God's Stepson (N/A, 2003) by 9th Wonder

9th Wonder is a great producer and this is further evidence of that.  Considering Nas is one of the best lyricist's ever, sometimes his beat selection is less than stellar.  Fortunately, 9th realized this revamped a majority of God Son's tracks and one other.  The two tracks that I do think were better on the original release though were "Get Down" and "Made U Look."  Other than that, he definitely brings new life to a lot of already amazing records with his production.  Props to him for "The Cross" and "Ether" especially.

Street Wars: Roc-A-Fella is an Army (N/A, 2005) by DJ P. Cutta

DJ P. Cutta put together a solid collection of Roc-A-Fella battle records.  It starts strong with Jay-Z rhyming his "Dear Summer" rap over Black Rob's "Can I Live" instrumental and his classic "Takeover" record.  Not long after, the "Drop It Like It's Hot (Remix)" comes in and Jay gets the last word on R. Kelly.  Other Roc-A-Fella artists make notable contributions (especially Beanie Sigel).  However, as far as straight rhymes, no one tops Hov.  The last strong point on the tape is the infamous "Superugly."  It's good, but not great- especially when compared to Nas' "Ether."  Overall, this is a good compilation of diss songs courtesy of the house that Dame, Biggs, and Jay built.

Rap Phenomenon II (N/A, 2004) by 2Pac

Personally, I put this right up there with The Don Kiluminati and Me Against the World, in terms of my favorite material from Pac.  Obviously, his raps are timeless, but, in some cases, production sounds dated.  But DJs- Vlad, Dirty Harry, and Green Lantern do a superb job of blending Pac's rhymes over more modern beats.  The numerous interludes (Sway's was especially cool) shows the unconditional admiration that Hip-Hop will forever have for Tupac Shakur- one of the genre's most memorable figures ever.

Straight from the Lab (N/A, 2004) by Eminem

The cuts here that weren't included on the bonus disc of Encore should have taken the place of some of the songs on the regular Encore disc (so what if they had leaked, I think they're still better than "Big Weenie" and "Ass Like That").  "Monkey See Monkey Do" is a song to get people amped and "Can I Bitch" is more evidence that Em is not someone that an opponent will likely beat in a battle.

Nostalgia, Ultra (N/A, 2011) by Frank Ocean

I didn't hear this mixtape until after I had heard Watch the Throne.  My two favorite tracks on the album are "No Church in the Wild" and "Made in America."  Although that is not just based on Ocean's appearance on those two tracks, his contributions do make those particular songs stand out.  This mix tape is quirky, but in a good way.  I was immediately hooked with the "Street Fighter" video game intro and I like the Stanley Kubrick stuff too.  It's a cohesive body of work, but not unlike Tyler the Creator's Goblin, it can seem a bit confusing.  Vocally, his best track is "Songs for Women."  The only thing that somewhat holds the mixtape back is the production, but it's a mixtape so it's not really fair to hold that against it.  Overall, it's a great release from a very promising new talent.

Yay Game: The Best of E-40 (N/A, 2012) by Matthew Africa [mixer]

For an artist that has been around a quarter of a century, this is a good collection of tracks.  It covers solid solo tracks as well as collaborations.  It's the perfect music to put on in a car and just drive.  The best track, and personal favorite 40 track, is "Player's Ball" with Too Short and K-Ci.  Props to Matthew Africa for mixing a great array of material.

G-Unit Radio Vol. 6: Motion Picture Shit (N/A, 2004) by DJ Whoo Kid

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1/Ready or not here we come, here comes trouble in the club11, 12, 13, pistols big as M 16's/How the fuck we sneak in with this many heaters in our jeans/Nina, 2 nina's, a peace and they don't even see us/Some shit pops off we squeeze each one they gon' think its machine guns/Vanos vo vano, bananas in our flannels/Hands around our colt handles, hold them like roman candles/Vannas vo vannas, banana fanna fo fannas/Who come back all bananas, banana clips loaded/Managers, bouncers and the club owners, the motherfuckers dont want us/To come up and rush in the club and run up in it with a bunch of/Motherfuckers from Runyan, steady poppin them onions/Ready set to go nut up, prepare to tear the whole club up/Fixin to get into some shit just itchin to choke someone up/You know we finna loc'n when we mix coke with coke and nut rum up/Yeah Yeah oh, what up, see my people throw shit up/See you talk that hoe shit now when you down and wont get up/And can't sit up your so slit up, the ambulance wont sew you up/They just throw you up in the trunk once they tag your big toe up/Heater no heater, automatic no matic/Mac or no mac it dont matter if I have or dont have it/You never know what im packin' so you just dont want no static/And open up a whole can of whoop ass you dont wanna chance to/Risk it no biscuit, mili mac a mac milli/Really homie dont be silly, homie you dont know me really/You're just gonna make yourself dizzy wonderin what the dealy/Fuck it lets just get busy D Twizzys back up in the hizzy!"

-Eminem, "10, 9, 8, 7"

HITstory (N/A, 2012) by Hit-Boy

Considering how skilled Hit-Boy is as a producer, it was very impressive to hear him be able to rap with great ability as well.  He is first and foremost a producer, and he plays to those strengths by enlisting the help of other rappers such as Big Sean and Kid Cudi.  But Hit-Boy can definitely hold his own on the mic, my two favorite songs are ones he does by himself, "East Vs. West" and "Jay-Z Interview."

The S. Carter Collection (N/A, 2003) by Jay-Z

“Hey nobody dumpin' on hove/You ain’t in sanitation or sanitarium/What are you crazy Jay-Z’ll bury em/I'll get you drug out the club they have to carry em/Your head bug out I'll raid niggas scared of em/Worry I'm not Mike Jordan/Of the mic recording/Hovi’ baby you Kobe, maybe Tracy McGrady/Matter fact you Harold Miner, J.R. Rider/Washed up on marijuana/Even worse you a Purvis Ellis/You worthless fella/You ain't no athlete you Shawn Bradley/I ain’t talkin' to nobody in particular/My flow just vehicular homicide when I’m kitchen em/Yes, anybody in my path Is a car crash waiting to happen/Nigga what?/I got my foot on the throat of the pulse of this rap game and I ain’t letting up/Yea who’s the nicest life of lifeless mic devices?/And I don't write this I just mic this/I will it to happen/One take hove I’m real in this rapping/My new name is just the facts/While the rest of y'all just adjust the facts/Put words together, just to match/I say what I feel y’all adjust to that/I do the opposite of y’all so I just attract/The realer audience usually unjustly black/Know my flow and the shit they go just match/Like the sound of my voice and a choice just track/I just tackle the something the flack of the public/Nothing, I know real niggas happen to love it/If you don’t like it or look in the mirror/Most likely you ain’t living so you don’t get it/You ain’t did it so you can envision it/The picture I’m painting ain't vivid/The language I’m spitting is so foreign to ya/She was starving a dude to ya/Growin up hard in a little apartment allude to ya/I’m just talkin’ to ya/ I’m just talkin’ through ya”

-Jay-Z, "Pump It Up Freestyle"

The People's Rapper LP (All Varsity Music, 2012) by Jon Connor

I heard this mix tape for the first time a few months ago and was very impressed.  Jon Connor's rhymes do the beats justice, and that is no easy feat considering who spit to them on the first go-round. "Don't be a target, or a dead artist/Cause in Flint, blood on the floor is the closest we'll ever get to a red carpet," he raps on the "Cold Wind Blows (Intro)" and Connor's version of "Lose Yourself" is just as inspiring and motivating as Eminem's original.  There are a few missteps here, such as "40 Oz" and "You Don't Know"- two posse cuts that feel interchangeable.  However, weak moments on this mix tape don't occur very often at all.  On "When I'm Gone," Connor says, "I spit my life in every line I hope I'm there for somebody/So I'm a spit this shit until there ain't no air in my body."  I hope so.  Because based on this material, Jon Connor shows that he has the potential to be one of the all-time greats.

N****r Noize (n/a, 2007) by Bishop Lamont

"Fuck the radio, fuck a video/And fuck any rapper tryin' to rap typical (FUCK YOU!)/It ain't that difficult,To spit some shit that's dope/Or maybe it is, but luckily for me, nope/You know that shit you wrote, ain't no shit to quote/Unless it's XXL 'Step Your Game Up' hoe/Peace to Mad Linx, but Rap City's soft/When the fuck they turn The Basement to an art loft?/I ain't mad at Tigger, get your money nigga/I would have done the same thing just to fuck Melissa/It's a God damn shame/When our music went corporate and fucked up the game/And like B.I.G. said, "Things Done Changed"/Labels merged, the raps and beats all sound the same/Seem like damn near, every rapper bang/Well I just hope Andre 3000 rap again"

                                                                                                                                                                      -Bishop Lamont, "Translator"

God's Plan (n/a, 2002) by G-Unit

The second set of tracks that 50 flooded the streets with continued his streak of album quality cuts on mix tapes.  50 and the G Unit not only jump on others artist's tracks and outshine the originals, they also bring their own personalities to them which made them rap stars, in addition to credible emcees.  "Catch Me in the Hood" and "You're Not Ready" finds them ripping through Eminem and Beanie Sigel cuts respectively.  Biggie is also featured on the tape.  Some of his vocals are used for "N****s" (Puff also does a drop at the beginning) and "The World is Filled…" track is rhymed over on "The World."  This is a good tape that proved 50 and his crew were ready for superstardom.  

The Invasion (n/a, 2002) by DJ Green Lantern

The first installment in this legendary mix tape series is famous because it, for all intents and purposes, ended Benzino's career as a rapper.  Eminem's "The Sauce" is a great diss at The Source and his "Nail in the Coffin" is more of a personal, damning record aimed squarely air the magazine's "co-founder."  Obie's "Welcome to Detroit City" is a great take on Cam'ron and Jay's "Welcome to New York City."  And 50's "The Hood", with a beat courtesy of Dr. Dre, and G-Unit's "G'd Up" are also standouts.  Other highlights include DJ Green Lantern's blend of "Lose Yourself" and The Flipmode Squad spitting over the remix to "U Don't Know."

Automatic Gunfire (n/a, 2002) by G-Unit

The fourth installment in G-Unit's classic mix-tape run, Automatic Gunfire, brought together the best elements of 50's hunger and his then newly acquired fame.  I really liked how 50 jumped on Rakim's "R.A.K.I.M." beat with "Round Here", and the "I Smell Pussy" record was a big diss toward Murder Inc. with those opening ad-libs.  However, I think the best jabs at Ja Rule are on the interludes where they have "Ja Rule" sing over and on popular songs.  "Doing my Own Thing" finds melody being incorporated into rhyming about living large and "Bitches Ain't Shit" has G-Unit rhyming over classic Dr. Dre.  It's a great mix-tape and has definitely held up over time.

Ill At Will Vol.1 (n/a, 2004) by Redman

Due to numerous delays and setbacks, it seemed that Redman's album Red Gone Wild might not ever see the light of day.  Fortunately, Redman took it upon himself to relase something and stay on the radar while the label politics at Def Jam kept holding up his album.  His mixtape, Ill At Will Vol.1, did that and then some.  Not only does Redman rip through industry tracks like "What More Can I Say" and "Bad Intentons," but he also has original material on here as well.  Those highlights are "Da Countdown", a very, upbeat a high energy record, and "I C Dead People" which samples deceased emcees.  And last but not least, he also uses the mixtape as a platform for his Gilla House crew.  Overall, Ill at Will Vol.1 is a great example a rapper bucking the system and doing what needs to be done in order to get quality music to the people.  And isn't that what rap music is all about in the first place?  It's a beautiful thing.

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.

The Lost Tape (n/a, 2012) by 50 Cent

Clearly, 50 has a lot of pressure on him musically to succeed with his new LP later this summer and I think that this tape is a great way to bring him back to the masses and set him up for a successful release.  "Get Busy" and "Murder One" do an excellent job of bringing back the gritty street sound that made the industry fear him over a decade ago, while "I Ain't Gonna Lie" and "Complicated" infuse that gangsta pop approach by putting aggressive/explicit talk over infectious and melodic beats.  50 also stays current by doing a solid remix of 2 Chainz' "Riot" Perhaps, the only fault to this tape is that switching back and forth between so much different (but quality) material make the tape seem a little inconsistent as a whole.  But having so much versatility is the best problem an artist can have.  At the beginning of the aforementioned "Murder One" the G-Unit General says, "Don't you ever forget it n***a, I'm the reason you make a mix-tape sucka!"  Damn straight!  50 doing a mix-tape with DJ Drama is already epic, but the quality of the release is a pleasant reminder as to why those two are two of the best to ever make them.

50 Cent is the Future (n/a, 2002) by G-Unit

For my first mix-tape entry, I had to start with the best.  I remember hearing "How To Rob" on the In Too Deep Soundtrack a few years earlier.  It was not bad, but I was not blown away.  Then when "Wanksta" took off from the 8 Mile Soundtrack, I thought it was better.  However, I much preferred 50's "Places to Go".  But then I learned that "Wanksta" built a buzz on the mix-tape circuit.  I went to Beat Go On in my hometown to pick up the tape in order to try to give hip-hop's consensus the benefit of the doubt.  However, they didn't have No Mercy, No Fear and so I got 50 Cent is the Future instead.  After hearing the Future cut, "U Should Be Here", it all made sense and I played it along with Guess Who's Back? even more than Fif's Shady/Aftermath debut.  A decade later, with gangsta rap in decline, this mix-tape is a modern day classic that bangs harder than ever.