Las Supper - Back to the Future

I kept seeing the Big Daddy Kane Facebook and Twitter pages talking about he has a new album coming out (it's hard to tell if it's really him typing or his publicist). But none of the rap internets were talking about it and even when I used teh Googles nothing would come up. Eventually I figured out that it was a group project going under the moniker Las Supper.

This isn't really a Big Daddy Kane album. It's a throwback soul band that happens to include a legendary emcee in its ranks. There's only one song that would qualify as a rap song. For that reason if you're the type of person who hates r&b singing you'll hate this. It'll take more than one listen for me to form an opinion. I like Kane's rhymes/delivery on here better than some of the random appearances he made in the first decade of the 2000's. But yeah, it's going to take me a second to process this album.

Best song: Last Chance

J Cole - Truly Yours

I didn't really like J Cole's album. It probably wasn't even his fault. I felt like the machine was trying to force him on us as the latest in a long line of new rappers who are going to save hip hop from itself. Whenever I sense that I get real cynical about said artist. I'm going to give J Cole another chance though.

This is a free download J Cole through out there. It's 5 songs that aren't going to make the album. They're all story rhymes or (somewhat) introspective songs. I'm normally a sucker for that sort of thing but I've been listening to a lot of Rodriguez and Phil Ochs lately. Not many rappers can compete. I have a ton of other albums to listen to so this probably won't get anymore burn with me but if you're already a J Cole fan I can't imagine that you'd have anything to complain about.

Best song: Crunch Time

Unavailable on Spotify, download from J Cole's blog.

Father Jah - Manuscripture of the Father as Inspired By D.R.U.G.S. (Dope Real Under Ground Sh*t)

I'm a big Father Jah fan. I really don't understand why he's not more popular. Probably the whole being from and operating out of Louisville thing (no shots, I love the city). On this album he's teaming up with a producer named Drugs Beats. Drugs Beats has done work for the likes of 50 Cent and Killer Mike.

A lot of the beats on here utilize samples that are super chopped up. I'm not the biggest fan of that style. Sometimes it works (When I'm Gone, Baby, Lovin My Life) other times it doesn't (the Flashlight and Message samples). The more traditional style beats on the album are really strong though. I wish there were more of them. I guess if that's the worst thing I can say about the album then that means it's still pretty good, right? For what it's worth I'm going to cop a physical copy even though Father Jah sent me the mp3's for free.

Best song: Get In Line

Joe Budden - No Love Lost

I am tough on Joe Budden. Unfairly so. He's my friends favorite rapper and even though I have a high level of respect for Joey's skills it is hard for me to wrap my head around him being someones all time favorite. That makes it hard for me to give a completely fair critique.

My first impression is that considering Joe is on one of those god awful reality tv shows right now this was a great body of work to put out. I don't think I'll be listening to this much though. It doesn't do much to appeal to my rappity rap sensibilities. I haven't heard solo Joe Budden in awhile so for all I know this is his new direction but to me it feels like he intentionally made this album to appeal to his inevitable influx of new fans from his tv show, not core rap fans. There's not anything wrong with it, it just doesn't match the zone I'm in right now.

Best song: Top of The World

Cuzzo D - Bad At Rap (Mixtape)

A whole mixtape of bad rap? Yes please! I used to always sneak a horrible song into the mix on my old tapes so this is right up my alley.

I can't believe how many of these songs I'd never heard before! I suppose I should be thankful? A lot of the songs lean more towards being corny than flat out bad. I mean, at least most of this stuff rhymes & the verses/hooks are in the right places. Unlike some of the music that has been passed to me at shows. I don't recall any actual mixing going on but the transitions are tight and sometimes pretty funny.

Best (worst) song: Chocolate Strawberry by Darryl Strawberry

Unavailable on Spotify, download or stream from badatrap.com

Ras Kass Barmaggedon

Somewhere down the line I stopped checking for Ras Kass. I was just looking at his discography on Wikipedia & there's a lot of titles I don't remember.

My initial impression is that Ras is following the old formula for making a rap album; make a record for everyone. There's the "club record," the "west cost record," the "real hip hop record," etc. I think veterans shouldn't fall into that trap but perhaps this truly is the music that represents him at this period of time. If so, who am I to judge? If you're a Ras Kass fan you'll find something you'll like.

Best Song: Sushi

$10 download from Bandcamp.