[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

[Review] 50 Cent - Before I Self Destruct

Artist: 50 Cent
Album: Before I Self Destruct
Release Date: 17th November 2009
Guests: Eminem, Ne-Yo, R. Kelly & Jovan Davis
Producers: Dr Dre, Scott Storch, Polow Da Don, DJ Premier, Ty Fyyfe, Timbaland, Nottz, Team Demo, Tha Bizzness, Mark Batson, Rich Harrison, Sha Money XL, Nascent & QB Da Problem, & R. Kelly

Since 50 Cents explosion to the top of Hip Hop in early 2003, his name will remain synonymous with modern day rap music. But with the fame comes hate, and that is exactly what has happened with 50, despite making it to the top, he was been hated on by many a person - rap fan or no rap fan.

In 2002, 50 had to put his gangster life behind him and look towards his superstardom future. He had to put behind him the drugs, the guns and the violence, in order to mingle with acresses, models and other celebity figures at red carpet events around the world. Despite relying on his street cred image, 50 knew that to make it bigger than all of the other rappers who had made it out of the street, he would need to open himself up to a brand new audence and different cultures. He would need to become accepted by more than just the kids on the block.

But perhaps the right mixture of both was over balenced. 50 soon had his street cred under scrutiny, his gangster image the target for sabotage. While Get Rich Or Die Tryin' was a hard going album, featuring a new voice desperate for success and hungry for money, it was soon followed by a softer follow up two years later, The Massacre, with songs such as The Candy Shop and Just A Lil' Bit, targeted towards a more mainstream audience. 50's style seemed to change - gone was the aggresive and determined bulletproof fien who's past stories had other rappers wishing they could have been a part of his G-Unit gang, and in was the voice of a layed back millionaire with different ambitions.

Fans soon anticipated the next album, Curtis, which promised to go back to the old '50 Cent', but when the 2007 release dropped, fans were left a little bit disappointed - "this wasn't the same 50 that crushed every other New York MC, and changed Hip Hop."

So when 50 said in 2008, that Before I Self Destruct would be his last album on Interscope Records, fans were unsure whether they would ever hear the same 50 that they had heard all of those years ago. Then the track 'Get Up' began circulating the internet and radio stations, a style very similar to the 'In Da Club' days. The song received average responses despite getting good exposure. Were the general public fed up of hearing 50 Cent? Instead, Flo Rida was #1 in the UK and US, and he was getting love from the music critics. Maybe the days of 'gangster' rap getting to the top of the charts were finished and we should all learn dance moves instead?

To dishearten 50 Cent fans a little bit more, the song Get It In leaked, and received little exposure. It had a below average Dr Dre beat and simple hook with nothing exciting about it. It might come a suprise to some, that neither of these songs made the final cut for the album, the first suprising me a lot.

Then came OK You're Right, a powerfull Dr Dre beat, although it could perhaps have more variation on the hook, rather than just a continuous loop. The song was the first actual song from the new album that we got to check out - but obviously this would only be a street single. Soon, the next single, Baby By Me succeeded a couple of mixtapes that were attepted convincers that 50 was still at large under the street lights.

Baby By Me originally featured a hook from an unkown RnB singer by the name of Jovan Davis, and later a version with a different hook by Ne-Yo soon surfaced. Rumour has it that Jovan had only recorded the demo for Polow Da Don to send to 50 as an example for Ne-Yo to sing, but when Ne-Yo insisted that he wrote his own hook rather than use something ghost written for him, thats when we ended up with two versions. In the end, 50 kept the Ne-Yo version for the album, and the Jovan Davis version for the extras, a decision I feel can pnly have been based on Ne-Yo's popularity, as Jovan had a neater hook. The song actually samples a line from another 50 Cent song from Curtis: I Get Money.

When 50 drops the album in November, fans will hear another 50 Cent from the previous three albums. His vocal style has changed significantly, more for the aggresive side. In fact, if you listen to the first track, midway through the second verse, 50 almost loses his voice. In fact, it sounds like his voice is very much more rougher, mirrored in his lyrics. The last time 50 tried to be this aggresive, Interscope actually had to censor the album version of the song (see 'Man Down' on Curtis).

Track 2, 'Then Days Went By' has actually become my favourite song on the CD. Produced by Rich Harrison, the hitmaker behind Beyonce's 'Crazy In Love', and Amerie's '1 Thing', the song has a relaxed feel about it with a catchy set of strings on the hook build up. The song reminises the old days of 50's upbringing in the street.

That is followed by track 3, 'Death To My Enemies' which is a grimy Dr Dre produced, gritty, hard going gangster song. In fact, when I looked at the production credits, I was suprised that it was a Dr Dre beat, as it was by far one of his classics. Maybe that was the purpose - to create something thst only some could relate to. Then 50 goes into assault mode with a track correctly titled as 'So Disrespectful' - a violent reminder to any enemies that he will stand on anybody that threatens the throne he claims. Rumours were rife after the 'Flight 187' mixtape track that 50 was dissing Jay-Z, only to be denied in interviews later. It turns out that 50 was offended by Jay-Z's lack of response to the mention, and his 'above everybody' else attitude that he is 'too big' to diss 50 back - resulting in 50 going back at Jay again. 50 raps: "Jays a big man, but too big to respond / Im a big dick, the one everybody jump on."

And don't worry, some of G-Unit's former artists have not escaped the assault. The Game is attacked by being accused of being disloyal, leading Dr Dre to stop working with him. He also mocks the Hot 97 incident when 50 Cent was on air, dismissing The Game from the Unit, only for The Game to arrive outside and shots being fired: "Come'on Game, you can never be my equal, your homies shoot at doors, my n***** shoot people, im the type rapper you never gon' be, im in the tax bracket your never gon' see."

And another former G-Unit employee, Young Buck also comes under fire, again with his loyalty to the group being questioned, as well as his apparent drug abuse and spending of royalty money.

There is an obvious lack of guest features in comparison to other 50 Cent albums. There are no other G-Unit members featured on the new CD, a first time that this has ever happened. The only three guests are Eminem, who you would expect, as he forsees much of 50's output, Ne-Yo, and a track at the end of the album with R. Kelly, titled 'Could've Been You'. The leftover version of 'Baby By Me' is available with iTunes purchase.

The album seems to start off hot, with a lot of street tracks, but then begins to fade, around halfway through. It then picks up nearer the end with a sample of Sugarhill Gang's 'Rapper's Delight', titled 'Gangster's Delight', changing the words of the chorus. The track with Eminem on it sounds like it may have been a leftover from his Relapse album, released earlier this year. The song has Eminem rapping on two verses, although the last one is broken down with a few of 50's bars. The song is far from something 50 would rap about, suggesting it had been an original track for Em, produced by Dr Dre. Another track which is a new direction for 50, is a Sha Money XL track called 'Stretch'. 50 raps with a new vocal style, as if he is just messing around in the studio, whilst high on drugs.

Its hard to say whether or not 50 Cent fans will accept this as being one of his best albums. During my listen, I struggled to locate where the next major single would come from, meaning that it will have to rely on 'Baby By Me' to create shockwaves to publicise the album. I still do not think that this will come near to Get Rich Or Die Tryin', but there is no shame in that, because that is an all time classic album. Maybe 50's fans are expecting too much compared to what he has already done. The album certainly gets rated higher in my books than Curtis was, but Im not sure if it is on a level with The Massacre. There are certainly very few commercial tracks on this one, so do not expect many songs for the ladies.

So overall, 50's style on the tracks has impressed me. Where other rappers may create a presence in Hip Hop, 50 is more like a poltergeist - he is a ruthless millionaire that will do whatever it takes, stand on whoever it needs, just to get to the top, and he has certainly done this. This is certainly one of my highlights so far in 2009. If only it had just one of two more commercial tracks on it, then it would be perfect.

9/10

[Review] Jim Jones Presents: DJ Webstar - The Rooftop

Artist: DJ Webstar
Album: The Rooftop
Label: Scrilla Hil
Release Date: 6th October 2009
Guests: Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, Styles P, Sin, Ricky Blaze, Young B, Young Deion, Brucie B, DJ Mix, Brittany Taylor, Ron G, Rex & Bradhurst.
Production: DJ Webstar, Remo Green, Da Drizzle.

When it comes to Harlem rappers, most of us will associate them with being at street status, gangster lyrics and lack of mainstream success. This is one of the reasons which DJ Webstar has been shunned by so many Hip Hop listeners - the fact he has released "corny" records in the past, and has set himself a different goal of making music than most of the people around him.

"Chicken Noodle Soup" will probably have stayed with Webstar till the grave, and to be honoust, it was a bit of a novalty record. However, having recently hooked up with Jim Jones, it may be that Webstar is now heading in a new direction.

Afterall, the former Dipset cappo has dropped one of the hottest albums so far in '09, and in terms of consistancy, is competing with Fabolous, Eminem and Jay-Z for album of the year (well until 50 Cent drops his new album next month). Jones has taken Hip Hop by storm in the last three or four years, and has established himself near the top of the Hip Hop ladder, despte being the "quiet one" in the Dipset group.

While Dipset have come to an end with Cam'ron leaving, Jones and Juelz Santana have formed new groups, worked with new artists in the game, and built their own power among the Diplomat ashes, and it seems to be working. NOE has become a recognised voice on The Jim Jones albums and Byrdgang mixtapes, and getting a reputation of being the "lyrical Jay-Z" with his similar vocals to the Brooklyn MC. Then there was the late Stack Bundles who was sadly shot dead a couple of years ago, and Chink Santana.

Now working with Webstar, this is something new for Jones. The album is a new sound - swapping the adrenaline fuelled hits such as 'We Fly High', 'Jackin Swagga From Us', 'Pin The Tail' and much more, to the slower, more basic dance songs. In fact when I first heard songs from the album, I was sure that Ron Browz had something to do with the project, as it had a similar sort of bounce in all of the records. In fact, if you want to know what the sound of this album is like, think of the 'Pop Champaign' tempo and flow. In fact think again - think Ron Browz meets Swizz Beatz.

The first single released was 'Dancing On Me' which featured Jones himself, as well as Juelz Santana. The song is very simple indeed, with lack of strings in the tune, a constant drum loop and a rather repetitive hook from Webstar. In fact, the key to this song was Santana's verse, which as usual, is full of his normal slick lady talk.

I will be real, a lot of the album bored me. There is not a lot of varient within the actual beats, but do not despair, some of the artists Webstar has featured, have decent lyrics which save the day.

'OMG' was a song which stood out, due to its catchy hook, but lacked in other departments. For a club song, it does not have the 'thump' that it should have. I soon began to realise that this was happening in all of the other songs, there is not a reason for a DJ to say: "Hang on, I need to get that Webstar song on next, right after I play 'In Da Club', or some DMX, Flo Rida or Dizzee Rascal." In fact, I dont think he will be getting many requests for much of this either. 'Dancing On Me' might have been played in the last few weeks, but it wont be a classic, and certainly will not be getting plaed in six months.

And if Webstar is not the giant in Hip Hop that he wishes, he then has a song called 'Follow Me On Twitter' which actually sounds like a beg for more followers. The beat was actually OK, but perhaps if he had written a more appropriate song, then it could have been turned into the next single.

Its not all bad news though, I generally liked some of the song content. As a radio DJ myself, there are one or two records that could be played. In fact, most of the album sticks to positive lyrical content, its almost like an album of singles, although more like an album of 'Top 200' chart singles. If your a fan of that layed back, chilled in the club music, then you're probably better off just waiting for the new Ron Browz album whenever he decides to drop it.

So to round it off, I dont want anybody to get the impression that this is a disaster, it is not. But with input from one of the most prominant figures in rap, I was expecting more. Perhaps there could have been more well known collaborations, some of the new artists did 'standard verses' that do not stand out, though I was actually impressed with the features Ricky Blaze had. He that heis knocking on the Hip Hop door for a future entrance. I really wanted to give this album a higher score, but I was just left feeling let down in the end, and a bit disappointed.

4/10

The Ultimate Top 5: Dead or alive

When 2Pac died, it was widely believed that Hip Hop had lost the greatest rapper that ever lived. He was popular, his music touched millions and his voice lived on long after his death. In many people's eyes, 2Pac was the turning point of 'old skool' Hip Hop and modern day Hip Hop. Many have emulated, and most have failed. So who is the greatest rapper of all time? It seems a topic that nobody will ever be able to agree upon.

Now we must define the aspects of what makes a rapper the best. I mean Soulja Boy sells records, and so does Gucci Mane, Rick Ross and Young Jeezy, but I would be taking serious bribes if I listed any of those names in my list. So really, sales does not come into it and we must look closer, at other aspects.

The next aspect to look at, is flow and delivery - a very technical aspect of a rapper's success. Unfortunatly, this gets looked over by many record labels, and much of this talent remains unsigned, unnoticed and unheard. Record labels would rather sign a young kid who has a story to tell, flaunts a lot of ice and is marketable, and meaning he is not always the slickest MC. However, in 2008, one example seemed to slip the net of this rule. A new MC who did not have a story to tell, had not been shot, and was certainly very skillful with what he said.

I am of course talking about Flo Rida. Flo is able to reach out to his millions of fans with club anthems that you only seem to know the words to the chorus rather than his verses. When he spits, his words rocket from his mouth at such a speed that it takes many listens to learn them, yet each syllable flows around the up-tempo beat consistantly, like clockwork.

But, would I lose my respect as a music journalist if I said the best rapper alive is someone who makes hits for the club, and those on the street cannot relate to? So obviosly Flo does not tick all of the boxes required to be 'perfect' and so I must look elsewhere.

Although Flo Rida is with it lyrically, he does not use punchlines, and many people will say that they are a key ingredient to success, especially someone who has killed it underground in the battles first. One artist who has done that, is Cassidy. Now, Cass exploded onto the scene when he dismantled the already signed, Freeway, in what has become one of the most viweed rap videos on Youtube (click for Part 1 & Part 2) and was highly humiliating for the artist who had been spoken so highly of by Jay-Z, and had just been signed to Jay's record label. In fact, if Jay was correct, Freeway was one of the best from Philly until this video surfaced. The point is, Cassidy put so many punchlines out, many of them have been quoted all over the internet, and propelled him to sign with producer, Swizz Beatz' record label, J Records. Cassidy has many styles, whether he is rapping for the street, the ladies, the club dancers or those just wanting inspiration in life. His flow is so perfect that he sounds layed back, as his talented mind is piecing sentances together with multiple syllabic rhyming, but yet it sounds like he is just talking a normal conversation, rather than thinking of stuff that sounds good. In my opinion, Cassidy is the most under rated rapper that has ever lived, and a position in the top 10 greatest rappers of all time is not enough - he needs to be listed at the top.

But there are some who say that Cassidy is 'too lyrical', and the days of songs such as 'Hotel' with R. Kelly are over, and had nothing to do with being the most talented MC in mainstream rap. So now we must look for someone who has a lot of commecial success with punchlines and rhyming, and immediately, Lil' Wayne is the nest artist that comes to mind. Weezy has a unique rhyming technique that placed him at the top of MTV's top 10 best rappers alive a coupleof years back. His album, Tha Carter III became one of the most anticipated albums of all time, and despite much of the material being bootlegged weeks before, the CD sold over 1.5 million in its first week an became the best selling album of 2008.

Weezy's wordplay is so unique, it is almost childish. He has a 'giggly' voice as he plays around with words and their meanings. Sometimes, they will fly over your head, but when you do pick up on one, a Weezy punchline can be enough to make you want to rewind the line and hear it again and again. But he is not always consistant. Sometimes, his features can leave listeners wondering what he is talking about, and the is not fit to be on the same record as other greats such as Kanye West. Many people will say he was over rated, and he is just living off hype, but there are many who think the south has produced a rapper that neither the East or the West Coast can compete with.

And that might be the problem. Those in New York will always say that the East Coast produces the best rappers due to the high competition, the amount of battles that takes place in the cold streets, rather than a different culture of Hip Hop from down south, where as long as it sounds good n a club, it is a hit.

The next rapper was listed as the 'Most Influencial person in Hip Hop', and many old timers will say he is the best that ever did it.. I am of course talking about, Jay-Z, but you are forgiven if you did not get that straight away. When Biggie died in 1997, a hole was left in New York rap - who was the 'King of New York'? Several applications were received by the fans from rappers asking for that position to be theirs. Jay-Z and Nas has a feud over the title, after both claiming it was their crown, and it resulted in what is unarguably the greatest diss record of all time - 'Ether' by Nas. Many people feel that this clinched it, and after a public apology from Jay-Z's mother, the feud died down, and both became friends. But, although Jay-Z is lyrically, he was always going to win the title in the eyes of commercial rap. Although Nas destroyed Jay-Z on wax, Jay-Z had commercial advantages. His songs had better radio play, allowing him to get closer to the fans, and of course, later on, he had Beyonce. When a rapper becomes popular, it becomes hard for him to lose a feud to a rapper who has a smaller fan base, nd that is why the likes of Jermaine Dupri Canabis or the Insane Clown Posse could possibly challenge Eminem or Dr Dre - they would lsoe even if they won the battle...if that makes sense.

But although Jay-Z is talented with what he writes, he is not complete, in that he lacks punchlines, and what he says does not always make sense because he has to change what he writes so that it rhymes. In my opinion, although Jay-Z would make the top 20, possibly top 10, he is certainly not anywhere near the number 1 position. I think Jay-Z creates music which enables him to have the honour of one of the best around, but lyrically, there are more skillful artists.

Nas on the other hand is another example of a rapper who is very complex to listen to. Even The Game said it:

"For my n***** it was too complex when Nas rhymed, I was the only Compton n**** with a New York State of Mind"

Its becomes hard to say Nas is the best rapper alive, as he remains grimy, and his lack of commerciality in the majority of music means he is hard to compare with the likes of Weezy, or Cassidy.

Next up, is the man who calls himself 'Loso'. This is of course Fabolous, a man who grew up a stone's throw away from Jay-Z himself in Brooklyn. Fab models himself around a slow, layed back style of rapping, which almost sounds like he has been disturbed after he is about to drop off to sleep. However, each line is packed with multiple rhyming throughout and again, clever punchlines and metaphors. I could probably best describe him as a cross between Mase and Cassidy - he has the same vocal style as Mase, but with Cassidy's talent. Fab can often be heard on remixes of other artist's songs, and often a candid to rap over an RnB track. However, I feel that Fabolous has tried to hard in the last year or so, especially on the new album, 'Loso's Way', which I did not think was his best material.

Although there are many more artists I could talk about in terms of the way they rhyme, I have saved the best for last. Nobody would take him seriously when he first entered the game more than a decade ago now, but with the reputable insistance from one of the world's best music producer, a so called 'mis-fit' of rap soon took to the air, and has overshadowed everybody else in the game. His rise to the top is more unusual than other artists, mainly because of his style in terms of song subjects, themes, and colour of his skin. I am in fact talking about Eminem, the man I feel is the most influencial figure in Hip Hop.

Eminem delivers so much energy in his music, as well as so much emotion. The one minute comedy voice, can soon change to an angry 'get out of my way' voice that flows through bar after bar. Eminem used his lyrical abilities to fend off competition in the early years, and despite a racial element to his snubbed battle performances, Eminem seemed to use that to build himself up even more, until now, he is feared among every other rapper (except Rick Ross, who perhaps feels he could defeat Em in a battle). The turning point for Em's career came when he featured on a ollaboration with Jay-Z, the song called 'Renegade'. This song seemed to show the world the Eminem could officially be crowned the king of Hip Hop. Maybe this was the reason Jay-Z had Drake's verse removed from their collaboration they did on his latest album, The Blueprint 3? Perhaps he did not want a repeat of another artist outshining him on his own CD?

Other artists can be 'King of New York', or whatever, but Eminem was even more devinly ranked. Despite a few comedy records for the radio, fans of Eminem knew that his real music came on the albums. Another factor which makes Eminem stand out as being the most influencial figure in Hip Hop, is the fact that culturally, he brings people together. His music opened up an opportunity for a whole knew batch of fans, myself included, which is why I feel the need to pay tribute to such a legend. Eminem has fans in America, the UK, Australia, Africa, Japan and all over - with people who dont even speak fluent English being able to learn his lyrics. And as well as being the best MC, he has even moved to the side as a producer, and helper to up and coming artists in the game, like Dre did to him all of those years ago. That is why Eminem is more influencial than anybody else in Hip Hop.

I could go on for days talking about artists with a lyrical ability - such as why Lloyd Banks constantly gets overlooked by 50 Cent, why Busta Rhymes never comes out on top of favourite rapper lists, and of course, Juelz Santana - the ladies man of Hip Hop, with humourous metaphors is better than the cappo, Jim Jones, but sells less, but below I have made my own personal lists. Feel free to agree or disagree with me, by dropping me a message on Twitter - twitter.com/rob_davies - and remember, its all a bit of fun... everybody will have a different preference.

Top 5: Dead or Alive

1) Eminem

2) Cassidy

3) Fabolous

4) Nas

5) Lloyd Banks

Most under rated rappers

1) Busta Rhymes

2) Juelz Santana

3) Ludacris

4) Chamillionaire

5) Pharoahe Monch

[Review] Fat Joe - J.O.S.E. 2 (Jealous Ones Still Envy)

Artist: Fat Joe
Album: J.O.S.E. (Jealous Ones Still Envy)
Release Date: 6th October 2009
Guests: Lil' Wayne, Ron Browz, Akon, Pleasure P, T-Pain, Lil' Kim, Rico Love, T.A, Raekwon, Rob Cash, Swizz Beatz, Benisour & Cherlise.
Producers: Swizz Beatz, Ron Browz, DJ Infamous, The Inkredibles, Rico Love, Jim Jonsin, Eric Hudson, Shief, Raw Uncut, & E-Hood & E2

Fat Joe has always been a rapper that has been there for years, made hits, collaborated on other records and remixes, but for some reason, never gets listed as one of the best rappers. In fact, I have never heard any rap fan say their favourite rapper is Fat Joe. Yet, with an 8th album ready to drop in October, I was wondering whether Joe was ready to start gaining more respect.

It is exactly a year and half since Joe's last album came, 'The Elephant In The Room', and I think even Joe himself, will admit that the album did terrible, despite good/average reviews by several media sources. Whether a recent feud with 50 Cent was to blame at the time, I doubt it. The album had a lead single with J.Holiday, a banger with Swizz Beatz, and a street single with Lil' Wayne that even appeared on the Grand Theft Auto IV game. But anyway, that is all old, and the game has changed.

For instance, there has been a row over the use of Auto-tune on songs - and track 5 on the new CD features T-Pain, in what I can only say is one of Pain's dullest hooks he has written. I mean, who doesn't skim through a new album until they get the usual T-Pain collaboration, expecting a catchy hook that will feature much attention from the likes of Tim Westwood?

OK, so now I decided to listen to the album properly. The album begins with the Ron Browz produced track 'Windin' On Me' with Lil' Wayne. Despite being quite a successful hit with radio stations in the US, I thought it was a rather unusual way to begin an album. I mean, the number 1 rule when recording a Hip Hop album, is to have a powerful intro that draws the listener in, and not the secret weapon that is the lead single. 50 Cent used the famous coin flip and lighter sparking up sound effects, leading into 'What Up Gangsta' on Get Rich Or Die Tryin', Cassidy cleverly constructs battle raps between his current style, and the old Cassidy from the previous album, and Eminem uses an interlude. Although it is a good song, and I sound picky, but it just didn't seem the right way to go in, and perhaps Track 2, 'Joey Don;t Do It' would have been a better intro.

I have worked out, tht over the years, Fat Joe has worked with some of the most respected producers in the game, from Ron Browz, Swizz Beatz, Cool & Dre, Jim Jonsin and Danja, but I often feel that he doesn't get their best work from them. A track called 'Drop' was produced by my favourite producer, Swizzy, but it didn't have the usual punch from back in the 'DMX days' and the same is with The Inkredibles - I was left wondering whether they had left their cheapest beats for poor Joey? 'Ice Cream' is a track with a 'mixtape beat' and certainly should not be on an album with so much anticipation. Another track produced by The Inkredibles follows, 'Okay Okay', which is a bit better, but not a classic. The track 'One' with Akon was however a better track, although I have heard better Akon hooks.

But just when you think this album is going to be trash, it was Swizz Beatz to the rescue, almost at the end of the CD! 'Blackout', an obvious album track due to its lyrical content, but Swizzy's hook is great, an Fat Joe kills it for once. The beat is is pure grime and the trademark up tempo double claps guarentee this a place on my iPod.

Another track I was suprised with, was 'Porn Star' with Lil' Kim - once again, Joe owns the Jim Jonsin beat. The track, which is full of moisture due to Kim's lyrics - although I wonder if Joey really needed the Auto-tune on his verses. I mean he would have killed it without it, and Auto-tune is fine on hooks no matter what the 'for attention' comments by 'should get with the times' Jay-Z says.

And another Fat Joe tradition is to keep albums short - only 12 tracks left me feeling the CD was a little shortI felt Joe could have at least extended it since it was pushed back so many times. I was also wondering where the presence of DJ Khalid was. There had been rumours on internet sites that there was a dispute going on behind the scenes, and although the guy annoys the hell out of me when he shouts over songs he hasn't even produced or rapped on, and then puts them on an album, I was still wondering where he was. His lack of presence wwill not exactly lower my overall rating by all means.

Overall, I was quite pleased with this attempt. Joe is obviously still a rapping legend due to his early affiliations with Big Pun and the old Terror Squad days, but the fans need to realise that those days are over. I to was a fan of the old freestyles the he and Pun were putting out, but Joe has moved on and is completely different, afterall, Joe hasn't worn his 'TS chain' on an album cover since 2002.

The album has more depth than the previous few attempts, and Hip Hop in the media for all of the right reasons (Jay-Z album hype, and Ja Rule & DMX squashing their beef), this is a good time to release some fresh material. I think Joe just needs a big hype track to propell him back into the mainstream attention - something like 'Lean Back' or 'What's Luv'. I also think there is a lack of an opportunity for various artists to jump on a remix, which would again add hype to the album.

7/10