Mixtape Mondays: Z-Ro's Angel Dust

Purchase Here:

http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Dust/dp/B00937FSJO

1. Never Been - classic sound, organs, bumping 808 and sick keys. "I swear I'm half a man and half machine, call me robot." Ro begins the album by spitting a lot of classic lines from previous songs in standard Ro fashion. Singing/Rapping has never be done better by any other artist. The track itself is a great way to begin the album and introduce the last human being hearing Ro's style for the first time.

2. These Days - hypnotic chorus, smooth beat and deep lyrics. Hard times never sounded so good. Ro often takes time out on his albums to touch on a lot of subjects from feuding parents to encouraging anyone in a bad place to find a better way. This is a very smooth track with a high replay value.

3.  I Just Wanna Say - awesome 808, organ and guitar.  "I just wanna say fuck you for all the bitch ass shit you do." A classic Ro chorus. The beat has the tap, tap, clap style recent hip hop songs have embraced but still has a down south feel with a crying guitar in the background. Definitely S.L.A.B. music.

4.  Truth Is - more of an early Ro feel to it. This track reminds me of a track he did with Hawk and Trae in one of his earlier works. It has a real laid back beat with some serious lyrics.  Z-Ro can really tell the truth on a beat and this track is a prime example.

5.  DiccOnU - Having B.G. and Mr. Mac T on a track had my hopes high which kind of ruined this track for me.  It's basically all three of them explaining how well they would bang the fairer sex. "I'm not R. Kelly, baby.  I don't want to piss on you." Still a great song just not what I expected.  Still a very cool song, though.

6.  Love it - a very sick beat with slightly abrasive bass. Lil Flea provides a guest spot and really shines midway through the track.  Seems like a generic Ro track but even the most generic Ro track is legendary.

7.  Phuq Wit Me - a darker beat with some bump to it. The track's layout begins with a layout similar to "You"  but quickly gets back to Ro spitting what he spits about best: repercussions of having fucked with the King of the Ghetto.

8.  Young Nigga - has a classic H Town feel with a deep base line, catchy piano lick and laid back horns.  The track itself shines being a look into Z-Ro's past.  He gives a truthful look the trials he's faced with smooth chorus to make it all mesh together quite well.

9.  Time - very inspirational beat with nice hi-hats and simple piano lick that blends well with the slight wah-wah guitar during the chorus.  Z-Ro has a way of bringing you down with any truth he speaks about himself, the streets and other situations, but by the end of the track you have a refreshed feeling of hearing something genuinely made.

10. Heaven - nice acoustic guitar and simple drum beat mixed with a melody of la la's and ooh's.  Ro introduces himself as his alter-ego Rother Vandross and sing/raps his normal rhymes about his tribulations reassuring that he has always found his way out. Another inspirational track with some deep lyrics.

11. Jaccers Wanna Know - a real classic H Town beat featuring Mike D.  Any song these two artists have made are in my top ten songs of all time (as far as rap/hip hop go) This song makes me relive "Here We Go" which i drove the streets of Austin to on many occasions.  It doesn't have the exact same effect but still a very smooth track.

12. Take My Time - nice paino/guitar combo to a sick drum beat.  Z-Ro's albums have a layout where you get to the song with flip and know you are getting close to the end.  The song itself holds it's own and Lil Flip's verse flows well with the horns/guitar combo. Ro/ Flip's final verse really stands out.

13. When I Get Free - starts off very simple and i really thought i wasn't going to enjoy it and once the first four bars pass the beat builds quite nicely.  Ro has one of the best flows i have ever heard and this song is a prime example of that.

14.  Today - very old school beat featuring K-Rino. The beat itself is very simple but really bangs. Z-Ro caries the song with his rugged verses and a decent chorus with a bit of an annoying reverb but very forgivable. K-Rino really brings some heat but the entire verse seems like something was missing.

     All in all, another amazing album from the King of the Ghetto, Z-Ro.  If you know me personally, you know if i could only listen to one artist for the rest of my life I'd choose Ro hands down. Every time I hear some new material, I'm surprised he hasn't been embraced by the mainstream and played on the radio more often.  I guess that would also add to the allure of the legend of Joseph W. McVey.  If you haven't picked it up yet, grab a copy, get some drank, bud, whatever you jam with and enjoy.
5/5

-MAnkIEz

Lil Wayne ft. Drake and Future - Good Kush and Alcohol Chopped and Screwed

Lil Wayne put together a Dream Team of sorts with Drake and Future on this hit song that has gotten more air play than Skynyrd on air guitar. I tried a few new filters and processes to give this track a feel unlike any other track i had worked on before. The download link will be connected to my soundcloud account and can be found there.

Netflix Nonsense - SAFE

Head shots, headbutts and Hell to pay.
     
       The opening introduction to the Asian girl Jason Stathom's character is trying to save is very stereotypical, which is an on going theme throughout the film. Asians good at math..? Say what?!?!?!
      Apparently, schooling your math teacher at college level algebra your learning in grade school is a one way ticket to the upper echelon of the triad syndicate in the West. This very young girl is thrust into a world of managerial crime and quickly becomes a high level accountant.
     A few people come up short and she's forced to watch as her triad affiliates make an example of a casino owner who's been coming up short.
     A few head shots later, we're introduced to Jason Stathom's character who seems to have rubbed the Russian mob the wrong way. He's a down and out MMA fighter who recently cost the mob a huge chunk of change on a fight he lost. Turns out he's got a price on his head which he bashes into the henchmen looking to bring him for a quick payday.
     So this little girl, Mei, is fucking sweet with numbers. She's given a code and is gonna be sent to some other guy who knows some other numbers.. None of that matters. On their way, an SUV hits them and she's abducted by the Russians who want to use her Asian brain to steal whatever the code was for.
      At this point, Jason Stathom is drunk and causes a scene at a convenience store which gets him arrested. The seemingly corrupt cops then go on to say something along the lines of "well, well, well.. If it isn't our old partner who rated us out" or something like that. He gets a decent beating and walks away. I mean, wtf?? No headbutts?
       Jason Stathom finds Mei on a subway while she is trying to flee from the Russians and thus gets himself in another classic Jason Stathom predicament: car crashes, head shots and driving recklessly into oncoming traffic.
       Thinking they've gotten away, they head to a hotel and exchange that whole humanizing conversation that brings together the bond of our two main antiheroes. Thank goodness she was a child because at this point, Jason Stathom usually bangs the Asian chick.
       After getting found out at the hotel, we learn that this entire operation has the triads and the corrupt cops working together trying to keep whatever information is in, what I am assuming, a second safe.
     The best part comes when this detective-in-charge guy explains that Jason Stathom is this super secret, licensed to kill, weapon of death sent by people that don't exist. He might be a stone cold killer, but he's an honest stone cold killer.
     Mei gets sent back to the triads and Jason Stathom gets some revenge on the Russians, and by this time we learn there are two safes. One with 30 million and another that contains something worth 30 million. He takes one of the Russian mob bosses kids hostage, sets up a meeting with the corrupt cops and eats a sandwich.
      Jason Stathom and Team Corrupt Cops make a deal to hold up the safe and split the 30 million. We get the old, "5 million for each of us is a hell of a retirement package..." knowing when they go into a heavily guarded Casino with guns ablaze, a few aren't gonna make it out alive. My money is on the black cop dying first.
      So by the time they get to the safe there's only 4 left. There's not too much trust in the room and I'm waiting for someone to shoot first. Bam, bam bam!!!! Jason Stathom took em all out except for the main guy, who though corrupt, wasn't such a bad guy. Money in hand and the bastard-y cop in the trunk.
      At this point we learn there is a disk in the second safe linking cops to the triads want it and Jason Stathom wants this new cop guy , Alex, to kill them and give him Mei.
      While all this is going on, Jason Stathom makes his way to the head honcho of corrupt cops who has this disk and grab it to give to Alex to trade for Mei. I smell a double cross coming up...
     Alex ends up wanting the money and the disc for Mei and Jason Stathom ain't having it. With a quick, heart warming exchange about the importance of the life of this Asian kid, Alex gets one in the head and three in the chest.
      Jason Stathom pays off the not so corrupt cop for helping him out, the triads to let him keep the kid and releases the Russian he held hostage and ends the scene with the classic, "next time, all bets are off" sequel candy.
       The movie ends with Jason Stathom and Mei in an SUV discussing what to do with their life.They settle for Seattle and live happily ever after.
       Safe is, by far, your typical action movie about a man trying to save a little Asian girl from the seedy underbelly of the Chinese triad while simultaneously fighting off the Russian mob and getting revenge on some not so honest men of the law. As a big fan of Jason Stathom, I didn't expect much and got a whole lot in return. Besides the generic characters and subpar story line, Safe kept my attention and it's action sequences were awesome and had me at the edge of my seat.
If you have the time, check it out.
4/5

-MAnkIEz
    

Aaliyah - One in a Million Chopped and Screwed

Aaliyah's One in a Million is one of the deepest tracks i had ever heard in my early years of listening to Hip Hop and R&B. On August 25, 2001, after listening to her wide catalog of music and becoming a big fan, i had to add her to the list of those who we lost way before their time. Truly a great musician and angelic singer. She is missed and will always be remembered.

DOWNLOAD LINK:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=67PGDZ2J

Tech N9ne - Girl Crazy ft. Krizz Kaliko

Girl Crazy by Tech N9ne off of the Mizery Loves Kompany Compilation Album. This song was replayed so many times on my computer, Mp3 player and radio. The melody is sick and the words make more sense than i want to hear. Mizery Loves Kompany was one of the first albums i chopped and skrewed in its entirety. It was a great accomplishment.

Download Link:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=M4NPP41D

Die 2 Nite - F Dux Skrewed and Chopped

Die 2 Nite by F Dux is featured on the Tunnel Runners CD on the newly formed Hatchet House record label via Psychopathic Records. The CD contains tracks from F Dux, Kid Krusher, Claas, Lo Key, Q Strange, Intriznik and a lot more. It promoted a lot of artists that were related to the underground horrorcore scene. Overall, a great compilation.

Download Link:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=B8GFMDEJ

Dead Body Man - Insane Clown Posse Skrewed and Chopped

Dead Body Man by the Insane Clown Posse off the Terror Wheel. ICP is the group that got me interested in the whole genre of horrorcore/hardcore hip hop. I'm from South Texas and was one of the few Juggalos in my area and still am. The movement is growing but at a snail's pace. I listened to Screw before Faygo was ever in my vocabulary but the two types of music soon found a home in my head.