Zombie Nation" beat but I love this shit. Game spits some quality bars and even Weezy's chorus is great.

6. Dr. Dre 1

Another one of Dre's frightening interludes

7.  Good Girls Go Bad (Feat. Drake)

I was expecting this to be pillowy soft, because of the title, but this is a banger. Cool & Dre continue to bless Game with some quality soulful shit and Drake drops a decent verse on here. It has to be said though that a healthy majority of The Game's bars are gossip queen status.

8. Ricky

I remember Papoose did a mixtape joint where he just rapped over the "Boys In The Hood" beat, which is sort of what I thought Game was gonna do here. Instead, the movie samples transition into a dramatic banger that makes perfect use of the horns from the "Boys In The Hood" song. Game completes the track with sincere and triumphant lyrics in easily his best, hungriest performance on this album.

9. The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Game tells alibis in rap form in a way that's totally fucking brilliant. The beat compliments his stories perfectly too.

10. Heavy Artillery (Feat. Rick Ross & Beanie Sigel)

This is even gullier than it sounds. Cool & Dre kill it again plus Ricky and especially Beans' contributions were very welcome.

11. Paramedics (Feat. Young Jeezy)

On the other hand Young Jeezy's contribution, not so much. That said, it's not his fault this beat is just  loud and busy and hard to listen to. The rest is just what you'd expect from a Game and Jeezy song, full of raps about hustling and "shitting Benjamins" and what not.

12. Speakers On Blast (Feat. Big Boi & E-40)

Game brings in two rap legends on this one. This is pretty cool, but it don't love this beat. A Big Boi/E-40 feature shouldn't sound like a Jay Rock throwaway.

13. Hello (Feat. Lloyd)

Holy shit, this shit is Charmin ultra soft. It's like Game's version of "Fancy" over some really awful R&B music.

14. All The Way Gone (Feat. Mario & Wale)

Not as bad as that last song, but still...just...terrible.

15. Pot Of Gold (Feat. Chris Brown)

Maybe it's the acoustic guitar or Chris Brown singing like Jason Mraz or some shit, but this has to be the whitest Game song of all time.

16. Dr. Dre 2

Dre's tales of the hood don't sound appropriate right after that string of sweet-ass R&B tracks.

17. All I Know (Feat. Lu Breeze)

Another pop song. Apparently I wasn't totally misguided in my concerns about this album. On a somewhat related note, has anyone seen this new Patron TV spot where the president of the company talks about their corporate social responsibility and shit? If this is, as I suspect, a means of distancing the brand from it's current image of rappers' cocktail of choice at strip clubs, well that's just hilarious.

18. Born In The Trap

As I tweeted when this song leaked, this Premo-produced heater actually does "save the R.E.D. Album". I may be the biggest Premier stan around, but this song is fucking great. Game seems to be inspired by the Premier collab because he drops one of the best flows of his career on this.

19. Mama Knows (Feat. Nelly Furtado)

Speaking of incredible flows, Game goes crazy over what sounds like a beat from that most recent Q-Tip album. Not even Nelly Furtado's incomprehensible chorus could ruin this for me.

20. California Dream

The Game raps about the birth of his daughter and at one point there's even a reenactment of the scene of the birth. I can't imagine why Game would have thought anyone would enjoy listening to this.

21. Dr. Dre Outro


Dr. Dre ends with a moralistic message about how being a good guy and raising a family is what's really "gangsta". I might have to disagree with him on that one.

Comments: This album was hot and cold, but good overall. I'd compare it to Ryan Howard, who normally either hits the shit out of the baseball or swings and misses completely. Like Howard, The Game's hits on this album make up for the shittier moments.

Best Songs: "Born In The Trap", "Heavy Artillery", "Ricky"

PropsOverHere Investigates: Are Rap "Beefs" a Thing of the Past?

     A few years ago, "beef" was the most popular thing going in rap, at times even more so than the music itself. Of course such rap feuds were not a new trend. Ever since the days of "The Bridge Is Over", rappers have been going at each other on and off record to air out their differences or maybe just as a ploy for attention. However, rap beef seemed to hit its peak some time in the early to mid 2000's, thanks in part to the infamous Jay-Z and Nas diss tracks, and to the emergence of a new breed of contentious rappers like 50 Cent who sought out a different artist to insult with each recording session. At some point in time, rap music had basically become a giant web of beefs that had become so chaotic and tangled up that I doubt the rappers themselves could even keep track of everyone that they were beefing with and why. Then, all of the sudden, rap beefs were as played out as spinning rims. Jay-Z signed Nas to Def Jam, The Game hit the booth and apologized to Mobb Deep and M.O.P., Shady signed and made an album with Royce Da 5'9", and now I'm hearing that Jim Jones and Cam'Ron's Fly Boys album could be next. Not to mention, when was the last time a rapper got shot? Other than The Game's attention-whoring shots at Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel's salty jabs at, you guessed it, Jay-Z, rappers nowadays seem far more interested in deading their old beefs and moving on rather than seeking out new ones. While I would like to believe that this is because rappers realize how pointless and silly these feuds actually were, it probably has more to do with the fact that beefs are no longer able to drive album sales. Or maybe it's because today's rappers are too concerned with who they're wearing or which color Maybach is the prettiest to hate on each other. So did beef go out of style, or is it simply lying in wait until it makes its triumphant return?

Album Of The Day: Hi-Tek- "Hi-Teknology"

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    This was the first, and best, album by Reflection Eternal producer Hi-Tek. It features an elite guest list of MCs including Common, Mos Def, Cormega, Talib Kweli, Mood, and Buckshot over some of the Cincinnati native's finest work on the boards. One of the best albums of the Rawkus glory days. 

Album Of The Day: Elzhi- "Witness My Growth"

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    This mixtape contains a bunch of unreleased Elzhi material that was recorded between 1997 and 2004, hence the title. The large majority of these songs were simply Detroit underground joints, produced by fellow Motown artists like Young R.J., Waajeed, Kareem Riggins, and the late, great Dilla. His local MC status (which really hasn't changed since, with the lone exception of his verse on The Minstrel Show) combined with his almost unrivaled rapping ability has to make him, in my estimation, the most underrated rapper ever. 

Album Of The Day: 2Pac- "Thug Life"

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    It's almost impossible to believe that a 2Pac album could be underrated, but this one is. Technically it's not a 2Pac solo it's really a group effort between him, his cousin, and his homies, but Pac clearly carries this album. It features some of the more timeless 2Pac classics like "Bury Me A G" and, possibly my favorite Pac song evar, "Pour Out A Little Liquor". Even though All Eyez On Me and Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory get more hype having been released in his post-NY shooting, post-prison, Death Row era, but I'd put Thug Life second only to Me Against The World as far as 2pac albums go.  

Album Of The Day: All City- "Metropolis Gold"

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I don't know shit about All City, but they were somehow able to recruit the likes of DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Rockwilder, and others to produce this 1998 release. The Brooklyn duo disbanded after this album, but at least they left us with this underground gem.

Album Review: Royce Da 5'9"- "Success Is Certain"

Royce Da 5'9" has been sort of on a roll recently; joining Slaughterhouse, signing with Shady, and then dropping an album with Eminem that landed him some additional notoriety and radio airplay. I wasn't really able to get into Hell: The Sequel as was the case with all of Royce's solo albums to this point even though he is one of the best rappers around. Some of this may have to do with being on low-budget record labels, or maybe a shitty taste in beats that make his non Premo-produced material hard to listen to. Is this going to be the first Royce album that I like or just further affirmation that making a good album takes more than lyrical battle raps?

1. Legendary (Feat. Travis Barker)

A rock-inspired intro appropriately featuring Travis Barker, whose all over rap albums these days. Royce goes hard to match the energy of the track but his punch lines are very hit or miss.

2. Writer's Block (Feat. Eminem)

A high octane banger full of glitchy noises and choirs not unlike "H.A.M." but with Eminem on the hook. I assume that these are the two reasons why they made it a single.

3. Merry Go Round

The chorus on this is so incredibly corny it's a wonder that Royce Da 5'9" even let this be a part of his album. Unfortunately, it ruins a decent song otherwise with Royce reflecting on events that shaped his career path.

4. Where My Money

Royce raps about how he's going to rob hip-hop, or something, with a weak flow and lyrics that make little to no sense. Maybe being a poor, underground rapper has made him completely disillusioned with the music industry, or maybe he's just not very smart.

5. ER (Feat. Kid Vishis)

A concept track with Royce as a doctor operating on the rap game in the first verse then Kid Vishis rhyming as the game "revived" in the second. This might go back to him being a bitter underground rapper, but I don't know why Royce sounds so pissed off on every song. For the record, nothing takes the edge off of an angry verse quite like the word "Twitter".

6. On The Boulevard (Feat. Nottz & Adonis)

Nottz and Royce tell a story about the dangers of growing up in the ghetto through "Kenny", who aspired to be a track star but ends up selling crack. Or something like that.

7. I Ain't Coming Down

This one is more like it. I like this sample and Royce spits witty and occasionally heartfelt lyrics about his beefs and haters and all that good shit.

8. Security

Royce swaps his angry flow for a monotone delivery on this a dedication to Proof, like 4 years later. The first two verses about him and Proof were great but the amount of times he raps about making amends with Em and D12 on this album would make The Game blush.

9. Second Place

This isn't exactly a classic Premo record but it still thumps and it's still better than 98% of beats of out there. His tracks do tend to bring out the best in Royce, though at the end of the second verse he just starts giggling.

10. My Own Planet (Feat. Joe Budden)

I actually thought this was going to be a spoof record when I heard the synths kick in, but then I remembered what I said earlier about Royce's beat selection. Somehow this isn't totally awful, but Royce and Joe Budden just aren't meant to make shit like this.

11. I've Been Up I've Been Down

More emo babble from Royce over a Linkin Park beat to round out the album.

Comments: Royce is still without an album that I like, which I'm sure he cares a lot about. He is definitely a good rapper but he lacks the ability to pick beats and put songs together which results in mediocre albums such as this.

Best Songs: "Security", "Second Place"

Album Of The Day: 50 Cent- "Power Of The Dollar"

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Before the money and the fame, 50 Cent was a no nonsense rapper from Queens with a Jay-Z flow, as exhibited on this unreleased album. Power Of The Dollar was recorded around 2000 when 50 was signed to Columbia Records, right before he famously caught nine shots and was subsequently dropped from the label. On this album, a young 50 Cent displays a creativity and hunger that is completely absent in his newer music, or really anything he's done since 2005. Between that and beats by Trackmasters, Ski, and others, I'd have to say i like this to anything else in Curtis' catalogue. 

Album Of The Day: Murs- "Murray's Revenge"

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I don't remember this album getting much critical acclaim and it probably went double cardboard, but it's another one of my personal favorites. Like it's predecessor, Murs 3:16, this album only goes ten songs deep, but each are crafted to near perfection thanks to Murs' charismatic storytelling and 9th Wonder's soulful production. A good example is the song "Dreamchaser", on which Murs weaves a  precautionary tale about growing up in his neighborhood over a Willie Hutch sample flip that is one of my favorite instrumentals of all time. If you are into that kind of shit, I recommend both this and 3:16 to the fullest extent.

Album Of The Day: Outkast- "Aquemini"

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Maybe it's because it is Outkast's third best album, or even fourth depending on who you ask, but I don't feel as though Aquemini ever gets the credit it deserves. In addition to the awesomely funky single "Rosa Parks", this album features classic cuts such as "Aquemini", "Da Art Of Storytellin Pt.1", and "Skew It On The Bar-B". Thanks to the musical creativity of Andre and Big Boi and the beat-making genius of Organized Noise and Mr. DJ, this entire album has a sound that is incredibly unique but tasteful at the same time. A classic in my book.

Album Review: Jay-Z & Kanye West- "Watch The Throne"

Well it’s finally here. In an inevitable move, longtime label-mates and hip-hop icons Jay-Z and Kanye West have teamed up for what has to be the biggest album to drop in the history of Props Over Here. I’m particularly excited to hear this album, not for the obvious reason of two great artists collaborating, but because I have no fucking clue what this is going to be like. Everything about this album, let alone the music itself, has been kept under wraps to this point more so than any other album that I can remember. Not only that but, while I love their bodies of work, neither Jay-Z nor Kanye have made anything that I’ve really liked since 2008 (American Gangster and Graduation), so I generally don’t know what to expect from these guys in 2011. So the time has come, is this album the next Blueprint or the next, well, Blueprint 3?


1. No Church In The Wild (Feat. Frank Ocean)

The intro hits hard but I think Kanye was a little over-ambitious on this one. This would have been just fine without ten different synthesizers and Frank Ocean’s long, auto-tune chorus. I’d have to say the rapping was the highlight here, with Hov and Kanye both dropping a monster verse.

2. Lift Off (Feat. Beyonce)

I don’t even know what the fuck this is. I know that Jay-Z and especially Kanye are looking to expand their horizons and make different shit what with their global status, but come on. This is just gay.

3. Ni**as In Paris

It figures that the first track I can really get into is not a Kanye production. Hit-Boy brings a larger-than-life banger and Jay-Z and Yeezy bring some nasty, ballin’ slow raps to compliment it. The outro might have been a bit much.

4. Otis (Feat. Otis Redding)

You’ve heard this already so I’ll spare you a review. This shit really grew on me though; to the point where I may have to take back my tweet about Masta Killa’s “D.T.D.” being a better version of this. If Ghostface was on this though...

5. Gotta Have It

Another banger, this one with the help of Pharrell, though I thought it was RZA to be honest. It might just be my love of ignorant raps, but Kanye’s whole “racks on maybachs” thing was the most entertaining moment of this album so far. They’re even able to pull of the old Run DMC back-to-back rapping thing. I might have to revise my list of the top duos after this.

6. New Day

Speaking of The RZA, this actually was at least co-produced by him but sounds decidedly more like Dr. Dre. This one is very emotional and serious; Jay-Z and Ye read letters to their unborn children and what not. It’s sad that I’d rather hear Kanye rap about Maybachs than this, but true.

7. That’s My Bitch

Yeezy and Hov spit on-fire raps about pussy over what sounds like a gangsta Salt-N-Peppa track. I mean that in the best way possible, this is funky as shit.

8. Welcome to the Jungle

Not a Guns N’ Roses sample, but Jay-Z spits some pretty brilliant, introspective raps over a guitar sampling heater. Swizz Beatz, who did the track, can be heard saying, “Welcome to the jungle” and occasionally, "God damn it".

9. Who Gon Stop Me

This one samples dub step, or what the fuck ever, which I hate the idea of. I mean some of this was cool but call me out-of-touch, I just don’t think I can get into this.

10. Murder to Excellence

This one starts with a beat that was kind of overdone and full of instruments and a choir and shit then switches up to what sounds like a College Dropout-era Kanye banger. However, Jay-Z’s raps carry this track in my opinion, with respect to Ye who’s been holding his own on this album.

11. Made In America (Feat. Frank Ocean)

This one goes out to baby Jesus. This was just very awkward and contrived, but I did like Jay-Z’s bit of storytelling about cooking crack in his grandma’s kitchen.

12. Why I Love You (Feat. Mr. Hudson)

Jay-Z's rock ballad/"I'll be the the bigger man" diss record produced by Kanye and what I can only assume are a bunch of Italian DJs. Shots fired at Beanie Sigel, Dame Dash etc. I’m interested to hear the response to this.

13. Illest Motherfucker Alive

Kanye sings about how he needs a slow motion video and then raps about Russell Brand and fashion among other things. Jay-Z then compares himself and Kanye to The Beatles and over-emphasizes how much money he has. I guarantee they will sit front row at the Grammy’s if only because Jay said they will.

14. H.A.M.

The anthemic Lex Luger banger that’s been out since earlier this year. It’s not the best song of all time but it originated or at least popularized the term “ham” plus Mr. West references the legendary Eli Porter. Respect: earned.

15. Primetime

Jay-Z and Kanye both kill it over a great piano sample and hard-hitting drums on one of the best songs in a while. For what it’s worth, Russell Simmons is listed as a producer credit on this.

16. The Joy (Feat. Curtis Mayfield)

Pete Rock blesses big brother and little bro with an extra soulful flip of the old Curtis Mayfield sample which was also used on that Masta Killa album, though I might be the only person who finds that interesting. This was hip-hop as shit, a great way to end the album, or at least the fancy iTunes deluxe version.

Comments: This album was fucking crazy. Some of it was too out there musically for my liking, and some of these songs were totally questionable, but overall I like what they’ve done here. From the musical end, this album had so much variety and, even though I didn’t like every song, the production as a whole was excellent. Added to that, both Jay-Z and Kanye brought their A-game lyrically and displayed impressive chemistry on the mic. You can tell that they really went all out on this album and not even I can hate on that.

Best Songs: “Otis”, “Gotta Have It”, “Ni**as In Paris”, “Murder To Excellence”

PropsOverHere Presents: Before The Throne

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With Jay-Z and Kanye West's highly anticipated project Watch The Throne just around the corner, I've dedicated this mixtape to some of their best collaborations to this point. One can only hope that the material on Watch The Throne is half this good. Tracklisting below.

1.Takeover
2. Lucifer
3. Brooklyn Go Hard
4. Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
5. Song Cry
6. Heart Of The City
7. This Can't Be Life (Feat. Beanie Sigel & Scarface)
8. Never Let Me Down
9. Jockin' Jay-Z
10. Never Change
11. Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)
12. Encore

Album Of The Day: Mobb Deep- "Hell On Earth"

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Mobb Deep's iconic The Infamous is appropriately hailed as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of the '90s. However, their follow up, Hell On Earth, receives no such praise for reasons that are beyond me. Released only about a year after The Infamous, this album still catches Havoc and P in their artistic prime and is one of the darkest, gulliest rap albums ever made. So if you thought that there was no debating The Infamous as Mobb Deep's best work, guess again.

Album Of The Day: Inspectah Deck- "Uncontrolled Substance"

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Inspectah Deck is the one guy from the Wu that deserved the mid-90's RZA treatment but didn't get it. While GZA, Raekwon, Method Man, Ghostface, and ODB all dropped classic albums with RZA at the helm, Deck maintained his role as "one of the group" despite lyrical skills that rivaled any of the aforementioned. His solo debut, Uncontrolled Substance, didn't drop until 1999 and features only two RZA beats and, while I wouldn't put it next to Liquid Swords, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and so on, it's still a solid album. Despite the lack of in-his-prime RZA brilliance, the production is quality thanks to Wu-affiliated beat makers True Master, 4th Disciple, and Mathematics plus one track each from Pete Rock and Large Professor. Well-known as an incredible verse writer, Deck doesn't have the kind of range and subject matter that can effectively carry an entire album, which likely explains why his solo career was so low on the group's list of priorities. Nonetheless, on sheer lyrical skill and production alone, this album still ranks highly on the list of Wu-Tang solo efforts. 

Album Of The Day: Joe Budden- "Mood Muzik 2"

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Joe Budden is best known for "Pump It Up", the Just Blaze-produced jam of 2003. That single helped establish Budden as a well-known rapper, but made him seem like a dumbed-down mainstream artist, only capable of writing songs for the club. On this my favorite mixtape evar, Budden shows his true colors as a hungry, introspective lyricist that is nothing like the "Pump It Up" MC that Def Jam wanted him to be.

Album Of The Day: Da Youngstas- "No Mercy"

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   Da Youngstas were a Philly-based trio that made some quality hip-hop in the early '90s as teenagers. Not that I'm all too familiar with their catalogue, but this is my favorite album of theirs thanks to their energy on the mic and production by greats like Marley Marl and K-Def. Mad props.

PropsOverHere Presents: The Best Of The Game & DJ Skee

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I have a strong feeling that Game's upcoming R.E.D. Album is going to suck ass, and I don't think I'm alone in this. For the last year, Jayceon has been trying too hard to make a radio smash, hence abortions like the Timbo-produced Gucci collab "Krazy"and the Pharrell-produced Chris Brown feature, "Pot of Gold". These failed attempts at a hit single have greatly lowered my expectations for this album, even though I've been satisfied with all of The Game's albums to date. Assuming I'm right, and the album is terrible, his mixtape material with DJ Skee over the last year or so serves as an acceptable consolation. Between The R.E.D. Room, Brake Lights, Purp & Patron, and Hood Morning: Candy Coronas (which just dropped today), there are more than an album's worth of great songs, to the point where it almost doesn't even matter anymore how bad the real album may be. With that in mind, I've taken the best songs from the Game/Skee tapes and assembled a sort of greatest hits collection for your enjoyment. Tracklisting below.

1. Drug Test (Feat. Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg)
2. Soo Woo (Feat. Lil' Wayne)
3. Out Of Towner
4. The Kill
5. Gangs Of New York (Feat. Jim Jones & Jadakiss)
6. Taylor Made (Feat. Wiz Khalifa)
7. Slangin' Rocks
8. Uncle Otis
9. Grave Yard
10. Hahahahaha
11. Ashed To Ashes (Feat. Rick Ross)
12. Red (Feat. Redman)
13. The Ocean
14. Never Stop Hustlin' (Feat. Fabolous)
15. R.I.P. Story

Album Of The Day: Diverse "One A.M."

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 On One A.M., Diverse, who I admittedly know nothing about, displays virtuoso rapping skill and some substance to go along with it. The beats by the likes of Prefuse 73, Madlib, and RJD2 are very solid, making this one of the few new-ish underground albums with significant replay value, at least for me.