Waka Flocka goes hard in the motherfuckin tape on his new mix, Re-Up, an 11 track compilation with solid production and clever collaborations. His much-anticipated album, Flockaveli 2, doesn't drop til later this year, and this mix will carry you through til it's release.

Fellow Atlanta rapper Young Scooter is featured on the 808 Mafia produced second track, "Cook Jug," and has one of the catchier hooks on the mix. Both "Lottery" and "Ain't No Problems" have that signature Waka sound, and the latter has verses from oddly charismatic ATL rapper Young Thug and Judo.

"Word to the Wise," an impeccably produced track by up and coming rapper-turned-producer Metro Boomin, is one of the strongest on the tape, and it's worth mentioning that Metro is only 19 years old. He can't get into the clubs that play his music, but that's what house parties, like the one in "Real N!gga Love," are for. Featuring the OG of putting dollar signs in your name, Too $hort, it's a banger, with Waka rapping about liquor, molly, weed, bad bitches, and turning the house into a club.

Former graffiti artist Gepetto (government name: Brendan Hanna) mellows the mix out on "Ghetto Child," a synth-y and chill track that gives you a moment to relax before going to the next track, "Work It Like A Pro." Featuring English-Caribbean rapper Giggs, it's the perfect track to dance to like you do it in the mirror.

The tape closes with the old-school sounding, Macon Hamilton featured, "Knowledge God," a track that could easily fit in on a mixtape when they were actually tapes. It's a surprisingly solid ending to the mix, and makes up for the first track, "Fuck N!gga," which is easily my least favorite of the compilation.

Overall, this is a solid mix that's been on repeat in my headphones for the last two days, and is available to stream and download for the low, low price of free99. 

Grade: B+

Buffalo based singer/songwriter and producer Jon Bap has an eclectic sound that ranges from experimental rock to soul, jazz and hip-hop. In addition to boasting impressive skills as an MC, the artists remix work which includes tracks from Beyonce, The SEVENth, and an ethereal, spaced out take on 50 Cent's "What Up Gangsta". Evident from his diverse Soundcloud uploads, Bap is capable of incorporating countless influences to create a truly unique sound, like on the track "The Best Out" which features a mellow beat and soulful vocals sampled from UK singer Sampha juxtaposed with fiery Drake sample from "Too Much."

In anticipation of his upcoming album, the artist recently shared a collection of demos and studio takes that didn't make it onto the album. The nearly ten minutes of material includes smooth vocal melodies, a comical impression of Atlanta rap group Migos and an experimental track that borders on noise rock with psychedelic and soul elements. With ambitious instrumentation from Bap along with flute and saxophone from Kevin Jacobi and guitar from Dominic Missana, the still untitled sophomore album promises to be highly creative and as sonically adventurous as his 2012 debut Parallels, which featured a slightly more straighforward, indie rock sound. Check out the demos below.

Peep out the self-proclaimed "legendary" 22-year-old's soundcloud here, and because spring is so so close to being sprung, here's "Seasons Change," a standout track from the album, which dropped March 12th.

The boys of Prime Example are back at it again. This time, they're spreading their wings and flying the coop, but not permanently. Each artist is pursuing their own solo projects, and making the first debut is Iron Mic's The Mic Check. Known as an encyclopedia of hip hop knowledge to his comrades, Mike "Iron Mic" Kane puts together a list of seemingly harmless track names such as "Jedi" and "Raw,",but the punches come from the hard-hitting lyrics and powerfully pounding beats, making the project, produced by Marc Mostro Coppola and Ian Riquelme Olivos, a guaranteed knockout. Watch out for this one. Copies of the album will be available for $5 tonight at McGarret's. The party starts at 10 pm and will feature instrumental stylings from the live hip hop band Type Relevant. DJ Optimus Prime, who provided cuts for the album, will also be spinning. Cover is $5.

Iron Mic performing at the Cretaceous Sunday Cypher:

"We gonna take you to the Triple Six Clubhouse. We got a plot for you already dug out." I think that line pretty much encompasses Three Six Mafia and their approach to hip-hop. Hard hitting, no frills, gritty, street rap, Three Six Mafia was and is a major influence on today's hip-hop, especially the subgenre, Trap, a genre 3-6 more or less invented. You hear it everywhere these days...a slowed down, menacing approach; dark beats, complemented by graphic verbal accounts of violence and street life. Three Six has never been for the faint of heart.

After some time off, the crew re-tooled and reassembled, and are now known as Da Mafia 6ix. Despite Juicy J's absence and the death of founding member, Lord Infamous, Da Mafia has been hitting it hard, releasing a mixtape this past November, 6iX Commandments, which debuted on the Billboard hip-hop charts, and embarking on a national tour.

The Forvm plays host to one stop of this tour tonight (7pm, $25), along with an ensemble of MC's, and musicians, including TWISTED INSANE, Whitney Peyton, Sozay, Alan Winkle, Evident Truth, Kamp Crystal Lake, AJ Jordan, Kourt Jester, Crooked Boyz, Kool Jay, and Tormented.

Everyone in this town is a DJ, but tonight you can put your money where your mic is at Buffalo's only monthly hip hop karaoke event. Hosted by Billy Drease Williams, the good people at DTR, and Hip Hop Karaoke Buffalo, this is the most fun you'll have at karaoke in the 716 (sorry, Tudor Lounge).

The event starts at 10, and all performers must pre-register here. Unfortunately, registration is full so if you slept on getting your song in, you'll have to wait til next month. All performers are supplied with a free drink, a dj, and a hypeman, but what rapper doesn't show up with his own entourage?

Pro tips: hold the mic from the bottom, remember to breathe, and for all your swag needs, remember that 2 chainz are better than one. 

THIS JUST IN: DRAKE WRITES SONGS ABOUT LOVE 'SHAKE AND BAKE,' RELATIONSHIP BAGGAGE, BUT RESENTS 'EMOTIONAL RAPPER' LABEL...STILL

A few months ago, Drake sat down with Canadian broadcaster Jian Ghomeshi of CBC Radio and broke it down for the people: “I’m so sick of people saying that I’m like lonely and emotional, and associating me with this like longing for a woman,” he explained. “I hate that, it bothers me so much…’cause I do make music that makes you feel something, but I’m actually not that guy in real life, I’m happy…I’m very excited, my life is constantly exciting, it’s not some sad depressing story.” He went on to say that, “As far as the soundscapes go,” Drake continued, “That’s just the music I chose to make. I make music strictly for the purpose of driving at night time.”

I’m sure by now you’ve seen the plethora of memes on Facebook, and the websites dedicated to their creation--Drake holding random baby, Drake striking a model pose, Drake hunched down against a wall with big brown puppy dog eyes, Drake forlorn. Accompanying each photo is some sort of emotionally mocking, tongue-in-cheek quote action. All I can say is...haters gon' hate. But I'm a hater, and I love to hate to love Aubrey Graham, because, he's made a fortune off of being the "soft guy." But in a world of gimmick-ruled hip hop, isn't everyone going "soft" nowadays? Drake is one of the few "newcomers" who has at least managed to maintain the same image over the course of his success (Hopefully he isn't mentored by Snoop Dogg who "found the light" all of a sudden and became Snoop Lion or P.Diddy who went through like, five name changes and just continues to hop on other artists' steezes instead of stitching out his own). Who doesn't love a kid in a wheelchair. What woman radio listener is going, "He cared too much and shit!" No woman, I have yet to meet, anyway (though I'm sure they still exist).

Negativity initially poured in from the masculine hip hop perspective, because pride is something to be cherished--they're all keeping up on who's getting the most ego boosts per day and who's crown jewels are getting polished by which video vixen at the moment. Which brings me to another question: how does one acquire "street cred" in the industry, is it meaningless within the scene now, with all the Tygas running around making pop tracks with Justin Bieber figures and Mileys shaking their ass next to Mike-Will-Made-It and Juicy J? It just seems like an overly obvious route to take in order to increase numbers. It's clear that, today in mainstream hip hop, you need a game plan. One can't rely on talent alone; you must have a back story, an oddity, a controversy.

Drake has all of the above. You also must stay current on all new trends, hip hop and non-hip hop alike, or you will get devoured. Hip hop has made it's way into all aspects of private and public life, from lingo to dress to movies to philosophy and mannerisms. People on the outskirts yearn for that very street cred that has been lost within the scene. It's the cross-genre chameleon transcending racial and socioeconomic boundaries, a force twerked forward by singers like Miley Cyrus. And the hip hop world embraced her. It is the new dirty pop; it fits into whatever context/trend relevant at the moment. The genre's reputation has undergone several face lifts over the years, and so has its mainstream fan base. With the idea of "street cred" out the window,the line of distinction has faded. If all hell is breaking loose, why can't Drake continue to shed a tear or two in a song without people accusing him of "emasculating" the entire game? Leave Aubrey alone!

I wanted to reflect on this whole Drake meme craze that has been going strong on the internet for about two or three years now. And by "reflect" on I mean make fun of...for funsies. Nothing more, nothing less. These “Drakeisms” have been going on since 2011/2012 (Complex mag’s got 15 hilarious ones right here). Drake memes also made it to the number 15 spot on Complex’s list of Biggest Internet Sensations of 2013 (Miley Cyrus makes the number two spot, that’s a post in itself (I could name the top five twerk incidents that should never happen in public again. She would be on the list, not because she shouldn't do it, but because she's doing it wrong, but shall refrain). I decided to play around with the "Drakeism" thing myself. I have no meme powers, but I DO have an indulgent mind, and Drake just happens to be my muse of the minute. I therefore posed the question to fellow hip hop friends: can you feed my Drake habit and send me your corniest, emotionally nauseating Drake bars? Responses did not flood in (Guess "street cred" matters in the underground of talent (Lil Wayne doesn't count, already checked). My really good writer friend, however, was all for it (We share this Drake meme fetish...and a love for the outlandishly spontaneous). She was totally down for some senseless fun. And so it started off as a battle of girl-on-girl wit:


She came with a second round of heat seconds later:


A random Facebook scroller was astounded by our amazing Drake lyric quick draw and blasted us away with his social commentary:


We were so damn hyped we just couldn't help but drag some local rapper elites into the whole deal...Chaotik Stylz goes in...#CYPHER!!!!:


After a few exchanges it was evident, that, one really can't take Drake too seriously. He's as soft as a snuggie (And knows quite a lot about feminine hygiene products):


BUT THEN Kevin "Frigid Giant" Delgado smacked us in the face with a more realistic portrayal of the rapper in song, a verse Drake himself would be highly proud of, and could actually use:


I suppose if Drake cared about street cred, he could toughen up his image, zipper up into a deadmua5 suit and start twerking on stage at the Country Music awards, which would arouse excitement in any and every country artist who has ever had the devil on their shoulder taunting them into incorporate a rhyme or two in one of their songs. Hey, Drake's all for it (#streetcred). But he's doing him right now...



Last name Ever, first name Greatest, like a sprained ankle boy, I ain't nothin' to play with, started off local, but thanks to all the haters I know G4 pilots on a first name basis, UH

On "You Don't Want These Problems," the fourth track on his new album, Suffering From Success, rap "artist" DJ Khaled bawls, "You can't stop me, I'm a franchise!" Unfortunately for anyone who cares about hip-hip, he's right.  And while Khaled might not be the best. . .wait, what does this guy do again? He doesn't rap, or sing, or even produce much of his record, technically not making him not even a DJ. It seems like all he can do is yell "DJ Khaled!" cool voice at the start of each track.

No, scratch that.  His voice isn't cool; it sucks.

So what does he do? Well, on Suffering From Success, he assembles an all-star crew of mostly infuriatingly bad rappers - the kind of rappers who almost make me embarrassed to say I listen to hip-hop. What you get is exactly what you'd expect.  A lot of generic beats and a lot of deep-voiced rappers yelling about wealth, drugs, designer brands and, most frequently, haters and niggas and hatin-ass niggas. They also get romantic once in a while and give (usually unflattering) shout-outs to their bitch and hoes.

Ugh.

Production-wise, the record is mostly banal and devoid of anything even slightly creative. The first half follows the same tired formula for every shitty southern rap track: big ringing synths, loads of autotune, clickedy-clack snare and heavy, slow-to-mid tempo bass. The second half does have its cool moments, like the coll reggae vibe of "Give it All to Me" and the psychedelic minimalism of "Hell's Kitchen," but performers like Nicki Minaj can't quite step up to the beat.

Lyrically, at its best moments, the performers might not make you cringe. Khaled and Rick Ross yell a lot, Lil Wayne drops some weak metaphors on "No Motive," and on "I'm Still," Chris Browns croons, "Still gon'a do my thing" - which, as we all know, is assaulting other R&B singers.

In more than a few ways, the album seems to embody everything that's wrong with modern hip-hop: the pointless misogyny, the banal production, the look-at-my-I'm-rich-bitch idealism. That's not a problem is you only want to turn up the volume, turn down your brain and get the trunk rattling for an hour or so. But if you're someone who likes to, ya know, think while you listen to music, then it's just disgustingly bad. DJ Khaled isn't the one Suffering From Success - we are. We're suffering from too many successful rappers who don't have any story worth telling or music worth creating. 

Grade: D-

The 4-piece hip hop sensation Type Relevant hit the studio this summer and came out with one of the best Buffalo hip hop albums I have heard thus far writing for buffaBLOG. Pure Speculation, a title Type Relevant front man Brian Herlihy says was inspired by the darker side of the music industry, the side of all business, image, and preconceived notions about what hip hop artists are suppose to sound or act like, is an album seasoned with multi-genre flair. The guys bring together jazz, bluesy rhythms, rock, and Latin-influenced sounds to produce a global flavor I have yet to hear from any other Buffalo hip hop artist.

Surprising tempo changes and skillfully rendered lyrics, such as in "Mint Chips" make no track boring. Classical instrumentation such as in "Breaking Through," featuring cellist Charlie Bennet, add to the group's multi-instrumentalist appeal. Each track contains an inspiring message, especially for those looking to break into the music industry. "Elevate" contains a simple but right-on message, "Elevate to a higher level." Be yourself, get to where you want to be with hard work, and things will fall into place. The milky vocals in "This Road" provided by songstress Rachel Palumbo provides judt enough sexy feminine edge. Herlihy freestyles like a quick change artist; his lyrics are fast and to the point, because extra verbage is unecessary when rhyming what you feel. The album's phenomenally done. Make sure you give it a listen.
 

Straight Dope will return next week. Let’s hope Kanye West does something stupid before then.

Houston gangsta rap pioneers, Geto Boys, helped pave the way for the breakthrough of countless southern hip hop artists including Goodie Mob, Outkast, Juvenile, and UGK. The group's 1991 album, We Can't Be Stopped, gained notoriety for it's controversial cover of member Bushwick Bill in the hospital following a gunshot wound. The record's lead single, "Mind Playing Tricks on Me," is widely regarded as one of the best hip hop songs of the 90's, and was named the genre's fifth greatest song of all time in 2012 by Rolling Stone. Other notable tracks from the trio include "Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta," which was prominently included in the 1999 cult comedy Office Space, and "The World is a Ghetto." Tonight, original members Scarface, Bushwick Bill, and Willie D. will perform at the Town Ballroom in what is sure to be a showcase of the powerful delivery and charismatic stage presence that established the group as hip hop legends. Doors open at 7pm and tickets can be purchased for $25 online or for $29 at the door.

Yep.