Doseone - Untitled (192)

I am still in complete and utter shock that I was lucky enough to come across this recording. I am a huge fan of most, if not all, of Adam's work; after listening to Untitled, there's no doubt in my mind that this is an essential piece of work that all of his fans need to have in their collection. Dose has come a long way since his Hemispheres days, incorporating more of an electronic sound into his albums, and while I still love all of that, this is the real deal: raw, simple beats and nasally voice spitting incredibly catchy, intelligent lyrics at the listener. This is what hip-hop is meant to be.

"And in this instance, I am the deadliest of carnivores.
Doseone,
the messiah of metaphor."

De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising (V0)

With my mom being a huge hip-hop fan, I've been exposed to many sides of the genre, from Rakim to NWA to The Roots to Lil Wayne. Until the point at which I had the extreme pleasure of hearing 3 Feet High and Rising, I didn't think that rap could be well... dorky. Dorky, awkward, innocent and fun. I didn't think of hip-hop as something that could base their skits around a nonsensical game show, or use a sample of I Can't Go For That by Hall & Oates to oppose drug dealers. I was unaware that it was even allowed of rap artists to speak about meeting talking animals that give them directions. Everything on this album is so happy and youthful, it does nothing but satisfy me when I want something that has a beat but can also make me smile.

Favorite songs: Can U Keep a Secret, Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge), Transmitting Live From Mars, Eye Know, Tread Water, Say No Go

My Rating: 9.4/10

I heard shovin' is worse than pushin' but I'd rather know a shover than a pusher cause a pusher's a jerk.

MF DOOM - MM..Food? (V0)

I first became interested in MF DOOM after hearing him on the Gorillaz track November Has Come. When I was recommended MM..Food? I didn't know what to expect, as an artist with such an extensive discography most often changes his/her style (and an artist's style is not usually reflected well by collaboration songs). The lyrics on November Has Come was what really hooked me, because DOOM's flow was great, and the lyrics were interesting and unconventional enough.

Being a fan of indie music, I tend to listen to the instrumental more than the lyrics, even when listening to hip-hop; so the first thing I noticed about MF DOOM's music was his interesting use of samples. Although, sometimes, the use of samples from old movies and the like can be a bit trying. DOOM's voice it boring, to be honest. The lyrics on MM..Food? also leave much to be desired (although I will say that truer words have never been spoken about betrayal than on Deep Fried Frenz, which also has a great sample of Friends by Houdini). All in all, MM..Food? is pretty lackluster.

Favorite tracks: Kookies, Deep Fried Frenz, Potholderz

My rating: 4.0/10

Don't write it off just yet, download it here.