G.A.S. (Gangsta and Street) 2 - A Mixtape Review

When I was a young buck I was quite an avid fan of Young Buck (HAHA WORDPLAY). But seriously, it was back in the G-Unit heyday, when 50 was on everything, hip-hop beef was still a thing, and street credibility supposedly meant something. The game has certainly changed and it has not been too kind to Young Buck. In today's mixtape oriented business, a hot tape can propel you to a deal (see: Drake, The Weeknd, Chief Keef etc.). But for some, Young Buck included, a mixtape is a way to reach your core fan base. Some, like Curren$y, take great advantage of this by pushing out multiple releases a year, continually building a buzz, and hopefully finding a way to translate mixtape success into album success. But Curren$y, despite having his own Jet Life label, is backed by Warner Bros. Young Buck on the other hand, was dropped by Interscope and G-Unit and is stuck with his own label Cashville records. It's a dirty game and Buck has seen his fair share of controversy over the years (stabbings, arrests). His two G-Unit albums are not classics, but they are definitely still listenable. They are trend heavy yet it is still a nice slice of mid-2000s nostalgia for me. Anyway, I've always considered Buck to be a decent rapper. He has high energy, a simple yet effective flow, and he is able to convey emotion with ease.

His new mixtape "G.A.S. 2" is a bit disappointing. I had no idea this was being released (one of the detriments to working on an independent label), but I was excited to hear new music from Buck. The lack of quality does muddy the waters for how legitimate his first two albums are. "The Rehab", released in 2010, was his first non G-Unit affiliated album and it was...bad, to put it in layman's terms. Although, professional oversight on an artist can make a huge difference. It can make an average rapper sound great (see: Hittman). That being said, expectations are much lower for a mixtape. Sound mixing is generally ignored, beats can be recycled, and mistakes are usually part of the creative process. Not every rapper is Action Bronson though, and this is a defining example.

I should mention that Tha City Paper splits verse duty with Young Buck on this tape; I've never heard of him before, and he doesn't really bring much to the table. He sounds alright on some beats and his flow is consistent, but he doesn't really have much to say. But how is the actual tape? It's passable.

"G.A.S. 2" benefits from Buck's raspy high energy voice. He puts effort into every verse, even though the song topics are atypical. It is more "gangsta" oriented than most tapes now, which is nice, but most of the hooks are weak. Fair warning: it is mostly mysogynist and violent. Which...caters to a certain audience?

The beats are average at best, a mix of trap and Young Chop sounding keys. There are some skips and virtually no standouts. Not much to elaborate on really, except that Buck sounds hungry again. I've said it before, but he does sound great on almost any beat. Hopefully, he can hook up with some better producers, get some fair direction, and put out some better music in the near future. One can only hope.

Rating: 5.8/10
Mixtape Link: Datpiff

City of Bones - A Review

"City of Bones" by Cassandra Clare

I will admit that young adult fiction is not really geared towards someone like me, but I will occasionally make an exception and pick one up. I did enjoy "The Hunger Games", although the movie  was a mess, and "City of Bones" is set to be released in theaters this August. Like most young adult, the writing is dumbed down a bit. This is not necessarily a bad thing as long as the characters, plot, and pacing remain interesting throughout the novel. There are typical tropes of the genre here (love triangles, vampires fighting werewolves etc.), and your opinion of such tropes will ultimately determine how you feel about "City of Bones"

I should mention that when I read fantasy novels I typically prefer Epic Fantasy over Urban. It is a blind spot that I have but I will be reading Dresden soon, and "City of Bones" is a stepping stone of sorts. Anyway, like usual there will be no plot spoilers here, and I will try to convey my thoughts on this novel with as little prejudice as possible.


Plot: To say "City of Bones" borrows heavily from other works is an understatement. There is hardly anything original here, which again, seems to be a trope of young adult. Ever since Twilight defaced the name of vampires (although I've never understood the obsession with vampires) it seems they have to pop up in every story now. But yes, there are werewolves, vampires, demons, forsaken, witches, warlocks, spells etc. Basically anything that is considered a fable or magic exists in this world. It is a coming-of-age tale, that unfortunately, focuses more on plotting than developing the characters. There is a decent amount of backstory, some interesting aspects, some retreads, but it does come together nicely and there is a decent payoff. Although, I tend to dislike anything that relies on plot twists, but Cassandra Clare build them up decently. It is relatively fast-paced as well and the dialogue is at least supportive, if not clever or humorous. That being said, it is an average story that borrows heavily, but it is certainly not boring and is written well (for young adult).

Characters: The story is told from one perspective (there are some brief occurrences when it is not) and Clary is the main focus. Again tropes: 15 year old artist, she lives alone with her mom, she has a best friend who is in love with her. I would not say she is interesting, but I guess relatable to the right person. She cares about her friends and her family and is willing to sacrifice herself to save the people she cares about. However, Clary is somewhat competent, but her love interest/badass Jace is there to protect her most of the time. Jace has a tortured past and is cocky and stubborn. He is a tad bland as well. Everyone seems one dimensional besides Clary and her best friend Simon but the focus of the first novel is world building. I will say that Clary's Uncle Luke develops surprisingly well and the villain turns out to be a much darker character than I expected. Props to Cassandra Clare on Valentine.

Action/Magic System: There is a magic system that revolves around runes and carving symbols onto your body, but it is only briefly explained. Perhaps it will further develop in subsequent novels. The action is not afraid to be bloody and for the most part it works. Some of the bigger battles lose scope occasionally but it does a decent enough job. It's nowhere near Brandon Sanderson as far as creativity goes, but the rune system is certainly intriguing, and hopefully plays a bigger role in the other books.

Conclusion: Look, it takes place in Brooklyn, where essentially every creature exists in the world but normal people (referred to as mundanes) cannot see them. There is also a covenant of people who are trained to protect humans and kill demons. There is strife in the covenant that directly involves our protagonist and her comrades. If it sounds familiar...it probably is. I did not dislike "City of Bones", but at the same time I have trouble recommending as well. So I will say this: if you like familiar archetypes and enemies, vampires, than this should be enjoyable. Personally I care more about character development, but if you're looking for something new and original, skip it. The Clary/Simon dynamic is somewhat realistic, and some of the world is interesting, though it lacks originality. I would like to see more of the The Silent Brothers though...but, I am not too intrigued to read the sequel, but we'll see how I'm feeling in a couple of months.

Should you read it: Depends on your tastes

Rating: 6.7/10

Currently Reading/Next Review: Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Lists! Moar Lists!

I've decided I'm going to be formatting most of posts in the form of top 5 and top 10 lists of varying topics to help organize my thoughts better and to encourage a bit of discussion you all of you. With my first and probably one of my more difficult lists tackled and out of the way, (Top 5 favorite metal albums) I will try to do the same with my favorite games that I have played over the years.

This one isn't that easy for me either because I never really know what to base my judgments on. How good I got at the game, that won't work, I've loved games that a monkey could master. Total Time played, nope that won't due...as an ex-World of Warcraft player I dropped quite a bit of time into that black hole of time and money and I regret most of it. (It only took me 3 account cancellations to realize that it just plain isn't fun). So what to do? My only thing I can trust is my gut. What did I enjoy or remember the most? What did have have the most fun with? What still sticks with me? I think these are easier questions to answer, much easier.

#5: Bioshock Infinite: Too soon? I will spare you all any plot details as to avoid spoilers but this game needed to be on my list. As those who are close to me already know, I have said over and over again that I thought the story of this game was perfect. I still think its damn close too. This is one of those monumental games that the second you finish it, you know instantly that it will be discussed and revered for years. The game play is outstanding and it allows that player to effortlessly use all aspects of the environment to accomplish the given objectives.  The linear but still open design keeps the game well paced for any players pace and the environments and backdrops are awe inspiring. The only reason that Bioshock Infinite isn't higher is because I need to see if it stands the test of time.

#4 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask: Yes, Majora's Mask...not Ocarina of Time. As a kid I was obsessed with this game, I would spend every spare minute and hour I could gathering faeries, collecting bottles and trying desperately get my hands on the Fierce Diety Mask so I could finally be the Baddest Motherfucker Alive. I never really got around to playing OoT until much later and I still found that Link's second brush with evil was far more engaging. There was no damsel, he wasn't trying to be a hero, there was just the poor Skull Kid who made an innocent mistake, and a brother and sister torn apart by the evil it unleashed. Link was just trying to do the right thing by trying to heal all the pain he had discovered in these characters. I have only ever played through this game once, and there are points I can remember even as a kid where I found myself overwhelmed with sympathy for these characters. I didn't want to beat this to beat the game, I wanted to do it so that Skull Kid, Tatl, and Tael could finally be a family again...

#3 Jet Set Radio Future: The most fun I have ever had while playing a video game is when I was playing JSRF. This was the first time I had ever unlocked everything possible without it ever feeling like an effort or chore. this game almost forced me to have fun at every possible opportunity. From unlocking awesome characters to sweet graffiti tags, or just setting goals for me to top my best tricks and grids, all while I listened to the unrealistically good soundtrack that came along with it. This game taught me how music can change the entire gaming experience in a big way, and through this, made me start paying more attention to all aspects of gaming more carefully. Even if you never have or had  the good fortune to play this, please at least listen to the soundtrack, its fun, exciting, and massively better than the regular electronic shit that's thrown at us today

#2 Shadow of the Colossus: This game demands to be loved plain and simple. SotC took the standard dynamic of structure and scaling and simply just turned it on its head, and did it so well none have dared to try and attempt the same pattern again. 16 enemies, all bosses, all seemingly impossibly. These things help to convey the story and emotions of the main character in ways that dialogue simply cannot. It focuses on building environments and conveying the sense of loneliness and in a way, hopelessness. This makes every victory all the sweeter once it is obtained. SotC is so spectacularly gorgeous in every way to me and it is a game I still play to this day with eager hands and a joyous heart.

#1  The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind: For me, there is no game closer to my heart than this. Morrowind...my virtual home. I play this game maybe once a year now, during the winter, when I first got it. Christmas of 2003. I remember playing it for the first time, creating my Breton wizard and setting myself loose on Tamriel. I remember getting lost in the world. Talking to everyone, doing every quest I could, exploring every cave, and reading every book. I drank in the world like water and it couldn't have been better. I must have played this game for thousands of hours between my xbox and various computers. I had different characters everywhere. I would come home from school and play my wizard on my xbox then go to my dad's house for the weekend  ad play my Kajit thief on his computer. I wanted to attack this game from all angles possible. Everything seemed to change when approached from a new perspective. I couldn't believe it, I had found my game. I still find things I never knew about when I play now...old easter eggs, side quests, tokens, and unique items. It is this sense that I still have yet to see all of this game...and I hope that I never do, so that I may play it forever.

Metal Rankings and where I stand

Majestic as Fuck

So, before I start offering my opinions on specific albums and tracks with a genre so wide and diverse as metal, I think it truly is important to let you guys know what my preferences and biases are beforehand and then letting the hate and backlash for not liking a certain band, album or track. So before I get into anything deep here is a quick flyby of my top 5 favorite metal albums (not what I think is the best based on instrumental skill, influence, overall theme, etc). These are simply what I think is the best.

Couple things first, the subgenres I tend to lean towards most are Folk metal, Thrash, Doom, and Death. I do not dislike Black metal but it's not my cup of tea most of the time (seriously guys why have such shitty sound production ALL the time) though I do love me some Wolves in the Throne Room. Best show I've been to for metal, easily Rammstein ( SO MUCH FIRE!!!) Do I like anything other than metal? Yes don't be stupid, metal is my favorite but I'm never ashamed to admit that I will sing along to Lady Gaga while driving in my car, guilty pleasure aren't a thing, we all like what we like...don't hide from it. W
ith that being said here we go

#5: Slayer- Seasons of the Abyss: Plain and simple thrash metal. Ballsy, abrasive, aggressive, and all members of slayer are on point with every track. This 10 song onslaught holds a spot close to my heart and the opening track of War Ensemble is just plain too incredible for words.
Favorite track Dead Skin Mask,

#4: Mastodon- Blood Mountain: From the first time I listened through until now I am in love with the story of this album. A sole wanderer lost on the slopes of a mountain, weary weak and dehydrated, looking for a way to escape. Mastodon is a band that has a gift for making anything sound incredibly badass, this has been proven time and again through the album Crack the Skye and certain tracks from The Hunter (I don't say all because that it is most certainly the weakest album they have produced, that will be tackled later...but still making a song about BANGING IN GOD DAMN ZERO GRAV why hasn't this happen already?!)
Favorite track: The Wolf is Loose

#3 Meshuggah- ObZen: This album is nothing but pure, unadulterated aggression and I love every single fucking second of it. Meshuggah is a band I love thoroughly mostly due to the fact that they are one of the first bands I started listening to when I was getting into metal. At any time I could get away with it I would blast Chaosphere as loud as I could (this would be normally until my mom got home). But Obzen proved to me tat these guys were absolutely in the upper echelon of artists with their prowess and complexity while maintaining drive and aggression within the tracks.
Favorite track: Bleed (Fucking obviously)

#2 Megadeth- Rust in Piece: To me it's essentially the greatest hits collection for Mr. Mustaine all in one hit. Yes I know Peace sells and Countdown to Extinction but seriously...Every. Single. Track. Every one is a demonstration of how good these guys actually are. I cannot in good faith say that any other album they had is as good as this.  I couldn't love it any more if I tried.
Favorite Track: Holy Wars...The Punishment Due (Again...fucking obviously)

#1 Eluveitie- Slania: Yes...really. I mean it...stop looking at me like that... I LOVE FOLK METAL OKAY! Since I first listened to these guys in High school I seriously have fallen in love with everything they do and have done. The Celtic themes strike such the right chord with me and I find that Slania is the album I just keep coming back to and listening too over and over and over again. Every track hooks me and it never bores me at all. the extended use of various instruments and the flutes (god damnit I love those fucking flutes) just have me coming back to this music again ad again.
Favorite Track: Calling the Rain

5/24 Mixtape Overview

After a strong first half of May, things have tempered down a bit as far as tapes go. If you haven't checked out Logic's debut tape, it is highly recommended. He can be a bit preachy sometimes, J.Cole- esque if you will, but there's a lot of strong tracks and production is above average. Specifically "Nasty" and "On the Low". Also if you haven't listened to Acid Rap, I am jealous. You're in for a treat.
Final old recommendation, MC Tree is always interesting, yet the beat selection is little bland, a good sign for things in the future. Definitely keep an eye out for him down the road.

Lowlights: The underachieving Ludacris is back with more mediocre music. Not that I didn't expect it, his abilities have slowly regressed since "Word of Mouf". So, yeah skip "#IDGAF"
I had some hope for Aasim's new tape, but it looks like he's not trying anymore. Aasim has a decent flow on the right beat, but most of this is half-assed. The beats are boring, the rhymes are lazy, and topics are atypical for the genre.
Not necessarily a lowlight, Ice Berg has a pretty decent tape. There are a plenty of skips, and it can be rather ignorant, but it's worth checking out for the beats alone. Listen to "Hustlin For a Long Time", and if it's your cup of tea then check out the rest. If not, then don't. It's really up to you.

Highlight: Although it's a weak set of releases this week, Gucci is here to save the day.
Gucci Mane – Trap House 3
"Trap House 3" is easily Gucci's best release this year. It's not technically a tape, but as you can see, it's on Spotify for your convenience. Gucci's signature flow, heavily ignorant lyrics, and trap beats make for another great listening experience. Gucci is not one to drop knowledge, or even be cohesive, but he is an underrated MC and he often gets improperly valued. Which is unfortunate since Gucci is a national treasure. There is only one Chief Keef track though, which makes me sad. But I'm sure Brick Squad 1017 will release a collaborative tape sometime this summer. Anyway, check out "Trap House 3", specifically "Use Me" and "Darker". One final thought: every hip hop release does not need to be Illmatic, instead it should be judged for its entertainment value and listening ability. Gucci is always hilarious and always sounds great on a beat. If it's too ignorant for you, I'm sorry, it's your loss. Just sit back and relax. It's why we're here.

6 Fast 6 Furious

Alright, I'm not a major fan of most film reviews these days, so I'll try and do my best to improve upon the medium. Anyway, I just got back from the first showing of 6 Fast 6 Furious, and yeah it's definitely worth your time. However *places on movie critic cap* it does have some minor issues that leave it inferior to the near perfect 5 Fast 5 Furious. There will be no bloody spoilers so you can read this as is, or whatever don't.
The franchise has had a rather peculiar history, yet every film is immensely entertaining in its own goofball sort of way. Except Fast and Fourious which tended to drag the entire time, but it's creation is a touchstone of sorts for what a Fast and Furious film now is. The 7th installment is already in pre-production, and in related news, a conglomerate cocoa butter factory is already preparing another two metric tons of oil for The Rock's arms. Which, by the way, glisten with a remarkable sheen throughout the entire film. But, this is not a knock against the franchise, it is what the audience loves and expects, and Justin Lin has created a gloriously stupid, fun and self-aware action series.
Dialogue/Characters: All of the archetypes are set and everyone has their sort of "Characterizing this character because we have to at least attempt to pretend we are doing this." Tyrese only speaks in action one-liners, similar to Bruce Willis, and his phrases are surprisingly hilarious throughout. He merely states the obvious, or a hackneyed joke (which I like to do), but it works for reasons I am unsure of. Paul Walker tries his darndest to be a serious family oriented friend/street racer/criminal, and fails miserably, but, again, it's quite humorous. Unfortunately, there is not a scene that tops the amazing Diesel/Walker speech about their fathers in Fast 5. Sadface. But Walker kinda makes Keanu Reeves look like Daniel Day-Lewis, but it's perfect for this. The Rock just charismatically spews exposition, and is simply awesome at it. Frankly, The Rock should have this role in every film. His swagger and phrasing are simply delightful. Ludacris is meh, same with all of the other characters that I don't remember the names of. The villain is...serviceable I guess. He is ruthless, humorless and bland, but I guess he serves a purpose. And Big Diesel is well, you know, Vin Diesel. There are some surprise characters etc. but this paragraph is too long.
Action: The set pieces are truly something to behold. Endless destruction of cars, lots of 'splosions, and plenty of innocent bystanders who are mindlessly caught in the debris (you don't actually see people die, but it's certainly presumed). The film is very fast paced, jumping from set piece to set piece, with an innumerable number of creative stunts and Tyrese yelling about them. However, the editing is a little shoddy. It's not quite on the level of The Bourne Identity, but yeah there are a lot of jump cuts. ALOT. I'm too lazy to research how much of the action was cgi, but the stunt driving is excellent. Most importantly, the crazy/incredibly dumb acts of superheroism are truly breathtaking.
Plot: Uh, yeah.
Music: Like all of the films, it's terrible. It's awful rap/edm throughout, with some average scoring for dramatic scenes. A great soundtrack would really push it another level, but I can only wish.
NOS Factor: Needed wayyyyyyy more NOS.
Overview: Look, it's tongue-in-cheek, overdramatic, and endlessly entertaining. Which is all you can hope for in an action flick. Seeing it with a good audience helps, specifically one that understands when you're supposed to laugh. The franchise is now a dumbed down Ocean's Eleven, and I'm okay with that. The stakes are only going to get ridiculously bigger, the locations are going to get more absurd, and hopefully, it will continue to entertain.
Should you see it: YES
Rating: 8.9 NOS cans out of 10

New Destiny trailer and thoughts

Here we are children, the trailer most of us have wanted to see since Bungie's announcement of the game and the release of the rather inciting concept art. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS1BM9XRgvw

Now first things first...Gustavo. Motherfucking. Fring. If hope to the one true Santa Christ that he will have a deeper involvement in the game beyond this trailer and maybe some bullshit Los Pollos Hermanos easter egg within the game. If there is any chance, any chance at all I can work for this guy as an intergalactic Han Solo-esque smuggler shipping blue crank throughout the distant stars it will bring everything I was looking for in a game right to me on a silver fucking platter.

Moving on from this I will give my thoughts. Now I understand that the point of every cinematic reveal trailer is to get everyone nice and wet for the proverbial fucking that is the game play reveal, and we all have experience with this with various games and it comes in different forms. You have your games like I am Alive where the cinematic reveal had us all bent over ad ready but when the game play video finally comes around what happens? Slam, bam, thank you mam now pay us and leave. "What you wanted a survival game with good mechanics and a functional control scheme?! Get out." This is one example but you get the poorly painted picture.

This is why I always try to be cautiously optimistic before seeing any actual game play, and I am in firm standing that the cinematic reveal should at least REVEAL something about the game itself. So what did I gather from this you say? Intergalactic gang wars. It is showing some kind of structure between players and how you will need to play with people you can trust in combat and to do their jobs. Also the revealing of different classes and heavily vehicle use (by the way rocket bikes are always awesome and I will not listen to anything otherwise) shows that Bungie is actually stepping away from the Halo format and making a Sci-Fi game that they can be proud of, and like everyone else, I await much more to come.

Greetings and Salutations

Hello nobody!

Just checking in to give you all the heads up, I will be posting most of the metal and comic related material with my partner in crime taking on most of the rap mixtape and novel department. Both of us will most likely contribute to the video game section, with this being said and getting my boring shit out of the way first...let the bullshit commence!