Diddy, Oh Diddy!

Since this is MY blog, I guess I can write about real life experiences and what I see with my own two. I know ya'll probably like 'why is Diddy the topic in a hip hop blog?' - Well, he is the topic because I do lightweight promotion for a member of the Bad Boy Family .. The Enforcer of Da Band E. Ness .. yea, the #1 Draft Pick .. this is gonna hurt me to write because of how much I respect Diddy, and this sure isn't going to help me when I try to politic my way in the Bad Boy door.

Diddy is known to break artists, he is supposed to be a trendsetter. To me its like he has been taking the easy route as of late. I think this started around the 'Boyz In The Hood feat Jeezy' days. It seemed like the south was about to do it, so he was like, 'hmm, let me get a hot act from the South' - on the real, they wasn't that hot, but it had the Bad Boy named attached to it. In the meantime, no one from the East was really doin it .. R&B acts started jumpin' out there, so looks like Diddy wanted to see if he could throw Cassie in the mix. Nothing really sold too much or made too much noise. They say Danity Kane went platinum, but I don't even remember a hot single. Don't get me started on Making The Band, it almost seems like a joke. (lol, as me and wifey watch Making The Band 4 as i type) - I am very entertained by the shows, but at the end of the day, whose career is being taken to another level? Diddys or the potential 'Bands?' - - Based on history its the Diddy himself ... its almost like he's playin with careers. Seems like once the show is over, he's done with the promo for them.

Now back to E. Ness .... this is a dude that has a million songs on stash. Alot of street joints for the mixtapes and some commercial joints for 'Nessasary' - which drops early 2006, oh, i mean 4th quarter 2006. Oh, that already passed ... I mean mid 2007 .. last word is it was pushed back to early 2008. This is a blower to me because I see first hand how hard he works, how bad he wants it .... but what does Diddy do? He keeps pushin the album back and stays on the Souths 'Joc' - I'm not mad at what Young Joc is doin, but tha's easy Puff .. why not bring the east back like Big did back in the day. Seems like he didn't to put forth the effort to try something new, like drop E. Ness .. i mean, since he's signed to you, at least let him drop a hot 16 on a commercial remix. The streets still know Ness, and based on the response of his last 4 mixtapes (all 2007) - the streets still want Ness .. - - Ness is definately someone that deserves to make it. He has the hunger that alot of these up and comings need. He does all interviews, drop requests, DVD appearances, etc .. just making himself available for any promo to get himself out there.

Just venting a lil bit. Seeing Ness work, and listening to the quality of songs he puts together .. he definatley needs to be out there.

Joints I'm Feelin' / Mixtape Review

Tapemasters Inc; Welcome To Brooklyn

Normally I'm not a fan of 'various artists' mixtapes. I like for DJ'z to stick to one concept. This joint here was different, there was a Brooklyn concept. I sat back and thought to myself how many hot emcees come/came outta Brooklyn. Even some 'no name' Brooklyn emcees is hot, the wordplay and swag takes them a long way. Anywayz, I read the tracklist and was like 'Yezzur, this is a must have'. I am very critical of mixtapes and I found this one to be near flawless. I could criticize and say it was an easy mixtape to make based on all the talent in BK, but the DJ'z picked the right mix of songs, and the order of the tracks seemed to flow perfect. Cant do a Brooklyn joint with out Hov, so the selection of Jay Z tracks didn't disappoint. Papoose makes a few guest appearances in the midst of whatever he's up to now. You gotta check out 'Brooklyn, USA'. This is a joint that takes me back to vintage Pap. He took a concept and flow and killed it! Hopefully he's gettin his album together, or at least another hot mixtape for the streets. One of my favorite emcees from the borough, Maino has a few songs on here. I always liked his style and flow so of course I was looking forward to hearing those. Who can forget about Fab. He's def killin the radio now with his R&B type singles, but he got a couple freestyles on here that lets you know he ain't playin on the mic. I tried to give Gravy another chance, but i'm still not feeling this dude music. This was one of his better tracks, but still not hot. I don't think its in him! Joell Ortiz comes with some fire on here too. His Hip Hop song is off the hook. I'm definatley gonna be looking forward to hearing more from him. Foxy, the illest female in the game had a quick joint on here. Sounds like she stil got it, she needs to get it crackin again. Her song was followed by Lil Kim, who also sounded pretty good. It'd be good to see them get back to they way they used to rhyme! Foxy before all this legal ish, and Kim before all the face jobs and boob job ... all in all this was a good mixtape. Woulda been nice to hear AZ, or maybe a street joint from Mos Def since they reppin BK, but it will still get play in the ride for a few weeks. Definately worth a listen, fam.


DJ Clinton Sparks; Kardinal Offishall - Do The Right Thing

Real quick, this here is a quality mixtape too. Clinton Sparks does his usual 'Get Familiar' thing, but the star of this show is Kardinal Offishall. This dude is always slept on but he always makes good music. He's reppin T-DOT and come with his own style. Def check him out.

STAY TUNED FOR UPCOMING INTERVIEWS FROM YOUR FAVORITES MIXTAPE DJ'S and MIXTAPE ARTISTS. Coming very soon. E. Ness and Maino

What's Hot and What's Not?!?!?

These days its hard to tell what's hot and what's not. I have been searchin, trying to find the hot mixtape DJs out there ... trying to find the hot mixtape artist out there. Its so easy to make mixtapes these days, which is why everyone is doing it. I'm about to go on limewire and download some songs, rip some words of a hot artist, call it a drop and release the illest mixtapes, son! Yea right, tha's not me, but that's how easy it is. Its to the point where its annoying. I mean really, how many of ya'll is gonna drop a Lil Wayne mixtape?

Da Drought, Da Drought is Over, The Drought Vol.3, The Best Rapper Alive; Vols 1-3, Cassidy vs. Lil Wayne, Jada Vs. Lil Wayne (i actually might give that one a listen to see what Jada been up to), The Rapper Eater, The Carter 2.5I Can't Feel My Face, Da Nolia Soldier, I am Hip Hop, President Carter, None Higher, New Orleans Nightmare, Please Say The Baby, and who can forget the 30 or so 'Best Of Lil Waynes' ... WOW, Lil Wayne must have alot of material (in my sarcastic tone).. tha's alot of unofficial mixtapes, and i'm sure i'm missing like 84 of'em!! Whats not hot is doing a mixtape that's already been done. There is no concept featuring Lil Wayne that would be hot at all right now. Not even if u had an exclusive Hot Boy reunion mixtape that included Juvie, BG and Turk on the same tracks. NOT INTERESTED, cuz ya'll done made me not wanna hear anything to do with Weezy. I used to be pressed for The Prefix, Suffix, all the Squad Up joints, and of course the Dedications .. but there are so many out now, its to annoying to sift through and see if any of them are official. Didn't mean to drag that on, but DJ's .. thats NOT HOT. I was just over on DATPIFF.com and seen a couple joints that might be hot. Hot because it wasn't the run of the mill mixtape. A hot up and coming DJ that goes by the name Gee T aka Got That posted a Joell Ortiz mixtape. This joint is hot cuz the artist is hot for one, we don't hear too much of him, the songs aren't ripped from another mixtape .. jus a quality mixtape giving hip hop heads 'something funky to listen to' - bottom line is to just be original. (You can check Gee T on www.myspace.com/geet169). I mentioned the blueprint to a hot mixtape in a previous blog (refer to Mixtape Circuit blog) - like Home Depot says, 'You Can Do It, I Can Help' ...... why don't ya'll find an artist that should be getting mixtape love, but hasn't recently. I have recently ran across a few. Artists like E. Ness who still has a name from MTV/Making The Band fame. People know who he is, they like his music, but there is not enough of it out there for us to listen to. Diddy, stop playin with dudes career! I saw a Talib Kweli mixtape, which isn't a first but its not too common. Little Brother dropped a classic mixtape with Mick Boogie. Beans just dropped a mixtape. Cassidy just dropped a couple ... he's been away for a minute .. good to see he's back but it's kinda lookin like its about to be a few too many joints featuring Cass out there too. Just keep it original. If you want to stand out, don't blend. Check out the sites, see whats out there and do something different. Don't do a Biggie joint, a Pac joint, a Big L joint, a Big Pun joint, a Stack Bundles joint .... basically, do not do a feature on a slain emcee.

I'll need to do more research on the whole game to see who is doing their thing now. The game changes so fast. Where is Drama? Has Big Mike dropped anything noteworthy? Is DJ Clues job at Power 105 taking up all of his mixtape time? Outside of Papoose, when's the last time Kay Slay dropped something hot? Whoo Kid, are we still paying attention to the G-Unit joints he puts out? When Joe Budden gonna drop another mixtape ... Ain't we all waiting for Mood Muzik 3? What was Paps last hottest mixtape? - - all this being said, its a new day in the mixtape game. Who's gonna step up? Stay tuned for the mixtape awards ..... MY mixtape awards.

Holla at me on sizzle95@tmail.com for info on how to be considered for awards.

**ALERT, Another Stack Mixtape** 'sigh'

DJ Ev Star and DJ Jug E 'Stack Bundles Tribute - 21 Gun Salute'

I just blogged about the sudden interest in Stack Bundles. I just visited the illest mixtape site (datpiff.com) - and what do I see? HEY STACK BUNDLES HAS A NEW MIXTAPE!! Oh, my bad .. its another 'TRIBUTE' to Stack Bundles. The tracklist if far from exclusive, i get to the end of the mixtape cuz i see *bonus track* and the first one is 'Ya Dig' with Jim Jones .. since when has a song that's been on 79 mixtapes been exclusive? This one had 2 DJ's, so they coulda came up with an original idea between the 2 of them. This Stack invasion is about as bad as the Lil Wayne Mixtape Invasion .... unless you Drama, don't make a Weezy mixtape right now.

On one last note before I bounce, people think Jeezy is the ad-lib king, but listen to Stack and listen how many ad-libs he put in there .. and he was doin it before Jeezy.

I'ma leave this alone, but DJ's please step your game up and be original. Mixtapes is where its at right now, keep it fresh.

DJ's Should Be Ashamed of Themselves (RIP Stack Bundles)

So, i'm in the car riding home Monday June 13th. Im trying to gather my thoughts so I can come at Stack Bundles with the business all together so he don't think i'm on no B.S. - A week earlier he gave me his number and said hit him up about promotion. Cool! I was hype because I had been a fan since he jumped on the scene with Riot Squad, Desert Storm, Clue, Paul Cain, Fab and Joe Budden. He always stood out to me cuz he had that cocky swag, his style was different .. and my boy AveBoogie is gonna get on me about speakin on another dudes voice, but he had that ill voice that commanded your ear. (no homo) - anywayz, before I got a chance to hit him up, betta yet before he really got a chance to blow up he was murdered in Queens, NY. Dag-Gone shame..he was on his way .. although i'm not the biggest DipSet/Byrdgang/Jim Jones fan, I respect Jimmy for seeing that Rayquon Elliot (Stacks Govt) had a world of talent and was in the midst of getting him that worldwide shine he deserved .......



NOW, why is it that so many DJ's decided to pay homage to Stack after his death? Was he not nice in the booth while he was with us? How is Stack gonna benefit off of this? Or is it the DJ that is gonna benefit off of this? DJs who decided to throw together a mixtape of the self proclaimed 'Gorgeous Gangsta' should ask themselves why are they in the mixtape game. How easy is it to get love off the mixtape of a newly slain emcee? How about getting ahold of the artist while he is here and putting together a hot mixtape? I read the blogs, see the comments 'Stack is nice', 'RIP Stack', 'Stack was the dude' - funny how I never heard this when he dropped 'Take A Picture' or the instant classic 'Bundles Hot' - take this advice from a self proclaimed MIXTAPE A&R - if you gonna do a Stack joint, the thing to do is get at ARTISTS who was good with Stack, have them supply drops honoring Stack .. if you are on your grind, you can seek out individuals who can supply you with exclusives, not stuff I heard on OLD mixtapes 'Bidding War' or 'My Life is Like a Movie' .. then you can drop and original, classic mixtape. All i'm seeing now is a waste of my time. Put some effort behind what you do, because your work shows you just like to compile songs and call it a mixtape. STEP YOUR GAME UP, mixtape DJ's .. if you not gonna do it right, let Rayquon Elliot rest in peace.
Ya'll coulda spared us this mixtape and other 'Best of Stack' mixtapes. Shout to to Clue, Big Mike and the official mixtape up top this blog that paid homage while he was still here. OUT.

THE MIXTAPE CIRCUIT

The mixtape is huge in todays industry. They have always been hot and my preferred method of seeing whats and who's out there. From way back in the day where mixtapes were actually tapes. Being outside of NY, I would have to search for my tapes, usually ordering my free catalog from the back of The Source. After reviewing every playlist and finding a couple hot joints from one of my favorite rappers and I was sold! I would patiently wait for that thick brown envelope and 'let that tape rock, till my tape popped'. I would follow that process every 2 months or so. I think by having to search for hip hop as a youth gives me more respect for it and makes me more knowledgeable than the average consumer. Of course, now they are much easier to access. The internet has made that possible ... .but before the internet, I was in the magazines, in the books, the stores, trying to get my hands on anything hip hop. Even buying the Hip Hop compilations in the mid 80's from K-Mart that featured the Chicago Bears Superbowl Rap followed by Rappin' Duke (Dah Hah, Dah Hah!). That joing was classic, matter fact, it was called Power Rap! I was just that much of a hip hop head.

Now, back to the mixtape. Today they are very easy to come buy. You can buy them online, you can buy them in stores. If you have the opportunity to walk down Flatbush Ave or stroll through Fulton Mall, you can get them from just about any store. Mixtapes DJ's are huge and some probably make more money than the rappers on their tapes. Not only are mixtape DJ's huge, but mixtape artists, are really in the public eye these days. Especially the public that I know. Most of these artists see the success of a 50 Cent, and the labels see it too ... a mixtape buzz is almost a prerequisite to acheive industry success or get a look from a label. There are alot of mixtape artists out there, and alot of mixtape DJ's out there. - That is where I come in, I spend almost all of my free time on the websites, seeing who's hot, seeing who's not, listening to mixtapes, downloading mixtapes .... I have the knowledge and I don't trust anyones opinion like i trust my own .... So i'm here to break down my opinions on today Mixtape Circuit. From the artists to the DJ's and everything in between. I will break down mixtapes, I will criticize or big up mixtape DJ's and Artists .... so welcome to the ride family.

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