★★★★★
One of the hardest working rappers is back with his new album. That’s right people! Pastor Troy is here and releasing Still Troy, which packs a powerful punch of crunked up beats and cool hooks wrapped in his southern-istic flow. This album definitely delivers non-stop hard pounding beats with a chill vibe that represents for the South. In this album, Pastor Troy reminds us that he is a force to be reckoned with and takes on a ride and shows us why.

Starting off strong with From The Top, it is only but an introduction into what’s next. Can You See Me cements his arrivals and lets all his haters know that he’s here to stay. He then goes into a catchy track, Get Out, that will have you dancing and repping your hood. He keeps it real as the beats slow down with I’m Just Chillin and Cab I Holla, featuring Ralph. He goes back into gangsta mode with that southern drawl on Ain’t Gangsta No More and Represent Dat.

With the help from Ralph on the hook, Pastor Troy borrows a beat from fellow Atlanta native Usher on I’m A Gangsta as he and Mesha Right drops their feelings on that gangsta love. He further represents his city with Dirty Atlanta with the hook taking reference from Michael Jackson’s Dirty Diana.

On A Yacht, featuring Yung LA, which doesn’t really fit with the rest of the album is up next. The beat is too gritty for this smooth sounding album. The album ends with the reflective hood anthem, Keep Ya Head Up, featuring Eklips Da Hustla, and gives inspiration for all that are down and out.

Overall this was a decent album from Pastor Troy as he represented for the ATL. It’s a mellow and chill album with hard-hitting beat tracks tucked in where it needs to be and proves why he still has his longevity and appeal to pull you into his songs. This is a type of album that can be thrown on at all types of occasions, at the club or just riding around the way. Pastor Troy has been around for a long time and I can see him being around even longer.

Standout Tracks: “I’m Just Chillin”, “I’m A Gangsta”, “Represent Dat”

Tracklisting:

1. From The Top
2. Can You See Me
3. Get Out
4. I’m Just Chillin
5. Hundred Thousand (ft. Mistah Mud & Lil Pete)
6. Can I Holla (ft. Ralph)
7. Ain’t Gangsta No Moe
8. I’m A Gangsta (ft. Ralph & Mesha Right)
9. Represent Dat
10. Dirty Atlanta (ft. Ralph)
11. On A Yacht (ft. Yung LA & Lace Leno)
12. Keep Ya Head Up (ft. Eklips Da Hustla)
13. To The Bottom

★★★★★
To say that Chris Brown has been given a rough ride recently would be the understatement of the century. The incident with Rihanna more than two years ago is still on the tips of everybody’s tongues. Many “fans” deserted him as he seemed to apparently be spiraling out of control. As if he didn’t have enough on his plate, somebody has leaked nude photos of Chris on the Internet. At times, it’s hard to stay focused on the music; his life seems to play out like a cringy soap opera but lets remember, Chris Brown started off fresh faced, 16 year old whose debut album Chris went double platinum, selling over 2 million copies in the United States alone. The talent of Breezy cannot be disputed!

Now this month, Chris is set to release his latest album, the greatly anticipated F.A.M.E.

The first track off the album is Deuces, featuring Tyga from the Young Money camp. We all know it, it has become something of an anthem…the ultimate break up tune. Still getting heavy rotation on the radio both stateside and in Europe.

But the rest of F.A.M.E. is not all as ice cold as Deuces. Chris shows a more sensitive side on tracks such as the slow jams No Bullshit and Up 2 You. Up 2 You gives us a glimpse of the romantic side of Chris Brown as he is the perfect gentleman whilst he croons, “It’s so unusual for me to be waiting/ But I don’t wanna blow it girl” — just what every girl wants to hear.

Wet The Bed, featuring Ludacris, is a sexual, sensual piece. Brown owns this track and does not get overpowered by Luda. Delicate water drops, drip their way through this delectable ditty. I will be adding this one to my slow jam playlist at home.

Look At Me Now was confusing to me. Chris doesn’t sing on this — he raps. I’m all for trying something new but after listening to this several times I still have come to the conclusion that Chris should definitely stick to singing. He does himself no favors. The beat is pretty hot though. A punchy, mid-tempo beat with a heavy bassline and something skipping over it sounding a lot like a cool, futuristic, mechanical bird. Busta Rhymes comes in after Chris and to put it bluntly — shuts Chris down. Busta’s flow hits hard and fast like a machine gun and by the time Lil Wayne came in I was like, “Lil who?” Not the worst track I’ve ever heard, but probably the weakest on this album.

She Ain’t You, one of the other more warm, mellow tracks. SWV’s Right Here has been sampled with just a few added tweaks. It was definitely complimentary to the sugar sweet vocals of Chris Brown and put me in a reminiscent mood as I was gently taken back to the 90’s. Loved it! Everything about She Ain’t You worked.

Tracks such as Say It With Me, Yeah 3x, Oh My Love and Beautiful People are all more fast-tempo, dance tracks. I’m not too much a fan of dance music but I loved the feel good vibe and positive messages in Beautiful People.

All Back and Should’ve Kissed You are more reflective than the rest. All Back was more of a ballad. The cliche ‘Don’t know what you’ve got ‘til its gone’ track. It was fairly average, but one couldn’t help wondering who he was missing. Could it be Rihanna?

I should probably say something about the recently leaked Next 2 You, featuring Justin Bieber. I didn’t like it, it was cheesy, unoriginal and sounded as if they were singing to each other rather than singing with each other. Big thumbs down.

After listening to this album a few times, I realized that there is a little something for everybody. From slow jams to tight rap verses all the way to dance music. F.A.M.E. was an easy listen. Nothing out of the ordinary or super original but not dull either.

F.A.M.E. is a good attempt by Chris Brown to re-establish himself as the Prince Of R&B, which unfortunately, I don’t think this has achieved. Overall, not a bad album!

Standout Tracks: “She Ain’t You”, “Wet The Bed”, “Beautiful People”

Tracklisting:

1. Deuces ft. Tyga & Kevin McCall
2. Up 2 You
3. No Bullshit
4. Look At Me Now ft. Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes
5. She Ain’t You
6. Say It With Me
7. Yeah 3x
8. Next 2 You ft. Justin Bieber
9. All Back
10. Wet The Bed ft. Ludacris
11. Oh My Love
12. Should’ve Kissed You
13. Beautiful People ft. Benny Benassi

★★★★★
Lupe Fiasco is polished. You wouldn’t know it or care perhaps. That’s Lupe. His music so sweet and enticing, yet he’s the forgotten one. We don’t think about him. And in today’s Hip-Hop world, if your last album came out in 2007, it makes perfect sense that you’ve been replaced by something less appealing, but current.

Lasers. An album completed almost entirely in 2008-9ish. Atlantic let it sit. And sit. A few teases, then it sat again. Then fans protested. Then it begrudgingly came out. With so much reluctance, hesitation, and variants thereof, we might assume that all this trouble means this album isn’t worth it. But what we are given is so tightly defined as “enjoyable”. A sinister yet rewarding blend of alternative, techno, pop, and rap that it has a shocking conclusion; we’ve been listening to a lot of garbage in 2011, and this may be the real first taste of something. Unfortunately, it often sounds more from the recording booth, then from the heart. In previous albums, Lupe is commonplace with his personal life. He alludes to the dark moments, high times, and an endearing lifestyle as a rebellious youngster. By the time, he puts the foundation down in I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now, it’s apparent that he’s just dictated the theme.

There’s a flagrant display of detachment in Lasers. Nothing seems to get too personal, everything seems light, and the skateboarding MC who dazzled in Food and Liquor is slightly scatterbrained here. He’s never used gimmicks or nuances to explain his maturation. He’s not blatantly trying to pull away from The Cool or Food and Liquor. He just seems absent and loose. At least, it’s not forced. He’s freshly on count. LF won’t waste your time. His syllables bounce into otherworldly bridges. When he feels it, he’s untouchable. There’s an urgency in Lasers that’s positive. Not that he’s rushing or phoning it in, rather, he’s being direct and practical. This is…by a longshot, his shortest album to date. No cluttering of numerous tracks, no moments where the tracks dip in enthusiasm and become boring. It ends just as quickly as it starts. LF’s tempo is smooth. It’s upbeat, relaxed, and confident. And by the time he throws the chorus to someone who can sing, it honestly sounds flawless. That’s why we like it. That recording trick makes all the songs sound complete, like Lupe was carrying this album from beginning to end. But since he began this quest so long ago, he’s certainly a different artist and person now. That makes us wonder how much Lasers means to him today.

But it’s really not his. It’s the album for music execs. It’s fluffy content pieced together with soulful hooks by John Legend, Trey Songz, and MDMA. Sure, it sounds great, but we wonder how he really feels. After all the struggle with this, is LF really happy with the final product? Is this what he wanted?

Once his next two albums come out, we’ll know the answer. But don’t discredit him. I don’t question his character nor his heart. If there wasn’t all this BTS drama, it truly sounds like he’s having a lot of fun. It’s fun (purely for amusement) to listen to. But when Atlantic has been so callous with its holding over this “product,” it’s hard to know if Lupe ever really owned this album. If he did, the studio cut those parts out. There’s just too many moments where the context is so soft, the lines so typical and trite. Sure, LF’s flow is fantastic, so it sounds good anyway. But where is all his depth? His poise? His intensity? It’s hidden behind fruity loops, rock/rap infusions, and auto-tuned choruses. It’s chain restaurant hip hop. If LF wasn’t so talented, it would sound much more ordinary. His talent saves it, and makes it intruging. But at times, it sounds like a posthumous release; so pieced and clipped. And sure, Fiasco finished his performance, but it’s still lacking. Considering LF has a damaged relationship with Atlantic now, then it is technically a posthumous album.

There’s so much potential here. At the hands of a higher power, Lasers sounds congruent. If this is what Lupe Fiasco wanted, then it would be a gem. But since he’s admitted his love and hate for this process, you wonder if it’s the final cut he wanted. As he works on two more albums as of now, is he trying to move forward from this? That’s sad. There just isn’t enough substance here. It’s a fly-by album. It won’t win awards or turn heads. It won’t change Hip-Hop. But it will be great for the short term and very welcomed into our ears. It’s just a shame he had to go through the pain. He doesn’t have anything to be embarrassed about.

Standout Tracks: “I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now”, “Out Of My Head”, “Coming Up”

Tracklisting:

1. Letting Go ft. Sarah Green
2. Words I Never Said ft. Skylar Grey
3. Till I Get There
4. I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now ft. MDMA
5. Out of My Head ft. Trey Songz
6. The Show Goes On
7. Beautiful Lasers (Two Ways) ft. MDMA
8. Coming Up ft. MDMA
9. State Run Radio ft. Matt Mahaffey
10. Break the Chain ft. Eric Turner & Sway
11. All Black Everything
12. Never Forget You ft. John Legend

The mouthful of sparkle told you exactly how Lil Wayne was feeling. Flashing his bling-crusted grin from ear to ear, the rapper (and, let’s face it, rock star) was fired up and in charge at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Wednesday night.

“This is my first time on a stage in over a year,’’ he told the shrieking sold-out crowd on the first stop of his new tour. “I swear to God, I was in a place a few months ago I couldn’t even imagine this [expletive]. But now that I’m here, it’s better than I ever could have imagined.’’

Wayne was referring to his newfound freedom after serving eight months of jail time on a weapons charge. He was an inmate at Rikers Island as recently as early November, but on Wednesday he was back to selling out arenas with a performance that was assured, steady, and oftentimes blistering.

It was hard to tell who was happier that Wayne was back: the performer or his fans. They roared as Wayne, backed by a tight band, sprayed his rhymes like machine-gun fire on “A Milli,’’ “Bill Gates,’’ and “6 Foot 7 Foot.’’

After an intense half-hour, Wayne ceded the stage to Nicki Minaj, whose set was as much about the music as her cartoonish theatrics. With a blond fright wig towering on her head and five female back-up dancers swirling around her, the rapper-singer revved up with “Roman’s Revenge.’’

While eminently amusing, Minaj came rather close to sinking her own performance with an extended set of sugary ballads (“Right Thru Me,’’ “Fly,’’ and “Save Me’’). When Wayne reappeared for a second set, Minaj rebounded nicely on “Roger That,’’ a rap-off with Wayne that proved their chemistry was sincere, their respect mutual.

Earlier in the night, Miami rapper Rick Ross was larger than life: big presence, big beard, and big beats. Meanwhile, Travis Barker held court for 30 stealth minutes drumming in synch with a DJ and posed the age-old question: “Can a drummer get some?’’

Three years away from the rap game is a potentially career killing lifetime for most rappers. For Prodigy, one half of the legendary New York mainstays Mobb Deep, the time off from rap has not been entirely fruitless as he’s been officialy released from Mid-State Correctional Facility after serving a three-year prison stint.

In October 2006, Albert “Prodigy” Johnson was driving his SUV in New York City with longtime producer and friend Alan “The Alchemist” Maman and after making an illegal U-turn, his vehicle was searched by police. After finding a small pistol in a compartment, the pair were arrested and subsequently released on bond with pending charges.

Prodigy, already convicted of previous gun charges, feigned ignorance about the gun but later struck a deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty and dropping his mandatory charge of 15 years to just three for the gun possession. He was sentenced to three and a half years on October 8, 2007.

While out on bond, Prodigy feverishly recorded a bulk of music and shot several videos in order to keep his music out on the street and his name relevant in the increasingly fast moving rap industry. The last album released from the rapper was 2008’s Product Of The 80s.

Prodigy will be released tomorrow (March 7) from the Mid-State Correctional facility in New Jersey, no doubt to much fanfare from his longtime Mobb Deep partner Havoc and to the many fans of the gruff voiced rapper responsible for the street classic “Keep It Thoro,” along many other notable tracks in his nearly 20-year career. The rapper is also releasing an autobiography detailing his rise to rap royalty and also his time behind bars via publishing giant Simon & Schuster.

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Boston, Celtics’ Center Shaquille O’Neal claims that had he been with Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace on the night he was shot four times in the chest, the rapper might be with us today.

Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls, was gunned down on March 9th, 1997 in Los Angeles, California, just after a party held at the Peterson Auto Museum for the Soul Train Music Awards in 1997.

Shaq, who celebrated his 39th birthday on Sunday (March 6th), said that the day is bitter-sweet, due to his friendship and fond memories of the late rapper.

During an interview with “Outside the Lines” on ESPN, Shaq revealed that he met Sean “Diddy” Combs and Biggie around 1993, after B.I.G. agreed to record on the basketball star’s record “You Can’t Stop The Rain.”

The pair developed a close kinship that lasted up until the night of B.I.G.’s death.

Shaq said he saw B.I.G. at a tattoo parlor on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, just two days before he was gunned down. B.I.G. invited Shaq to the infamous after party, where the rapper would lose his life.

According to Shaq, he was supposed to meet B.I.G. at the after-party, but he fell asleep in his condo while waiting for his head of security, Uncle “Jerome” Crawford, who could not get past the front desk.

“I was in my condo. I had on a cold white suit, white hat and all that,” Shaq told Outside the Lines. “I was on my way. I was dressed. Usually Uncle Jerome will just come up, but I guess he tried to call and the front desk wouldn’t let him through. I just fell asleep. I woke up about 4 o’clock from a call from my mother.”

The news Shaq’s mom Mrs. Lucille O’Neal delivered was shocking. Her son’s friend had been gunned down just hours earlier, by unknown assailants.

“She said ‘Did you go to the party?’ I’m like, ‘No, what’re you talking about?’ She said, ‘You know, your friend was shot and killed.’ And I was like, ‘What?’ So then I hung up with her and called some people and they told me what had happened,” Shaq told Outside the Lines.

Shaq addressed the murder in his 2001 autobiography Shaq Talks Back, when he wrote: “If I would have been standing by his truck, would the killer still have shot? I’ve always asked myself that question.”

Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s Lil Cease also believes if Shaq had came to the party that evening, B.I.G. might still be alive.

“One dude in the car by his self,” Lil Cease revealed. “He just didn’t say nothing. He rolled up on the car, pulled his hand out the window and started firing the gun into the car, into biggie’s door. Big was just slumped over with this shocked look on his face, like he couldn’t believe what just happened.”

“I think that may would have changed things,” Lil Cease told ESPN’s Outside the Lines. “If Shaq would have said ‘you know what, I’ma come with y’all.’ I’m sure him and B.I.G. would have rolled together, because that’s the type of person B.I.G. was…I’m sure Shaq would have had security and I’m sure B.I.G. would have had enough security to come with him that day to make sure Shaq was alright. So I definitely think if Shaq would have been there, it definitely would have changed, definitely would have changed.”

While B.I.G.’s murder has never been solved, new hope has arisen in the pursuit for justice.

Hundreds of new documents were recently unsealed by the L.A.P.D. linking two former officers to the 1997 murder.

According to the new evidence, former L.A.P.D. officers-turned-criminals Rafael Perez and David Mack were involved with the murder of B.I.G., along with a man named Amir Muhammad, at the orders of Marion “Suge” Knight.

None of the men implicated in the rapper’s murder have ever been charged.

“I am fortunate enough to say that I knew him. Fortunate enough to say that he blessed me with 32-bars on my album and I’m blessed enough to say he knew me and I knew him. So I don’t really think about the bad times, I just good times, and he is the greatest rapper.”

On Wednesday (March 9th), B.I.G. will be honored by Junior M.A.F.I.A. and other close friends during a celebration of his life.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Christopher Wallace Foundation, to directly benefit the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation, and their unwavering efforts to make a difference in the lives of the youth.

C.W.M.F. representative Jan Jackson will be on site during the event, and will be scheduling interviews upon request.

Also in honor of Biggie’s memory, the tribute celebration will feature artists who were inspired by Biggie’s music, and who will pay homage to him through live performances.

Raekwon has been added to the lineup, which also includes Easy Mo Bee, DJ Premiere, Esquire, 50 Grand, Pharoahe Monch and Lady Luck.

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