The Luniz never had 5 like these...

The Top 5

Yesterday you got albums 6 through 10. If you missed it, click on Monday’s entry and check it out. I really had to be objective when doing the Top 5 because there was one album that I wanted to be the best more than the others but I just couldn’t justify it. These five albums are well made albums – not just a random concoction of songs. There are clear themes, showing of versatility and pure creativity. These albums represent the diversity of Hip-Hop and why it is the hottest (my definition, not MTV’s) music genre on the planet. So without further ado, PTM brings to you the best of the best…



5. Kidz in the Hall – The In Crowd

The Ivey League kids from Chicago are reminiscent of the producer (Double O)/ rapper (Naledge) group of the ‘80’s so it was fitting that the intro track, “Black Out” sampled Eric B. and Rakim. The best quality about this group is that they know who they are and are comfortable in their own skin. They are college educated kids from middle class families that make music that regular folks can relate to (a la Kanye). The depths of their song concepts are prevalent in “Inner Me” and “The In Crowd”. Their diverse list of collaborations proves that Naledge is capable of rhyming on many different levels and appealing to different audiences. He rocks with the eclectic Camp Lo on “Snob Hop” and shows his lyrical prowess with Phonte on “Paper Trail”. The “Driving Down the Block (Remix)” has everyone from Bun-B to The Cool Kids jumping on board. These Kidz are smart and they aren’t afraid to challenge their listeners. “Love Hangover” which is accompanied by the lovely Estelle, provides a surprise metaphor that catches you off guard. This album will probably not land on any other list because well, too many people never heard of them but without question it is one of this year’s best.





4. Common – Universal Mind Control (PTM 2007 #7)

It’s funny what a terrible album can do to a motivated rapper. Since the Electric Circus fiasco, Common has put out some of the best music of his career. It’s also great when that same rapper doesn’t have to rely on album sales to make a living. Common has without question made it a priority to push the boundaries musically; and this album, part Wyclef, part Outkast, part KRS-ONE is the result. Sonically, this album takes you on a ride. The “Planet Rock” sample on the title track really sets the tone for the energy that this album brings. “Punch Drunk Love” is another entry in the growing list of Common/ Kanye classic collaborations as the Chicagoans rap for the ladies. You never know where this album is going but the unpredictability is refreshing as “Make My Day” and “Changes” put you in two very different moods. The punchline heavy “Gladiator” and the B.I.G tribute, “Announcement” gives core Com fans nostalgia of Resurrections past. Overall this album is an excellent 10 track package that can fit in anyone’s CD changer rotation. Common gets even more credit for stepping outside of the box after the Circus flop. I’m just glad that he got it right this time.



3. Ludacris – Theater of the Mind

With this album, Ludacris had just one goal. Make it clear to everyone in the world that he is one of the best lyricists alive. “Undisputed” is an unapologetic challenge to any and every rapper in the game to test his skill. To further prove his point he decided to invite two G.O.A.T’s and perhaps the next G.O.A.T to supply verses. On “Last of a Dying Breed”, Cris trades witty banter with Lil’ Wayne in this ode to lyricism. “I do it for Hip-Hop” finds the ATL native somewhere between Brooklyn and Queens as he, Jay-Z and Nas all vie for the crown of best rapper alive. This album, which might be his best, really highlights what Ludacris has more than anyone else – versatility. He hits the club with T-Pain with “One More Drink”, adapts to DJ Premier’s boom bap production with “MVP” and even provides teachings to the youth with Common and Spike Lee on “Do the Right Thing”. Theater of the Mind is truly a concept album as the theme of movies and cinema often pop up on the album. This is a fitting blend of Luda’s two worlds as he is becoming more and more, a successful actor. Ludacris can make you laugh, cry, dance and make you say “ooh wee” after a mean punchline and he brings all of that to the table with this masterpiece. It’s time to stop frontin’, he’s one of the best.



2. Nas - Untitled

Nas is without question a living legend. He’s also one of the most complex rappers in history. He’s been criticized for his many contradictions and lambasted for poor attempts to make club bangers. He’s also been considered boring and some of his deeper material lacks pure entertainment. So when he originally wanted to name his album “Nigger”, people knew they were in for something... you just wasn’t sure what it was. From the lead single “Hero”, Nas reminded folks why he’s one of the greats and why he should still be relevant today. He took the biggest creative risk of any rapper this year and made an entire album full of social commentary. But by picking the right beats and mastering his flow, he managed to make these songs exciting. He literally made a battle record against Fox News (“Sly Fox”) and brought attention to the (un)healthy relationship that black people have with food with “Fried Chicken”. Although he changed the title officially, he still addressed the “N-Word”. On “N.I.G.G.E.R” he boosts the confidence of young black men and women by letting them know that they come from Kings and Queens and “Y’all My Niggas” is a testament to the influence that Hip-Hop and black people have had on pop culture. This album is nothing short of genius and it is probably his best work since Illmatic. Nas was on a different level creatively and literally put out an album that is simultaneously current and ahead of its time. No song is more proof than the last track of the album, “Black President”. With the best Hip-Hop song documenting the rise of Barack Obama during the 2008 Presidential Campaign, Nas set himself apart from the pack. He is using his craft to change the landscape of how Hip-Hop addresses social issues and as one of my favorite rappers, it pained me to make it #2. Because…

1. T.I. – Paper Trail

Clifford Harris made the best album of 2008. For the record, this album had no business being good. After the lackluster T.I. vs. T.I.P project and being under federal gun charges, you could understand it if T.I. decided to throw in the towel and put the music on the backburner. But when it comes to music, great hardship often brings out the best in an artist. And being on house arrest leaves you with a lot of free time to be in the studio. T.I. let his craft be his therapy and he cranked out a certified classic. Lyrically he was at a level that no one had ever seen from him. The performances on “56 Bars” and “I’m Illy” are usually reserved for guys named G Rap and Canibus. He even destroyed the three best rappers in the game on “Swagga Like Us” (track 12 out of 16, mind you). He didn’t stop there. The last album where nearly every song was a hit single was 50’s debut. This album is right up there. The Rhianna assisted “Life Your Life”, “Whatever You Like” and “Swing Ya Rag” have been top 40 songs since they were released (overall, not just the rap/r&b category). These aren’t just hit records, they are anthems that will get played at basketball games, and at BBQ’s for the next 20 years. This album has no weak tracks and no flaws. He seamlessly transitions between the super seductive “Porn Star” and the braggadocios “Every Chance I Get”. He makes you believe that you can live out your dreams with Ludacris on the track “On Top of the World”. But perhaps his most impressive work was the personal songs where he let the world into his heart and thoughts. “Dead and Gone” is a regretful song about letting his pride get in the way during an altercation that ended in his best friend getting shot and killed. He takes his medicine on “Ready for Whatever” but challenges the audience to step in his shoes before they pass judgment. (“… die or go to jail/ that’s a hellova decision.) The track, “You Ain’t Missing Nothing” provides a ray of hope for those currently in jail. This song takes on an even deeper meaning as he wrote it knowing he would soon be heading so that same prision. When you strip it all down to the pure music, it is clear that T.I. provided the best balance of entertainment, emotion and education and created a timeless work of art. Paper Trail is undoubtedly the best album of 2008 and one of the best Hip-Hop albums of all time. Point. Blank. Period.

New Music: "Class Of 09...."

This CD features music from artist that PTM has talked about in our "Who Is" section such as Mickey Factz, Kid Cudi, Charles Hamilton and many more...

Download this CD at either of these links:

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Who Got The Props?

Year In Review 2008
written by JusHH

2008 was a huge year for Hip-Hop. Riding the strong 4th quarter that Kanye/50 and Jay-Z gave us in ‘07, we had a lot to look forward to. With Lil’ Wayne leading the hype machine, some of rap’s biggest heavyweights decided to drop albums this year. Also some not so “hot” (MTV’s definition not mine) but extremely talented artists put their name in the hat as well. With so many different styles to choose from, it was tougher than ever to make this list.

** Just to let you know, you will not see Kanye West’s 808’s and Heartbreak on this list. No, it’s not because I hate it (read the review) but he’s not rapping and this is a PTM list so its Hip-Hop albums only.**

But before we get to the list…


Major Disappointments – These are albums that many expected to be much better but fell short of expectations.

Fat Joe – Elephant in the Room
Young Jeezy – The Recession
Q-Tip – The Renaissance

Major Surprises – The following joints definitely turned a few heads and were better than people might have thought.

Buckshot & 9th Wonder – The Formula

Honorable Mentions – Projects that almost made the list but just fell short.

Bun-B – II Trill
G-Unit – T.O.S.
Skillz – The Million Dollar Backpack
Evidence – The Layover (PTM 2007 #8)
Jean Grae & 9th Wonder - Jeanius

Now on to the list…

So the theme of this list is “stripped” – I literally had to strip away the rapper’s name, reputation, hype and my personal feelings and just listen to the music. For those who know me, trying to be objective about Hip-Hop is like asking Al Sharpton to have dinner with Don Imus but I tried my best. No choice proved my efforts more than when I settled on my #1 album. It was fun, I got to listen to some great music and I hope you like the list. Let the debate begin…

10. The Game – L.A.X.

Face it Game isn’t going anywhere and no one can do anything about it. He’s also proven that he can make a good album. Unfortunately, this album loses steam towards the end and Game’s punchlines sound too forced and unnatural.

9. Snoop Dogg – Ego Trippin’

There was a time after he left Death Row that Snoop put out some terrible music. Then in ’06 he dropped Blue Carpet Treatment and it was like he was standing on top of that record store with the French braids. He’s showing why he’s an American music icon. He loses some points for not writing all of his rhymes and a few songs fall short but the overall quality is solid and there are some certified bangers on this album.

8. The Roots – Rising Down

The best live band in the world was back this year with their 10th album. On “75 Bars”, Black Thought reminds the world why he is one of the most underrated rappers in the game. “Rising Down” which features Mos Def and Styles P and the Chrisette Michelle assisted “Rising Up” are two highlights on this album. As usual, the bass heavy drum patterns are a staple but at times it feels that the music sounded “over-produced” and went away from the unique live instruments that we’re used to.

7. Lil’ Wayne – Tha Carter III

WTF?? You mean there’s 6 albums that are better than Weezy’s? Get the f**k outta here. Without question, no one put out more music than Wayne and if you picked his best 12 songs of 2008 you would probably have had the best album but that’s not what this list is about. Of course you’ve got classics like “A Millie”, “Mr. Carter” and “Comfortable” but there’s simply too many songs that don’t meet the quality that Weezy is capable of. Too many songs like “La La La” and “Play with Fire” sound like a compilation of verses rather than complete songs. Based on hype alone, this was supposed to be the album of the year but strip that away and you’re left with #7.

6. Scarface – Emetrius (PTM 2007 #10)

With the music industry being so fickle, its impressive enough that Scarface is still relevant enough to drop albums, but Face wanted to go out with a bang. Claiming that this is his final project, he left it all out on the table. His legendary use of imagery and detail show up on songs like “Can’t Get Right” and “High Note”. He more than holds his own with Lil’ Wayne and Bun B on “Forgot About Me” and tells a story about overcoming the odds with “Who Are They?”. And as expected the sound of the South blasts through your speakers with tracks like “High Powered” and “Soldier Story”. If this is truly the last then he went out with a complete album that further solidifies him as one of the best to ever do it.

Come back tomorrow to see the TOP 5!

Wale, Tabi Bonney & UCB Live

Pop Champagne, For The Barack Campain?

Presidential
written by 4bars

So I know I touched on this a while ago, but having a black President has effected Hip Hop in a really interesting way.

I’m listening to a DC area radio station the other night and they had a countdown of the top 10 songs by request in the area and I was shocked/intrigued/a little embarrassed by the #1 song: The infectious Ron Browz hit “Pop Champagne….THE BARACK AND MICHELLE OBAMA REMIX!!” My jaw literally dropped in one of those “Did Soulja Boy just say that?” type of moments. I’m not hatin' because everybody deserves a right to express themselves musically and for Ron Browz, that’s his outlet. But I can’t help feeling a little embarrassed as a black person that a remix of “Pop Champagne” is synonymous with the President of the United States, the first black one at that. But I ask myself: “why am I embarrassed?”

I feel like there is an almost immediately negative connotation with Hip Hop in mainstream America, or maybe “stereotypical” would be the best term for it. Have I let this infect me? Am I a critical NAACP member sneering down my nose at this generation because of their sagging pants and braids? I feel like a person should always analyze and question everything about themselves and their life, just to avoid complete stagnation; and my opinion of Hip Hop is no different.

So I ask this: should my/our view of Hip Hop change so that it is more agreeable with a Presidential expectation? Or is Hip Hop fine just the way it is, we gotta take it for all it is and all that it might be? It’s like your drunk uncle, you love him, but let him show up at your balla ass wedding, cue cringing. Holla at me, cause I want confirmation that I’m not a boogie ass Hip Hop head.

Mixtapes to Albums...

“But he could spit, though…”


“I don’t understand why he hasn’t blown up yet.”

~ Countless Mixtape Fans

written by Just K

Rappers that break into the game via mixtapes often don’t really break into the game. They drop mixtapes, we download them, we celebrate a few of the hot bars, and we keep it moving. Mixtapes are usually filled with rhymes about swag, tossing money made from hustling rocks, and putting hot lead through a n***a while sexing up his hoe. These topics aren’t particularly difficult or original and they’re a million different ways to cover them. If almost anyone can cover these topics, what separates one mixtape rapper from another? Why does one artist that goes the mixtape route end up dropping real albums that go gold or platinum while another mixtape regular remains a dirty worm in the underground scene? For your perusing pleasure, I present From Mixtapes to Mainstream – Your Map to the Above Ground.

A mixtape is a mixtape is a mixtape, or is it?

The problem is that almost all mixtape tracks sound the same. Same topics, same random DJs yelling random sh*t, same random crewmembers all over the same tracks when we never even heard of the featured artist. What can a mixtape artist do to separate his project from the next guy’s? First of all, get some fresh artwork that has absolutely nothing to do with Barack Obama. Next, come up with a slick, intriguing title (that has absolutely nothing to do with Barack Obama) that’ll grab the average person that’s surfing the web for mixtapes. If you can manage getting an important person in the industry to host your mixtape without yelling and busting gunshots are over your songs, now you’re cooking. See how much work goes in before you even put your vocals on a track? At this point, your beat selection should be a variety of original beats, hot beats that people have forgotten about, and a VERY small selection of popular beats that are in current rotation. And finally, you get to rap. Sure you tread through well-worn territory, but you really need a few concepts that are outside of the norm. Or, at the very least, a different approach to the norm. Do something irregular, please! Excite the people. Catch them off guard. Furthermore, at least one of the songs on your mixtape should have some radio potential. By the way, the homeys don’t get on ‘til later.

You’ve got me hooked. Don’t let me go

It’s a very sad thing when your favorite mixtape MC is ripping bars to shreds on his underground work, but then drops some corny “I’ll make it rain on you before we f**k ‘cause I love you girl” radio crap. Do not alienate the people that have been running with you that long by dropping a hot pile of doo doo for the radio. Even worse, if you don’t know how to properly put a radio song together, you won’t gain any new fans. Olds fans gone, new fans not coming. Where does that leave you? Uh-huh. Back on the mixtape grind. Speaking of songs…

A few 16s and a HOOK!

Call it a stereotype if you want, but a lot of the cats that haven’t blown yet simply do not know how to write songs. The most important thing you need is a hook. Simple, easy to sing along to, but it does not have to be geared for the club. Now obviously, this hook should focus the song topic. The lyrics in your verses should still be clever without having a million punch lines and similes. Please don’t dumb it down so much that we don’t recognize the guy from the street albums. And the flow shouldn’t be too difficult to follow. As shocking as it seems, your lyrics don’t have to be extra simple and watered down. However, the hook should be easy to sing along to and the flow should be simple enough to follow. Perfect example of a first single, “Kick, Push” by Lupe Fiasco. Another solid example is “Focus” by Joe Budden. Oh yeah, don’t pick a whack beat, man! It’s hard to balance a hit single with artistic integrity, but get it done. You’re an MC. It’s your job.

Gassed out.

Your best material should be on a CD. If you put out all your heat on the mixtapes, there’s no point to even dropping an album. More difficult than release a solid radio single is releasing quality mixtapes, then releasing albums of higher quality. And the trick is….

hold back a bit on your mixtapes. (Gasp!) If you’re that good, we shouldn’t notice you’re holding back at all until we see you elevate your game on the album.

The purpose of Tuesday

Deliver a solid album. Establish yourself as an artist. Pick quality beats and make quality music. It’s that simple. Stay true to yourself and if your life and/or perspective on the world is interesting, you’re set. Consumers will do more than just buy the album; they’ll buy into the artist.


Simple, right? Yeah, not so much. I can understand how someone can get lost in the cold, cold world of mixtapes. Please, take this map with you on your journey. May you navigate around the pitfalls of the underground on your rise to stardom.

Top 10 2007 mixtape...

Nyquil Mixtape of the Week – (noun) A group of five (5) songs that you are currently sleeping on. Either you've never heard them or forgot how much you really love them. Regardless, you need to brush the dust off your CD rack and play them or add them to your collection.

Tribute to Last Year's Top 10 Albums

10. "Never" – Scarface


09. "Listen" – Talib Kweli


08. "I Know" – Evidence


07. "Break My Heart" – Common


06. "Brooklyn Bulls**t" – Joell Ortiz


05. "Super GFK" – Ghostface


04. "Dreams" – Little Brother


03. "Put you on Game" – Lupe Fiasco


02. "The Glory" – Kanye West


01. "American Gangster" – Jay-Z



Come back every week for a new mixtape!