OB4CL2 -- Better Than Expected

Let me get this out of the way first -- I'm a Raekwon fan.

Yes, I was guilty of declaring Method Man's superiority over Rae back in 94, ignoring Ghost's formidable abilities that would be showcased on Rae's classic debut one year later.

And even though Meth has made an impressive resurgence as of late; even though Ghost has pretty much held the entire Wu down single-handedly over the past five years or so; even though Rae put out less-than-impressive product over the past decade; despite all of that, Rae is officially back!

The streets were waiting on this album like the legions of Dr. Dre fans are awaiting the ever-delayed release of Detox. And like is expected of Detox, OB4CL2 does not disappoint! At all. I need more time to digest the album before I comment any further, but the below is a video for OB4CL2 album cut New Wu featuring Ghostface aka Mr. Reliable and a show-stealing Method Man spitting crazy with a sick flow.

The Rap Game is Running Out of Names -- The Toven Edition

This is a repeat feature that gets updated seemingly every time a new rapper or so-called Hiphop producer makes his debut on the scene. And that's because every time a new rapper or so-called Hiphop producer comes out, he seemingly ALWAYS has a ridiculous moniker.

Case and point: "producer" Baytoven. I first discovered this interesting, yet far from original-sounding name while perusing one of my favorite music Web sites, where Baytoven was identified as the producer behind a song by Chicago rapper Phil G (another innovative name, huh?).

As if the name Baytoven wasn't terrible enough, I checked out his myspace page and was greeted by a hodgepodge of amateur-sounding beats that only got worse with the addition of some anonymous rapper with no sense of timing.

I gleaned that he is at least from San Francisco -- aka the Bay Area -- so I guess can see where he got his name from. However, I don't think it's a long shot (or a coincidence) to say that Baytoven's name and his music are both weighted down by a clear case of laziness.

First Zaytoven and now this... I would love to hear what classical music enthusiasts think of this recent spate of paying "homage" to Ludwig...