Apartment 3 - Theme Music to Drug Dealinz and Killinz
I managed to get my hands on an advance copy of this album ,which is coming out today (9-12) at Backdoor in Cotati and Amoeba sometime in the future. Here's a fairly in depth review of it.
1. Mr Baller-C Fresh
Very strong track to start an album with, Fresh comes raw. The Mark 7 beat comes pretty legit, but nothing super inventive, just a solid "Italiano" beat. Overall a nice gangster interpretation of the now common "balla" songs.
2. Standin On The Corner-RJ
RJ comes sick, pretty smooth on the verses, great voice, but the hook is horrible. Really should have had a Levitti-type vocal instead of RJ trying to sing. ADR provides a nice beat, a TC type "hi-lo" type beat, with a cool little sample of a person screaming that keeps it fresh.
3. Vacate The Room-Louie Loc and Taydatay
Louie Loc is solid on all three tracks he does. He spits very quickly and very cleanly. Taydatay comes through with his usual solid performance, a very listenable song. However, I feel the beat tries to do a little too much, it changes up a couple of times throughout the song; it's not bad, just overambitious.
4. The World's A Cold Place-Young Noble, Nutt-So and Ray Luv
Noble comes clean, one of the better features that I've heard him do, although his subject matter isn't exactly about drug dealing or killing. I don't know too much about Nutt-So, but he came through alright. The big shame of this song is that the Ray Luv verse is buried at the back, it's sicker than anything on Prince in Exile.
5. Ballin Now-Fly Mar
I haven't heard Fly Mar do anything listenable in about 10 years, so this song was a nice little surprise. He spits pretty tight over a Mark 7 beat, although the hook is pretty bad, just repetitive and annoying.
6. King of the Devil Block-ADR LaVey w/ First Degree
ADR has wanted to do a track with DE for quite a while and I think this track is a success. Degree's hook is pretty sick, matches well with the rest of the song. ADR once again comes through with a hardcore. get fucked up, do a line song, and with his own beat ADR makes the song comes together really well. If you liked Triple 6 you will bump the shit out of this song, call it Triple 6 v2.
7. Tragedy-Louie Loc and Cougnut
Louie Loc spits fast and sick for the second time on this album. I don't know where Gabe dug up this Nut verse but it is fucking ill, better than almost any other feature I've heard him do. Not quite to the level of the verse he did for 2Illeven, but almost. Regardless, a very tight song.
8. Chalk It Up-2 Illeven
Not a bad song, but nothing new, nothing exciting. Not exactly filler, but 211 has not been able to match its form of Ounce of Game and maybe it's unfair to expect them to.
9. 187-3rd Dagree
I didn't care for this song, but then again, I don't care for 3rd Dagree. If you liked his album you'll like this track.
10. The Game-Baldhead Rick,San Quinn and C-Fresh
Pretty fucking tight song. Baldhead, Fresh and Quinn come very tight over Mark 7's best beat since the D Boyz track off the 707 Comp. Baldhead comes original and clean, like always. Quinn actually is sick too, some of the better work he's done in the last few years. Fresh comes raw, polishes off the song very nicely. What a hard fucking line he starts his verse off with! "Welcome to my world, baking soda and mayonnaise jars, triple beam, big rings and fancy cars."
11. This Is How We Roll-UDI, Big Vic, Big Mack, and Charlie Manhattan
Very good ensemble song, but the beat is a little too mainstreamish. This track sounds very much like something off of The Unexpected, pretty good though.
12. Straight Up Thugs-Guce, Mr. Kee, Baby Menace, and Cougnut
Very sick track, great performances from all, especially Mr. Kee. He continues to surprise me with how sick he is, I never buy his albums and then he comes sick on various comps and I wonder why I don't have his albums. Another ill Nut verse from the vaults.
13. Unforgiven-louie Loc and Mickey Moe
Just like Mr. Kee, louie loc just keeps sounding tighter and tighter to me. This is his best work on the album. He spits Baldhead-quick, and just as sick. Not many people know Mickey Moe but he conmes sick. This is definitely the sleeper track of the album, a quality song heavily featuring some guy not many people have heard of.
14. Theme Music Interlude-Nasty Nate
Just a little verse by Nate. Actually kinda sick, but just one verse.
15. Clown Suit-Chunk, Nutt-Kase, Black Madness, Sco-Loc and Ad Capone
Tight track with a bunch of EPA vets. Oh man, the Ad Capone verse is short but oh so sick! Just that is worth buying the album for. Everyone else comes sick, but it's just nice to hear from Ad again.
16. Killin & Dope Dealin-Young D Boyz
Why don't the D Boyz do more tracks? I was disappointed with the Khadaffi solo, but this song is very sick. Any D Boyz fans will not be disappointed. ADR shows a lot of versatility on the beat, different from any other I've heard him do.
17. Bangers-C-Lim, J-Nutt, G-Macc and Tre-8
Pretty disappointing track, I wish the Sacto folks on this album had come thorugh a little tighter, but it's just not that great.
18. Cali Corners-Baldhead Rick
Baldhead manages to make a good track as much as Nick Peace tries to wreck it. If you don't care for Million Dollar like me you'll like this track, if you like Nick Peace then you'll love this track.
19. Ganagsta Shit-Black C, San Quinn, Young Ed, Maine-O, C-Fresh, Hennessy
Very, very tight track to finish an album off, everyone comes sick as fuck. I can't say much more, I know this is long as fuck and I'm tired.
Overall, I give this album a 7.5/10, a very solid album. It has everybody you could ever want on an album along with some new faces. I don't mind saying this album is a success, a huge leap over the first Apt. 3 compilation. It has a little something for eveybody, as long as you like your rap and you like it hardcore. Pick it up, you won't be disappointed.
I managed to get my hands on an advance copy of this album ,which is coming out today (9-12) at Backdoor in Cotati and Amoeba sometime in the future. Here's a fairly in depth review of it.
1. Mr Baller-C Fresh
Very strong track to start an album with, Fresh comes raw. The Mark 7 beat comes pretty legit, but nothing super inventive, just a solid "Italiano" beat. Overall a nice gangster interpretation of the now common "balla" songs.
2. Standin On The Corner-RJ
RJ comes sick, pretty smooth on the verses, great voice, but the hook is horrible. Really should have had a Levitti-type vocal instead of RJ trying to sing. ADR provides a nice beat, a TC type "hi-lo" type beat, with a cool little sample of a person screaming that keeps it fresh.
3. Vacate The Room-Louie Loc and Taydatay
Louie Loc is solid on all three tracks he does. He spits very quickly and very cleanly. Taydatay comes through with his usual solid performance, a very listenable song. However, I feel the beat tries to do a little too much, it changes up a couple of times throughout the song; it's not bad, just overambitious.
4. The World's A Cold Place-Young Noble, Nutt-So and Ray Luv
Noble comes clean, one of the better features that I've heard him do, although his subject matter isn't exactly about drug dealing or killing. I don't know too much about Nutt-So, but he came through alright. The big shame of this song is that the Ray Luv verse is buried at the back, it's sicker than anything on Prince in Exile.
5. Ballin Now-Fly Mar
I haven't heard Fly Mar do anything listenable in about 10 years, so this song was a nice little surprise. He spits pretty tight over a Mark 7 beat, although the hook is pretty bad, just repetitive and annoying.
6. King of the Devil Block-ADR LaVey w/ First Degree
ADR has wanted to do a track with DE for quite a while and I think this track is a success. Degree's hook is pretty sick, matches well with the rest of the song. ADR once again comes through with a hardcore. get fucked up, do a line song, and with his own beat ADR makes the song comes together really well. If you liked Triple 6 you will bump the shit out of this song, call it Triple 6 v2.
7. Tragedy-Louie Loc and Cougnut
Louie Loc spits fast and sick for the second time on this album. I don't know where Gabe dug up this Nut verse but it is fucking ill, better than almost any other feature I've heard him do. Not quite to the level of the verse he did for 2Illeven, but almost. Regardless, a very tight song.
8. Chalk It Up-2 Illeven
Not a bad song, but nothing new, nothing exciting. Not exactly filler, but 211 has not been able to match its form of Ounce of Game and maybe it's unfair to expect them to.
9. 187-3rd Dagree
I didn't care for this song, but then again, I don't care for 3rd Dagree. If you liked his album you'll like this track.
10. The Game-Baldhead Rick,San Quinn and C-Fresh
Pretty fucking tight song. Baldhead, Fresh and Quinn come very tight over Mark 7's best beat since the D Boyz track off the 707 Comp. Baldhead comes original and clean, like always. Quinn actually is sick too, some of the better work he's done in the last few years. Fresh comes raw, polishes off the song very nicely. What a hard fucking line he starts his verse off with! "Welcome to my world, baking soda and mayonnaise jars, triple beam, big rings and fancy cars."
11. This Is How We Roll-UDI, Big Vic, Big Mack, and Charlie Manhattan
Very good ensemble song, but the beat is a little too mainstreamish. This track sounds very much like something off of The Unexpected, pretty good though.
12. Straight Up Thugs-Guce, Mr. Kee, Baby Menace, and Cougnut
Very sick track, great performances from all, especially Mr. Kee. He continues to surprise me with how sick he is, I never buy his albums and then he comes sick on various comps and I wonder why I don't have his albums. Another ill Nut verse from the vaults.
13. Unforgiven-louie Loc and Mickey Moe
Just like Mr. Kee, louie loc just keeps sounding tighter and tighter to me. This is his best work on the album. He spits Baldhead-quick, and just as sick. Not many people know Mickey Moe but he conmes sick. This is definitely the sleeper track of the album, a quality song heavily featuring some guy not many people have heard of.
14. Theme Music Interlude-Nasty Nate
Just a little verse by Nate. Actually kinda sick, but just one verse.
15. Clown Suit-Chunk, Nutt-Kase, Black Madness, Sco-Loc and Ad Capone
Tight track with a bunch of EPA vets. Oh man, the Ad Capone verse is short but oh so sick! Just that is worth buying the album for. Everyone else comes sick, but it's just nice to hear from Ad again.
16. Killin & Dope Dealin-Young D Boyz
Why don't the D Boyz do more tracks? I was disappointed with the Khadaffi solo, but this song is very sick. Any D Boyz fans will not be disappointed. ADR shows a lot of versatility on the beat, different from any other I've heard him do.
17. Bangers-C-Lim, J-Nutt, G-Macc and Tre-8
Pretty disappointing track, I wish the Sacto folks on this album had come thorugh a little tighter, but it's just not that great.
18. Cali Corners-Baldhead Rick
Baldhead manages to make a good track as much as Nick Peace tries to wreck it. If you don't care for Million Dollar like me you'll like this track, if you like Nick Peace then you'll love this track.
19. Ganagsta Shit-Black C, San Quinn, Young Ed, Maine-O, C-Fresh, Hennessy
Very, very tight track to finish an album off, everyone comes sick as fuck. I can't say much more, I know this is long as fuck and I'm tired.
Overall, I give this album a 7.5/10, a very solid album. It has everybody you could ever want on an album along with some new faces. I don't mind saying this album is a success, a huge leap over the first Apt. 3 compilation. It has a little something for eveybody, as long as you like your rap and you like it hardcore. Pick it up, you won't be disappointed.
