Week of Oct 15-21

Dice Raw Reclaiming the Dead
MCA
Hailing out of Philly's roots crew comes Dice Raw to reclaim the dead. On his debut disc he comes equip with hella battle rhymes. Cuts like "The End of Your World", "Lava", "5 Stages of Death", and "Thin Line" displays Dice Raw riding tracks that really enhance his lyrical style. Production was held down by Philly's crew, The Heat. After track number four, this CD starts to slide downward. The production begins to get very bland. Lyrically, he still hold it down, but he out shines the tracks. R&B newcomer, Jill Scott, makes an appearance on "If I Only Had Words" which has the club feel to it. Before Dice reclaims the dead he needs to concentrate on the living.

The Dwellas The Last Shall Be First
Loud
After a four year vacation, The Dwellas (aka Cella Dwellas) return with a ruff, rugged and raw CD. U.G. and A.D. really went in the lab with their lyrics and returned hungry serving notice on all jiggy emcees. "Leakage" and "Dwellas", the first two cuts on the disc are tight and really set the pace for the Dwellas' return. Nick Wiz did most of the production which really kept the group in a realm to drop pure east coast lyrics. The collaboration between the Dwellas and Organized Konfusion on "Ill Collab" is tight as hell! Guest appearances by Large Proffessor on "The Last Shall Be First", Inspectah Deck on "Verbal Slaughter" and the Cocoa Brovas on "Frontline" make the Dwellas return a first place finish.

MGD Everlasting Yay
Phatboy Records
Atlanta lyricist, MGD , hits the scene hard with his debut, "Everlasting Yay." The title track features Pastor Troy and Li'l Pete which is a re-make of Rodney O, Joe Cooley's everlasting bass. "Uh Oh" is a club banger that's sure to be around for a while. MGD employs several producers to supply beats to match his liquid lyrics. This CD is full of classic southern hip-hop. Check out "It's Going Down", "Kill Dat", "Me and My Folk", and "Me and My Nigga". With the first release being so tight, MGD should definitely have a everlasting career.

Pistol Speedballin
Platinum Plus
Memphis underground legend, Pistol , returns to the scene with his fifth independent release after a year's hiatus. This time around, Pistol takes complete creative control by producing and co-producing the entire project. This move alone makes this his best CD ever. He carefully blends his stories of drugs and street life over smooth but aggressive beats. "Beatin Around the Bush" is a all out onslaught against fellow Memphis MC, Kingpin Skinny Pimp. Hot joints to check for are, "Ballin Spree", "Kick My Door In", "Choppers in the Air", and "Westside Sowed Up." With tight lyrics and on point production, Pistol is definitely speedballin' towards a major deal.

Prime Minister Inside Out
Grapetree
Gospel rapper, Prime Minister , hits us with his third Grapetree Records release, Inside Out. This entire CD is produced by Kash and gospel hip-hop producer, Blaq Gold. They carefully selected tracks that are very mellow and mid-tempo to fit Prime's baritone voice and smooth delivery. "Daddy's Li'l Boo" is his personal testimony to his son, Dre. Prime's lyrics are straight positive and uplifting. He raps about his personal relationship with the Lord and being delivered from a life of sin. "Heavenly Father", "Running", "On a Rise", "What I Feel" and "In Yo Eyes" are the phattest tracks! Everyone needs to 'sanctified slide' to your local record store and get Inside Out.

Soundmaster T & Jah-Rista Redemption
One Nation Entertainment
Soundmaster T of "2 Much Booty in the Pants" fame returns to the scene armed with one of Alabama's finest emcees, Jah-Rista and the Swamp Family . Soundmaster is definitely out to show his production skills, his true selling point. This CD truly brings together Alabama and Chicago. Check out " Bamma to the Chi." If anyone knows club anthems, it's the Soundmaster and he has plenty on the Redemption such as "Juke Something", "Hell Naw", "Sho Some Luv", and "Shut 'Em Down." Do or Die are enlisted on "Where They At" and "Behind Da Gates." Jah-Rista's lyrics reminds me of Fiend but a tad bit more rugged and aggressive.

Unorthodox
Da Smoov Entertainment
Unorthodox is the newest Atlanta emcee to add his name to the southern hip-hop uprising. "Throw It Up" is one of the tightest club tracks I've heard all year. It has a horn sample which I'm sure producers will be biting. All Dox's production is done by GQ, a talented new cat also out of Atlanta. GQ also grabs the mic on "Play Time" as he and Dox flip rhymes back and forth a la Run DMC. " Break 'Em Down", "Come Go With Me", and "Them Get Murder" are lyrical warnings to any emcee or crew who wanna test Dox.

Willie D Loved by Few, Hated by Many
Rap-A-Lot
The original gangsta of love, ghetto boy, Willie D is back with his first solo release in four years. Willie D picks up where he last left off lyrically. Willie drops his racial and political views on "If I Was White", schools us on ladies on "She Like 2 Ball" and "Freaky Deaky." He enlightens us about fake friends on "Pussendclick". Willie is at his best when lacing tracks by precise such as "Gun Talk" with the Outlawz and Spice 1. "Wet M", "Li'l Killaz", and "Dem Boys." Although this isn't his best solo release, it's still a strong enough effort to keep Willie in the Houston, Texas spotlight.

Z-RO vs. the World
Straight Profit
Z-Ro is arguably the most lyrical member in the Screwed Up Click. On his third release, Vs the World, he delivers tight verses, unforgettable hooks, and quality tracks. Z-o is at his best on tracks like " To Love a Thug", "Third Coast", "Dirty Third" and "Steady Ballin'" In terms of delivery and style, Z-Ro draws a heavy comparison to the late great 2Pac. He also rhymes on topics that are compatible such as "Heaven Help a Thug" and "Strugglin' in the Game." This release is a definite push in the right direction as Z-Ro takes on the world.

Oct 8-14...

...Oct 22-28