UPCOMING ARTIST: D-Genius- Inches

     As far as laying down foundations for a mixtape or albums go, using Al Pacino's epic speech from Any Given Sunday is a good place to start. As a result, I was intrigued by D-Genius' tape right from the Intro because the very first track, Inches has you listening to the speech. It is a great start to the tape. There are however problems with using this speech and D-Genius runs into such problems through the tape. As soon as I heard Al Pacino waxing lyrical about "clawing, fighting, winning and losing" a degree of expectancy arose. To use such a moment from such a film, is to accept that your project will have to be about a struggle, it has to be completely and utterly epic. Unfortunately, a few of the beats and tracks on Inches do not fit this requirement.


     That said, I am not going to punish a tape on the basis of what I expected on hearing the intro. Indeed, Falling actually met my expectations, opening with this fantastic and atmospheric hook. In my mind, the struggle I anticipated had begun, with D-Genius balancing two aspects of his own anticipation stating, "My mind says no/ My heart says go / My gut breaks up the fight and says you don't know." It's a nice line and the flow is always on point throughout the track. The limelight however, is stolen by the hook and a general trend which is apparent throughout the tape is introduced; D-Genius makes use of some absolutely fantastic choruses for this project. This track progresses into the triumph of the project and Something New blares in through your speakers with an extremely fitting synth driven harmony given the chorus which cites "spaceships" and "the start of something new". Again, the hook is superb and the rapping is equal to it. There is a fantastic energy about the track, particularly evident as D-Genius returns for his second verse, "rip the game to shreds, collage it together / Start something new and make it last forever." The line is not only animated, but intelligently delivered. The "collage" idea is somewhat innovative and D-Genius builds on it by playing around with the notion of artistic permanence by hoping his work "lasts forever". The track is excellent .


    The weakness I discussed earlier in the review is most evident on Run For Your Life which in itself is actually a decent track. I was never blown away by it and the fact that I am still reflecting on Al Pacino roaring INCHES at me means it just fails to meet with my expectation. The beat does not really work if we are to consider Inches in totality. That said, the production is on point and if the track were anywhere else other than this tape, there would be no issue to discuss because it is a fun track, littered with clever lyricism. For instance, when addressing the girl in question, D-Genius asserts. "and you know you a dime / And I'm next to you / 11 or 9." It doesn't take much to decipher the line, the girl is obviously a 10 but its a fairly clever way of saying just that at a timewhen most rappers are banging on about how great a girl is at taking dick. D-Genius admirably avoids the easy options with his lyrics and he challenges himself to come up with new ideas about exhausted topics and he actually excels. As I said, the track is by no means weak, it just feels out of place and the same can perhaps be said of LeBron, a track with a somewhat similar concept to Kendrick Lamar's Michael Jordan. LeBron opens with the most emotive moment of Pacino's speech: "Look in his eyes, now I think you will see the guy who will go that inch with you". I expected (rightfully I feel) that some really hard emotive beat would follow... but I was wrong. D-Genius bursts into the track with incredible energy, bragging about his "swag" which, when paired with his flow is undeniable. LeBron is an unbelievably "swagged out" track and it has made my ipod for the sheer reason that during Summer, I can picture myself bobbing down the street blaring this out checking bitches. The hook is again excellent and the only flaw is that this beat just does not match the Pacino intro.


    The final track home to D-Genius' flow is Paradise, a wonderful beat founded on some infectious vocals. The rapping on the track is excellent and it changes up from time to time, as D keeps his listeners on their toes. It won't surprise you when I say that the hook is once again superb and it is essentially a mini love story  and I know that such a concept can be somewhat cliche, but Paradise is never tiresome and I can assure you that it is an engaging and interesting track.


    D-Genius only really falls down in one place on this track and this is that his general intro and concept is unmatched by the beats selected. This isn't a massive issue but when you are reviewing a tape, you need there to be totality and that is something lacking on this project. That said, every track is excellent. The production is fantastic, the rapping is energetic and thoughtful.


POTENTIAL: 8/10
Strengths: The hooks man, the hooks! Flow, delivery. It's excellent.
Best Tracks: Falling, Something New, Lebron, Paradise
Weaknesses: There is a detachment about it all, the base quote doesn't fit the concept.
Weakest tracks: Lebron (in the sense the beat does not fit the intro given), Run For Your Life.


 I got a real XV feel from D-Genius' work and enjoyed listening to this tape a lot, in spite of my misgivings surrounding the intro. 

PRODUCER: 5TH ELEMENT

     So I don my Audio Technica's once more for another beattape review, asking you again to bear in mind the different technique I use to review Producers. I have known about 5th Element for quite some time and have always associated the name with high quality tracks and so I looked forward to reviewing his tape, Pandora. Imagine my surprise then, when I played the first beat and could not stand it. The sheer number of sounds going on was overbearing and although listening to music is a purely objective past time, the track lived up to its namesake Annoyance. Thankfully, the tape sharply goes uphill after that track with two completely different beats following the intro. Lounge Shit is an unbelievably funky, well layered track and the mastering is completely flawless. The low end blends into the guitar riff and the bassline in general is ever present but never consuming. 5th Element's talents are visible for all to see on this wonderfully produced track and it sets the tape up very nicely. 

     Pandora itself is home to a number of different sounds and this comes with its high and low points. Allow me to illustrate; Nothing to do is a particular high point, with infectious drums and a really zoned out mellow feel while Independence, a track with a real rocked out feel to it had me reeling. The harmony provided by the guitar is just too thick on this track and it intrudes on the rest of the composition far too much; I could not stand it. Having levelled this very objective criticism, I am pleased to announce that there are not too many moments of this ilk to be found in Pandora and a track with a similar vibe to Nothing to do really caught my attention. Jealousy is simply a wonderful piece of music which fits excellently to the title which 5th has given it. As the listener embarks on the track, we are introduced to some vocals which are eventually supported by a full sounding wind instrument and some heavy "synthed up bass". As the track progresses, we take note of a lovely chord progression providing a harmony to where I imagine a verse would be. The drums then suddenly change up and as you can gather from my inept description of the track, there is a great deal going on here and you suddenly realise that like feelings of jealousy, the track has built on itself to result in an exceptionally moody vibe. 5th really has caught jealousy in a nutshell here (No Austin Powers jokes). It is one of the highlights of the tape due to the sheer quality which it just oozes.

      5th proves that he is not just an expert of instrumental sampling and illustrates this in a number of tracks where the vocals fit the general vibe created perfectly. One such track Everything Will Fall into Place has a fantastic feel to it, with the layered guitar harmony providing a great respite for the verse to retreat to once the chorus has played out. Going Out of My Head substantiates the above claim, as 5th once again provides a great varying vocal repetition which seems almost unpatterned. I had no idea where the beat was going and as a result, it kept me intrigued throughout the entire track which is high praise of any beat. The only issue which I had here was that I could not see where someone could rap on it because there aren't too many moments where the vocals are not singing actual words rather than the traditional "oohs" which people seem to prefer rapping on.

      Indeed, one potential issue which I can find with this tape, was that a few beats do seem like glorified lift music (in fact, just one). It isn't really a huge issue because the tape is predominantly quality and the above statement should not detract anybody from listening to 5th's work. Napoleon captures this feeling, for although the drums are excellent, the track itself just seemed to be exactly what I would expect in some swanky hotel lift (minus the drums obviously); it bored me. Just Another Loser, although obviously not sharing many similar qualities that lift music possesses gave me a similar feeling which I can't put my finger on. It's almost as if I have heard this exact beat in some bizarre 60s film with mad clothes and stupid dancing. I think the main issue was that there was not enough interest in the beat in the first place and it did not take hold of me in the way that other beats did.

      Personal differences with some of the beats aside, there is plenty to keep me extremely impressed with 5th Element's work, there is just so much variety that listeners are bound to find something they cannot get enough of. Make Me Proud is one such track, which gave me jungle fever and there is a real natural quality to this beat. Whether this is the result of the panpipes or the somewhat softened drum beat which is fermented with the bassline to give this flawless and chilled out feeling I don't know. Such relaxed beats combine well with the slightly more rugged efforts, of which Never Lie is one. The drums to this track are fantastic, as is the bassline, but what really did it for me were the moments where the guitar was introduced; the finger slide was audible and this gave the track a truly gritty and base feel. It was as if 5th had taken note of all that he thought could be applicable to the raw nature of the emotion Guilt (the track's "secondary name", if you will) and applied it to the track. In a similar fashion to the earlier Jealousy, Guilt is a title which perfectly mirrors the emotion which 5th Element has attributed to it, the overall concept on tracks such as this one is absolutely superb.

      I cannot leave you without reflecting on the track Desire, which is quite simply, one of the best beats I have ever heard on a beattape. It is absolutely wonderful in both it's variations and overall vibe, but if you want to know exactly what I mean then you should simply listen to the track because I will not do it justice describing it in this review because my vocabulary will not allow me to do so.

Choice of samples, melodies and progressions: 8/10- There were a few tracks I did not get on with but these were few and far between.

Execution of these chosen melodies: 9/10 - Even on the tracks I disliked, the whole aura surrounding the tape was fantastic.

High Points: Jealousy, Guilt, Lounge Shit, Desire, Nothing to do

Low Points: Napoleon, Get Away, Just Another Loser.

Pandora is a superb beattape, one with an exceptionally intelligent and ambitious concept. Its overall weaknesses are also its strengths, in that 5th Element has attempted to create beats reflecting the variants of human emotion and as such there are so many different sounds adopted. This creates a problem in that human emotions are so different to one another that there will be beats on this tape that you perhaps do not like. Do not however, let this detract you because even for this highly fussy listener, the tape truly delivers.

Download Pandora: http://5thelement.bandcamp.com/album/pandora

UPCOMING ARTIST: LYSICK

      As far as naming albums go, selecting a title which has already been used by 2 rather large game players could perhaps be considered foolish by some degree. Lysick acknowledges the potential pitfalls which threaten his project, stating in a blurb to the album:

While Drake and Rick Ross prepare their own version (You Only Live Once), Lysick took his own stance at the acronym. From the experience of others and his own, he quickly made a statement that fits the acronym, and realized that many only love once.

I must admit, I read this and had a number of instant misgivings. I thought I was letting myself in for a cheese fest, but then I played the title track and though the sample may be well used, Careless Whisper never gets old. The hook which Lysick provides to this track is absolutely superb and is accompanied by some heartfelt lyricism. Indeed, during this track, I suggest taking a look at the album artwork because it is an absolute perfect fit. "The first time, you fully give your heart away / The second time you give away whatever part remains", granted is not a particularly complex line in terms of rhyme scheme, but purely in terms of ideas and connotations, it is superb. The title track is excellent and I am not afraid to admit that I listened to it on numerous occasions.

      Indeed, the project is littered with intelligent and generally unexpected concepts. Particularly illustrative of this is the track Picasso, a brash and boastful addition to the tape and the placement of the track is really rather clever. It follows Fxck Valentine, a track predictably about love, jealousy and overcoming these feelings by getting a girl. This track is somewhat skippable but listening to it adds to the overall feeling which Picasso provides. The beat is infectious, with pipes panning beneath the synth, bass and drums. It suddenly bombards the listener with vanity, as Lysick chants "Middle fingers in the air if you love yourself and you really don't care." However, I felt the track was deeper than the above description would suggest. It ultimately perfectly explains the modern male persona; Lysick states that "he doesn't care" but the fact that the track is found on this album seeking to explain the nature of love would suggest that he really does. The whole song is a façade, but I think that this is deliberate.

      The main issues I had with the project are visible in this very track that I have so highly praised. The concept is underdeveloped, the track tails off after just 2 minutes and 21 seconds and Lysick's quality flow and style means that I wanted more, but was left with little. In Picasso, the rapper plays on the idea that he is an artist, citing "self portraits" on numerous occasions, but he fails to reflect more on the ideas of male bravado which the song is so innately linked to. The problem is not isolated to this song. Jordan is 2 minutes 11, while Fxck Valenitine is 2 minutes 41. Somewhat ridiculously, Lala Love, where Lysick's flow is at its best on the album is just 45 seconds long, ending with the assertion that Lysick is "going to do"the female subject he raps about. These instances reek of Lysick developing a concept and failing to sufficiently engage himself to the point that he will develop it and play about with it as much as I would have liked.

      These issues aside, YOLO is still a solid album and I Made Up My Mind is another track which illustrates this. As Lysick enters, his flow is undeniably excellent. It is absolutely effortless as he rhymes "serenely" with "certainty, surgically" and "serpentry" all in one bar. There is undoubted talent and ability to spit over a beat here. Intelligence and thought are both evident as well here, as Lysick compares his rapping ability with love, as it is "brain stimulation". There are obvious connotations here, though I am uncertain as to whether they are deliberate. Most notably, the issue as to whether stimulation is love? Nonetheless, it was Lysick's lyricism which got me asking such questions. Somewhat amusingly, in spite of his assertion that "He isn't fucking with [my] mind" in the aftermath of the above line, he certainly did and I deliberated on the song for quite some time. It is an excellent and at times thought provoking track.

       The problem of the underdeveloped concepts cannot be ignored at times and a 15 track mixtape should not be 43 minutes. It should be longer and in some instances, the issue is glaringly obvious, this is especially true in moments where lazy lyrics raise their ugly head. In No One But You, another 2 minute something track, Lysick states "I place her so high, everyone else under" and that line is a real shame as it is just too easy. It takes away some of the shine from truly insightful lyrics in this same song:

Her eyes glow

And I glow because you a treasure

Shining like a diamond you never crack under pressure

That "I place her so high line" is a real shame and I won't let it ruin the song but it is such a weak line and Lysick proves throughout the album that he can do so much better

POTENTIAL: 7/10

Strengths: Fantastic Flow, Catchy hooks, some intelligent lyrics.  

Yolo, I Made Up My Mind, Picasso, No One But You (One whack line can't ruin a great song), Distant Love.

Weaknesses: Lots of short songs, suggesting a scattered approach and a failure to develop some really promising concepts. Fxck Valentine, Lala Love, Jordan. These tracks just felt like fillers.

The highest praise I can give an album is that it stays on my ipod. A number of songs from this project can boast that prestigious achievement.


DOWNLOAD YOLO HERE:
http://yolo.bandcamp.com/album/yolo-you-only-love-once

UPCOMING ARTIST: CROWDED PLACES

ZENYA

       Crowded Places comes next up for review, with a tape giving us insight as to what to expect from his debut album and the tape has clear strengths and weaknesses. I have to confess, I was intrigued by the title and the artwork to this tape. There is definitely a futuristic feel to the external presentation of the project and this lifts itself to the tape at times, most notably in the track, Rusted Gears. The flow is bizarre on this track but it is absolutely intriguing and really, executed very well. Crowded Places is sporadic on the track and this is intended to be a praise rather than a criticism. As a listener you really have no idea where he is going to go with his flow, it constantly chops and changes and the mystery as to the pattern adds to the aforementioned futuristic feel. There is a great philosophical feel to the track as well, as the final lines state: "There is no sun, but I'm blinded by a glare / I'm seated but there is no chair / These are the living conditions of my lair." Thought provoking indeed.

      The strengths of Crowded Places' project are evident for all to see. The production is absolutely on point and every single track works well with the cover and general feel which the artist has created. It's a tape about a struggle, self doubt and I also got the impression that there was a deep reflection on some great loss experienced. It's not fair for me to speculate on this but, I'm Holding On was just one of the tracks which gave me this impression. There is this fantastic level of introspection throughout the track and it is undoubtedly the highlight of the tape, with a more regimented flow than on Rusted Gears and when this is paired with the absolutely gorgeous keys which make the basis of the track; the hard work Crowded Places put into the tape is there for all to see. Certain lyrics within the track were superb and "holding on till my hands bleed to death" along with "I won't sit back and give in" struck accord and gave the track this simultaneously uplifting and yet deeply saddening feeling. The track is the clear high point of the tape.

      The tape's production is superb throughout but unfortunately, Crowded Places' raps at times do not do the beats justice. Do not get me wrong, the lyrics are extremely  introspective and are undoubtedly a strong point for the project but there are certainly issues at moments with the delivery of this lyricism. At times, the stresses of each line are in some very odd places. For instance, in the Cave of the Unknown, a track with an absolutely infectious repetition of the chant "We're in the cave of the unknown", Crowded Places on more than one instance places stress in the wrong place in a given line. At times it is hardly noticeable but unfortunately there are also occasions where it is glaringly obvious. The stress in the line, "I see what you have to gain" is unnecessarily placed on the "I see", causing the rapper to linger on "see" and as a result have to catch up to the beat with the following line "from all the pain". The sporadic style in places works, as it did with Rusted Gears, but at times it just does not fit with the beat. There is further example to be found in the very first track of the tape, Here We Are, as Crowded Places states he "feeds off the moon, that's why it's a crescent" and a similar game of catch up with the beat is the result. The track also highlights the second issue with the rapping on the tape. There is very rarely a change in tone and the result, is at times monotonous as the listener is subjected to this long soliloquy which fails to attach itself to either the track, or its audience. It could be argued that at times rappers deliberately use this as a ploy on certain tracks, but it is not a style that will be as prevalent in a project as it is in this.

      Happily, Crowded Places strengths come together on the final track Circular Exposure, where there is a great deal more variation in the tone of the rapper. In fact, I would compare his flow to Das Racist on this track. It is certainly alternative but none of the above weaknesses are evident throughout this final call to arms. It's braggy and there is a showmanship here previously unseen. It is a great end to a fairly solid tape.

POTENTIAL: 5.5/10 It's there for sure, but there are certainly places that Crowded Places can improve. The strengths of the tape lie in the production and the lyricism.

However, work needs to be done on the delivery of these rhymes and I am sure that this will come through general application of himself as he develops as a rapper.

I would certainly keep an eye out for him because when his methods come together in the manner he intended, they are excellent.

STRENGTHS: An intriguing flow which when it works, works exquisitely well. Rusted Gears, Circular Exposure, I'm Holding On.

WEAKNESSES: The moments in the tape where this sort of delivery is forced really lets Crowded Places down. Here We Are and moments within Cave of the Unknown.

PRODUCER: NEW DARK AGE

 

       First and foremost, this review will be slightly different from a general artist's review because I am a firm believer that you cannot merely mark a producer on potential alone, simply because his success is likely  to come about through the way that he conducts himself with regards to getting his work heard. Really, producer's rely on rappers using their work in order to get noticed. As such, I feel the best way to judge a producer is with two main fields:

1.) Choice of samples, melodies or progressions which I will aggregate from all tracks and mark out of ten.

2.) Execution of these choices.

As a result, I will need to examine most of the beats in detail in order to give this review any validity.

      New Dark Age's effort entitled Beat2 is an admirably varied attempt to produce an engaging beattape which stands as a work in its own right and there are two clear sides to the tape. The first side is this funky, rhythmic groove which is just so infectious that you cannot help but nod your head. Bootsy's Funk Formula captures exactly what I mean. The guitar sampled at the offset is enough to get you bobbing your head but the drums are absolutely fantastic and fit the sample superbly in accompanying the repeated riff. The highest compliment you can pay any beat is that it engages you from the off to the end and this beat certainly delivers. Speedboat in the Bay follows the theme and I couldn't help but notice that the track was only 1 minute 30 seconds in length and even then, after the great first two tracks, I found myself twiddling my thumbs. It just should not have been there. After two great funk ridden tracks, I was not really feeling a third, especially one lacking the imagination of the previous Funk Formula. With a beattape, you cannot really have too many similar sounding beats one after another because there is no rapper to detract from the attention of the similar feel that certain beats are bound to have.

      New Dark Age however instantly redeems himself with a track encapsulating the second side of Beat2 which I previously alluded to. Car Theft explodes into your headphones, starting with this eerie guitar or synth which builds for the first fifteen seconds and then erupts into this glorious high tempo amalgamation of synth and bass. It is brilliant and the repeated riff of the intro pops in here and there to good effect. Night Machine builds on this new and welcome side to Beat2 and the drums here are very reminiscent of Nas's I Can but the beat has a totally different feel. It is dark, brooding, moody and perfectly executed.

    Unfortunately, following the previous two brilliant tracks comes an attempt to cater for those artists looking out for a mainstream hip hop beat and New Dark Age delivers. I cannot really hold him to account for it because these beats really get you noticed and 100 is well executed, well layered and the piano is excellent. So you may wonder what I am harping on about. Well, it is just so unbelievably skippable, the brass sounds empty and it just sounds like a channel straight out of a producing program. I feel the levels needed to be altered to generate a more alternative sound. The chord progression is predictable and the fact that I myself have made a similar sounding track tells you all you need to know. It is a generic sound which doesn't set itself apart from the rest as some of the previous tracks have. Its well executed, but nonetheless a disappointment.

      Apology To All the Animals I've Eaten has to be one of the most inventive track names I have seen in a while and the track is an eerie build up which never realises itself. This is not a criticism. It is unbelievably relaxing and the sounds going on are soothing to the extent that you cannot really help but comment that it is perfectly layered. It is a great end to the tape and it fits in really well with the artwork chosen for the project. One can well imagine everyday life passing by when listening to this.

      The tape as a whole is excellent but there are of course a number of criticisms which have to be pointed out before I conclude. As I have said, there are two clear halves to the tape but I am not sure that there is much direction to the project as a whole. It seems to me to be a case of beat after beat without a great deal of thought as to how the listener will react to the order of the beats. For instance, had Speedboat on the Bay been placed anywhere else in the tape, perhaps I would not have responded in the way that I did to it. Three funk driven tracks was just too much soul for me. I would liked to have maybe seen this track follow Night Machine. I am not entirely certain about the title of the tape either, indeed the name Beat2 (following the previous Beat1 tape) just seems to reiterate my point. The project seems a collection of beats rather than a cohesive effort to weave the beats together. This point however is merely personal preference creeping in as I like my tapes to have a sort of continuing theme which varies throughout and perhaps Beat2 has this and I have simply overlooked it.

     This cannot detract from the fact that Beat2 is a tape filled with imaginative melodies and harmonies and to overlook this would be near criminal. New Dark Age is obviously a very talented producer and the sounds he creates are at times mesmerising. One thing I cannot praise him for enough is an area in which I myself fall down all to often and that is the drum patterns. Every single track on this tape has excellent drums and although perhaps at times more rides and variants could be added, the sounds of the snares and kick is always on point.

Choice of samples, melodies and progressions: 8/10

Execution of samples: 7/10 New Dark Age fell down on his positioning of the tracks but he makes up for this with the quality which each beat possesses.

High Points: Car Theft, Night Machine, Bootsy's Funk Formula

Low Points: Speedboat in the Bay (It's not all that bad, just terribly positioned), 100 (A beat I have heard 100 times before, just turn on the radio and any hip hop that comes on will most likely sound like this)

New Dark Age is at his best when most innovative and I only really got the impression that one track on here lacked innovation and inventiveness and as such, it would be great to hear rappers collaborate with this talented producer.

Listen/Download to Beat2 here:  http://ndamusic.com/album/beat2

UNDERGROUND ARTIST REVIEW: NOAH CAINE- THE PRE-SEASON

       It is always difficult when an artist comes along talking about efforts to blow up and accompanies his endeavours with a title like "The Come Up", "The Warm Up", "Sideline Story". But that's enough about J. Cole because although Noah Caine's most recent effort, "The Pre-Season" is titled under a similar theme, he actually has a lot to say. Though the title would suggest yet another rise of the underdog tale, this mixtape isn't really an expression of the over-confident, boisterous rapper who is sure what is going to come his way. There is self doubt, not only with regards to himself but to the world as a whole littered through the tape and this is no criticism. In fact, it is extremely endearing. Of course, the tape does have its moments where Caine brags about his talent, indeed, it wouldn't really be hip/hop without this degree of showmanship. For example, in track 4 "The Crown", we are afforded a vision into "presidential suites at the weekend" as Caine rubbishes the claim he is the second coming and instead affirms he is in fact the first.

       

       But the moments which make this tape so enjoyable are embodied in that very same track. Caine challenges Nas's concept of ruling the world, knocking it down in one fell swoop, stating, "I don't want certain parts of it". Such thought provoking lines are littered throughout the tape and Nas is clearly an influence. Caine takes the great rapper's ideas and builds on them in innovative ways, there is an inventiveness here that you do not often see. For instance, in "The Champion", he reflects on the idea that "Life is a bitch", saying that tonight she is "dressed as a slut". Caine is aware that the world is out to screw him and this line is reflective of this fact.

      

      The highlight of the tape however, has got to be "The Chant", as the listener is introduced to these bizarre sounds of the Orient, which initially cause us to think "Oh God, how is this going to work", but then the drums kick in and the track is like a drug. The flow is aggressive and everything is perfect. There are some truly fantastic lines in here, as Caine plays on the word "prophet" and "profit" to incite interesting thoughts about Christianity and religion as perhaps fuelled by greed. The thought that must have gone into this track is inspiring.

       

      It's a great tape, no doubt, but there are moments which are slightly disappointing, most notably in "The Prize", as Caine opens with "I got a short attention span but a long dick" which when you here the next line, doesn't really fit at all. It gives the impression that he was stuck with the number of syllables in that specific line and threw any old thing in there. The other issue I have with the tape revolves around the tracklist. Every track is "The something", "The Crown", "The Prize", "The Chant", "The Journey", "The Genesis". It is an unimaginatively titled tape which fails to do justice to the work within because every track has its moments of  excellence. If I was to nitpick, then as a producer I would say that some of the snare sounds are a tad samey as well.

       

      I am not going to let this negative nitpicking (by my own admission) overwhelm what is a truly fantastic tape with some excellent concepts. The hooks by and large are very listenable, indeed, many had me nodding my head in time while sat in the living room. (Got a few funny looks from passers by because for some reason I was wearing a sunhat indoors). I think Noah Caine is an excellent prospect and "The Journey" serves to illustrate this, it is an inventive look to the future as Caine reflects on what he hopes is going to happen.

POTENTIAL: 7.5/10- Caine is an exciting prospect and more people need to become aware of his talents. For content alone this would be an 8 and it is a good situation to be in when you are only letting yourself down with titles as this is such an easy area to correct.

High points: The Chant, The Journey, The Crown, The Genesis

Low points: Titles of the tracks, The Prize.

DOWNLOAD NOAH CAINE'S "THE PRE-SEASON" HERE:

http://www.mediafire.com/?mrgcaijyq20y32t

MR DMBEATS

Well then, here we are. The problem with most hip hop reviews is that there is a level playing field for those artists just starting out and artists who are already established figures within the genre. Mr DMBeats, the UK Producer seeks to put this right.


I have sub categorised my reviews into "Underground" and "Established" because in my view, young artists who are relatively unknown should not be competing against rappers who easily get people to listen to their work. As such, I review the underground artists giving them a score out of 10 for potential and reflect on whether they are undeservedly slept on. That is to say, are they headed in the right direction?


My reviews in the "Established" and well known artists category is bye the bye; you know the score. A simple mark out of 10 will suffice. 


I do not take into account what others think and I give a completely honest assessment of all albums and mixtapes I review.


Thanks for coming,
DMB