By Legend & William E. Ketchum, III

Zion I - Search and Seizure Mixtape [click to listen]

To model itself after mixtapes released decades ago, even though Zion I’s Search and Seizure Mixtape has 17 songs, it’s only separated into two songs: Side A and Side B, as it was also released on limited-run promotional cassettes. Thankfully, format wasn’t the only note Zion I took from their predecessors: the tape flows so naturally that you wouldn’t need the skip button anyway. The rapper/producer duo of Zumbi and AmpLive offer remakes of songs by the likes of Santogold, Public Enemy and more, and each track comes off naturally: highlights include their interpretation of P.E.’s “Rebel Without A Pause” and the Mickey Factz-featured “MGMT vs. MGMT.” With AmpLive’s fantastic interpolations production-wise and Zumbia’s rhymes that capture the aesthetic without losing what already makes him dope, Search and Seizure is a gratifying mixtape. Let’s hope their album, The Takeover, is just as efficient when it drops January 27.

Kanye West - Sky High (DJ Benzi/Plain Pat) [click to listen]

Kanye remix albums have to be a rarity in Hip Hop. Mainly because his acapellas are never out there like that (unlike his big brother Jay-Z). The Kickdrums start the tape off with "Good Morning" featuring newest G.O.O.D. signee Big Sean. I'm not sure where he fits in on the track, but he seemed a little out of place. The Nick Catchdubs remix of "Champion" fit perfectly. Almost to the point where you could forget what the original sounded like. "Electric Touch" is something refreshing as well. The way DJ Mighty Mi (of Eastern Conference fame) flipped that MGMT sample was nice. The Benzi "refix" on "Impatient Boy" is a good club mix of the smash Estelle record. As far as Hip Hop goes, this is anything BUT that. This is a club/house remix of anything Kanye. Most Hip Hop fans will probably be taken back by this because its not your usual soul sample we're used to hearing from Yeezy, but on some Pop ish, this might bang in the club.

B.o.B. - Who The Fuck is B.o.B.? (DJ Scream) [click to listen]

Who the fuck is B.o.B. [click to read]? He’s the future of Hip Hop. Excuse the seemingly hyperbolic statements, but after one listen to the ATLien’s new mixtape, it’s easy to see why T.I. [click to read] snatched him up as the newest artist on his Grand Hustle label. Throughout this 24-track opus, B.o.B. shows that he’s literally the total musical package. He combines clever, substantial rhymes with infectious hooks and a fluid, agile delivery that makes his material digestible. And his self-produced beats are refreshingly full, meshing booming bass with melodious synths, guitar licks, or whatever he needs to make it work. “Double Bubble” and “Service With A Smile” are addictive, carefree odes to whips and fellatio, while “Eastside Tales” sees B.o.B. lamenting about issues in his hometown. He can play the teammate, as well: “I’m Dat Nigga” sees him and T.I. battling for best verse kudos (it’s closer than you’d think), and “Fuck You” pairs B.o.B. with Lil Boosie to denounce naysayers over an incredible instrumental that shifts between a bluesy strings-and-harmonica combo and pounding keys. If B.o.B.’s album is as complete as his mixtape, everyone will know who he is this time next year.

Sheek Louch, Extinction - Last of a Dying Breed [click to listen]

This writer has always written off Sheek Louch [click to read] as the black sheep of The L.O.X.; not the worst member of a rap crew by far, but so inferior to Styles P [click to read] and Jadakiss [click to read] that he’d never be relevant enough to hold my attention for a solo effort. Extinction: Last of A Dying Breed doesn’t do much to disprove these assumptions. His blunt, simplistic rhyme schemes work best when they’re the foil to his groupmates’ multi-layered bars, as seen on the Jadakiss-assisted “Get Money”. But elsewhere, his charisma can only do so much to mask his paper-thin rhymes and equally bland production. Die-hard Sheek fans may be happy to hear new material from their beloved underdog, but I’m not impressed.

Chamillionaire - Mixtape Messiah 5 [click to listen]

It’s confusing how underrated Chamillionaire [click to read] is, despite his list of industry achievements: not only is he one of the most technically skilled young emcees from the south, but he’s also got a pair of Grammy awards under his belt for his Billboard-topping single “Ridin,” and he’s built a reputation as one of the most consistent, prolific mixtape artists out there. The latter is further solidified with his latest offering, Mixtape Messiah 5. Track after track fails to disappoint: he murders the instrumentals to T.I.’s “Swagger Like Us” and Young Buck’s “Drivin’ Down The Freeway” just as well as their original emcees did, and he and singer Chalie Boy collaborate for a fall-out hilarious remake of Jazmine Sullivan’s “Bust Your Windows.” Original songs like the rapid-fire “Keep Hating Part II” and the punchline-laden “Act Right” showcase his palette of talents as well. If you’re going to keep sleeping on Chamillionaire, go ahead—but you don’t know what you’re missing.

Hipsters Need Soul Too (DJ Graffiti) [click to listen] Continued on page 2 »