Heard the green eyed bandit spit the same verse at a show in Raleigh, but that caput line still works for me.

5 alive

These are the 5 that held it down this week....

1. 50 Cent- I Get Money Curtis
2. West & Wizz- Fuck My Car Memphis or Die Vol. 1
3. Talib Kweli -Hot Thang Eardrum
4. Termanology ft. Evidence- Low IQ Hood Politics Vol 5 (Prod. By The Alchemist)
5. Stack Bundles- Imaginary Player Freestyle DJ Hitz: No Room To Breathe

Honorable Mention: Fam Lay ft. Pharell & The Clipse- No Time For No's (Prod. By The Neptunes)

Anticipation...

After hearing Jesus Price Superstar and Popular Demand. This will be an automatic purchase when it hits the shelves.

Local Flavor: Levi Stress

Yes, it's finally here! The loooooooong awaited L. Stress review. Shouts to my man J Coleman for sending me the track. Once again, for those who missed it the last time heres the criteria I'll be using to evaluate the track.

* Lyrical Ability
* Subject of Song
* Replay Value
* Sound Quality
* Artist Comparison
* The Beat
* The Hook
* The Feeling

All these categories will receive a certain number of backpacks from 1-5 5 obviously being better than 1. At the end we'll average the total of packs and you will have your score giving you either a 1,2,3,4, or 5. 5 being the highest.

Without further adieu...here come the book sacks.

The Name of his track is "Legend In The Making", another bold title from an NC emcee (by way of Chicago that is). This is from his 2005 release "Back to the Essence".

Lyrical Ability:

"Exotic stroke of a pen"... I couldn't have said it any better. The lyrics aren't mind boggling but hes definitely droppin some jewels

Subject of Song:

Okay we get it, your a dope emcee, there's bullshit on the radio, the industry sucks, its time for a change. Heard it a thousand times......never gets old tho! L Stress manages to make the typical disheartened underground rapper song interesting. The song really has no direction. The hook is s series of scratched in audio clips (a la DJ Premier) but it still sounds good so it doesn't bother me too much. It would have been nice if he would've named more legends (rap and otherwise) throughout the song sorta like when he drops jack demsey, ll cool j and bob marley's names in the third verse. Should've formulated that into a concept

Replay Value:

Like I said, the subject matter never gets old so that really helps. The beat is bananas! I could and have listened to this repeatedly and haven't gotten tired of it yet. Not saying the song is great, just saying that u can throw it in the rotation and you'll have no problem.

Artist Comparison:

He's got a habit of over pronouncing his words and rapping with a hurried pace. Hes speaks on political issues and uses obscure references. He also uses intricate situational metaphors, meaning he'll say my flow is like "insert weird scenario here". Then he'll pick a reference from that and use it a couple lines later. I say he's a mix between Immortal Technique and Pharoah Monch but with no angry, high pitched, almost yelling at you flow. Much.....much more laid back with it.

The Beat:

Str8 bananas! Sounds just like premier. Can't go wrong with that. Not sure who produced it but if its original, that man is niiice. Although Levi didn't make a classic out of it, an artist like O.C. or Afu Ra, or Jeru would've ripped it to pieces.

The Hook:

A Hook done old school premier style, gets me every time

The Feeling:

Head bob is there, cuz of the beat. I'm immediately turned off when I hear Levi start to rap because the sound quality on his voice is lacking. The way he flows makes it worse because it's a little hurried and it seems like hes focused on the pronunciation of the words and doesn't really put that much swagger on it. It makes it seem like each verse is one big long run on sentence Lyrics are there tho "I'll ghostwrite you're resignation".

Final Score:

There u have it. Don't take my word for it tho, d load and check it out for yourself. Once again, I mean no offense to Levi or anyone else, this is just one mans opinion. I support all local artist and encourage everyone to keep growing, keep writing/producing, and I wish everyone the best.

Want more Levi Stress????

myspace

SEE HIM LIVE!!!

Im fuckin wit this!

that new kanye vid.......I thought bad boy recording artist "Cassie" was an interesting choice.

WELCOME TO N.Y. CITY!!!!

Headed to N.Y. for the 3rd annual Brooklyn Hip Hop festival.....I'll send ya a post card! When I get back I'ma let y'all hear that new Levi Stress jawn. Until then this should hold ya.

M.O.P.- BKNY Ghetto Warfare (Prod. By The Heatmakers)

Five Alive

My 5 tracks for the week...

1. Amanda Diva ft. Q tip- 40 Emcees
2. Trae ft. Styles P & Jadakiss- Smile Life Goes On
3. T.I. ft. Jay Z- Watch What You Say T.I. V.S. T.I.P. (Shots Fired.....Shouts to "Cool James")
4. Little Brother- Good Clothes Get Back (Prod. by Illmind) (4 DE FREE CUZ!)
5. Willie The Kid- Cockin' Them Thangs Back DJ Drama: Gangsta Grillz (The Streets Been Waitin') Prod. By Don Cannon

yea Im fuckin wit this!

U know every week i gotta hit you with some crazy shit. That Sean Price album is STILL dope.

Bout Time!

Man, I been waitin' for this video to come out! This is my favorite song off the album so far.

On My Way To Cuuurch Vol 2

TABERNACLE.....


1. Bobby Womack- Across 110th Street Womack Winners: Best of Bobby Womack 1968-1975
2. Phyllis Hyman- Complete Me You Know How To Love Me
3. Curtis Mayfield- Do Do Wap Is Strong In Here Short Eyes Soundtrack

5 Alive

With the current state of todays music I need constant reassurance that hip hop isn't dead and/or on its death bed. Here are the 5 tracks that kept the respirator going this week.

1. Swizz Beats- Top Down One Man Band Man (Prod. By Swizz Beats)
2. Big Shug- Play It (Prod. By DJ Premier)
3. Tragedy Kahdafi- Deja Vu (Prod. By Large Pro)
4. Talib Kweli- Everything Man Ear Drum
5. Camp Lo- Black Hollywood Black Hollywood

Album of the Week:Mc Gruff- Destined to Be

First of all let me say, I LOVE HARLEM. I've never been and I only know two people from there but I LOVE HARLEM. Many may be asking why? Well, the right answer would be that it's historic, come to think of it...the only black renaissance known to man took place in Harlem. However, my real answer is that other than Brooklyn the best N.Y. rappers come from Harlem (let's not argue about this, its just my opinion). This mecca of black creativity brings us to the album of the week, Mc Gruff- Destined to Be.

As well all know in and around 1997,98 Harlem was poppin'. Big L was killing the streets, Ma$e was killing the clubs, and Cam'ron was emerging commercially as a viable candidate for King of N.Y. In the midst of all this we still have the lovable cast of characters from D.I.T.C. and let's not forget the other member of C.O.C. (Children of th Corn) McGruff. R.I.P. Bloodshed. 1998 McGruff hits the streets with "Destined to Be".

At the time, the title couldn't have been better put. Lets be honest, Big L, Cam'ron, Ma$e, and McGruff all sound alike as far as flow and most of the time subject matter too. From a fans perspective McGruff wasn't the best but he was the best mixture of all the Harlem MC's of that time. He was gutta but wasn't as abstract as Cam'ron. He was braggadocios like Ma$e but obviously harder. And one can argue that McGruffs flow is just as controlled and fluid as Big L's.

Now... to the album. The beats on this one are so old school. Where a lot of the mre commercial cats were experimenting with crazy sounds (Jay Z), McGruff kept it simple. A lot of samples of breaks from older rap records, plain drums, can't really go wrong with that. I'm not gonna front though McGruff falls victim to that trend twice on this album, but they're not that bad. But there are alot of hood classics on this joint and I felt it should be recognized. Enjoy.

1. Gruff Express
2. Harlem Kidz Get Biz
3. This Is How We Do
4. Many Know
5. Exquisite/ The Spot (Interlude)
6. What Part Of The Game (Featuring Panama Pi)
7. Who Holds His Own
8. What Cha Doin' To Me
9. Destined To Be
10. Freestyle
11. Dangerzone (Featuring Big L & Mase)
12. What You Want
13. Before We Start
14. Reppin' Uptown/ The Signing (Interlude) (Featuring Lox)
15. Stop It
16. Before We Start [Remix Version]

Yea.... I'm fuckin' wit this

Every Wednesday Ima hit y'all with some crazy off the wall shit that I'm feeling for no reason in particular. ENJOY!



This is the video for the first single off Guru's new album "Jazzmatazz Vol. 4". This joint features Commmon and jazz legend Bob James and its called State of Clarity. I played this on my radio show about 2 or 3 months ago. Glad he finally came out with the video. The video kinda has that Parliament Funkadelic "Nothin but the dogg in me feel". If you like this then you'll like the album, there's this joint with damian marley thats crazy.

BIG Big Treal News!!!

So, I work for local artist "Big Treal" as an intern doing marketing and public relations work. I just got him on one of the internet's most popular rap blogs. Check it out. I don't usually pat myself on the back, but I'm pretty proud of myself for this one.

WATCH OUT FOR STR8 DROP COMING TO A STORE NEAR YOU!!!

Local Flavor: Ty Bru

Alright, heres the deal. As you know I live in North Carolina, the best place in the world for underground rap music. Excuse my bias but thats just how I feel. With that said I will be reviewing local artists submissions here on Carolina B.R.L. Those of you who know me, know that I have done radio for the past three years. This experience has made me very critical of music in general and especially local music. So I promise three things


1. I am totally unbiased, I don't give a shit what anyone thinks of me or my opinion and I REALLY don't give a shit who else likes the artists/songs I review. What you will read is MY opinion.

2. There will be no favoritism, the only person I really work with heavy is Big Treal in Charlotte and Kooley High & Inflowential in Raleigh. i will be posting their music from time to time but I will not be reviewing it. Basically those are the only three groups in N.C. that I'm head over heels for and everyone else is subject to a scathing tounge/keyboard lashing should I deem it necessary.

3. If I am asked to review it, it will be reviewed. No one will be turned down for revue no matter what.

Now heres my grading criteria...

* Lyrical Ability (Rhyme scheme, use of analogy, metaphor, etc..)
* Subject of Song (That's right folks your song has to be ABOUT something)
* Replay Value (I will try my hardest to listen to your song until it becomes nauseating. This is to simulate radio air play, we're all familiar with their methods cough cough Power 98 cough cough)
* Sound Quality (This might be the most important, if your mix sounds like shit then your song sounds like shit. End of story)
* Artist Comparison (If you ever get famous the rap critics will compare you to an already established rapper anyway. I'm just heading them off at the pass. Cool points for you if you are truly unique and don't sound like anyone)
* The Beat (We all know producers have taken over rap music. If the beat ain't hot your song will suffer...immensely. Kudos to those rappers that can make a horrible beat bearable)
* The Hook (This is supposed to be the "catchy" part of your track that the tasteless masses will repeat even if they don't know one word of your actual lyrics...so make it good!)
* The Feeling (This one is best described as the head bob in the beginning, the little smirks at they sly remarks, and the text message to my friend which will read "YOU HAVE TO HEAR THIS!". If you can achieve those three my friend, you're going straight in the Ipod)

All these categories will receive a certain number of backpacks from 1-5 5 obviously being better than 1. At the end we'll average the total of packs and you will have your score giving you either a 1,2,3,4, or 5. 5 being the highest.

WHEW!
***wipes head***

First up is Ty Bru. The Name of his track is "King of the Cack" (Quite the boast Mr. Bru) I'll be the judge of that...J/K ;)

Ty Bru- King of the Cack from his release "The Iconoclast Sessions Vol. 2"

Lyrical Ability:
His rhyme scheme isn't bad at all. I really like the flow on the second verse. Although it ends pretty abruptly. The actual lyrics given the subject matter are to be expected. However, Ty Bru doesn't really drop any jaws with lines such as "I stay underground like Harriet Tubman's jeans". With that said 2 book sacks is generous, I gave him some leeway because apparently he "switched up his style a little different from the norm" And I always applaud emcees who try something new.

Subject of Song:

Okay... So apparently there is some impostor parading around as "The King of the Cack". Talkin out the side of his neck, claimin' sovereign rule of the rap world of the Queen City. Well, Ty Bru is here to put a stop to all that!

There, I've had my fun. But the subject matter of this song is pretty general. In Ty Bru's opinion, he's the best rapper in the city, which makes him the king. He sounds pretty angry on this record and there are some lines that could be applicable to real life situations so I give him the benefit of the doubt and say this could be a diss track too. That said one of the things I prided Raleigh on was its unity amongst rappers. I was hoping Charlotte would be the same but unfortunately thats not the case. Anybody who is part of the scene in Charlotte knows that the hate runs deep. But hey, at least this isn't one of those "shoulders, chest, knees, toes" joints WIPE ME DOWN SON!

Replay Value:

Sorry Ty. Had to give you the goose egg on this one. Nothing in this joint I'd wanna hear again. Let alone a bagillion times a day on Power 98

Sound Quality:

Sound quality is on point, not crystal clear cd quality but way better than average.

Artist Comparison:

This guy is confident, and determined. Spits with a lot of passion. Not overly country or southern but still got a lil drawl in him. I say he's a mixture between Master P and Slim Thug. A good combo if done right.

The Beat:

I'm all for minimalist beats, however, this is a little vacant. Sounds like a stock fruity loops sound scape. Obviously, it didn't really incite the necessary head bob. I do applaud the producer for doing a true original production. I know its hard having to compete with all the sample heavy producers in N.C. With that said, the beat still gots to be hot and this one is barely luke warm.

The Hook:

The hook is terrible. Although it is something easy for fans to remember and it rhymes. One might say its easy to remember because it rhymes. Other than that u got nothin. I'm not gonna front tho the way Ty says "You ain't the king of the cack" really sounds like he means it and it was stuck in my head for like 3 min.

The Feeling:

Eh. Its Aiii. Little head bob during second verse when Ty really started riding the beat. One smirk when Ty said "I got a good point like Denver/I know how to prove it". One of the more lyrical lines. A nice little jewel, golf claps for Ty. Not texting my friend tho, so u still got some work to do brother.

Final Score:

Well... there it is ladies and gents, the first ever installment of "Local Flavor" on Carolina B.R.L. Shouts to J Coleman for submitting the track and shouts to Ty Bru for being a rapper. Don't get it twisted, like I said it's nothing personal, I have no idea who Ty Bru is. This was just an honest, unbiased review. I support all local artist and encourage everyone to keep growing, keep writing/producing, and I wish everyone the best.

COME BACK NEXT WEEK WHEN I'LL BE REVIEWING A TRACK FROM LEVI STRESS!!!

WANNA HEAR MORE FROM TY BRU???????

Reverb Nation

Myspace

all local artist submit tracks to here