LL Cool J is somewhere in Queens smiling enthusiastically as his ipod angrily rotates Canibus' latest addition to GarbageLand. Although, LL provided the deadly weapon with which the Canibus committed career suicide, Bis single-handedly dug himself a very steep ditch on his latest effort. Imagine my chagrin when I learned that Can-I would release two albums this year, only to find out that the first one is only a collection of old material in order to fulfill a contractual requirement.
Mind Control is sprinkled with bland production ("Talk The Talk"), esoteric concepts, and uninspiring hooks("Canibus Man").
Atlanta is a shameless attempt to impress crunk listeners, with a conventional rhyme structure. The title track is easily the most accessible with a bouncy beat and an infectious flow. Yet, it's the stale Jigga-esque "33 3's" that stands out as a rare gem.
The uniqueness crashes to a pathetic end as "Gybaotic" painstakingly echoes trivial subject matters over annoying synths, in a poor attempt to penetrate the clubs. The simplistic Kurupt-featured "Not 4 Play" goes over the head with simplistic rhymes and abrupt brevity.
I'm not sure what Canibus hoped to achieve with this album, but it's millions of miles away from his best works a la Mic Club: The Curriculum & the Stoupe-aided Rip The Jacker.

Mind Control = 2.5/5


Extras:
Peep Kanye West on THe Westwood Show(sample tracks from Late Registration)


Phat 5 Joints of The Week:

5- Power, Money & Influence - Guru ft Jean Grae & Talib kweli(ram)

4- Politics - Royce da 5'9" ft C-Lo Green

3-Diamonds(Remix) - Kanye West ft Jay-Z(mp3)

2-Switch My Style - Styles P

1-Feel Good Inc - Gorillaz(ram)

Shark Niggas
NaS and Jay-Z have more in common than you can imagine. No, it's not the dimes by their sides(get your mind out of the gutter). They've both passed on the rap baton to two rookies in the game. While NaS has officially extended his lyricist baton to Quan, Jigga seems to have handed his biter's mantle to Houston's own Aztec. Apparently, Hov not only retired from Rap, he's also taking a break from biting rhymes, hence, the new heir Aztec gets a chance to showcase his 'talent'. Unlike Jigga, Tec is not willing to wait till the contract is finalized to start munching off material from other rappers. Ask a bereaved Godwon (also from Houston) whose talent landed Aztec a deal with The Roc. The news has been making rounds that Aztec jacked an entire song originally by Godwon, cut off the 1st verse and laced his own vocals over it with Godwon still on the hook. You'd wish that was all. Aztec reportedly sent out the same song to labels and presto! A major label deal was in place. Visit Godwon's Soundclick Page for a first-hand listen of the controversial record. No wonder he's relatively unheard-of in Houston, a fact he cleverly avoids in this interview with Hip Hop Game.


5 Questions for Jadakiss
1. When will DMX ever consider some kind of therapy to get his shit straight?
2. Why do desperate rappers associate themselves with ear-grabbing news prior to album releases(Cassidy wanted for murder)?
3. After all these years, how come sex still sells?
4. Who is The Game fooling with all that G-Unot foolishness?
5. Where the hell is Rakim?????


In Constant Rotation:
Little Brother - The Chitlin' Circuit 1.5 (props P.F.P.)


Extras:
Triumph the Comic Insult Dog Vs Michael Jackson's Fans
(A must watch even you don't like Michael Jackson)

"Lyrics like medicine, one dose your head a spin

Just like Excedrin,rhyme like a Veteran" -

Godwon(Hate Me Now freestyle)

If you don't know by now that Houston's best kept secret is none other than Godwon, then you're either new to the Rap scene or too busy listening to Nelly and Chingy. In fact, if the Black Eyed Peas is your idea of true Hip Hop, kindly exit this page and save yourself the trauma. On the other hand, if you love good music, sit back, relax and get to know the 2004 Winner of Interscope Records/Showtime "Next Episode" Battle.
Godwon, a tense variation of his real name(Godwin) leaped into the rap game by battling his way through, crushing each and everyone that stood in his way. I first heard of the brother in the summer of 2004 when my homeboy who was working at Wafflehouse told me he'd served Godwon at the restaurant. My boy was smart enough to snatch up a copy of Goddy's tape, which I initially dismissed as "another nigga with a mike and a dream". I was converted to a Godwonian after one powerful listening session. Although, rumors that Godwon has been flirting with major labels such as Def Jam, J Records & Shady Records are more disturbing than Michael Jackson's recent court verdict, there's no doubt at all that he's secured the endorsement of Houston Rap heavyweight Scarface. (He appeared in Geto Boy's video for The G Code)
Don't make the stupid mistake of limiting Godwon to the category of a battle rapper, incapable of making album-worthy joints. His sound is unique and shockingly versatile. Devoid of the conventional crystal-clutching, booty-shaking, grill-displaying down south/H-Town rap, Goddy is in an isolated zone. You'd think he's never owned a radio before and if he did, that boombox is most possibly a certified dust-collector. As if to confirm this assertion, he declared on his message board that he "doesn't listen to other people's stuff" in order to keep his sound original. Preaach brother!

Get Familiar:
Godwon Soundclick Page(14 mp3's)

Godwon Videos & Audios

Don’t be misled by the title of this LA collective’s sophomore album; Pillow Talk is really a creative balance between the groove and the gully. Introductory tracks like "The Real" and "Introduction 2 Tha Illest" violently awaken the listener with smothering beats and intelligent rhymes. Later, guest rapper Lexus takes us for a cruise on “Rap Avenue” acompanied by her impeccable flow and sexy tone. Custom Made then reaffirms their principle of staying true to real Hip Hop on “What I Want” over a flourishing loop(Fiendin' for vengeance like Nas' intentions/ Going commercial is not in our interest), before transcending into a grimy LA state of mind on "How The West Was Won".
CM discards their bring-back-the-west ardor for a more comprehensive wack-rapper bashing over surrealistic piano loops. Things get smoother as Skandalous Skoobs’ souled out samples on "I’m Only A Man" lays a fertile sound bed for B-Love’s real talk. "Cities belong to the mayor, it's a personal loan/the street is in our hands, we can torch it like Rome/"
The thick symphony on "Last Words" almost drowns the lyrical content of the song.
Although, their styles are as diverse as Bush’s grammatical fumbles, Custom Made’s tailor-made cohesion is well suited for the ears of the fervent Hip Hop purist. Ironically, this 5-man voltron still needs a trip to the Rap refinery in order to convert their raw talent into pure gold. But, make no mistakes, Custom Made is cooler than the other side of the pillow.

Pillow Talk: 4/5



Extra! Extra!!
Street Cinema Mixtape (Custom Made)

if you're an avid music fan like me, then you must have encuntered some storage problems at some point. I'm more frightened than worried that one day my batallion of CD's will overtake the miniature space in my closet. Not to mention the entire apartment. Although, 2 'monstrous' CD wallets provide accomodation for about 95 of my favorite albums, there's a whopping 200-something more to worry about.
I'm running out of options for storage and easy access. But, getting rid of most of them is not even a question. My collection which ranges from old school neo-soul records like Curtis Mayfield's Superfly to contemporary Hip Hop albums like The Roots' Tippin' Point provide aesthetic benefits for my ears on a daily basis.
Id like to hear some ideas on how to manage my barrage of music supplies. The person whose suggestion I find most desirable will receive a free copy of Jimmy Mathis/Deliverance single by Bubba Sparxxx. Don't forget to include your email. good Luck!

Today, I seriously considered terminating my 2-year old relationship with a very close friend. Well, it all started with a trip to the mail. As usual, I inserted my mailbox key while boiling with anticipation. I knew that it could be anything in that 12 inch long aptly dark box; bills, another credit card offer, Playboy discounts, free 'trial' issues of Blender, missing persons' ads, or even bank overdraft notifications,...There's only one way to find out.
As I stared into my box to feed my suspense two black faces peered right back at me with hatred in their eyes, one of them in an orange suit. I extended my right hand towards them and pulled out one of my biggest disappointments of 05:50 Cent/Tony Yayo May issue of Rap's last hope of 'real' journalism, XXL. Harris Publication's sublime proclamation of 50 as God insults my intelligence more than that new Paris Hilton burger commercial. Speaking of which, I'm glad they finally realized that Paris needs the generosity of a burger company to conquer her eating disorder. I digress.
Recall the entry where I stated that "the art of reporting should always be upheld with impersonal perspectives"? Well, history has repeated itself again. I won't even glorify Harris Publication by placing a pic from their latest XXL issue on this blog. Sorry, I take that back. Fast forward to every man's fave column Eye Candy and you find photos of the newest but not-so-intelligent female in rap videos Buffie(y).
Not even those bootylicious pics can help redeem XXL's integrity which Yellow Nigga had driven to the ground a year ago when he began the iconization process of less-than-average rap artist 50 Cent.Maybe I should be more like my boy Verz and ban all magazines (except Scratch) from my house.