Got 'em runnin' scared, tryna catch up/57 Heinz Gregory the dance legend/make music I'm steppin' out at a major event/best dressed in attendance and I never left the house

The Big Easy-turned-Big Apple rapper is no newcomer, already having been signed with both classic NOLA labels, No Limit and Young Money/Cash Money Records.  I first heard him sounding a lot like Lil' Wayne on the 2006 track "Where Da Cash At," a rather uninspired ode to pimpin'. 

That was obviously an ill fit.  After he and Weezy went their separate ways, he hustled on his own until he and former Roc-A-Fella Damon Dash started hanging out.  Curren$y so roused him, Dame decided to resurrect the label and make "Pilot Talk," Curren$y's third studio album, its first release. Though Curren$y added the dollar sign to his moniker, he's now much more interested in gettin' high than runnin', uh, honeys.  

His "This Ain't No Mixtape" was easily one of the best, and out West, most slept-on, rap releases of 2009. Playing with a "J.E.T.S.ons" theme (yes, a lifestyle mantra, "Just Enjoy This Shit"; yes, a riff on the cartoon; yes, I told you he likes the green), the album's production is spacey, breezy, and even a little jazzy.  Pack Curren$y "The Hot Spitta's" easy southern drawl in, and "This Ain't No Mixtape" was so sticky hipsters and 'heads alike had trouble removing it from their iPods.  

The Don Cannon-produced mixtape, "Smokee Robinson," dropped on the eve of the Saints' Super Bowl win and was downloaded 96,000 times in 14 hours. That portends well for the almost-completely Ski Beatz-produced "Pilot Talk" (Monsta Beatz and Nesby Phips contribute two minor-key, other-worldly beats for Spitta to snap on), a dreamy trip whose cloudy haze is cleared by Curren$y's easy lyrical flips.  

And those Creative Control videos just keep comin', and comin' clean.  

Follow Spitta's hilarious similes/metaphors on Twitter until "Pilot Talk" is released July 13th. It's Chex Cereal, indeed.

If intially judged off of this mixtape alone one would have to determine Stevie Crooks to be mid 90's Rap music throwback of rare proportions. Not to seem as though there's a sub-genre of said rappers, but with his decidely raw, jazzy beat selection and rhyme style how could you argue the idea. Though sometimes over-styled, his rap persona fits seemlessly to classic instrumentals such as Luchini by Camp Lo (one of my personal favorites) and Shook Ones by Mobb Deep. And enough cannot be made of the bravery it takes to tackle any track from Illmatic let alone It Ain't Hard to Tell and The World is Yours. In addition to having an obvious admiration for the past he shows signs of creative songwriting. The chorus writing and post-production need a little tidying up but just the passion more than makes up for it. If graded:

Lyrics: 8.5

Flow/Rhyme scheme - 9

Style - 8.5

Beat selection - 10(based on the context of the mixtape)

Listenability - 8

Overall = A

This gem of a throwback mixtape is a definite fix for all you Hip Hop junkies out there.

Diz Gibran - Soon You'll Understand Review

Precise lyrical timing and mature rap bravado make Diz Gibran the perfect combination between a 90's MC and new millenium business savvy rapper. With Soon You'll Understand, solely produced by one of the best (albeit relatively unknown) producers, Moonshine, he's put forth what is to date the most lush sounding polished mixtape/ street album I've heard. The mixtape is promotionally backed by the clothing line Crooks & Castles and has garnered an abundance of respect throughout the streets. Diz's flow and timing are virtually immpecable and even where he doesn't seem to posess much range his consitency still captivates. Probably the most noticeable downfall, which likely has more to do with the purpose of the mixtape than skill, was the absence of a viable, uptempo, "radio-friendly" song. Something not necessary but welcomed. And if thats the only "flaw"... I'd say he's doing pretty well. From the dark ominous sound of songs like Run Around which features Moonshine on the chorus, and the classy, late 60's Standards sound in songs like Exactly, to the exotic vivid tones of Calypso Flow, and the powerful dramatic blare of tracks like Truly Yours featuring BJ The Chicago Kid, this mixtape is very close to a street masterpiece. Graded:

Lyrics: 10

Flow/Rhyme scheme - 9

Style - 10

Beat selection - 10

Listenability - 9

Overall = A +

Soon You'll Understand is a definite can't miss mixtape for casual listeners and rap-heads alike.