The Bestest pt. 2

As we continue on...

Music (Hip Hop/Rap):

Royce ‘Street Hop’: Lyrics and skill saturate this LP. Could have been a classic among classics if he would have trimmed the song count down. I say this about almost every artist so it’s not really a knock. ‘Dinner Time’, ‘Count For Nothing’ & ‘Something 2 Ride 2’ are standouts. If you are a fan of that boom bap sound this is your huckleberry.

Clipse ‘Til The Casket Drops’: Another title for this…the worlds best duo and the enduring mystery of how commercial success eludes them. A heavyweight CD that has the natural “coke rap”, metaphors and wordplay. Will this LP be the tipping point for them? Time will tell. Some of the production is MEH. Nonetheless, another stripe upon the arm baby!

Tanya Morgan ‘Brooklynati’: As authentic as it gets. It is almost an alternate universe of what it once was and will be. Lyrically witty with that cohesive backdrop of music and all of it works. Plus, I haven’t heard skits this good since ‘De La Soul Is Dead’.

Pac Div ‘Church League Champions’: To me Pac Div is a more aggressive Tribe Called Quest (that’s a compliment). ‘Church League’ is a mixtape that feels like album (another compliment). It seems like I had ‘Mayor’ in rotation for like two months or so. I can’t put my finger on why these guys are so dope, they just ARE. Find and download this already if you haven’t. The LP should be incredible!

Jay-Z ‘Blueprint 3’: I will never be able to stop apologizing to the likes of Ebones, Point Blank, Facts, etc on why I never really got Jay-Z until the Black Album. Since then (and before then) he has dropped #1 hit LP after LP. His commercial success is one thing; his ability to EMCEE and WRITE is something else. When all is said and done, he might be the best ever. Some of the production and guests (I’m looking at you Young Jeezy!) on BP3 are MEH to me. The first five tracks are INCREDIBLE & “Already Home’ will never, ever be deleted off of my Ipod. To those who think he is “Too Old” or “In The Way’…save it. Hip Hop needs to raise its game and make music that matters. Jay-Z is the ambassador of Hip Hop, deal with it.

Honorable mentions:

Wale ‘Attention Deficit’, J Dilla ‘J Stay Paid’, Slaughterhouse ‘Slaughterhouse’.

2010 look ahead:

Dr Dre ‘Detox’

Pac Div ‘Grown Kid Syndrome’

Styles Of Beyond ‘Reseda Beach’

Reflection Eternal “Revolutions Per Minute”

Black Milk ‘Album Of The Year’


Games:

Uncharted 2: The killer APP of 2009. The most complete, polished adventure game that is a MUST OWN if you have the PS3. It really is a ‘movie style’ tale that must be experienced. A definition of a genre.

Batman Arkham Asylum: The best Batman game EVER made and possibly the best-licensed game of its kind. Everything you could ever want from Bat baby. It oozes love for the source material and feels like it is part of the Batman cannon.

Dragon Age Origins: Bioware builds on each RPG they put out consistently looking for ways to make their games better. It is filled with choices to make, cities to visit, dungeons to crawl, NPCs to interact with, booty to find, quests to complete and callings to master. +20 MAGE!

Honorable mentions: Ratchet And Clank: A Crack In Time, INfamous, Dragons Lair & Space Ace (Iphone) & Zenonia (Iphone).

2010 look ahead:

Mass Effect 2, God Of War 3, Heavy Rain and Bioshock 2…ALL of these should be in rotation!