This is only a mixtape because Too Short says so. Sloppy production and spotty mastering aside, it sounds more like an official album to me. Either way it’s better than his previous, Get Off The Stage, which isn’t saying much.
He’s Still Blowin and still pimping, so he’s best when checking his Hoes. Listen and laugh at him telling a “bitch” to rub his back, suck his dick and cook his breakfast. Other highlights include All For Love and International Player.
my rating : 3 of 5
2010
This is a song about graffiti; probably my least favorite aspect of hip-hop culture. KRS-One is an advocate as he raps from the perspective of an artist with “25 cans in my knapsack… putting up my name with a fat cap.”
He goes on to shoutout Phase 2, Stay High, Presweet and other popular “writers”. The appeal is still lost on me, but I do like the song. That’s mainly because of the beat and the way the rapper flows onto it like a mural.
my rating : 4 of 5
1995
It seems ever since her Divorce; ex Babyface actually provides a bonus song for this album; Toni Braxton has been a horny cougar. Her last album was called Sex And Cigarettes. The title song on this one has her asking a “young’un” if he “Wanna play”. It’s a fuck game called Spell My Name. The pedophilic undertones would be okay with me in any case; music is art; but the amount of eyebrows that would raise if Braxton was a male is an embodiment of sexist double standards.
The most obvious blunder here is that there are two versions of Do It. The original, released a few months ago, is a soothing breakup ballad. It’s also one of her best songs. The new one, which should’ve been replaced with the Babyface (Nothin) bonus, is an inferior remix of sorts featuring the annoying vocals of Missy Elliott. Fallin, about falling in love; every song on the album is enveloped in romance; is groovy though. OVERr, another breakup ballad, is another standout.
my rating : 3 of 5
2020
Uriah Hall might’ve won this fight if he were more evasive. Instead of sticking and moving, he stays planted in front of powerhouse Paulo Costa, where he does find some success. That comes mostly in the form of a “nasty” jab that bloodies Costa’s face in the very first round. He gets tagged and knocked down (out) in the second.
my rating : 4 of 5
2018
The Jacka is better than the average rapper but not because of his raps. His retarded delivery is barely adequate. It’s his singing that stands out. My biggest complaint when it comes to rap songs is their tendency to falter during the breaks. The Jacka croons his hooks and seems to have a knack for composing catchy melodies, which does wonders for his songs.
Prime examples include What Are We and The Way We Was. Their only real flaws are that they’re cut too short at the end, which probably has to do with this set being a sloppy “audio documentary” mixtape, full with annoying DJ (Child) tags and all, than a proper album. Other highlights include The President’s Face, See It Thru, I’m Leaving and Love.
my rating : 4 of 5
2014
3 Feet High And Rising is the name of a quiz show on which quirky contestants try to answer ridiculous questions for an unnamed prize. It’s a silly and seemingly irrelevant album concept, but it’s funny and, listening to the set, it’s obvious all De La Soul want to do is have fun.
The matter-of-fact style of their raps, which sometimes sound more like they’re reading aloud to small children, are amusing, but of the twenty-something tracks on the album, only about half are songs. The others are an anything-but-garden variety of short bits and interludes.
my rating : 4 of 5
1989
Stephen King, the top seller in the horror book Bazaar, remains an excellent writer in the technical sense. It’s his mundane imagination; a lot of his tales are simply boring; and corny sense of humor that might have you demanding a refund. Even the best short stories in this collection; Premium Harmony and The Little Green God Of Agony; are merely decent.
my rating : 2 of 5
2015
“We’re not gonna be driven out of our house screaming in terror,” Michael Stivic insists in response to a threat from the Ku Klux Klan. “What are we gonna do,” his wife asks in a state of panic. “We’re gonna leave quietly,” he says. It’s the funniest bit of the episode; a two-parter that doesn’t start to get good until the second half.
The drama begins when Archie inadvertently becomes a KKK member after he’s overheard at the bar condemning the social unrest happening; black people rioting and such; in the neighborhood. He may be racist but regrets being duped into joining, especially when he catches wind of their plan to burn a cross in front of his family’s house.
my rating : 3 of 5
1977
I’m guessing “the icy man” is the man who drove the ice cream truck. Max B says his mom wouldn’t give him money to buy some as a kid because “she’d rather go see the dealer”. It seems he’s suggesting her drug addiction set him on the wrong path. These vocals were recorded not in a posh studio but a prison as he serves what was initially a life sentence for Killing a man.
That makes the title, which would be better if it included the word “I”, and concept a bit of a surprise, though the alleged crime is only mentioned in a hook that further establishes the rapper slash singer as the best in the game. The beat, led by a poignant piano loop, is also a banger. My only major complaint is that it doesn’t continue to play after the final chorus section.
my rating : 4 of 5
2020
AnnaSophia Robb looks beautiful in the right lighting with makeup on, which it seems she’s rarely seen in public without, and she almost is. She’s certainly pretty enough to cover all my romantic and sexual requirements. She’d be a suitable girlfriend in other words. At just five feet, she’s nearly dwarf short, which I love.
Speaking of feet, the third toe on her left foot is crooked, but I’d suck it straight. The point is that she doesn’t have any major flaws. She is quite hairy, but that would only bother me if we were, say, on a date around other people. I’m into hairy chicks too, especially blonde ones, but I don’t necessarily want the world to know.
my rating : 4 of 5
2020
Another hype train derailed? Perhaps, but not so fast. Sean O’Malley seems on his way to victory here until his right leg fails him, which causes him to fall and lose. Whether that’s because of a kick from Marlon Vera or a fluke injury is the question. The answer will probably determine how much of “the it factor” he (O’Malley) retains going into his next bout.
my rating : 3 of 5
2020
The full title of this album reads like poetry.
When the pawn hits the conflicts, he thinks like a king.
What he knows throws the blows when he goes to the fight.
And he’ll win the whole thing fore he enters the ring.
There’s nobody to batter when your mind is your might.
So when you go solo, you hold your own hand
and remember that depth is the greatest of heights.
And if you know where you stand, then you know where to land.
And if you fall, it wont matter cause you’ll know that you’re right.
Good thing for sweet Fiona Apple, who’s gorgeous when she’s not gum grinning, titles don’t matter much when it comes to the quality of an album. It’s based mostly on how it sounds. That part she has covered. Even as you realize her poems are mostly just romantic ramblings, her style is enchanting enough to make them mean something.
It’s Jon Brion who directs the music, composed mostly of classical instruments you’re not used to hearing on a modern-day pop album like the violin and the cello. His soundscapes gloss what may have otherwise been mere Love songs with dreamy elegance; the kind that never really goes out of style. Highlights include I Know and Paper Bag.
my rating : 4 of 5
1999
