stefanoneder Album Reviews

Critical – Quarantine (2012)

Artist: Critical

Album: Quarantine

Source: Creative Juices Music

Tracklisting:

1. Wreckage
2. Glidin’ (ft. Tzarizm)
3. Time Flies
4. A Vibe Called Stress (ft. Tzarizm)
5. Menace To Sobriety (ft. Madness)
6. The Difference

Note:

More than not, talented hip hop acts get buried under the bulk of “hip hop” music getting made these days.  Case in point, a guy like Critical, who has been making dope music for years, can fly underneath the radar while other less talented folks (who will remain unmentioned) get all of the shine.  Well, hopefully his most current release, Quarantine, will change all of that.

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stefanoneder Album Reviews, EP

Illogic and Blockhead – Preparing For Capture (2012)

Artist: Illogic and Blockhead

Album: Preparing For Capture

Tracklisting:

1. Matter Of Minutes
2. Poster boy
3. Nails (ft. Rob Sonic)
4. Ego’s Orbit
5. Weigh You Down
6. Caffeine Budge
7. Herstory

Note:

Illogic is a veteran emcee known for expanding on the known bounds of hip hop.  On one hand he is a solid emcee who can spit with the best of them and easily move in and out of different constructs and sub-genres. On the other hand, he is a classic poet. He utilizes poetic structure and devices, such as assonance and alliteration heavily in his rhymes.  He is intellectual and conjures vivid imagery with his wordplay.  He also takes normal, everyday emotions and transcends them into a flurry of words and vice versa. He is truly a one of a kind artist.

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stefanoneder Album Reviews

L*Roneous – Lgorithms (2012)

Artist: L*Roneous

Album: Lgorithms

Source: Artist

Tracklisting:

1. Lgorithms (Intro)
2. Tell A Vision
3. Clear vision
4. Sound Clash
5. Formulated Methods
6. The Get Down
7. Sunrays Midtro
8. 1984
9. The Method
10. The Unusual
11. Feelin’
12. Man’s World
13. Static
14. Dante
15. Black Cloud (Outro)

Note:

L*Roneous is back at it again.  That is he is back at twisting the english language for the listener’s amusement or amazement (which ever comes first).  I make no secret about the artists that I like and the reasons that I like them, but L*Roneous appeal should be universal.   It shouldn’t take more than a couple of listens to recognize his immense talent.

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stefanoneder Album Reviews, Mixtapes

M-Dot – Layer Cake (2012)

Artist: M-Dot

Album: Layer Cake

Source: Artist

Tracklisting:

01. Intro
02. B-Sting (Produced By JoniZ)
03. 123 Flow (Produced By Kore)
04. Taggant Ft. Mayhem of EMS (Produced By Confidence & M-Credible) Cuts By DJ Family Tyz & DJ ToneDeff Cutz
05. The Difference (Produced By Soulslicers)
06. You Ain’t Ready Ft. Nutso (Produced By MidiFlash)
07. True Lies (Remix) Ft. Camp Lo & Tribeca (Produced By LP2)
08. Worldwide Ft. Armageddon (Produced By DJ Brans) Cuts By DJ Djaz
09. We Are (Produced By Onederkid)
10. Woke Up Ft. Mayhem of EMS (Produced By DJ LP2)
11. Interlude
12. The Doors Ft. EMS (Rev, Mayhem) & Olivia Pierson (Produced By LX Beats)
13. Unfukwitable (Produced By Sutter Kain)
14. Let it Out (Produced By DJ Connect)
15. El Mariachi Ft. Chaundon, Cymarshall Law & Daily Planet (Produced By Reef Ali) Cuts By DJ Grazzhoppa
16. Nothing To Fool With Ft. Hell Rell of Dipset & JTronius (Produced By FRZ)
17. Heavy Ft. Big Shug & Benefit of EMS (Produced By Norman Cratez) Cuts By DJ Reel Drama
18. Numerical Ft. Rev of EMS (Produced By Misanthropist)
19. Circulate Ft. Dominique Larue & Boycott Blues (Produced By DWill)
20. Wall Flowers (Produced By MidiFlash)
21. Think Twice (Remix) (Intro By DJ Premier) Ft. Av’Rex, Big Shug, Singapore Kane & Krumb Snatcha (Produced By DJ Brans) Cuts By DJ Djaz
22. Xmas Broke Ft. Rev of EMS (Produced By Norman Cratez)
23. Backstabbers (Produced By Gajos)

Note:

Our reigning champ, M-Dot, shot this project over to me many moons ago, while he has been galavanting around Europe on tour with the likes of that group you may have heard of,…Slaughterhouse.  Unfortunately it has taken me this long to get to do a write up on the project.  Really, Layer Cake, is a collection of guest spots, features, and rarities that M-Dot has put out or been a part of in the last 12 months.  While it isn’t an album, there are plenty of dope tracks collected together worth talking about.

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stefanoneder Album Reviews

Donnie Darko – Life Vol. 1

Artist: Donnie Darko

Album: Life Vol. 1

Source: Never So Deep

Tracklisting:

1. The Day After
2. Won’t Stop (ft. Ancient Alienz)
3. D.m.t. (ft. Sutter Kain)
4. Life
5. Appreciation
6. Brutality (ft. Ancient Alienz)
7. Altered Beast

Note:

Emotion and energy epitomize what Never So Deep is all about and there is not better ambassador for NSD then Donnie Darko.  He rhymes with such raw emotion and intensity that you can not help but feel those words he is spitting.  He channels his angst and creates fire over Sutter Kain production.

What can you expect from a Donnie Darko release?   The man is relentless, driven, and brash.  He throws caution to the wind several times throughout Life Vol.1.  He could care less about his detractors.  He’s talented, he knows that, and he’s going to let you know that, time and time again.  You know this from the jump with the track, The Day After.

…they ain’t believe, I’m coming back with a vengeance / New flow, yeah,  I really dare to be different / Shot after shot, no time to be sippin’ / Rap need life, and I’m the heart it’s been missin’ / Listen, it’s a whole new lane, new ball game / Real recognize real and you all lame / You can have the Roset, it ain’t strong enough / I need 1800, I’m going to pour it up

He spits bars of this variety with well paced fury over the hard hitting drums of Sutter Kain’s production throughout the track.

Won’t Stop is another banger in which Darko tandems with his label mates, Ancient Alienz.  This beat feels like vintage Sutter Kain.  The sample is well chosen and polished to perfection and when paired with the horns, it provides the perfect atmosphere for the emcees to shine.  But it’s Darko who sines brightest:

Never said I’m a boss, I’m my own man / Team NSD, I rep my own brand / Ancient Alienz, Jugganot and Osirus / The livest are the weakest, strong moving in silence / So I never talk unless spoken to / Man, I killed the mic and murdered the booth

Probably the most innovative production I have heard in a while comes from the Sutter Kain produced Altered Beast.  It features a sample from the popular video game from the 90s that goes by the same name.  Now, this is something I wouldn’t encourage other producers to do.  You have to be maticulous and on point to pull off something like this or else it could border on corny.  Luckily, Sutter Kain is both of those things.  He refines the sound until all you can here is dopeness.  Darko takes complete advantage of this by taking on all comers with a ‘put your money where your mouth is’ mentality.

Donnie Darko’s Life Vol 1, is not for sensitive ears, nor for the faint of heart.  But neither is any of NSD’s material.  Darko rocks mics with the heart of a champion and complete disregard for those who doubt him. He could care less about the commentary of critics and whatever else is going on in the industry.  He is making music for himself and his peers, intent on breaking down the barriers to success.  Life Vol. 1 is the musical embodiment of that idea.  Middle fingers in the air if you disagree…

stefanoneder Album, Album Reviews

Frank Ramz – Quite Frankly (2012)

Artist: Frank Ramz

Album: Quite Frankly

Source: 2Dopeboyz

Tracklisting:

1. Morning Blackout (prod. by Thelonious Martin)
2. Zone Out (prod. by Alex Goose)
3. Art Imitates Life (prod. by Thelonious Martin)
4. Gold Mine
5. I Be Damned
6. Individuality (prod. by Woody)
7. Kamo Gang (prod. by Blue Sky Black Death)
8. The Success Of Failure
9. Brief Intermission 2.0 (prod. by Woody)
10. Rather Be Alone  (prod. by Woody)
11. S.A.D. (ft. G.P.) (prod. by Blue Sky Black Death)
12. Holy Water & Devil Springs (prod. by Apollo Brown)
13. Time’s Of The Essence (prod. by Bad News Rap Dudes)
14. Backside (prod. by Daffy)
15. A Bronx Tale
16. Still Thinking Sober (prod. by Blue Sky Black Death)

Note:

I am familiar with Frank Ramz, but to be perfectly honest I can’t tell you that I was a big supporter, or that I was up on his skill level.  If I did say that, it would be disenegeous.  He was lost in the pack of my vast iTunes collection, until I heard Quite Frankly.   He made a believer out of me with this release.   Sure he has production from the likes of Blue Sky Black Death and Apollo Brown.  That might draw people to the album, but it’s Frank Ramz who puts on the show.

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stefanoneder Album Reviews, Mixtapes

Swave Sevah – Wordz 2 Live By (2012)

Artist: Swave Sevah

Album: Wordz 2 Live By

Source:  Team Homi

Tracklisting:

1. Words 2 Live By Intro
2. Such A Feelin’
3. I Ain’t The One
4. Stab Wounds
5. Comparing Bars Skit
6. Raise Da Bar
7. On Ya Own Two
8. Down (ft. Probe Rok)
9. Step Aside (ft. Killer Mike)
10. Self Defense
11. Cross Hairs (ft. Team Homi)

Note:

Brutal.  That is how I would describe Swave Sevah’s style.  It’s hard to gauge whether Sevah brings his warrior’s mentality from battling to his music or vice versa. But no one can argue with how dope the end result is.  He obliterates bars for his musical efforts and his opponents.

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stefanoneder Album Reviews, Mixtapes

OnlyOne – Cult Classic (2012)

Artist: OnlyOne

Album: Cult Classic

Source: Sandpeople

Tracklisting:

1. Motion Picture
2. What I’ve got To Say (ft. Theory Hazit)
3. About Where I’m From
4. Scheming (ft. Illmaculate and Epp)
5. Sit Down
6. American Psycho
7. The Nightmare (ft. Onry Ozzborn)
8. Skrillionaire (ft. Illmaculate and Cool Nutz)
9. Follow A Dollar (ft. IAME and Goldini Bagwell)
10. Too Late
11.Open Book
12. Murder
13. Mario Bros.
14. White Republican
15. Zales
16. I Love Chronic
17. G-Shit (ft. JFK)
18. Blood Money

Note:

By now, everyone should know that I feel the music from the Sandpeople.  And while my favorite album from the collective is Goldini Bagwell’s, Chainsmoke, my favorite member is OnlyOne.  I am impressed by the way he puts together his rhymes and controls the pace of each track.  He never seems rushed, no matter the tempo of the song.  He always sounds comfortable rocking the mic.  It’s never complex, but rather unique.

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stefanoneder Album Reviews, Mixtapes

Red Eye – St. Fatrick’s Day (2012)

Artist: Red Eye

Album: St Fatrick’s Day

Source: Artist

Tracklisting:

1.J-Love Intro
2.Fuck B’n Polite (prod by DJ Qvali)
3.Drawn-n-Quartered (ft. Cella Dwellas x L.I.F.E. Long) (prod by Skammadix)
4.Step Aside (prod by DJ Qvali)
5.FigYa4LegLoc (ft. Critical Madness x Bezerk x Amiam x Illustrate x Shinobi Stalin x Tzarizm)
6.Til I Owe Nada (ft. Born Unique x Godilla) (prod by DJ Qvali)
7.7th Inning Stretch (ft. Shabaam Sahdeeq x Punchline x FT aka Fuc That x El Da Sensei x Phantasm x Nine)
8.Oh Baby Now (ft. Blaq Poet) (prod by Nickel Plated)
9.Definition of Apeshit (ft. Infinity Gauntlet x Dov) (prod by Snowgoons)
10.You Ain’t Ready (Remix) (ft. Shabaam Sahdeeq x King Magnetic) (prod by Res Nullius)
11.Never Relate (prod by DJ Qvali)
12.Click Clack (ft. Streets x Ruff) (prod by Thorotracks)
13.Hardcore (ft. Meyhem Lauren x Blaq Poet) (prod by Nickel Plated)
14.One By One (ft. Born Unique) (prod by DJ Qvali)
15.Unfukwitable (ft. Ruste Juxx x Reks x Reef the Lost Cauze x Shabaam Sahdeeq x Sha Stimuli x Nutso x M-Dot x Midaz)

Note:

It gets to a point where I could share every song off this mixtape as a single, but why not offer you guys the full picture of what it’s all about? And at this point I am just going to say it:  This mixtape is top notch.  If you want fifteen tracks that knock speakers with no filler of fru-fru material, St. Fatrick’s Day is the joint you are going to want to own.

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stefanoneder Album Reviews

Devine Carama – Heart Of A King (2012)

Artist: Devine Carama

Album: Heart Of A King

Source:

Tracklisting:

1. The Nicest
2. Fugitive
3. Soul Dead
4. Medicine Man (ft. Marcus McClinton)
5. Something New
6. New Life (ft. Courtney Campbell)
7. Momma Told Me (ft. Courtney Campbell)
8. Purgatory (ft. Courtney Campbell)
9. Midnight Souls
10. Golden Era Flow (ft. Rob Jackson)
11. Brown Sugar (ft. Jalin Roze)
12. My Apologies (ft. Sheisty Kreist x Marcus Wilkerson)
13. My One & Only
14. Knight Rider (Ridin’ City Music)
15. Celebration (ft. D. Page)
16. Hang On To The World
17. Firecrackers and Parachutes

Note:

This review was a long time in coming.  It is one of the most difficult reviews I have ever engaged in due to the albums’ complexities. After all, it’s not every day that you get an album like, Heart Of  A King.

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