If you are still waiting for Game's (formerly of G-Unit) highly anticipated "The R.E.D Album," don't hold your breath. Apparently the album is 95 percent finished but who knows what that means—the album was already given a firm release date back in June and has been delayed ever since.
Meanwhile, the most recent buzz springs from Game's newest 29-track mix tape "Purp & Patron," which exudes a professional quality often reserved for studio albums. The mix tape was released on January 24 and was downloaded over 50,000 times before the week's end. It certainly does not hurt that Game features some of the biggest names in the industry: Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Dr. Dre, Rick Ross, Fabolous and Wiz Khalifa to name a few.
One thing is for sure: this mix tape is not lacking in quality (and with names like these on 29 tracks, one would hope not.) In fact, "Purp & Patron" is filled with radio-ready songs like "In My 64" and "The Kill," which are rumored as potential options for "The R.E.D. Album." The rest of the mix tape is just as powerful, and even bridges genres with "Can a Drummer Get Some," featuring Blink-182's drummer Travis Barker.
With so many quality tracks on "Purp & Patron," it can be frustrating for fans who have been patiently waiting for Game to release his album. The cynic in me says Game will release his album after he has milked the industry for all the hype it is willing to give. This is the path Game has taken in the past with regard to his feuds with other rappers, specifically 50 Cent.
But to be fair, it is not as if Game has been snoozing on the job; this is his third mix tape in the past nine months. To end on an optimistic note, I'll hope that Game is a perfectionist and is waiting until he has a flawless track list for what may be his last album.
After his collaborative 2010 album "Revolutions per Minute" with DJ and producer Hi-Tek, Talib Kweli returns to his solo work with his January 25 release of "Gutter Rainbows." In short, this is a return to the sounds of the classic Kweli: powerful and quickly rapped lyrics that liven up otherwise melancholy beats.
Songs like "Tater Tot" and "So Low" prove that Kweli can still produce an excellent album by himself. Actually, some of the songs with featured artists on "Gutter Rainbows" feel much weaker than the songs without their help.
For instance, I am confused as to why Kweli chose to feature Iron Solomon—a rap artist better known for his rap battling abilities than for producing music—in the final song of the album, "Chicken Soup." I can describe Solomon's help on that song as little more than uncomplicated lyrics and a rap style fit for chanting a nursery rhyme.
Although "Gutter Rainbows" showcases Kweli's powerful sound over mournful beats, it barely exhibits how Kweli can absolutely shine on slightly more upbeat tracks like his hit single "Get By" from 2002. Overall, Kweli has delivered an album that any fan is bound to enjoy regardless of its minor shortcomings.
By now, everyone has surely heard of Wiz Khalifa, the 23-year-old rapper most recently lauded for his hit single "Black and Yellow," referring to the colors of the Super Bowl-bound Pittsburgh Steelers. Wiz started to develop a fan base back in 2006 with the release of his first album "Show and Prove" and then received radio airplay in 2008 for his single "Say Yeah."
It was after his 2009 album "Deal or No Deal" with the hit "That Plane" that Wiz really began to develop a massive national fan base. Wiz calls his fans his "Taylor Gang" because of his fondness for Chuck Taylor All-Star shoes.
Wiz signed with Atlantic Records in July and plans to release his first studio album, "Rolling Papers," with them on March 29.
Until then, there is plenty of music to satisfy all your biggest Wiz desires. Wiz released the mix tape Northern Lights in November, which boasts many addictive tracks like "Stoned," "In My Car" and "Roll Up."
This month, Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg collaborated on a mix tape called "The New Cheech & Chong," with "That Good" gaining much popularity as its first single. It was only natural that these two artists would eventually collaborate, sharing a mutual love for the Steelers, marijuana and producing great music.
As is evident from many of his songs, and especially "Black and Yellow," (charting No. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100) Wiz has a knack for choosing the right beats and turning them into addictive tracks with light-hearted lyrics. After already gaining the necessary airplay and now the confidence of legends like Snoop Dogg, it is only a matter of time before Wiz transforms himself from a rising star into a legend in his own right.