[Review] Drake - Thank Me Later

Artist: Drake
Album: Thank Me Later
Release Date: June 15th 2010
Producers: Boi-1da, Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, Kanye West, No I.D., Omen, Crada, 40, Tone Mason, Jeff Bhasker, Francis & The Lights, Arthur McArthur and Al Khaliq.
Guests: Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z, Lil' Wayne, Young Jeezy, T.I., Swizz Beatz, & The Dream. (Bonus Tracks feature Bun B, Lil' Wayne, & Trey Songz).


Like when Eminem took over the game in the late 1990's, and the hype around 50 Cent in 2002, the Hip Hop industry's richter scale has been sizing up another possible tremor to hit over the past year.

Despite his debut album only dropping this summer, in the ast year, Drake has already had artists no bigger than Lil' Wayne, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige and of course Eminem recording music for him, as well as rumours persisting last summer of an on/off relationship with Rihanna, and a mixtape that many claimed was better than most albums released in 2009. You sort of get the impression that something perhaps Drake might sell quite a few records.

Having already has major acting roles on US and Canadian TV shows, including Digrassi: The Next Generation, and Blue Murder, plus a role in the next Batman movie, Drake has now switched his talent towards making music. The Toronto born star soon found his way into Lil' Wayne's Young Money circle where he featured on their recent album, outshining all of the other artists in many opinions. Even Jay-Z was unsure whether to put Drake's verse on his Blueprint 3 album, but instead opted for just Drake featured on a chorus - a move leaving many fans wondering why, since Drake had recorded an entire verse for Timbaland to put on the CD, but perhaps Jay learned his lesson from Eminem's presence on Renagade.

Lasy September, Drake released an EP entitled 'So Far Gone' which included 6 tracks inclusing 'Best I Ever Had' which became a hit in the states, and 'Successful' with Lil' Wayne and Trey Songz. The EP has so far sold over 450,000 copies, something I cannot possible envision another new artist to do before the release of any debut material. In fact, to kick start any discography off with a bang like that only suggests monumental things for the future. Weeks later, Eminem has recorded a verse for his song 'Forever'....which he soon used on his 'Relapse: Refill' album.

So finally it is here. 'Thank Me Later' has been simmering for months, with various songs leaked online - some making the final cut, some not. There was even rumours of a mega collaboration with The Kings Of Leon, although this has not meterialised.

The album seems to have an alternative sound to it. Drake comes from a softer direction, in terms of ballad beats with an 'old skool' style rap over it. This seems to be a problem I found with the CD - much of the album sounds very much the same, with not a lot of variation. Most of the songs fail to excite, and often get forgotten once skipped onto the next one. However, 'Up All Night' is very heavy, although features a below average verse from Nicki Minaj. 'Light It Up' is one of my favourite tracks on the CD, and seems like a battle of best verse between himself and Jay-Z, as both are at their best lyrically on this track - I will give Jay bragging rights on this one since Drake easily owns Lil' Wayne's feature.

'Shut It Down' is a song emotionally driven with The Dream, as are most of the songs on the album, but the best track has to be 'The Resistance', which is produced by 40. The song represents everything that the album is about - emotional rap with an alternative sound.

I was not as impressed with the Swizz Beatz produced track, 'Fancy' as I thought I would be. I was hoping the uptempo Swizzy style would elevate into the next single from the album, but I doubt the average hook will enable this to happen.

Overall I was impressed with Drake, who has set a new bar level for new artists simmering in the rap game, but will the fans of Drake's mixtape material feel it? I dont know, but I know there will be thousands for every listener that doesn't.

7/10

[Review] Trina - Amazin'

Artist: Trina
Album: Amazin'
Release Date: 4th May 2010
Producers: Jim Jonsin, J.R. Rotem, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, DJ Frank E, Mario Winans, Hitsquad, Oddz N Endz, Schife, OhZee, CP Hollywood, KParn, Maxwell Smart, Blackout Movement, DVS Productions, Young Yonny and Bigg D & Lamb.
Guests: Diddy, Keri Hilson, Lil' Wayne, Rick Ross, Lady Saw, Nicki Minaj, Flo Rida, Git Fresh, Lyfe Jennings, Kalenna Harper, Shonie & Monica.

Despite only having a handfull of successfull female rappers in the industry, the gender fight for the 'Queen of Hip Hop' title is very competitive. While Lil' Kim unarguably held the position in the mid to late 90's, a series of legal troubles and issues within the music industry and record labels have resulted in a lack of recent material being released, and her popularity has also faded.

Foxy Brown may have also been a competitor for Kim in the past, again she has been in the middle of pointless legal disputes which have kept her on MTV news for the wrong reasons.

But it seems every male (and some females if you read the rumours) are all after one name whom has become linked with Young Money rapper, Lil' Wayne..... Nicki Minaj. Nicki has exploded onto the scene like Drake did last year with feature after feature, and now it is almost certain that she is sitting on the thrown. She has already appeared on various other albums such as the new Usher CD, Ludacris's Battle Of The Sexes, as well as hooking up with Mariah Carey, Bobby Valentino, Lil' Wayne and the rest of the Young Money crew.

So has all of this taken the shine away from Trina? The Miami rapper has always been consistant on the Hip Hop scene, and is returning with a 5th studio album - 'Amazin'. While I was left disappointed with her last CD, I was still a little bit skeptical with the new album. Rumours appeared on the internet of collaborations with Lady Gaga and Diddy, I wasn't sure whether or not this would materialise into some sort of super CD.

However, when I got this copy of the album, and looked through the tracklist, I was left puzzled as to why the Lady Gaga collaboration had been replaced with Dirty Money's Kalenna Harper. It was sort of reminiscent of two years ago when we were promised that Christina Milian was going to be singing the hook on 'Single Again', the lead single on the last album. Whether this was due to some sort of legal issue with the record labels, fans who want to hear the Lady Gaga version of the song can still find it on Youtube.

The album starts off quite positive, witht the lead single, 'Million Dollar Girl' with Keri Hilson and Diddy featured. The song is very commercial, and seems to carry more of a pop feel than would you get with the rest of the album. While female rivaly has been quite sharp in the past, with various feuds between the artists, it is quite suprising to see Trina feature Nicki Minaj on the album despite most of the attention now switching to the Young Money artist. And if you think that was a suprise, it was also strange seeing her ex, Lil' Wayne on there too, especially since we have learned that Weezy has since fathered several children to several women....almost at the same time!

Overall, the album is strong, but I was a little bit disappointed that there is no more than a handfull of songs which I enjoyed. 'Dang A Lang' is a very sexual song, as the title suggests, but apart from that, there does not appear to be the flabour that you would expect after seeing the list of producers. J.R. Rotem has been a hitmaker of late, but he did not shine on this time out, as did J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, and it is the same throughout. Maybe the label blew the budget on getting Nicki Minaj.

5/10

[Review] B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray

Artist: B.o.B
Album: The Adventures of Bobby Ray
Release Date: April 27th 2010
Production: T.I. (exec producer), Jim Jonsin, Bobby Ray, Crada, Alex Da Kid, DJ Frank E, A.D. & Kutta, Dr Luke, Lil' C, The Smeezingtons, JackPot, Free School, Ensayne Wayne & Polow Da Don.
Guests: Bruno Mars, Lupe Fiasco, Hayley Williams (of Paramore), T.I., Janelle Monae, Rivers Cuomo (of Weezer), Ricco Barrino & Eminem.

Anybody who may have been following T.I. on Twitter (http://twitter.com/Tip) may have realised that he only has one subject on his mind. It isnt his recent spellin jail, or the fact he has Twitpic'd several pictures recently of his new Ferrari, or even his own project due to be released at the back end of 2010, but actually the man who has the weight of Grand Hustle Records on his shoulders.

When I first became aware of B.o.B's music, it was straight off the back of a mixtape he had released, probably around two years ago now. The song 'Haterz' was a light buzz with Hip Hop radio stations across the US, but it did not really create a splash. I probably just thought that B.o.B was the latest rapper out of the 'A' trying to be the next big thing. The sound of his music back then was something far from what we have come to hear on the new album, and maybe these early mixtapes was just B.o.B testing the water.

'Haterz' was a typical rap song about what 233,783 rappers have rapped about on their own albums, and I remember playing it once on the last station I was on, and then forgetting that I had it on the system in the studio. I still wonder if they still have it on the computer, and if anybody has come across it and had a listen, or it is long gone. If it is still there, now that B.o.B is now in the mainstream circus of 2010, it may just pop up when DJs search for him!

When 'Nothin' On You' began making it big in the UK, I was beginning to wonder if Bobby had a future in the mainstream world of Hip Hop - alongside the Flo Rida's, 50 Cents, Eminems, Jay-Z's, and Ludacris's. I certainly knew that if he was, he would have to come with something a lot better than 'Haterz', or anything else he had on those mixtapes. OK, he could ride with T.I. for a while, and benifit from having a big artist feed you publicity and money, like Tony Yayo has made a career of doing, but it is difficult to overcome the 'favourite child' of a record label. Bobby Ray had to come with something different. And he has.

In a way, the new album feels a lot like Kid Cudi's album which dropped last year, in terms of the fact that both artists are trying to deliver a new sounding Hip Hop. They are distancing themselves from the bling, hoes, cars and 'Hi Im a rapper that is rich from his record label advance, although I used to be poor, and I go clubbing and Im a pimp that gets shot at a lot' type of image. In a way, B.o.B is mixing several genres of music together to create a sound that even the Indie kids can listen to.

'Nothin On You' is massive, without a doubt, and this is the type of sound carried out across the CD. As a listener, I can tell that each song is written from the heart and is filled with emotion. This song goes against everything Hip Hop has stood for in the past, as it promises loyalty towards a woman, despite the rapper being center of attention in the Urban music scene, and facing many distractions. The same can be said for 'Lovelier Than You', which for me is one of my favoute tracks on the album, simply due to the fact you can feel the emotion seep from the melody.

B.o.B did not go crazy with his budget for the album, and did not go about getting the top music producers in the world to send him beats. Like Lil' Wayne did on Tha Carter III, and Kid Cudi is doing, he is experimenting with different sounds, different styles and different methods of rapping/singing on each song - and it seems to be working.

I was just as suprised as the next fan, when I saw the tracklist for this album and saw that Eminem was a guest. Apparently, even B.o.B was not aware that this move had been lined up until the last minute. The song 'Airplanes pt. II' talks about the 'what if' side of each of the rapper's lives, and how easy it could have been not to have achieved what they have done. While B.o.B talks about getting noticed in Atlanta by chance, to having a multi platinum selling album, Eminem talks about luck, and how life has been a series of 'chances' that have come together to give him the unlikely career that he has had, and how it could easily have been different. With Hayley Williams from the rock band, Paramore singing the hook, I can guarentee with all I have, this song will be a hit on both sides of the Atlantic - trust me, the label knew this one would be a money spinner.

'Magic' was also a track which has had several plays on my iPod, featuring the lead singer from Weezer - the song is more of a rock/Indie song than Hip Hop. I expect this to be single number 3, if 'Lovelier Than You' doesn't drop before it. 'Past My Shades' is also a potential hit, featuring Lupe Fiasco.

So in my eyes, the album is almost perfect, and certainly went beyond my expectations - dont be tempted to purchase the bonus tracks from iTunes (if they do not come complete with your copy of the CD), no matter how big you see the name of the producer. 'Higher' was not the track I was expecting from Polow Da Don, who we all know, is the kids favourite music producer these days (rightly so), but this track feels like 'B.o.B stole the beat from Polow's Recycling Bin rather than the 'Club Banger Vault' which Id imagine is securly passworded.

Overall, this is a great buy, and not just for the rap music fans - but for the general music fans. Certainly one of the top albums of 2010 so far...

9/10

Im also on Twitter and Facebook!

[Review] DJ Khaled - Victory

Artist: DJ Khaled
Album: Victory
Label: E1 Music
Release Date: 2nd March 2010
Production: DJ Nasty, Schife, The Runners, & The Inkredibles.
Guests: Diddy, Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, T-Pain, Usher, Jim Jones, Young Jeezy, Plies, Drake, Nas, John Legend, Schife, Birdman, Bun B, Soulja Boy, Nelly, Lil' Boosie, Ace Hood, Pitbull, Jarvis, Rum, Tripple C's, Bounty Killer & Buju Banton.

Featuring a who's who of Hip Hop, the pioneer of Def Jam South is back with a fourth studio album, 'Victory'.

Originally, in what was to be a series of mixtapes, DJ Khaled, whom many rap fans instantly knew as being Fat Joe's Terror Squad DJ from back in the day, has now started a series of albums featuring a collective of the biggest names in today's Hip Hop world. He has worked in the past with some of the biggest names in the world, from Kanye West, T.I., Busta Rhymes and Snoop Dogg, to putting out tracks that have been so successfull, that names such as Jay-Z have added their verses to them.

In 2007, his second album, and most successfull to date, 'We The Best' was released, and it showed not only the rap world, but also the world that DJ Khaled meant business. The album was up for awards against some of the biggest mainstream solo artists, birthing the hits, 'We Takin' Over' and 'Im So Hood' which became two of the biggest Hip Hop anthems of that year. The follow up album 'We Global' was not as big commercially, despite an even stronger lineup of guests, selling only 294,000 copies in total, nearly half of what the last album sold.

So Khaled has lined up another list of big names, producers and set himself out to hit the top of the charts again. Apart from an intro only to try and boost his ego, featuring random ad-libs from Diddy, the album dives into the first single, 'All I Do Is Win' which T-Pain, Ludacris, Rick Ross & Snoop Dogg. The song by far is the most likely to top any chart, in fact it is so heavy that I can hear it as being a massive club anthem, and possibly an anthem for 2010 Hip Hop...but it failed to make an impact, making a poor #64 on the Billboard, and not even getting into the top 50 in the RnB charts. 'Fed Up' featuring Usher, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Drake & Lil Wayne is another alternative club hit, but in my opinion, Usher's hook just does not suit the The Runner's beat... maybe something from T-Pain would suit this record more. However, Drake once again uses his hype to take the limelight of the track, if only Lil' Wayne could follow his feature with a top verse of his own, unfortunatly he did not.

Overall, the album fails to come close to the previous releases from Khaled. One thing which stood out, was the lack of Fat Joe. There were reports throughout 2009 that there may have been conflict between the two when Khaled was pictured several times without the trademark 'TS' chain which would normally aliegn his association with Joe's Terror Squad crew. This is the first album without a member of the squad rapping on it, and only has me wondering what is going on, if anthing behind the scenes.

I was a bit disappointed with some of the artist features on the album, especially considering I had been looking forward to this as being the first major Hip Hop release of the new decade. The track with Nas as far from exciting, as was collaborations with Jim Jones, Young Jeezy and as was Nelly. The production on the album is also not to the standard that you would expect from The Runners, especially when you hear some of the beats that they have made for the last albums, as well as solo material for artists such as Rick Ross. I am not expecting the album to sell well at all, and those that do buy this, may be wishing they didn't. Even a final track featuring Pitbull, who has blazed the charts on both sides of the Atlantic with his club bangers, failed to provide.

Dont get me wrong, Im not saying that the whole album is a waste of time, but rather that it is a disappointment to previous CDs, despite an impressive guestlist. There were

3/10

[Review] Jason Derülo - Jason Derülo

Artist: Jason Derülo

Album: Jason Derülo

Label: Beluga Heights/Warner Bros.

Release Date: 2nd March 2010

Production: J.R. Rotem (exec) & Fuego.

Jason Derülo exploded onto the commercial scene late in 2009, witht the huge hit, 'Watcha Say' which used samples from Imogen Heap's 'Hide and Seek'. The song was hugely popular, reaching number 1 around the world. The trademark "J-J-J-J-J R" tags instantly sent subliminal signals out to RnB fans that this was set to become a massive hit, from just the first 5 seconds of ever hearing it. The 'S.O.S.' hitmaker for Rihanna, and JLS producer, who has also executively produced for his own artists, including Sean Kingston and IYAZ.

Videos of Rotem and Derülo working together in the studio on this project, soon became available on Youtube. The attention to detail that Rotem was putting into perfection was quite visible to see. It also gave us the chance to hear the style that Jason Derülo wanted for the album - a sort of Euro pop feel, as Jason then sings a variety of different melodies over each beat, until he finds the one best suited for the song.

In fact, serious fans of Jason Derülo may also know him from before his solo efforts, when he was a song writer for other artists, just like Keri Hilson was before she made it into the industry as a solo singer. Jason has ghost written tracks for Cassie, Donnie Klang, Pleasure P, as well as featuring on Birdman's album '5* Stunna' on the bonus track, 'Bossy', which was also covered by Cassidy.

The self-titled debut album first struck me as an album full of singles. Since most of the songs had leaked onto the internet over the weeks leading up to the eventual release. With 'In My Head' becoming an unusual choice for the second single, it was not as successful as the previous single, but still big none the less.

I was impresseed with 'Love Hangover' - a song which personifies the feeling of love for a new lady into the physical feeling of alcohol on a morning after a night out. Other songs which caught my attention were 'What If'', which is basically about proposing to a lady and 'The Sjy's The Limit' which in my opinion, should be single number 3.

The album seems to carry a storyline - from the theme of breakup in the opening track, to finding new love as the CD unfolds. Although his vocal style may be very similar to that of Chris Brown, the style of music could not be any more different. Chris Brown used the traditional RnB sounds, whereas Jason Derulo seems to be mixing traditional mainstream RnB, with Euro-pop and pop-indie in a rather bizarre way. This album will not disappoint the fans who have jumped aboard after olnly hearing a couple of tracks played on radio stations, and I must say, this is going to be one of the biggest albums of 2010, and Derulo is certainly going to be one of the biggest RnB stars in years to come.

9/10

[Review] Hurricane Chris - Unleashed

Artist: Hurricane Chris

Album: Unleashed

Release Date: 21st December 2009

Label: Polow Grounds Music
Guests: Plies, Mario, Bobby Valentino, Beanie Man, Cherish, Isis, Superstarr, Fiend 4 da Money & Mouse.

Producers: Play-N-Skillz, Phunk Dawg, Don Vito, Rodnae, The Inkredibles, Shawty Redd, Mouse, Fiend Crack Alley Music, Drum Majors & Raphael RJ2.

Hurricane Chris returns for his second studio album - Unleashed, featuring the club banger 'Halle Berry (Shes Fine)' and the follow up single, 'Headboard' featuring Mario and Plies, Hurricane Chris seems to be taking a more commercial approach to the music industry, in comparison to his 51/50 debut album.

'Headboard' is a slick RnB love song with very sexual connotations, featuring one of Plies best features in my opinion. However, dont expect the rest of the album to follow track - the CD still has a 'snap' feel to it, and apart from the second track on the album - 'Beat It Out The Frame', expect another Soulja Boy 'wannabe'.

5/10

[Review] Lil' Wayne - Rebirth

Artist: Lil' Wayne

Album: Rebirth

Label: Cash Money/Universal

Release Date: Unknown 2010

Guests: Kevin Rudolf, Shanell, Nicki Minaj & Eminem.

Producers: Cool & Dre, Eminem, Develop, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, DJ Infamous, Essay Potna, Chase & Cashe, Hit-Boy & Drew Correa



When Lil' Wayne announced that he would be recording a rock album, I never thought it would happen. I mean, Kanye made an album where he sang about heartbreak, but it is nowhere near his strongest material, and failed in comparison to what I think he was expecting. But when the best rapper (supposedly) is dropping an album aimed at a different audience, Im sure the label must be expecting a backlash.



Afterall, Weezy has already generated hate from rap fans on social netowrking sites such as Facebook, telling him not to make a rock album, and even rockers themselves are saying it wont work. And this becomes another problem for me - do I review the album in comparison to other rap albums and other Lil' Wayne albums, or do I review it as a rock album, and in comparison to other rock artists?

The factor is, Im not sure whether this album will be acceoted on either side. Rap fans will be hugely disappointed with the style, and not just because he is not rapping, but because he is not inflicting clever punchlines, and his lyrical content has changed. I feel that he is aiming this album towards male high school students, as he is putting himself in their shoes. But on the other hand, rock fans will know that Weezy is not a rocker, and is just trying to add more fans to his following. Although he does play the guitar in a few of the tracks, it is pretty much nothing ground breaking, and dont expect any clever string solos or crowdsurfing at gigs for now.

There are a few nice touches to the CD - the track with Eminem has a nice feel to it, and Eminem's verse, possibly something leftover from all of his Relapse material, dives straight into the dark mind of the artist of the decade. 'Prom Queen', is a song about rejection, and despite being leaked several months ago as the first single off the album, it remains one of the handfull tracks I think fans will take to. There is another track that I think will be the next single - a sample of the intro of Amy Holland's 'Shes On Fire', fans of the Scarface movie will recognise this instantly, but I feel that the sample (produced by Cool & Dre) is a too basic loop, and fails to capture much of the best parts of the original song.

Personally, I would give this album a low score, as I think Weezy's rock style is fake and see through, but I do not think it will be a disaster. With his reputation on the line, it may be that Weezy changes his music completely and decides to release more rock albums, but I hope not. Bring on Tha Carter IV.

5/10

[Review] Young Money - We Are Young Money

Artist: Young Money Entertainment (Lil' Wayne, Drake, Jae Millz, Mack Maine, Tyga, Nicki Minaj, Lil' Twist, Gudda Gudda, T-Streets, Shanell & Lil' Chuckee.
Album: We Are Young Money
Label: Cash Money/Universal
Release Date: December 21st 2009
Guests: Birdman, Lloyd, Gucci Mane & Clyde McKnight.
Producers: Tha Bizzness, Kane Beatz, David Banner, Chase N. Cashe, B.Carr, Andrew "Papa Justifi" Wansel & Warren "Oak" Felder.

50 Cent has his G-Unit Records, Jay-Z had Roc-A-Fella and Eminem has Shady Aftermath, and now Lil' Wayne is showing that the Young Money movement that he has spoken about over the years, has some strength behind it - in the form of a new album.

Its no myth that Lil' Wayne has been regarded as being the best rapper making hits for several years now. His wordplay on tracks have made him popular with the fans, and on the mixtape circuit, and with an estimated 2,000 songs tracks that he has recorded, there is no shortage of Weezy verse out there.

So, when I became aware of a Young Money group album coming, it was instantly something that I was looking forward to, especially with the newest sensation, Drake also confirmed for appearance. Potentially, two of the best lyricists in the rap game as of 2009, were going to be making a CD, with several other label mates - it had the ingrediants for an exciting album, helped further by the smash hit 'Every Girl'. The song was a synopsis for what we could expect to hear on the album, and a chance to hear some of the talent that was emerging from the label, especially Drake. Wayne started off with not a one of his best verses, but still strong enough to be ahead of other MCs in the game, but Drake killed it. His flow, technique and delivery was perfect, and I have to say, I was also impressed with Jae Millz and Mack Maine's efforts to. However, I was left wondering whether or not this was going to be an Autotune bashing disc, but I was not too concerned, as Weezy is one of the few artists that has adapted his style to use it...in fact, I think apart from T-Pain, Weezy is the only artist who has used the effect and made it work for him in my opinion.

I needed to hear more though. A second single began circulating the internet a few weeks ago called 'Bedrock' and featured a hook sang by Lloyd, and despite it being an old chat-up line, I liked the sound of it - the beat was tidy, and once again, there was a strong verse from Drake, but again, I was expecting a better Weezy opening. It might sound picky, but I am comparing verses to what he is famous for - remix songs that he has killed in the past, and features on other artist's albums. I actually think that Weezy is like a sportsman. He has a good game and gets picked for the team, but other times he can play bad, and needs substituting at halftime, and other times, damn right shocking and deserves fining a week's wages.

So I made sure that this album was right at the top of my list for 2009. 50 Cent has dropped, Eminem has dropped twice, Fabolous dropped, Jay-Z dropped and now the end of December in the middle of the Christmas season, there was to be another big one. I was just hoping that Birdman did not carry on his tradition and push this one way back into 2010, although I was thinking that if he did do tat, I would just pre order it on Amazon.

So here it is, I sit flicking through the tracks, listening to the verses, and I am loving it, right? Wrong. There just feels like tere is something missing from it. Should the opening line on the album be "Sitting on the toilet..." The intro song, 'Gooder' just does not have the impact that the start of albums usually have, but anyway, it is straight after that that 'Every Girl' comes - probably the strongest track on the album. The next track 'Ms. Parker' feels like maybe it should be a single, but the beat does not give it strength. This seems to be the case throughout, the album has 'average' beats, and Weezy is not spitting at his strongest, in fact, he is outshone on quite a few tracks - this will be a disappointment for most fans,because 90% will buy this because Lil' Wayne has been involved in it, the other 10% get it as a gift at Christmas.

Other songs that I liked from the CD were 'Bedrock' , 'Steady Mobbin', 'Roger That' and 'Finale'. The last of these being the outro for the album, and features several bars from each of the Young Money artists, and despite Weezy seeming to have a much longer verse on the track, it was far from the best. In my yes, Drake is becoming the aplha male of the label, and you can understand where the buzz is coming from. Nicki Minaj, a female rapper on the label, also showed some good lyrical skill as did Mack Maine and Jae Millz.

To some up this album, I would say that its purpose has been to promote the talent of the label, rather than to try and take over the rap industry. The album will be enjoyed by most rap fans, but I feel that the songs on it seem to be 'overcrowded' by artists. Dont be put off by this review, it is a good album, but not a classic.

6/10

[Review] Gucci Mane - The State Vs Radric Davis

Artist: Gucci Mane

Album: The State Vs Radric Davis

Release Date: 8th December 2009

Guests: Lil' Wayne, Cam'ron, Rick Ross, Jadakiss, Birdman, Soulja Boy, Usher, Waka Flocka Flame, Keyshia Cole, Bobby Valentino, Trina, Nicki Manaj, Jason Caesar, OJ Da Juiceman, Plies, Bun B, E-40, Devin The Dude & Wooh Da Kid.

Producers: Drumma Boy, Shawty Redd, Bagladesh, Scott Storch, Polow Da Don, Zaytoven, FATBOI, Jazze Pha, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League & Mannie Fresh.

Until late 2009, I was never been able to understand the hype surrounding Gucci Mane. I have been aware of his presence since around 2005, when he gained public attention through a deadly feud with fellow Atlanta rapper, Young Jeezy. In fact, even MTV were gripped by the ongoings in what can only be described as a rediculous, childish and immature beef over something so small.

In fact, not even a collaboration with Young Jeezy caught my ears, as Young Jeezy's presence on the record was the outstanding factor, as he was just blowing up at the time. Gucci never struck me with anything hype worthy, in fact, I just assumed he was a fellow southern rapper that gets on a track because they are good friends with the star rapper, like Tony Yayo and Memphis Bleek.

However, this beef showed how rappers are willing to come across as 'street' for their fans, when there was totally no need. It seemed Jeezy wanted the track for his own album, but Gucci refused to allow it, as he had just captured a big name Def Jam artist for his project, which was sure to give him some attention.

The beef turned nasty when Jeezy released a mixtape track, aimed at Gucci Mane, in which he put a $10,000 bounty on Gucci's chain - anybody that could rob him and bring the chain to Jeezy, would get the cash. However, when an associate of Young Jeezy's CTE broke into Gucci's house after a tip off from a prostitute that had gone back with Gucci, and after being attacked with a gun, Gucci's only self defence was to shoot to kill - with an arrest warrent being issued a week later when the body of the man was found near Gucci Mane's house in bushes. Although he was aquited of all charges, it just goes to show how a small disagreement can go too far.

Gucci has also hit the headlines in the buildup to this release, after being given a year in prison for drugs charges, and for ending the feud publically with Young Jeezy, but as they always say, all publicity is good publicity.

But I first began to realise how large Gucci's presence in Hip Hop when MTV listed him in their absurd top 10 of current rappers, ahead of the real #1, Eminem, whom was not included in the list. Was I missing something about Gucci that others can see that I cant? It certainly wasn't his flow, lyrical ability or style, as I would have noticed, and he certainly didn't have the on track presence that a Young Jeezy, a Fabolous or a Juelz Santana would give.

So, getting back to the album, what was I expecting? To be honoust, I thought it would be just another southern album, with a bit of crunk and maybe a little bit gangsterism. I certainly was not anticipating a commercial success. However, looking at early sales, I was so wrong.

The album features a lot of big names, ranging from the Polow Da Don produced track with Usher, to the track with Lil' Wayne and Jadakiss on. Surely his label must be paying these guys a lot of money to make these appearances?

Apparently not. Gucci has certainly stepped his game up for this one, and I certainly believe this album has been well packaged by his team. 'Spotlight' is by far the best track on the CD, shortly followed by 'Sex In Crazy Places', which reminded me a lot of the 2000 hit by Ludacris - 'What's Your Fantasy'. I was also feeling the beat from 'Bad Bad Bad', although I think Keyshia's hook could have been stronger to nail the song.

It would still be optimistic in my eyes to put Gucci as being in the top 10 of Hip Hop in 2009, but he certainly has impressed me with this effort. The album is well worth a listen, but will not challenge any of Jeezy's projects.

7/10

[Review] Eminem - Relapse: Refill

Artist: Eminem
Album: Relapse: Refill
Release Date: 21st December 2009
Guests: Dr Dre, 50 Cent, Drake, Kanye West & Lil' Wayne.
Producers: Dr Dre, Eminem, & Boi-1da

No matter where MTV rank him in a list of the greatest rappers at current, or where Hip Hip fans place him on the blogs, Eminem is the best rapper alive today in 2009. This is a statement that I can back up with facts, statistic and reason that will also be backed up by millions more that will back the next rapper. Fact.

So when Eminem released his fifth studio album following the 2005 greatest hits collection, it seemed that the world had gone 'Slim shady' crazy again. He may be one of the most controversial musicians of the modern era, but it soon became obvious that when Relapse dropped in the summer, how much this man had actually been missed - the only other artists that could hideaway for four or five years with so much demand for a return, are probably dead and in the music hall of fame. Its a fact, that the backwards 'E' logo, carries with it more than just a white man who grew up in the slums of Detroit, trying to make it big in a game that traditionally didn't play by his rules. From being a Hip Hop misfit, to felling over 80 million records world wide, it is clear to see why Eminem has touched so many hearts.

As I write this, and listening to the second edition of Relapse, I have just finished reading a story about how Scottish singer, Susan Boyle has outsold the first edition of Relapse, which meant she is now the best selling artist of 2009. I am happy for her, but not only that, but I am happy that Eminem is a markstone for who you need to outsell to be number 1. Not even Bono's U2, or another post retirement Jay-Z effort could come close to Eminem's album sales. So maybe MTV should go away, anylise the people who work for them, have then checked out by mental health experts, and then come back and revise another top 10 list of the greatest rappers of the current time, because their last effort was an insult not only to Eminem, but to Hip Hop, and the music industry as a whole. Rant ended.

So what did I make of the first installment of Relapse? I did not think it was a classic, and certainly not top of the list of past Eminem albums. If I were to rank previous material from Mr Mathers, my all time favourite would be none other than his 2002 album 'The Eminem Show', purely on the lyrical depth that he went into, followed closely by his 8 Mile soundtrack album, then 2000's 'The Marshall Mathers LP', 'Relapse', 'The Slim Shady LP' and finally 'Encore' from 2004. That does not go to say that that I found Encore disappointing, just that it didn;t contain as much excellence as the rest.

The album goes deep into Eminem's troubled private life, mainly his drug problems. The album mixes fiction with personal health issues, and a little bit of exaggeration. Not only is Eminem helping resolve his own problems by extracting it from himself via the use of music, he is also helping others around the world to, from album to album, dealing with depression, drug problems, family problems to issues of fame, Eminem offers an insight into not only how he swerved to avoid them, but added a touch of light hearted comedy to the remedy. Sure when he talked about killing Kim, he was only venting his anger and frustration of a troubled marriage through the power of creativity in his music, but as a society, we knew Eminem was never a mennace with a chain saw - only a fool would believe that.

Relapse itself pokes fun at the media's perception of himself, hence the use of interludes on the album which create little sketches around his rehabilitation program. Songs such as 'Medicine Ball', and 'Must Be The Ganja' all look back at drugs, and are explicit warning messages to others. The album itself told a story, that you would only understand if you listened to the tracks in the order on the disc. From being in rehab, to getting cured, from being high, to being depressed, which songs such as 'Old Time's Sake' and 'Beautiful' portray perfectly.

The album may only have produced three distinguished singles, 'Crack A Bottle' with Dr Dre and 50 Cent, which was the first of two 'cartoon' songs by the famous Aftermath trio, 'We Made It' which was a traditional Eminem single, like the days of 'The Real Slim Shady' and 'My Name Is', and finally 'Beautiful', which acted as the aftermath of when a high fades. All in all, the album was cleverly constructed with time and precision. My only disappointment was that I thought Dr Dre had too much production on the album, and I thought his work was quite a long way from his best. I was have felt easier if Eminem had produced more, but with only one track not produced by Dre, I got the feeling that maybe he was not giving Em his best work - a hint that he is keeping some of the good old Dr Dre beats for another up and coming major album... I am actually hinting at Detox!

So overall, I was satisfied in the summer of 2009 when this album dropped, it sold well and fans seemed to enjoy it, so what do I make of the re-packaged version? Is it just a late rally for more sales before Christmas? Or was Eminem so desperate for his fans to hear all of his work that otherwise, may have just been scrapped? Well I will hide no fact that Aftermath records are in serious trouble. They owe parent company,Interscope millions, and it is becoming an issue, especially in the current climate. That is why some of the less selling artists on the label have gone - why spend thousands putting beats together for a B list rapper to rap over, then another million or so on promotion and shooting videos, when the only reason that artist gets 'some' sales is because he has been mentored by Eminem? So for that reason Obie Trice left the label. Stat Quo left the label. Bobby Creekwater left the label, and I have a feeling Ca$his wont be getting royalty cheques from Mr Iovine for too much longer either. As much as I like these artists as a Hip Hop fan and writer, they are not the way forward for a label like Shady Aftermath. That is why in 2009, Dr Dre knew that only the big hitters could come out. Eminem had to put something out there, whether it meant eating less takeaways and getting back into shape and getting back into the game, whethe rit meant 50 Cent had to his the streets with another CD, and of course, whether it meant the biggest myth on the planet since the creation, 'Detox' would come out, then it had to be done. Believe me, Detox will be out soon, it is happening and it has to - Aftermath depends on it.

So Eminem had 'good' sales from Relapse, but they wern't his highest, and maybe the label could have wished for more. Afterall, I remember Eminem saying he would record 30 songs before selecting the best for a CD, the rest hidden away in Jimmy's lost files, never to be heard by the public - so for Eminem to be doing this, you know times must be deperate, and 50 Cent's album sales wont be turning those frowns upside down.

Refill kicks off witha song that only came about by accident. 50 Cent revealed that Eminem had recorded a verse Drake's song, only to next year that Kanye West and Lil' Wayne were also on the finished version of the song. The song is a battle of the lyricists as Drake and Eminem seem to go head to head, the latter victorious in my opinion, with Lil' Wayne and Kanye off form. 'Hell Breaks Loose' is next, and as I suspected, Dr Dre was the producer of this, and the rest of the songs after this on the CD. Theese songs are basically a carry on from what has already been heard on the album, so that is the sort of thing that you should expect.

'Elevator' is by far my favourite of the new tracks on the CD. The song talks about his vision of his career before he met Dre in the mid-late 90's. It talks about how he never expected to sell records, as well as a reminise of the late Proof. Not only does the song then talk about how he can now afford an elevator in his mansion from the success of his record sales, but it also is a metaphor for the direction that his career has taken.

The best beat on the album goes to 'Taking My Ball', which gamers may find familiar from the recent DJ Hero game that was released a few weeks back for Playstation 3 and XBox 360. I get the impression that the chorus may be talking about the fact that although he has become so well respected in the industry, that he has been feared, and nobody will 'take his ball', meaning go against him. Maybe Susan Boyle will play with him (and I meant that as a personal joke).

'Music Box' dark and mysterious song which is hard to understand the meaning of. It talks about being drunk, high and this is reflected in the sureal lyrics. Finally, another Dr Dre beat, which you can tell because he has almost used the same beat that he gave Mary J Blige on 'Family Affair' in a song called 'Drop The Bomb On Em'. The song talks about not his MC career in total, in a battle rap format against a fictiocious character and situation. Hip Hop fans might jump to the conclusion that the fact a current rappers name was mentioned that he is taking shots. I doubt it, but make your own mind up. Em raps: "Boy I told ya boy, Im a soldier boy, Im DeShaun/holding in this b****, Im the proof boy, you're a fraud." Whatever this is about, Im sure this is not an attack on Soulja Boy!

To some this album up, I am unsure whether fans should by this repackaged CD if you already have the first edition of the album. Since Rihanna, Chris Brown, 50 Cent and Lady Gaga have all brought out delux editions of their albums with either new tracks or bonus DVDs or whatever, it will not make this a best seller of 2009. In fact, Em stated that this was to keep fans in the frame of things while Relapse 2 is in the pipeline. But overall, I am a Relapse fan, but if you are such a fan that you would buy the album again for seven extra tracks... then its up to you. Lets see what Santa brings eh?!

9/10

[Review] Chris Brown - Graffiti

Artist: Chris Brown
Album: Graffiti
Guests: Lil' Wayne, Swizz Beatz, Plies, DJ Khaled, Tank, Eva Simons, Trey Songz, Game, Lupe Fiasco, Ester Dean, Sean Paul & Rock City.
Producers: Swizz Beatz, Big Makk, Keith Thomas & Big Lo, The Messengers, Polow Da Don, The Runners, Ryan Leslie, Tha Bizness, Free School, Brian Kennedy, Jevon Hill, Charlie Bereal, James Fauntleroy, Oak & Scott Storch.

So within two weeks of his ex girlfriend launching in my opinion, was a CD of moaning, Chriw Brown is back at it. The man who had smash hits with songs such as 'Run It', 'Superhuman', and 'Forever' would normally have released this album with the intention of it being one of the biggest albums of the year, but sadly for Chris, this will not be the case this Christmas.

Chris Brown has sold out arenas all over the world, and rightly so, as he is one of the biggest names in RnB. In fact, at his 18th birthday party, which was filmed by MTV, the late Michael Jackson phoned Chris to wish him a happy birthday. In fact, Chris was expected to be the next Michael Jackson in terms of success and style. There was no limit to where this young man's career would go, and how massive he would become.

However, the incident in a L.A. suburb that left his ex girlfriend, Rihanna looking like she had stepped in as DMX's replacement has in fact ruined his career. Which is a shame because this album is quite good.

Two Chicago newspapers rated this album less than '2/5' in seperate reviews, and without backing this up, it would appear that it was the fact that the pop music journalist that wrote these articles may not have kept a neutral opinion. I am not in anyway defending Chris's actions from February 2009, but all Im saying is, Gucci Mane is about to release a largly anticipated album, and he shot and killed an intruder in 2005 before being aquitted, Snoop Dogg was 'involved' in an incident where a man was beaten to death in the early 90's and became one of the biggest names in Hip Hop fan's iPods and T.I. once got caught buying machine guns from an undercover police officer and still sells records. Get over it.

So Princess Dihanna released her album two weeks ago with excellent reception (except by me it seems - see Rihanna - Rated R review) and Chris Brown released this album which is just himself getting on with his own thing, and people give it low ratings, despite the fact I think it may actually be better than 'Exclusive' was?

The album gets straight into the action with 'I Can Transform Ya' featuring Lil' Wayne and Swizz Beatz, which was actually Chris Brown's lowest charting first single from any of his albums gone by. The song itself is not that bad, in fact quite catchy, the first great hit produced by Swizzy for the best part of a year in my opinion.

The Polow Da Don produced 'So Cold' is clearly an apology to Rihanna, as to is 'Famous Girl' in which a few secrets come out, like Brown's regret at ghost writting 'Disturbia' for Rihanna, and also his opinions when the rumours of when Drake and Rihanna were apparently dating. Another positive comes from the song 'Wait' which features Game and Trey Songz, although I would prefer it if the dirty version of this song was also released, as Game's verse is ruined by cuts.

An unusual collaboration with Plies and DJ Khaled is another big hot on the album, and I have to say this, but Plies kills it, although I was disappointed that the beat did not feature more of the intro, which gave 5 seconds of impression that it was going to be a explosive Hip Hop club banger... which it is not. Also on the album is a sample of Eric Prydz' hit 'Call On Me', although I feel more could have been done with this to turn it into a single.

So overall, I was happy to hear more of Mr Breezy, in fact like I mentioned earlier, I like this album more than 'Exclusive', although I do miss the times when I was sat at home in 2005 watching MTV with 'Run It' being played almost every hour. I really hope the world takes Chris back into their hearts, as I know we have all mocked him over the incident, myself included, but it is all about the music.

So in the battle of the albums between the ex boyfriend and the ex girlfriend... its the ex boyfriend that wins.... easily.

8/10

[Review] Rihanna - Rated R

Artist: Rihanna
Album: Rated R
Release Date:November 20th 2009
Guests: Young Jeezy, Slash, will.i.am & Justin Timberlake.
Producers: Chase & Status, Stargate, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, Ne-Yo, Chuck Harmony, Brian Kennedy, R. Swire, will.i.am & The Y's.

Earlier this year, Rihanna and her fairytale boyfriend, Chris Brown hit the headlines for all of the wrong reasons. Like Bobby and Whitney, the popular RnB couple's relationship came crashing down, it seemed like misic was the last thing on anybody involved's mind.

Yet its now December 2009, and the ex couple have just released their latest albums within the space of 14 days - coincedence? It would appear not, as the couple have only recently spoken out about the situation that they were in as part of their promotional tour of chat show sofas.

Rated R marks the commercial return of the 'Pon De Replay' star - but dont be fooled into thinking this album will be full of pop music, in fact, it is far from this. The album shows the first of the dark side of Rihanna, in what can only be described as an album full of negativity. The lead single 'Russian Roulette' was full of subliminal ex boyfriend disses towards Mr Breezy, and although this song became a well liked track on radio stations, it is hard to find what else Rihanna will be able to use from this album onto mainstream music video channels.

In fact, Chris Brown seems to be the subject of this album sublimanally and it begins to become annoying after a couple of songs. It can be understand that Rihanna became emotional after the fight, but the depressing sound that haunts speakers. The only positive track I was enjoying from the CD was 'Hard', track 3 which features Young Jeezy. The song is very 'Polow da Don' like, but is in fact a one of The Dream's masterpieces. Since this is the next single, it is likely that it may receive mediocre attention. It must also be noted that the song contains a subliminal diss towards Young Jeezy's long time rival, Gucci Mane: "See my Louis chucks, Louis flag, Louis frames, Louis Belt, what that make me Louis Mane?"

Apart from this however, the album is not something I would keep in my CD changer, and in fact, I feel like going back and finding 'Good Girl Gone Bad' - I really miss that Rihanna.

2/10

[Review] Snoop Dogg - Malice N Wonderland

Artist: Snoop Dogg

Album: Malice N Wonderland
Release Date: 8th December 2009
Guests: Lil' Jon, Jazmine Sullivan, The-Dream, Soulja Boy, Kokane, R. Kelly, Brandy & Pharrell.

Producers: Scoop DeVille, Terrace Martin, Lil' Jon, Teddy Riley, PMG, The-Dream, B-Don, Super Ced, Danja, Timbaland, Jason Martin, Battlecat, Nottz, Tricky Stewart & The Neptunes.

Snoop is a rapper who has been around the block a few times, in fact, it almost seems that Snoop Dogg has been around since the start of time. A household name that even your granny will have heard of, even if she does not know any of his songs. To be precise, this is album number 10 for the man who once was part of Suge Knight's Death Row Records, a man who can sit and reminise about the days of N.W.A., and maybe even tell you stories about times he used to chill with the late 2Pac.

So 16 years after the first album dropped in 1993, is Snoop still the rapper that he was? A money hungry gangster from Long Beach California may have dropped the 'Doggy' from his name many years ago, but he will always be listed as a legend, alongside the Jay-Zs, Nas's and the Biggie and Pacs, Snoop has become more than just a rap star, he has endorsed many products, acted in Hollywood and reeked chaos in London's Heathrow airport.

So album number 10 follows 'Ego Trippin', which received positive reviews with the internet bloggers, although I was left unconvinced. I could not connect with the style that he rapped, and I was wondering whether this album would follow track. However, despite a pointless intro, the album does leap into action straight away. 'I Wanna Rock' may have leaked a couple of months back, but it has a high adrenaline beat and is one of the album's best songs despite a dry hook. There is also '1800' with the crunk hitmaker Lil' Jon that I can imagine being pumped out of the speakers of bouncing Impalas.

I then began to realise that the problem with 'Ego Trippin' was that Snoop was trying to get back to his old-skool west coast roots rather than continue his mainstream attack on European and international listeners.

'Upside Down' is by far my favourite beat on the album, produced by Jason and Terrace Martin, it would be a song I would also go in with at any party that was starting to go flat and needed a little mouth to mouth. I was also suprised by the 'Pronto' track featuring Soulja Boy. I was expecting some 'snap' beat with Soulja Boy repeating something over and over, but instead is instantly catchy, and I would be suprised if this was not the next single. Although Snoop used autotune on his last album for the lead single, 'Sexual Eruption', it is a brave move from such a giant in the industry to use this again, on the same track with an artist that has created many internet debates whether or not he is Hip Hop material, but it actually works, and no matter what Mr Carter expresses on 'D.O.A.', autotune can still work if used properly.

On the other hand, I was a little disappointed with 'Gansta Luv' with The-Dream. The-Dream usually hits you with fire that you can listen to over and over, and although this track was one of the first I listened to, I knew atraight away this may have been one of his cheaper beats. The disappointment did not improve with his second featured track on the album 'Luv Drunk'. In fact, I began to drift away from the positive feeling of the album by the second half. The first nine tracks are the best, and then it begins to fade. Not even Pharrell or R. elly could revive it.

So overall, I was quite pleased with this album. It is certainly one of the best albums Snoop has released in recent times. To compare it to the early Snoop Doggy Dog days would be like comparing Lil' Kim now to the photos before the opperation, or comparing R. Kelly to the days before the trial. Maybe these are a little extreme, but old skool West coast fans will not feel this. This album is a little bit more 'mushy' in terms of the love songs on it, but is still worth a try for the other MTV fans. It must be noted that when you see this on shelves in your local store, despite the strange album artwork which does not seem to have any reflection on the content, it is not actually a mixtape as it would appear.

8/10

[Review] Timbaland Presents: Shock Value II

Artist: Timbaland

Album: Timbaland Presents: Shock Value II

Release Date: 4th December 2009

Guests: Justin Timberlake, JoJo, Brandy, Drake, Chad Kroeger (from Nickelback), Miley Cyrus, Nelly Furtado, SoShy, Katy Perry, Sebastian, Esthero, The Fray, Jet, Daughtry, OneRepublic, Keri Hilson, D.O.E. & Attitude.

Producers: Timbaland,& Danja.

I have always had the belief that music producers never get the credit that they deserve. For example, everytime 'In Da Club' by 50 Cent gets played, people recognise it as 50 Cent's song, without realising that that trademark fire beat, actually came from Mr Andre Young's computer, AKA Dr Dre. The same can also be said for Chris Brown's 'Forever' which came from super producer Polow Da Don, and T.I. and Rihanna's 'Live Your Life', which in fact was created by a man called 'Just Blaze'. Hip Hop fans may know this, but those who dance to these songs in the club will only give credit to those whos vocals are laid down, and get replayed over and over in your head, and often get pasted into social networking sites when lyrics to popular current songs get branded around.

But would you know who produced the club smasher 'Get Ur Freak On' by Missy Elliot, without using Wikipedia? And what about 'Sexy Back' by Justin Timberlake in 2006? The answer is Timbaland.

It is only recently that producers such as Timbaland have started making a name for themselves. After all, they made the actual beats under these songs, yet get little credit apart from a mention in the album notes. Fans of JLS and Jason DeRulo may hear that their songs are getting a huge amount of radio play, but the trademark "J-J-J-J-J-R" at the start is actually the producer inserting tags onto the beat, trying to get a little bit more recognition, despite this being critisised by people in the industry. J.R. Rotem has produced for many top artists without establishing himself as a celebrity.

Timbaland has broken through this however. The Sexy Back hitmaker broke the rules for music producers by becoming famous. It was in 2007 when he released 'Shock Value', and went with some of the biggest names in the business to bump popularit. Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado and Nicole from The Pussycat Dolls were on there, and the singles kept coming. Now, two and a half years later, Timbo is back at it again, with a sequel.

However, in the run up to this new album, Timbaland has received less than positive reviews for the production he has given other artists, myself included (see my Jay-Z - Blueprint 3 album review). The three tracks he produced for Jay-Z were dull and tuneless, the beat he had made for Jamie Foxx was forgetable, and the four beats he supplied The Pussycat Dolls second album were leagues below the standard of his production pre-2008. We were beginning to wonder if Timbaland had given his all, or maybe, he was keeping something back for himself, that he did not want anybody else to have...

The album is once again a collection of who's who in the music industry, and once again, a mix of genres, styles and direction. Aside from the DJ Felli Fel intro, which I felt was pointless and out of sync with the rest of the album, it does kick off properly on the right foot. Track 2, features Justin Timberlake, and is called 'Carry Out'. I will be honoust, it is not a 'Sexy Back' beat that will hit you in the face like a 'text message sparked grammy award night fight in a rented Lamborghini', and it sure won't be on the radio getting played nonestop, but I do think it will be a hit. Track 3 is called 'Lose Control', and features the lady that recently came 3rd in a poll for being the most beautiful and barely legal in the US, JoJo. Although she has been quiet of late, she explodes onto this track, which is a tricky little beat, and in my eyes, Timbo's best on the entire album.

Track 4 with Brandy is rather dull, but then the Drake feature becomes a eye opener again. This is the artist I have given the titles of 'MC of 2009', 'Newcomer of 2009', 'Protege of the future', and he certainly lives up to these on this song. Drake's verse once again goes deep and shows of his unique multi syllabic rhyming abilities.

A lot of this album seems to fade into the average pile. The track with Miley Cyrus is, in my opinion, a waste of a potential smash hit, but instead sounds very manufactured and dry, and the track with Chad from Nickelback has not even got a play next to it on my iTunes because it only registers when it has been played all of the way through, which is something I find hard to do.

I was suprised that 'Morning After Dark' has become a big hit, as it is a dwarf compared to other hits that Timbaland has made, maybe this is due to his large fanbase he has carried over from 2007 into 2009. In fact, I am starting to get the impression that Timbaland works hard on each beat, but only the hook section, leaving a rather dull section under the verses, and this falls into that catogory. The Katy Perry song 'If We Ever Meet Again' is not catchy, but certainly is near the top of the album list, and also marks the first use on the CD of Autotune. Maybe Katy's name may carry this song onto the radio.

I was also impressed with 'Underflow', a track with the Irish band, The Fray. The song is like a slowed down heartbreak song, and again, this is on the 'potential single list'. OneRepublic make another appearance on this album, with a song called 'Marching On', but it does not live up to 'Apologize'. In fact that seems to be the theme of the album - "The sequels are never as good as the original." They said it about Jaws, Free Willy, Jurassic Park and all of 50 Cent's albums since 2005, and I get the impression with this, that Timbaland is still a talented producer and artist, but the last album was so good, that we are expecting too much.

Three big names missing from this album that were promised, are Jay-Z, T-Pain and Chris Brown. Jay-Z was suppose to feature in a song called 'Rumours' with Keri Hilson, and in fact, his verse was one of the best of his career, but did not make the final cut, and the same with T-Pain, although after you hear that song, you will understand why it missed the selection process. Chris Brown was left off a song called 'Maniac' because it was feared people would relate him to the song title after the terrible event earlier this year, when he released the first image of himself in that shocking album cover.

Overall, I feel that this album will sell, but in today's conditions and with a lack of a definate smash hit, it may struggle to match the last album sales, but still a good effort.

6/10