Sunday, June 17, 2012

Invasion Part II: Conspiracy Theory (n/a, 2003) by DJ Green Lantern

Of the three mixtapes in the series, the second one is my favorite.  Yes, "The Sauce" was good and "Nail in the Coffin" is one of the best diss records ever (both on the first Invasion), but as an emcee, Benzino never struck me as a worthy opponent for Eminem.  Therefore, it seemed obvious that Eminem would be victorious immediately when everything started.  Ja Rule, who was feuding with 50 at this time, however, had a bit more credibility and had sold millions.  I did think Ja was good on some records ("Holla Holla", "Can I Get A…", "Murdergram", and "Get the Fortune"), but when he began to compare himself to Tupac- he lost me.  And Shady Records took full advantage of that poor decision on Ja Rule's part, the "Hail Mary (Remix)" not only uses Ja's words against him but has three stellar verses from Eminem, 50 Cent, and Busta Rhymes.  As far as Green Lantern's blends, it has one of my favorites that I've ever heard from him, where he takes 50 and Lil Kim's vocals from "Magic Stick" and puts them over "Work It," "Fuck You," and "21 Questions" beats.  There are some skippable tracks on this project, but fewer than the other two and I think the tape concludes on a high note with a live recording of Em and 50 performing "Patiently Waiting" in Detroit, MI.

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