The Tape Deck: Volume #2 (Reviews)

Back like I left something:

Kanye West - Love Lockdown (Re-edit) [zShare link]

Still sucks. Sorry 'Ye. I see what you did here, but it didn't address the main problem with the song: you can't hide bad singing with auto-tuning and reverbs. God save us all if the whole album sounds like this. A little more Chris Martin and a little less Chris Martin can go a long way.

Praverb The Wyse - Dedication (feat. Master 3) [zShare link]

This is hip hop! HHIR fam Praverb truly loves this artform and he spills his soul all over this track right here. Pay attention!

B-Real - Laugh Laugh (feat. Young B) (Prod. by Scoop Deville) [zShare link]

After hearing 2Pac's "Dopefiend's Diner", I thought it'd be a while before we heard another sample of Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner". Well, I was wrong... Recently signed by Duck Down Records, Cypress Hill's B-Real is ready to get it "hotter than a sauna". I can imagine this one receiving some heavy rotation in the West coast. This is the kind of track you hear in a traffic-packed street on a hot California afternoon. Fuck Ebert & Roper; I give this joint two dubs up!

Diamond D - D-I-A-M-O-N-D [zShare link]

The legendarily underrated Bronx beatsmith is back with a new album set to be released in mid-October with Babygrande Records. I've always valued his production skills way, way, way, way more than his mic skills, but homie can still spit. This track feels like it was transplanted directly out of the mid-to-late '90's. Cop the record next month if you're feelin' this cut!

Stan Ipcus - The Great White Hope (Asher Roth Diss) [zShare link]

I don't know who the fluck Stan Ipcus is, but apparently he's got it out for Asher Roth. I can't blame him. IMHO, I feel that the praise that Asher Roth has been receiving from the blogosphere is undeserved as of yet. Co-signs from Akon and DJ Drama are equivalent to nothing in my book. Case in point: he hasn't one me over yet. I'd like to see where this battle (if it becomes one) goes over the next few weeks.

Devin The Dude - El Grande Nalgas [zShare link]

Maybe Kanye should take a page out of Devin's playbook. The Dude sings on this track, but it's still hip hop. Devin takes it up a notch by spittin' in Spanish. This joint is incredibly laid back... This one's a keeper.

Jake One - The Truth (feat. Freeway & Brother Ali) [zShare link]

This track isn't that new, but it's from the fresh Jake One album that everyone's talking about. I got a chance to peep it and I must say that it's incredible. The collaborations are out of this world (Posdnuous and Slug on one track!?!?), but this one's gotta be my favorite of 'em all. The track is beautiful and Freeweezy continues to amaze me. Brother Ali ain't nothin' to laugh at neither.

Emilio Rojas & M-Phazes - 585 [zShare link]

Raks One is dominating the underground right now with his hard-as-nails rhymeplay. Reppin' the (585) outta New Yiddy, Raks (a.k.a. Emilio Rojas) barks: "We ready for change/ So I gotta shoot for the top and I'm gon' steady my aim/".

Decay - Easy [zShare link]

A smooth new joint from Molemen's Decay. Raw spit over an amazing soul sample? Gotta peep it...

Jadakiss - By My Side (feat. Ne-Yo) [zShare link]

Seems like Def Jam is putting pressure on Jada. Quite a shame. Just compare "By Your Side" from his 2004 album Kiss of Death to this similarly titled misfire. Take your pick. I'm kinda kicking my ass for rooting for this Jada/Def Jam album. If the whole shabang sounds like this and that Jigga track, I will be very disappointed. Sure, Kiss had that track with Mariah Carey; but that song was filled with tales of "cookin' up raw". My point: it was more than just a cookie-cut Hip Hop/R&B feel-good track. Whatever. Like I said before: If the whole album sounds like this, I ain't buyin' it. I'm boycotting it. Free the Lox (Pt. 2).

Kool Keith aka Dr. Dooom - God of Rap [zShare link]