Now Playing: Toxic Avenger – N’importe comment (feat. Orelsan)

Excuse for a second that this song is in French, and just enjoy the music.

Thank Me Later… right now

As many of you know, Drake’s first studio album, Thank Me Later, has leaked ahead of its June 15th release date.  I’ve gotten a chance to listen to it a couple of times and overall, its cool.  Lots of tracks leaked early (at least four by my count: Fireworks, Unforgettable, Light Up, and Miss Me), and when you add the two singles Over and Find Your Love, almost half the album was out on the interwebz for weeks.  I was a little disappointed when I finally got to listen to the finished product (or at least, very near finished) and all the stuff I heard early was the hottest stuff on the album.

I’m not going to do a track by track breakdown like I’ve done in the past; instead, I’ll just try to give you an overview of the whole thing and get you to the download as quickly as possible (most of y’all are probably scanning for the download link now).  To put it succinctly, it’s solid.  The production is hot for the most part, Drake’s flow is solid on pretty much every track, high profile guest appearance’s are present, he’s got introspective joints, joints for the ladies, joints for the clubs… But I can’t help but feel like not a classic.  It’s no Food and Liquor; it’s no College Dropout; it’s no Reasonable Doubt.  You could even argue it’s no So Far Gone.  I think Thank Me Later is a victim of unreasonable hype.  Drake would have had to put out one of the best albums EVER in order to live up to the hype surrounding him.  Thank Me Later is good.  It will most likely be up for Rap Album of the Year when it’s all said and done, but I think the door is still open for Lasers and Good Ass Job (if either of them makes it out this year) to claim those honors.

HOT:

Fireworks ft. Alicia Keys, The Resistance, Unforgettable ft. Young Jeezy, Light Up ft. Jay-Z, Miss Me ft. Lil Wayne, Thank Me Now

HONORABLE MENTION:

Shut It Down ft. The-Dream (last verse/interlude), Over

FINAL GRADE: B

Now, get it here! via Str8krack.com (PSA: Support artists you like.  Go cop in stores, or via Amazon, Zune, or iTunes when the thing drops June 15th)

Agree with my review?  Think I’m way off base? Download link dead?  Leave a comment.

Free Music Friday

I know it’s really Saturday… Don’t get too mad at me y’all… I woke up late yesterday and it kinda messed up a brotha’s schedule for the rest of the day.  I ain’t forget about y’all tho.  Here’s another drop to start off your three-day weekend on the right foot.  This one comes from the gruesome twosome from Virgina.  Yep, I’m talking about Clipse.  And their latest album, Til the Casket Drops, despite being well received by those familiar with the group, has gotten little press and recognition by the general public (as was the case with almost all of their albums).  So here it is for you to download and enjoy.  If you like it, don’t forget to go out and cop in the store or iTunes or Amazon, or however you get your music… I know it’s a recession, but you should support artists you like.  Especially if you want them to keep entertaining you.

Song of the Week

To go along with the Free Music Friday Saturday, Song of the Week also comes from Clipse.  And since I was late, I’m giving y’all double servings of hotness.  Here are two tracks from Til the Casket Drops that I’ve been rockin’ to for a while now… Freedom, and There Was A Murder.  I like both of these so much, I let my windows down when I roll up at the parking garage at work with these joints BLASTING (well, maybe not blasting, but I don’t turn the music down lol).  Enjoy.

UPDATE: Added Life Change, just for good measure.  How are these guys not platinum?

Lil Wayne – Drop The World (Ft. Eminem)

So my homie PLAYBWAH has been talking a lot lately about the fact that Wayne’s Rebirth is trash, but the one bright spot is his track featuring Eminem entitled “Drop the World.” So I took it upon myself to see what all the hype was about. Truth be told, if this is the best Rebirth has to offer, I think I’ll pass. I’m not against rock, I’m just against how Lil Wayne does rock. Anyway, here’s the track… decide for yourself.

UPDATE: R.I.P. original links.  They died.

UPDATE #2: New links up.

Play | Download

Free Music Friday!

It’s finally here.  Free Music Friday.  Where I give you free stuff to listen to.  Who else does that?  2dopeboyz?  Ok, yea, they do.  But do they give you entire albums?  No?  Do they give you TWO albums in one day?  HELL NAH!  So without further ado, let’s get to it.

First up: Gripp – Doing The Most

You may not have heard of Gripp.  Really, I don’t expect you to.  He’s as underground as it gets.  He produces his own stuff, he records his own stuff, he mixes his own stuff.  All in his house.  And when he was at Morehouse, he did it in the dorm.  Yea, its that serious.  And he did it for you.  For free.

Second up: Young Money – We Are Young Money

If you haven’t heard of them by now, you gotta be living under a rock.  Lil Wayne and his cohorts under his Young Money record label bring you a compilation album that has been (for the most part) generally well received.  I haven’t gotten a chance to listen to this yet, so its a drop for me and you lol.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

So that’s what I got for you today.  Download, listen, then come back and tell us what you think.  Also, if there’s something you want to see featured here, leave it in the comments.