My favorite mixtapes out now

Many artists have dropped mixtapes and albums in the last year.

Even though I try to listen to every kind of rapper, some of my favorite CD's are from some of my favorite artists.

Wiz Khalifa recently dropped a mixtape entitled Taylor Allderdice. This mixtape features artists like Chevy Woods, Juicy J, Lola Monroe, and other artists from the Taylor Gang group.

Khalifa is planning on dropping his second recording album in the summer of 2012 entitled O.N.I.F.C. (One Nigga In First Class).

Mac Miller dropped his mixtape project called Macadelic. This mixtape features artists from Cam'ron to Lil Wayne to Kendrick Lamar.
















Soulja Boy also dropped a new mixtape this year called
OBEY. Soulja works with different artists from his label
S.O.D.M.G.









YMCMB's Tyga recently dropped a mixtape called
#BitchImTheShit.

He hopes to drop his new album entitled Last King
sometime this year.












You can download all of these mixtapes for free at datpiff.

Inked up and Tatted...

 Tattoos are a symbol of self-expression.
They are special to some people are mean a lot the them.

Some people get them to remember love ones or to show
how much they love the ones that are alive now.

People get tattoos to show their feelings and to tell people what is just what is on their minds. Many rappers talk about their tats in their raps. From artists like Wiz Khlifa to Lil Wayne to Soulja, tattoos have become a bit of a characteristic for some rappers.

XXL

Okay so, every year XXL magazine puts out a Top 10 Freshman list. This list is compiled of ten new HipHop artists who they believe are ready to be successful mainstream artists.

I for one do not completely agree with this year's list. I do, however, like Kid Ink, Machine Gun Kelly, French Montana, and Roscoe Dash.

Everyone has their own taste in music. Most of the artist of this year's list just do not fit my taste at all.

The artists are selected from how strong their fan base is, music and internet buzz, and future potential. If you ask me, I do not see most of these artists making it far in HipHop.

And the F is for...

Dwayne Carter, Lil Wayne, Weezy, Weezy F. Baby, Birdman Jr.

No matter which name you call her, there is no doubt that Lil Wayne is one of the best rap artists in the game. Born in New Orleans, Weezy has been rapping since the age of 13.  He was made countless records and has sold countless albums.

Know a lot for his metaphors, wordplay, tattoos, and smoking/drinking habits, Lil Wayne has had a major influence on HipHop.

He has even started his own record label called Young Money Cash Money Billionaires (YMCMB).

The Weed They Smoke...

If you are a major fan of Hip Hop like I am, you would know how much marijuana is involved in the rap game. Time after time, artists have talked about smoking all types of weed. Many rappers are mostly known for smoking weed alone:

• Snoop Dogg
• Wiz Khalifa
• Lil Wayne
• Red Man
• Method Man
• Curren$y
• Kid Cudi
• 2Pac
• Mac Miller

I for one am not against this, but at the same time, I do not promote it. I believe artists are allowed to the talk about they feel no matter what others think about it.

Actor turned Rapper

One of my new top artists is Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino. Some of you may know him as Troy on NBC's Community. Even though he has been acting most of his life, he has never strayed away from writing and making music. Born in New York but now living in California, Gambino is really starting to buzz in the Hip Hop game. When it comes to music, he is known for his dirty but still nerdy lyrics.

Even though his twitter does not have as many followers as other main stream rappers, he is definitely on the Up N' Up!

What's your style?

Anyone who truly knows Hip-Hop, knows that it comes in different styles and sub-genres. Most MC's tend to make to the same kind of music throughout their careers. This is the same for time periods. Hip-Hop changes from year to year, decade to decade. If you asked me, I would say that my favorite time in Hip-Hop history is the 1990's. And my favorite sub-genre would have to be Up-town beat-street.

Like I said before, Hip-Hop has sub-genres.

• Up-town beat-street; Nas, Jay-Z Biggie Smalls, KRS1, Method Man, Wu Tang Clan, 50 cent, Square Off, Diggy, Mac Miller, etc.

• West Coast; Snoop Dogg, NWA, Wiz Khalifa, Nate Dog, Ice Cube, Kid Ink, 2Pac, Tyga, E-40, etc.

• Down South; Lil John, Ludacris, Travis Porter, Lil Wayne, B.o.B, Big K.R.I.T., UGK, OutKast, Paul Wall, Ying Yang Twins, Waka Flocka, Gucci Mane etc.

Everyone was music that they listen to because it reflects their life. For instance, if someone likes to party, get drunk and fight a lot, they might listen to Waka Flocka. If someone likes the hang out, smoke weed, and have fun, they might listen to Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg, or Mac Miller. If someone likes to breakdown life, talk about the world and how we can change it, they might listen to KRS1, Common, Nas, or Biggie.


I challenge you to pick your favorite sub-genre of Hip-Hop. Figure out what songs speak to you. Which ones can you truly relate to. If you pay close attention, we can see that Hip-Hop is not just for blacks or urban people. Hip-Hop is for the world. It is the voice of the people.