Trophies is sixteen tracks of straight hip hop with no chaser. “Prove Me Wrong” provides vintage bass lines with just enough sounds of the keyboard to create a beat that nestles itself inside of your ear, along with O.C.’s gritty voice spouting off lyrics explaining reasoning behind his tough persona. “Been havin’ a walker since British walkers/ Way before Obama would start to be in office/Lost friends to jail and some dead in a coffin.”

Apollo Brown’s production on “Anotha One” is equivalent to lyrical butter, and serves as O.C.’s ode to his favorite green plant. Where there are plenty of tracks that have a relaxing aura to them, the duo shows that they can bring the heat with hard hitting tracks like the bass-heavy track, Disclaimer.

O.C. shows why no features were needed on Trophies by showing his versatility in his delivery can go from melancholy in the intergalactic track “Angel’s Sing” to soothing in “The Formula,” to downright unapologetic and harsh in “People’s Champ.” Where other artists would need features to create a well-rounded album, O.C. is able to do this all by himself. Seasoned rappers are a thing to cherish.

Although Apollo Brown and O.C. have produced what sounds like a classic, the album can get monotonous at times. Apollo Brown’s loop-heavy style of production does get weary on the ear by the last tracks, but where this may seem like flaw, you will notice that the repetitiveness of the beats will keep your head nodding through the album’s entirety.

OC’s smooth delivery of his lyrics coupled with Apollo Brown’s soulful beats are what makes this album great. Trophies proves to be a two-man show that delivers a treat for the ear drums and the mind. Hopefully, these album collaborations are a trend that is here to stay.

[On Mug Shot Music: Preloaded, rapper AG (Andre the Giant) and producer Showbiz (the guy that produced KRS-One's “Sound of da Police”) team up for the second time since 1998. The two released a few albums together in the mid-90s but then focused on solo projects and collaborations with the rest of the Diggin' in the Crates Crew (Lord Finesse, Diamond D, Fat Joe, Buckwild, O.C. and Big L).]

The opening song, “DJ Premier’s Road Test” introduces the album with standard self-promotional fanfare, but then AG dives into biting social commentary. On “That Nigga Crazy,” the voice of author Amos Wilson cuts in, “in order for this system to maintain itself…it is a political necessity… for black people to be out of their minds…” In between the mantra, “That nigga crazy”, the verses elaborate on the violence built into the system. “Sometimes I imagine what if he taught us to eat the wrong food / broke our unity / since then we been screwed / and you wonder why I’m rude? / Got my sister all nude while you watch my family feud…” With white-hot precision AG addresses misogyny, the drug war, racism, and education, among other hefty topics.

While the vibe is definitely 90′s hip-hop, a lot of songs flirt with contemporary elements. “Wolves” is vivid and satisfying and has wolf howls – but the hipsters already trended wolves to death. “Here and Now,” “Experience,” and “Suspended Animation” play with space and ambience and then ground themselves with rock-solid beats and emphatic rhymes. (The term “Suspended Animation” refers to an iffy medical practice of slowing down bodily functions with cold or chemicals. Sort of like hibernation.)

Most loops are jazzy big band – sometimes bold, sometimes scrambled. A lot of the instrumentation sounds like it’s lifted from melodramatic classic films. There are dramatic slashes of strings, ominous horn lines. It isn’t always serious drama though .“Here and Now” has these tinny riffs that sound like Scooby Doo just solved another mystery. There is ample variety, songs ranging from the sunny “Berri Love” (Feat OC) to the sinister “God is 4 Us”.

A couple songs don’t hit quite right.“South Bronx Shit” is an unremarkable reppin’ your neighborhood anthem. The chorus is supposed to be camp, but the pinched tone is too annoying. “My Imagination” has very pretty instrumentals. Then A.G. sits back and ponders, “imagine… my imagination… imagine… my imagination…” A couple songs back he tells the listener how high he is. This is the first time it shows.

Mug Shot Music: Preloaded is a tight prelude to Showbiz and AG’s impending album. In “Here and Now” AG puts it out there, “…so ghetto / so hood / so good / we great / and if you dont think we the truth son, I just can’t relate.” Not going to argue.

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The first hint to what to expect from the album is evident in the cover. It’s dark, cliché, but still appealing. Ever since Nas popularized the baby on an album cover, it kind of ruined it for other artists to do the same. Just like the cover, the album is repetitive and overdone. Boasting at 17 tracks, it seems like Trice just threw together a conglomerate of unfinished and repetitive ideas that don’t necessarily take fruition. Although the album is the most light-hearted works of Trice, it is still ridden with dark tones that are evident in his lyrics, and haunting production. But overall the album is a satisfactory effort. It may not be someone’s next favorite album, but definitely has some tracks that are worth listening to.

The album first opens up with, “Intro,” a humble ode and thank you to all of Trice’s supporters like Shady Records, his label mates, and fans. However it is not Trice’s lyrics that are the attention grabber it is Dr.Dre’s production. Granted, it’s not Dre’s best work, but the piano chords are simple, repetitive, and addictive. And unfortunately, Trice’s lackluster flow doesn’t do it justice. Instead of using his aggressive, hard hitting rap lines, his delivery is far too simplistic.

Although Dr Dre sets the bar high in terms of production, once the album progresses it simmers down to a small spark. The repetitive production of syncopated hand claps, palpating bass drums, and minimal piano samples all mesh the songs together, leaving the album as a rushed production. It seems that after six long years, Trice just gathered a few tracks together as an effort to finally put something out. It leaves the listener sifting through remnants of tracks in search of the next best song. However, the album is predictable and the listener gets what they expect from any good hiphop artist; aggressive hooks marked with a consistent flow, and adequate production with cohesive ideas. Trice isn’t taking risks and it works for him.

However there are a few songs that do shine not only instrumentally, but also lyrically. Eminem’s haunting delivery (with his staple Slim Shady accent) and Satik Selektah’s reggae influenced beat, make “Richard” one of the best songs on the album. The boastful nature, but whimsical delivery in the lyrics, “Just call me Richard, cause I’m a dick,” make the song’s concept hilarious, and fun. The light nature of the album is a breath of fresh air from the all too serious and almost pretentious approach most rappers take in their lyricism.

Bottoms Up is all in all an adequate project. It’s not subpar but neither is it innovative. But to be honest, it probably shouldn’t be. Even if it boasts the production from acclaimed producers, the label switch from Shady Records and six-year time span could have served as the culprits for a lackluster record.

R.A.P Music opens up with an ode to Mike’s hometown (Atlanta) with “Big Beast”, featuring fellow southerners T.I. and Bun B. Although this is the only track with big name features on it, it is probably the weakest one on the album. This proves that Killer Mike doesn’t need a star studded album to produce some high quality content.

Mike shows his affinity for the arts with lyrics like “This is John Gotti painting pictures like Dali / This is Basquiat with a passion like Pac,” in the melancholy life lesson that is “Untitled”. He also shows his versatility in the next song high energy song “Go,” amped up with riffs and plenty of bass.

This album still manages to be fresh while bringing an 80’s flow along with some vivid storytelling that is comparable to Slick Rick’s classic record “Children’s Story”. When the electronic bleeps and gritty video game sounds kick in along with the intense delivery of a story about corrupt cops, you can literally imagine yourself in the bedroom seeing this grisly scene take place.

There are no standout tracks on the album, but that is simply because every single song can stand on its own. There are no fluff pieces, as every track has it’s own important story or lesson that Killer Mike tells in an honest, yet extremely effective way. With El-P’s innovative production and Killer Mike’s vintage Ice Cube-esque delivery, what we have here is pure hip hop genius. Is this possibly the best rap album of 2012? To quote the electro distortion heavy track “Butane”, I’d have to say “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!”

Soxx’s fight to create has been ongoing since being dropped in ’98 by Warner all the way to the release of Season One. Having a hard time sustaining major backing by a label, he lent his talents to other endeavors until finding a home with Gilla House, his group Big Black Lincoln, and being a co-founder of Capitol Hill Music.

The total package could have done without a few tracks to make a more direct and less redundant approach, but after a long hiatus some fans may be grateful for the fleshed out and complete project. Tracks like “Say I,” “All the Way,” and “Save The Day” are uplifting and inspiring. “Iphone 4″ and “Drop it Down” feature uptime and hypnotic beats more suitable for a party or a club. The mix of these songs with added elements of story telling and electric melodies give the listener a unique journey. A mashup of rap, R&B hints, even electronica, give an array of sound to enjoy.

Being nominated twice for a Juno award first in ’96 then in 2000 this maybe Soxx’s chance to take one home. It appears that he has found his recipe for success lets just hope it’s not another decade before the next Saukrates project.

The album Loaded, is anything but loaded with the exception of his exaggerated anecdotes of self destruction and depravation. The lack of creative ingenuity, substantial lyricism, and sound production is pitiful and is easy to see why he was booed offstage during his tour with The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Even with the addition appearances of Cisco Adler, Andrea Legacy, and Scott Russo, the album still lacks any likability and any memorable songs.

His lyrics in “Rock Bottom,” easily capture the aesthetic or lack thereof of the whole album. Avalon states “I’m gonna get high until I hit rock bottom,” and that’s exactly what happened, with his album being the end result: rock bottom. Loaded lacks any cohesiveness or balance, constantly weaving from syncopated reggae rhythms in “Girlfriend,” to overdubbed dancefloor beats in “Dance,” to abrasive distorted guitars in “Tight Blue Jeans,” which leaves it difficult to resonate within the listener.

In Loaded, Avalon welcomes his audience to his hedonistic lifestyle filled with sex, and drugs as he sings of idolizing the prospect of friends with benefits and freely living a life of apathetic debauchery. His lyrics referring to his adolescent experiences involving drug substance and indulgence in sex only come off as immature and extremely obnoxious as he seems to exalt it rather than condemn it. Even his delivery is poorly executed as he tries to exude a sexy and enigmatic persona, but fails miserably as it seems as if he is rapping while having a cigarette at one hand a bottle of bourbon in the other.

After listening to the album, one would probably feel loaded with a high dose of cocaine that is bound to last as long as the drug trips Mickey Avalon speaks of; which isn’t very long. The album isn’t timeless nor is it in any way impressionable. Unless Loaded is meant for addict drug user and ardent party-goers, then the album isn’t going to find any relation amongst many audiences.

Electronic music has progressed immensely over the past decade, with acts becoming staples of festival circuits and standardized as soundtracks to more exhilarating film and television. The stereotypical DJ set up has also evolved, from your once upon a time DJ just with his turntables to MPC’s, decks, elaborate visual stage arrangements and considerably more.

France’s Jus†ice (scheduled to begin at 9:30) started bang on time, wowing their immense audience in Vancouver’s packed PNE forum. Their signature cross logo stood in the middle of a gigantic mixer, sandwiched between over thirty feet of subwoofers. Despite only having two album’s worth of their own material, remixes and simplified versions of their songs were spliced in between song’s original versions and mash ups of other hooks. Each song ended up submerged by pounding bass and a superb light show.

The concentrated energy by the crowd seeped throughout, even entering the washrooms where over enthusiastic fans couldn’t help but use the light switch to further the light show experience. Thankfully I was sober enough to know how to aim.

Although certain electronic groups translate their music into renditions with traditional instruments, Justice remain with their hardware; the two of them and an astounding technical set up. With that said, the duo have enough surrounding them to provide more than a little visual stimulation.

Of course the duo performed various versions of “D.A.N.C.E.”, “Civilization,” “Stress” and “DVNO,” but the personal highlight was “Genesis” – the entire lighting theme turned to infuriating shades of deep red and red screens, alongside of the cranked volume one couldn’t help but be hypnotized.

If you leave a Justice show with perfect hearing, you weren’t standing in the crowd or near the stage. These DJ’s put on a fantastic live show.

The aim of Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded is not a clear one. Between the elementary (and almost comical) braggadocios raps and experimental Pop songs, one has a hard time grasping who Roman is, and more importantly, who Nicki Minaj is. We get it. You started out on the underground mixtape scene, had a surprisingly successful debut era, picked up mainstream attention and endorsement deals along the way. But what does that all really mean when you’re in your late 20′s and delivering punchlines like, “Bite me, apple sign”?

One thing that is clear is the merging of two distinct genres of music: rap and dance/pop. On the rap side of things, Nicki is more at home with cocky lyrics and anonymous disses. Is every line clever? No, but what she lacks in substance, she makes up for with her flow and theatrics. You can’t help but get the feeling that Nicki is only rapping because that’s how she started, and if she stopped, she would face a slew of ridicule. On the flip side, we have the Pop songs which surprisingly are not bad. Nicki embraces this sound with open arms it seems. RedOne, Dr. Luke, and Kane Beatz are the architects for Nicki’s infectious tunes like “Pound the Alarm” and “Whip It” that put her right on par with the likes of Rihanna and Katy Perry.

All in all, the one thing this album lacks is execution. Nicki relies on her predictable one liners and auto-tuned Pop records to carry her. This may be ok for her younger demographic, but for hip-hop fans – the ones who got her to where she is now, this album is severely underwhelming.

I was reluctant to listen to Tyga’s album. Because I know he is signed to Young Money, I expected his music to be similar to the more popular artists of the label like Lil Wayne, Drake, and Nicki Minaj. I am not bashing the label or the artists signed to it, but the last thing the music scene needs is another imitation of an already existing artist. Surprisingly, Tyga is not that at all.

No, Tyga is not what I would classify as an amazing lyricist, at least not quite yet, but this album shows his potential as an all-around artist. I admire the diversity of the music on the album. There are dance tracks like “Rack City”, but there are also tracks like “King & Queens” to make the listener think. There are even portions where Tyga gives a spoken word feel, for instance, the beginning of “Careless World”.

Though the lyrical content varies from song to song, one thing that is consistent is that every song on the album has a good backing track. Again, there is diversity, but regardless of how different each track is, the instrumentals are all good in their unique ways.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the album is who is featured on it. Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj are expected to be a part of the album, but the appearance of Pharrell, Nas, Chris Richardson, and Wynter Gordon, just to name a few, are a bit more unexpected and exciting.

On the other hand, it is hard to tell if this album shows Tyga’s talent as an artist or if it just shows his ability to choose talented producers and featuring artists. The use of so many features makes it hard to gauge Tyga’s actual talent. While it’s nice that he is able to be a musical chameleon, it would also be nice to see a stronger display of who he is as an artist. In the opening track, “Careless World”, Tyga says “I’m original and I show it” which to me summarizes him as an artist, but at the same time, I look forward to him making his voice and style known in future albums.

Overall, “Careless World: Rise of the Last King” achieves what the title suggests it is meant to achieve; it begins Tyga’s gradual rise. His broad choice of featured artists, producers, and song topics reveal his ability to be versatile which is a talent in itself, but it also leaves the listeners awaiting what he will do next, watching his rise, knowing that he is original and hoping that he will show it.

Yesterday, amidst a crowd of 15,000 fans, two of the biggest names in hip-hop took the stage for a two-hour and forty minute marathon of rhymes and beats. As Ye and Jay rose above the crowd on fourteen foot platform covered in LEDs, you could tell this show would be one for the ages. Spitting their verses on “H.A.M.” from their respective “thrones,” and moving right into “Who Gon Stop Me” without a pause. And then joining each other on one stage to belt out their lead single with pyrotechnics and lasers spazzing all over the Bell Centre: “Otis.”

Did I mention this was only the first ten minutes of the show?

The Throne worked through a large chunk of their new album, and then started taking turns on their solo tracks. Hova was right at it with “Where I’m From,” “Nigga What? Nigga Who?” and coming back later on for “Hard Knock Life” and “Izzo (H.O.V.A.).” It seemed to me like Jay wanted a lot of the stage time to be given to Kanye – who was sporting a skirt/kilt and leather leggings for the better half of the night. For every Jay-Z song, there were three Yeezy songs. While I don’t mind the imbalance, as I’m a bigger fan of Ye than Jay (crucify me now – you have my permission), it still seemed strange to me.

Regardless, Kanye was flawless when it came to renditions of “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” (that had a laser light show reminiscent of his Glow in the Dark tour) “Jesus Walks,” “Touch the Sky,” and “Good Life.” Heck, the songs I’ve listed are just the tip of the iceberg. The duo went through about forty tracks in total, and Kanye even got the chance to do his eight minute version of “Runaway,” as well as  a powerful sing-a-long to finish off “Heartless.” All while standing on a raised platform, of course… in a kilt.

They got through the majority of their new album. “New Day” was definitely a highlight, with the two rappers just sitting on the stage, spitting their rhymes about being fathers one day soon. And when it came time to finishing off the night, “Niggas in Paris’” Blades of Glory sample came through the speakers – the crowd went off! And when they were finished? Again. Went off for the encore. Came back on. Guess what? They played it again. And when it was done? Jay yelled, “AGAIN!” And finally… one more time. Unless my ability to count was lost, they played “Niggas in Paris” five times. And you know what? The majority of us didn’t mind one bit, dancing and bumping to it like it was the first time it had been played. Every. Single. Time. The Bell Centre hasn’t been so electrified by a hip-hop crowd in a while.

Egotistical much? Yeah, but a well-executed show no doubt. They gave the fans more than their money’s worth in lasers, lights and pyrotechnics. I have no idea if another tour like this will hit your town after this leg, especially with Jay’s baby on the way. If you can make it out to a show, despite the pricey tickets, it’ll be well worth your time. That shit cray.