Greg Falatek- The State Gatsby Review

Hey world I am back again this week to bring you another mixtape review. This week Greg Falatek is under the microscope with his latest body of work titled "The State Gatsby." This mixtape was released only a month after Greg's last Tape which was titled "Higher Education", and from one listen you can tell Greg tried to rush this project. As soon as I hit the play button I could not help but notice that the vocal quality in the mixing and mastering was not up to par with his last project. Most of the vocals are drowned out by the beats in the background and once again this is due to poor mixing. It takes a couple listens to really hear the great lyrics Greg has to offer on this project. However the poor mixing really takes away from what would have been a great follow up to "Higher Education." Aside from the mixing problems there are some good elements to The State Gatsby. Gregs beat selection is excellent on this project and all instrumentals complement the style Greg is going for. Greg is still coming at us with the laid back flows and weed references, but it still feels fresh and new. In the end this tape is still worth checking out you just have to try to get over the poor mixing and mastering.

Here is the official link to the tape, so i encourage everyone to check it out and still give it a chance.

http://www.datpiff.com/Greg-Falatek-The-State-Gatsby-mixtape.222265.html

Ground up -Up late Review

Its no secret that i am a huge Ground Up fan. That being said i am proud to share with you my review of their latest Mixtape titled "Up Late". Up late is another great installment into Ground Up's discography. This tape is full of great classics that you can always expect from Ground up. The tape has a great mix of different types of songs. Layed back songs like "Daps" are great to listen to whether you are just hanging out in your room, or going for a nice drive on a sunny day. On the other side spectrum you have songs like " Thats what she said" that boast an awesome Sublime Sample that is perfect for hyping up a party. Another awesome aspect to point out is that Up late boast features from Philly hip hop ledgends like Freeway and Peedi Crakk. These features are a sign that people in the industry are taking notice to Ground Ups talent. In the end this tape has something to offer to any hip hop fan. With the varied types of songs, I am confident you will find a track you love on this tape.

Some songs that you all should defiantly check out are

Daps, Thats what she said, Education, Sweet Sugar, and wonderful day.

Here is the link to listen and download Up Late.

http://www.datpiff.com/Ground-Up-Up-Late-Hosted-By-Dj-Don-Cannon-mixtape.216424.html

Blog assignment 3 post - Thoughts on Album Review

For this assignment i would like to rebuttal a review of Wiz Khalifa's newest album titled "Rolling Papers". "Rolling Papers" Dropped in late march, and has been received with great praise. However, even with being a long time Wiz fan, I would have to say that i am disappointed with "Rolling Papers". I actually disagree with a lot of the reviews praising his new album. The one review i would like to rebuttal is one from Video Game Website IGN.com. Here is the official link to their Review on Wiz Khalifa's Rolling Papers. http://music.ign.com/articles/115/1158575p1.html.

As you read this review you will find that IGN finds pleasure in hearing a once respected underground rapper, turned into a sell out of a artist. IGN praises Wiz for his new pop/radio oriented sound . Then again, what else would you expect from a site that focuses on video games. This whole Pop sound, and trying to make it on billboard charts is the exact reason why i do not like "Rolling papers". It is as if Wiz wants everyone song on this album to make it on the radio. I am not trying to say that songs on that radio are bad either, but these songs try so hard to be hits that it ruins the experience.

As i said before I am a huge Wiz fan, and the main reason why i follow his music is because he stays true to him self. Wiz always made the music he wanted, and even declined a big contract from a label early in his career. He turned down the contract so he could make the music he wanted, and not let a label control his music. However Wiz is now currently signed with Atlantic Records, and you cant help but notice their influence on this album. My main problem i have with reviews from sites like IGN is that they have not listened to Wiz through out his career. If they were fans of Wiz from early in his career they certainly would have a problem with this new pop direction. I am all for an artist trying out a new sound but, this is change for the worse. I feel like sites like IGN need to do more research on an artist before they can make a verdict on a album.

MT "Light Up" OFFICIAL VIDEO

Here is a music video from one of my good Friends "MT', directed by my other good friend Dan Centrone. As you all will soon discover i make a cameo appearance in this music video. "MT" is from south Jersey, but goes to school in the Philadelphia area. It has been a real pleasure being able to introduce him into the Philly culture. MT's rugged delivery and outstanding lyricism fits perfectly into the Philly music scene. MT's lyrics are so deep and thought out that you may find your self having to re play the song to really pick up what he is saying. I would just like to let everyone know that we had a blast shooting this video. It was awesome to see all my friends put their talents together to make an awesome piece of content. Dans direction of the video really heightens the experience of MT's song with his cleaver methods of filming. Be sure to keep checking back, for these two will be doing more projects together in the future. Until then enjoy Light up By "MT"

http://www.facebook.com/mtallday

Staying current on everything Hip hop!

As everyone knows it is hard these days to pick an reliable source for information. With the introduction of the internet came a plethora of options for people to get the news they desire. This is no exception within the world of Hip Hop. Go a head and ask anyone where they get their music and news of hip hop culture from, and i bet you do not hear the same answer more than twice. In a world where being up to date matters it is important to have the right sources. This is where i intend to help out. When it comes to staying up to date with Hip hop across the US, i turn to the website Hotnewhiphop.com. Hotnewhiphop is run by the famous Dj ill will, who is a staple name in the world of hip hop. Dj ill will has worked with countless established artist in the industry and have been hosting mixtapes for years now. Artist Send Dj ill Will their new music first for him to post on his website, making it the number one site for new hip hop. However new music is just one slice of the cake in being up to date with Rap. Hip hop these days has gone through this convergence culture like many other sources of media. Rap has now been infused with music, music videos, Dairy videos, and viral videos. This new infusion of video has been a major player in many artist careers. If you take Solja Boy's "Crank Dat" video for example you will recognize how influential a video can be. His absurdly popular dance video has reached close to 100 million views making it one of youtube's most successful videos. Now a days a successful video can lead to a successful career and Solja Boy is once again a prime example of that. The top Hip hop video site everyone should check out is Worldstarhiphop.com. World star is the leading site the hip hop community uses to promote their latest music videos, interviews, and viral videos. Many videos posted on world star have led to successful careers for many artist. You could say its Hip hops youtube. Since all major established artist post their material on the world star it makes the site one of the most reliable sources for videos. Both of these sites will lead you to the material you seek. As stated, Both sites are reliable sources for content due to their involvement with leading people in the industry. Therefore if you ever find your self not being able to hold a discussion about your favorite rapper, than you need to check these sites out. You will forever be a step a head of everyone else, making your self a reliable source of information!

Gnarcade

Since we have been talking about video games the past week I thought i would post something that mixed both mediums of games and music. Here is a cool music video i stumbled upon from one of my favorite Philly Groups "Ground up". In this video, Ground up Teams up with Knife show to create an awesome viral video. Ground up provides the sound track for the video that has Video games clash with action sports. Classic video game icons such as pac man, Space invaders, and Mario make appearances. If your a fan Hip hop and Video games your defiantly going to wan to check this out!

Greg Falatek- Higher Education

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com

Here is the highly anticipated mixtape by my good friend Greg Falatek. This tape is a passport into the everyday life of most college kids, wake up, go to class, then blow off some steam durning the weekends. When checking out this tape you will quickly realize that Greg is blowing more than steam these days, with his many smoking references. Even though smoking mary jane has been a over beaten subject these days in rap, Falatek is not beating the dead horse with these references. He uses his weekend life style to tell a story and doesn't over glorify his extra curricular activities. Pretty much He is just one cool kid that likes to have fun, and your having fun with him while vibing out to this Tape. If i had to compare him to any artist out there today i would say he is a hybrid of Currency, and wiz khalifa with his feel good music. That is the one statement that best describes this Mixtape "feel good music." The tracks that you all should defiantly check out are "Get By", "Fly me to the moon", and "that good"

Here is the music video for Falateks first single "Get by"