 | Jay Stay Paid by J Dilla
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $8.48 Man, do I miss this guy. Easily the best I've heard this year. Period.
Norf's Rating: 4½ Stars
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 | Yes! by k-os
Buy new: $24.49 / Used from: $22.98 I've been a fan of this guy for a few years now and he continues to amaze me. Though it's not 100% hip hop, I highly recommend it anyway. Solid rhymes and excellent production. An almost perfect album from one of Canada's finest emcees. If you're not familiar with the Canadian sound, you can't go wrong if you start with this guy. All of his albums are near perfect.
Norf's Rating: 4½ Stars
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 | Troubadour by K'naan
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $4.79 Again, Canada represents. The production here is the strong suit, but this is my introduction to K'naan and he didn't disappoint with the lyrics. Dope album here.
Norf's Rating: 4½ Stars
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 | Chamber Music by Wu Tang
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $8.99 This one is holding steady at 4 stars for me. I've only listened to it twice, though. The only flaw would be the amount of skits. Solid in every other area, though.
Norf's Rating: 4 Stars
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 | T.I.M.E Soundtrack by Odd Nosdam
Buy new: $15.98 / Used from: $6.00 This is my introduction to Odd Nosdam. Nothign short of excellent. It's an instrumental album, so some won't feel it as much, but I love instrumental albums.
Norf's Rating: 4 Stars
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 | Blaqkout by DJ Quik & Kurupt
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $8.64 Dope beats from Quik and decent lyrics overall. The beats are some of Quik's best in quite some time. These two make for a pretty dope duo and Kurupt finally sounds motivated.
Norf's Rating: 4 Stars
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 | Brooklynati by Tanya Morgan
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $6.70 Dope beats throughout. Von Pea is one of my favorite double threat rapper/producers of this decade and he didn't disappoint.
Norf's Rating: 4 Stars
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 | Yes! It's Yours (Fan Remix Album) by K-Os
Buy new: $16.49 / Used from: $13.42 Yep, the remix album is almost as good as the original. Nice new spins on already great tracks...
Norf's Rating: 4 Stars
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 | The Ecstatic by Mos Def
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $7.19 Mos brings it lyrically, but he doesn't break any new ground. The production is outstanding, though. You won't be floored by it, but you'll be glad you bought it. Rock solid all the way around.
Norf's Rating: 4 Stars
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 | The Winter's End EP
Buy new: $4.95 Sabzi continues to craft sonic gems. Ra Scion is his usually reliable self. The only problem is the length (5 tracks @ 14 minutes), but that's the nature of an EP, right? Check this one out.
Norf's Rating: 4 Stars
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 | Relapse by Eminem
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $5.95 This is probably as close to a return to form as we're going to get from Mr. Mathers. I'd say it's dope, and exclusive production from Dr. Dre helps the cause, but it teeters back & forth between 3½ and 4 stars for this listener...
Norf's Rating: 3½ Stars
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 | Blackout 2 by Method Man
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $3.43 Not as good as the debut, but solid in its own right. There seems to be an obvious lack of cohesion or direction, but the lyrics are still on point.
Norf's Rating: 3½ Stars
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 | Radio by Exile
Buy new: $18.98 / Used from: $10.21 After hearing his work on Below The Heavens, I figured his beats would be on that level. It could be considered a letdown when graded against BTH, but it's a solid LP in its own right.
Norf's Rating: 3½ Stars
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 | Lowdown Suite 2: The Box by Moka Only
Buy new: $14.98 / Used from: $7.40 Like most sequels, LS2 doesn't live up to its predecessor. Of course, Moka's lyrics are reliable and on point, but the focal point is always the production. If you dig the laid back stuff, this shouldn't disappoint.
Norf's Rating: 3½ Stars
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 | I Heard It Today by Mr. Lif
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $8.70 The initial rush was great, but this one wore off on me kind of fast. Lif isn't the problem because the lyrics are solid, but the production is a little low budget for someone of Lif's caliber. Still a solid release, though.
Norf's Rating: 3½ Stars
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