New Music Reviews - Home of DJ Willis

“Since he first appeared on the national stage with 2003’s “Mississippi: The Album,” Banner has used his platform as an opportunity to showcase the best and worst qualities of Southern hip-hop. The contrast reaches a head-scratching apogee on “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” where Banner alternates furiously soulful tracks about inner-city violence (”So Long”) with [...]

“Unlike most MCs, Nas can put an entire genre on edge with one word, or lack thereof. His untitled album, formerly dubbed “N*gger,” could have been just another big idea wrapped in unfocused songs and chalked up as a publicity stunt. Instead, the veteran MC seized the opportunity, lyrically and musically, to concretely convey his [...]

“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 [...]

“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, [...]

“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 [...]

“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 [...]

“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 [...]

“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 [...]

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

“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 [...]

“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” [...]

“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 [...]

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

“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 [...]

“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 [...]