26 January 2006

Top 5 Of '05

I know this is a little late, but it's only because I've been giving alot of thought to it. Without further ado, here is my top 5 rap joints of 2005:

(1) Memphis Bleek - Like That
"Man, Bleek and Swizzy both brought their A-Game in what I consider the track of the year."

(2) Papoose - You Made Your Choice
"This nigga is straight fire, samples some of the greatest stuff."

(3) T.I. - Bring 'Em Out
"Swizzy brought the beat, T.I. brought the heat."

(4) Game, 50 - Hate It Or Love It
"This joint was all that everywhere when it came out. Wanna hate the guys, but they are masterminds at the same time."

(5) Nas - Don't Body Yaself
"Shit, twist up some John Legend, add a simple, but hard Nas drum, and then put another legend on the track, and you got the recipe for some good music."

Honourable mention to:
Bishop Lamont - It's Bishop
Bizzy Bone - He Told Me
Crooked I - Boom Boom Clap
DMX - Where The Hood At
Kanye West - Celebration
Krayzie Bone - I Am The King
LL Cool J - Hush
Three 6 Mafia - Stay Fly
Tony Yayo, 50 - So Seductive

Some good shit here. I wonder if '06 is gonna be able to merk '05...


posted by k0nartist at 8:53 AM 2 comments

22 January 2006

N.W.A. - If It Ain't Ruff

"My favourite old school track off of N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton. Dre brings a simple guitar riff for the beat, but it's sick. MC Ren brings the heat like usual. It's just good, not much else I can add."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 2:41 PM 0 comments

Cam'ron - Girls, Cash, Cars

"I love Cam. I really do. This track is to be found on Killa Season. The beat is very Dipset-y, and Cam really picks up his flow and brings it quicker than he usually does. This joint is mad ill, and it only hypes the album even more. Add the recent beef with Jay, and I think Cam is gonna put up some pretty good numbers."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 2:38 PM 0 comments

DMX - Clap On

"DMX gets together with Swizzy for the hundredth time and the product is good again. The beat is decent for a Swiss production, and DMX comes with some mad emotion. Maybe a little below average for some of the other stuff these two have put out, but it's still a cool track to cruise to. "

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 2:34 PM 0 comments

Nas, Papoose - Across The Tracks

"Nas and that nucca Pap hook up and spit some fire over a beat with an old school feeling. The chrous is a nice sampling of an oldies hit, and in the end the track is a pretty good result. Only problem is that it's only a couple minutes long....a third verse from either of the two, or another feature would have been better."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 2:30 PM 0 comments

Maino, Lil Kim - Stop Remix

"A club anthem. The beat is a weak guitar riff, nothing exciting there. Maino and Lil Kim both come half-assed, nothing worth more than a listen or two. Just some weak shit overall. "

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 2:26 PM 0 comments

M.O.P, 50 Cent - War Time

"Some G-Unit gets together to create this joint. M.O.P. guys come out hard at first and slow down a little after that. Fiddy does the chorus, which is alright. The beat is alright. An average track overall (which makes it a better-than-average G-Unit track)."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 11:13 AM 0 comments

Cassidy - Get On My Lean

"Some new Cassidy, produced by Swizzy. I've never really liked Cassidy's flow a whole lot (I've never really been able to point out why), but shit, Swizzy brings his A++ game on this one. The beat is a mean guitar riff, comes just as hard as Pharrell's Can I Have It Like That. I would love to see this beat sampled by some other rappers that I lik better than Cassidy."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 11:09 AM 1 comments

Clinton Sparks, D Block - Take Everything

"First thing that caught my attention on this track was its beat. It's definitely different, but very, very good. The production is solid, but then again Clinton has always been one of the best at puttin' down a hot track. The flows were fine, but the beat steals the song."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 11:07 AM 0 comments

Raekwon - Curious

"Rae tells us a story over how he and this chick gets together. He samples it down over an old slow jam with the same name (I believe 70's or 80's) and it matches Raekwon's nice, soft flow perfectly. His rhymes are obviously intelligently sculpted like always, and the result is another well done track for the Chef."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 11:03 AM 0 comments

Bleu Davinci, Spider Loc - '66

"I really hate Spider Loc, and Bleu definitely out raps him. Yeah, Spider gets merked by a girl. I might be a little too hard on Loc... he wasn't too bad on this track, at least better than he was in that one Game diss. The beat was nice, and the chorus was witty, but nothing real special."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 10:59 AM 0 comments

Webbie, Pimp C, Lil Boosie - Like That Remix

"Pimp C is finally out of the pen and hooks up with two southern rappers who put their mark on the game earlier in the year with the original version of this track. This is the usual southern shit, I really don't like the beat a whole lot, it's uses a high organ key and I just don't like the sound of it. Pimp C sounded nice though.."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 10:53 AM 0 comments

20 January 2006

Cam'ron - You Got To Love It & Biter Not A Writer

"I'm putting these two tracks together, for obvious reasons. These two tracks are the first installment of a fued to a battle that may go on for awhile. Cam has called out Jay-z for a number of reasons, including things like stealing Roc from Dame, being a bitch nigga, and other things that he lists at the start of the diss track You Got To Love It. Cam's disses are nice as he targets Jay's age, his sandals, his girl Beyonce, etc. However, for some reason he includes Jim Jones on the diss track. I really don't know what Jim said because he pretty much mumbled his whole verse. Overall the diss track was alright; I've heard worse, I've heard better.

The second song listed in the title is not really a song, but more a compilation of Cam picking out verses that Jay has jacked from other artists. He plays the original verse, then Jay's. And it really is shocking to see what Jay has stolen WORD FOR WORD from other artists. There were multiple Biggie verses, a Tupac one, a Nas one, a Snoop one, even a Slick Rick one from back in the day. I mean, we all know Jay has put out alot of good stuff on his own, but fuck, it really hits home.

Cam delivers a real big hit with the last track, and it's gonna be interesting to see how Jay reacts to it. Either Cam has dug himself a six foot hole, or is gonna boost his rep BIG time with a victory over one of the most respected hip-hop artists of today. Only time will tell. Cam get's round one though."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 11:32 PM 0 comments

Cam'ron - Oh What A Night

"Holy, Killa Cam PUTS IT DOWN and describes that faithful night where he gots shot, and then spits some crack cocaine shit. But what makes this track awesome, is that he samples that awesome Motown track with the same title. It is truly good music, and Cam rips it like only he really can. Right now there is only a clip of it from Kay Slay's show, and I really, really can't wait until a full version is released. 5-Stars without a doubt, even though it's only a clip. That means something."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 11:28 PM 3 comments

Papoose - That's Whats Up

"Oh man, this mother fucker is FIRE. He puts it down lyrically, on a beat that uses very unique synths, but comes out hard. I really can't describe it better than that. Cop it for yourself and listen to Pap, who's skills on the mic merk 95% of the rappers out there. Very, very close to 5-stars."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 11:25 PM 0 comments

Krayzie Bone - Let Me Hold Something

"This Krayzie track can be found on the recently released Behind The Harmony album. Krayzie flows nicely like usual, however the beat is sorta shit, and the one girl who feats in the chorus has an annoying voice even if she only says like three words. Still, much props to Krayzie for putting it down like usual."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 11:22 PM 0 comments

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - I Am Not That Nigga

"This Bone Thug cut can be found on their Japanese released Behind The Harmony CD. I believe this was a cut from Thug World Order. Anyways, it features a decent verse from Krayzie, lyrical mayhem from the outsted Bizzy, a decent Layzie verse, and a very solid Wish verse. This track is similar to Not Dat Nigga feature Bobby Brown, another BTNH TWO cut. Not the best Bone material ever, but still it's nice to get it anyways."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 11:17 PM 0 comments

The Game, Royce Da 5'9 - You Ain't Crazy

"The Game hooks up with one of Detroit's finest, on this track off of a Kay Slay mixtape. Royce's performance can be summed up in one of his lines: I'm like Jesus, cuz he got game! He outspits Game by a little bit, but both are nice. I definitely love the course for this track: You ain't craaaazyyyy, naaah man, you ain't crazy, uh-uh, uh-uh! Fine shit here."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 11:10 PM 0 comments

Westside Connection - Get Ignit

"I decided to go back with a little old school WC track off their album Terrorist Threats. No one from the West ever came harder than them, and with Ice Cube making a small comeback, it's nice to give them some rep. This song has a grimey, heavy bass beat (no surprise there), and Ice Cube and Dub and Mack spit some hood shit that you can't help but love. One of Cube's first lines definitely will stick in my mind forever: Look, my garage is not a mirage, I got a car collage for my entourage.."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 11:06 PM 0 comments

17 January 2006

The Game, Lil Flip, Cassidy - State Ya Name, Gangsta

"This track is produced by Swizzy, and features three artists that he knows very well. They reuse an old method that was done by Snoop and some other rappers on the track World War 3, where they would state their name, and promise that they are gonna put it down. All three of their verses are pretty good, and the beat is alright (but I personally think Swizz has done better)."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 5:20 PM 0 comments

Ghostface, Raekwon, Biggie Smalls - 3 Bricks

"This is another track to be found on Ghost's Fishscale album which is coming out very soon. The beat is a dark piano, and the three great MC's tell gory stories about moving weight. Props on the production, it is very good (though I'm not sure who did it)."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 5:12 PM 0 comments

Mr Capone E, Nate Dogg - Came 2 Me In A Dream

"Chicano rapper Mr. Capone E hooks up with the West's infamous crooner to put down this pretty sick track that is to be featured on Capone's Soldiers Story which is to be released later this year. The beat is a finger-snapping, West piano banger, and Capone flows over it nicely. Nate does the hook like always. Nice single, should get some hype for Cap's album."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 5:08 PM 0 comments

Krayzie Bone, Thugline - First Round Knockout

"Krayzie and a couple of his thugline members hook up to make this joint thats found on the Japan-released version of Behind The Harmony. The beat is pretty grimey and has that bone feel to it, and Krayzie's verse is pretty raw, especially when he calls out 'rappers like Will Smith' and tells him to come to the hood and get put down. The other TL member were alright at best."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 4:08 PM 0 comments

14 January 2006

Bizzy Bone - Mercenary

"This is a cut from Bizzy's The Gift album from back in the 90's that finally got released lately. This is the kind of flip-flop flow track that makes old school Bone fans go crazy. I love it too, I just wish that there was a third verse to it. Oh well, we're just lucky to have it available for us (even if it only took half a decade).

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 10:34 PM 0 comments

Royce Da 5'9 - I Am The King

"I felt like I haven't been giving Royce enough rep on TMPO, so I tossed up this old Alchemist-produced track. Alchemist's beat is very grimey and good even though all he uses is simple synthesizers. Royce is witty and there really is no weak part in the track. Much love for Royce, one of Motown's finest."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 10:31 PM 0 comments

Freeway - Back Again

"Freeway does his thang over this Scott Storch banger. I liked Code Of The Streets better, I just felt that Free came nicer over the softer beat. But Free is fine over the clubbish beat."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 10:29 PM 0 comments

DPGC - Real Soon

"The DPGC members do their shit another time on this track from Welcome To Tha Chuuch. It's totally West from the beats to the lyrics, and it's what you would expect from the gang."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 10:26 PM 0 comments

Freeway, Scarface - Code Of The Streets

"I really love Free. He is different, his voice is higher pitched but he's emotional and I enjoy it. It's good to hear Free back in the game. Much love. Scar is cool too, his voice isn't as good as Freeway's, but his appearance doesn't hurt the song. The beat is a very nice soft piano one that's feel-good, and matches Freeway perfectly. I'm hyped for this album."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 10:22 PM 0 comments

Glasses Malone - Hunned

"G. Malone is Black Wall Street's newest member, and frankly he sucks. He raps are as slow, like an old person behind the wheel. They really aren't raps to be honest, but more 'speaks'. His lyrics smell of a ghost writer. The only thing that's carrying his music is his street credit, and I don't even know or care if he has any beacuse he sucks with the mic. Oh yeah, the beat was banging, but Malone shit all oevr it."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 10:18 PM 0 comments

Ghostface Killah, Trife - Playing With Fire

"Ghosty and Trife get together for this track off their recently released collab. Trife comes decent for the most part, but puts down a chorus that's barely listenable. Ghostface's performance is much better, which is not surprising really. I really don't feel this beat, and the track overall is just meh. These two have put together better tracks before."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 10:13 PM 0 comments

Rhymefest, Kanye West - On 10 In A Benz

"Rhymefest teams up with his man Kanye to create this track. The production is nice, the usual you'd expect out of Kanye. Rhymefest comes witty, even a little more so than Kanye in this case. What sorta wrecks this song for me is when Kanye stops the beat at one point and says he can't continue because he just can't do better than one of Rhymefest's rhymes in his prior verse on the track. Some shit about Q-Tip that really wasn't all that great, but by Kanye's reaction you'd think Rhymefest was on some Tupac shit. Anyways, a song that you can listen to a couple times."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 9:58 PM 0 comments

Bizzy Bone, Mr. Criminal - We Run It

"This is Hi Power Entertainment's new single for their upcoming album Thug Revenge featuring Bizzy was well as other members of the crew. I really wasn't expecting much at all; whenever Bizzy teams up with a bunch of unknowns it never really works out. But holy shit, was I ever proved wrong. The beat came out lively, and Bizzy's voice immediately came on soft and old school. Then Mr. Criminal came on and that cat really put it down as well. Then Criminal handed it off to Bizzy who absolutely RIPPED the last verse like only he could. The last line of Bizzy's described this 5-star track perfectly: "One big fam, bam, you know that... you got the fellow untieeeed". I definitely can't wait till this album drops."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 10:48 AM 1 comments

T-Pain - My Place

"T-Pain, like the album title states, is a Rappa Ternt Sanga, and drops us a very nice R&B track for you thugs to cruise to. Most will say that the highlight track of this album was the single I'm Sprung, but I don't agree. Like I'm Sprung (and most of the other tracks on the album), his vocals have been synthesized and modified so that you truly hear him singing. This track, which was one of the last ones on the album, was just him straight-up harmonizing over a very simple beat, similar to what John Legend did over Ordinary People. He truly is a singer on this track."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 10:43 AM 0 comments

Bizzy Bone - Copp That

"This Bizzy track was a cut from For The Fans 2 and was put as a hidden track on Krayzie Bone's Too Raw For Retail. I'm sorry if that is confusing. Anyways Bizzy samples that one southern song (right now I can't remember which one, I really should, it's buggin the fuck out of me), and it's amazing to hear the guy over A-1 production. A lot of his older fans have said he's lost it, but that is simply bullshit, and tracks like this prove that."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 10:39 AM 0 comments

Graveyard Shift - Reveal

"Graveyeard Shift is a branch-off of the entire Bone Thugs / Mo Thugs regime, and it's a group I must admit that I've never really given them the respect that they deserve. I was familiar with their name, but it wasn't till I copped their CD entitled Still Waters that I found this joint. The beat is very grimey, jungle beat, and the guys flow very, very nice over it. Especially the guy in the first verse (if someone with more GYS knowledge could post his names under this songs comment section, I'd appreciate it). Definitely a great track."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 10:34 AM 0 comments

Royce Da 5'9 - Fighter Man

"Royce samples Lil Wayne's Fireman off Tha Carter II for this new track. I personally never liked the beat first off, but Royce proves how lyrically strong he is (especially compared to Weezy, since its his track). Royce is one of the more underrated rappers in the game. I know he gets respect from the backpackers, but the guy could get more love from the mainstream; he deserves it."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 10:30 AM 0 comments

Tha Clipse - Soldiers Ride

"Malice and Pusha-T drop this single a little while ago and the result is average. I loved most of Clipse's old work, especially with Pharrell, he tends to raise them to the next level. Together, they are sorta average. They drop standard lyrics over a digital beat. I think these guys can do much better, this performance definitely wasn't their better work."

RATING


posted by k0nartist at 10:25 AM 0 comments

08 January 2006

Ghostface Killah, Ne-Yo - Back Like That

"Ghosty hooks up with R&B's newest sensation (sit down Chris Brown) to put out this very smooth joint. It reminds me of that one song Ghosty made for some soundtrack, Love Sessions. Anyways, Killah rhymes about a girl who did stuff with him, and later found out she was the girl of his street enemy. So he has to bust 'em both down naturally. Ghost and Ne-Yo sound great together, and definitely should do some more collabs."

"Now that the holidays are over, you can expect many more updates. Thanks for the patience."

RATING

posted by k0nartist at 11:40 AM 0 comments