Lloyd Banks Weighs in on Competing with Kanye & Nicki Minaj

Kanye West & Jay-Z- Thats My Bitch (Feat Elly Jackson of La Roux) [No Tags]

TRACK LISTING FOR T.I.'s "NO MERCY" REVEALED!

The track listing to incarcerated rapper T.I. leaked online early last week. The album features guest appearances from Kanye West to Christina Aguilera, and production from Swizz Beatz and the Neptunes. Album hits stores December 7th.

TRACK LISTING FOR NO MERCY:

1. Welcome To The World feat. Kanye West & KiD CuDi

2. How Life Changed feat. Michelle'l & Scarface

3. Get Back Up feat. Chris Brown

4. I Can't Help It feat. Rocko

5. That's All She Wrote feat. Eminem

6. No Mercy feat. The -Dream

7. Big Picture

8. Strip feat. Young Dro & Trey Songz

9. Salute

10. Amazing feat. Pharrell

11. Everything On Me

12. Poppin' Bottles feat. Drake

13. Lay Me Down

14. Castle Walls feat. Christina Aguilera

JAY-Z DECODED IN STORES NOW!!!!

Rapper/Mogul, Jay-Z can now add author to his already impressive resume'. Jay-Z debuts with his autobiography entitled, Decoded. In the book, Hov breaks down the lyrics to more than 30 of his most revered songs, while also giving the reader a piece of his early upbringings all the way to the Hip Hop titan he has become today.

ALBUM REVIEW: KID CUDI/ MAN ON THE MOON II: THE LEGEND OF MR. RAGER/ G.O.O.D. MUSIC/ RATING: 3.5/5

The trials and tribulations of Scott Mescudi a.k.a. Kid Cudi has been documented like CNN coverage. The troubled emcee has had his share of pitfalls over the past year, most recently , his arrest on possession of what reports claim was "liquid cocaine". Originally planned as a collaboration album, Kid Cudi's sophomore Man On The Moon II : The Legend Of Mr. Rager revisits those dark themes of his debut released just a year ago. The theatrical-inspired disc is set up as a sequel that finds Cudi as the main character, battling his demons that seem to be hell bent on keeping a dark cloud over his head. Backed by Emile's moody production, the Cee-Lo Green-assisted album opener "Scott Mescudi VS. The World" takes listeners on a journey that sets up the rest of the album, which just like its first installment , is divided into 5 acts. Mary J. Blige can be considered a supporting actress along side Kid Cudi, as she lends her vocals to two tracks. The first of these collaborations is "Don't Play This Song", which finds Cudi rapping about trying to get his mind right , while Mary sings on the hook: "People think they really being helpful/ By telling me to please be careful/ Yeah right!" The themes of depression, paranoia, drugs, and regret run frequently throughout. Thus this sets up the introduction to Kid Cudi's alter-ego Mr. Rager (hence the album's title). Mr. Rager takes the audience to even darker places."The End" is a stand out track that features GLC, Nicole Wray and a compelling-guest-stealing verse from Chip The Ripper. While the album is good, you get a sense that Kid Cudi still hasn't truly defeated his demons and the aforementioned themes begin to become repetitive. On "Ghost!" Cudi sums up his entire existence in a nutshell: "Gotta get it through my thick head/ I was so close to being dead/ Life, live it/ With not many help tips/ Man I'm just walkin'/ Without bein' lead...The beginning is always followed by the end/ So in between time/ I'm not running or hidin'/ Things do come around / And make sense eventually". MOTMII is a interesting journey through the eyes of a youngster ,who is still trying to find his footing in a world that sometimes can swallow you faster than quicksand. Hopefully, Kid Cudi can finish off his demons and make that happy ending before the final credits roll.

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ALBUM REVIEW: KANYE WEST/ MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY / ROC-A-FELLA/ ISLAND DEF JAM/ RATING: 5/5

A year ago, Mr. West became the music industry's public enemy No.1. Just days after his infamous- Taylor Swift -incident at the VMA's, Kanye got-the-hell-out-of-country and spent the remainder of the year out of the spotlight and doing a lot of self-evaluation . When it was time for Kanye West to return to the studio to make music, he had one goal in mind: Make music that will transcend, change and push the boundaries of hip hop like never before. The ending result is an epic masterpiece on wax. Kanye West uses My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as a platform to fight his inner demons ,and cement his name as a rap Goliath. The manifesto begins with the piano-driven ,old school bass line of "Dark Fantasy" Ye' boasts, "I'm just a Chi-town nigga with a NaS flow" or dropping clever lines like, "Too many Urkels on your team/ That's why your Winslow ( wins low)". The KiD CuDi and Raekwon assisted- "Gorgeous" finds West at his most lyrical." Is hip-hop is just a euphemism for a new religion?/ The soul music of the slaves/ That the youth is missing/ But this is more than just my road to redemption / Malcolm West had the whole nation standing at attention...I thought I chose a field where they couldn't sack me/ If a nigga a shootin' a jump shot or runnin' a track meet/But this pimp is at the top of Mount Olympus/ Ready for the world's games / This is my Olympics/ We make 'em say 'ho' cause the game so pimpish/ Choke a South Park writer with a fish stick...remind me when they had Ali enlisted/ If I wasn't the greatest/ Nigga, I must've missed it". The thing that makes Fantasy a force is not really driven by lyrical wordplay , because Kanye West has shown in year's past that he is one of the game's most gifted wordsmiths. What makes Kanye's fifth opus a true gem is the instrumentation.'Ye goes for the gusto by orchestrating a musical utopia of sonic sounds , that his peers have dared not to pursue. The triumphant horns of "All Of The Lights" and its "We Are The World" like numbers in guest appearances , hands down devours anything everyone else in the music industry is making, because everyone else isn't as crazy as Kanye West - and I meant that as a compliment. From the eerie backdrop of "Monster" to the distorted sounds of "Hell Of A Life", Kanye West has created a soundtrack that would make the greatest of Rock 'n' Roll God's blush. Only a talent of the likes of Kanye could have a guest list as diverse as found on Fantasy (i.e. Jay-Z to Elton John to Chris Rock) or hold your attention for nine mintues plus on "Runaway". With Fantasy, Kanye West has raised a bar so high, that even he might find it impossible to reach. But when your mind is as twisted as Kanye's (pun intended) , reaching for the unreachable is what is expected of you. Isn't that what being a genius is all about anyway?

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