Wiz Khalifa & Curren$y - Car Service

One of my favorites from both artists, an overall great collaboration. Comes off their How Fly collabo mixtape and it contains one of the best mixtures of sample and original beat I have heard in a long time. From the deafening bassdrop to the open snares, the beat sets the tone for a great track. Then Wiz and Curren$y both absolutely kill their bars; and while they continue with their dominant rhyme scheme centered on smokin weed, it works for both of them and for the overall nature of the track. I wish they would both diversify the theme of their rhymes as it would make them more well-rounded artists; however, even despite this, I consider them two of the best up-and-coming artists in the game and I see them becoming heavyweights in the near future (especially after their solo efforts have garnered critical acclaim).

What I Am Listening To

Rick Ross - Teflon Don: Ricky Rozay's album just dropped today and it is insane. The Bo$$ continues to kill it on the mic while working with some of the best producers in the game to create a complete package track: great beat, great bars, great song. My favorites so far are the lead singles "Super High" and "BMF" (solid tracks that show a contrast in his style and vast range, from the classy instrumental smooth style and flow to gritty, hard, Triple C styled "BMF"); then "Aston Martin Music" (great Drake collabo track on a dope assssssssss beat) as well as "All the Money In the World", and "Maybach Music III".

Nas & Damian Marley-Distant Relatives: A classic, and fairly non descript after that. The chemistry between Nasty Nas and Junior Gong is legendary and the product is indicative of their talent and the blending of two unbelievable talents. More classic than progressive but a MUST have nonetheless.

Twista-"I Do": a great Trackstar beat and Twista uncharacteristically slows down his delivery but creates a new flow that showcases his hidden skill of speeding up his rhyming scheme while keeping the pace of the song steady. He hits hard with crazy bars that drop on a deafening beat and bass drop. Check it out.

Birdman-"Loyalty": I have never really been a Birdman fan (mostly because I think he's fairly talentless); however, he uses an insane sample along with a heavy bass drop to shadow his lack of skill on the mic. He also enlists the help of fellow Cash Money artist Tyga who lays down some of his best bars to date (really commands the mic the way he should due to his high skill level) and also provides the chorus, which is smooth and much like his work on his collabo mixtape Fan of a Fan with Chris Brown. Birdman Junior also makes a cameo on the track, and does his usual thing, nothin real special. But a dope track nonetheless.

Big Boi-Sir Lucious Left Foot...Son of Chico Dusty: If you haven't gotten it already, GET IT NOW. A dope album by a rap heavyweight. Big uses his classical, fast delivery style that made him famous and renowned as a member of OutKast. "Daddy Fat Stax" is a dope ass track, along with "Be Still", "The Train, Pt. 2", "General Patton", "Fo Yo Sorrows", and "Shine Blockas". LEGGGGIIIIITTTTT Shit.

Curren$y-Pilot Talk: One of my favorite albums. Must Download. Listen to "Seat Change", "Breakfast", "The Hangover", "Skybourne", "Roasted", "King Kong", "The Day". Just listen to it and you will see that Curren$y is everything I have been praising. O yeah and Ski Beatz is crazy. Enough Said.

Sho Baraka-"We Can Be More": a sick beat for a good lyricist. Check it out.

Big L vs. Papoose- The Legend Lives On

The legendary Big L, one of the most well known rappers to come out of Harlem, commanded the mic with a specific demeanor that was unmatched and unreplicated. From his Harlem slang and droll, he only dropped two albums in a career that was cut way too short after passing due to gunshot wounds suffered from a drive by shooting; however, it was not before the world was blessed with the fruits of L's labor. "Ebonics", L's biggest and most well known hit, struck the public hard with a "Yah I talk like a thug from the ghetto, but that's who I am" kind of mentality. It offered a brief education of the direction, mindset, and upbringing of dudes in the ghetto. Through hits like "Flamboyant", "Size Em Up" and "Now or Never", Big L reached superstardom and his influence on keeping the old school in the new school is evident and lives on today.

In the early '00s, Papoose had the rap world goin crazy with his bevy of underground hits and countless mixtape releases. Take the bidding war between record labels for Drake last summer and multiply that by atleast 100 and you've got Papoose. Majors were fighting for well over a year for the ability to distribute Paps much anticipated and inevitably high selling debut. Pap eventually signed with Jive/Sony after they gave him, essentially, a $1.5 million signing bonus. However, four months later, Papoose, along with his mentor DJ Kay Slay, left Jive, siting major A&R control issues. Since remaining independent on Streetsweepers (Kay Slay's camp), Pap has released atleast two mixtapes a season and each to much critical aclaim; and while he may never sign to a major again, he has stayed relevant in the game.

But back to the point... Papoose came up as a rapper who didn't care about who he went at or who challenged him; like Big L, he knew he was coming out in front... And it was true (on both accounts). While they hail from different burroughs in the rotten apple, they come at you with the same intensity and, if you listen side by side, with the same NY droll and slang. In L's footsteps, Pap turned a seemingly juvenile and elementary concept into his biggest hit. While "Ebonics" brought L into the limelight as one of the perenial champs of the game, Pap's "Alphabetical Slaughter" gained him national mainstream attention (if anyone was still apprehensive about his previous releases). In "Alphabetical Slaughter", Pap uses a style of delivery and flow ridiculoiusly similar to that of Big L on "Ebonics", and enlists his inner New Yorker to provide slang commentary that hits at the heart of the streets and takes it for a ride. I am not saying Papoose is on par with the legendary Big L as it is simply not true. While Papoose is a good talent he must refine his skills and prove to the world he can control the mic like Big L and all rap legends have done. All I am saying is that Papoose seems to continue and remind us of Big L's style and contribution to the game through his abilities and skills as a rapper himself. I hope he continues to grow into his rap persona because if he can harness the skills that propelled Big L to stardom, I do believe we will be able to make the comparison in the future.