June 24, 2008 by Willis.

“Winning a best original song Academy Award for “It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp” (from “Hustle & Flow”) didn’t exactly inspire a spirit of highbrow subtlety in the two remaining members of Memphis’ Three 6 Mafia. On “Last 2 Walk,” the group’s repeatedly delayed follow-up to 2005’s breakthrough “Most Known Unknown,” DJ Paul and Juicy J profess their interest in drugs on “Weed, Blow, Pills” and their affection for oral sex on “I’d Rather,” where the pair admit, “I love having sex, but I’d rather get some head.” Still, “Last 2 Walk” should satisfy longtime Three 6 fans. In addition to a handful of collaborative tracks with the likes of Akon and Good Charlotte, the set contains plenty of the woozily psychedelic hip-hop that made Paul and Juicy unlikely stars in the first place.—Mikael Wood”

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June 18, 2008 by Willis.

“Listen to the words on the third album by the Neptunes’ side-project rock band and you’ll wonder if Pharrell Williams does anything but doubt the motives of the various women crowding the margins of his adventures in clubland. For a less depressing experience, ignore the lyrics and direct your full attention to N*E*R*D’s full-color beats, which after a dip in quality on 2004’s “Fly or Die” repay close examination here. Dig the way “Yeah You” layers a pop-soul saxophone lick over a funky jazz-rap bassline or how “Spaz” answers the long-burning question of what Stereolab would sound like if it were a nü-metal group. Thematically starved, “Seeing Sounds” is nonetheless a sonic feast.—Mikael Wood”

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June 17, 2008 by Willis.

“He’s the self-proclaimed “best rapper alive,” has made more than 40 guest appearances since 1999 and has been the most hyped hip-hop artist in recent time. But with help from A-list guest stars (T-Pain, Robin Thicke) and producers (Kanye West, Swizz Beatz), Lil Wayne backs up the boasts on the oft-delayed “Tha Carter III.” In case you were on the fence, he reminds how “ill” his skills are on “A Milli” (”I’m a venereal disease/like a menstrual I bleed”), and he drafts fellow Carter Jay-Z to dismiss the haters atop piano and horns on “Mr. Carter.” And while tracks like the played-out-themed “Got Money” and the elementary-sounding “La La” fall short of the mark, others like the “E.T.”-inspired “Phone Home” and “Dr. Carter,” on which Wayne literally attempts to resuscitate hip-hop, further secure his spot in said genre’s pantheon.—Mariel Concepcion”

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June 2, 2008 by Willis.

“Producer-cum-rapper Dame Grease’s debut solo set is reminiscent of a lost Diplomats or an early Lox album without the plausibility. While Grease’s lyrics aren’t that breathtaking, his dark and buzzing beats are tolerable. On most of the tracks, Grease is flanked by several new MCs, including Messiah, Meeno, Bigga and Tony Wink. Former Diplomats member Max B, of “We Fly High” fame, awkwardly sings the chorus on “Connecticut Kush,” the catchiest song here, while Grease unconvincingly rhymes that he’s rich. On “Lennox Ave Boyz,” Grease commits to disc his belief that he’ll “keep on winning” while “the world keeps spinning, these ho’s keep grinning and the grams keep selling,” but it just doesn’t ring true. Maybe Grease has been selling drugs to keep the lights on, but where’d he find the time? —Hillary Crosley”

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May 31, 2008 by Willis.

“After a four-year break, Usher’s fifth set is bursting with grown man, true-to-life tales like leaving his player ways behind (”Before I Met You”), falling in love (”Something Special,” “Lifetime” and the title track), making love (”This Ain’t Sex”) and having a child (”Prayer for You,” featuring a weeping Usher Raymond V, his new baby son). Grown-up relationships drive “His Mistakes,” about a woman who is scarred by a past fling, the piano-and-drum-laden “Best Thing” featuring Jay-Z and “What’s a Man to Do,” which finds Usher belting about loving two women at once. Still, tracks like the naughty “Love in This Club,” the sensual “Trading Places” (”You get on top/ tonight I’m on the bottom”) and the Danja-produced “Appetite,” about his desire for sex, confirm Usher still hasn’t lost his young boy charm.—Mariel Concepcion”

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May 21, 2008 by Willis.

“After the untimely death last year of Pimp C, Bun B gathers a long list of famous friends to celebrate the life of his UGK partner on his sophomore solo set. Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Lupe Fiasco, Sean Kingston, Young Buck, Chamillionaire, Juvenile, 8Ball & MJG, Webbie, David Banner and, of course, Pimp C, are among the collaborators on the drum-heavy, midtempo-laden album. On the Jodeci-sampled “You’re Everything,” Bun B rhymes about his love for his hometown of Houston, while poverty, politics and spirituality dominate the reflective “If It Was Up to Me.” But the most heartfelt track on the album is the one dedicated to Pimp C, “Angel in the Sky.” Appropriating elements of Stevie Wonder’s “Ribbon in the Sky,” the song finds Bun B taking solace in his grief: “I miss my brother every day, but I know he’s watching from up above.”—Mariel Concepcion”

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May 21, 2008 by Willis.

Not really feeling the lyrics, style, or presentation.  I don’t see much of a future for this track.  3/10

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May 20, 2008 by Willis.

“There’s no doubting the chilling authenticity of this rapper’s tales of urban warfare. At the age of 8, Emmanuel Jal became a child soldier for the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, a horrific experience he pours into the songs on “Warchild,” his solo follow-up to a 2005 disc he made with Sudanese singer/oud player Abdel Gadir Salim. Jal’s lyrics are clearly the focus here—”I believe I survived for a reason to tell my story to touch lives,” he declares in the title track—but producers Roachie and Silvastone anchor the MC’s flow with casually globe-tripping tracks whose warm melodicism recalls recent work by Wyclef Jean.—Mikael Wood”

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May 3, 2008 by Willis.

“Fans of Lil Mama’s infectious “Lip Gloss” have been waiting nearly a year for the release of her debut album, wondering perhaps if the CD would emphasize this young MC’s desire to join the ranks of New York’s rap elite or to turn Miley Cyrus devotees into hip-hop heads. “VYP: Voice of the Young People” suggests that those two goals needn’t be mutually exclusive. Presiding over tracks produced by A-listers including Dr. Luke, T-Pain, Cool & Dre and Scott Storch, Lil Mama shows off some impressive verbal firepower here, like when she challenges her skeptics over a booming trash-can beat in “One Hit Wonder.” Yet she never goes long before reminding us of the value of a killer chorus, either; in “Broken Pieces” she even pulls off an unlikely emo-blues ballad.—Mikael Wood”

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April 30, 2008 by Willis.

“It’s a dark and stormy night on “Rising Down,” the Roots’ 10th disc. There’s a sense of sonic dirt, political sharpness and clenched-teeth purpose that may be the result of label woes (the disc opens with a ‘94 phone screaming match between band members), or it may be just thanks to an ongoing, if kind of unbelievable, need to prove itself. Temporarily put on hold is the Philly collective’s long-percolating propensity for slow-rolling, low-light grooves, and the first salvo of tracks come like a series of punches designed for a second-round knockout. Elsewhere, “Criminal” and “I Will Not Apologize” find the group making its most acute, nail-driven points in years. Also, drummer Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson is, to use technical terms, absolutely nuts—check out his brain-melting work on the old-school jam “Rising Up” and, well, “Rising Down.” —Jeff Vrabel”

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April 27, 2008 by Willis.

Tight lyrics, however won’t get any love on the radio. 6/10

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April 26, 2008 by Willis.

“For his second solo studio record, the Quannum Projects godfather veers left from his sample-centric background and into something that should be highly pleasing to anyone who enjoyed hip-hop in 1988. “Everywhere at Once” isn’t the map-jumping free-for-all inferred by its title; rather, this is a focused and thoughtfully crafted party record that finds Lyrics Born employing a live band to work up his newfound love of shimmering, shining pop-funk, even as he expands his hoop-jumping, rat-a-tat rhymes. There’s much to dig into here, especially the readymade singles “I Like It, I Love It” and “Hott 2 Deff,” which sounds like something left over from the “Off the Wall” sessions. Meanwhile, “Do U Buy It” channels, uh, Gary Numan, and “Differences” and “Cakewalk” venture smartly into relationship territory. —Jeff Vrabel”

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March 30, 2008 by Willis.

“In 50 years, it’ll be a curious thing that the best-selling digital single of all time once belonged to Flo Rida and that the song, “Low,” powered the phones of hip-hop heads and sorority girls for months and months. “Low” is a well-deserved monster, and Flo Rida’s relatively long-in-coming debut sports precisely all the ingredients required of a rapper these days: production that sounds like money, exuberant materialism, several verses by Lil’ Wayne and a singular desire to keep people’s attention for very brief periods of time. Flo Rida’s flow is an engaging/ringy-dingy/he-sounds-like-Nelly thing. But his hooks can be rock-solid (”Ack Like You Know”) and his interest in gleaming synthesizerism (opener “American Superstar” comes into “Tubular Bells” territory, really) helps set him off from the legions of rappers clawing over each other to break out of the South. —Jeff Vrabel”

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March 25, 2008 by Willis.

“During a listening late last year, Bronx-bred rapper Fat Joe called “The Elephant in the Room” a gangster rap album, and that description is accurate. The 12-track set, with superb production by Cool and Dre, Scott Storch, Danja Handz and Swizz Beatz, among others, features rhymes about bodies washing up in the Bronx River on “Kill All Rats.” Later, Joe unsubtly proclaims, “I am a professional/I will cut your testicles” on the opera-based “300 Brolic.” There’s also the DJ Premier scratch-filled “That White,” an ode to drug dealing, and “Fugitive,” where Joe challenges, “Now who’s gonna tell me that I can’t say nigga?” before going into a repetitive rant of the N-word. Still, not all is grim. The J. Holiday-assisted “I Won’t Tell” is Joe’s dedication to the ladies, and the siren-laden “Drop,” produced by Beatz, would sound great at any club or party.—Mariel Concepcion”

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November 3, 2007 by Willis.

Chris Brown - Exclusive - Album Review

1. Throwed - Good album filler track, don’t see it being a hit, but it’s a decent track. 6/10

2. Kiss Kiss Featuring T-Pain - Becoming a huge hit. 8/10

3. Take You Down - Too slow and the beat is too strange. 4/10

4. With You - This has hit written all over it. Great track. 8/10

5. Picture Perfect Featuring will.i.am - Very unique song, great combo. 7/10

6. Hold Up Featuring Big Boi - Just not feelin this. 4/10

7. You -Too repetitive. 4/10

8. Damage - Way too slow. 3/10

9. Wall To Wall - A monster hit. 10/10

10. Help Me - Great beat, the vocals aren’t very impressive though. 5/10

11. I Wanna Be - Great lyrics, just a tad too slow. 6/10

12. Gimme Whatcha Got Featuring Lil Wayne - Lotta potential. 7/10

13. I’ll Call Ya - Pretty decent. 7/10

14. Lottery - Unimpressive. 3/10

15. Nice Featuring Game (Special Bonus Track) - Not sure why this is a bonus track, as this needs to be third single off this album. 9/10

16. Down Featuring Kanye West(Special Bonus Track) -All over the place. 6/10

Overall Album - This album has a lot of potential, with another two or three hits likely. I wish he would stick with more hip hop than the slow r & b. The album wasn’t as good as i was hoping for. Overall, 7/10.

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