Month In Review: June 2008 (THE MIXTAPE EDITION)

June was a colossal month... I'm not even going to lie. I found (and listened to) a lot of new shit which is why I've gotta make a post for mixtapes and a post for albums.

Charles Hamilton- Crash Landed: Allow me to introduce to you my current favorite rapper; Charles Hamilton. Before I go on though, this guy has a serious obsession with Sonic the Hedgehog (hence the cover). Now that that's out of the way, this kid is fucking SERIOUS and I mean that in every which way possible. On the downside though, his voice can get annoying at times but the lyricism and the punchlines and the way dude just spazzes out on every track makes up for it. He also released "Outside Looking" with DJ Green Lantern which pretty much had the same tracks, but I couldn't find a good cover so I'm just reviewing this one haha. Highlights of the mixtape include "Superman", "November 10", "Unapologetic" and "Outside." "Death of the Mixtape Rapper" coming soon!

Next up is Immortal Technique's mixtape album/3rd in-store musical offering "The 3rd World." I didn't like Immortal Technique until seeing him perform live at last year's Rock The Bells (which he's coming back for) but this release definitely another one to add to the list of how great 2008 has been. Tech never disappoints, going hard on "The 3rd World", "Crimes of the Heart" and "Parole"

Nas- The Nigger Tape: DJ Green Lantern was doing the damn thing in June wasn't he?! His last entry for this blog post ends with this though haha. Nas is my favorite rapper, so naturally I'm going to be biased, but obviously he doesn't disappoint. What's even better is that only 3 tracks featured on this tape will be on the album. For those that have slept on this but are anticipating the album which drops July 15, put this in the CD player or mp3 player and it will hold you down 'til then. Top tracks are "N.I.G.G.E.R.", "Cops Keep Firing", and "Association". Don't forget JULY 15 "UNTITLED" IS IN STORES!


Wale- The Mixtape About Nothing: Slap me with a late pass again, but it dropped May 30th which was too late to be considered in last month's post, so fuck it haha. Wale is another dude who is creating a huge ass buzz and I can hope for nothing but the best for this DC native. He too hardly disappoints on his mixtapes. Let's just hope that he stays true to what has got him this far when he [god willing] drops that album on Interscope. Not really much to say about this one outside of telling you to go listen to it. Check out "The Perfect Plan", "The Kramer", and "The Artistic Integrity."


Asher Roth- The Greenhouse Effect: LMFAO Asher Roth is fucking hilarious. Now if you have ever heard me talk on-air, you should know how I emphasize the first rule of music which is to have fun. This guy takes my rule and rolllllls with it. He's kinda like Afroman meets Charles Hamilton embodied in a white guy who sounds like Eminem (if that even makes any sense). Though mad people have hated the fact that everyone jumped on the beat for "A Milli", "Roc Boys" freestyles have been going under the radar, as I have heard quite a few myself with Asher being one of the culprits (add Wale to that too). But like I said, dude is funny as fuck with his songs about sex and titties. He even raps on John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change!" Regardless, this is some fun summer music. "Just Listen" is one of the best verses I've heard all year and tracks like "Cannon!!" and "Black Mags" are worth checking out.

On to part 2 of this post for albums and tracks!