STEVIE STONE - ROLLIN STONE

STEVIE STONE

ROLLIN' STONE

2012

Tech N9ne presents...That's all you need to know.

That and Stevie is a beast. This goes real hard and should

not go unnoticed! Sick production and Stevie killing

every verse. What more do you want!
Stevie's voice is pretty 'hardcore' and some people
might not like his type of roughness but really once
you get used to him and get his talent on the mic 
you're in for yet another Strange Music treat.
1. Intro
2. Get Buck
Perfect example of my above statement. 
Awesome beat and Stevie flows over it like
it's nothing. Last verse is amazing. 5/5
3. 808 Bendin ft. Tech N9ne
Having Tech on this i expected a lot, but
the beat is the setback here. Not bad but
because Tech is Tech, you expect greatness
every damn time he features. And though his verse
is pretty tight, it's not quite a classic cut. 3.5/5
4. Perfect Stranger
Man this is dope. Even without Krizz Kaliko, Stevie
holds his own on the hook and it works. 4.5/5
5. Cash Out ft. Krizz Kaliko
Nice collabo joint with Kaliko but it never really
lifts off for me. 3.5/5
6. Keep My Name Out Ya Mouth ft. Kutt Calhoun
This reminds me of the good ol' New Orleans type
tracks back in the days. This could've been on
Body Headbangerz for those who remember. 5/5
7. Oneness ft. Peetah Morgan
The combination of a hard beat like this with the
jamaican hook is pretty golden in my book. 
Stevie's verses go hard on this on top. I love it! 5/5
8. My Remedy (skit)
9. My Remedy
Awesome piano melody that sucks you straight in.
Stevie's hook and verses are the cherry on top. 5/5
10. Dolalr General ft. Yelawolf
Nice to see a Yelawolf feature here and it's one of the
best tracks of the album. The beat is sick and both
Stevie and Yelawolf kill it. Stevie reminds of 
DMX is certain spots. Do wish Yela had a verse aswell, 
that felt kinda lackluster to me. 5/5
11. Raw Talk ft. Hopsin & Swizzz
Not feeling the beat, the rest doesn't matter. 2.5/5
12. Goin Down ft. Big Scoob & Spaide Ripper
Another very mediocre beat that doesn't allow any of
the artists to shine. A true filler joint. 2.5/5
13. Mosh
Third consecutive track i don't care for. 2.5/5
14. 2 Far
Not bad and it does grow on you. 4.5/5
15. My Life
Very mellow and slow track but man this is nice!
A track to just close your eyes to and enjoy. 5/5
16. The Road ft. M.A.G.num P.I., Wreckonize, Bernz
Should've hold more punch in the hook maybe , but the
verses are pretty frickin dope from everyone. 5/5


Apart from those three tracks toward the end, this album 
is really great and fits in perfect in Strange Music's catalogue.
Expect more great things from Stevie and let's hope
him and Tech can provide something better next time around. 

Overall Score: 8.9/10

BLANCO & YUKMOUTH - COOKIES N CREAM

BLANCO & YUKMOUTH

COOKIES N CREAM

2012

Blanco is dope. Period. After his collabo album with Nipsey Hussle, 

'RAW', also entirely produced by Cookin' Soul, he teams up with none

other than Yukmouth and delivers one hell of an EP!

The production on here is top notch and a great backdrop for

Blanco who always comes through and Yukmouth who really shines.

Yuk on these type of beats is sick and i wish he wil soon drop

an album similar to what David Banner did with 9th Wonder,

'Death Of A Popstar' or Mistah FAB's latest tapes. Speaking of

Mistah F.A.B., his verse on Warheads was the cherry on top here!

That whole track is bananas and a perfect example why Yuk

should go into that direction. Same for 'Rocky Road', 'Hot Tamales'

There's two tracks that don't really fit, but it's forgiven.

"Whoppers" & "Pop Rocks". They're not bad, but just don't fit.

Still, with only 7 tracks, it's kind of a shame. And why only an EP??

Anyway, this shit is a dope release and i hope more will come of this.

Also peep out the video for "Rocky Road" feat. The Jacka. Awesome!

1. Airheads (ft. Dru Down, Richie Rich, B-Legit) 5/5

2. Warheads (ft. Phil Da Agony, Mistah F.A.B.) 5/5

3. Hot Tamales (ft. Krondon, Mitchy Slick) 5/5

4. Rocky Road (ft. The Jacka) 5/5

5. Whoppers (ft. Stevie Joe, The Jacka) 4/5

6. Payday (ft. Ampichino) 5/5

7. Pop Rocks (ft. Lee Majors, Lil Rue) 4/5

Overall Score: 9.2/10

YUKMOUTH - HALFBAKED - 2012

YUKMOUTH

HALFBAKED

2012

I don't even know where to begin to be honest.
The slew of tight features, the beat selection, 
the variety and easy transaction between
banging tracks and smooth tracks, Yuk killing
every verse on every fuckin song. Shit!
This album is truly bananas! 
Let me touch on the different joints on here.
From tracks like the amazing "Cobain" (that hook is
just flat out one of the dopest this year) to
"Rollin Stoned" or "Try Me", smooth songs with some
tight ass sampling. It's all covered. Even the dirty south
comes to play with the great collabo track "Smoke Sumthen".
Yukmouth truly murders his verse on this type of beat.
It's just awesome man. Seriously Front to back this album
is pure enjoyment and one of the year's finest.
1. Get Lifted 5/5
2. Fire ft. Lee Majors, The Jacka & Ampichino 5/5
3. Cookies And Bo ft. B-Legit & Cellski 4.5/5
4. A Million Miles Away ft. Black Judah & Govmatic 4/5
5. Smoke Sumthen ft. Z-Ro & K.B. 5/5
6. Step Ya Weed Game Up ft. Daz & Jayo Felony 5/5
7. Rollin Stoned ft. J-Hood & Joe Blow 5/5
8. Cobain ft. DJ Paul, Ya Boy & D-Golder 5/5
9. Put 1 In The Air ft. Matt Blaque, Lil Rue & Blanco 5/5
10. Blowin On Jamaica ft. Young Noble & C-Bo 5/5
11. Wer U From ft. Dru Down, Stevie Joe, Clyde Carson
Philthy Rich & Rah Mean 4.5/5
12. Kush Cologne ft. Belo, Freddie Gibbs, Smiggz 4/5
13. Burn It Down ft. Moses Music & Beeda Weeda 5/5
14. Try Me ft. G-Stack 5/5
15. I Need Weed (Remix) ft. Faze & Berner 4/5
16. Loud Pack ft. J.Stalin & Lee Majors 4.5/5
17. Sour ft. Styles P 5/5
18. K.O.B. ft. Chop Black, Kuzzo Fly & Murder Hase 4.5/5
19. Smell It On Me (Remix)
ft. 2 Chainz, Gudda Gudda & D-Golder 5/5

Overall Score: 9.4/10

THE JACKA - THE SENTENCE

THE JACKA

THE SENTENCE

2012

Full circle yo.

This 3rd installment concludes the 3 part series.

Just like The Indictment & The Verdict, The Sentence is straight crack 

and has some darn sweet tracks. 3 for 3 in my book!

I already can't wait what he has in store for us next!

Here's the first single, and it's one hell of a track!!

1. The Sentence 1
2. Look Me In My Eyes ft. Max B
Great opening track. Even Max B does his thing.
Sick beat and an awesome Jacka. 5/5
3. We Out Here
Can't go wrong with a samle like this. Dope! 5/5
4. M.O.B. ft. Smigg Dirtee and Mobb Deep
Getting used to the beat at first, but this track
is pretty tight with a nice Smigg and so awesome to
have Prodigy and Havoc on here!. 4/5
5. Lately ft. J. Stalin
I was expecting a track like this to be on the alb
and it's so fly. Stalin is perfect once again. 5/5
6. Choosin Up ft. Smigg Dirtee
Smigg & Jacka got a nice combo going on.
This track is another great one. 5/5
7. Dago 2 The Bay (remix)
Dunno why this is on here but nonetheless
still a dope ass track, even this remix. 4.5/5
8. Blowin Money ft. Young Chris
Wish the beat would've been 'normal' and
more fitting with the rest of the album.
I wanted this to be a Jacka track feauturing
Young Chris, but it's the opposite and the
beat isn't even that good. Oh Well. 3/5
9. Around the World ft. Bueno & Dubb 20
That's more like it. Sounds like Rydah J Klyde 
shoulda been on this! Dope. 5/5
10. Stone Cold Gz
Typical beat and questioning the feature but
it's all good. More Jacka woulda been better. 3/5
11. Freedom Writers ft. Freeway & Hollow Tip
Love this one. Freeway is perfect and this is
more in Jacka's wheelhouse. Smooth. 5/5
12. The Sentence 2
13. Can't Go ft. Balance & Big Rich
Best track hands down. Very laid back and
that combined with Jacka's delivery and lyrics is
golden. Great RnB hook to top it off. 5/5


Like i stated before. 3 for 3 and this last album
is up there with the other two. I do think this
is not as good as 2nd. (This one does have two more 
tracks but also two tracks i'm not that keen on) 
Still, i can bump this album front to back on repeat, 
just like the others. Seriously, I can't wait for 
The Jacka's next project!
Overall Score: 9.1/10

BIG K.R.I.T. - LIVE FROM THE UNDERGROUND

BIG K.R.I.T.

LIVE FROM THE UNDERGROUND

2012

Finally, K.R.I.T.'s retail album iz here!!

1. LFU300MA (intro)
What more can you ask from an intro.
Real talk and a sick instrumental. 5/5
2. Live From The Underground
Classic Krit, though it sounds very much
like the beginning of Lions & Lambs and that
song is just far superior. A shame. 4/5
3. Cool 3 Be Southern
Not bad, not great, just good. 4/5
4. I Got This
I can dig it though it's not typical Krit...
The verses are dope, the hook not so sure. 4/5
5. Money On The Floor ft. 2 Chainz, 8Ball & MJG
Can't go wrong with Ball & G. I preferred 2 Chainz
when he was Tity Boi, but anyway, this track is
bumpin front to back. Sick shit. 5/5
6. What U Mean ft. Ludacris
Fuckin hell this track is straight murder.
Smilin from ear to ear while going beserk,
that's what it's about. Yeeeea! 5/5
7. My Sub pt. 2 ft. The jackin'
The first one is of course better, but still this
track is bumpin nonetheless. 4.5/5 
8. Don't Let Me Down
Now we're talking. Classic Krit at work though
the hook is not that appealing...who cares. 4.5/5
9. Porchlight ft. Anthony Hamilton
One of my favourites. If you're gonna have the hook
sung, you just gotta get Anthony Hamilton.
Perfect combination and a standout track. 5/5
10. Pull Up ft. Big Sant & Bun B
Dirty south swag at it's finest! 5/5
11. Yeah Dats me
Disappointed. I mean...it's not that bad but
it's just too much at times. 2/5
12. Hydroplanning ft. Devin The Dude
I get it, but it's too slow and gets tedious fast. 3/5
13. If I Fall ft. Melanie Fiona
Nice track yo, damn! Lovin the drums. 5/5
14. Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Talk about meaningful shit. Don't look for the beat
to drop and just listen and marvel. 5/5
15. Praying Man ft. BB King
Nice feature and another solid track that fits Krit's ouvre, 
but he's made similar and better before. 3.5/5
16. Live From The Underground (Reprise)
Same title but so different and so much better. 4.5/5


I kinda saw this coming. Way too good on his mixtapes
and thus the retail album falls a little short. That might be
slightly the case but still, looking at this for what it is
and disregarding the tapes, this album is great.
This is what southern rap should be. Bringing back
that good 'ol classic Goodie Mob, Dirty, Outkast etc. vibe.
If Krit made an album with all the dopest cuts of his tapes
and this album, it would be the best southern album of the
last ten years. Krit just too good and there's nothing above 
excellence, so it's easy too complain. In any regards,
Big K.R.I.T delivered and is simply the best doing it now! 
Overall Score: 9/10

TOMMY HAMPTON - PALOS VERDES BLUES

TOMMY HAMPTON

PALOS VERDES BLUES

2012

Up and coming for real, this dude hails from Regina, SK

and is sure to create a huge buzz. Dropping his debut album

with AK Productions and it is one hell of an album.

Tommy Hampton and AK have created something oh so

refreshing and unique, it's a blessing to the ear.

AK is so nice on the boards and Tommy got so much versatility

and talent under his fitted, it's ridiculous!


1. Intro
Sick opening even though after all this time i'm
still not keen on the beat. Tommy knocks it out the
gates though with some tight lyrics. 3.5/5
2. Ain't Coming Back
Solid track all around. Great verses and a bumping
beat beat make this what it is. The hook isn't bad
to say but feel like it could've been more 4/5
3. By Your Side
Awesome use of the sample. Great lil
song that should've been longer maybe. 4.5/5
4. Hard Luck
Even though Tommy is so sick on this and the
whole vibe is right up my alley, hard & grimey,
i still don't fully love this. Have to get use to the
whole song every time it starts, but when the hook 
comes in you're sold. Still, props on the whole thing,
using The Last Of The Mohicans for a sample. 4/5
5. Guess Who
Love the sample and whole beat. Tommy is perfect on
it and the whole track is pure gold. 5/5
6. Afraid To Love
Had to get used to it for a while, but once you
discover all the layers of this magnificent track,
you will love it. Tommy shows his versatilty here
singing and playing the guitar on top. 
The beat is crazy good aswell. 5/5
7. Walking Away
I love this one. When the sample
takes over it sucks you in. Just awesome.
Tommy's verses are hella dope. 5/5
8. Didn't I
My favourite hands down. Just love that sample
and mr. Hampton goes perfect with it. 5/5
9. Can't Stop
Another favourite. That beat along with
Tommy's bravado and flow, especially
on the hook is just bananas. 5/5
10. Burner ft. Tha G.T.
It just keeps coming. Another sick track that
ticks all the boxes: one dope ass beat,
one hell of a hook (one of my fav this year!)
and a great feature from Tha G.T. Sick! 5/5
11. Stick Up Kids
Great song overall but i'm still not that big 
on it compared to previous tracks. I can't put
my finger to it, but something about the beat
and hook i'm not feeling too much. Still... 3.5/5
12. Ceiling
Pushed as a single up in Regina and though
i get it, i don't. Very generic despite Tommy
doing more than his thing. Can't knock it. 3.5/5
13. Next Episode
Great intro and the whole joint just keeps
elevating to a crazy hook. Dope! 4/5
14. Sleep
Throwback feel and i love it. Tommy is
awesome here and the whole track 
deserves it's praise. 5/5
15. Outro
Rightfully appropriate last track.
Tommy's voice shows so much emotion and it
is a thing of beauty and a joy to listen to. 5/5


For any new artist to come out these days and provide with an 
overall truly great and complete album like Tommy has, 
is remarkable. AK providing the backdrop for Tommy's
incredible talent and backstory works like a charm. 
There's so much more to come here and i for one can't wait. 
I got my copy, go cop yours and enjoy true talent!
Here's the first video off the alb for Sleep:

Overall Score: 9/10