Throwback Thursday [Uptown Anthem and Shawn Kemp]

Naughty By Nature was a lot more than O.P.P. while that may have been their biggest hit, they had several other great songs. "Hip Hop Hooray" comes to mind, as well as the single from the "Juice" soundtrack "Uptown Anthem", which for me was Naughty by Natures' best song, OPP to me falls in with songs like "Baby Got Back", songs that are schticky and funny to hear now, but not actually good, "Uptown Anthem" was and still is a great song.  

When people think about the great teams of the 90s people think about the Bulls obviously, the Rockets even the Magic and the Jazz make it in the discussion of great teams from the Era, one team that always gets forgotten is the Seattle Supersonics, that could be that for all their regular season greatness (which they finished several seasons with the best record in the Western Conference) they made it to only one NBA Final, and it was against arguably the best team in NBA History, the 1996 Bulls.

The Sonics were a flashy version of the Jazz, instead of the pick and role heavy Stockton and Malone, the Sonics had the fun and flashy Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp.

Maybe it was because of his later years in the league, but Shawn Kemp was at one time the most dominant Power Forward in the league. His back to the back game was powerful, he had a solid jumper, and was a great rebounder, but he and his point guard Payton were always at their best running a fast break. Hopefully future generations will forget about Kemp's later years where weight gain and injuries kept him from being dominate, and focus on the time when he surpassed Charles Barkley to become the most dominate Power Forward in the Game.

Kanye West and Jay-Z "Watch The Throne"

Kanye West is my favorite music artist, that may contradict something I've said before and to be clear, The Game is my favorite rapper, Kanye West is my favorite musician, Kanye isn't just a rapper, he's one of the best Hip-Hop producers ever, an amazing song writer, a surprisingly talented singer, the man can do it all, he even has a very dry, very funny since of humor, he doesn't take himself too seriously contrary to popular belief. Perhaps my favorite thing about Kanye West is the honesty in his music, for starters, Kanye West isn't a stage name, its his given name, his music is a reflection of him, its not the same, tired Hip-Hop cliches, Kanye doesn't pretend to be something he's not, he's never claimed to be gang affiliated or known for drug dealing, and as a result, his music has a personal touch not often found in Hip-Hop. There is no greater example of this to me than his masterpiece "808's and Heartbreaks" personally my favorite of his albums, a lot of people will argue that "College Dropout" was his best, and as far as I'm concerned, they could be right, that album along with "Late Registration" "Graduation" and "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" are all brilliant and amazing pieces of work, and while some people were enraged by his comments that he was "The Voice of a Generation" I think you could make a very good argument for Kanye in fact being this generation's voice, his influence isn't just limited to music, he has permeated not just pop culture, but our culture in general, and is a household name, recognized by everyone, ages 8 to 80, blind, crippled or crazy, they all know Kanye.

And then there is Jay-Z, for a long time I was just indifferent towards Sean Carter, I didn't think his music was great, I didn't think it was terrible. My biggest complaint about Jay-Z has always been that he is what's wrong with Post-Bigge, Post-Juicy Era of Hip-Hop, far too many rappers have used the rags to riches template Biggie used on his great song "Juicy" and no one used it as much or as often as Jay-Z. I could always excuse that though, because the dude has a nice flow, his rhymes are nice, and his production is always incredible, he hires the best producers, The Neptunes, Pharell, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, just to name a few, and oh yeah, Kanye West. As everyone knows, Kanye got his start as a producer for Jay-Z, on Jay's "Blueprint" album. The two would form a relationship which first started as a producer/talent relationship, and eventually would become an actual friendship. The two have talked for years about doing a collaboration album, and after years of talk, the album as finally come out. At least to iTunes its come out, the hard copy arrives in stores this Friday. So after years of talk, was it worth the wait?

My one time indifference with Jay-Z has turned into something like hatred lately, while I loved his record "American Gangster" I thought save for a few singles his "Blueprint 3" wasn't that great, and highly overrated, and that was about the time that Jay-Z started to adopt the Frank Sinatra of Rap persona. As somebody that loves Frank Sinatra and the entire Rat Pack, one thing Jay-Z isn't and will never be is Sinatra, there is only one Frank Sinatra. That makes this album something really interesting, its a collaboration between my favorite artist, and a rapper that I really don't care for, even I was curious what this album would present me with.

I'm going to do a track be track review again, but first thing a few notes about the album in general. I was curious who's album this would really be, or basically looking at this album like a movie, who would get more screen time, and to my surprise, both have an equal amount, I would say the album maybe leans toward being heavier on Jay-Z, but it's really close. Another thing is the album peaks in the middle, it starts off ok, and ends ok, but from "Otis" to "Murder to Excellence" is classic.

1. "No Church in the Wild" featuring Frank Ocean (produced by Kanye West and 88-Keys)
A really good song, I like the hook, Jay-Z's verse is pretty good, Kanye's verse was excellent and the production is sick. It didn't quite set the tone of the album, but overall it was a good way to open the record. Rating 4/5

2. "Lift Off" featuring Beyonce (produced by Kanye West, Mike Dean, Jeff Bhasker)
For a moment I thought the twist was "Watch the Throne" would actually be a collaboration record with Kanye, Jay, and Beyonce. This song is definitely too Beyonce heavy, and sounds like a Beyonce song that features Kanye and Jay. The production is nice and Kanye's really good rapping and singing, Jay adds nothing. Rating 2/5

3. "Ni***s in Paris" (produced by Kanye West and Hit-Boy)
Not a bad song, not a great song, pretty average, sounds almost like something rejected from "Blueprint 3", Kanye's verse is dope, I like the Will Ferrell drops throughout the song. I love the breakdown at the end, for me that lifts the song. Rating 3/5

4. "Otis" featuring Otis Redding (produced by Kanye West)
This is classic Kanye West production, think "Blueprint" Era production, soul sample and all. The song is awesome just as a result of the crazy beat. Kanye kills his part on the song, Jay-Z isn't bad, one thing I didn't like was Jay's opening lyric "I invented Swag", if he invented Swag then I'm personally responsible for making Nerdy Sexy. In spite of that one line, Kanye's production and his lyrics are unbelievable, this is a great song. Rating 5/5

5. "Gotta Have It" (produced by The Neptunes and Kanye West)
This is another somewhat average song, its not bad, I just expect a little more given these two rappers and who produced the track. Rating 3/5

6. "New Day" (produced by The RZA, Kanye West and Mike Dean)
This song has a crazy beat from RZA, but I thought the lyrical content was amazing, especially the opening verse from Kanye. Its a really cool song, and maybe for the first time on the album shows the definitive difference in rap styles between the two. Rating 5/5

7. "That's My Bitch" (produced by Q-Tip and Kanye West)
I can't decide if this is my favorite song on the album or another one later on the album, but this song is really dope, it leaked about November last year, and its still really dope after all this time. The beat is unlike anything else, both Jay and Kanye are really strong, and there is a lot of heavy stuff on this record, this song is just a lot of fun. Rating 5/5

8. "Welcome to the Jungle" (produced by Swizz Beatz and Mike Dean)
A really cool song, which finds Jay-Z in almost Kanye like mode, the back in forth between the two is really good on this track, and Swizz's production is on point. Rating 4/5

9. "Who Gon Stop Me Now" (produced by Sham "Sak Pase" Joseph and Kanye West)
Great Song, Kanye and Jay both really good, and maybe at their most energetic on this track. The production is crazy on this track, seriously I haven't heard a beat like this before, its off-tempo, it almost shouldn't work it's so crazy, but it does. Rating 5/5

10. "Murder to Excellence" (Murder produced by Swizz Beatz/Excellence produced by S1)
This is the other song that could very well be my favorite (and its so very different than "That's My Bitch") this song is Epic, basically two songs in one, and tells the story of the African-American struggle to present time, its a surprisingly touching and inspirational song. Its the best produced song on the album for sure, Swizz produced the "Murder" part of the song, using an Indigo sample, S1 produced the "Excellence" part and produced it like a modern track, its a really nice contrast from the beginning. Rating is No Question 5/5

11. "Made in America" (produced by Sham "Sak Pase" Joseph and Mike Dean)
This song is almost the counterpoint to "Murder to Excellence" both are conscience tracks, but this track is too sweet and mushy, I get what they were going for, but it comes off more as boring. Rating 2/5

12. "Why I Love You" featuring Mr. Hudson (produced by Mike Dean and Kanye West)
Not a bad song, kind of average, especially for an album closer. I like Mr. Hudson's chorus and Kanye's verse, also Jay and Kanye's back and forth was again strong. Rating 3/5

That's it for the album, unless you buy the Deluxe Edition, make sure you buy the Deluxe Edition. The Deluxe Edition has four more tracks, most notably the lead single off of the album "H.A.M."

13. "Illest MotherFu***r Alive" (produced by Southside, Kanye West, and Mike Dean)
A really good song, great verse from Kanye which finds him at his most witty. Nicely produced, especially at the chorus. Rating 4/5

14. "H.A.M." (produced by Lex Luger and Kanye West)
At this point everyone has heard this song, and this nothing new to say. Its a an Awesome song, and made the acronym HAM part of the public lexicon. Rating 5/5

15. "Primetime" (produced by No I.D.)
This is classic No I.D. production, another great song. Both Jay-Z and Kanye are on point on this track. Rating 4/5

16. "The Joy" (produced by Pete Rock, Kanye West, and Mike Dean)
I think this song was release as part of Kanye's G.O.O.D. Friday's sometime last year, it was a Kanye track featuring Jay, which is pretty noticeable. Kanye is really strong on this song, I thought this was Jay-Z's best verse on the entire album. I wasn't real crazy about the beat however. Rating 4/5

Overall, this is a really strong album, its not as great as some of Kanye's masterwork of the past, but it's better than most of Jay-Z's work for me. I was curious how my favorite artist and one of my least favorite rappers would work together, and they worked great, they had a strong chemistry, and in my mind, Kanye elevated the level of Jay-Z on this record. One thing for certain, I've never heard some of the production like I heard on this record, and it has a couple of the Best Songs of the Year, and "Murder to Excellence" may be one of the best songs I've Ever Heard.

Final Rating 4/5

Ace Hood "Blood, Sweat & Tears"

Ace Hood has been around for a few years, he's had 2 albums "Gutta" and "Ruthless", but for a lot of people the first anyone heard of Ace Hood was his song "Hustle Hard" Ace Hood's first monster hit, and it was a monster hit for a reason...it goes hard. "Hustle Hard" produced by Lex Luger is a really unique song, with a crazy beat, and a wild flow from Ace Hood, the song was very fresh and made a name for him in mainstream Hip-Hop. The ironic thing however, is that while "Hustle Hard" goes hard more than half the tracks on his new album "Blood, Sweat & Tears" are mid-tempo sort of slow tracks, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just unexpected after the lead single.

Obviously both the original "Hustle Hard" and the remix are great songs, and there are other songs that go hard, like the second single "Go N' Get It" which is a pretty good song as well, but has a very similar feel to "Hustle Hard" both tracks were produced by Lex Luger, the opening track which features T-Pain called "King of the Streets" is a really good song, another really good song is "Memory Lane" which features Kevin Cossom. But that's about it for the up-tempo "club" tracks, everything else as I said is mid-tempo, slower track, like I said it's not a bad thing, the best song on the entire album is a slower song called "Letter to My Ex's" the song was produced by Cardiak, the beat is cool, but simple, lyrically the song is funny and honest, and has a unique sound to it. However the song "Body 2 Body" featuring Chris Brown is boring, unoriginal, slow and nothing new, I understand what Ace Hood was going for on this track, but it just didn't work and brings the album to a slow halt.

While the album wasn't exactly what I expected, it's still quality, of the 12 tracks all but 1 range from quality to great, as I said before "Hustle Hard" and "Letter to My Ex's" are great songs, I liked the opener a lot, "Memory Lane" was the most up-tempo track on the album, and very good as was "Errythang" which features a strong verse from Yo Gotti, and "Bitter World" was another good song.

One thing for sure about Ace Hood's lyrical content, the dude is very honest about himself, this isn't the typical post-Biggie "Rags to Riches" album, the album tells Ace Hood's story about survival by any means, and in case you haven't heard the other 2 Ace Hood albums "Lord Knows" is a good introduction song.

"Blood, Sweat & Tears" may not be what a lot of people expect from it, given both the lead and second single (Go N' Get It) but it's a really good album none the less, definitely worthy of picking up. It's funny to me that this week the Past, the Present, and the Future all have new albums coming out, of course Jay-Z (Past) and Kanye (Present) have a collaboration coming out Friday (or tomorrow on iTunes) but the future belongs to guys like Ace Hood, and with the future of Hip-Hop in the hands of Ace Hood, I think Hip-Hop is in pretty good shape.

Also, make sure to check back for a review of the Kanye West and Jay-Z collaboration "Watch the Throne"

Why NBA Fans Should be Concerned

For a lot of NFL fans the recent lock-out seemed brutal and as if it would never come to an end. Indeed, the two sides seemed so far apart that it did look as if football would in fact be delayed or that there would be a lose in games. Luckily, the two parties kissed and made up, with things basically back to how they were, the only players really effected were rookies, no more crazy and outrageous contracts for players coming out of college, they now have to prove themselves for 5 years before they can start making the money rookies used to make, which personally I think was a great move, teams with the 1st pick overall won't have to shell out the money they once had to get their players all but guaranteeing the players will have to play for the team that drafted them.

As rough as the NFL lock-out may have seemed, it's nothing compared to the vast differences between players and owners in the NBA, and will no doubt make the NFL lock-out look like a minor dispute by comparison.

There are a lot of variables David Stern and the NBA owners have to worry about that Roger Goodell and the NFL owners never did, the biggest cause for concern of course is that while football and the NFL is by far the biggest sport in the US, and I guess basketball and baseball would be tied for second, those two sports popularity are dwarfed when compared to the NFL, but as massive as the NFL is in the States, once you leave the confines of the US American Football is regarded as little more than a joke, on the world stage people just don't care about American Football. This gave players a lack of options, it was basically agree to these terms or you won't have a job. The NFL players got very little out of this lock-out, other than the fact that they still have jobs.

On the opposite end of the spectrum other than soccer of course, which is easily the worlds biggest sport, basketball is Huge on the world stage, it's definitely the number 2 sport in the world, giving the NBA players a huge advantage over NFL players. Lebron took his talents to South Beach last year, this year he could end up taking his talents half way around the world to Turkey, that scenario sounds hard to believe but is very possible. Already one of the leagues best point guards Deron Williams of the Nets has said if there is no season next year he will definitely play abroad. Nike offered Kobe Bryant something almost in the Billions if he would take his talents to China next season, were both the Nike brand is huge as is Kobe himself. The crazy thing is most of these players would make considerably more money by going overseas than they ever will under the new terms projected by David Stern and the owners. So at this point the question has changed from will there be an NBA season next year to why wouldn't they play overseas if that's where the money is? In the case of Deron Williams he's said it's not about the money, him playing overseas is more about not losing a year of his career (which he is in his prime) to a lock-out. Many other players have expressed similar sentiments, they don't care about the money, they just want to play, but in the case of Kobe who has been offered a fortune to play overseas, he's said the money isn't the issue, his career is starting to wind down, he has maybe one or two more years where he will look like the Kobe Bryant we all know, inevitably father time will catch up to him and he won't be able to do those amazing things he always has, between the playoffs and regular season this guy has a lot of miles on him. So with that in mind why wouldn't he play overseas, better to still play in your prime than to get a year older, and Kobe expressed similar feelings to what a lot of players have said, that the best basketball is in the United States and it's in the NBA, to compete against any other competition would almost be unfair, kind of like Kevin Durant scoring 66 points recently at Rucker Park in New York. Rucker Park is probably the toughest playground court in the country and Durant scored 66 on the guys there without hardly breaking a sweat. Even though the global game has improved, that's kind of the way I imagine games looking with NBA players playing overseas.

Someone could make the case that David Stern did this to himself, it was and always has been his intent to make the NBA a global phenomenon, and Stern is chiefly among the reason the NBA and it's players are so popular the world over. Stern wisely used the popularity of Michael Jordan and his name in the States to help build the NBA brand throughout the world, that combined with the popularity of Chinese Yao Ming would turn the NBA into a global force. This decision was very good for the league but as it turns out, could turn out to be a big part of the labor dispute.

What exactly is this current strike about anyway? The easiest way to put it, is Stern is trying to prevent a Super Team like we saw last year with the Miami Heat, by putting a strict salary cap on what teams can spend. This also means that many current players would have to take minor to sever pay cuts. A lot of casual fans have argued that "these players make enough money already" the thing people have to realize is these players were given contracts, they were told they would make 'X' amount of dollars and that's what they should get paid. It would be like an employer telling me he was going to pay me $50,000 a year and then halfway through the year asking if would I mind doing the same work for $5,000 a year, that's not right, and that's what Derek Fisher and the rest of the Player's Union are fighting against.

While the NFL lock-out was the equivalent of watching two 4-year olds slap-box, the NBA lock-out is a bare-knuckle heavy weight fight. Thankfully we will have football this coming season, and on time. I would be pleasantly surprised if we had any kind of season next year, half a season or even a quarter of a season would come as a surprise to me, the NBA Season starting on time...that just ain't gonna happen, I would love to be proven wrong.

Throwback Thursday [Straight Outta Compton and Elden Campbell]

With the new and brilliant Game mixtape coming out earlier this week it only made since to look back at West Coast Hip-Hop, there would be no Game, no Snoop, no Warren G, 2Pac's career would have certainly been different if not for one of the greatest Hip-Hop groups of all-time (personally my 2nd favorite all-time) N.W.A. 

N.W.A. didn't just change West Coast Rap as we know it, it changed Hip-Hop as we know it, while Public Enemy was out East doing somewhat of the same thing they did it in a thought provoking, conscience way, N.W.A. came out raw, angry, bitter, with a chip on their shoulder, and that was obvious when you first heard them. "Straight Outta Compton" is easily one of the best records ever made, not just in Hip-Hop, and the title track is explosive and set the tone for what type of group this was all about

While the group would split, Ice Cube going to a solo rap career, soon followed by becoming a very good actor/writer, Dre would go on to produce, and of course created another of the greatest records of all-time in "The Chronic" and Eazy-E tragically would die from HIV, they will always be remember for an amazing album, and single-handedly changing the course of Hip-Hop for years to come. 

One amazing thing about the album is how modern it still sounds, there are a lot of Hip-Hop albums that after a year or two sound very dated and lame, 20+ years later, "Straight Outta Compton" sounds every bit as good today as it did when it came out.

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Here is a fun piece of trivia, who was the Lakers leading scorer during the entire decade of the 90's? Well, obviously his picture was posted already, but yes, Elden Campbell was the Lakers leading scorer in that entire decade. The 90's was a very interesting time in Lakers history, it was the end of one great Era, The Magic and Kareem Era, and saw the beginning stages of the Kobe and Shaq Era, and yet with all that going on, someone had to keep the Lakers franchise going, and that responsibility when to Center Elden Campbell. 

Campbell was born and raised in LA, as a result he was a fan favorite, after playing college ball on the East Coast at Clemson he returned to LA as a Laker in the 1990 draft. During his time as a Laker he earned the nickname "The Janitor" both for his workman like skill set, and the way he "cleaned the glass" aka grabbed rebounds. Campbell played for the Lakers from 1990-1999, and after being moved around from one team to another he caught on with the Pistons in 2004, only to face his former team (the Lakers) in the NBA Finals, Campbell was a surprisingly big factor in the Series, as his tremendous defense against Shaq would prove to be a difference maker in the Pistons NBA Championship. 

Game "Hood Morning" aka "Candy Corona's"

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Earlier this year Game released "Purp & Patron" and "Purp & Patron: The Hangover" in total it was over 50 tracks he released in just one week, every song ranged from quality to great, and as I've told several people since hearing "Purp & Patron" it was the best Hip-Hop album or mixtape I'd heard since Kanye's "Late Registration", between those two mixtapes and 2010's "R.E.D. Files" Game has been killing Hip-Hop lately, and at least in my eyes, has become the best rapper Hip-Hop has.

After releasing "Purp & Patron" earlier this year, a mixtape so good most rappers would hang it up for the rest of the year if not longer, Game announced an official date for his "RED Album" which had been pushed back several times, for various reasons, but before we finally get the "RED Album" on August 23rd, Game released the mixtape "Hood Morning" also known as "Candy Corona's" yesterday. Normally I get myself in trouble when my expectations are too high, and after "Purp & Patron" my expectations for both the "RED Album" and "Hood Morning" were sky high, and I was not disappointed, and I will say, until proven otherwise, Game is the best rapper around right now...hands down.

A large portion of the mixtape was produced by Mars, who was part of the production group 1500 or Nothin' and his production is sick, the beats on this tape are crazy, some of the most unique I've heard in a while, for everyone that asked my why I considered the last Wu-Tang album's beats boring, listen to this mixtape, this is what good production is supposed to be. 

The mixtape has 20 tracks, 19 of which I would call great, only one didn't work for me, not that it was bad, just boring. Believe it or not, as great as the songs are, most of them are songs that weren't quite good enough for the "RED Album" which if thats the case, this "RED Album" should be insane.

Since this is Game, and since he's Hip-Hop's best right now, Im going to do a track by track review.

1) "HoodMorning" (produced by Mars)

A great opening track that sets the tone for the tape, the song uses the beat from Kanye West's "Good Morning", Game going over Kanye's beat works well.

2) "Drug Test" featuring Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg (produced by DJ Khalil)

Dre and Snoop on the same track again? Just that is a good enough reason to listen to this track, throw in some strong verses (with a unique flow on this track) and a crazy beat from DJ Khalil, this is another great track.

3) "Can You Believe It" featuring Lil Wayne and Birdman (produced by Lifted)

Most songs with Wayne on the track are going to be quality, and this song is no exception, Game and Wayne work well together anytime they are on the same track.

4) "Mr. West/Money & Power" (produced by Che Vicious)

This is the best track on the mixtape, I hate the word epic these days, its way too overused, but there is no other word for this song, it is epic, from Game's lyrics to the beat from Che Vicious, to the breakdown in the middle.

5) "Monsters in my Head" (produced by BOI-1DA)

This song was leaked a couple of months ago, its a really great song, Game has an almost 2Pac flow in this track, after the first 4 tracks are up tempo this one slows the tape down, not in a bad way though, its a great song

6) "Wow" featuring Gucci Mane (produced by Mars)

The best thing I can say about this song it makes Gucci Mane listenable, thats an accomplishment by itself.

7) "25 to Life" (produced by Mars)

A cool track, Game (as he does from time to time) slips into his story teller mode, once again, really cool production by Mars

8) "Out of Towner" (produced by Terrace Martin)

One of the other really great songs on this mixtape, Game takes us back in time to 1996, being an out of towner in New York, the beat on this song is sick.

9) "Standing On A Corner" featuring B.O.B. and Wiz Khalifa (Gun Roulet)

If this were an album, this would be the big radio hit from the album, it has a very radio-friendly sound, I'm sure Wiz and B.O.B. might have something to do with that.

10) "Grave Yard" featuring Sam Cooke (produced by Mars & Point Guard)

Grave Yard, is a laid back track, but very good, this is another of the best tracks off the mixtape, with a smooth hook from Sam Cooke, and some pretty cool production.

11) "The Town" (produced by Mars)

This is Game in "The Documentary" meets N.W.A. mode, this song is as "Gangster" as Hip-Hop gets, another stand-out on this tape.

12) "Uncle Otis" (produced by Mars and Point Guard)

The single off of the mixtape, Uncle Otis is another classic diss track, and nobody does it better than Game, Game takes aim at Jay-Z among others. The one criticism I have of this diss track is Game takes aim at Big Sean, Big Sean is so new that it seems like an easy target.

13) "InfaRED" (produced by Cool & Dre)

Another Stand-Out, the beat on this song is just sick, it has a 70's Action movie feel to it and Game's verse is great, he even talks about his tendency to name-drop, something that his haters have complained about many times.

14) "Change Your Life" featuring Black Wall Street (produced by Mars)

This is a quality song, and Game's verse is great, however this kind of seemed like a song more to get Game's Black Wall Street group on the tape.

15) "Red" featuring Red Man (produced by Cool & Dre)

A good song, although to be honest, somewhat forgettable

16) "I'm On" (produced by Mars)

This song also has a radio-friendly feel.

17) "Ace of Spades" featuring Paypa & Joi Starr (produced by Mars)

Even "Red" which is kind of forgettable is a really good song, "Ace of Spades" however isn't forgettable, its just boring, still not a bad song, I just lost interest half way through.

18) "F*cked Up" (produced by Mars)

This song is really cool, the production by Mars has almost a southern rap feel to it, its something to hear Game rap over that kind of beat.

19) "She Wanna Have My Baby" featuring Trey Songz 

This was the other song leaked a few months again, another strong song, that once again has a radio-friendly feel to it, Trey Songz isn't bad on this track, which is really saying something because I've never been that crazy about him

20) "Rough" featuring Yelawolf (produced by Jim Jonsin)

Another Stand-Out closes out the mixtape, "Rough" finds Game in Hip-Hop Conscience mode, the beat is understated and samples Pearl Jam's "Black"

Overall Game once again delivers another brilliant mixtape, at this rate Game is going to be entertainer of the Year, three mixtapes so far this year, all are amazing, and better than most rappers albums, and this is the music Game chose to give away, there is no telling how good the "RED Album" is going to be, I guess well have to wait until August 23rd to find out. But for now we have "Hood Morning" and thats definitely good enough.

Cowboys & Aliens

There have been many Westerns that start the way Cowboys & Aliens did, with a stranger coming into town, clouded in mystery, is he good, is he bad, is he going to save the town, or is he going to make things worse. Slowly the stranger begins to bond with the townspeople, and like many westerns or even samurai films before it, after an attack on the town, the stranger along with a posse begin to defend the town from the attacking force. That however only covers the "Cowboy" part, because as it turns out the attacking force (as if the title doesn't give it away) is Aliens, giving  the movie an unique twist, that I've never seen before, I say "I" because I'm sure there has been some B-Rate bobo movie that has crossed these two genres before, not nearly as effectively I'm sure.

After a large attack on the town in which several people were taken by the the aliens, Jake Lonergan (played really well by Daniel Craig, channelling his inner-Jason Bourne) along with Ella Swenson (Olivia Wilde) Woodrow Dolarhyde (an energetic Harrison Ford), Doc (Sam Rockwell) The Deputy (Brian Duffy) among others form a posse to find the aliens and free their loved ones. Along the way the group encounters trouble from another alien attack, a group of Bandits, which as it turns out Jake Lonergan was formerly the leader of, and a group of Indians. That's pretty much the just of the story, like many Westerns the story isn't extremely complex, there aren't a ton of side stories and subplots, the big surprise with this movie was that it wasn't Story Driven or even Special Effects Driven, but Character Driven, a rather surprise twist itself in terms of Summer Movies.

Cowboys & Aliens was directed by Jon Favreau, who is Supremely Underrated, while his movies always make money, he isn't given the credit for how well he blends story, characters, and effects. Everyone knows the movies he's directed, Iron Man 1 and 2, Elf, Zathura, and even his lesser known movies are quality like Made and he also wrote the great Swingers, and he hits again with Cowboys & Aliens, many people thought this would be a new concept, but it really isn't, its more than that, its a new take on a story thats been told many times before, while it may start the same as several movies that came before it definitely doesn't end the way those movies did.