Album Review: Saigon- The Greatest Story Never Told Chapter 2: Bread And Circuses

Album Review: Saigon- The Greatest Story Never Told Chapter 2: Bread And Circuses

Artist- Saigon

Year- 2012

Rating- 8/10

In 2011 New York rapper Saigon released the critically acclaimed album The Greatest Story Never Told. The album was well received and praised for it's conscious content all throughout sky rocketing Saigon to the ranks of the top current artists in Hip-Hop. A year later Saigon releases his sophomore album bringing the listener that same social awareness with the right mix of grittiness Saigon is known for.

The entire album has original production with not a single sample anywhere on it which is extremely rare for rap in these time, it actually may be the only album to do so this year. As expected Just Blaze lends his talents holding a few producer credits, but DJ Corbett produced the majority of the album. Sonically the beats have a more accessible mainstream feel to them, but wouldn't exactly be categorized as “pop”. The sequel has far more features than the first album with Styles P, Chamillionaire, Sticman from Dead Prez, and the returning Marsha Ambrosius providing vocals alongside others.

The intro “Plant The Seed” sets the tone for the album nicely. It touches on how if you were to listen to the music being promoted at this time to try to get a gauge on what is going on in real life at the time you would be completely misguided, a recurring theme throughout the album. The subject of the illusions Hip-Hop gives the listeners is further delved into with the second track and my personal favorite “Rap vs Real” in which Saigon examines the lines between entertainment and real life. “Let Me Run” is one of the aforementioned mainstream accessible songs that I can see being a hate or love song. Somehow the transition from this song to the more street orientated “Not Like Them” feat Styles P, an artist Saigon shares many parallels just feels natural which I find a welcome change from the last song.

Saigon goes back to depicting a portrait in the world we live in today with the following song “Brownsville Girl” which explores scenarios of black on black violence that is all too common in today's youth. Saigon then takes the time to reflect on his musical career with “The Game Changer” stating his purpose as an artist and how the direction he chooses to take with his music has hindered his progress as an artist on the way to stardom. He takes it a step further with his next song “Blown Away” about how influential people in life have their lives stolen from them and alludes to his fear of sharing the same fate. His thoughts culminate to speculation of whether in his death he will find the appreciation he deserves in the first verse of the song “When Will You Love Me”. Saigon trades bars with Lecrae over the topic of finding salvation and appreciation in religion on probably the best produced track on the album “Best Thing I Found”.

The flaws of the album are Saigon's attempts at singing that he should really leave to his features and the fact that a few of these same features add very little to the song in some cases. Saigon's attempts at crossing over also leave a bit to be desired on more than one occasion, but even with these problems the album still manages to be one of the better releases in an already stacked 2012.

The topics on the album are all very diverse ranging from religion, addiction, black-on-black crime, to child care. Pretty much everything that needs to be said right now, but no one puts in their music. If you're one of those people that is looking for an album that could be considered a reflection of the times we live in now, Bread And Circuses is exactly what you're looking for. Some people may criticize Saigon for being simplistic lyrically, but there is more to bars than your syllable count or your punchlines. When you can make a song with a clear message, and make it a good song at that, you're doing something right lyrically. Saigon holds a mirror up to our lives and shows us how things really are past all of the illusions and misdirections other artists try to feed us. There aren't many albums that I would call a classic, but I would go as far as to say that this should be remembered as a classic if only because of how well Saigon depicts life in the black community for this generation. Years from if you wanted to show someone what we had to show for this generation, pop in The Greatest Story Never Told Chapter 2 and use it as an audio movie.

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Album Review: Skyzoo- A Dream Deferred

Album Review: Skyzoo- A Dream Deferred

Artist- Skyzoo

Year- 2012

Rating: 8/10

Skyzoo has been one of the forerunners of quality music in underground hip-hop since his debut on the mixtape scene. Over the years he's been working diligently and picking up and over growing band of loyal followers along the way as a result of his hard work. His debut solo album “The Salvation” was released in 2009 and is highly regarded as a cult classic and one of the best albums in the decade. Skyzoo kept pressing forward with his music coming out with the The Great Debater project and the Penny Freestyle Series mixtape to build a buzz for his sophomore album “A Dream Deferred” which hopefully will meet the high standards set by his previous projects.

The bulk of the album is produced by the gifted !llmind who has his hand in every one of the beats on the album. Skyzoo has said that the album is truly just as much !llmind's as it is Sky's. A lot of the songs have a jazz-inspired sound to them which compliments Skyzoo's smooth, mellow voice perfectly. For features Skyzoo enlisted the talents of Jill Scott, Jessy Wilson, and Jared Evan for vocals with Freeway and Talib Kweli covering the actual rapping.

The intro to the album starts off with a quoted sample from the movie “Fresh”. The song itself has lines about ambition, the drive to get whatever it is you're trying to get what it is you're seeking in life. That drive is a recurring theme all throughout the album. Jill Scott delivers a beautiful hook in the same accompanied by an angelic production courtesy of !llmind. Towards the end of this song a few others there a live instrumentals giving the song an epic cinematic vibe. The very next song is much more upbeat with production by 9^th Wonder, a producer Skyzoo is all to familiar with. Skyzoo dedicates the song to Chi-Ali, one of his inspirations that led to him deciding to become a rapper. Skyzoo pays homage to a lot of rappers in his own way over the course of the album by using classic lines that true hip-hop heads will get right away.

Range Rover Rhythm is one of the the stand out tracks on the album and cracks my top 10 of my favorite songs in 2012. Everything about the song is spectacular. The beat is smooth, but at the same time fast paced creating a perfect balance. Skyzoo who has the best voice in Hip-Hop right now comes with his basket ball metaphors that he's best at in one verse. His flow/delivery by itself makes anything he says come out as amazing so when he does say something that's truly innovative it sounds just that much better. The next few songs are more orientated to his growing female audience, but they're still great songs in their own regard.

A title fans typically give Skyzoo is the most poetic, similar to what Nas is regarded as. With that in mind it makes the ending segment of “How To Make It Through Hysteria” that much more fitting. He stops rapping and goes into a rhyming spoken-word as the beat calms down which may be my favorite point of the whole entire album. The next song “Steel'S Apartment” also captures Skyzoo at his finest. It starts out with a subtle question as to whether the rappers that lie about their past to claim a gangster lifestyle glamorize it and negatively affect others. Skyzoo has a seemingly simplistic style that makes some of his actual messages go right over your head if you aren't really paying attention, but that just gives you more of a reason to go and listen with an open mind.

“A Dream Deferred” is a solid release with many hidden gems from start to finish. Fantastic, original production and expert rapping. A very consistent album that will be remembered as a great piece of music in the artist's catalog. Skyzoo once again proves that the transition from mixtape to album is an easy one for him to make and that he's still a name to look out for in rap.

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Album Review: Diabolic- A Liar And A Thief

Album review: Diabolic A Liar And A Thief

Artist- Diabolic

Year :2009

Rating: 8/10

Diabolic was first heard on record with underground staple Immortal Technique and instantly gained recognition from the hidden track on the album. Diabolic made a name for himself in the battling community by locking horns with the likes of legend Iron Soloman. Diabolic even tried his hand at the mixtape circuit with the Foul Play project, but an album was the missing piece to the puzzle that eluded his fans. This changed in 2009 when Diabolic released the highly anticipated debut “A Liar And A Thief”

With the exception of the song “Riot” the entire album is produced by Engineer. Despite the fact the bulk of the album is produced by the same person because of Engineer's diverse sounds none of the sounds blend together. The production is top notch, but at the same time hard to categorize. The album features an ensemble cast of underground icons by the likes of Canibus, Ill Bill, Vinnie Paz, and Immortal Technique to complete the cipher. The most impressive thing is that Diabolic outraps every single person on the album and makes it sound easy. The best way to describe Diabolic's lyricism is a hybrid of Eminem in his prime and Immortal Technique. He perfectly exemplifies how to create polysyllabic rhyme schemes while staying on topic. How to rap politically without coming off as preachy. All throughout the album he opens up a clinic of multis in one of the most technical releases of the year.

In the opening song “Stand By” Diabolic bombards the listener with a blitzkrieg of clever wordplay with punchlines and rhyme schemes setting the tone for what he's all about as a rapper. Early in the album the song “Riot” hits with rock production and Diabolic's social commentary to show that he isn't just witty lines, but that he comes with a message. The song is followed by “Reasons”, a song with darker, grimier production and more introspective lyrics all while touching on Diabolic's gripes with his current situation in the music industry. Diabolic seamlessly switches between the two different styles of rapping giving the album a more balanced sound than if he approached it in just one direction.

The major flaws in the album come from a few of the features where the artist clearly just phones his verse in. Luckily Diabolic is there to come in and salvage the song so it isn't a total loss. Also, the hook on “12 Shots” can be grating and the production doesn't help it much. Definitely the most skippable song on the album.

A Liar And A Thief is a hip-hop purists dream album. If you care about the technical aspects of rap, the rhyme schemes and the original wordplay then this is just the album for you.

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New Mixtape: Soul Khan - Wellstone EP

New York rapper Soul Khan has broken his 2012 silence with his new EP released by DJBooth, Wellstone. Soul Khan followed up his acclaimed 2010 debut album Soul Like Khan with 3 EP's in 2011 and now has his first 2012 release under his belt. Here's to hoping we get a proper full length follow up to Soul Like Khan in 2012. Until then, enjoy the clever, lyrical, and punchline-heavy raps that Soul Khan has put together for Wellstone. Guests include the now Soul Khan staple Akie Bermiss and the awesome Sene.

You can download the EP here.

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New Mixtape: Action Bronson & Party Supplies - Blue Chips

New York rapper Action Bronson has released one of his many announced 2012 projects, a collaboration with fellow New York artist, Queens producer Party Supplies. Blue Chips marks the latest project from a soon to be prolific output by the emerging Action Bronson.

You can stream it below or download it here.

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Powered by DatPiff.com

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New Music: Nino Bless - Get Ready Freestyle (Lyrics)

Freestyle Nino drops over Hell Rell's "Get Ready" beat. This one isn't going to be on his upcoming album A Bitch Named Karma, but instead one of his new mixtapes, both will be released shortly. If this is any indication as to what he's been working on then the music that follows will be fucking fantastic.

http://soundcloud.com/ninobless/nino-bless-get-ready-freestyle



(Lyrics)
Who the fuck am I, Ni No
I will never ever fall, real niggaz know my M.O
Heads up, look out, the kid  is back oh oh,
Somebody done did it , admit it, i am pissing off my critics, listen

The kids a cynic with lyrics most consider quick witted
I don't scratch a  bitches back, while others is itching to get it
So who am I? You fuckers know that Nino's sick
I am to the underground what Drake is to an emo chick
"Don't do it, please don't do it"
Whatever's in my way I'll blow a hole right thru it (Blaow)
Move out my way, come on get some pep on ya step
An internet message could get ya whole crib Virgina Tech'd in a sec
Cyber threat me I'll see you wit a gat thats chrome
Act like I'ma clap ya dome & film it wit a my camera holmes
But I don't dry snitch on myself, so bitch this ain't going on no website, like Chris Brown snatching phones Fuck a crew I stand alone, I'm my own anchor, I'm in my ghangis zone
I'm Sugar Ray with hands of stone
Nino is not the one to  fuck with, leave that man alone
If not, this cannon's blown like when Mariah's man's at home
Now that's a dome shot, on top
Shit, some say I deliver the flow, illler than hov, where's hov's gwop?
When son drop, no filler, shit every songs hot
I get to the fucking point,  like skipping through a porn's plot (yeah)
I'm always on beat like an armed cop
The one man army, like I'm camping and  tubing non stop
That's for my gamers, know,  my aim, defines range
try u die, its Michael Meyers, running around with lightweight
I played, it my way, so why hate
I just drop that shit for the streets, no bridesmaids
the tri-state, knows I'm great when I take
Beats, and apply rape, it hits  ya chest like a wild ape
Fuck ham i go Tarzan its Arkham
City in the heartland of the hood where we starving
You know that marksman reps
Ya buzz? I don't care for that Holmes like Mark Sanchez, look
The boss soldier is back, my break is all over
Sorry that I disappeared like Lebron in the 4th quarter
I came, I saw, and conquered, never sold out a concert
Flowing bonkers got me features and promo with no dough or sponsors
I hate to shoot, look what u made me do
Silencer with the potato, don't worry for ya wake I'll get a tailored suit
Witness the onslaught,  now u could say its a fluke
I'm like a tarheel that's  amped for my rival now  but I ain't playing duke
I got this Onsmash, spit shit these blogs like
flow is 2dopeboy, should i switch it Nah, Right
MrExclusives here, i got that shit I'm making records
That'll take a second to get, but literally it'll Shake the Meka
I'm playing reckless, run into a DJBooth
Like "Play that HotNewHipHop, Nino is the savior & the truth
its game time Okay Player, I'm lighting ether near the Smoking Section
Blow this up with no discretion

http://soundcloud.com/ninobless/nino-bless-get-ready-freestyle

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Artist Interview: Chaundon

I am very grateful to have been able to get an interview with Chaundon, an artist with a new album, The Jammington, coming out on March 6th.  Chaundon already released a single from his album called "Possesion" ft. Craig G and Skillz the DJ.  It sounds like he will be very active in 2012, so get excited.

Me: How has growing up in the Bronx influenced your music?

Chaundon: Being in the center of it all, the influence was inevitable. Every where you looked, Hip Hop was there. It was the soundtrack of my life and my music is the reflection of it. 

Me: Who were your favorite rappers growing up? 

Chaundon: My favorite rappers growing up were the local hero's in my neighborhood, Mike Smooth (R.I.P) & Fred Black. Incredible rappers like Kane, G. Rap, Craig G, Slick Rick, were my favorites as well. 

Me: To get a feel for what the album is going to be like, what was some of the inspiration for The Jammington?

Chaundon: The inspiration for The Jammington was simply recording the album in New York. This was the 1st time I ever recorded an album in my city. The pulse of the city was the driving force behind the creation of my album.

Me: If there was one thing you would want everyone to take away from the album, what would it be?

Chaundon: I just want everyone to enjoy the album period!

Me: Are there any other projects we can be expecting from you?

Chaundon: I am currently working on The Freshington produced by Kuddie Fresh, & The Dopington produced by Family Biz Ent.  I also have an album produced by Shuko which is almost complete. Plus there are 3 more albums already in the works!

Me: It has been a couple years since the last time you released an album, do you think that there has been any life experience in the past two years that seperates "The Jammington" from your other albums.

Chaundon: I don't feel there is a time span needed to separate the albums I create. So much happens everyday and those experiences are put to music.  Plus the sound of music I choose from the producers I work with separate the sounds of each album. I plan on releasing 3 albums this year and they all sound different even while I'm recording them in the same time period. 

Me: Who do you have planned for collaborations on the new album?

Chaundon: On the album I have collaborated with Craig G, VonPea of Tanya Morgan, and YC The Cynic. They each brought the perfect elements to the album.

Me: Who's on the boards for The Jammington?

Chaundon: On the boards of The Jammington are ATG and myself, Chaundon of The Gemstones. 

Me: What's up with the Justus League? Is there anything new planned as far as a new project for the collective?

Chaundon: I have no clue about the Justus League.

Me: Do you get approached often by artists for collaborations?

Chaundon: I get a ton of collaboration requests! I am honored that people reach out to want to work with me. I must be doing something right.

Me: What do you bring to the table that deserves the ears of hip-hop listeners out there?

Chaundon: I bring dope beats, dope rhymes, what more do y'all want?!!

 Listen to Chaundon's first single off The Jammington, "Possession", here:

Chaundon's Bandcamp: http://chaundon.bandcamp.com/

Follow Chaundon's Twitter: @CHAUNDON 

 

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New Mixtape: Curren$y & Styles P - #The1st28

We are only on the 28th of Febuary and Curren$y has already released 3 new projects. Joining his Here EP and Muscle Car Chronicles is his collaboration mixtape with Styles P, #The1st28. The tape dubs the artists as Spitta Andretti and SP the Ghost, but make no mistake; this is legit, vintage Spitta and Styles lacing 5 tracks with their incredible chemistry and unique styles.

Download the free mixtape off Datpiff here or stream it here:

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Powered by DatPiff.com

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New Beattape: Paradox - Habits

Paradox is a very talented 18 year-old hip-hop producer hailing from Upstate New York. With aspiritions to work with a wide range of rappers, Paradox is on a mission to construct an impressive instrumental hip-hop catalog to showcase the talents that he was blessed with. Everybody has different taste buds in beats, and Paradox is trying to satisfy as many as he can. Paradox likes to think of himself as a sound engineer as well as a beatsmith; mixing a very impressive ear for samples (which is evident by "Ohf" and "Boom Slap" on Habits) and an expert mastering ability. Paradox does not believe in being strapped down by a niche, and as a result he does not stick to a particular "signature sound". Habits is his 2nd beattape and is by far his best work.

Also, Paradox runs a very impressive blog called The Roll Off. He is always on top of the latest happenings in the entertainment world and is always covering the latest free music releases. I strongly recommend following the site.

Download Habits for free off Paradox's Bandcamp here or stream it here:

 Paradox's Bandcamp: http://paradoxproduction.bandcamp.com/

Paradox's Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/zmparadox 

Paradox's Blog:  http://therolloff.com/

Follow Paradox on Twitter: @ZachMiller12

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