With my sincere congratulations going to Barack Obama means the end of the voting mixtapes, and that’s something I think we all can appreciate. That got more played out than B.I.G imitators at the end of the 90’s.
Speaking of which, Guerrilla Black creeps out of nowhere with The Black Tapes Volume 1. Mick Boogie makes yet another appearance in this column with Leaders Of The New Cool. Sha Stimuli drops his 200th mixtape in 2008 with Verse The World. Evidence gives the West Coast underground love on The Layover and Lil Wayne gives us The Leak 5, with an order of syrup on the side. Eat up.
Lil WayneThe Leak 5One & DoneLil Wayne should be ashamed of himself. After hyping loyal fans with tape after tape and releasing the top selling The Carter III, you would think that he would have established a high standard of work. Those who believe he has, let me introduce you to The Leak V; a compilation of bad blends (“Cool Outrageous Lovers”), clearly syrup induced concepts (“Can I Talk To You”), and tracks where he gets murdered on his you know what (“Forget About Me”). There are some tracks that could creep in the MP3 (“I Want It Forever”), but other than that, please don’t say the baby.
Guerrilla Black
The Black Tapes Volume 1
Dead On Arrival
No one has missed Guerrilla Black, no one. The West Coast MC has made a career of sounding like some of our greatest rappers. With that said, this time he doesn’t sound like Biggie. Now he sounds like mutated versions of Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, and Busta Rhymes on songs such as “Out Here Grindin’” and “Talk That Sh*t”. Leave this one alone, we don’t need a volume 2. Thanks.
Sha Stimuli
Verse The World
Peep It
Sha Stimuli has been on his grind. Even though he hasn’t come through on the twelve mixtapes in twelve month promise, he has been delivering good mixtapes in succession. Verse The World is no different. Like his previous releases, this is solid. Songs like “Nine To Five” and “Hard To Find Me” speak on being a normal rapper in a world full of excess. You can tell this is wearing on him, but he is going to march on regardless. The game needs him too.
Mick Boogie
Leaders Of The New Cool
Heavy Rotation
A note to all DJ’s and button pushers. Your name too can appear on this list almost every week if you drop spicy tapes more often then I restart my computer. Leaders Of The New Cool happens to be a combination of many of the “new school” artists you have heard over the last few months. Charles Hamilton (“It’s”), B.O.B (“Generation Lost”), D-Black (“Top Of The World”), Tanya Morgan (“Stay Cool”) , The Cool Kids (“Delivery Man”), amongst others deliver a tape full of tracks that remind you why they are currently getting everyone’s attention. Sit back and get ahead of the curve.
Evidence
The Layover
Peep It
LA’s underground may be the most polished of any region subterranean. One of the captains of that sound is Dilated People’s Evidence. To warm the streets up before the release of The Layover EP, he has given the people The Layover Mixtape. Those used to hearing real lyrics over hard beats shouldn’t have any issue with this tape. Those wanting to hear Evidence over beats besides his and Alchemist’s, “Bigger Dreams” and “Celeb Reality” should satisfy. “For Whom The Bell Tolls” creeps up over you, with three great lyricists (Evidence, Blu, Phonte) giving you potent sixteens. For people those who think the West Coast just revolves around switches and b######, no more evidence is needed. Get it?
