It's easy to dismiss Linkin Park's front man aka Mike Shinoda's solo effort as a gimmick. Surprisingly, his mixtape collaboration with veteran Green Lantern is a cohesive compilation of listenable songs. Although joints like "Petrified" and "Dolla" easily remind listeners of Beastie Boys, Mike who now goes by Fort Minor refuses to get boxed in by diversifying his sound on "Respect 4 Grandma" and the unforgettable "Remember The Name".

He, no doubt, starts struggling with monotony after a while and that's when you're thankful for notable guest appearances by Styles of Beyond ("Bleach" and "Get It"), and Ghostface and Lupe Fiasco("Spray Paint & Ink Pens").
While, Mike definitely attempts to break away from the Linkin Park style, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. Fort Minor the rapper still has a lot of edges to roughen before making the full MC transition. i.e Basic rhyming has not existed since 1988(unless you're counting Rev Run's latest ear pollution project). But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Regardless, some people are going to refer to FM as a breath of fresh air; the new Kanye West with a guitar, when he's actually re-inventing what's already been done.
Suffice to say his project will see the light of day mainly because Jay-Z is 100% behind itfor obvious reasons.
Let's hope his full length release The Rising Tied (which drops on November 22) will help cement the solid effort showcased on this mixtape.


DJ Green Lantern + Fort Minor - We Major Mixtape (Free Download)

Fort Minor - Remember The Name video(wmv)


But with fans like these(in Europe), there's no stopping this man.


Oh I almost forgot: Happy Halloween!