I know ya'll been waiting for another Slimscrilla review since I hit you with the Obie Trice review, so I'ma quench ya eyelids with 6 new reviews. So get your Cleareyes ready cause Slimscrilla is back new and improved for the New Year. Enough of the boasts and brags and lets get down to the meat of this: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. Lupe is known throughout the world of hip-hop as a sort of hip-hop nerd, a rapper who skateboards, the AV kid in the anime club who just so happens to have NaS' It Was Written between his Dragon Ball Z and Naruto DVDs. Basically people see him as uncool and not worth listening to (album sales don't say everything but they're far from silent) but this album proves that he is what we need the most in hip-hop a kind of underdog that we only see in movies and bad sitcoms but we love them anyway (Because I'm sick of the only way you can get noticed in the music business is if you served poison to people or have holes in you that weren't there when you were born). A kind of sincere every-man that has conflicts, convictions and contradictions within himself and in the "Intro" of the album it displays this in a spoken word poem about the deterioration of society, followed up by a dedication to his grandmother and his own explanation of the title and why do what he does and why he says what he says. "Real" finds Fiasco on a certain mission to find his purpose and bring it to the world: "Lifffffe.../ain't meant to come around twiiiice/Yeah, that's why I gotta get it right/They said I got it honest now I gotta give it LIFE/But sleep on it, that's why God give you night/I mean, I had a dream that, God gave me FLIGHT/
Too fly for my own good so, God gave me plight/If I wake up in the mornin now I gotta give 'em SIGHT/Make 'em see, break 'em free, ain't a G, sho' you right/". The soul searching continues with "Just Might Be Ok" featuring 1st & 15th label mate Gemini, giving hope through Lupe's thoughtful lines and Gemini's inspirational wail make this easily a favorite on your iPod top playing list. Both Lupe's claim to fame and gift for storytelling are found in the single "Kick, Push", telling the tale of a young guy that finds his love for skateboarding, his girlfriend, and his crew all in a nice 4 minutes and 13 seconds sending his career and a classic song into the mainstream simultaneously. Slimscrilla's personal favorite track "I Gotcha" has Wasulu basically talking about personal hygiene and freshness braggadocio over The Neptunes' quirky, playful piano production: "I take it easy/on my watch I'm watchin TV/Am I clean as Maharshi/see the hare is trying to beat me/I continue to do Lu's pace/They say him got two heads and four eyes just like screwface/But see my secret's safe/it's in my secret safe/That's in my secret room/on my secret base/". Slightly confusing track "The Instrumental" is either about materialism and the obession that comes with it or it could be that "the box" Lupe speaks of is TV and it's influence on what whe buy and how we view ourselves as a result of that. Heartfelt song "He Say, She Say" deals with the growing influences of an absent father (A serious issue and I hope it improves in later years... yep no joke there): "I want you to be a father/I'm your little boy and you don't even bother/Like "brother" without the R/And I'm starting to harbor/Cool on food for thought
But for you I'm a starver/Starting to use red markers on my work/My teacher say they know I'm much smarter/But I'm hurt/I use to hand my homework in first/Like I was the classroom starter/Burst to tears/Let them know he see us/Now I'm fighting in class/Got a note last week that say I might not pass/Kids ask me if my daddy is sick of us/Cause you ain't never pick me up/You see what my problem is?/That I don't know where my poppa is/No positive male role model/To play football and build railroad models/It's making a hole you've been digging it/Cause you ain't been kicking it/Since I was old enough to hold bottles/Wasn't supposed to get introduced to that/I don't deserve to get used to that/Now I ain't asking you for money or to come back to me/Some days it ain't sunny/but it ain't so hard/Just breaks my heart/When my momma try to provide and I tell her 'That ain't your job'/To be a man,/she try to make me understand/That she my number one fan/But its like you born from the stands/You know the world is out to get me,/why don't you give me a chance?/" (Long wasn't it? It had to be mentioned.). Cutesy/player/could this be love?/song "Sunshine" proves that Lupe actually has an interest in women and lays that game down quite flat for the lady of interest to pick up anytime she wants to. 2nd single "Daydreamin" featuring Jill Scott expresses Lupe's disgust and sarcastic feelings toward contemporary rap music and their videos. One of the most conceptually indept songs "The Cool" has the FNF general recounting a memoir of a dead man who wakes up months after him going into the ground and recollecting some of the events up to that point as he passes them: "He begged for some change to get him on the train/"Damn, that **** stank,"/is what they complained/Tried to light the blunt,/but it burst into flames/Caught the reflection in the window of what he became/A long look, wasn't shook, wasn't ashamed/Matter of fact, only thing on his brain was brains/Yeah, and gettin back in his lane,/doin his thang/First he had to find something to slang/Next stop was his block,/it had the same cops/Walked right past the same spot where he was shot/". Yet another dedication starts off "Hurt Me Soul" (although he doesn't dedicate it to anyone in particular, he just says "Ya dig!"...?!?!?) as he seems to treat the album as a psychiatrist while he expresses all his confusion and pain about his relationship with hip-hop and his morals. One of the most anticipated match-ups of 2006 turned out to be another reminder that Jay-Z may have waited too late to come back in the game because it seems like Lupe ate him up on "Pressure" for example: "And so it seems that I'm, sewin jeans/And, 1st and 15 is just a sewin machine/So I, cut the pattern and I, sew in seams/And, button in this hustlin then publically I'm Buddy Lee/There's no bustin them and cuffin them is like
usherin in the regime,/they want me to make Prince pants/But I withstand, I ain't gotten into that/A little B.I.G. in the waist,/2Pac it on the back/Call them Lu-vi's, O.G.'s covered in blue dye/". Lupe turns into Dan Rather as he goes CNN on you heathens (Whattup Bol) with "American Terrorist" that points out our great nation's use of terrorism in the past that still affects us today. (Yes here comes another song excerpt): "It's like,Don't give the black man food,/give red man liquor/Red man fool,/black man ****/Give yellow man tool, make him railroad builder/Also give him pan, make him pull gold from river/Give black man crack, glocks and things/Give red man craps, slot machines/Now bring it back, bring it back, bring it back, bring it back/". "The Emperor's Soundtrack" consists of more thoughtful mumbo-jumbo that you Gucci Mane/Chingy/Mike Jones bumpin, leaning and rocking, chicken noodle soupin' cretins can't understand because your parents never gave you "Paid In Full" or "Illmatic" when you were younger. Now the more solemn Kick, Push II is a sadder story of love that Fiasco spins unlike it's optimistic counterpart and it seems if this guy gets his skateboard taken away he might just commit suicide. This classic story bred in the west side of Chicago comes to an end with the kind of finish that is reminiscent of Kanye West's "The College Dropout" as he rattles off names and names of people that helped him along the way (only people in my city do that, I hope New York don't steal it) and he does it over a superb beat with no liner notes but whoever did it knows who they are and they know that their production was flawless. Food & Liquor is the perfect example in this past year of ignorance and trash across the airwaves that is being pumped into the minds of many young kids and resulting in no since of history or substance and it's sad that such a great album has been over-looked so much. Lupe should get his just due and not because I'm from Chicago also, but because originality is so scarce it's almost extinct. Nerds have been underestimated before, some for good (Fortune 500) some for bad (Columbine) but this nerd is something special, a hybrid if you will, he combines knowledge of self and of hip-hop with intricate lyrics and great songs. One day this nerd shall have his revenge.

In this year of tragic and unfortunate events: getting shot in the back of the head, his cousin and label mate murdered senselessly, and the deterioration of lyrics in modern Hip-Hop in general, "Mr. No Gimmicks" himself is back for another round of heat to keep us buzzed and forget our problems. The intro shows our protaganist as a lazy, misguided, teen in a mean state of angst as his mother does only what she thinks is best: kicking him out the house, leaving a young Obie to fend for himself in the dangerous streets of Detroit. This disturbing quarrel between mother and offspring is followed by the bass-heavy "Wake Up". Led by strong drums, Eminem draws the curtain to reveal Obie standing there telling us tales of his various sights in his life with vivid detail; also cautioning his people to get aware of what's going on. Stemming from his incident on New Years Eve comes the chant-driven and surprisingly morbid but catchy hook of "Violent" finding Trice as a vicious grown man that doesn't feel like taking another bullet to the cranium. The single "Wanna Know" which was made popular by the show "Entourage" displays how well Obie sounds on different types of beats as Emile cooks up a Van Halen sample to ease the struggle of a chorus and to overall sound good. In one line Obie played with the difference between clever and disgusting when he rhymed "But niggas bleed like bitches/ I'm truly believing this/Once a month/they wake up with a Obie tampon/Inserted in they nuts/"(Ewwww). The underrated Detroitee emcee flexes his lyrical dexterity over the quick and rapid "Lay Down", in which like "Violent" presents Obie as man not willing to die until it's his time:"I would never let em give it to me/I gotta live to be a hundred and three/". Then comes the Akon-assisted and produced "Snitch" as Obie doodles a picture of a (what else) snitch, rat, Sammy "The Bull",...Irv Gotti and the way he exacts revenge on his newfound foe and explains his discomfort with ever being a incarcerated scarface:"Even if we bubble slow, we get it eventually/No penitentary, there will be no climincy/You will meet the lowest snitch in given us a century/". In perhaps the best track on the album is "Cry Now" backed up by flamboyant horns delivered by The Sick Notes comes the boasts of the Oster warning others to cry now, get it out the way because he is coming harder than before:" Papa gone keep poppin Cris on you hoes/And piss on those who exist as my foes/". Synthesized voices repeat the name of our author as he gives a first person view of what he went through the struggles of every day on "Ballad Of Obie". Eminem finally lightens up a little bit with a rapid hand clap and sporadic 808 as Obie skims the slightly formulaic "Jamican Girl" with the newcomers Brick and Lace. Scarface(Tony)makes a cameo on "Kill Me A Mutha" a self-explanatory fable of Obie's lamenting over random dudes who are a bit too friendly in social settings(no homo). The drug-laced "Out Of State" finds our hero rushing down to the ATL and meet up with the underclassman Stat Quo. Straight outta Detroit comes Trell with a feel-good, bouncy-Nate-Dogg-hook-assisted-hit as Obie lays his pimp hand on the mic to tell us how he handles business. On one of the two Trey Songz accompanied "Ghetto"(which also doesn't need any type of explanation)gives Songz a little edge as he belts out:"I'm from the motherfucking slums where the cops don't come/Turn the lights on and the bugs don't run/You ain't shit without no gun/In the ghetto/". An "incidental" D-Town anthem is seen in "There They Go" where all the noticeable Detroit rappers hop on to feed you little bit of what it's like to be in a Midwest cypher. Big Herk and Trick Trick come through to toy around but (of course)gets shut down by the long awaited verse from Mr. Slim Shady himself:"A meat cleaver leave a gash in a bitch's ass/see her dreams of being an R&B singer, diva,/leave her face/cut her from the waist/ ah man what a waste/of a pretty face and this place ain't just safe/". "Mama" brings you the second visit from Trey Songz with another great chorus and displays these two artist's chemistry as Obie informs of his mother's influence on his life. The most commercial of all the songs on the album "24's" still shows the custom Miskeen-wearing MC in prime form for a machine-gun fire flow throughout the song. Curtis "Harmonizing" Jackson played sidekick for almost 4 minutes to Trice's designated driver and it still seemed 50 was yelling from the backseat of how the song should sound on "Everywhere I Go". Our scroll of scriptures comes to it's end with "Obie Story" starting out almost the exact contrast of the intro to find a younger Obie getting good grades and picking out some new J's with his mother who was more than happy to front the bill. The production by Jonathan "J.R." Rotem seems brillaint because much like teenagers, the mood switches seamlessly from happy to tragic in seconds while Obie lays down his life story of how he got to the point of where he is at as a whole. Second Round's On Me is a great album which documents the mind of a man...simply a man who has had experiences both good and bad. A man who is grateful for the opportunities he has gotten over the years. A man who is thankful that this album wasn't his last.

Finally the wait is over! You guys have been waitng for another one! The King Is Back!!! Ya'll thought the man was gon quit the game and he brings you the realest $hit ever yet again! That's right, your favorite reviewer: Slimscrilla (What you think I was talkin about?). Introductions aside, I had to come back and review after a long delayed vacation because the artist feels the same way. It's official, Busta (muthaphukin') Rhymes is back with the good doctor to dig some holes in n!**@s chest and to bury rappers that fell off (I'll get to that later). It's important because the Flipmode general almost found himself going casket-shopping for a second there. Over his 4-year hiatus, Bus-a-Bus inked a deal with the most dominant machine can be a part of now: AFTERMATH RECORDS. Many people were reluctant to how well Andre and his new muscle would gel over a few songs but this album proves that no matter where he goes, Busta will always make great records. The start of the album is a little slow with "Get You Some" assisted by Q-Tip and Marsha from Floetry. There is the start-off single "Touch It" which is, of course really good. Missy Elliot helps Busta on the overzealous hook on "How We Do It Over Here". After the first three sexually charged tracks, the album really gets good when he initiates Swizz Beatz to help him boast about his hometown on "New York $hit". Even old people would be pleased with Busta's selection of collaborations with both Stevie Wonder and the late Rick James on "Been Through the Storm" and "In The Ghetto" respectively. Each of the songs find Rhymes getting the most personal I've ever heard him. The next three tracks are the hard, gritty songs with premiere appearances by Marsha from Floetry, Raekwon and Q-Tip. "Cocaina", "You Can't Hold The Torch" and "Goldmine" deal with drugs and the status of hip-hop, both are executed beautifully. The hilariously gratiuitous "I Love My Bitch" features Kelis and will.i.am. One of the best songs is the genius "Don't Get Carried Away" with Nas. The two New York MC's pound pavement with their chiseled veteran verses. The Mr. Porter produced and hook assisted "They're Out To Get Me" is a reflective collaboration on how to be careful who you trust in life (especially when you're famous). "Get Down" is an attempt at another club hit that falls short of his usual delivery. The worst track has to be is "I'll Do It All", while LaToiya Williams sings great, you can't hear her over Jelly Roll's over-prodution. Oddly, the best song is right after the worst with "Legend Of The Fall Offs". Dr. Dre's innovative and simple construction of shovels digging and tubular bells. Busta explains the depletion of a once popular and respected rapper into the Rap Graveyard where he buries him (I hope it was Ja Rule) quite graphically. The Big Bang is the perfect album for someone starved of Busta's music for 4 years and want to get to know him better. Apparently I wasn't the only one working hard over my break.

Kanye came back and brought some hot tracks with him."The Louis Vuitton Don"(I hate that name but it sounds cool when he says it!)starts his sophomore symphony with "Wake Up Mr. West" a track with a Bernie Mac imitator(a good one I might add.)dogging "Mr. West" as usual(hater!!!) and is wondering why he is sleeping in his class.(He don't like you fool and he ain't listening)"Heard 'Em Say" talks about the unfairness to the less fortunate people living in Chicago.The Just Blaze track "Touch The Sky" explains the rise from every weekend club-goer to Jay-Z status:"Let's take 'em back to the club/least about an hour I stand on line I just wanted to dance/ I went to Jaboc an hour after I got my advance/ I just wanted to shine Jay favorite line/dawg in due time now he look at me like damn dawg, you what I am/ a hip-hop legend/ I think I died in an accident,cause this must be heaven."One of the crowd favorites "Golddigger" well... it explains itself through the title. The hilarious "Broke Phi Broke" skit identifies with a lot of people (especially my broke @SS!!!) also because of the gas problem.Paul Wall assisted "Drive Slow" catches a cool non-sweaty(ever notice he is always sweating at the end of his videos....think about it)Kanye in pimp mode and is some good cruising music.There also is a good switch-up around the end where everything gets screwed(the type of music pervs!!!)"My Way Home" has Common going it alone in his poet/MC rhyme that fits with the vocal loop.The lyrically conteversial "Crack Music" where YE speaks some truths people behind desks don't want you to hear."How we stop the Black Panthers?/Ronald Reagan cooked up an answer
You hear that, what Gil Scott is Heron/When our heroes or heroines got hooked on heroin/Crack, raised the murder rate in D.C. and Maryland/We, invested in that, it's like we got Merrill Lynched/And we been hangin from the same tree, ever since Sometimes I feel the music is the only medicine/
so we, cook it, cut it, measure it, bag it sell it/ the fiends, cop it, nowadays they can't tell if that's that good shit/we ain't sure man put the CD on your tongue, yeah that's pure man/".Game shares some of the intensity inthe chorus while giving Kanye space to vent (every good friend should).The deeply touching (at least I think so) "Roses" tells West's frustration to the ignorant hospital employees watching over his sick grandmother."I asked the nurse did you do the research?/she asked me can you sign some t-shirts?/
bitch, is you smokin reefer?/you don't see that we hurt?/.
And he shows the signifigance of his family's love for each other.Then Brandy helps with some vocals (A little payback hey YE) while Kanye dismisses the haters and naysayers(always wanted to use that word)in his traditional slightly arrogant ways(its okay though Kanye we still love you.)."Addiction" has K dub confessing his dependencies on sex, women, etc. without being too vulgar(wanted to use that word too,this has been a good vocabulary day)and the catchy chorus really helps and will have your mom singing it in her head."Diamonds"(Remix) is basically the same with a few verse changes and the newly appointed CEO of DefJam Jay-Z (It's cool to have a boss that can rap isn't it?) contributed a verse:"I'm not a businessman/I'm a business, man/Let me handle my business, damn/. "Fo Really Doe, yeah he next up/"(Yeah I didn't know he was talking about a person either)Kanye's new artist Really Doe lays down a verse and chorus for his mentor while Big K leaves Nas literally speechless in his rhyme."I heard the beat and I ain't know what to write/
first line should it be about the hoes or the ice?/Fo-fo's or Black Christ?/both flows'd be nice/rap about big paper or the black man plight/at the studio console, asked my man to the right/what this verse sound like/should I freestyle or write/he said, "Nas what the fans want is Illmatic still"/looked at the pad and pen,fell,and jotted what I feel/. Then there's "Hey Mama" describing Kanye's favorite inspiration...his mother(figure it out geniuses)this song showed he was still himself while making a song for his mom.(this track makes a lot of people call their moms after it so don't feel bad,your not the only one)."Celebration" shows a clearly unprepared father talking to his non-existent child."See you know my style/I'm very wild/and I vow that my child will be well-endowed/like his daddy/and tell him that yo mama had a fatty,he looked up at me said, "Daddy, that's the reason why you had me?"/Yup! we was practicing/ 'til one day yo ass bust through the packagin/you know what though, you my favorite accident/So go 'head, pop some Cris-tal/for my newborn child/. Kanye displayed his fast paced flow on "Gone" showing off for Cam'ron and Consequence to try and catch up.The hit single(the original)"Diamonds" shows West's deeper and more thoughtful lyrics without slowing down for questions."People askin' me is I gon'give my chain back/that'll be the same day I give the game back/you know the next question all yo, where Dame at?/he's tracked the Indian dance to bring our rain back/what's up with you and Jay, man? Are ya'll okay, man?/they pray for the death of our dynasty like Amen...../. The bonus track "Late" which basically says he can afford to be late for a few things because of talent.With all little comments and boastful lyrics, "Late Registration" really delivers to the shelves what no one is matching up to right now and from the looks of the Haters (50 Cent, you too...I'm from Chicago we know who made Kanye and it definitely wasn't your buck-tooth grin so just stop hopelessly reaching for credit,your not getting it.)nothing won't for a while.Haterade gallons aside,do you know why Kanye is still as consistent as he was a year ago? Well to put it in his words,"Diamonds Are Forever."

Where can I start,Game has to be one of the best rappers coming out of G-Unit(Him and Lloyd Bank$ are what and what). Westside Story starts the album off with Game announcing his arrival/domination to the rap world.In "Dreams" (Yes the Kanye West produced track)Game shows his perspective on what dreams can become.No.4 "Hate It Or Love It"(One of my favorites!!!) really gets good with him and 50 trading rhymes and connects with me with some of the things talk about in his childhood.Also 50 really stepped his game up with the rhyming(I guess he wants to show Game it will be very hard to be the best rapper in the G-Unit clic).Then you listen to the street banger "Higher" and single "How We Do" which are very hot tracks.There is "Don't Need Your Love" where he discuss again how life was for him in the streets of Compton.You get the song "We Aint" with everbody's favorite white guy:Eminem in the song,they put Em's lyrics from various songs and freestyles in the chorus(FINALLY),its one well-put-together song.You have the Nate-Dogg-chorused-instant-hit-song "Where I'm From" and "Special".The very nice and soothing song "Don't Worry" featuring Mary J. Blige. And at the end there is the song "Like Father Like Son" where Game raps about his newborn son featuring Busta Rhymes(Odd? I don't think so.).Overall this album is pretty reminisent of 50's "Get Rich Or Die Tryin" except this rapper can actually move his mouth(Just a little joke,don't come lookin for me with pitchforks and crap.).Game is a force to be reckoned with and like he says in "Hate It or Love It" "He ain't goin nowhere so you can get to know him".