'King Dilla' Mixtape Review

Femdot released a well produced, complex, and thought out mixtape entitled "King Dilla' before the year was over. The theme was set for this mixtape; being a king and ruling the rap game.

Antebellum  -                  
"For girls who said I was too dark, I guess by status didn't give me light."
I thought Antebellum was a great and strong start to this mixtape. Femdot was clever on word play with his track ; rapping about getting ready for war hence the song title, Antebellum. The production and lyrics were on point. Femdot emphasized his brilliant bars on this well produced track by, DJ Chi. "Antebellum" showed that Femdot is versatile. Not only can he spit on a soft tempo beat, but he can spit on a ear bleeding, bass lit beat. 

Sovereign - 
   I enjoyed the second track, "Sovereign" as well. Again, Femdot's word play is brilliant: he's repetition of King Dilla through this track, which is the name of his project, and the definition of sovereign means ruler.  The production which was produced by DJ Chi, was great as well.

Kinglish -
" I'm the man nigga, King Dilla gotta ring to it. This that don't give a chick a ring music"
"Kinglish" which I think is a made up word, is one of my favorite songs on this mixtape. When I say the lyrics are on point....It's on POINT! Femdot went off for 40 days and 60 nights. Femdot spit numerous amounts of bars on a DJ Chi produced beat. To the flow, to lyrics, to production, "Kinglish" was well executed.

Top Gawd-
"Top Gawd" was the first single of the mixtape. I remember when this track came out, I didn't like it at all. The record kind of grew on me but it's definitely one of my least favorite songs on "King Dilla".

Energy-
..... I really didn't like "Energy"......I just love how Femdot tried something different. He showed a little bit of his singing ability and he gave a little harmony during the chours. A+ for effort Femdot.

PSN-
"I know you gotta roommate, hit me up when she not there."
Now "PSN" was my favorite song on mixtape. He gave me PartyNextDoor vibes and lord knows I LOVE PartyNextDoor. Definitely a big shout out to DJ Chi! I knowed Femdot's vocals on his song, then I did on "Top Gawd" maybe because it didn't seem forced. His vocals on "PSN" were very subtle. I was vibing out to this song so much that I wish it was longer. I also wished Keturah, female member of GRWYF$ , was on the track. I would of loved a female rapper to be on this track to flip the script on it.

Crossroads-
"I just graduated, at graduation I spoke
That was around the same time I had graduated to coke."
This track so so deep! DJ Chi produced this soft tempo beat which Femdot killed. It was my second favorite record on this mixtape. Femdot rapped about selling drugs while he was in high school and how it effected his personal and family life.

http://soundcloud.com/femdotmusic/sets/the-king-dilla-ep

J- Hop's New Single, 'NW2'.

Member of GRWYF$, J- Hop,  releases a bomb of metaphors in his new track "NW2". "NW2" is a track showing Hop's growth in his music. He's first solo track was called "New Wave", so "New Wave 2" shows a more matured J- Hop. Produced by one of my favorite producers in Chicago,  DJ Chi gives a 90's production that DMX would of loved to be on.  Beautiful piano keys play while J- Hop spit sour faced bars: "You guys couldn't ball like Lebron if I locked him in the basement and amputated his shooting arm." Overall, this was a great track; hopefully making us anticipate a new mixtape soon.

Link: http://m.soundcloud.com/jhop-4/nw2-prod-by-charles-lauste/s-5kGi8    

Cozz's "Cozz & Effect" Album Review

South Central rapper, Cozz signed to J. Cole's label Dreamville earlier this year and soon later put out his first album,  "Cozz & Effect".

Dream -
Cozz raps about when he was on the come up and how he always had dreams of being rich. He spits, "on that 9 to 5 job shit fuck that, I rather go comic and go to Gotham and eat with Batman and start robbin".
                                                   
Come Get It -
This track is about the fact that he is a soulful rapper and a soulful person but has gone some regeting things in South Central. He raps, "Pray like I hope there's soul inside of me, not like the sole of my feet when I stroll through the streets". I really like this track because he wants people to know I'm a "deadly poet". He is more that the streets and he is more than rap.

Cody Macc -
This track is a self titled song about Cozz really. He is making a debut as a established rapper on Dreamville. He feels like he has already made it in life and in the music industry. Cozz raps, "Got the whole world waiting for a nigga, got the city going crazy for me". I am one of many who wants to more about Cozz as a rapper and Cody Macc as a regular person. I hope to hear more music like this from him.

I'm Tha Man -
Sort of like Schoolboy Q's "Man Of The Year" single, this track is about how Cozz succeeds in everything he does: women, money, rapping, etc. He repetitively raps, "Cuz I'm the man, you should ask around".

Knock Tha Hustle -
Cozz's first single off of the album is about how Cozz grinded so hard to be in the position that he is in today. Nobody can knock is hustle because he was been struggling for way to long. He raps, "Been patiently waiting can't wait too long. I've been broke for way too long. No hot water for way too long.  You can't knock the hustle it's way too strong". Once a person reaches a point where they feel as though they have achieved their aspirations then they feel like nobody can bring them down.

Western Ave. Slaves ft. Enimal -
This track is about how a particular female being a "Western slave", meaning that she is a trying so hard to make ends meet. Cozz raps, "Over here you better have brains or be a Western Ave. Slave......she don't look to a god, it's a man that she worships cause the man keeps her afloat,  as it they were ships." This track has a lot of metaphors and personification describing females and how they word so hard in this world. This is a very positive song for females and I hope they got the message.

Murda -
This track is about Cozz being a killer, not on the streets but in the Hip Hop industry. He is killing everybody with just a pen. He raps, "I belong in some imprisonment,  no regards for the innocent. Undisciplined,  I'm sinnin with a pen....What would I do if I wasn't lyrically thugging?" I also love the word play in this song. People think that he is rapping about being an actual murderer, but please listen carefully!

BKBU (Interlude)-
This has to be my favorite song on the album! The acronym "BKBU" means "Dont Know Bout U" and Cozz is basically rapping about sipping liquor and telling us how much he loves it. Cozz repeatedly raps, "Tell me ya smoke, sippin juice....But I don't know about you. Yeah, me and my niggas we get loose". The production is what made me fall in love this this track!

LSN ft. Free Ackrite -
"LSN" is short for "Light Skin Nigga". This this track Cozz raps about how being light skin has its advantages. He raps about how he likes light skin females and how light skin females like him. Free Ackrite sings, "Careful, really keep it blushed out what she really wants is that light skin nigga. She really wants that light skin nigga He even questions his statements saying, "I dont know, it's so racist....". Will being light skin really get you far in life? No seriously will it? I see females bleach their skins just to "fit in". At the end of the day, humble yourself and you will get far in life.

I Need That ft. Bas-
This tracks is about how pussy, weed and liquor are Cozz's life essentials. Cozz raps, " I need that. That pussy I need that. That real shit I need that....Yo feed backs don't need that...."

Ya Know That -
This track is about basically knowing that facts are facts and it is what it is. He expresses, "Bros can be bros and ya know that...hoes can be hoes and ya know that". This track is short, sweet and straight to the point, even though the tracks fades out in the middle of the song while Cozz is rapping. I actually wanto the hear the full version now.

Knock Tha Hustle ft. J. Cole [Remix] -
I actually like this version of "Knock Tha Hustle" because you can hear the similarities of both Cole and Cozz. In my opinion, Cozz is the West Coast J. Cole; they are practically twins hah!....the Cold C's. Of course Cole went ALL THE WAY IN on this track like he always does on any song. He glamours us with metaphor and unbelievable word play! Cole raps, "My nigga moving state to state running late watch em. Tryna avoid state troppers, that's the weight watchers. Run this dope set cake till they say 'Gotcha'. Or till the fat lady sings, and nigga hate operas. And Oprah hates niggas, make no mistake thar we know the stakes still, we hope make over eight figures. Slim chances, but niggas bet against the odds and who am I to criticize how you play your cards dog".

Overall I enjoyed "Cozz & Effect" from beginning to end! The metaphors, similies, and rhyme scheme made me fall deeply in love this Cozz as a rapper. For his first album, he went harder than some of these rappers in the industry. I love to hear a West Coast rapper rap like a East Coast rapper. Signing to Dreamville is the best decision of his life! Cozz seriously is a great, positive, and amazing reflection of Dreamville. I want to hear Cozz and Kendrick on a track? And may be even up Jay-Z on it? Nas can get a couple bars too.....I can go on and on.

Buy Cozz's album "Cozz & Effect":  https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/cozz-effect/id924546422

Untitled Opinions

Hip Hop is supposed to be the culture of change. But is it just a culture with restricted boundaries?

Hip Hop's sound has changed from when it originated, and that's fine and great. BUT let's talk about when up and coming rappers put out new music and are being told, "it doesn't sound Hip Hop" or "it's not a club banger", well then what should the new artists do? Lose their identity for some dollars? Of course not! I would say just do you and make music for your fan base and yourself.

From the outside looking in, people don't know that in order to be in the "Hip Hop circle" you have to dress a certain way or an artist's music has to sound a specific type of way just to fit in. Hip Hop is somewhat like a high school cafeteria in my opinion. And if you love Hip Hop and understand the content of Hip Hop then you know exactly what I'm talking about.....For example, I remember having a conversation with one of my followers on Twitter about this exact topic. I tweeted out, "Childish Gambino is a better singer than Drake. #FACT". One of my followers said, "Drake can sell a R&B album and it can go straight to number one". I said that might be true, but Gambino can still sing better than him. And then my followers said, "Nobody knows Childish Gambino, he is not even on the radio". Long story short, all my follower did was list all of Drake's accomplishments and how popular he was. I never said Gambino was more talented or popular then Drake. I actually don't care how popular both of them were to be honest. All I wanted to know was if he sing better than Childish Gambino.

People don't even see how talented Childish Gambino or Tyler The Creator really are because they don't dress a certain way, talk a certain way, act a certain way, or hang out with the top rappers in the industry. But does that make them different or "lame rappers"? When artists like Tyler or Gambino are being casted out it makes me ask myself,  why is it that a powerful and influential culture (Hip Hop) won't accept rappers like Tyler The Creator? Hip Hop can make Miley Cyrus twerk and Wolf Blitzer dougie but if a rapper doesn't rap about urban things he/she are cased out.

There are rules and regulations to Hip Hop, and a lot of dos and donts. People want Kanye West to stick to rapping and producing and not focus of designing clothes because designing clothes "is not Hip Hop". What kind of logical thinking is that? Let the man design and rap because we are ALL going to buy it! We bought the Yeezys didn't we? Why should the individuals in Hip Hop be abel to put people in a boxes? The more boxes there are the more people are not going to care anymore.

Hip Hop is bigger than what it really is. If people noticed how much influence and power it and stop putting artists in boxes, Hip Hop could be only ONE genre of music.

Even though I'm upset about the restrictions some artists go though, I will always love Hip Hop to death. In my opinion, Hip Hop is so strong that not a genre of music anymore. It's clothes, the way an individual talks, a social status, and etc. Hip Hop dictates what's in and what's not. Hip Hop is Pop culture.

Femdot's "Top Gawd"

Femdot linked up with GRWYF$ producer Charles Lauste to bring you the first leak from his upcoming King Dilla project, which is expected this fall. Rapping over a flipped sample of SpeakerKnockerz "Lonely, Fem's flow was quite different from the rest of his tracks, which is a great thing but I wasn't intrigued. I honestly think that "Top Gawd" wasn't a good choice for a single. I heard better songs from him than this. On a positive note, the production was good.

Soundcloud Link: https://soundcloud.com/brent-douglas-1/femdot-top-gawd

Produced By: Charles Lauste

Twitter: @thereal_femdot, @Chvrleslvuste, 

Travis Scott's "Days Before Rodeo" EP

Travis Scott's mixtape, "Days Before Rodeo" is filled with crazy voice over effects, amazing production, and creative sorytelling. Enjoy....STRAIGHT UP!

"Days Befote Rodeo"
When I saw that "Days Before Rodeo The Player" was produced by wondagurl, the same person who produced Jay-Z's "Crown" I got pretty excited because for Crown was something serious, so I automatically knew that Travis was going to go in. In this song, Travis rapped about his life after stardom using an amazing flow, which made the storytelling enjoyable. The introduction and outro was great as well! A good song always needs a good intro and outro to me. 

"Mamacita" ft. Rich Homie Quan and Young Thug
I really did feel "Mamacita". When I saw Rich Homie Quan's name I knew he wasn't going to give me nothing but the same flow. And what is even worse was that I don't even listen to Young Thug, so u couldn't even tell if I was listening to Rich Homie Quan or not..... (don't judge me, thanks!).

Quintana Pt. 2
So when "Quintana Pt. 2" started to play I instantly got a Miami Vice vibe. In contrast to "Quintana Pt. 1", which was a trap song and definite club banger, "Quintana Pt. 2" gave off a whole different vibe even though he was repetitive with his favorite ad lib 'Straight Up". The piano work into T.I.'s interlude was a great transition. But T.I. kind of messed up the song for me; he doesn't belong in this song at all! His flow was okay, but he just made the song die out. Overall, my favorite part in this song was the end when Travis rapped, "Tell me why she wants to leave me, she used me to get high.....so tell me why she wants to leave me". The auto-tune that was used was a great ending to the song. I really enjoyed it a lot because if reminded me of "808 & Heartbreak". I actually wished the whole song was like that.

"Drug's You Should Try It"
The guitar work in the beginning really drew me into this track. Can we please praise Travis for his excellent choice of intrumentation on this track. "Drug's You Should Try It" doesn't even sound Hip Hop at all, more Rock/Alternative music. In this track Travis Scott rapped about being with a girl that likes to do drugs with him. This song was really quick and sweet, I wish it was longer.

"Don't Play" ft. The 1975 and Big Sean
I loved the soft lyrics in the beginning of the song because it didn't mix well with the beat.....ugh, and then when the beat drops it gets better! Always count on Travis Scott for an excellent trap but electronic beat. The beginning of the song which was sung by The 1975 made me think that the song wasn't going to be too turnt up, but as they finish singing the beat drops with, "I ain't playing with these niggas". I then knew this track was something serious. So when I seen that Big Sean's was on the trsck I really wasn't expecting much. If you know me, then you know how I feel about Mediocre Sean. As I digress,  I wasn't too excited,  but when I heard his verse I was extremely impressed! I could actually comprehend his choice of poetic devices, because lord knows he always raps about six different things that have nothing to do with each other in most of his songs. But anyways, this is the first song I actually like of the tape. The production, lyrics, flow, and creative were on point!

"Skyfall" ft. Young Thug
Once again,  who is Young Thug...because I don't care for him. ANYWAYS, Travis explained on Twitter that "Skyfall" was about old artists that have fallen off and how the new generation isn't hip to them anymore.  Travis raps, "I don't wanna buy no more, your shit ain't getting me high no more". Ths song is one big metaphor and besides Young Thug's senseless verse, this song was deep. We can all somewhat relate to what Travis was saying in "Skyfall" because we know a couple of old heads who just need to quit it.

"Zombies"
Why is this song called "Zombies"? This track sounds like a anthem or may be a chanting song like "Black Skinhead". Even though this song might be unclear,  I think Travis dedicated this song to his fans. If anybody is going to understand him, it would be his fans. He raps, "We will understand if they don't, we don't want they're bullshit no more". I guess his fans have something in common with Kid Cudi's fans; they're eccentric hipsters.

"Sloppy Toppy" ft Migos and Peewee Longway
If 1+1= 2, then we all know what sloppy toppy means. In this track, Travis, Migos and Peewee Longway their opinion and stories on a sloppy toppy. This song is all kinds of ratchet,  well almost any Migos song is ratchet.

"Basement Freestyle"
So when I got on Twitter, most peole said that were feeling Travis' "Basement Freestyle", so I was glad I finally got to listen to it. I had to listen to it a couple of times because the beat combinations and transitions threw me all the way off. I wasn't all the way thrown off, it's just that it reminded me of how pop songs would have remixes, but with this song it has unexpected beat-drops. As I digress, the freestyle was very storytelling and I enjoyed his flow in between the cycle of the different beats that were used.

"Backyard"
We went from the basement to the backyard as Travis Scott rapped about him growing up in Texas. This track, unlike the rest of the tape gave off a nice summer vibe. I actually want a video for this song, that's how good of a vibe it gave me. It really mapped out his life growing up in Mo City and I enjoyed his storytelling. "Backyard" was a great transition to the next song on the tape.

"Grey"
"Grey" sounded like a single to me as well and I also wouldn't mind a video for this track. Travis switched up flows on this Mo City (Missouri City), inspired song. In my opinion, "Grey" is one big metaphor for Travis' hometown. I think Mo City isn't black or white, it's in between; an undefined city with unclear achievements. I really enjoyed Travis's creative storytelling in this one. At the end of the track, Travis told a story about one of his friends that grew up Mo City. Apparently Travis' s friend is now in prison for a gun charge, and so happened to be a star athlete in Mo City. We hear these stories too often, especially in the Black community. Travis Scott ended the song with some deep words about his city: " Another lost kid, Mo City soul. The sky is grey."

I enjoyed "Days Before Rodeo", but I would only download two songs from this tape. I mean this tape dropped then it went. Nobody is talking about, no more press, no promo....just Ye tweeting about it. But I love Travis Scott, lowkey is one of my favorite mixtape artists. I just love how Travis uses different voice over effects. I think he is the only rapper besides Ye who can actually get alway with multiple uses of voice over effects in a song. I am glad Travis is signed to G.O.O.D Music as a producers because his is absolutely talented.....TALENTED! His productions are uncommon,  intriguing, and his vision is eccentric and that's why I enjoy his work so much.

J-Quiz's New EP, 'The TV Tape'

J-Quiz released his new EP project, "The TV Tape", with amazing vibes and soothing production. "The TV Tape" was everything I expected, real Hip Hop. The EP theme was "oldies", and it was well executived, gaving me an old school vibe. This six track EP is something I can be jaming to.

"The TV Show (Intro)" gave me Frank Ocean's "Channel Orange" intros with the television introductions. Most of the intros were 90's television shows, like Hey Arnold and Martin. A great start to the EP.

"Oldies" produced by Relta Beats was feeding off of "The TV Show (Intro)". The track was about watching old school television shows and listening to old school music, basically the good old days. This track is relatable to anybody because those were the days that were just carefree and stressless. I mean everybody missed those 'good ole days' when families would just gather around the television and watch sitcoms.

"Overrated" produced by ICDMAW wasn't that intriguing to me maybe because I didn't care for the subject matter but the lyrics were on point. 
   
"Like That" gave me a Snoop Dogg 90's vibe, but it also reminded me of Schoolboy Q, maybe because of the add libs. This track was almost perfect, I would just love a female singer to place to harmonies in the background.

"Feel Good" produced by Cam was about feeling good, sexually. Well the lyrics speaks for itself. That's all I have to say.

Now last be not least is "SAMO" produced by ICDMAW. From my knowledge "SAMO" was the first single off of this mixtape and I wrote of my blog that I loved the track, but it doesn't fit in this mixtape. It shouldn't even be on this mixtape, period. It actually killed the whole vibe of the project and made me want to play back the rest of the mixtape. The song was great, lyrically and production wise it was an 10/10. The intro itself was intriguing and entertaining; I enjoyed it. I wish J-Quiz would of just not added it.

Overall J-Quiz's EP, "The TV Tape" was a feel good mixtape that gave off a old school vibe throughout the EP (excepted "SAMO"). I enjoyed listening to the EP and thought it was very creative. I hope to hear more from J-Quiz.

Link to "The TV Tape": https://t.co/h2lb9ZFqla

Twitter - @TheRealJQuiz

J Hop's New Single, "Look At Me".

J Hop, an artist from GRWYF$ released his single, "Look At Me" produced by Mike Wavvs. "Look At Me" gave me what I need, lyricism and production. The track couldn't be more perfect. With metaphors like:

"Give you food for thought but there are so many mouths to feed, the blind lead the blind it's time to let the world see"

"Metaphor, I'm walking Braille so you got to feel me"   

J Hop really showed that he is a lyricist rapper, or what I would say a "Poetic rapper". The production and flow give me a Mos Def type of vibe or just very old school. What ever the vibe was I was feeling it.

Link to "Look At Me" by J Hop: http://m.audiomack.com/song/j-hop/look-at-me

Femdot Drops His New Single 'CROWN'

Femdot dropped a new single, "CROWN", off of his new project "King Dilla", which will drop later this year. "CROWN" is produced by GRWYF$ producer, Mike Wavvs, who will be helping Femdot for is new upcoming EP. To me, "CROWN" wasn't a good choice for a single. Lyrics wise, I wasn't feeling it...at all. The song did have its few highlights but I can't say this was Femdot's best. What I did love about the song was the production. I thought Mike Wavvs did an excellent job with the production. By the way, did I hear a sample from Jhene Aiko's "Comfort Inn Ending"? I also like Femdot's flow during the whole song; it was heavy and  believable. Overall, get "CROWN" was an okay song, I just  like the production.

Twitter: @Thereal_Femdot, @MikeWavvs

Link: http://www.audiomack.com/song/femdot/crown

J-Quiz Releases His Single, 'SAMO'

J- Quiz has released his single, "SAMO" produced by ICDMAW, for his upcoming EP, "The TV Tape". In my opinion,  "SAMO" is a great choice for a single. The production of the song is great. I can definitely hear this song on the radio. But what really got my attention is that introduction. The introduction of the song is very intriguing. The intro to "SAMO" is actually a person introducing the person, Samo. I actually had to research the full audio because I was so intrigued. As I digress, the lyrics of the song is catchy as well. I just loved the metaphor to Samo and the phrase,  "Same Ole shit";  that is very creative. Overall, I liked the single, and I am looking forward for the EP, " The TV Tape".

Link to "SAMO" by J-Quiz: https://soundcloud.com/jquizofficialmusic/samo-prod-by-icdmaw

Dj Chi Releases "$kwadd" ft JHop, BK Dubois, and Femdot

Prodcer, Dj Chi, decided to release a new single off of his birthday ep "The Twenty Ep" which drops February 3rd. "$KWADD" features all rappers from the GRWYF$ camp and posses as the Get Rich anthem. "$KWADD" gave me a Middle Eastern vibe mixed with a southern beat, which was innovative, yet complexed. When it come to the lyrics, I was impressed. My boys from Chicago never disappoint anyways, but as I digress, each verse was spit with perfection. Every verse was delivered with entertaining and diverse flows. I really enjoyed the creativity with in the lyrics and production. I know for a fact that by the end of the song the listener will be saying, "All I'm really trying to do is get rich with my homies"

Link: http://www.audiomack.com/song/dj-chi/kwadd-feat-jhop-bk-dubois-femdot

Twitter: @TheRealDjChi @JDashHop @Bk_Dubois @Thereal_Femdot