stefanoneder Album, Recommendations

Black El x Durkin – Color Commentary

Artist: Black El & Durkin

Album: Color Commentary

Producer: Durkin

Guests: Outasight, Jon Hope, Jelani

Best Tracks: Dead Poet Society, Go!,  Sunday Drive

Recommendation: Must Have

Thoughts: Color Commentary sneaks upon the listener.  I didn’t know much about the emcee or the producer but upon track three, I began to realize that a dope record was being achieved.

Consistency is the cornerstone to a great hip hop album and I have to say that each song on, Color Commentary more than holds it’s own weight individually.  Collectively, however, this album is something remarkable.  Durkin’s production talents on the album harken back to that boom bap flavor that so many of us enjoy but rarely hear.  Black El uses Durkin’s talents to the fullest extent. His high energy vocals and above average flow and wordplay kept me engage from track one to track ten.  There was no let down.  The two proved to be a perfect combination on Color Commentary.

This album is banger after banger.  It simply is a pleasure to listen to.  The sound is dope through out but the content certainly is varied.  Pride, for  instance opens up the listener to not just one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but also the confidence that Black El has developed over his years.  He speaks on the situations that have arisen in his life and his ability to step up to the plate and hold onto his pride.

Sunday Drive is the perfect cut to ride to.  The beat for this joint is my favorite on the album.  Black El speaks on the 9 to 5 grind and the ability to escape from time to time in your ride.   The track had me slowing down my speed, rolling the window down, and just chilling.  It’s a very therapeutic joint and a definite head nodder.

Arguably the hardest joint on the album is the posse cut, Dead Poet Society.  The track features Jelani and Jon Hope.  Each of these talented emcees drop solid verses and Durkin laces us with the darkest production on the album.  That production is a little different than you will find on other tracks.  While the rest of the album is that throwback boom bap, Dead Poet Society is more contemporary and is driven more by the keyboard than the hi-hats and snares.   This really makes this track stand out for the better.  Lyrically this track is one of the more superior joints.

I feel that this album is one of the more fun listens of 2010.  I could enjoy the album track for track and not have to worry about the fast forward button at all.  Give Color Commentary a chance and enjoy for yourself.  (Stream/Download below)


stefanoneder Recommendations

Wrekonize: A Soiree For Skeptics

Artist: Wrekonize

Album: A Soiree For Skeptics

Guests: Bernz, Co$$, Snave Nayr

Production: Wrekonize, Miami Beat Wave, Stro, DJ Sharpsound, Plex Luthor, Erik L, Tzarizm, Rudi Goblen

Best Tracks: One Foot In The Grave, Let Go, Winding Road, Children’s Games, Fugitive

Recommendation: Must Have

Note: I can’t front. I can’t even hide the fact that I am in love with the music on A Soiree For Skeptics. Everything screams, ‘classic’ about this album.

Wrekonize is a unique talent. His soul and his passion for music just shine thru. But so much to making good music is more than just having talent. There are a lot of emcees that can flow and have amazing lyrics but what Wrekonize can do where others have fallen short is making a GREAT song. As a matter of fact he made at least sixteen of them on this release.

A hook can ruin a song and rarely can it contribute, or so I thought. Wrekonize turns that theory on it’s head. His ability to melodically do his own choruses enhances every track. He has a soulful vibe that should resonate with every listener. His lyrical parlay is equally as impressive. He has a mastery of the English language. His lines aren’t merely littered with metaphors and similes, they are laced with complex rhyme schemes, filled with idea and purpose, and flow effortlessly. His thoughts drift from the state of the ‘new’ hip hop artist on Winding Road to his perception of war on Children’s Games.  His horizons are indeed broad as you listen to the album from start to finish.

The production is equally incredible.  The album has the bangers (One Foot In the Grave) which will have your head nodding as well as cuts that make you feel like you are in an old smoke filled jazz club (Let Go).  The one constant throughout in terms of production is that is all dope and fit Wrekonize like a glove.

Wrekonize is not a one trick pony and and A Soiree For Skeptics will demand your attention more than once. It has been in steady rotation here since Tuesday. This album will have staying power as long as you give it a chance. I promise you will not regret your time. Classic material in a day and age where that really means something.

stefanoneder Mixtapes, Recommendations

Various Artists: Refined Hype 1st Anniversary Edition

RefinedHype: 1 Year Anniversary Edition Mixtape CoverArtist: Various Artists

Album: Refined Hype 1 Year Anniverrsay Edition

Guests: Marion Write, Radio Ramone, Wordsmith, Harmony Muzik, Jason James, Concise Kilgore, Mike Schpitz, King Mez, Rapsody & Sundown, 810, The Black Sunn, K. Sparks, Fresh Cut Collective, Dominique Larue, K-Beta, Sketch, Quantum Suicide, M-Dot, EMS

Producers: Certified, Mydus, MizfitSoundz, IlL Meel, Gajos

Best Tracks: Monster Music, Out Of My Mind, One Thing, Never Over

Recommendation:  Highly Recommend

Note:  This is arguably one of the best compilations this year.  So many compilations and mixtapes get released from the blogs/websites that it gets hard to distinguish one from the other.  I think that Refined Hype did a great job with it’s selection of emcees.  There was a number of strong joints on the album and nothing that I could even call average. It seemed that everyone who appeared, made a mark.

Monster Music was the show stopper in my mind.  The beat was remarkable with it’s intensity and the emcees were brutal (in a good way) with their wordplay.   Wordsmith definitely impressed me with his bars on Out Of My Mind.  His delivery seems way ahead of the pack.  His ability to flip verses just seems so fluid.  There really is so much to like with this mixtape.  You will have your choice of dope cuts to listen to and you can run through the whole thing without a skip.

stefanoneder Recommendations

Fel Sweetenberg – The Sophomore Jinx

Artist: Fel Sweetenberg

Album: The Sophmore Jinx

Guests: Aul Purpis, Dave Ghetto, Baby Blak, Ethel Cee, Tanzania Lateef

Production: Fel Sweetenberg

Best Tracks:  Look Into The Eyes Of Fel, Save Ya Life, Code Of Silence, Skyz Fallin

Recommendation: Must Have

Note:  When mentioning the best tracks, I should really just mention every song from the album.  They are all that good.  I was wondering why it was taking so long for him to get his sophomore album released, but in listening to the final product that no longer matters.  What you get from The Sophomore Jinx is a complete album in every facet.   Everything from the production to the lyrics seems flawless to me.  This is an album that hip hop purists crave.   The album is very polished in terms of it’s mixing and mastering.  It harkens back to the mid 1990s in it’s content but with elevated lyricism and wordplay.   There is nothing not to like in this album.  If you love hip hop then you simply must cop this.  No excuses, because this may be a release people start using the word “classic” to describe a few years from now.

stefanoneder Recommendations

Roc C – Scapegoat

Artist: Roc C

Album: Scapegoat

Features: Lyric James, Illa J, Oh No, Chino XL, Prime One, Chali 2na, Fredro Starr, Glasses Malone

Production: Valentino, DJ Khalil, Oh No, Evidence, Mr. Porter, 3AM, Slopfunkdust, Imakemadbeats, The Alchemist, DJ Romes

Best Tracks: Stay On My Grind, Hustle 101, I’m Ready, OX

Recommendation:  Take It Or Leave It

Note:  There are some hot tracks on here but there are some definite ‘ho-hum’ tracks as well.  It is a decent album, don’t get me wrong, but I didn’t think there was anything groundbreaking taking place.  The production tends to be a bit stale at times as do some of the rhymes.  It’s decent but I don’t see this one getting a ton of replay value.

If I am in the mood I will definitely play some Roc C in spots but a whole album ( I own all three by the way.)  seems a little redundant.   His voice was destined for rhyming, however the flow seems very deliberate and the rhyme schemes seem overly simplistic when you compare him to a Planet Asia for instance.   He has the street bravado but the skill level is not in same class.  On tracks like Stay On My Grind and Hustle 101, Roc C goes hard.  The upbeat temp really suits him.  There’s just not enough of that throughout the album.   If you like Roc C and have dug his past work then you will probably like this album as well.   If you are unfamiliar make sure your stream the album.


stefanoneder EP, Recommendations

Koncept – Playing Life EP

Artist: Koncept

Album: Playing Life

Guests: Sene, Silent Knight

Production: The Audible Doctor, J57, Maticulous, DJ Brace, DJ Dyllemma

Best Tracks: Keeping On, First Time, Old Man Winters

Recommendation:  Highly Recommend

Note:  The BBAS has never given you reason to doubt the skill that lies within.  Koncept’s release is no different. Playing Life is short and excellent.  I always was impressed by Soul Khan from BBAS but this EP gave me an opportunity to really see what his compadre Koncept could do on the microphone.  He does not disappoint.  He is not a punchline rapper but rather relies on a great flow and emotion to rock a track.  When you listen to him you really feel the music.

The production is also incredibly solid.   Ever since I heard the Undeniable Remix by The Audible Doctor I was an instant fan.  He laces three tracks for the EP and all of them are on point.  He has great command of his production.  It just seems so effortless.  But the banger on the album has to be Keeping On which was laced by maticulous.  The song just knocks.

In conclusion,  I feel that this EP deserves a spot on your Ipod.  It’s just too nice not too.  While to call it an “instant classic” is a reach, it still differentiates itself from the rest of the pack to make it one of the better releases in 2010.

stefanoneder Recommendations, Video

Gotham Green: Haze Diaries Vol. 3

Artist:  Gotham Green & DJ Quickie Mart

Album: Haze Diaries Vol. 3

Features: El Prez, Planet Asia, Freddie Gibbs, Jes Hudak, Icon The Mic King,  Malkovich, Jackie Tohn, Tunji

Production: DJ Quickie Mart, Josh The Goon

Favorites:  Tell Me Something, Smoke For The Ladies, The Five Families, Dirty Filthy Liar

Recommendation: Highly Recommend

Notes:  If you are not familiar with Gotham Green and DJ Quickie Mart then this is a perfect opportunity for you to do so.  Haze Diaries Vol. 3 features a full range of production, dope flows, and a good assortment of guest shots throughout.  Gotham Green continues to show his competency when he is confronted with a microphone.  He simply slays his verses.  The female vocalist, Jes Hudak, is also very noteworthy.  I rarely give credit when it comes to the vocalists on releases but she really makes the songs so much better when she comes on over the chorus.  I think in all there was one song I might skip over but that should not detract from the overall quality of the project.

stefanoneder Recommendations, Video

Kali – The Cali Kali EP

– Artist: Kali

–  Album:  The Cali Kali EP

–  Guest Shots:  Termanology, C-Scharp, Glasses Malone, Mistah Fab

–  Producers: Statik Selektah, Cinema, Blaze P

–  Recommendation:  Highly Recommended

–  Stand Out Tracks:   Rock Starr, Mister Misunderstood

–  Notes:  I have listened to Kali for a while now.  Just picking up this and that mixtape and let me tell you I was not prepared for how good this was.  It is eight tracks in length and each track holds it’s own.   There is nothing that is skippable.  I think you need to have this in your collection.