Kazwell - Fish Outta Water

I just heard this album from a friend today and thought I would review it. Well first off, Kazwell is a Japanese American Hip hop artist working out of the Bay Area. He isn't way to popular yet and can still be classified as an underground artist. I had never heard of or anything by this artist until I heard this album. I have to admit when I first got the album, I was expecting a poorly made mixtape type of thing. However, since I was encouraged to download this free album and give it a listen I did. I was very pleasantly surprised by what I found almost at once. The first thing you notice is his very mellow and soft sounding instrumentals. He combines that with a great, smooth lyrical delivery. He impresses with his rhyming style even though it is not as complex as maybe it could be. He shows so much potential with this album and I think could easily become a great underground rapper. His style does not fit the typical radio mold so I'm not sure if he can get on it even though he is deserving of it. I reccomend this album for a listen to anybody who enjoys hip hop. Although short every track is well made with the exception of maybe one.

Notable tracks: Three words (The chorus is catchy and the instrumental is praise-worthy. He might not flow the best in the song but it is still very good)

Another Day (He comes with an excellent flow and an instrumental that accents them almost perfectly)

Again I recommend all of the tracks on the album.

Track listing:
1. Krazy Glue
2. Whisper of the Godz
3. Take Me Home
4. Three Words
5. Ain't So Far Away
6. Another Day
7. The Beach
8. Right Here
9. Let Me In


Link: Kaz-Well - Fish Outta Water

OOF! EP

http://manifesttherhyme.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/OOF-EP-Cover.digital1.jpg

The Blue Scholars released their newest EP on August 25th. Consisting of 6 tracks and the 6 instrumentals to those tracks, The Blue Scholars deliver one more album. The first impression I got when listening to this album was, "Where did the Blue Scholars go, and who are these guys?" Most of the tracks just do not seem to fit the mold the Scholars seem to stick to when making tracks. However the further you get into the album, the more you start to like this new style. I won't say that everyone out there is going to like the sound but I think that it has something that subconsciously appeals to many people. The change in style I think comes mostly in the instrumental part of the songs. Geo changes his flows up a little but its nothing dramatically different from the stuff he was doing before. He still brings the nonchalant attitude and steady, appealing flow. His lyrics are still very political and he changes between his styles frequently on this album.

Notable Tracks: New People (I actually like the instrumental and rap on this even though I have heard many people say they don't)

Bananas (I really don't like this song very much but many people like it so I guess it belongs here)

Hello (I love the vibe on this song)

The weaker songs on this album are, in my opinion, Bananas and maybe you could say Cruz even though those songs are still very listenable. I recommend this album to all Blue Scholar fans and maybe some other listeners. The problem lies in the change of style. I would not recommend this as a introductory course in the Scholars music. However, this is a very good EP and I would support this group by buying this album.

Example Tracks:

HI-808



New People



Hello

외톨이 (Loner) - Outsider

Title: Loner
Artist: Outsider
Album: Maestro
Year: 2009
Genre: Khop (Korean Hip hop)

So once again we hear from outsiders, this time on his song from his album Maestro. He continues to bring his signature (and fast) style to tracks. He continues to bring excellent background beats that enhance his style and make him sound just that much better.

No Diggity - Blackstreet feat. Dr. Dre

Title: No Diggity feat. Dr. Dre
Artist: Blackstreet
Album: Another Level
year: 1996
Genre: R&B and Hip hop

This was one of my favorite songs from back in the day. Dr. Dre's flow is one of the best he has ever done. The lyrics and instrumental work together to make a catchy tune and a very listenable song.

Dream Express - Flow

Artist: Flow
Title: Dream Express
Album: Game
Year: 2006
Genre: J-rock

Flow is my favorite Jrock band. I love their delivery in this song as well as how well the guitar and the lyrics mix. This has the party atmosphere about it that is typical to most Flow songs. I love the upbeat tempo as well.

Run & Run feat. Outsiders - MC Sniper

Artist: MC Sniper
Song: Run and Run feat. Outsider
Album: How bad do you want it?
Genre: Korean Hip hop
year: 2007

MC sniper and Outsider are 2 of my favorite artists out of South Korea. This song showcases the insane speed of outsider and the crazy flow of MC sniper. Both of them work so well with the strange beat in the background. Their flows work in almost perfect unison, especially in a song like this.

Coo - Blue Scholars

Title: Coo
Artist: Blue Scholars
Album: OOF EP
Year: 2009
Genre: Hip hop

The Blue Scholars recently released a single off of their upcoming ep OOF. Although still good, this is not one of my favorite songs by them. However, they did not fail to deliver with their own unique style and lyrics. The ep itself is scheduled to be dropped on August 25th. I can't wait to hear what else they cooked up for this EP. Well anyways enjoy.