Things I've listened to over the last few weeks... Part 2.

I feel I should explain what I've been listening to recently. I don't know why, is it to encourage you to listen to the same thing? Is it to make myself look busy? I don't know. I don't really take much from other rappers these days, not consciously anyway, I used to.

YOUNG CHRIS & DON CANNON/ THE NETWORK MIXTAPE: If you've been a regular on this site for a while you'll know I fucks with Young Chris. To me he's one of the best out there, he really needs an album but this tape is the closest he's come to a complete project so far. A lot of Roots style production leanings and pretty incredible guest rappers including Beanie Sigel, Wale, Freeway, Black Thought, Twista and Rhymefest. The mixtape was online exclusive freeness so if you search it you'll find a link.

JAY-Z/ DEATH OF AUTOTUNE: I know it's just one song and most people are sick of it but it doesn't stop being incredible. I'm not really in that 'Run This Town' place yet, not sure what I was expecting but I'm kinda nonplussed about it.

FREEWAY & JAKE ONE/ BLOGGERS: This Freeway and Jake One album is going to be amazing.

MAVADO/ MR. BROOKS...A BETTER TOMORROW: This album is way more soulful than the first album. It kinda lacks the punch but it makes up for it in some pretty amazing arrangements and concepts.

I'M ABOUT TO PUT THE FOLLOWING ON MY MP3 PLAYER....

CAGE/ DEPART FROM ME: Cage is one of the most underrated of all time, his first album had a big impact on me as a rapper. This album doesn't seem to have done very well for some reason, I might find out when I listen to it. I hope not.

NEWHAM GENERALS/ GENERALLY SPEAKING: I like Newham Generals, they fuck with some unusual production. I'm excited about this album.

FABOLOUS/ LOSO'S WAY: I've never really been a Fab fan but his last album held me down when I was writing 'Devil In The Distance'. During the day we weren't allowed to smoke in the studio so I'd grab the MP3 player, stand around the skreets and invariably end up listening to him. This album sounds a bit forced from what I've heard but it sounds a little less scatter-gun than his preview records so we'll see.

WALE/ BACK TO THE FEATURE: I wasn't sure about Wale for a while, but the more I hear him in context the more I appreciate how much better he is than most of the new generation of rappers. This tape got a lot of love so I need to listen to it.