Son of a Pimp - Mistah F.A.B.

The Real:
Honestly I put this disc in not expecting much. I'm familiar with F.A.B. from the Thizznation Mixtapes where his freestyles dominate; plus my people from the Bay are always talking him up. I knew he was a witty lyricist but I just wasn’t sure if he could hold his own (or my attention) through a full album. Well - he did. This is an excellent party album and representation of the hyphy movement with joints like “Super Sick Wit It” and “Kicked Out The Club”; counterbalanced with just enough life experience and spirituality from tracks like “Where’s My Daddy” and “Call Heaven” to call this a complete album.

The Rhymes:
Mistah F.A.B. has a simple yet effective style; stringing together multiple ending rhymes in a row. His word play and delivery are at par but I never caught myself touching the rewind button. Overall he really is good, just not great.

The First; The Last:
Metaphors and one liners saturate this club banger. “I’m the shit like gas and a turd” doesn’t seem like a clever line but he makes it work. "Big Time" is defiantly a hot track that I don’t hate. On the flipside, “U R my Angel” is a very religious RIP track to all those who have passed on. It supports the idea that everyone who dies goes to heaven and becomes an angel who watches over you. Overall it’s well written and worth listening to more than once.

The Grade: B-   |   Play: "Streets Of The Bay"   |   Skip: "Hey Little Mama"

Fear Of A Mixed Planet - Shock G

The Real:
I love Shock G and everything he's ever done. The man is so creative and talented, I mean, words could never do it justice. If you ever have the chance to see DU (Digital Underground) performing live don't sleep on it. That's where it all comes to light. Rappers talk about being versatile; how many have multiple alter ego's that were created so craftily people believed for years they were all really totally different people? Only Shock G, AKA Humpty Hump, AKA Piano Man, AKA (you get the idea). The man has always promoted positivity and this album is no different.

As a "Multi-blooded calico cat" himself, it would only make sense that Shock G would do a album tackling inter-racial dating and racism. The entire project is promoting unity and tolerance amongst all humans with phrases like, "Let it go, It's dated and it's backwards / When applications ask me for a color I put platinum / pimp-slappin 'em right back with they own wack crap / I be tellin 'em I'm an A-fo-rican-euro-asi-ack" REALLY?? Only Shock G.

The Rhymes:
Shoc G's style is usually smooth and laid back. Always on topic and always a good time. Heavy metaphors at times that are so cleverly constructed it's like listening in parallel. His lyrics are so creative and thought provoking; almost in a subliminal way because you can't help but agree with everything the man says. When you listen, pay attention.

The First; The Last:
The first and last formula is flipped on this album. (Which is typical of a man who typically doesn't do what's typical) "Keep it beautiful" is a 3:30 track with a single 18 bar verse sandwiched between the chorus. It's deep trance like bass line and simple synth keys accompanied by jazz horns are mesmerizing; Which is probably why the spot for the second verse is instrumental. Shock's words are deep, with a focus on healing the world through positivity in hiphop - because all the negativity is killing it. On the other end we have the upbeat "Your Sun Iza Pimp" which is one of the parallel's I mentioned earlier. If your not paying attention you'd think the song was about the neighborhood kingpin shining the light of the game on, and looking out for, the youngsters. If you pay attention you'd hear the real; that the sun (not son) is the source of all things good and we as humans are deeply connected to nature. Only Shock G.

The Grade: A+   |   Play: ""Who's Clean"   |   Skip: "Holmedown Up"

The Seventh Seal - Rakim

The Real:
As a life long fan of this man and I've been anxiously awaiting this album for years. After the fall out with Dr. Dre I was concerned it would never happen. But then it did; and OH, MY GOD was it worth the wait! On the song "Won't Be Long" he says, "Mic sick, lyrics is still locked in the brain / Like Mike Vick, sittin in jail watchin the game / I wait 'til the day I - can play my - position / Or should I say the day I - obey my - addiction / Then complete my legacy / - Without compromising my artistic integrity" And being a man of his word he did exactly that. It's the perfect album for me at this stage in my life. This is a grown man's album. An album about real life; about real struggles and how to overcome them; an album that's not about money, sex, drugs or guns. Rakim has grown a lot and it's reflected in his music. This album proves that HipHop is not dead. It's very much alive, and pumping threw the veins of The R.

The Rhymes:
It's Rakim; nuff said. At least it should be. For those who don't know Rakim is the originator of intricately crafted lyrics packed with metaphors. Before him it was 1985 and there was nothing but ending rhymes in HipHop. Need an example? One of the hottest HipHop joints in 1985 was RUN-DMC's King Of Rock. It went something like this "Now we're the baddest of the bad, the coolest of the cool / I'm DMC I rock and roll, I'm DJ Run I rock and rule / It's not a Trick or Treat, and it's not a April Fool / It's all brand new, never ever old school" Uh...yeah. Again - NUFF SAID.

The First; The Last:
What better way for the original God MC to open a comeback album then with a track teaching all the would-be-rappers "How To Emcee". This joint undoubtedly will be studied by all lyricists, current and aspiring, for tips and tricks of the trade; strait form the mind and mouth of a legend. The closing is respectfully a dedication to Rakim's mother who passed in 2005. The track is appropriately titled "Dedicated" and is an emotionally moving biography of his mother's life, placed over a sample of No Doubt's "Don't Speak". No better way to end an album.

The Grade: A+   |   Play: ""Man Above"   |   Skip: "Psychic Love"

Tha Mic Marlow Album - Mic Marlow

The Real:

Albums like this are the reason I primary listen to independent music. Mic Marlow had me grinning from ear to ear with the very first line - "I ain't shit and don't nobody know me". You have to respect the honesty of a line like that! Overall this is a great album. The man touches every life topic from relationships to politics, and just when your brain is getting tired from the thoughts that his words are provoking - BAM! He sprinkles in some club bangers. Over all this is one of the most complete albums I have ever heard.

The Rhymes:
Mic's lyrical style is calm and focused; his affectation and word choice demand your attention. His delivery is very consistent with the exception of "What I Look Like Now" where he flips his mouth piece to fully auto and spits some rapid fire hotness. I appreciate the fact that he didn't overdo it with his style changes. So many others have ruined a perfectly good album by trying TOO hard to be versatile. Besides, who needs flash and versatility when you've conquered your style so masterfully? This dude knows what hes good at and sticks to it. Gotta respect it.

The First; The Last:
"I Ain't Shit" was a good time and the perfect opener for this album. It's one of those songs that forces you to dance around in the driver seat while smashing on the gas pedal. Lines like, "I ain't got no game, just charismatic" kept me cheesing threw the whole track. It grabbed my attention from the start and left me eager to hear more. (The next track was no disappointment.) Jumping to the end, the last track is definitely a good finale. "I Can't Kick the Habit" is a five and a half minute laid back weed song with several guest features. Everybody's verse was on point; talking about the stresses of life and using marijuana to calm your nerves. "When life don't know how to treat ya - grab your reefer" Makes sense to me!

The Grade: B+  |   Play: ""Say Hi To 30"   |   Skip: "Outrageous"

Dinner And A Movie - Brotha Lynch Hung

I'm throwing out our typical review formula. Fuck it if the big man doesn't post it! You want "The Real" well here it is...

The Real:
I've been a Lynch fan for almost 20 years. I've been a Tech nine fan for over 10. When I heard that Lynch signed with Tech's label Strange Music I already knew what was gonna happen - and I was right! With Dinner And A Movie we finally get everything Lynch is capable of, everything us fans have been waiting for. We get the REAL Lynch; Season of the Sicc Lynch; Loaded Lynch; Suicide Note Lynch; all in one masterfully crafted album. Calling it an album doesn't even do it justice. It's more than an album - it's an experience. You can't just slap this in the deck and skim threw it. No-way. This requires you sit down and focus your undivided attention for the entire 77 minutes and 40 seconds while holding on to the edge of your seat, gritting your teeth, closing your eyes, and trying not to scream. I did... I screamed... out loud..."GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE! REALLY??? LYNCH IS A FUCKING GENIUS!!!! There is nobody - NOBODY - that can do what he does. Who else can not only switch styles and topics but their entire persona from track to track and line to line? Who else is still incorporating appearances from the same neighborhood brethren that they were giving shout outs to almost 20 years ago? Who else can write a horror movie in music form and make it flow seamlessly from one song into the next without ever loosing its direction? Who else can call themselves a good provider for his children by putting food on the table via murder and turning his son a cannibal? Only Lynch. I'm not going to ruin all the twists and turns of this experience by critiquing the first and last tracks but i will tell you this - Your cravings for Lynch will be pacified after Dinner And A Movie, but you will not be full; which is a good thing  - theres more to come. This is just the first part of the three course meal that Lynch has planned for us. Dinner And A Movie is the appitizer, Tha Coathanga Strangla will be the main course, and for dessert... Mann-A-Bal Lector.

Need a few of drinks to get you in the mood before you order the appetizer?
Check out the official video trilogy for Dinner And A Movie here!

Interview: The Emaculit 1

The Emaculit 1 has been in the HipHop game for over a decade dropping mixtapes, doing guest appearances, and performing live. His group Hurchu was nominated for a Sammie Award (Sacramento’s version of the Grammy’s for local artists) in 2007.  His latest mixtape “Life Experience: The Mixtape” is the prelude to his first solo effort “Life Experience: Part 1” which will drop later this summer. I sat down with him in his home studio in North Highlands, CA. to discuss his upcoming projects. After playing me a few tracks off the new album and drinking a few brews we decided to get down to business.

 
Although I have been a fan for years, many of our readers may not know you. So tell me, where are you from?
I’m from Sacramento [CA]. Been here most of my life.

I thought we were in North Highlands?
We are but it's still Sac. I've lived all over this place so I consider the whole city my home.

Whats the HipHop scene like out here?
There isn’t one. I mean there is but there are only a few clubs that will allow a live hip hop performance unless there is a full band involved. That’s why I stopped performing and just stuck with the mixtape game.

The last mixtape was FatRip X-Periment Volume #4, can we expect more from this series?
Oh ya, that’s not going anywhere but forward man. Volume 5 is almost done now, we’ve been working on it the last few months. It’s gonna be the best one too. It’s a milestone cause were officially in triple digits for mixtape tracks now.

Triple digits?
Right. The first 4 each had 25 songs minus intros and outros. This one will be the same so were officially over 100 tracks now; there’s no turning back.

100 songs? That is a milestone, congrats! Most mainstream rappers will never reach that mark. Why do you think that is?  How did you do it?
Cause a lot of mainstream cat’s ain’t hungry no more or they’re in it for the wrong reasons. But me? I’m not in it for the money, I’m in it for my sanity and the love of the art-form. Were just “making knockers out our garages can’t nothing stop us, 100 songs deep and we’re just getting started so watch us, cause we’re that team to beat, beast on the beat and the peace will cease, believe the weak species gonna be deceased if they fuck with these” you know what I’m saying?

Nice! Is that on Volume 5?
Yep.

So you said you’re in it for your sanity, what does that mean?
I don’t make music for anyone but myself. Every time I sit down to write it’s like a journal entry of what I’m dealing with at that moment. I’m just trying to put down my own thoughts and feelings, nothing else. I’m good for keeping that kind of stuff bottled up and doing that will make you crazy.

I hear you. So what’s up with this solo album? Why’s it taken you so long to get it done?
Man I’ve been working on this project for like 8 years. It’s just a lack of money and you know, life keeps happening to me so it just keeps getting pushed to the back burner. The crazy thing is that I’m still using a lot of the material that I wrote 8 years ago and it’s still relevant. The only problem is that between the old and the new I had too much material, that’s why I decided to break it in 2 pieces. Part 1 and Part 2. Each album will have 10 tracks and each one is kind of like a parallel of the other in regards to content.

Wait a minute, why only 10 tracks each?
First of all there is no filler tracks; I only record songs that I feel strongly about. Secondly, considering most new albums that I hear have less than 5 good songs and the rest IS filler, I feel giving 10 quality tracks is almost like dropping a double album. (Chuckles). Could I save 3 songs and put the rest on one disc? Yes, but that would be depreciating the value of my music. I just hope the fans can support the cause.

I agree that 10 good songs is the equivalent of a double album. What do you mean by “depreciate the value” of your music?
I saw this interview with Busta [Rhymes] that made a lot of sense to me. He was talking about how the value of music is being depreciated with online MP3 sales. He asked, Why is it that a 30 second ringtone is $2.99 but the whole song is only $0.99? That made a lot of sense to me. So I feel as an effort to reverse this the best this to do is put less tracks of higher quality on each album and sell it for the same price.

Makes sense to me. Switching gears, what’s up with Hurchu? There was a track on the FatRip X-Periment Volume 4 that makes me think you guys broke up.
We could never break up because we were never a group. That’s why we called it an Alliance. We were all just individual solo artists collaborating together toward the same goal. It seems like over the years life happened to a lot of people, including me,  and priority's had to change. I still talk to almost everyone and Erratic is my right hand man. He hasn’t gone anywhere. We still get together almost weekly to work on Volume 5 and the new Hurchu project.

When can we expect those?
Volume 5 will be out later this year. The Hurchu project is realistically a couple years out still just due to time and money restraints. But if I can make some bread off my project I will dump that into the Hurchu album. Ain't nobody getting rich off the shit. We’re just trying to make enough money off of one album to put out the next. And if not then it will be like 5 years between releases. Regardless the music will get made, mixtapes will come out every year. It’s unavoidable. That’s our passion. That’s how we keep our sanity. Like I said before I make music for me. Other people being able to relate and wanting a copy of it is just a bonus.

Check out the free mixtapes page for links to FatRip X-Periment Volume 4 and Life Experience: The Mixtape