The Message Blog: The Message Blog Presents The Best of 2009

Review - Wu-Tang Clan: Pollen - The Swarm Part III

Posted by elmattic On June 24, 2010

In 1898, the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists led the Boxer Rebellion in China. They attacked thinking that their martial arts training would make them fly, be immune to bullets and call on spirit soldiers. Guess what, that didn't work out too good. Pollen is kinda like the Boxer Rebellion. The Wu's been rolling for 17 years now, and the ancient arts of shadowboxing on their own aren't enough in the modern world. I mean, what exactly is the point of another album of the A and B team Clan over middling beats?

Review - Everliven Sound - Freedom 2

Posted by Wally $ean On June 23, 2010

With the underground hip-hop scene producing so many new artists, it’s surprising to see how many are looking at the industry with the assailing eye of veteran rhymers. Take the duo Everliven Sound, also known as emcees the UK's Skit Skam and NJ's Cymarshall Law: although both are relatively fresh-faces in the game, their attitude, style and sound are something of a throwback. On their latest project together Freedom 2, Skit and Cy once again exhibit wisdom and abilities beyond their years, despite a number of problems.

Review - Godilla - Jaguar Paw

Posted by Wally $ean On May 19, 2010

The Jaguar Warrior was a terrifying Aztec soldier who brutalized his victims and captured survivors for ritual sacrifice...With an M.O. like that, it's no wonder why rapper Godilla seemingly pays homage to them on the cover of his LP Jaguar Paw, and he does so with good reason. The Easton, PA emcee and Snowgoons collaborator is out for weak emcees' blood on this album. Although it's not a perfect, with some lackluster beats and bars, it's an inspired, cohesive album that harkens back to he golden era of hip-hop while adding a dash of Latin flavor to spice up the recipe.

Review - The Closers - Bullpen Sessionz

Posted by Wally $ean On March 21, 2009

Hardcore gutter rap is something of a rarity these days. Apart from artists like Blaq Poet and Roc Marciano, very few emcees these days spit that raw shit that sounds like the soundtrack to getting yapped for all of your personal belongings. Yet hope is not lost for fans of that hard-body, get-mushed-or-moshed-out-type steez: The Closers - a four man collective of Shabaam Sahdeeq, Red Eye and the production combo Thorotracks - are up to bat with their latest project Bullpen Sessionz, and they're swinging away like the Baseball Furies.

Review - Statik Selektah - 100 Proof (The Hangover)

Posted by Wally $ean On February 10, 2010

For the past three years, Massachusetts producer and DJ Statik Selektah has had the underground hip-hop scene firmly under his thumb. With a barrage of mixtapes, guest productions and a nearly annual onslaught of album releases, Statik has managed to transform his little Showoff Records imprint into a burgeoning success, helping to propel emcees like Reks and Termanology into the spotlight. Now, Mr. Spell My Name Right is back with his third studio album 100 Proof (The Hangover).

The Message Blog Presents The Best of 2009

Posted by Wally $ean On Thursday, December 31, 2009

Ye, it's that time again: a round-up of the year in Hip-Hop for '09. And in my usual fashion with most things in life, I waited it until the last minute to get to this. So without further ado...

Best Album

Marco Polo and Torae - Double Barrel

Sure, this year saw the soon-to-be classics Cuban Linx II and Boy Meets World drop, but for me, MP and Tor's hardbody as fuck LP really took the cake "Ante Up" style. Cuts like "But Wait" and "Double Barrel" were the shotgun blast Hip-Hop really needed to keep from totally pussifying on some Drake shit.

Runner-Up

Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II

Most Slept-On Album

Finale - A Pipe Dream and a Promise

Finale put out simply one of the dopest albums this year. Backed by the likes of Black Milk and the late J Dilla, the Detroit native repped his city hard with classic-style blue collar lyricism and highly personal subject matter. Most importantly, however, Finale kept the album focused and avoiding the filler pitfall.

Runner-Up

General Steele - Welcome to Bucktown

Best Mixtape

Freddie Gibbs - midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik

Freddie Gibbs seemingly came out of nowhere with the force of an F5 tornado with this DJ Skee-hosted tape. And in all honesty, I'd be lying if I didn't say that Gibbs came harder on one mixtape than Rakim and Busta Rhymes did on both of their albums. midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik is a hard-hitting and unflinching look at the life of a Midwest gangsta.

Runner-Up

Sean Price - Kimbo Price

Emcee of the Year

Raekwon

Hands-down, no other emcee put in as much work and made as good music as the Chef. He pulled off the impossible with the classic Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II, and with Wu-Masscre on the horizon in the new year, it looks like Shallah al Raekwon isn't looking to lose momentum.

Runner-Up

Eminem

Rookie of the Year

Fashawn

I hate equating debut albums on an Illmatic scale, but with Fash's Boy Meets World, that's the only scale that'll do it justice. With "jerk" dancing all the rage, it took Fash to properly rep the left coast this year with his poignant album and fresh-as-fuck rhymes. Sure, maybe Boy Meets World isn't quite Nas' masterpiece, but it's nearly as exciting.

Runner-Up

Pill

Best Producer

The Alchemist

A-L-C may not be everyone's first choice as this year's producer. But honestly, when Al was on point this year, he was at the top of his game. From cuts like Fabolous' "Lullaby" to his work with Oh No in Gangrene, the Alchemist was cooking up pure heat rock rock in '09.

Runner-Up

MoSS

Best Song

Raekwon feat. Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah and Method Man -
"House of Flying Daggers"

Rae's single from CLII is perhaps the most impressive Wu-banger (by which I mean a Wu posse cut) since perhaps...shit, I'd say since "Triumph." It's that fucking explosive. Backed by J Dilla's menacing strings, Deck, Chef, Meth and Ghostdini eviscerate the listener's ear with some of the most on-point bars in their careers.

Runner-Up

Slaughterhouse - "Fight Club"

Best Collaboration

Raekwon, Cormega and Sean Price - "Radiant Jewels"

Choosing a choice cut from Chamber Music is like definitively deciding which of the Jonas Brothers is the gayest. But the triumvirate of Chef, Mega and P! on "Radiant Jewels" is simply unfuckwittable. While Rae and Sean P both adequately body the beat, it's Cormega that seals the deal with his incredible verse.

Runner-Up

Marco Polo and Torae feat. Masta Ace and Sean Price - "Hold Up"

Best Verse

Ghostface Killah - "Gihad"

Ghostface had always been able to tell a mean story - just listen to the trippy ghetto cartoon "The Forest." But of all the ridiculous things Starks has spit in the past years, perhaps his verse on Rae's "Gihad" is the paragon of his out-of-hand Slick Rick spittage. Really, I could give you a run-down of exactly what he says, but it's best to hear it for yourself.

Runner-Up

Eminem - "Deja Vu" (3rd Verse)

Best Video

Eminem - "3 A.M." (Directed by Synapse)

As if Em's drugged-out, blood-soaked lyrics didn't give you the picture, Synapse's twisted vision of "3 A.M." is the proverbial icing on the cake. Between the walls dripping blood and and Em tripping balls, the video comes off more like an actual film than a run-of-the-mill video. Oh, and any horror junkies out there notice The Exorcist III homage? Very nice.

Runner-Up

Fashawn feat. J. Mitchell - "Life as a Shorty" (Directed by Punit Dhesi)

Biggest Dissappointment

Rakim - The Seventh Seal

This pains me to write this, but I really can't shy away from the truth. The Seventh Seal was bad, not just by Rakim standards, but by most standards. I still have as much love for the God as I ever have before, but The Seventh Seal was painful to listen to even in it's better moments.

Runner-Up

Busta Rhymes - Back On My B.S.

Top 5 Emcees to Look Out for in 2010

1. Freddie Gibbs
2. Pill
3. The Closers
4. blctxt
5. Cymarshall Law

Top 5 Projects to Look Out for in 2010

1. Raekwon, Method Man and Ghostface Killah - Wu-Massacre
2. Reflection Eternal - Revolutions Per Minute
3. Marco Polo and Ruste Juxx - eXXecution
4. Sean Price - Mic Tyson
5. Redman - Muddy Waters 2