The EP itself is filled with inspiring uplifting politically conscious rap. Cadillac Dee is soul meets conscious rap.
What's Going On is about what's going on with today's world with all the violence and mayhem along with drugs. Cadillac Dee wonders how we can put a stop to this violence and mayhem. Cadillac Dee reaches out for community support against violence. He wants to make this world a better place to live on. Trust and honesty is what we all need. Respect is the key to trust and honesty. A soulful hook from Marvin Gaye by a song of the same name by him is the sample used on this track.
Dear President is a politically conscious rap song about a letter to the President of the United States. Cadillac Dee asks the president in his letter about how our country's political problems will be solved. He asks what the president will do to fix the system of economics.
I'm Doing Damage is about how Cadillac Dee is doing lyrical damage on the microphone. Cadillac Dee goes off on a freestyle rap on I'm Doing Damage. On a lyrical tirade, he destroys everything in his path.
5/5*****!!
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The Cavalry - In Da City single review
The Calvalry from St. Louis, Missouri describes the lifestyle inside the city and inner city problems. Many factor lead to plague inner city problems. Life in the city is not easy.
Intromental is an instrumental introduction. Take intro and put in mental. Now you have "intromental". Intromental could be used as an instrumental during an introduction track. This instrumental introduction sets off a mental vibe. The instrumental had used Afrocentric drums for percussion.
Homiz Jackin Homiz is about the social problems African Americans face such as theft, burglary, death, and violence. Black on black disrespect is what leads homies to jack each other. It's a vicious cycle. One that is hard to break. However, The Cavalry uses an Islamic approach to tackling the issues described on this track. Using the Five Pillars of Islam to promote peace is how The Cavalry deals with the issue at hand.
The Intromental should have been used as the first track on the single serving as the introduction track instead of rather than being placed in the middle of the single. The Cavalry group could have expanded the single into 5 or 6 tracks to have expanded this single into an EP. This single would have more potential if a few additional tracks were added.
3/5***
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Voodoo Mob - 210 Soldiers single review
Voodoo is a prime example of the rap sub genre called Doodooism. Doodooism is heavy bass and heavy percussion with usage of reduced treble. Voodoo relies heavily on the usage of bass. A low pitched vocal sample saying "voodoo" is looped every 2 seconds. This track is similar to something you would hear from Twice Tha Power, Spooky G & Blackjack, DJ AK, Brown Tribe, Tribe 46, Chuy Loko, DJ Trini B, Namik, Kyle Lee, Mr. Irok, or PKO.
Voodoo Mob gets stupid low and slow with the the bass settings on Slow and Low Bass. The bass is low and super heavy. Low bass has always been prevalent in San Antonio hip hop and rap along with San Antonio culture. Also low bass has always been a part of the music scene there. The dubs are killer.
210 Soldiers is a San Antonio rap classic! All bass heads and rap heads enjoy and appreciate the heavy usage of bass this single has to offer. Underground rap fans will dig this!
5/5*****!!
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Lil Ed And The Blues Imperials - Roughhousin' album review
Lil Ed and his Blues band came to get wild and make the crowd jump with their first album Roughhousin'. Which is exactly what this album does. Lil Ed and his band show promise on this album.
Walking The Dog is a perfect example of how Blues music should be. Gritty sounding guitars played live in the club with an antique harmonica to support the musician or band. Walking The Dog displays such grittiness with the guitars and harmonics. The percussion ensemble is perfectly laid out. Gritty is one word that can describe Walking The Dog. That's how Walking The Dog can be described. Walking The Dog is where Lil Ed and the band showcase their skills.
One can feel a sensation of euphoria on Car Wash Blues. Car Wash Blues has that gritty sound as Walikng The Dog does. The blues have a good usage here. Car Wash Blues is also where Lil Ed and the band showcase their skills in guitars and vocals. The vocals match the song.
5/5*****!
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K-Krush - K-Krush single review
DJ Gil and DJ Candyman of the San Diego hip hop duo Super Slim & DJ Candyman produced the entirety of this cassette single. Their sound is reminiscent to VMF, E-Low, and Cricet. The sound of this cassette single is reminiscent to VMF. The old school hip hop and rap meets gentle sultry soul. Soul and funk samples are used on the tracks for this single as most early 90s hip hop and rap was in those days. DJ Gil is all over this single. He is a lesser known DJ outside the city of San Diego, California.
Sexomatic is self-explanatory about how K-Krush is a sex machine. Most of the track is sex themed. It's quite obvious. Holy Ghost uses a soul sample from the late Marvin Gaye. K-Krush gets in touch with spiritual and religious side. The track gets spiritually deep with its mood. The Holy Ghost track proves to be spiritual and religious. Holy Ghost sounds similar to a track about a firsthand religious experience. Good is one word to describe this track.
3/5***
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Da Pantha - Reno Luv single review
Reno Luv is Black Panther inspired and themed rap music. Many references to the Nation of Islam are made too. This tight underground cassette was a released as a local promo in the Chicago, Illinois area in 1996. Classic Chicago ghetto tech sound. Ghetto tech meets the gangsta rap sound. This release contains 2 tracks (U Die and Down Fo Mine). Da Pantha proves to be a down black brother with the Black Panthers, Black P Stones, Black P Folks, FOI, and NOI backing him up.
Reno was the name of his homie who passed away. He was affiliated with the Black P Stones gang from Chicago at the time. The homie Reno was very close to Da Pantha. They grew up together on the same block in the cold blooded Chicago streets. Da Pantha took a huge loss when Reno got killed. That's why this single was recorded.
5/5*****!
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Mad Dog - Born Again In Texas album review
Mad Dog gets in touch with his religious side as a Born Again Christian. 100% of this album is rooted in the religion of Christianity. He shares his experiences of meeting Jesus Christ to become a Born Again Christian. He talks about about how Jesus is good, about how to be saved by God, and promoting the religion of Christianity. Mad Dog is full of religious wisdom.
Testimony is about Jesus testimony and about how Mad Dog met Jesus Christ to become a Born Again Christian. This testimony was about his experience meeting Jesus Christ. Mad Dog tells us all about his testimony. Meeting Christ for the first time was spiritually uplifting for Mad Dog. Testimony is full of spiritual awakening, religious awakening, spiritual awareness, soul searching, religious awareness, and religious wisdom.
Devil's Pride is about the evils that plague the world. The unholiness and insanity of society are described and scriptures are told from this song. Devil's Pride has some references to Satanism and the unholy of the world. Satanism is filled with perils of evil. Mad Dog is promoting Christianity in the song
Coast 2 Coast. Promoting Jesus Christ is what Mad Dog does best. From Coast 2 Coast, Mad Dog is saving souls spiritually speaking. He is on a mission to save souls. He is saving souls coast to coast. As he the souls he wants saved is for them to convert to Christianity as that is the religion he is promoting. Most of this song is self-explanatory.
Time with a Grin is about Mad Dog's perspective and outlook on time. It is another religious track. Time and time again, Mad Dog tells us about how he's been saved.
4/5****
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Suga Shaft - Ghetto Gladiator album review
Ghetto Gladiator is another overlooked San Diego rap classic! Many rap fans outside SD probably never heard of Suga Shaft. Ghetto Gladiator never got the promotion or shine it deserved. He is similar to Mitchy Slick, Jayo Felony, CC and Big June for those who are interested in this artist. Bay Area heavyweights Yukmouth and E-40 appeared on the Ghetto Gladiator album. You can hear the VMF signature production sound of San Diego Funk (g-funk) all over the Ghetto Gladiator album. Bosko produced half of the album.
4/5****!
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Lil Cuete - There's Only One Way About It album review
Lil Cuete is dope. This man can flow. Not too many Chicano rappers can stand up to him. Firme lyrics and firme beats with Chicano rap is what makes this album "firme" (good). He uses his sick and wicked lyrical skills as a Chicano rapper throughout this whole album. 2000s Chicano rap sound is highly prevalent throughout this album.
Lil Cuete flows sick all the way through on Sick and Twisted. He showcases his lyrical skills as a Chicano rapper on this track. Firme beats and lyrics are used to support the weight of this track. He uses his sick and wicked lyrical skills as a Chicano rapper. You can't go wrong while listening to the track Sick and Twisted. Also Lil Cuete uses a mixture of Spanish and English thus ultimately using the Spanglish language on the track Rolle Slow. He uses his sick and wicked lyrical skills as a Chicano rapper on Rolle Slow.
5/5*****!
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Lil Rob - Natural High album review
Lil Rob graces us with another firme album called Natural High from Low Profile Records, Familia Records, and Aries Music. This album was released around the 1999/2000 period. Lil Rob uses a mixture of oldies, soul, and funk on this album as both genres are prevalent in the Chicano rap community. Natural High is considered by Lil Rob fans and Chicano rap fans to be a classic oldies masterpiece. Natural High is considered to be another one of Lil Rob's greatest albums along with Crazy Life, RIP, Can't Keep A Good Man Down, Neighborhood Music, and High Till I Die. Natural High is something for the chicos and chicas to enjoy. Roberto Flores aka Lil Rob is known for his gangster voice in his sick flows and firme beats.
Lil Rob took all old school beats and added new tight hard lyrics to No Soy De Ti. No Soy De Ti is a fine example of Chicano rap as the whole track is spoken in the Spanish language. In fact, this track is somewhat the most overwhelming overlooked track off the Natural High album. No Soy De Ti is a firme track. No Soy De Ti also seems
Natural High is an ode to marijuana which is why Natural High is appropriately titled. Lil Rob makes marijuana highly publicized on this track. His love for marijuana is what he raps about. His love for marijuana is what makes the track great. Life is wicked.
It's throwback time down memory lane with I Remember. Lil Rob takes the listener on a trip down memory lane into memories of the past. The lyrics are tight and considered firme. His lyrics are what make this one tight. After all, Lil Rob is best known for his lyrics overall.
The ones who talk just don't know that you can lose a good thing. If you are ungrateful and take everything for granted. You can loose everything just like that. The ones who talk just don't know on the track Those Who Talk.
No One To Depend On tells us don't trust nobody but yourself. You just can't trust anyone. Trust yourself. It's mostly about emotional self-reliance. Don't let anyone put you down emotionally. Keep your head up.
5/5*****!!
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Lil Rob - RIP album review
All long time hardcore Lil Rob fans will not be disappointed with the RIP album. You will be blown away when you pick up this album! Lil Rob kept true to his roots and originality. RIP is Lil Rob's best album since Neighborhood Music. RIP is the best Lil Rob album of 2015! RIP means Recording In Process. He puts his own reality into music. There are some Oldies sounds on this album however. Lil Rob fans were well receptive to the RIP album. It's another Oldies album.
5/5*****!!
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Lil Menace - World is Mine album review
World Is Mine album was another very slept on Chicano rap album that was overwhelmingly overlooked as Lil Menace has always been overshadowed by Lil Rob, Mr. Capone-E, or Knightowl. This album being released on the same label (Familia Records) as Lil Rob probably didn't help either. Lil Menace had a similar style and sound to Lil Rob. Lil Menace sounded very similar to Lil Rob.
The story behind Low Profile Diss is that Lil Rob left Familia Records to be with Low Profile Records. Thats why Lil Menace disses Lil Rob on Low Profile Diss. Lil Menace disses Lil Rob, Royal T, and the whole Low Profile staff. Familia Records payed Lil Menace to rap similar to Lil Rob because their styles are sound so similar. Since the diss, Lil Menace has made peace with Low Profile. On some editions of World Is Mine, Low Profile Diss is known as Low Pro Diss. This why you see the title "Low Pro Diss". This is a bonus track as well.
Lil Menace takes the listener down memory lane on Parqueros Life. Tales of street life and gangbanging are told. Memories from his past are shared. It was the days of partying and fucking up spots. Enemies were crept on. Letting time fly by. Lil Menace lets us know clearly that the world is his on World Is Mine. He takes the world by storm on this track.
4/5****!
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Cheech and Chong - Get Out Of My Room album review
Get Off My Room was very overlooked in its time. Fans overlooked this album making it overshadowed in success rate and album sales. No, Get Out Off My Room is not a stand up comedy album. It's a soundtrack album that accompanied the movie Born In East LA. Which is also why Get Out Off My Room was not well received. Nonetheless, the unrestrained humor is what makes Cheech and Chong fun to listen to. The off-beat drug culture humor is hilarious!
Cheech gets very stalkerish on Love is Strange. A very strange track indeed. Question after question is asked. Cheech is very determined for a date. The end of the track gets quirky. Cheech finds out the woman he wants to date is married. Ultimately, he never gives up on attempting to ask her out on a date. Most of the electronic music is played on 8/8 single note.
An accountant meets Mr. Brownstain at a sushi bar on Sushi Bar. Discussions about food are talked about. One wonders if the sushi is sanitary or not. Such speculation occurred of course.
"The first heavy metal snuff tune." is a sentence that best describes the title track Get Out My Room. The track itself is very heavy metal and glam rock oriented. The drums are perfect. Glam meets comedy rock on this song is a way to describe it.
5/5*****!!
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Barry Manilow - Here Comes The Night album review
Music fans from this generation will consider Barry Manilow rather conservative in musical tastes as he is from a different generation. His best songwriting skills turkey shine on this album. He is known for his songwriting skills as a songwriter especially on this album. It was surely a platinum album in quality and album sales. Pure quality content. Barry Manilow is the King of Pop in songwriting as a singer-songwriter.
Heart of Steel describes how Barry Manilow evolved emotionally as a human being. He used to be soft hearted and be too emotionally sensitive. He lets us willingly know that we can't break his heart of steel with love or emotionally. Love has given him game. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write a Letter To Myself is where Barry gets personal and writes a letter to himself. The words are so sweet. It came from the bottom of his heart.
4/5****
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DJ Jester - Table For One album review
This album can be compared to the likes, musical styles, and sounds of DJ Krush, DJ Shadow, Deadmau5, Lila's Medicine, and Skrillex. Indeed the album does have sounds that are very DJ Krush inspired. DJ Jester himself is an example of prime electronic music. The album sounds very similar to the early DJ Krush sound from the 1990s and 2000s. To a lesser extent, DJ Jester remains very underground and unknown to the mainstream music market. Even the underground music scene knows nothing too much about him. Tracks such as Note To Self and Kill Me are such negative filled tracks with a dark mood and vibe to them. Kill Me is filled with such negativity, anger, and angst. Always On Vacation calms the albums mood down using the sounds of ambiance in ambient electronic music.
4/5****!
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Outdates - Make Way For Outdates EP review
Make Way For Outdates was a demo cassette composed by the Holyoke, Massachusetts band called Outdates on SchlitZtonezZ and Geffen. Only 10 copies were put out on cassette only in 2010. The album cover is in a monochromatic scheme of black and white while the cassette itself is spray-painted silver and grey. Something about "plugz" is written on the back of the cassette. (Apparently the band has an unhealthy obsession/fetish about plugs.)
Each song is nearly 1:30 long (a minute and 30 seconds) and there are only 6 songs, which makes an EP. The sound quality is quite low quality because this is a demo tape after all. So don't be too upset. The lyrics blend into each other somehow. The whole demo cassette sounds like it was recorded for mono speakers rather than the usual standard speakers like most albums are. But that’s how bad the whole cassette is. 75% of this EP has a dark mood and negative vibe.
Go Now is about hitting the streets and doing crime. The night's still young and it's not time for bedtime. Only those who are lame go to bed early at nighttime. The Outdates want to hit the streets and want you to join in the fun & pandemonium with them. They tend to crash out at various random places.
Taking Sides is about not conforming with society's standards. Trash your standards. Manners are dumb when you're taking chances and not taking sides. Outlook of the future looks grim from here. It only gets worse.
After Two is about late night sex and being fake. There's nothing left to be gained by honest means. Whatever sex I can't get back from you I'm going to steal from you. The Outdates are not interested in that common trash such as pop music on the radio or the newest clothing. Bad things apparently happen during the nighttime. Taken down a bad road, all you know is how to be fake.
Don't Turn Out is about the lights in the street turning out and knowing about the unknown. Don't turn the light out because the Outdates want to know about the unknown.
Can't Motivate is about lack of motivation. The emotional trash from overtime in life is piling up and you just can't get through the existence of life itself. It's building up and you break down emotionally thus an emotional breakdown occurs causing you to be an emotional wreck. Emotion is overpowering your head. You are burning out of course. The song just gets worse from here.
Sick of Talkin' is a lame track. The whole audio is unequally mastered to play on monotone speakers. It plays only on the right side. The Outdates were probably not too proud of the final end result of this track wishing they had not recorded it.
2/5**
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The Phantom Dance Band - Dancers Do It On The Floor album review
Dance music meets country music on this fantastic country dance album. Dance music meets country music thus creating the sub-genre of country dance. The band takes us on a fantastic journey though dance by playing country music. Most of the dance techniques demonstrated and sung are two-step dances. Also Latin salsa music is heard on this album. Tommy Hancock performs a majority of the songs on this album.
Some Girls is a country rock song which is a two-step dance of 3 minutes. Country meets rock music on Some Girls. Some girls like tall men. Some girls like them black. It's all about a woman's point of view conceptualized of what she wants or desires to find inside a man based on her viewpoints of men. Girls know what they want when it comes to finding of what they want in a man.
San Antonio is a slow Latin song half which sung and spoken both in English and Spanish. Going back to San Antonio is part of a journey. Excitement blends old with the new.
The Charmer is a Latin salsa dance song. The charmer is a woman in this case. Her magic glance in her eyes hypnotize men. Her secret powers of romance work their ways well on men. Love to her is a game she knows how to play well. The Charmer is known for breaking men's hearts. Men are her prey. He falls in love and then the Charmer goes away to the next man. The moral to this son is to never give your heart out for love that is never returned.
The Good Times Rock N Roll is good old fashioned rock music that is about the good time. The mood and vibe can be described as upbeat or happy. It's nothing but good times here.
The Autobiography of a Swami is a spiritual salsa song that gets religious in nature. Amazing Grace represents the religious side of this song. The lights represent time passing by. Life can be good to people. It's mainly about the life of a swami and the events that take place in the song.
Another two-step song called The Cottonwoods Are Turning Green is about climate change in the weather. There is still snow on the mountaintop. The flowing streams are clear and clean. It's a perfect time to plant and grow a garden. It's clear that the cottonwoods are turning green.
Demon Whiskey is a two-step honky took song about the overuse of the alcoholic beverage called whiskey. Whiskey will drag you down into depths unheard of. Whisky kills people. Hence the title Demon Whiskey.
Marfa Lights is dedicated to the Marfa Lights out in Marfa, Texas. It's a place out in West Texas. The sun sets on the desert of Mexico and Texas. There is mystery in these Marfa Lights. Moonlight has reflected on the Rio Grande river. The occult occurs.
A Winter Evening is a calm ambient waltz composition written by Tommy Hancock. The night is glowing mixing moonlight with snow. Memories are created during this evening waltz. The frost represents symbolism of a past time memory.
5/5*****!!
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The Phantom Dance Band - Outback album review
Dance music meets country music on this fantastic country dance album. Dance music meets country music thus creating the sub-genre of country dance. The band takes us on a fantastic journey though dance by playing country music. Most of the dance techniques demonstrated and sung are two-step dances. Also Latin salsa music is heard on this album. Tommy Hancock performs a majority of the songs on this album. However there are more instrumentals on this album than the last album.
Back To New Mexico is a Texas two-step country song. Tommy Hancock feels weird from the stress and stain from traveling on the road. It has begun to short his brain. The fast lane makes him doubt all in life. He only knows fast life. He needs to get back on solid ground. Tommy needs enchantment for his soul. So he will go back to New Mexico.
Country meets Latin music on the song San Antonio Rose. San Antonio Rose pays honor, homage, and tribute to the city of San Antonio, Texas. It is also a love song. San Antonio Rose sounds like a song Willie Nelson Deep within Bob Wills heart lies a melody called San Antonio Rose. In dreams, Bob Wills lives with a memory.
The Cottonwoods Are Turning Green is about climate change in the weather. There is still snow on the mountaintop. The flowing streams are clear and clean. It's a perfect time to plant and grow a garden. It's clear that the cottonwoods are turning green.
Marfa Lights is dedicated to the Marfa Lights out in Marfa, Texas. It's a place out in West Texas. The sun sets on the desert of Mexico and Texas. There is mystery in these Marfa Lights. Moonlight has reflected on the Rio Grande river. The occult occurs.
The Beer Drinking Goat is an ode to alcoholic beverages. It's one of those songs to get drunk to. Many alcoholic drinks are referenced in this song.
5/5*****!
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Jerry Jeff Walker - Navajo Rug album review
Visual cover for the Navajo Rug album is an attention grabbing pattern that is quite unique. The pattern is the same type of patterns you seen Native American Indian culture. The Adobe, tan, black, vanilla, and brown, and mahogany colors represent the color scheme of a Navajo rug. A Navajo rug pattern represents the symbols of calmness, tranquility, Native American Indian culture, and peace. The album covers pattern stands out alone making you want to pick it up to add to your music collection. The album cover alone could convince you that this is not a country music album but a world music album. IT IS a country album.
This album title was inspired by the blankets and rugs everywhere in his homemade studio. The album lent a polished feel to a very warm welcoming experience which is why the album was titled "Navajo Rug" instead of "Salsa and Smoke". End results of Navajo Rug came out so good no recording material for songs were not left over.
The end result of the song Navajo Rug came out so good. Ian Tyson and Jerry Jeff Walker loved it very much. The song is the whole reason this album exists. Jerry Jeff Walker fans are very fond of this song. Navajo Rug offers a warm welcoming experience.
Rockin' On The River is a classic country rock song. Country music meets rock music on this song. Although this one song could be more classifiable as a country song.
5/5*****!!
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