Praise God

YBF is reporting that Lauren London is NOT engaged to Lil' Wayne. Thank God for that. Imagine what the babies would've looked like!

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On The Set: "Sensual Seduction" video

SKEE.TV takes us behind the scenes of Snoop Dogg's "Sensual Seduction" video shoot in this segment:



EDIT: Snoop also spoke to Sucker Free to let you guys know the difference between Autotune and the Talkbox (shouts to Roger Troutman).

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Ghostface Killah The Big Doe Rehab [review]

In recent promotions for The Big Doe Rehab, Ghostface has been seen with the goalie mask back on. I immediately took that as a sign of the God MC being back on his grisly, and I was 100% right. RZA is lucky that 8 Diagrams won't drop on the same date, for based on early reviews, The Wu woulda lost. And for good reason: Ghostface crafted one of, if not the, illest LPs of 2007. Not just on the basis of "yo these beats are dope" or "yo he has some wild rhymes on here", the shit just, end to end, is fire.

A hilarious intro sets the pace, early. Ghost encounters some dude flossin' at his table, trying to be really Big Will, and dude owes him money! Ghost promptly gets in dudes ass, and I can only assume that this is a metaphor for how Ghost feels in the current game of Rap. We are then immediately transported to a fire collaboration between Tony Starks and Beanie Sigel, going hard as hell on "Toney Siegel (AKA The Barrel Brothers)". "Yolanda's House" follows this, and is a surprisingly fluid mix of rhymes with Method Man and Raekwon. It's a hilarious tale of Ghost on the run, ending up in Mef's lady's crib, while Meth is airing her out! Just some wild stories and flows coming through here. You can forgive Ghost for sounding redundant, topic-wise, when he steps into the "I just murdered a man" story on "Walk Around", but he goes down a totally different lane, exposing the inner torment and paranoia that's birthed from an experience like that. We revisit Fishscale's "Shakey Dog" with "Shakey Dog Starring Lolita", jumping right into the robbery gone wild story, only this time we get to not only experience the Tarrantino-style story with a Robert Rodriguez-esque Mexican shootout with "!", which is a nice touch.

Most of Ghostface's lyrics are on that level, though: vivid, intricate descriptions, with smooth flows that make you smell the gun powder, duck from the gunshots, laugh at the blunt-soaked comedy, and just get enraptured in the world according to Ghost. "White Linen Affair (Toney Awards)" has Starks and Shawn Wigs taking you into a crazy awards show, with Tony serving as host and M.C. for the evening, with station breaks and such to boot. Ghost's son, Sun God, hit with a hilarious line ("if he lollygaggin'/word to momma I'm bodybaggin'"), but the rest of the Theodore Unit sounds like the Bravehearts through most of the album. "Paisley Darts" (one of 5 joints laced by LV and Sean C) sounds like an updated Enter The Wu-Tang flavor of a beat, with the wailing in the beat, the hypnotic drone, but with tighter drums. The production on the album is just lush, and a wicked combination of that hardcore grimey street flavor to the usual soulful-affairs that are now commonplace on a Ghostface longplayer. Scram Jones packs a string-driven gut punch with "Yapp City", which has loads of kicks alternating back and forth, accentuating the thunder and fury of the lyrics. One of two bonus tracks, "Killa Lipstick", has Ghostface waxing seductive sorcery over a loop of Faze O's "Riding High", weaving tales of sexy female hitmen, who seem to be the only females that Ghost is infatuated with. Method Man comes with a dope hook, and Masta Killa even steps in and murders his verse. There's seemingly nothing wrong with this disc.

And that's the beauty of Ghostface. He's rarely off when it comes to the darts, so it usually hinges on the production and the overall flow of the album. At just under 50 minutes, this album doesn't spend too much time trying to be something it's not. Ghost knows his role, and spends equal time dropping dark, edgey Rap tracks alongside more touching, heartfelt cuts in his own signature style ("I'll Die For You"). Hell, even the interludes that he doesn't rhyme or speak on (like the Ox-assisted "The Prayer") still speak volumes, and you can tell he's right there, big smile on his face, truly feeling everything.

The best thing about Ghostface's persona is that he is the epitome of real. He doesn't give a shit if you think he's weird for getting choked up about his people dying, or showing his true feelings when he takes a life, or is all about the witty scenarios, bringing comedy to situations like getting chased by the cops. It's all him, and all the marks of a true MC. He can create tornadoes where calm days laid, and make thunder appear from the palm of his hand. He will "fuck you will you die slow" and push your whole onion back, but you will know before you go that he had ample reason, and meant every inch of it. And it will sound fly as FUCK. If this isn't the best LP of 2007, let me know what is.

rock the dub gives The Big Doe Rehab a 4.75 out of 5. Ghost does everything right on this CD, wasting no time in giving you all facets of his personality, and matching the illest rhyme to the perfect beat. The only drawbacks: a lil' too much of the Theodore Unit, but even that is excusable with such quality around them.

Burn Deez: "Paisley Darts", "Shakey Dog Starring Lolita", "Tony Siegel", "Walk Around", hell, the entire CD is essential.

Ghostface's The Big Doe Rehab is in stores December 4th. Go grab that if you love Hip-Hop.

related links:
Ghostface on MySpace
Ghostface's Def Jam page
Ghostface breaking down the LP with MissInfo

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On That Leak: Wordsmith "Ultimate Celebration"

My boy Wordsmith has a new mixtape jumping off entitled The Revolution Begins With A Takeover, Vol. 1 (review forthcoming on this very site), which will be mixed by DJ Furious Styles, and is being sponsored by HipHopDX.com. We here at rock the dub not only have a copy of the cover, we have the first single from the mixtape, as well as a special 10% off discount coupon ffrom Vintage Clothing Limited (that 10% is good for your ENTIRE order, and expires Jan. 12th 2008).

Wordsmith "Ultimate Celebration" (prod. by Lucki Handz)

Get that coupon:

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rock the dub radio: episode 010

10th episode, already? Seems like just last week I was embarking on this interesting ride. To help me celebrate my 10th episode, I present to you a mix in two parts: this is the first of the "Dub Vs Boom" sessions, with mixes from myself and my partner Enigmatik, who runs Boo Goo Doo Boom as well as blogs about Basketball with me over at "Have You Seen Me Dunk?". All I asked is that he throw some of his favorites into a mix. What he did was drop some new with a touch of some older jams as well. I went a bit further back, digging into some gems that I personally love. Check us out:

rock the dub radio: episode 010 (dub vs boom 001 - pop shots)

(direct MP3 download)

Tracklist:

Part 1: Enigmatik
Ol' Dirty Bastard - "Pop Shots"
Wu-Tang Clan - "Life Changes"
O.C. - "M.U.G."
Little Brother - "Extra Hard"
Joell Ortiz - "125 pt. 2"
Jean Grae - "Until"
J Dilla - "Fuck The Police"
Ice Cube - "True To The Game"
Skillz f/Freeway - "You Don't Know"
DJ DMD f/Lil Keke, Fat Pat - "25 Lighters"
DJ Khaled f/Bun B, Paul Wall - "Hit 'Em Up"
DJ Drama f/Young Buck, The Outlawz - "Ridin' Down The Freeway"
G-Unit - "Feel Good"
Saigon f/Jay-Z, Swizz Beatz - "C'mon Baby (remix)"
Jay-Z f/Nas - "Success"

Part 2: khal
M.O.P. ft. ODB "Pop Shots RMX"
Freeway ft. Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel "What We Do"
The Roots "Dynamite!"
EPMD "You Gots To Chill"
Busta Rhymes "So Hardcore"
MF Grimm "Break 'Em Off (Intermission)"
Wu-Tang Clan "Heaterz"
Raekwon ft. Ghostface Killa & Masta Killa "Glaciers of Ice"
Boot Camp Clik "Headz Ain't Redee"
De La Soul "Itsoweezee (Hot)"
De La Soul ft. Common "The Bizness"
R.A. The Rugged Man "Casanova (Fly Guy)"
Jay-Z "It's Like That"
J-Live "Feel Like Spittin'"

Gems, man, gems. Shouts to E for the help-out; I'll keep you posted on the next Dub Vs Boom mix-up.

As per usual, any MCs/producers/labels/etc. trying to get their artist(s) some shine, hit me up with tracks.

rock the dub radio: the podcast \ RSS \ WGHH Radio

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Lupe Fiasco The Cool snippets

I'm no fan of Lupe Fiasco, at all. But, I know many of you guys are, and spotted the snippets to Lupe's forthcoming The Cool over at 2dopeboyz (via illRoots), so here they are. I figured SOMEONE has to listen to this and tell me how it sounds, b/c I don't think I'll be checking it out, based on my dislike of "Superstar" alone.

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Styles P Super Gangster (Extraordinary Gentleman) [review]

Last year, I reviewed Styles P's Time Is Money, and while I felt it overall, I was kind of upset that there was an overabundance of rhymes that, while dope, didn't have the STING that P usually infuses into his mixtape masterpieces. Since then, P left his previous label and linked up with Koch to bring forth Super Gangster (Extraordinary Gentleman), which must be a play on his debut solo album. He's progressed since that set dropped, but does that mean he is capable of dropping an end-to-end banger?

Well, if you're a D-Block fan, the answer is an undeniable "yes". On the short intro, Styles lets you know how he feels: "I'm better than all of you muthafuckas. Point, blank, period". What does he do next, though? Drops a weird ode to herb, "Blow My Mind", which has Swizz Beatz providing a track that sounds like more of an ode to someone's moms or lady, as opposed to a track devoted to getting ready to get blowed. I can see something like this going off well in concert, with Ls and bags of burn getting thrown around crazy, but not only P's flow can save this one on wax. This is followed by the random Ray J-featured "Let's Go". I was confused as to why Ray J is a) on the mic singing and b) on a Styles P album, but anyone who can smash Kim Kardashian, then get paid for the sextape can sing my eulogy. Hi-Tek's bottom-heavy bounce sets this one off perfect. Imagine getting lit with a chick to "Blow My Mind", then getting ready to go to the club or to the summertime cookout; "Let's Go" is the soundtrack to getting dressed and riding to the spot to get live. From then on, Styles lets loose with a barrage of that raw uncut. "Alone In The Streets" has Vinny Idol doing what he does best: throwing some ill piano flourishes overtop a hard kick. Paniro spends this track letting you know that he's out in the streets all night/morning trying to "get it in", although I find it hard to believe that a 33 year old dude is truly still in the game.

The Alchemist drops two heavy tracks for Styles: "All I Know Is Pain" has a very non-ALC beat (it actually sounds like a spiced-up Eminem instrumental), but it still knocks, allowing Ghost to pour his heart out about damn near everything. The other is "Green Piece Of Paper", which is another "wow, ALC produced that?" kind of tracks, and is one of the highlights of the album. Throw it on, hear the first bar, then WHEEL IT! Akon produces and is featured on "Got My Eyes On You" which, if you didn't pay attention to the lyrics, would sound like a serious anthem in those clubs where the rainbow triangle is prominent. This track is OK, but "I'll Still Kill" hits a bit harder. I was surprised at how much I dug "Look @ Her", what with P saying he needs to do a track for the females. P nails his persona nicely: a rugged, fitted-hat-low nigga dropping science about his lady, his way ("she remind you of your first .22/she real small and got alotta bang"). I saw that not only did P have Beans on this CD, but he had Ghostface as well. I was disappointed by the instrumental for "U Ain't Ready" (hey Dame Grease, who really wants to hear some melancholy, Drumline sounding beat?), but Beanie and P go back and forth nicely. "Star Of The State" is a bit better, but again it's more for the chemistry between P and Starks. Pete Rock comes correct with the flipped Isaac Hayes sample on "Gangster, Gangster", which features both Jadakiss and Sheek Louch doing what they do best: giving you that fire rap over a dope beat. I also loved hearing the Black Thought-assisted "Cause I'm Black", which features a line I use to this day, both in jokes and in serious convo, and has a dope, 70s Black Power/revolution feel to it. And if you have any question on how dope Styles is on the m-i-c, throw on "Da 80's", which has a throwback sound to it provided by the one and only Kid Capri.

What I dislike is that, there's mad gangster, and hardly any gentleman on here. Styles P prides himself on the duality of his character: he has spent most of his career being the intelligent hoodlum, the thug poet. And with a title like Super Gangster (Extraordinary Gentleman), you'd expect him to go hard in the 187um rhymes as well as the more conscious flows, but we don't see that at all. Kind of like how he did with Time Is Money and "I'm Black", which is disappointing. I can understand that you niggas won't buy an entire disc of pro-Black shit, nor will you cop that real deep, introspective shit, but with a guy like Styles P, who definitely has a large fanbase, it would take a cat like him, or a 'Kiss to help convert cats. Make those niggas on the block spend some time speaking on the ills of society instead of strictly speaking about which whip they are going to cop next. It's actually insulting; the title makes me immediately think that there should be some kind of balance, some kind of effect to explain the causes. But sadly, we get what P always brings us: that raw with no consequences.

In the end, you can't really blame P, though. It's damn near a documented fact that niggas don't buy shit that could be considered "smart". Tony Roberts' interludes personify the kind of niggas that are sheep, flocking to what their MC idols portray, but instead of giving them more food for thought, P just feeds them more. One of these days, our stomachs are going to bust, and who's fault will it be? I doubt MCs will take any responsibility, they were just going for the "Green Piece Of Paper"...

rock the dub gives Super Gangster (Extraordinary Gentleman) a 3.5 out of 5. For all of his intense, vivid rhymes, P fails to knock it out of the park. For all of the duality he spits in various interviews, his CD continues to fall back on the same jewels he always spits, which will no doubt satisfy hardcore D-Block-ites.

Burn Deez: "Green Piece Of Paper", "Da 80's", "Gangster, Gangster", "Cause I'm Black"

Styles P's Super Gangster (Extraordinary Gentleman) is in stores December 4th, 2007.

related links:
Styles P on MySpace
Styles P on Koch Entertainment

BONUS BEATS: "Blow My Mind" video:

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Mixtape Sunday: Afroclassics & Bash Bros. present Workaholics

Spotted this nugget over at GRANDGOOD. Some left coast Hip-Hop from Afroclassics (Scarab & Very) and Bash Bros. (Piseas & Lefty), linking up to unearth tracks featuring cats like Planet Asia, the Living Legends, Knows & Voice Watson. Grab Workaholics (which is mixed by DJ Icewater) EARLY!

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Mixtape Sunday: DJ Trackstar & Vandalyzm The Megatron Majorz sampler

My boy Trackstar hit me with this mixtape he worked on with Vandalyzm, who's recently dropped ill rhymes on projects like 9th Wonder's Dream Merchant Vol. 2, as well as other Justus League-affiliated joints. This is the sampler mixtape to his forthcoming LP, Megatron Majorz, and this sampler includes cuts from that album, classics, exclusives and shit from his NEXT album, No Plan B! Download this fly 33 minute mix, and check out the tracklist:

1) Al Green Intro
2) Hands High (produced by Vandalyzm) ON THE ALBUM!!
3) Click Clack (produced by Swiff D) EXCLUSIVE!!
4) Studio Gangstas freestyle ON THE ALBUM!!
5) Verbal Vandalyzm (produced by Vandalyzm)
6) Last Time feat Royce tha 5'9 (produced by 9th Wonder)
---Khrysis Drop
7) Game on Lock (produced by Khrysis) EXCLUSIVE!!
8) Proceed freestyle (produced by J Dilla RIP) EXCLUSIVE!!
9) Make it First freestyle (produced by J Dilla RIP) EXCLUSIVE!!
10) Ol Girl (produced by Vandalyzm) ON THE ALBUM!!!
---Notorious B.U.M. Interlude
11) Get My Shit Off (produced by J Dilla RIP)
12) Gotta be Karim- When You See Me (produced by Vandalyzm) EXCLUSIVE!!
13) Yes Sir (produced by Flying Lotus) NO PLAN B EXCLUSIVE!!
14) One Eleven freestyle (produced by J Dilla RIP) EXCLUSIVE!!
---Chaundon Drop
15) Where I'm From remix (produced by Khrysis and Vandalyzm)
16) Charity Case (produced by Vandalyzm) ON THE ALBUM!!!
17) Break Em Down (produced by Swiff D) ON THE ALBUM!!!
18) Trickin' (produced by Vandalyzm) ON THE ALBUM!!!
19) Outro (I'm Your New Stepfather)

Fire. Pure fire. I had no idea Van produced! Peep this - DO NOT SLEEP!

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FOTM: THUGSTEP #8

Download: Riskay Vs. Reform "Dope Girl (DJ Nappy Thugstep Refix)"


(more dload links via sharebee)

Gaining recent fame for tracks like "Smell Yo Dick", Riskay is one of those Florida females who isn't afraid to drop her sexuality into her rhymes. This track, "Dope Girl", has her comparing herself to some of you fiends' most favorite narcotics. DJ Nappy took this instrumental, flipped it with a break-heavy ride from Reform, and just made the shit work. It just has a dope flow to it, with the minimal melancholy of the track, it's a nice track to imagine some bodacious female winding her waist to... No additives, no preservatives - pure uncut THUGSTEP.

Something to keep you guys hot for the winter months.

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