Thug Music Plays On

Busta Rhymes - Make It Hurt

2006-02-09T14:40:00.000-05:00

"A throwback club track for ya'll. This was from his Genesis album. If you loved Break Yo Neck from the same album, then this joint is for you... It's great to bump in your ride. I love the intro that Busta does before his first verse, it really sets the tune for what comes next. MP3 player worthy."

RATING

Krayzie Bone - Bomb Bud

2006-02-09T14:37:00.000-05:00

"Krayzie harmonizes about his love for reefah on this track off the weed-tape Budsmokers Only. The beat is upbeat, and Krayzie sings his verses. Feats a guy off of Thugline, and he also puts down a pretty solid verse (better than I expected). The chorus is great, and overall this is a solid weed song."

RATING

DOWNLOAD SONG HERE...

Papoose - Superfly

2006-02-09T14:32:00.000-05:00

"This Pap track (produced by Kay Slay) is also found on his new mixtape A Threat And A Promise. Plain heat. The production is great, and Pap brings it with his hard, gritty style. And when I say gritty, I mean "creep behind a female cop, cock somethin' pretty, hear shots from the semi, watch 'em pop through her titties, most of ya cocksuckers are sissies.." gritty. Solid track."

RATING

DOWNLOAD SONG HERE...

Papoose - Prophecy

2006-02-09T14:24:00.000-05:00

"Man, Papoose does it again. He uses the rap style that he brought on his previous tracks like You Made Your Choice and Flashback. He hooks up with Ron Isley, and samples a great beat. This song is smooth, Papoose is on point, and it's great to chill too. Mad love for Pap... you can find Prophecy on his new mixtape A Threat And A Promise. Good lookin', Pap."

RATING

DOWNLOAD SONG HERE...

Top 5 Of '05

2006-01-26T08:53:00.000-05:00

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...

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

2006-01-22T14:41:00.000-05:00

"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

Cam'ron - Girls, Cash, Cars

2006-01-22T14:38:00.000-05:00

"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

DMX - Clap On

2006-01-22T14:34:00.000-05:00

"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

Nas, Papoose - Across The Tracks

2006-01-22T14:30:00.000-05:00

"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

Maino, Lil Kim - Stop Remix

2006-01-22T14:26:00.000-05:00

"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

M.O.P, 50 Cent - War Time

2006-01-22T11:13:00.000-05:00

"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

Cassidy - Get On My Lean

2006-01-22T11:09:00.000-05:00

"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

Clinton Sparks, D Block - Take Everything

2006-01-22T11:07:00.000-05:00

"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

Raekwon - Curious

2006-01-22T11:03:00.000-05:00

"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

Bleu Davinci, Spider Loc - '66

2006-01-22T10:59:00.000-05:00

"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

Webbie, Pimp C, Lil Boosie - Like That Remix

2006-01-22T10:53:00.000-05:00

"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

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

2006-01-20T23:32:00.000-05:00

"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

Cam'ron - Oh What A Night

2006-01-20T23:28:00.000-05:00

"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

Papoose - That's Whats Up

2006-01-20T23:25:00.000-05:00

"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

Krayzie Bone - Let Me Hold Something

2006-01-20T23:22:00.000-05:00

"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

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

2006-01-20T23:17:00.000-05:00

"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

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

2006-01-20T23:10:00.000-05:00

"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

Westside Connection - Get Ignit

2006-01-20T23:06:00.000-05:00

"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

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

2006-01-17T17:20:00.000-05:00

"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

Ghostface, Raekwon, Biggie Smalls - 3 Bricks

2006-01-17T17:12:00.000-05:00

"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

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

2006-01-17T17:08:00.000-05:00

"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

Krayzie Bone, Thugline - First Round Knockout

2006-01-17T16:08:00.000-05:00

"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

Bizzy Bone - Mercenary

2006-01-14T22:34:00.000-05:00

"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

Royce Da 5'9 - I Am The King

2006-01-14T22:31:00.000-05:00

"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

Freeway - Back Again

2006-01-14T22:29:00.000-05:00

"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

DPGC - Real Soon

2006-01-14T22:26:00.000-05:00

"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

Freeway, Scarface - Code Of The Streets

2006-01-14T22:22:00.000-05:00

"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

Glasses Malone - Hunned

2006-01-14T22:18:00.000-05:00

"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

Ghostface Killah, Trife - Playing With Fire

2006-01-14T22:13:00.000-05:00

"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

Rhymefest, Kanye West - On 10 In A Benz

2006-01-14T21:58:00.000-05:00

"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

Bizzy Bone, Mr. Criminal - We Run It

2006-01-14T10:48:00.000-05:00

"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

T-Pain - My Place

2006-01-14T10:43:00.000-05:00

"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

Bizzy Bone - Copp That

2006-01-14T10:39:00.000-05:00

"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

Graveyard Shift - Reveal

2006-01-14T10:34:00.000-05:00

"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

Royce Da 5'9 - Fighter Man

2006-01-14T10:30:00.000-05:00

"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

Tha Clipse - Soldiers Ride

2006-01-14T10:25:00.000-05:00

"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

Ghostface Killah, Ne-Yo - Back Like That

2006-01-08T11:40:00.000-05:00

"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

Bizzy Bone, Medasin Man - Side To Side

2005-12-27T11:14:00.000-05:00

"Bizzy is the main attraction on this unreleased club joint. Medasin Man does the hook. This song is a total banger too, I can never get enough of Bizzy, and I laugh at the people who says he's fallen off even though his latest tracks (ie. Lil Eazy E's It Ain't A Game) he totally stole the show. Bizzy brings his A+ game on a very good horn beat, which is a rarity since Bizzy usually deals with shoddy production. Like Krayzie's Sailin' it would have got a 5-star if it was a verse longer."

RATING

Krayzie Bone - Sailin'

2005-12-27T11:10:00.000-05:00

"This Krayzie weed joint is a cut from his last album Gemini: Good Versus Evil. This is one of the smoothest rap tracks you will ever hear. The beat makes you feel like you are lying on a beach with a bunch of angels playing harps around you. Krayzie sings like no other rapper can, and will cause any listener to totally lose himself in the music. Would have easily got Krayzie another 5-star rating, except it was about a verse too short."

RATING

Lil Rob - I'm Still Here

2005-12-27T11:03:00.000-05:00

"Lil Rob slows down the beat on this bonus track from his newest album Twelve Eighteen. His rhymes are rather simple and amateurish, but overall the 'sound' of the song is decent, much like the rest of the songs on his album. Good production, just a lack of someone who can really rip it. Oh well, this song is mp3-player worthy. "

RATING

LL Cool J - Can I Bust

2005-12-27T10:42:00.000-05:00

"This is an older LL diss track where he totally 'burns' Canibus (mind my pun) for 4 straight minutes. It's nice seeing a hard side from LL, especially since the last album was filled with Headsprung and Hush type songs (though I did find them enjoyable). Anyways, this is the way a diss should be: belittling who you are talking about while sounding convincing at the same time. Spider Loc needs to listen to this song and take notes."

RATING

GZA - Fame

2005-12-23T22:16:00.000-05:00

"I know I'm going back to the early 2002, but I was just listening to this song a few days ago and I couldn't not post it. One of my favourite Wu members shows us how god damn good he is over this incredibly sick piano beats. Some songs (My Block by Scarface) are made legendary just by their beats, and if justice is served, this one would be too. It's got a west sound to it, and drops some old west coast horns during the horn, it's just a beautiful thang. GZA also name drops every celebrity out there, from Jason Kidd to George Lucas. Beatfully and lyrically powerful. 5-star material."

RATING

Ice Cube - Child Support

2005-12-23T22:14:00.000-05:00

"Ice Cube comes HARD about his hatred for child support over a deep, deep, west coast beat. Definitely a banger, this is the hardcore westside connect shit that Ice Cube is so famous for. He definitely hasn't dropped off since Hollywood gobbled him up. I can see ALOT of fathers adopting this as their theme song. The chorus says it all: You want child support? Get it out your assssss, bitch!"

RATING

Ma$e - Sorry Mr. Pop Off

2005-12-23T22:11:00.000-05:00

"Ma$e is one of those rappers that I always flip-flop over. On one track I'll love him like those sweet Popeye candy sticks, but on the next track I think he stinks like dog shit. For SMPO (almost TMPO!) I have to say I'm feeling him. The beat is a nice mix of jamacain drums and a deep piano key, and G-Unit's newest "tough guy" sounds goody-goody."

RATING

DOWNLOAD SONG HERE...

Atmosphere - Little Man

2005-12-23T22:05:00.000-05:00

"Atmosphere bares his soul on this track off his album You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having. He apologizes to his family members over how his lifestyle has effected them. You can't help but feel that Atmosphere is preparing to hang up his mic, and rightfully so, he's had a long career and has built himself a pretty solid underground fanbase. It just seems like he's running out of material, and this song backs that up. "

RATING

Busta Rhymes, Mike Jones - I Know Y'all Mad

2005-12-23T22:00:00.000-05:00

"Jesus, this is the second track this month that I've posted that included Mike Jones. I must be SICK. Truth be told though, it's Busta's flow that makes me have to post this song. You gotta love how he brings it hard and sounds good over any beat, even this sub-par southern one. I may have been a lil hard on Jawwwwwwns, when he spit I ain't haveta get a hold of no ecstacy / and the bitch still wanna have sex with me, I laughed."

RATING

Nas, Killah Priest - The Saints

2005-12-23T21:55:00.000-05:00

"Nas spits some real shit on this track that has K.P. doing the hook. The beat is dark and grimey, but far from great. It's Nas' flow and lyric that are the highlights of this track. While Nas talks about the usual life in the streets, he does it with an air of intelligence that sets him apart from most of the other rappers. Killah Preist's part is so little that it's hard to gauge his performance (especially because he's talking more than rapping)."

RATING

Lil Rob - Back In The Streets

2005-12-22T12:47:00.000-05:00

"Lil Rob is back in the streets with this hit that is found on his new album entitled Twelve Eighteen Part 1. While there is no message to the song other than that he's back and ready to spit us some rhymes, it is still more enjoyable than I thought it would be. The beat reminds me of Terror Squad's Take Me Home for some reason; it moves quickly and has an upbeat tempo. Rob himself rhymes nicely and shows some emotion. Nice tune overall."

RATING

Lil' Jon - Snap Your Fingers

2005-12-22T12:41:00.000-05:00

"There's enough Lil' Jon fans out there that it would be wrong for me not to acknowledge this new track he's put out. Featured with the crunkmaster are E-40 and Sean Paul. You can probably hear this song in your head even before giving it a listen. The beat is made of his standard Yeah horns and is normal club material. Lotta repeating and yelling and such. He's gonna have to break off something new to get my props. "

RATING

Nas - Death Anniversary

2005-12-22T12:34:00.000-05:00

"Nasir puts together a pretty neat track. The beat is a dark guitar riff that fits fine with his grimey voice and dirty rhymes. Nas keeps you thinking; his lyrics are deep, and you really won't understand what he's talking about on the first listen. This may not be Illmatic but he's getting there."

RATING

Kurupt, Layzie Bone - Ain't No Thang

2005-12-22T12:23:00.000-05:00

"Apparently Layzie and Kurupt are going to collab on an upcoming album later this year. This track is their first release for it. The song is about hitting it with their favourite lady, and I just don't really get it. The beat is a simple, cool one, but its their lyrics that are pretty ridiculous. I don't care if "She ate my balls and what? She' blew my dick off." With that being said, the song is alright. Layzie flows nicely, Kurupt is okay. It's just a little too pointless to get a spot on my mp3 player."

RATING

Krayzie Bone - Live And Learn

2005-12-21T21:57:00.000-05:00

"Krayzie does it again with this recently released track that was a cut from his last album entitled Gemini: Good Versus Evil. Even though this song is obviously done awhile ago, it is just more reinforcement in Krayzie's portfolio. I think once he gets together with Swizzy, magic is gonna happen. Back to the track, he sings/raps about the struggles of his life and incarceration over a straight-from-Motown, feel-good beat. The only beef I got with the track is that the beat sometimes overshadowed his vocals in the first verse, but other than that it's a solid song that could have easily been on the CD, which was fire itself.

RATING

Busta Rhymes - Touch It

2005-12-21T12:43:00.000-05:00

"Busta hooks up with Swizz Beatz to create this track that is gonna have the clubs on fire for awhile. Busta flows on this track reminds me of Light Your Ass On Fire and Swizzy's beat flip-flops from one similar to the Young Gunz Set It Off and a mad drum one. Very fine work from both the artist and producer."

RATING

Sheek Louch - One Name

2005-12-21T12:38:00.000-05:00

"Sheek raps about his favourite girl with Carl Thomas doing the hook on this After Taxes track. His raps are plain, the beat is plain. It's not horrendous, just not good. However, this definitely is not a good song to release if they are trying to promote After Taxes."

RATING

Lil Eazy, Bone Thugs - It Ain't A Game

2005-12-19T12:36:00.000-05:00

"This track has Lil Eazy, Layzie, Bizzy, and Krayzie on the hook. Definitely Bizzy is the highlight of this song; he absolutely rips on this track. He comes hard with a high voice and basically sings his verse and it's a beautiful thing. Layzie's verse is average, while Lil Eazy comes off very nice even though he is alot slower than the rest of Bone. I would love to see these guys do more things together. I've yet to find a CDQ version of the song, and if someone can find it, holler at me."

RATING

Layzie Bone, Young Noble - Man Up

2005-12-19T12:32:00.000-05:00

"Two old school rappers hook up as Thug Brothers to drop this single for their album that comes out early next year. The beat is lowkey and dark, but it plays well with their voices. Layzie's flow is better than usual on the track, he raps quietly, and is sing-songy at times. Definitely better than the 'talk rap' that he's been doing the last little while. Noble has to slow down his rapping to match with the beat and it just doesn't sound normal. However, the song is still decent and the album will be of good quality if the other songs can match up with this one."

RATING

DMX - Pump Ya Fists

2005-12-19T12:28:00.000-05:00

"This single produced by Swizz Beatz can be found on DMX's delayed CD entitled Grand Champion. While I think it's not quite as good as Get It On The Floor off the same album (also produced by Swizzy), it's still a solid song. DMX comes hard and dirty and the Swizz beat is good like always. The chorus is sorta annoying, reminds me of that one Kid Rock song for some reason. But it's doesn't really wreck the song.

RATING

Paul Wall, Mike Jones - They Don't Know

2005-12-18T19:58:00.000-05:00

"I'm reluctantly putting on this Wall-Jones track, only because I do my best to just totally ignore these two guys. Honestly, does anyone OUTSIDE of Houston like these guys? I thought not. Anyways, this beat is really the only reason you wanna listen to this track. It's definitely hot, the synthesizers are nice, and it moves quick. I can just imagine if someone like Krayzie Bone got his hand on this instrumental. MIKE JAWWWNS, PAAAWWLLL WAAALLL!"

RATING

Spider Loc - G Unot Killer

2005-12-18T19:52:00.000-05:00

"Spider, like the rest of the Unit is below average. This song is obviously a diss to Game's anti-gunit movement, and as compared to other diss tracks, this one is pretty lousy. He never really gets his message across because his rhymes are always lame and unstanciated. Loc tries to sound tough, but his voice is so raspy that it's futile, much like Tony Yayo."

RATING

Young Jeezy - Trap Star

2005-12-18T19:47:00.000-05:00

"This track comes from Snow's album Thug Motivation 101 that came out a little while ago. I've never really been fan of Jeezy's work, and this track doesn't really sway my opinion. The beat is undoubtably hot, but about 95% of the rappers out there would sound better over it. Jeezy's message is flat, like always, and when he starts spelling out 't','r','a','p' etc, one can not only, feel surprised; I doubted Jeezy could even spell at all."

RATING

Ne-Yo - So Sick

2005-12-17T18:14:00.000-05:00

"Sometimes thugs gotta take it slow, so I decided to throw in an R&B track to change things up a bit. Plus, this song is exceptional, so it's worth throwing it in. Ne-Yo, the man who produced Let Me Love You by Mario is starting to move forward and make some noise himself. This song is soft and Ne-Yo croons beautiful melodies over his difficulties of getting over his ex-girl. Go sing your girl to sleep with this one."

RATING

Papoose - You Made Your Choice

2005-12-16T19:27:00.000-05:00

"I feel cheap for dropping two 5 star tracks in one week, but there is NO way I couldn't give this song max props. The highlight of his mixtape Menace To Society 2, and quite possibly one of the top 3 songs I've heard this whole year. Pap uses an excellent remixed oldies song as the beat and hook, and Papoose uses that softer voice again (the one I mentioned in the last song by him, Flashback). The production is amazing, and that nucca Pap brings his A+ game. This is what rap is about."

RATING

Papoose - Flashback

2005-12-16T19:23:00.000-05:00

"This Papoose track comes from his mixtape Menace To Society 2. Papoose reminsces about his rough childhood, getting into the rap biz, hustling, gangs he knew, you name it. The beat is a soft jazzy one, and it is damn good. Papoose raps in a soft, story-telling voice, and it suits him really well. He sounds more intelligent and grown in this song than I've ever heard him before."

RATING

Canibus - Dear Academy

2005-12-16T19:17:00.000-05:00

"Canibus gives a shout out to his fellow rappers in the game in this track off of his album Hip-Hop For Sale. I really have never felt Canibus' flow (unlike many of his large fanbase) but I felt like adding one song off this album, so here it is. The beat ain't great. His rhymes ain't great. The message in the song ain't great. The song ain't great."

RATING

Daz Dillinger - Thats The Way We Ride

2005-12-16T19:07:00.000-05:00

"This DPG gangsta released this song a little while back in the year. It's very mellow, but does not lose it's west coast / g-funk sound at the time same. Daz rhymes well and matches the beat. Like the intro states, here's a lil' somethin somethin you can smoke to."

RATING

Krayzie Bone - I Am The King

2005-12-14T19:20:00.000-05:00

"This was a no-brainer; the first 5 star song in TMPO history. This song also goes by the title Average Thug and it MIGHT or might not be found on Too Raw For Retail pending on song listing changes. Krayzie harmonizes like only him and Bizzy can, on a beat that I can only describe as 'happy'. When you first hear the start of the song that goes 'Bone, Bone, dun flip that track, dun flip that track' you'll fall in love. I can't wait till I get my hands on a good sound quality version of this track."

RATING

Bishop Lamont - I'm A Warrior

2005-12-14T19:17:00.000-05:00

"Aftermath's newest sensation has put out another fine track. You can't help but feel Bishop, however I'm not liking his new flow a whole lot. Lately he's using that low, growl voice. I wanna hear the loud, angry True Crimes or It's Bishop voice. Anyways this song is still alright, and the beat is dark, Aftermath-good."

RATING

Bizzy Bone - Smoke Some 'Dro

2005-12-14T19:14:00.000-05:00

"The info on this song is rather shady right now. The song was released without a title, but the one I listed above has sort of been 'adopted'. As well, the date when he made this is also unknown right now, mostly because Bizzy absolutely rips it almost like he did back in The Gift days. It also feats some of his 7th sign members, which isn't really cool (I ended up Acid-pro'ing them off the song). The beat is a little too amateurish, but the chorus is mad addictve. "

RATING

Notorious BIG, Game - 1970 Somethin

2005-12-14T19:10:00.000-05:00

"Game teams up with the legendary Biggie Smalls on his latest G-Unot diss tape Stop Snitch', Stop Lyin'. Biggie's verse describing his near-death birth is captivating and lyrically special, but then Game comes on and mentions how he would give his right arm to save Pac if he could. Game ALWAYS says he'd do this or that to save him, but that was about 10 years ago....was Game even out of fuckin high school at the time? Anyways this song is the only thing really carrying the mixtape. A dead man outshines Game on his own mixtape, it's sorta funny."

RATING

The Roots - Don't Say Nuthin RMX

2005-12-06T19:08:00.000-05:00

"This old Roots song is remixed on their recently released album entitled Home Grown: The Beginners Guide To Understanding The Roots Vol 2. The vocals have been modified to sound like it's coming from a megaphone and the beat is really, really, grimey. A reminder of how good these guys really are."

RATING

Mariah, Bone Thugs, Juelz - Don't Forget About Us RMX

2005-12-05T19:05:00.000-05:00

"A very nice mix of R&B and rap. Mariah and Bone have already hooked up to create such classics as Breakdown & I Still Believe, and again they sound awesome together. Jeulz sounds a little out of place because he is not in Bone or Mariah's league, but this song still rocks. Krayzie sounds awesome always, and Layzie really picks up his game for once."

RATING

LL Cool J, Freeway - Whatcha Want

2005-12-03T19:03:00.000-05:00

"An unlikely duo, but they make it work. Even though they have both been out of the limelight for awhile, they flow quick and real well. I wasn't expecting much from this track at first, but it was a present surprise. They both sounded better than I thought they would."

RATING

Lil' Wayne - Fly In

2005-12-02T18:59:00.000-05:00

"Lil Wayne spits some sick shit on a deeper, darker beat. This song can be found on his hyped Tha Carter II. If the album even has a few more songs like this in it, it will get just as good as a response as Tha Carter did. Would have got a 4.5 if it was a little longer."

RATING

Kardinal Offishal - Everyday Rudebwoy

2005-12-01T18:56:00.000-05:00

"Toronto's most prolific rapper remixes his own version of Arrested Development's Everyday People. His Jamacain voice just does not flow as smoothly as the older version does. I've always enjoyed the feel-good flow of the beat, tho. And besides that, it's nice to see a Canadian boy do his thing."

RATING

Eminem - When I'm Gone

2005-11-29T12:14:00.000-05:00

"I was rather disappointed when I heard Em's new track to be found on Curtain Call. It was too much of a replica of Toy Soldier but with a darker beat. Lyrically, I guess it's solid, but how many other songs has he done for his daughter? This is nothing new, and I definitely don't agree to the hype that it has been getting. I only gave this 2 stars because it is 2 times better than has other piece-of-crap track he released entitled Fack."

RATING

Young Buck - All About Money

2005-11-25T12:07:00.000-05:00

"This is really the only song I can stomach on Buck's new T.I.P. album. And in all honesty, it's not even that good. He comes hard on his verses, but the chorus is a headache and a half. The result isn't really worth hearing. I only included this song because I promised myself that I'd at least post one of the best songs from the album. It's scary, but even Tony Yayo's latest album was better than Bucks. Ouch. I always thought that Buck was lyrically one of the better members of G-Unit."

RATING

Black Eyed Peas - Like That

2005-11-23T12:03:00.000-05:00

"This track comes from BEP's Monkey Business. BEP really shows the group's versatility and uniqueness on this track. I'd describe this more as pop-hop than hip-hop, but it's a smooth track. Like That features Q-Tip, John Legend, and C-Lo as well."

RATING

Talib Kweli - Flash Gordon

2005-11-22T12:01:00.000-05:00

"Talib spits quickly overtop a flashy beat, in what is one of the top songs on his new album entitled Right About Now. Lyrically gifted this man is."

RATING

Juelz Santana - There It Go

2005-11-21T11:59:00.000-05:00

"This track has been getting a good response around the rap world, and for good reason. This song comes with a solid base beat and Juelz gets to whistlin' some solid verses. It has a rhythm similar to Drop It Like Its Hot. This album should turn shoulders when it drops. Juelz actually performed this song on Jay Leno's (or it may have been Letterman, I forget) show a little while back."

RATING

Sleepy Brown - Me, My Baby & My Cadillac

2005-11-20T22:48:00.000-05:00

"Now I know this isn't exactly rap, but it's found on Big Boi Presents: Got Purp Vol. 2, and it's got a good sound, so fuck it! Sleepy harmonizes about his love of caddy's. It has a feel-good Detroit oldies sound to it."

RATING

Talib Kweli - Two & Two

2005-11-19T22:46:00.000-05:00

"Talib slows down the beat on this Right About Now track, and it sounds wonderful. It also gives you a chance to really focus in on his lyrics and you'll realize how smart and quick-witted Talib is. One can compare this to Never Been In Love off his last album, but just more serious."

RATING

Cam'ron - Yea Yo

2005-11-18T22:43:00.000-05:00

"Talk about a hook that you can't get out of your head. Rush, rush get the llello! I found this track on a Cam mixtape a little while ago. It may be old, but I figured I'd add in a little throwback to change things up. The beat is techno-y and Cam sounds great on it. I would've probably bumped it up to 4.5 stars if it hadn't been for the first verse that is repeated twice."

RATING

Talib Kweli, Mos Def - Supreme Supreme

2005-11-17T22:38:00.000-05:00

"The old Blackstar members get together to fire off a crazy track that is on Talib's Right About Now. For some reason I have a feeling I heard this song before and that it's an old track that they ressurected for the album, but I'm not sure. I'll do some research into that if I get the time. Anyways, quick summary of the song is that the beat is upbeat and the tempo and lyrics are quick and witted. "

RATING

Chamillionaire - Ridin'

2005-11-16T22:32:00.000-05:00

"Cham matches up with Krayzie Bone to create this song that is found on his album entitled The Sound Of Revenge. Ridin' is about their dislike for racially-profiling cops. The beat and lyrics both move quickly and match up perfectly. One can expect big things out of Chamillionaire as he gains popularity in all directions pointing away from South."

RATING

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - Power Of A Smile

2005-11-15T22:30:00.000-05:00

"This song comes from the album dedicated to Tupac. Krayzie Bone absolutely rips it in the first verse. He comes hard with meaningful lyrics, and the beat fits the song correctly. Wish and Layzie contribute average displays of lyrical power, but it's Krayzie that definitely carries the song. If Bone ever gets back together with Bizzy, watch out."

RATING

Juelz Santana - Rumble Young Man Rumble

2005-11-14T22:12:00.000-05:00

"Wow. This is a track that is to be featured on Juelz's What The Game's Been Missing. At first the beat sounds a little dirty, but the more you hear it the harder you realize it is. Juelz spits Cam-like fire, and flows beautifully. Don't feel sorry for me // have a party for me // bitches, balloons, bacardi, and weed // and know that I died with the heart of a G. All I can really say. Very close to give it TMPO's first 5 stars, but I just don't know if this song will be considered classic enough to get a max rate."

RATING

Boyz N Da Hood - Nutt Check

2005-11-13T22:08:00.000-05:00

"The new boys, along with Lil' Wayne, drop a delightful tune. A nice mix between a southern sound, but a better quality rap than the south usually drops. This song had me addicted for awhile, mostly because I love the chorus, and plus I love Weezy. Nothing spectacular, but I've heard worse."

RATING

Talib Kweli - Fly The Knot

2005-11-13T12:13:00.000-05:00

"When I heard Talib released his first single from the new album, I was pumped. I love Kweli just like everyone else. But after hearing this, I flipped. Maybe I'm just not feeling the Talib/MF Doom combo, but this song just does not rank up to 3/4's of The Beautiful Struggle. I really hope he puts forth some better quality stuff."

RATING

Jamie Foxx - Unpredictible

2005-11-12T22:02:00.000-05:00

"Jamie Foxx teams up with Ludacris to create the latest big-name Rap&B combo. The idea and concept is fine, and can be incredibly nice when the two go together like bread and butter, but Foxxacris just doesn't. This song is not as bad as I may be making it sound, and is no doubt going to be popular, but for some reason I just don't personally enjoy it. You'll have to give it a listen yourself before you pass judgement. "

RATING

Notorious BIG - Nasty Girl

2005-11-11T21:58:00.000-05:00

"This track comes from the late Biggie Smalls' upcoming album entitled Duets: The Final Chapter. In a song that involves an all-star cast like Biggie Smalls, Diddy, Nelly, and Jagged Edge, you'd expect the product to be pretty spectacular, but Nasty Girl really doesn't live up to what it should be. The clubs will enjoy it, but that's about it, because it's just too plain."

RATING

Clyph - Planes, Brains & Automobiles

2005-11-10T20:13:00.000-05:00

"One part of me wants Clyph to succeed, but I know for the most part he'll most likely end up disappearing from the face of the earth. This St. Louie boy's voice is a mix between Nelly and Chingy (I don't know if that is a good or bad thing), but his rhymes carry his raps to a higher level; he doesn't have to get by on gimmicks like the other two. Fresh, sorta."

RATING

Lil' Wayne - Fireman

2005-11-09T20:08:00.000-05:00

"This track is to be featured on Tha Carter II. While it is a fairly popular song, I still prefer other Wayne tracks like Snitch and Earthquake. The beat is god damned annoying, almost screechy. Weezy is way better over slower, quieter stuff. Usually when I get to this song I just listen for the first minute or so until he drops the line:

I see she wearing them jeans that show her butt crack //
My girls can't wear that why that's where my stash at //

RATING

Ice Cube - Chrome And Paint

2005-11-08T20:02:00.000-05:00

"Ice Cube and Dub get together to make this single that has been getting decent airplay. Granted I've heard better, I still have to give the Friday series star his props as his flow in the first verse was very nice. Reminded me of the old You Can Do It days. Hopefully Ice Cube can make a resurgence and make us a few more classic hits."

RATING

Mack 10 - Like This

2005-11-07T19:56:00.000-05:00

"Inglewood's finest spits over this hard, west coast beat, and Nate Dogg gives his usual performance. The beat is sorta so strong that it almost takes all the focus off what the hell Mack and Nate are saying (though I doubt if they really have anything special to say). Song is off of Mack 10's recently released CD Hustla's Handbook. Makes for good good mixtape filler."

RATING

Papoose - Born In NYC

2005-11-06T19:35:00.000-05:00

"Papoose, who is the freshest rapper in the game right now in my opinion, raps over an old James Brown song on his track. His raps tell of his love for the Big Apple, and hearing him with an old musical great is great in itself. Pap is lyrically stronger than anyone right now, and he comes with a Ghostface-like intensity. From his upcoming CD entitled The Nicarema Dream."

RATING