By William E. Ketchum III & Legend

Busta Rhymes - I’ve Already Outshined Your Favorite Rapper (DJ Superstar Jay) [click to listen]

This writer has consistently maintained that Busta Rhymes is one of the most criminally underrated emcees in the industry. Even though he doesn’t make many Top 10 lists, the Brooklyn native has managed to put together a notably solid seven album solo catalog, an incredibly potent collection of cameos, and a time span of relevance that other veterans dream of. The title of his latest mixtape, I’ve Outshined Your Favorite Rapper, is fitting, and over the course of about an hour, he proves it. Through original newbies and freestyles over beats already out there, Bus-A-Bus showcases his undeniable flow and personality with a mixture of braggadocio, game and wordplay.

Decon Records - Platinum Dreams

To accentuate their upcoming Fresh Rhymes and Videotape tour [click to read], Decon Records has compiled a mixtape with the featured artists, along with others the label has projects with. The highlights here are the previously unreleased joints from producer 88-Keys’ upcoming album, the Kanye West-executive produced The Death of Adam—“The Burning Bush” features Redman spitting about STD woes over a funkdafied sample and hook, and Keys’ “Bout To Bus” instrumental is nothing short of incredible. Everyone here plays their part, though: Aceyalone gives several solid offerings from his latest LP, and Alchemist and Evidence both drop crazy instrumentals. Wisely, each of the tracks on the mixtape are on albums Decon is pushing, so it’s clear who the winner is.

Sandman - Philadelphia Ego (Don Cannon) [click here to listen]

The Re-Up Gang [click to read] has already made its dent in the mixtape industry, as the Clipse-headed Philly collective’s We Got It 4 Cheap series has been established as a consistent triple double of grittiness, lyrical tenacity and replay value. Sandman seems to be tampering with a proven formula, though, as his latest tape doesn’t even have as much of a cameo from his more established brothers Thorton cohorts. But everyone needs to strike on their own at some point, and Philadelphia Ego is as good as a time as any: Sandman spits with the same ferocity that he does while rhyming as a group member, and he’s strong enough lyrically and stylistically to hold down an entire tape on his own.

Rich Boy - Bigger Than The Mayor [click to listen]

Truth be told, I wasn’t expecting a Rich Boy mixtape. I was too busy thinking he was throwing some D’s on that bitch. To my surprise, if you got your speaker game up, this bangs hard in the whip. The 1-2 combo of "Buried Alive" and "Wrist Out The Window" [click to listen] and left uppercut of "Chevy A Monster" is a way to start a tape off and the jabs just keep coming. "She Wanna" is a smooth track to ride out, windows down while the ears ring. The tape is nothing less than your usual dirty south lyrics and chopped and screwed hooks and some tracks definitely fall short, but maybe it’s the fact that we weren’t expecting this out of Rich Boy that makes this tape bang.

Stimuli – March On Washington (DJ Victorious) [click to listen]

If you’ve never heard of Stimuli, let me just say you need to dig as far as you can and put yourself up on a dope lyricist. “Oh Yea’s” screaming horns make this joint an anthem, but it throws you off as far as the mixtape goes. One thing Stimuli does on March On Washington is just spits so many quotables, I don’t have enough space to name them all. From “Heroes” to “My Life” to “Stop The Violence” to flipping the Jimi Hendrix sample on “Pledge Of Alligiance” where he explains why even though we all curse this country and the president, we have it so much better than so many other countries. “The N Word” is classic Hip Hop. “Coulda Been Me” and “Back Of The Bus” are life lessons. Immortal Technique even made a cameo on the tape. To round out the tape at a short 13 tracks is a testament of the quality of music on here. People need to realize its better to have a short, bangin' tape with no filler, than an alright mixtape with track skippers. Artists need to pay attention. Stimuli drops jewels and the grind is seen considering this is mixtape #3 out of a 12 part series. If you’re real Hip Hop head, you need to somehow get your hands on this. Continued on page 2 »