Kid Cudi - A Kid Named Cudi [click to listen]

A Kid Named Cudi, the new mixtape from the much-buzzed singer/rapper Kid Cudi, will leave you feeling just as empty as you do fulfilled. Lyrically, Cudi is no one to write home about, as the subject matter technically teeters between abstract nothings and generic pandering. But his singing voice is endearing, his rap flow feels as free as a 16-year-old taking his uncle’s Ferrari for a joyride, and his organic, multi-layered production is smooth enough to provide easy listening, but different enough to keep things interesting. And with that many things on his side, his verses sound as genuine and concrete as those than potentially more substantive counterparts. Production-wise, lyrically and even vocally, he dabbles in so many genres that it’s difficult to categorize him: but that’s just the way he likes it. He seems to take pride in incorporating different musical elements—the swagger of rap, the abstract breeziness of alt-rock, the surreal aura of electronica—into his own brand new melody, and it somehow works damn near every time. Check the organized rave feel of “Embrace the Martian,” and “Cudi Get,” which sees him rhyming over J Dilla’s “Wild” instrumental. You may finish the closing track “Heaven At Nite” and realize you don’t remember messages from any of the songs, but it’s a hell of the ride on the way there.

Vic Damone - Talk of Southside (DJ On Point) [click to listen]

In the tradition of Das EFX, K-Solo [click to read], Redman and Keith Murray [click to read] comes Erick Sermon's [click to read] next artist: Vic Damone. And here, DJ On Point is right: Vic Damone knows what he’s doing. Vocally, his rough, tumbling flow is eerily similar to Saigon, but his bars are keep him individualistic. He holds his own—notably, both lyrically and vocally—alongside the likes of distinctive emcees such as Cassidy, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross, and he holds his solo songs together well also. The title track and “Backshop Boyz” see him spitting the trademark east coast braggadocio, while “4 The Ladies” and “Porno Flick” actually made capable songs targeting the fairer sex. Vic Damone doesn’t necessarily sound like game-changer yet, but he’s got the talent and the voice to get there.

'90s Flava Volume 1 (Just Blaze) [click to listen]

Although he's quickly associated most often with Jay-Z [click to read] and Saigon [click to read], lest we forget that Just Blaze started his production credits working with '90s luminaries such as Killah Priest [click to read] and Buckshot [click to read]. That being said, the New Jersey native has deep crates - as his blog will show you. '90s Flava Volume 1 winds through obvious and familiar favorites, but what makes the journey all the greater is the attention to detail, and the detours to luminaries such as Grand Daddy I.U.'s "Something New" or L The Head Toucha's "Too Complex." Rather than sound like a greatest hits compilation, Blaze channels back to the unpredictability of a true party-rocker in the '90s, something that somehow, somewhere died in transition. R&B treats from Tevin Campbell and New Edition make the cipher complete, as we can estimate that based on what's in Justin's ear now, great things are coming in the lab.

Additional Reporting by Jake Paine.