“I just rap in between when the purp comes in, had a deal with Birdman before I ever played a verse for Slim.”

Lito’s at a now or never juncture to a certain degree. He seems to know it and diehard fans know it. After a career carousel ride, things are coming full circle to a point where his music makes the impact it was expected or he settles into the role of regional standout, but not nationally appreciated. The realization is audible on “I’m Saying Tho’,” where Cashville’s Prince employs a breathless flow while recalling days of a not so distant past associated with hustling and early rap success. Read the rest of this entry »

Star links with Nashville radio DJ’s Dolewite & Scooby to release his Livin In The Past mixtape. Decidedly retro, the project finds homie jackin’ a host of vintage beats, updating each song with his own concepts and lyrics from his rhyme book. Roll one and let this roll. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve already stated how much I loved the Renaissance project as whole and my fondness for this song. Therefore, I’ll save you the words here, only reminding you that you can click to read the previous post and that Star & Burn One’s Renaissance Gangster is available on iTunes. Fin. Read the rest of this entry »

“Terminader Gold 60/Love Letters will be my last mixtape before Starlito’s Way 3 and my last mixtape indefinitely” © Starlito Read the rest of this entry »

On Friday night, I had one of those family emergencies that set off a whirlwind of activity, one of the keys components being a five hour drive that started @ approximately 10pm. After an exhausting day, it was the last thing I wanted to do, but it’s family. What it did afford me was plenty of time to catch up on my listening.

I didn’t manage to cover much material though, because I got stuck on Starlito and Burn One’s Renaissance Gangster. When I swiped @ Star’s lack of cohesion in recent projects, I meant it yet I assume the emcee knew he had a trump up his sleeve with this project. For everything earlier mixtapes lacked, Renaissance… made up for it, greatly assisted by Burn One assuming full production duties and the thematic approach taken lyrically.

Over the past few years I’ve learned that it’s key to overlook the leaks and wait to see how a song fits into the context of the album. “Tired Of Being Tired” and “Alright” both stand well alone. But once placed side-by-side with the rest of Renaissance…, they prove to be key puzzle pieces that reflect the tone and content of the whole release.

While pulling one track won’t sell the project, I understand that you need audio proof. For purists, “What Was I Thinkin’” is Starlito’s lyrical exhibition, reminiscent of his early 2-3 zone joints by Burn’s selection of David Porter’s oft-sampled Stax hit to provide the foundation.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download — All Star – “What Was I Thinkin’” (Prod. by DJ Burn One)

Renaissance Gangster’s on iTunes now for $7.99. Remember those iTunes gift cards you got for Christmas? Burn one of those the right way.

Buy — DJ Burn One Presents Starlito As Renaissance Gangster

Beirzhette Amyre

Tiger Woods Apology Boosts His Standing Online [All Things Digital]

TV’s Rising Black Actors: Young, Gifted and African-American [Inside TV]

Is The Source’s New Website A Rip-off Of Complex.com? [WoooHa]

Waka Flocka Flame’s “Brick Squad” Chain Makes an Appearance? [GOT] Read the rest of this entry »

“I’m so high off the life, I’ma need some dro to help me come down tonight…”

This time next week you’ll have yet another All Star mixtape to add to your archives. To be even more specific, you will have an 11 track All-Star mixtape, entitled Renaissance Gangster. What’s even better is DJ Burn One pulls double duty as host and producer on the project. As a faithful follower of the Burn movement, I’m eagerly anticipating the project and thrilled to see dude is making power moves only 40 days into the year.

The first offering is “Alright.” Lito’s relaxed flow is a perfect match for this country rap tune previously used as an interlude on I Still Love You. While you form opinions, I’m adding this to my spring playlist. This is what you call “ridin’ music.” All the cool kids are riding to it.

Renaissance Gangster invades speakers February 15.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download — All Star – Alright (Prod. by DJ Burn One)

Lito’s still at, still showing and proving. Metaphors, street talk and sports references abound as he casually puts in work, the Starstyle way. Read the rest of this entry »

Lito with another audio offering and an update on upcoming projects.

Following the successful release of The Tenn-A-Keyan 3.5, an early 2010 “Mixtape of the Year” contender, Starlito has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. Living In The Past a project that will feature Star rhyming over instrumentals from the pre-2000 era is set to drop on Valentine’s Day (2/14). While Renaissance Gangster, a street album with beats provided by DJ Burn One is due to drop the following day, 2/15. And Starlito’s Way 3: Life Insurance is scheduled to drop on 3/13 & has the makings to be his best work yet. When it’s all said & done that would mean Lito will have dropped 8 tapes in 10 months. And the result of all this could go down as one of the best 12-month runs of consistent quality music that any 1 rapper has had in recent memory. [DGB]

Star, reference LC’s quality product theory.

While I’m all for the material and it’s made for great riding material, it’d be good if all those tapes were filled with better than average material but they’re not. Most of the recent offerings have been weighed down by a lack of direction and the featured appearances are heavy distractions. I’ve had to download, knowing in advance that I’m going to have to use a sifter to shake loose all the gravel to get the gold.

Sure, mixtapes are still a valuable tool in this rap thing. If the mixtape is your marketing plan to a bigger payday, clean them up and make sure they’re showing your best product. That shit with Drake and Gucci? Pure luck similar to throwing dice against the wall. If you’re working this hard, a good structured attack trumps just grinding hard to say you’re hustling.

Yep, voting with my dollars again.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download — Starlito – “I’m Beaming (Ugly Girls)”

Stray Shots

The Doppelgangaz – 2012: The New Beginning

Big Zik – The Equation

Von Pea – Audible Silence: The Words Anthology

Neako – Junk Food

DJ Fingaz Presents – Streets On Lock Mixtape

Rumorz – The Souloist (Mixtape)

C.Keys/Infamous MC – Reconstruction Mixtape

Alicia_Keys-The_Element_Of_Freedom_(Empire_Edition_EP)

Digital Scale & DJ Rell Present Lil Boosie – Redemption Mixtape

The Best In The Business…The Bit B: Volume #1

Bun_B_-_Underground_King

Stray Shots

As he continues to make his destiny manifest, Starlito said…

I present a cassette style (dual-sided) mixtape. Mixed by myself. Really. Shout out to everything Retro (Dolewite & Scooby present Starlito Living in the Past 2.14.10). Anything that makes you think back to a brighter Read the rest of this entry »

The boy Yo Gotti (3rd cousin, twice removed of our own Gotty™) stays in the kitchen like that box of Arm & Hammer®. While most have tried to ignore his cooking habits, at this point in his career though, the pies he’s baking are too big for that local shop. Backed by Drama, Wayne and few other trappers you need not sleep either, he’s breakin’ up the birdies again for Cocaine Muzik 4. Take this rock and smoketh it. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re going to keep dropping track after track, tape after tape, please do send over new photos. They don’t need to be glossy hi-res ritzy flicks. They can be Polaroid scans for all I care. Right now, your musical output is killing the number of pictures I have available on my hard drive. Read the rest of this entry »

“I need calamine lotion cause my trigger finger itchy…”

Lito gives his .02 over Gucci’s original composition. Read the rest of this entry »

I rode to ISLY:LFTBOTC on Thursday and wasn’t really feeling it as much as the previous installments. There’s a handful of tracks that I’m pulling off for a playlist but overall it was too much slow drawl Lito rhyming with what seemed like no real direction. Funny because, once again, turmoil could be bringing the best of out dude. This Starstyle over Clipse’s “Popular Demand” takes on a different tone when you factor in the streets saying one of Star’s recent parties involved him being confronted and one of his people ending up getting shot. That shit is unsubstantiated on my end because I’ve been a little too busy to chase down what the streets say. But if so…let’s just say he catches absolute wreck over this joint and we all know adversity and artistry make wonderful creative partners. If you’ve never listened before and wondered the attraction, the wit and wordplay here should serve as a good example of when homie’s on, he’s on and worth the attention.

“Gunplay and fake friends made me anti-social…”

Whatever it takes to bring out the competitive fire, I think it’s time. The situation with Wayne/Cash Money obviously went flat, even though “Grey Goose” and “Champagne Crazy” would’ve been the perfect catapults. Fast forward through a few years of label limbo and Star’s been doing work on his own while maintaining his relationship with Yo Gotti. As Gotti’s gained hella momentum, what I hope is his next move is that he’ll reach back and pull his fellow Tennakeyan up with him. That’s provided Star continues to shine more along the lines of the skills shown here.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download — All Star – “Popular Demand” (Starstyle)

Stray Shots

The Pack – The Pack Is Back Mixtape

Sean Paul – The Odyssey Mixtape

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – Fixtape Vol. 3

DJ 5150 – Merry Trapmas

DJ Ritz & Lil Wyte – Wyte Christmas Mixtape

Benzi, Mick Boogie & D Star – Motivation 3

Jackie Chain & DJ Ames – Instant Classic Mixtape

brandUn DeShay – Your Favorite! MixTape

Stray Shots

As he enters into competition with Gibbs for the longest mixtape title of 2009…Nah I keed, I keed. You already know what I’m riding to today. Starlito and Burn One back with the last of the trilogy. Read the rest of this entry »