Three album/mixapes, three reviews.
Skillz – Infamous Quotes
“Infamous Quotes”
is one of those rare projects that you’ll hear this year based off the
names attached to it alone. Powered by Skillz and DJ Jazzy Jeff, the
mixtape blends famous and well-known quotes from TV, movies, and the
like almost seamlessly alongside new freestyles, skits, and original
material from Mr. Year-End Rap-Up himself. From the interesting beat
selection that ranges from Mario’s “Break-Up” to Marsha Ambrosius’
“Murdah”, to the classic, punchline-heavy flow that Skillz uses to glide
over each track smoothly, all of it comes together to provide a mixtape
that’s meant to be played from start to finish, with no skips. Topped
off by DJ Jazzy Jeff and his unparalleled skills (no pun intended)
resonating throughout the mixtape, this is one of the more enjoyable and
thoroughly well-executed mixtapes that have come out recently.
9th Wonder – 9th’s Opus
A completely different project in its own right, 9th Wonder’s “9th’s Opus”
has all of his artists together on one project, from recognizable
voices such as Skyzoo and 9th’s rap alter-ego, 9thmatic, to fresh
newcomers like Thee Tom Hardy and others. Although there’s a diverse mix
of artists, all of the music has that Hip-Hop feel to it that instantly
gives it appeal to more than just one type of music fan. Each track has
an original vibe thanks to the creativity of the stable of artists he
has collected, and the lyricism is essentially unrelenting. In short,
all of this comes together to make this album a teasing showcase for
each artist. If nothing else, it shows what each one of them is capable
of doing in high-quality doses, which make this well-worth the price of
purchase online or in stores.
The Outlawz – Killuminati 2K10
It’s good to see that the Outlawz also have recently released a new mixtape. Hosted by DJ Smallz, “Killuminati 2K10”
is more of a traditional mixtape that focuses on making street music
that does everything from assault your speakers to give you a California
vibe that’s reminiscent of times when 2Pac was alive. Although it
starts off slow because of the style of the first song (“From The
Bottom”), it kicks into full-force by the time “Dream Big” comes on and
does a great job keeping up that same quality of music for the rest of
the mixtape, excluding minor hiccups that are more based on personal
preference than actual flaws. With guest spots from Freeway, Young Buck,
Yung LA, GLC, and more, this Southern Smoke mixtape is an overall solid
project that should get some playing time with longtime Outlawz fans
and newcomers alike.
