Words by Landon A.

It’s funny how some folks don’t grade an album by the artist’s delivery, wordplay, intensity or the caliber of the guest shots but instead on its ability to knock in the ride. Dorrough, the former Prairie View A&M University student, takes a page from Southerners like Gucci Mane, Jeezy and even Soulja Boy to concoct his frankly-titled debut on E1 Music, Dorrough Music. And what the Dallas rapper might lack in lyrical prowess he makes up for with his ability to shake a trunk until it unhinges.

But, in all honesty, Read the rest of this entry »

You can’t question the fact that Mos Def is one of the most talented emcees in the game. You can, however, question his commitment to Hip-Hop over the last five years. The lucrative opportunities offered to Mos on big and small screen have been too much for him to pass up. But you can’t take without giving something up, and what has suffered has been Mos’ musical career. 2006’s True Magic was panned for its lack of cohesion and consistency, the work of a man with too much on his plate.

The same criticisms can be raised on The Ecstatic, an, uneven unpolished offering from the aspiring Renaissance man. Employing his experiences from sojourning various poverty-stricken nations gives the music a contemporary influence, yet the biggest problem with The Ecstatic is its disjointed nature—there’s no consistent flow from song to song or overarching theme within the project. Read the rest of this entry »

Previously Posted — “I Murder A Rhyme One Word At A Time…” | “Same Song & Dance” – Review Of Eminem’s Relapse

With soul bearing revelations like “Mockingbird” and “Like Toy Soldiers,” 2004′s Encore marked a personal triumph for the psyche of Marshall Mathers, yet the bulk of the album’s frivolous material resulted in the common recognition as being Eminem’s most forgettable work to date. To make matters worse, his health spiraled downward after the tragic shooting of D12 member and best friend DeShaun “Proof” Holton and chronically abusing pain medications. After a nearly-five year hiatus which seemed like an eternity to most fans, Slim Shady steps back on his high horse to break the circle of uncertainly with the thoroughly entertaining Relapse.

Not your typical Relapse however, with the title being a subliminal reckoning for the subconscious of Slim Shady to run amuck — who all but dominates the course of the project. Read the rest of this entry »

Feuds with 50 Cent, Trilla’s success, a little controversy, and most importantly, some dope lead singles have combined to make Deeper Than Rap the most anticipated release of 2009 to this point. With hype comes opportunity, as well as high stakes. Most MCs have some sort of dirty laundry that eventually gets aired, destined to detract from their finally managed image, but the great ones make us forget by delivering the goods musically and lyrical. Deeper Than Rap is Rick Ross’ chance to put a lot of bullshit behind him, and his detractors chance to confirm their suspicions and disbeliefs.

So does Ross deliver the goods? Yes. Mostly. Read the rest of this entry »

Usually when a breakup occurs, so much attention is given to the main parties involved that others affected often become an afterthought. The Dipset movement suffered a divorce of sorts and almost all the focus has been given to the bad blood between Cam’ron and Jim Jones. Their story’s garnered all the attention, while their contractually obligated “children” (Juelz included) were left to their own devices. Seeking the studio over the psychiatrist’s couch, Ruga Rell is back with another batch of hard nosed lyrics on Get In Line Or Get Lined Up. Although he’s fully capable of creating an album on his own, a little more involvement from the parental units would have helped things greatly. Read the rest of this entry »

After the underwhelming success received for his freshman album Already Platinum, Houston native Slim Thug decided to do his best to distance himself from the machine that pushed him away from his roots that was Interscope records. Since his 2005 debut, he has released two group albums along with his partners in rhyme, the Boss Hogg Outlawz, but otherwise we haven’t heard much from the low-toned Texan.

With his official return Boss Of All Bosses, the self-proclaimed “boss of the north” doesn’t take much of a step forward with his content or production, but what he does do is continue the legacy of the Houston Hip-Hop scene with a slightly different approach sonically than most of his peers. Songs like “Top Drop” which features the third coast’s favorite White boy Paul Wall and the UGK assisted “Leaning” fall in line with what fans are used to from the state of Texas. Read the rest of this entry »

West coast Hip-Hop has seemed to pick up it’s pace again in the last year or so with the help of newcomers such Blu, Jay Rock, and Crooked I being extremely viral with their artist marketing. But it’s the legends from the Left Coast that seem to keep it’s heart beating through the ups and downs. E-40, Cube, and any rapper affiliated with the Dogg Pound have all been present on the Hip-Hop scene in the last few, but one of the crews that have been noticeably absent is the cannabis loving, Latin Hip-Hop group Cypress Hill, who were just honored last year by VH1 on Hip Hop Honors.

Consequently, the group’s most distinguishable voice, B-Real is poised to drop his first solo effort in his 15+ years in the game, Smoke N Mirrors. The album while a far cry from his Cypress days production-wise, still maintains that hazy feel of a room infiltrated with second-hand blunt ashes. Muggs doesn’t show up with a beat on the entire album but the capable hands of The Alchemist, Soopafly, J-Turner and even B-Real himself take upon themselves to usher in the P-Funk. Read the rest of this entry »

We The Smoking Section take our jobs as tastemakers and critiquing the latest albums in Hip-Hop very seriously. In an effort to show our readers how the process of granting an album with our Cig Ratings takes place, here’s the discussion between our review committee for Joe Budden’s Padded Room.

TC: Alright. As long as this album’s been in the making and promoted across the internet, did anyone else feel like this didn’t meet the expectations by any stretch? My biggest grievance is how does this really differ from Halfway House in terms of song structure or cinematic theme? Why weren’t we met with any surprises instead of what we’ve come to expect?

Landon A: Definitely falls short. Joey is nice on the mic, no doubt, but he came soft with this one. Perhaps it was the hype of a comeback that spoiled this one. Who knows? When artists have a lot of hype surrounding a record, a decent showing turns into an utter disappointment.

Contra™: Wish-washy production, forced concepts, forgettable lyrics at times, and some terrible, terrible, terrible, terribly haunting lack of cohesion.

Jesse H: Absolutely. Joey’s just not an album rapper. Put him on the list with Busta, Jin, etc.

MZ: Joe Budden can rap his ass off but unfortunately, his songwriting & song structure skills will always be his crutch. He raps at one speed and relies on vocal inflections to try and liven his flow up (i.e. “The Future”) throughout the album. I’ve come to accept the fact that he’s at his best when he’s in a piss poor mood and I’d rather hear him speak on his Tuesday afternoon, than strain to make a club joint. Also do my ears deceive me or does The Game spit a name-drop free verse? Read the rest of this entry »

For Bigga

Soulja Boy just may be the only rapper to ever have the luxury of sitting atop the love and hate mountains at the same time. On one hand, Mr. Tell ‘Em is the sole creator of “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” the biggest selling digital download of all time– while on the other, he simultaneously holds rank as the ultimate scapegoat for the decline of musical innovation. Naturally, looking for lyrical fulfilment from a Soulja Boy record is like seeking wifey in a strip club, but even as a party rapper, SB still misses his mark continuously with moronic songs that dive pass the safe haven of “fun” into “slacker” territory.

Which is where his sophomore effort iSouljaBoyTellEm slumps beyond the typical juve-pseudo bullshit and into an aimless wad of irksome synthesizers, lowbrow lyricism, and fart jokes. The initial period of accepting him as rapper/hitmaker has passed. It’s time to actually make hits. And the harsh reality of the matter is, Soulja Boy isn’t doing anything that the average individual with a microphone from Radio Shack® and a bag of Skittles® can’t accomplish. Absurdity such as “Bird Walk” and “Turn My Swag On” sound like they were derived from impromptu studio sessions where goofing off was the theme. Read the rest of this entry »