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AllHipHop ChartWatch:Sade Gets Knocked Off, Gucci Mane Returns

ChartWatch for March 10, 2010

"Your reign on the top was short like leprechauns

As I crush so-called willes, thugs, and rapper dons."

                  -Christopher “The Notorious Big” Wallace 

      Since yesterday was the anniversary of his untimely death I think I’ll open ChartWatch this week with one of my favorite Biggie versus.  Actually I have a better one but after I edit it out for profanity it’s not really worth mentioning.  I think this verse is fitting for the charts because lately there have be a lot of rappers who manage to sell for a week or two and then fall off.  I’m not saying any names (this is not that kind of week) but just thought the verse was fitting. 

      We open up the week with Sade who gets knocked out of the top spot by Lady Antebellum.  Her latest album Soldier of Love moves another 76,000 copies and places the songstress in the number two spot.

      Next up is a group that is real familiar with the top ten.  If there is ever some type of mass nuclear incident the only things that will survive are roaches…and the Black Eyed Peas latest album.  This thing refuses to stop selling.  This week the group is at the number eight spot with The E.N.D selling another 46,000 copies.

      I know we’re AllHipHop but usually when an R&B/Soul artist enters the top ten I’ll give the album a mention (i.e. Sade).  This next artist doesn’t make the top ten but comes extremely close.  (Plus I’m biased because we share some name similarities. I have to support).  Raheem DeVaughn enters the charts at number eleven this week with his third studio album, Love & War MasterPeace, selling 42,000 copies.

      Directly behind him is Lil Wayne with his “rock themed” album Rebirth.  The newly incarcerated MC drops from the 6^th to the 12^th spot and sells 30,000 copies this week.  Wayne’s record label, Young Money, also charts this week.  We Are Young Money grabs the 32^nd position and moves 15,000 copies. 

      DJ Kaheld’s, Victory, enters the charts this week at number 13. The star packed album moves 29,000 copies which should make Florida artist pretty happy.

      Jay-Z’s  The Blueprint 3 takes a dip and lands at the 43^rd spot sellig 12,000 copies, and rounding out the top 50 is Gucci Mane with his latest, The State vs. Radric Davis.  The Atlanta MC was not on our charts last week but has managed to push his way up to number 49.

      Now for the albums dropping this week. 

Dropping This Week 

"Yeah, this album is dedicated to all the teachers that told me  
I'd never amount to nothin', to all the people that lived above the  
buildings that I was hustlin' in front of that called the police on  
me when I was just tryin' to make some money to feed my daughters"

      - Christopher “The Notorious Big” Wallace

      Shame on all those people calling the police and trying to keep the neighborhood safe.  All jokes aside Biggie’s “Juicy” off of Ready to Die captures the feelings of a young rapper getting his first taste of success.  Hopefully some of the newcomers (and established artists) in dropping can get some of that success with these latest albums.

      First up is Ludacris with his seventh studio album Battle of the Sexes.  The album was originally rumored to be split between him a Shawnna but who knows what’s going on with the DTP camp right now.  There doesn’t seem to be any bad blood because Shawnna is definitely on the album along with Nicki Minaj, Lil Scrappy, Trey Songz, Flo Rida, Lil Kim, Lil Fate, Gucci Mane, I-20, Monica, Ne-Yo, Diamond, Trina, and Eve.  Ludacris usually gives a pretty solid album so fans shouldn’t be disappointed with this one.

      Next up is Los Angeles duo U-N-I with their latest offering A Love Supreme 2.0.  The album is said by the group to tackle the lust, love, and hate of relationships.  The group takes their name from one of The Roots songs (guess which one?) so you can tell where their heads are at.  The album comes with a DVD that tells how the duo along with their producer Ro Blvd created the album.

      Finally we have Kidz In The Hall and their third album Land of Make Believe.  The group has moved from Rawkus to Duck Down Records and have been pretty noteworthy as underground Hip Hop representatives.  Hopefully this album can start to push them more towards some mainstream sales.

TOP 5 DEAD OR ALIVE: Memphis Bleek

“I’m not going to be biased and put Jay in my Top 5 and n***as gonna be like ‘Of course he gonna say Jay.” – Memphis Bleek

 Memphis Bleek has been kickin’ it with Hip Hop’s finest since the Marcy Projects-the big homey Jay-Z. But in all fairness, the Brooklyn native couldn’t just put his man on his Top 5 Dead or Alive even if he’s  at the top of some many others (including the author of this text). With that, Bleek opened up about who this feels reigns supreme in the field of rap.

AllHipHop.com: Who would up say are the top 5 emcees, Dead or Alive - for Memphis Bleek?

Kool G Rap

“He was the first rapper that showed me some guns in a video and how to tie a n***a up. He was spittin’ the real. He was the M.O.P. before M.O.P.”

KRS-One

“KRS-One was the lyricist of lyricism back in the day. He was the first person to ever destroy somebody and build his career off of destroying him. He was the first 50 Cent. (laughs) Let’s clear that up!”

Rakim

"Rakim was before his time. You can put on a Rakim album and it sound like it was recorded last month. He was spittin’ harder than rappers spit now. [He was] way before his time."

B.I.G.

 "When you get to the new school, you gotta put B.I.G. up there. B.I.G. made it cool for fat dudes to get fly and steal our chicks. And he was just funny. B.I. brought the comedy to rap. He made it fun again."

Tupac

“My last Top 5 pick is Tupac because Pac was real. Pac was a revolutionist. People look at Pac for the thug.  But you gotta look at all the other songs, ‘Brenda’s Got A Baby’ ‘To My Unborn Child,’ ‘Dear Mama.’ Pac was the truth man. He wasn’t about lyricism. He was about getting the message to you and making sure you understood that he was dead serious about it and I loved that about him."

THE SIDEBAR

AllHipHop asked Bleek what was his favorite Hip-Hop album of all time and he relized he needed to add on to his Top 5:

“What made me say to myself ‘Man, I wanna do that. Cause these dudes is killin’ it! Big Daddy Kane man, Long Live the Kane. That made me say, “Wow, I gotta in this business, these n****s are killin’ it! Wow! I need a top 10 man, how he not gon’ be in my top five? When I was younger, I wanted to listen to Kool G Rap and them. But now, you go back and listen, [Kane] was dropping gems man that people need to follow now. Word up!"

Whitney Nichole Stevens contributed to this story.

 

ChartWatch: DJ Khaled Drops, Go Buy Some Gangstarr! Sade’s Still Selling!

AllHipHop ChartWatch for March 03, 2010

 

Sometimes you gotta dig deep, when problems come near
Don't fear things get severe for everybody everywhere
Why do bad things happen, to good people?
Seems that life is just a constant war between good and evil

-          Guru (Moment of Truth)

We’re starting off this week with a verse from Guru who is currently recovering from a massive heart attack but is expected to make a full recovery.  He is, of course, one half of the duo Gang Starr and if you haven’t had a chance to listen to anything by the group then do yourself a favor and find an album.  The Boston MC along with his Houston, TX born partner, DJ Premier, helped to define the New York Hip Hop sound.  Plus, Guru is the musical force behind the popular Jazzmatazz series which fused rap with jazz.  Our thoughts and prayers still go out to Guru and his loved ones along with the hope that he makes a speedy recover.

Now, first up this week is an artist that s familiar with the number one spot.  Since its debut in early February Sade’s Soldier of Love has held the top position.  This week is no different as the Nigerian songstress racks up another 127,000 copies of her latest offering.

She is followed by The Black Eyed Peas which are the first Hip Hop representative on the charts this week.  The E.N.D dips a little resting at number four on the charts but still manages to move 49,000 copies.

The next artist also drops from five to six on the charts but I’m sure he’s not complaining.  Lil Wayne’s “rock” album, Rebirth, moves another 37,000 copies this week.  That along with the news that his jail sentence is being delayed (again) should keep the New Orleans MC in good spirits.  Actually, if you want some insight into the eccentric mind of Wayne then check out his Twitter page where Dr. Carter doles out infinite wisdom like “I don’t have a.d.d…I have ESPN” and “iz it betta 2 b believed r believed in? wen ive ben told im unbelievable.but it takes more effort 2 believe than 2 kill;dont kill yo beliefs.”  I’m almost sure a cup of “something” was involved in tweeting that last one.

She raps and we don’t discriminate here at AllHipHop.com so the next artist up is Ke$ha (everytime I read her name I see an out-of-touch record exec saying “Put a dollar sign where the “S” would go.  Yeah…the kids love tha bling bling scrilla).  Her debut album, Animal, jumps from fourteen to seven and sells another 32,000 copies.  Really, I only put her in this week because she has a great video of her on Youtube performing/butchering one of my favorite Radiohead songs at a talent show in middle school.  Just type in “Ke$ha Talent” (look at that…those two words can be in the same sentence) and prepare to be astounded.  I know some of you may say “hey, what the hell were you doing in middle school!?!? Why hate on her?!?!”  It’s because by the time I got to middle school I knew I couldn’t sing (or rap…or act…or dance…the list goes on) so I decided to put my efforts elsewhere.  Well apparently, no one told Ke$ha which is good for her bank account (read RCA’s bank account...you know she ain’t getting paid) but bad for our ears.  If you get a chance, show the video to anybody in your life that has absolutely no musical talent and tell them to keep plucking away because if Ke$ha can make it…

Finally, we drop all the way down to the thirty eight spot which is currently being held by Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3.  The album takes a little hit in sales this week but the Marcy MC still manages to sell 13,000 copies of his latest.

Last week someone asked about Freeway’s The Stimulus Package and Gill Scott-Heron’s I’m New Here.  Why weren’t they on the charts?  Well, we usually do the top 50 but someone did point out that we charted Triple C’s brick of an album so I guess letting you know about Freeway and Gill is fair.  While both albums were well received critically, Freeway’s The Stimulus Package entered the charts at number 63 selling 9000.  Scott-Heron’s I’m New Here did not fare as well entering the charts at 181 and selling 3,700 copies.  I can assure you things didn’t get better sales wise for them this week so let’s move on to “Dropping.”

 

Dropping This Week

 

            Quick question…How do you pronounce DJ Khaled’s name.  Is it supposed to lead off with the “H” sound like I have always heard Khaled pronounced or does he just lead off with the strong “C” because he knows his fans won’t pronounce it correctly?  Just a thought.  However you say it, the Florida representative is dropping another album this week.  Prepare to finally have your question of “who is the best?” answered as loud as a person can possibly respond.  This is a DJ album which means the more popular the DJ the more featured artists.  I’ll let you decide DJ Khaled’s place in the industry as his latest album, Victory, features Diddy, Busta Rhymes, T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dog, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Plies, Schife (I’m guessing he must know Khaled), Usher, Drake, Lil Wayne, Nas, John Legend, Jim Jones, Birdman, Bun B, Soulja Boy, Buju Banton, (ok this is a little bit of an overkill, don’t you think?) Bounty Killer, Rum (another friend of Khaled?), Nelly (you’re still making music?!), Lil Boosie, Ace Hood, Kevin “KC” Cossum (friend), BallGreezy (friend with cool name, no homo), Desloc (friend), Piccalo (friend…from “A Different World”? Look it up.), Ice “Billion” Berg (friend with lots of ice), Bali (friend), Gunplay, Rum, Young Cash (last three friends appear to be at the end of the creative nickname line), Pitbull and, finally, Jarvis (friend at the very end of the creative nickname line.  They must have run out).  If you like posse cuts like “Fed Up” then this is the album for you.  Khaled…who is the best?

            That’s really all that’s worth mentioning this week.  

TOP 5 DEAD OR ALIVE: Spice-1

Spice-1 is one tough hombre. The West Coast, Bay-bred rapper was shot in the chest in 2007, but has risen back from a critical situation. But, before rumors of his death ran rampant, Spice-1 was an official street veteran from the Bay that had worked with Method Man, Too Short and even the late Tupac. Prior to the headlines, he had captured the hearts of rap fans with a discography that spans back to 1991. From a musical perspective, He's a tough individual too and AllHipHop.com wanted to know what legends influenced the legend. With a diverse list, Spice-1 give love to all coasts and all Hip-Hop.



Spice-1's list: Tupac, MC Ren, Ice Cube, KRS-One and Rakim. Watch the video for Spice-1 explanation.

AllHipHop ChartWatch: Sade Stay On Top, Lil Wayne & BEP Stay Top 10

ChartWatch for February 24, 2010



After 10 years without releasing a new album, Helen Folasade Adu managed to claim the number one spot. The Nigerian born, British songstress better known as Sade continues to hold the top spot selling 191,000 copies of her sixth studio album Soldier of Love.

The Black Eyed Peas jump from eight to three by moving another 66,000 copies of their latest offering The E.N.D.

They are followed by Lil Wayne’s rock album which remains in the 10 ten since its debut three weeks ago. Rebirth moves 59,000 copies and grabs the number five spot.

Lil Wayne also has some good news when we look beyond the top ten. The YoungMoney CEO’s compilation album, We Are Young Money, moves up eighteen spots to 21 selling 20,000 copies this week.

Jay-Z also moves up the charts from his position at forty-four last week. The Blueprint 3 holds the 31st position this week selling 16,000 copies.

The next two artists haven’t been in the top fifty for the last few weeks but it looks like their fans have given them a much needed boost. First up is Gucci Mane’s latest offering, The State vs. Radric Davis, which moves another 14,700 copies and helps the Atlanta rapper claim the 39th spot.

Finally, Marshall Mathers a.k.a Eminem enters back onto the top fifty and claims the number 45 spot. The Detroit MC’s chart topping album, The Relapse, moves another 13,700 this week.

Dropping This Week

First up is 1/3 of the Hip Hop trio Dilated Peoples, DJ Babu, who is releasing the second edition in his Beat Tape series. The Beat Tape, Vol 2 is Babu’s eighth album and those not familiar with him as a solo artist should definitely take a look at his previous works or YouTube some of his DJ work.

I don’t know too much about this next artist but she’s being released by Stones Throw Records so she might be worth a listen or two. Georgia Anne Muldrow has worked with Erykah Badu, Madlib, Mos Def, and this week drops her latest album SomeOthaShip.

Keeping in the same vein as Georgia we have another Stones Throw artist. Madlib drops Medicine Show No. 2: Flight To Brazil. This is another album that I don’t know much about but it’s from Madlib and Stones Throw so it’s one you should definitely pick up.

Finally Planet Asia & Gold Chain Military release Chain of Command. I’m off my game because I don’t know much about this album either. Someone let me know about some of these underground albums if you’ve heard them.

That’s it for this week. We’ll see what charts next week.

AllHipHop ChartWatch: Sade Wins, Wayne Hangs On, Freeway Emerges!

 ChartWatch for February 17, 2010

It’s February 2010 and we’re back with ChartWatch.  Know I know we usually only talk about Hip Hop here but my favorite artists just hit number one this week so I’m making an exception (plus not too much is going on this week so why not show some love to R&B in the Hip Hop charts column?).  Sade’s Soldier of Love comes in at number one selling 481,000 copies.  (Flip over to album reviews if you want to see our take on her latest offering.)  Not bad for an someone that hasn’t released an album since 2000.

Leading the way for Hip-Hop is Lil Wayne with his rock experiment Rebirth.  The Crescent City MC sells another 83,000 copies and drops two spots to number four.

Rounding out the top ten is The Black Eyed Peas album The E.N.D.  This album really refuses to die and moves another 65,000 copies helping The Peas grab the number eight spot.  If you really want to get technical the only Hip Hop in the top ten is the Black Eyed Peas which is kind of sad.

There are only two albums representing Hip Hop as we move from the top ten into the top fifty.  The first is from Lil Wayne’s Young Money.  We Are Young Money sells 19,000 copies and dips down to the 39^th spot.  They are followed by Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3 which sells 17,000 copies this week but also takes a drop moving from twenty-seven to forty-four.

 

Dropping This Week

 

We have a few albums coming up this week.  First, if you liked the The Freelapse mixtape (which is available for free in Music Reviews) then you may want to pick up Freeway’s collaboration with Jake One titled The Stimulus Package.  The album features Beanie Sigel, Raekwon, Young Chris, Birdman, Bun B, LaToyia Williams, Omilio Sparks, and Mr. Porter.

Next up is Return of the Wu, an album composed of older songs as well as unreleased material mixed by Wu Tang affiliate DJ Mathematics.  It’s not a new Wu Tang album but it may hold fans over until the group comes out with a new one (if they ever come out with a new one.)

I didn’t even think this next artist was still doing stuff but apparently I was wrong. Tone Loc (that’s right “Funky Cold Medina” and “Wild Thing.” THAT Tone Loc) drops Tone Loc T.V. 2 featuring Bavgate, Guce, Goldtoes, Jimmy Roses, Boss Hogg, Mac Mall, Freddy Chingaz, Napalm & Eruption, Beeda Weeda, Berner, and Stuntman.

That’s it for the week.  We’ll see if any Hip Hop is on the charts next week.

EXCLUSIVE: Download Freeways "Freelapse" Mixtape!

Freeway is back and the Philly Freezer has the remedy for your sickness.

He presents his latest masterwork, Freelapse, a collaborative effort with DJ Wonder. The mixtape opus has Freeway spittn’ over beats originally heard on Eminem’s previous albums. Of course, upon first listen it is clear that Freeway takes whatever he raps over and makes it his own.

If you want to get your hands on a physical copy of the Freelapse mix tape pre-order The Stimulus Package from Fifth Element now! Not only will you recieve the brand new record from Freeway & Jake One and the physical copy of Freelapse but you'll also be entered in a drawing to win one of five crisp $100 dollar bills to stuff in your new wallet. Just think of it as your own personal stimulus package. We're also throwing in a Fifth Element Stimulus Check signed by the wordsmith and beatmaker themselves, good for 15% off any future purchase at Fifth Element and last but not least a physical copy of The Beat Made Me Do It which was released digitally last December and features production by Jake One and is hosted by Don Cannon. Cop it today before this offer disappears for good! Pre-Order Now!

So, download this mixtape for free and enjoy!



Front cover.



Back cover.



And check out The Stimulus Package CD packaging!

Snoop Dogg: The G Classics Come to Atlanta (Concert Review)

What the last 18 years have shown us is that Snoop Dogg is one of the most enduring artists in Hip-Hop. Through 10 solo albums, he’s maintained a crossover appeal even when not straying too far from his G-Funk roots. That trait has allowed him to transcend the regional confinements that hold back many talented West Coast emcees, but still remain an ambassador for the area.  For the first time in several years, Snoop made a rare stop in Atlanta last night (February 10) courtesy of Rival Entertainment, bringing down the house as part of his Malice N Wonderland tour.

Despite it being a Wednesday evening, the crowd’s energy was electric the entire night. It was hard not to be, as Snoop wisely revolved his set around his classic work. A bombastic operatic intro preceded him before music he hit the stage and immediately launched into “Tha Next Episode.” Dressed in all blue, creased jeans, and a style-out jeweled incrusted mic, Snoop was all business with Tha Dogg Pound and Soopafly joining him once the bass hit for “Tha Shiznit.”

 

 

 

Even though the beef with Luke has long been squashed, the Doggfather had no qualms about reciting the original lyrics which harshly ridiculed Death Row’s early Miami rival.

 (“I’m fin’ to f**k a b***h, what's her name it's Luke/You tried to see me, on the TV, yous a B.G./D-O-double-G, yes I'm a O.G./You can't see my homey Dr. Dre/So what the f**k a n***a like you gotta say?/Gotta take a trip to the MIA And serve your ass with a motherfuckin’ AK” )

There were many critics at the time of Snoop’s defection to No Limit, but the Long Beach native’s brief foray down South did yield some good music.  C-Murder's “Down 4 n***as” is the quintessential club-clearing record. In this case it was a perfect beatdown theme, resulting in a fan (deserving or not) getting stomped out right as the song began. This was a seasoned Hip-Hop crowd composed of dozens of ethnic groups and ages’ ranging from 18 to the mid 60s, so the stomp out was viewed as an opportunity to bop closer to the front.

When legends perform, one of the best experiences is realizing just how many hits and memorable Hip-Hop tracks they have. Kurupt chimed in his verses from “Let’s Get High” and “We Can Freak It” before Atlanta was treated to a slew of consecutive classics in “Deep Cover,” “Nuthin’ But a G Thang,” and “b***h Please.”

 

 

It’s common knowledge that Snoop is well-versed in the history of Funk and Soul music. He gave an easy pop quiz on the lyrics to Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing,” and acknowledged Cameo frontman Larry Blackmon’s appearance. This was all a sedway into his own crooning track for the ladies in “Sexual Seduction,” and his verse on Akon’s “I Wanna f**k You.”

Say what you will about Snoop’s “role” in the shameful 90s East-West beef (Source Awards Incident, “New York, New York” video), but you can never accuse him of not knowing the East Coast roots of Hip-Hop, and honoring the pioneers. In fact, Snoop probably knows more than many of East Coast peers, as seen in the fact he’s consistently sampled or covered those seminal tracks throughout his career (Grandmaster Flash’s “New York, New York,” KRS-One’s “Love’s Gonna Get Cha,” Slick Rick’s “La Di Da Di”). For this show, he acknowledged House of Pain for “Jump Around” before smoothing out the show with the Laid Back-sampling “Drop It Like It’s Hot.”

The night ended with Snoop Dogg giving a heartfelt appreciation to all his fans for the years of support before performing his latest single, “I Wanna Rock.”

Throughout all the beef, label drama, and trend changes, Snoop Dogg has continued to thrive in the unpredictable machine that is the music industry. Don’t be surprised if 30 years from now, he’s still rocking the stage like many of the Funk and Soul legends that inspired him.

 

Snoop Dogg-"Jump Around" "Drop It Like It's Hot"

 

 

Snoop Dogg- "4 My n***as"

 

 

Snoop Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound-"Ain't No Fun"

 

AllHipHop Chartwatch: Hip-Hop Sales, Slow-N-Steady, Canibus Returns

ChartWatch for February 10, 2009

It’s the week after The Grammy’s (a.k.a Taylor Swift’s prom) so expect a couple of sales jumps as the people that live in caves flip on their TV’s and say “Hey, I like the Black Eyed Peas.  I’m gonna buy their new album.”  (If you’re new here, know this one thing…I don’t like the Black Eyed Peas.)  It’s also a few days after the New Orleans Saints became Super Bowl champs (Who Dat?!) and few days before the All Star game & Valentine’s day.  In other words, people have a few things to celebrate.  I’ve been feeling pretty good…and then it happened.  The numbers came in.

After over a year longs worth of delays, an early accidental release by Amazon, heavy bootlegging, and an almost universal thumbs down from various critics, Lil Wayne’s Rebirth hit stores last week and managed to sell…wait for it…no, that can’t be right…really?....that much?....173,821 copies.  That’s right, Lil Wayne’s “rock” album sold 173,821.  The New Orleans MC managed to grab the number two spot this week which, coupled with his jail term delay, is some pretty good news for CashMoney records.  I, for one, never (ever, ever, ever) expected a Lil Wayne rock album to come out let alone sell somewhat decently.  I’m cool with Wayne the rapper, but as someone that actually listens to rock music, I never thought…well nevermind.  So be honest with me…ya’ll really like the album?  Really?  Now, even though I’m hating, this album has managed to sell against all odds so I can congratulate Wayne and CashMoney on their business sense.  But their music sense…ummmmm……moving on.

 Like I said earlier expect a few sales jumps.  The Black Eyed Peas move up from the 10 spot to number five by selling 70,000 copies of their Hip-Pop album The E.N.D.  At this point I am convinced that everyone in America has this album.

Jay-Z also takes a bump, moving up 10 places to the 27 spot and selling 20,306 copies of his latest album, The Blueprint 3.  He is followed by CashMoney’s, We Are Young Money, which sells another 19,956 copies and takes the number twenty eight spot.

Eminem holds the 30 first spot, selling 19,031 copies of Relapse.  Hey Em, I know it’s a short turn-around but we’re waiting on that Relapse 2 so get that out. Last up we have Gucci Mane whose latest album, The State vs. Radric Davis
sells 13,848 copies and grabs the number 45 spot

I’m late on this but if you get a chance check out Wendy Day’s AllHipHop article about 360 deals.  It’s an interesting read for those of you that like to look at the charts and album sales (along with those that plan on entering this industry.  Word of advice.  Sadly, If you want to make it big as a rapper in today’s music industry you need to get a guitar, an autotune machine, and a Fergie).

 

Dropping This Week

 

The first artist on “dropping” has spit one of (in my opinion) the greatest verses in Hip Hop.  As a matter of fact when this site put up a list of the “20 Dopest Verses Ever” I went combing through the page to make sure it was there.  Canibus’ closing bars on the Lost Boyz – Love, Peace, and Happiness made me break the rewind button on my tape player.  As a matter of fact it’s probably the only song I remember off of that album.  Now, since that time Canibus’ career has been, for lack of a better word, unfulfilled.  Since dropping his debut album the MC has dissed LL Cool J (he lost...I still think he won but the world says he lost), thrown barbs at Eminem (ignored for the most part but there’s more on that later), became part of the rap supergroup, The HRSMN, (still waiting on that album) and enlisted in the military to “get away from music.”  Since 1998 Canibus has managed to release eight solo discs and a couple of compilation albums which have all mostly received mixed reviews.  Now the Jamacian MC returns two years after his last album, For Whom The Bell Tolls, to release Melatonin Magik.  The main news that’s coming out about this latest disc is that Canibus has another diss song for Marshall Mathers.  So just like Eminem continues to diss Mariah Carey and no one cares, Canibus continues to diss Eminem…and no one cares.  Hopefully this album, like his most recent offerings, will fare better in the eyes of fans and critics.

Next up is DJ Kay Slay with his latest compilation More Than Just A DJ.  Now we all know that the DJ album is just a collection of the best people the DJ can find.  The more connected the DJ the more high profile the artists.  Here the Drama King takes time out of slapping your favorite DJ to get a few Hip Hop notables (and not so notables) together.  The album features Busta Rhymes, Tony Yayo, Papoose, Lloyd Banks, Jim Jones, Rell, Jacki-O, Remy Ma, Hedonis, Ayanna Irish, (pause to take breath) Yo Gotti, Ray J,  Cam'ron, Vado, Bun B, Twista, Papoose, Dorrough, Young Chris and  Jay Rock.  People, those are just the featured artist on the first six songs of a 20 song album.  Kay Slay is not playing around.  Google the album if you want to see the rest because that’s a lot of artists.  Kay Slay.  More Than Just A DJ.  Pick it up.

 Last up is Kansas City’s The Deep Thinkers with their fourth full length album Make It Quake.  The duo is composed of MC Aaron Sutton and DJ Kyle Dykes.  This is a group that focuses on a variety of social issues with a backdrop of 70’s soul samples.  If you want to know more about the group then check out their innate sounds website, or go out there and pick up the new album.  Plus it’s got one of those nice looking album covers that I like.

That’s it for “Dropping” so see you next week.

TOP 5 WACKEST DEAD OR ALIVE: illseed

I know many of you are like me in some ways.

You love Hip-Hop and yet you are sick of these wack a** rappers!

Honestly, they are everywhere! I don't know about you, but I have had to live with roaches in my lifetime and these wack rappers are the new roach! They just won't go away no matter what you do. You spray the Raid and they eventually are immune to the bug spray.

What is even worse is the people get used to living with the roaches and accept them in their homes instead of trying to do away with them. Sucks to love Hip-Hop these days, eh?

But if you love this culture the way we do, you are forced to work it out - til death do us part! That's why we are here, right?

Anyway, I thought I'd have a lil' fun at the expense of rappers that we deem wack. Now, I have to allow you, the people, to speak for me. Because, I am unable to partake in the festivities. (I would get fired or killed!) However, I would like you to craft your own Top 5 Wackest Dead or Alive list and post them below in the comments section. Obviously, we want to be fair to the dead, since they are unable to defend their gate.

To be clear, this is not to specify a particular type of rapper or region, because wackness lives and resides everywhere. It can stand on any block and be safe...until now!

If you want, you can "tweet me" at twitter.com/illseed and also let me know that way.

Top 5 Wackest Dead or Alive

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