Day 4.5 - Quick Look at the Summer

Hunger for More 2 should be decent and "Beamer, Benz, or Bentley" was a great track that showcased in a year of rap disappointment; but I think Lloyd Banks has to team back up with Interscope and get back into the lab because he can't ride the success train for much longer, as we saw earlier in his career. Hunger for More was a good debut, with tracks like "Karma", "Playboy", "Warrior, Pt. 2", and "On Fire", but Rotten Apple was poor; and with Yayo essentially out of the limelight entirely with one of the worst sophomore performances I have seen, with Gunpowder Guru, someone's gotta pick up the slack on the end of the G-Unit/Aftermath camp.

The R.E.D. Album should be decent, hopefully, as my patience with The Game is running out. Like his former mentor, 50 Cent, The Game's debut The Documentary is one of the best in history, and I would love to see The Game return to the skill and flow that he displayed; however, LAX was one of the biggest flops I have had the misfortune of listening to (except for "Dope Boys" and "Camera Phone").

Watch for Young Buck to make big moves and try to salvage his rep (after the embarrassing, emotional phone message/breakup left on 50's answering machine last year) this year after leaving G-Unit, and watch him showcase the skill that made him the undisputed number two on G-Unit and with a vengeance. Ca$his may drop his much awaited and delayed LP this year, but I highly doubt it; however, he will always be remembered for his crazy guest spot on "You Don't Know" which is one of the best tracks I have heard produced by any Interscope artist(s).

Look for Drake's debut Thank Me Later as it WILL be one of the craziest releases of the year, which I will blog about more extensively in the future. Three 6 Mafia's Laws of Power comes out in late May, but don't expect too much as Last 2 Walk was subpar. Lupe Fiasco may release Lasers this year, but with the amount of leaks, he might delay it until next year. Reflection Eternal will make their long awaited return and Redman will see if he can return to prominence with Reggie. Juelz Santana will drop Born to Lose, Built to Win in June, and it has high expectations, especially the success of "Back to the Crib" and "Homerun". More classic albums are The Roots' How I Got Over and Nas & Damian Marley's Distant Relatives.