"I'm the ghetto Doctor Ruth!"

After a ridiculously dry year where even the mediocre-to-good TI's 'KING' stood as the lone contender for rap record of the year, it seems we're now hit with a flood of quality releases as the year comes to a close. Clipse and Jeezy are a case in point, but now we have the new Project Pat and Ghostface.

Project Pat has always been an unofficial member of Three 6 Mafia and is actually the brother of founding member Juicy J. To me, Project Pat actually sounds like a cross between Juicy and other founding Three 6'er DJ Paul. Pat also lives in Three 6's newly bought mansion in California - their roots always remain intact though, and their Hypnotize Minds label and production crew (consisting of J and DJ Paul) always scream Memphis. Project Pat's new record "Crook By Da Book" has this stamp all over it, my favourite example being "What Money Do", found below.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/9g21rn

The new Ghostface, More Fish, sometimes seems more like a mixtape than a well thought out full length record, but the individual tracks are good enough that it's not too much of an issue. Below is the Redman and Shawn Wiggs (Theodore Unit) assisted "Greedy Bitches".

http://www.sendspace.com/file/cftxb0

paul

BAAAAALIN on Christmas: A Very Dipset X-Mas

Well guys, Christmas is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate this holiday than the Kufi Smacker himself, Dipset Capo Jim Jones. Jim Jones recently announced that he would be releasing a Dipset Xmas album because of his overwhelming love of Christmas. Besides being one of the most unintelligible and seemingly retarded men in hip hop, Jim Jones also works for Warner Brothers A&R, he has scored himself a reality show on VH1, and his well-timed feud with Jay-Z has lead to Jay-Z unwittingly entering into a Jim Jones, Juelz remix of "We Fly High". Jim Jones' goofiness (if you don't know, just search on youtube to find the video interview of Jim Jones simultaneously rolling and smoking a blunt while singing along to his own song that comes on the radio suring the interview) make him the most likeable out of any of the dips. His monstrously stoned eyes make him seem very gentle and his incredibly stoned demeanour makes him seem good-natured; weed has made Jim Jones's love of Christmas seem very genuine. How could you not trust a man who is in love with his music, whose threats seem like playful jokes, and whose public statements about Christmas show a very extreme and innocent love of the holiday. I have heard two of the tracks from this album. One of the tracks is more like a Christmas Carol while the other is more like a modern jazzy version of a classic Christmas song.
The first track, "Dipset X-Mas Time", discusses Santa and trying to live everyday like it's Christmas, as well as the obvious connections between snow and coke, trees and joints, Range Rovers and one horse sleighs etc. and features Stack Bundles and other Dipset mid-level players. I think that one of them calls Christmas "Brismas" which I don't understand. The song ends with wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.
The second song "Ballin on Xmas" is a little more street, and tackles the same comparisons between icicles and rings, reindeers and Range Rovers. Santa, mistletoe, and all that makes Chistmas glorious feature prominently. The chorus even involves Fa-la-la-la. This song also discusses making Christmas money off selling grams and the less-than-glorious experience of Christmas in the hood.
Both songs are very sweet and confounding. I think this can be explained when considering jim Jones's recent interview on AllHipHop.com where he claims:

"It’s Christmas, man, I love Christmas. For the last 10 years, I been watchin’ how Christmas is declinin’ with the decorations in the street and all that, the whole Christmas spirit is dead, man. I look at my son, man, and I want him to really feel Christmas at least until he’s eight [years old], and knows what’s goin’ on. The whole spirit of the city, just everything when it comes to Christmas is wrong, man. There’s no soul. I need that unity. I need to feel that eggnog flowin’ and things like that, so [the album] is just my contribution to make it an old school Christmas this year, man. I got special things I’ma do for Harlem, just to make it old school Christmas. I can’t save the world, but I know I’ma try to give back to where I came from, ‘cause I love Christmas to death, I swear to God."

It's heartwarming to see that Jim Jones is doing what he can to bring Christmas back to its roots, for the kids. As well, these songs are radio-edits so feel free to blast them during the present opening on Christmas morning.

Jim Jones - A Dipset Xmas

Jim Jones - Ballin On Xmas

By Mike Deane