So what did you like and what didn’t you like, and is this something that you’re going to play for the rest of the summer or just until something better comes along?

I’ll admit to you that Im not the biggest fan of most female rappers but Kenika she shows alot more than most women do on the mic, lyrically and with some depth. She’s not just a booty dropping bopper from the H who has some sex rhymes, she’s a real chick, a hood chick and she’s got rhymes about things from her point of view, street life, family, love and the trials and tribulations of living.

Im going to tell you this is a mixtape I’ve listened to several times and I know she’s grinding hard to do her thing and get that shine so Im going to do my best to help her because she’s deserving. So let me break it down and let me give you all the link to cop it for yourself, and drop her a message, tell her you read about it on here or my GrippinGrain site and show a real true representer of the H some love. There’s hardly a track that I didnt like on here but once you get a copy check out these, and even the intro is hot.

Track 2 ‘Come Harder’ real nice to start off her introduction to the people.
Track 7 ‘Kiss My Ass’ now thats the kind of track I can feel.
Track 8 ‘Who Got Tha’ club type track, see a hater point’em out!
Track 10 ‘Way Back’ the ladies will love this one, but the guys can hear the flow and laugh at what she’s got to say cause its real.
Thats just a few, you’ll also want to check out track 13,14 and 18, but Im sure there will be more that you can feel.

Stay tuned because I’m going to get an audio interview with Kenika up on my site and give you the 411 on that real soon. I’ve talked with Kenika and she’s 100% real and down to earth, so get in and support real artists! So click her myspace and buy the mixtape and listen to some of the tracks! Track 2,7,8 and 10 are in the sidebar for you to check out on GrippinGrain!

Normally when I get something to review I give it a few plays but if its not worth the money then I dont even have it in the ride for more than 2 or 3 days before it becomes a drink coaster on the computer desk. The Trill Fam album featuring Boosie, Webbie and Foxx among a few others is definitely not a drink coaster and if you’re in the south it’s going to bang in your slab at least until that new UGK drops.

It starts off with a track that doesn’t sound like typical Trill Fam stuff. Track 1 ‘Say Round’ is a little bit of a deeper type of track with a nice beat and a little more of that business flow, not a club banger. But it’s not long until they get into typical material with Track 2 ‘Do It Stick It’ and I think you know what that’s all about without me having to explain.

Track 3 ‘ Wipe Me Down’ is most likely the track you’ve already heard, and its safe to say its going to be playing for a minute in the clubs this summer so you’ll hear it again. Personally I like track 6 ‘Same Old Shit’ so be sure to listen to the sample a few times. But overall there are several tracks worth listening to multiple times. I can’t say that you’ll listen from start to finish on repeat without having to skip, but thats just the reality of the music business these days.

I’d give the Trill Fam release about 3.5 out of 5 to be real serious with you, damn near nothing is a 5 these days and 4.5 is about the top of the charts. So a 3.5 is real solid and worth your money, anything less than a 3 isn’t worth spending a dime on. So click on the pic and you can check out samples of each song from the entire album and then hit your local to cop it.

People were always telling me to check his shit out but I just wasnt hearing it. Well with this latest release ‘Waitin to Inhale’ released today March 20th Im finally becoming a fan. It’s not too often that Im willing to buy a CD in the store anymore. Im big on mixtapes for the freshest and hottest lyrics and whats hitting the streets most of the time but today I bought this CD based on the hype thats surrounding it.

I have to right off after putting it in the player 3 songs caught my attention real quick and stood out. Track 2, 3 and 5 were all getting the repeat so I could hear them more than once.

Lets start with track 2 called She Want That Money. This is definitely a track that had to be influenced by someone like Too Short as you hear vocals repeat over and over saying “she tried to sell me some, but you aint gonna sell no pussy to me” Now thats the type of track that Im feeling its a track to speak on the women trying to sell some pussy or think they can run game.

We jump into track 3, Almighty Dollar. Now this track shows some real creativy and a good relaxing flow talking about money and how the Almight Dollar aint worth what it used to be. Just speaking about the world and what money is worth and how its changed so much since just a short time ago.

Track number 5 is going to be a hit regardless because it’s got the guest appearances by Snoop and Andre 3000. It’s called What a Job and is all about what a job it is being a rapper or in the music business. Spending your nights putting lyrics to beats and beats to lyrics. It’s all classic Devin the Dude and I have to say Im finally starting to hear what he’s doing. The rest of the album is solid but these 3 stood out and I’d have to say after listening from front to back 3 or 4 times the album is worth the money which is becoming a rarity these days.

So heres the tracklist and you can get out and cop that shit at your local today!

1. Boom 1
2. She Want That Money – Devin the Dude, Odd Squad
3. Almight Dollar
4. Hope I Don’t Get Sick-A-This
5. What a Job – Devin the Dude,
6. Broccoli & Cheese
7. Boom II
8. She Useta Be
9. Lil’ Girl Gone – Bun B, Devin the Dude, Lil Wayne,
10. No Longer Needed Here
11. Just Because
12. Don’t Wanna Be Alone
13. Somebody Else’s Wife
14. Boom III
15. Cutcha’ Up
16. Nothin’ to Roll With
17. Til It’s All Gone

But anyway let’s get on with the review and a link where you can download it yourself. Cham wanted this one to be out there and to be free and you know he’s big on the internet and his own website so you can download it right from him, as that was the source for the release of the mixtape and I’d hope to see other artists doing the same.

I’ll be honest not many tracks really stood out as being very good to me on this and maybe it’s just me because others are feeling alot of it, or so I’ve heard. The intro might be the hottest track of the entire mixtape, it’s a classic style hard hitting easy to ride to Play N Skills produced piece and gives you sound much like his album did. Cham hits it hard right from the start and doesnt let up for a few tracks as things then start to slow down.

The second track is Cham’s commentary and own version or take of the latest Nas release Hip Hop is Dead and it’s a pretty good track as well with a lot to say about the corporate and commercial takeover of the music biz and whats really killing hip hop.

Ridin Overseas with Akon might be a pretty popular track if you like that Akon flow and alot of people do. It’s Cham talking about ridin as he’s done before but this time overseas in Europe as he shares the southern rap game with them.

I don’t know I was just expecting more and it’s possible that I had higher expectations that I should have but tracks like Show Me What Ya Got and I Run It or Let’em Know just dont seem to work for me. But with a free download, who’s to complain. Cham is again trending with the internet and working the biz to his advantage and I can never hate on that. So here’s a tracklist and a link to his site so you can peep the download if you haven’t already! Visit Chamillionaire.com! In the meantime I’ll see if Cham ever gets around to answering one of my requests for an interview so he can speak on things for himself!

Guess Who’s Back Intro
Hip Hop Warning
Hip Hop Dead Skit
She Gonna Already Know
Let Em Know
Tryin To Change Me
Picture Me Rollin
Chamillionaire Speaks
Gme Gonna Cost A Free
Game Gonna Cost A Free Break
Riding Overseas Feat. Akon
Show me What Ya Got Feat. Famous
Answer Machine 2
Chamillitary Radio Skit
International Money
I Run It
Get Ya Umbrellas Out
Get Ya Umbrella Break
Man Hold Up
Roll Call Reloaded
Outro

The south is blowing up and on fire right now and there are tons of artists starting to drop music on the country and Tuck is one of the lesser known. He’s still not getting that major play nationwide but he’s definitely more deserving than a few of the better known artists that are getting it. The Absolute Truth is easy to listen to from start to finish and you don’t have to keep skipping and hitting buttons trying to find something worth bumping while you’re riding.

He starts it off with Monsta and doesnt let up until the very last track. A few of the tracks that stand out to me and I think you might agree with me are worth listening to multiple times. Take track number 4 – We The Truth. Another favorite of mine that you might want to replay a couple times would be track 13 – Im a Ridah. It’s hidden gems like these between the tracks with guest appearances like Bun B, Slim Thugg, or Paul Wall that show the real value and talent of Tuck and the DSR crew. This album is worth the small amount it costs to cop it and you can support real hip hop by doing so.

Here’s the track list and info, get out and get your hands on it today.

1. Monsta
2. Welcome To Dallas
3. In Da Hood – (featuring Fat B./Tum-Tum)
4. We The Truth
5. I Know U Want That – (featuring Chamillionaire/Tum Tum)
6. That What’s Up – (featuring Dre)
7. Bottom Bitch – (featuring Sleepy Lee)
8. Texas Takeova – (featuring Bun B.)
9. Tussle – (featuring Tum Tum/Slim Thug)
10. U Can’t See Me – (featuring Double T./Lil Ronnie)
11. Ain’t No Mistaken – (Danger Part II, featuring Erykah Badu)
12. Stop At The Light
13. I’m A Ridah
14. Dippin In Da Lac – (featuring Paul Wall)
15. Meet Me On The Floor – (featuring Addiction/Tite)
16. Rush

Right off the top I could tell that it had that same UGK flavor that I know and have always been a fan of. So if you like UGK, you’re going to eat this shit up and ask for more. Now I listened straight through from begining to end without skipping a single track and that’s alot of tracks, 30 to be exact and there are plenty of them that are strong. Many of the beats are recognizeable and that’s because it’s a mixtape but the lyrical skills are there and they’re good, enough to carry this mixtape through the whole way.

Some of what I liked most that you can check out in the sidebar here on GrippinGrain.com were tracks like Block Starz track 2 that starts off with Pimp C telling you that it’s about to go down and it definitely does. This song is all about being a Block Star and doing it big where you at and how Hez did it himself. I know you can feel that shit since many of you are trying to do the same thing.

Jumping ahead though the track I know you’ll all be playing more than once is number 8 Cadillac featuring Pimp C and Hezeleo talking about what, Cadillacs of course. That’s like they say in Port Arthur Texas Cadillacs over Lexus.

Choosing more favorites is hard because honestly I like the sound from begining to end but I like the creeping sound of track track 16 Politricks with Hezeleo and Wink Dawg. I think this could be another one of those that creeps up on you after a couple plays. So hit the sidebar and play it a few more times and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

You know Rick Ross is blowing up in the south and the Hustlin track is damn near an anthem already in the streets so hit track 28 to hear Hezeleo doing his own version of Hustlin over the beat you already know. I’d say I almost like this version more, the music and beats to this song were like fire so anyone that can throw hot lyrics over it like Hez did is guaranteed a banger.

All in all it’s the first time I’ve heard anything from Hezeleo but I got a feeling it’s not going to be the last. As Pimp C says this is Block Starz Volume 1 so that means more to come in the real near future. Cop this mixtape from your boy directly on his myspace and hit him with a friend invite. Play it in your ride and on the block and represent for the south. Myspace link and track list are below so get clicking and listening and cop this shit and become a block star yourself in your own hood!

Hezeleo MySpace

# Intro
# Block Starz
# Draped
# For my Thugs
# Who Da Man
# Party Hard
# Hustle an Ball
# Cadillac feat.Pimp-C
# Diamondz
# Swang
# Country Slang
# Bottom to tha top
# Whatcha Gon Do
# Next level
# Fired up
# Politricks
# Layem down
# Dry Snitch
# Hott shi
# Street
# Whatchu lookin at
# Jackin
# Major Deal
# Hopless
# All I no
# Ridin Impala
# Life I live
# Hustlin
# Time To Shine
# shout outs

Now I’ll admit I hadn’t heard much of his stuff before so I didnt know what to expect, hell I didnt even know what he sounded like. I got the mixtape earlier this week and have been playing it steady for several days now and I’ve decided that I like it. Now it’s a mixtape so you can expect mixtape type of songs, sometimes that means lyrics over someone elses beats or songs. But there’s some shit defintely worth checking out and you can really just about listen to it from start to finish without having to skip around.

One track that will stand out is Boss the Block. This song has that kind of smooth R&B feel to it with plenty of hot lyrics dropped on it. Definitely will be a favorite of many of the people that cop the mixtape. The track Where I’m From might be the hottest on the CD and it’s in part thanks to the hot well known R&B track that makes up the chorus and the background music for most of the time track. But there are plenty of hot lyrics put down on this one by the boy Big Ben talking about like the title says, Where I’m From. A good track that will definitely get you nodding your head and sipping on something.

I was definitely feeling the track 4 It’s Over Wit. This is the anthem of the mixtape, something that you can definitely feel if you’re out there on the come up. Grinding and gripping the grain, you know you can appreciate what this song is saying. Really I could point out several tracks that I liked on this mixtape. I think Big Ben has come with something strong to step his game up and for the DFW metro area, yeah we’re in the dirty south too! I’d also say you should have a listen to Studio Gangstas featuring some lyrics by the boy Dallas Gold and see if it reminds you of any of the rappers in this biz, I know it does for me.

I recommend that you cop this mixtape yourself and get a feel for what north Texas is bringing to the game. Big Ben and the boys at 3Big did it big with this one and you can cop it on their website at www.3bigentertainment.com so you can get that shit in your ride for the long days of the Texas summer. You can also peep a few of the tracks I mentioned in this review over in the right sidebar of this site.

I’ll be hitting Big Ben up with the link to this review so feel free to post some comments, I know he’ll be reading them and maybe even respond!