A Breakdown of Choices for the Toronto Raptors

So all of you probably know by now that the NBA Draft lottery on May 17th was not kind to the Toronto Raptors, as they fell from the 3rd spot to 5th in the order. This isn’t necessarily as bad a thing as many fans are making it out to be as the Raptors technically had a greater chance to move down than move up. Furthermore, from a salary cap point of view, based on the rookie scale the 5th pick will be paid less than the 3rd pick which frees up a few extra dollars for the Raptors which is always a good thing especially heading into a year with CBA uncertainty (I’m praying there won’t be a lockout but it doesn’t look good). Also if one wanted to fall from 3rd to 5th in a draft this would be the year to do it with what is being called the weakest draft since 2006 (coincidentally the same draft that the Raptors selected Andrea Bargnani #1). After the 1st 2 picks who will undoubtedly be: Duke PG Kyrie Irving and Arizona F Derrick Williams; the draft pool from picks 3-9 is pretty much a coin flip.

Here are a few of the names you may hear tied to the Raptors in the coming weeks: UConn PG Kemba Walker, Kentucky PG Brandon Knight, Turkish/Kentucky C/F Enes Kanter, Lithuanian F Jonas Valanciunas, Czech F Jan Vesley, San Diego St. F Kawhi Leonard, Texas F and Toronto native Tristan Thompson. Now whom should they take? Let me break down every one for you.

Enes Kanter – Height w/shoes: 6' 11.25" Weight: 259lbs Wingspan: 7' 1.5" Standing Reach: 9' 1.5"5

He’s the #1 center on the board with excellent size, strength and what appears to be a high basketball IQ. However, he hasn’t played since he dominated the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit in April as he was deemed ineligible by the NCAA to play for Kentucky in 2011 for taking improper benefits from a Turkish pro team. He did remain at Kentucky as a student and practiced with the team but no one has seen him in a game in quite some time and there is risk in that. Also shows signs of immaturity as he has stated he would like to play for the Washington Wizards and declined interviews, at the NBA Combine in Chicago, with the Raptors (5th pick), Utah Jazz (3rd pick) and the Milwaukee Bucks (10th pick) but you do have to keep into account that he is only 19 years old. He’ll most likely be gone before #5 but he could slide and the Raptors would take a serious look at him if he does but if declining his interview means anything it could mean that he’d hold out to force a trade to team he really wants to go to a la Steve Francis and the Vancouver Grizzlies fiasco of 1999.

Brandon Knight – Height w/shoes: 6'3.25" Weight: 177lbs Wingspan: 6' 6.75" Standing Reach: 8' 2.5"

Depending on whom you talk to he’s rated as the #2 or #3 PG in this class. He has excellent size for a PG and a great amount of speed and scoring ability and excels pushing the ball up the court. Also has a great first step to get by opponents off the dribble. With that said he isn’t an elite athlete but he is above average and his basketball IQ and decision making need a lot of work. He didn’t make the type of impact most expected in his 1 year at Kentucky but he has a high motor and seems to be a hard worker. He shoots it well but nowhere near consistent enough for the pros. At 177lbs he was the lightest player at the combine but in time he will fill out so I don’t see that as much of a concern. At 19 years old he’ll be a project and teams will have to wait a bit for him to develop. I’ve heard Utah likes him at 3 or would be willing to trade down to get him but most mocks project him to be there at 5 if the Raptors want him. If Kanter is gone the Raptors will look really hard at him.

Jonas Valanciunas – Height w/shoes: 6’11” Weight: 240lbs Wingspan: N/A Standing Reach: N/A

I know that mock drafts don’t mean anything since they’re never right but it seems that most of the mock drafts out there see the Raptors selecting Valanciunas. This could be true especially if the Raptors are serious about shopping Andrea Bargnani because Valanciunas is almost a carbon copy physically of what Bargnani looked like in ’06. He’s long, agile, and very fluid while running the floor and at 19 he’s bigman with a lot of promise who still has potential to grow over 7 ft and of course fill out physically. In terms of style of play he is the exact opposite of Bargnani. He is much more comfortable playing in the low post and his range only extends to about 12-15 feet. Defensively he is intimidating because he is so long and he plays with a lot of heart. He needs to fill out physically and he has to develop a lot more post moves as he is predictable down there but he has a very high motor and loves to play the game. He’ll take some time to develop but he’ll be a good starter for any team down the road. He’s a PF and the Raptors already have a logjam at that position so they’d probably only take him if they have a deal in place to free up that part of the roster.

Jan Vesely – Height w/shoes: 6’11” Weight: 230lbs Wingspan: N/A Standing Reach: N/A

If you see this guy play you would think he was a North American player. He isn’t a traditional Euro player as he isn’t robotic in what he does and openly shows his enthusiasm, often times trying nice dunks in the layup line and screaming and gesturing to the crowd when he makes a dunk or a block. In Europe that is frowned upon and seen as not having respect and all that other strict stuff but it fits right in with the North American culture of the NBA. He has a terrific combination of size and length for the SF position but again he’s another player that needs to fill out physically (do they not lift weights in Europe?). He’s great at running the floor and attacking the rim but his offensive game is very limited and with his handle he won’t be leading the break. He is great on defense however and fits more into the mold of someone like Andrei Kirilenko but he is more athletic than Kirilenko was in his prime and he’s also taller and longer. The Raptors would look at him ‘cause he is huge at the SF position but he doesn’t push the ball up the floor and that doesn’t fit with the style of play that they want to play with but he does have the potential to be a lockdown defender and that is something the Raptors severely need.

Kawhi Leonard – Height w/shoes: 6' 7" Weight: 227lbs Wingspan: 7' 3" Standing Reach: 8' 10"

Has good size for the SF position but his wingspan and huge hands are what are really impressive. He is a terrific defender on both the perimeter and inside. Physically he is very strong but he is also very agile; he can push the ball up the floor but not on a consistent basis. He has a relentless motor and plays the game with a lot of energy and aggressiveness. He likes to play on the outside and although his shooting has improved it has to get a lot better since he likes to drive and attack the rim. Showed a willingness to play with his back to the basket but he has to vastly improve in this part of his game. His huge hands combined with his length, energy and great timing allow him to grab rebounds on both ends of the floor that are seemingly well outside of his rebounding area. He is extremely quick off his feet, and he is very good at tipping the ball and keeping it alive on the rim. He’ll bring the defense and intangibles and give a little bit of offense but he possesses leadership qualities and already has a NBA body and his shooting will become more consistent over time in my opinion. 5 may be a little too high for him so the Raptors could trade down to 7 or 8 to take him. He provides toughness, rebounding and intangibles something the Raptors desperately need at the SF position but could maybe get those same qualities out of incumbent SF James Johnson.

Tristan Thompson – Height w/shoes: 6' 8.75" Weight: 227lbs Wingspan: 7' 1.25" Standing Reach: 9' 0.5"

He is a Toronto native and has already said he would love to play for his hometown team but that is not a reason for the Raptors to draft him or to please the fan base. He’s a lefty post player with average size for the PF position but he has a tremendous wingspan. He’s also worked really hard on his body to gain some muscle but his frame looks like it’ll allow him to carry even more weight without sacrificing his speed and quickness. He’s not a great athlete but he’s a good athlete, he’s able to make plays on both ends of the floor thanks to his length, energy and blue collar style of play. He’s got great hands and can catch passes in transition very easily and he runs the floor extremely well. He’s also fundamentally sound in positioning for rebounds and although his post game is a work in progress he has shown the ability to go over both shoulders. He is extremely quick off his feet especially on a second jump but he needs to attack the glass at both ends more consistently. He’s a good defender and with his long arms he alters and blocks a lot of shots but with time he can become a great defender especially on the help side. 5 is too high for him so the Raptors would trade down to get him if they really want him but his stock has risen since the middle of the college season to now. He’ll go in the top 10 and some mocks have him up as high as 7 but I think he’ll be in around 8-11. If the Raptors were to take him they would have to deal a forward and most likely it would have to be Amir Johnson as they have similar skill sets. With that said I don’t see him ending up with the Raptors in any scenario but I wish him the best of luck and as a Canadian I’ll definitely follow him closely and root for him.

Kemba Walker – Height w/shoes: 6' 1" Weight: 184lbs Wingspan: 6' 3.5" Standing Reach: 7' 7.5"

At 6’1” he is the second shortest player in the draft (only Isaiah Thomas from Washington is smaller) and at 184lbs he is the second lightest player in the draft (only Brandon Knight is lighter) so that should be a testament to how tough he is as he led UConn to the national championship. However, he is explosive for a PG. He has amazing speed and quickness and his ability to change direction and tempo make him the player he is. He has a great handle and gets into the seams of the defense quite easily with his quickness and often times uses floaters to score or just gets to the rim for easy layups. His shot has improved but is still not quite fully there yet. He's become a better spot up shooter but it’s his pull-up jumper off the dribble that will propel him to become an effective PG in the NBA especially off of screen and rolls and who better to learn from than Jose Calderon who has all but mastered the screen and roll. He already has a good feel for the screen and roll but his range isn’t consistent yet. However, with time he can become a good 3 point shooter. He finishes well and gets to the line a lot but at his size there is a risk of injuries with his style of play. He has above average vision with the ball and has shown the ability to hit the open man, open up the floor, or thread the needle but his decision making needs to get a lot better. Often times he forces the issue too much but this could be a by-product of playing with inferior talent around him. On defense he is strictly “in-your-face” because his speed and quickness allow him to keep up with opposing PG’s but he’ll have to get stronger physically for bigger guards. He does play the passing lanes well and has good instincts on when to go for the ball. His biggest drawback is his size and poor decision making as he is still turnover prone but the NBA is filled with small guards who are great players like Chris Paul, Aaron Brooks, Ty Lawson, Darren Collison, Jameer Nelson, Raymond Felton etc... and his decision making will get better with time. In my opinion if the Raptors keep the 5th pick this is who they should draft. There is something to be said of a winning track record and at every level he’s played at he’s won and he proved he could carry a team on his back and I think he’ll be fine at running a team in the NBA as he has great leadership. If he were to go to the Raptors he would fit right in with their up-tempo style of play and also if you’re drafting on the best talent available he’s probably it at 5.

Peace and Much Love to Ya :)

*All the measurements used are from DraftExpress.com*
**Don’t forget to comment!! Let me know what y’all think and if I’m right or wrong!**
***I’ll have full draft profiles for the projected top 15 in the coming days!***

A New Cabinet for a New Majority Government

The new cabinet was sworn in today to signify the birth of the new government led by a Conservative majority. There were many rumors floating around preceding the official event, the main one being John Baird (who was the Government House Leader) filling Lawrence Cannon's old position as Minister of Foreign Affairs. This turned out to be true and can I say that I am very satisfied with this particular shuffle.

Some people claimed Baird is too hot-headed and, to put it politely, angry, to represent Canada on the world stage. Bullshit. He played the role of government attack dog very well because he is a very talented politician. In a cheesy American-style line, he serves at the pleasure of the Prime Minister because a united government is an effective government. Now that he can put away his snarky hat (and boy will I miss that), he can focus on the current international missions, mainly Afghanistan and Libya. Osama (that didn't autocorrect, odd) being dead and Gaddafi being close to something similar will lead to troop levels rightfully lessening. I know European countries, and when I say that I mean the UK, want to bring home troops soon, especially from Afghanistan. Canada will inevitably follow suit if the timing is right. I am confident these big decisions, negotiated on the world stage, will be competently made by Prime Minister Harper and his new right hand man, John Baird. I can't wait until other foreign affairs ministers (namely William Hague who is my favorite for many reasons) and Hillary Clinton meet him.

I am incredibly proud and glad that BC MPs Alice Wong (Richmond) is the new Minister of State for Seniors and Ed Fast (Abbotsford) is the new Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway. James Moore remains in his position as Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. Jason Kenney is also staying as Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, Jim Flaherty as Minister of Finance, McKay, Toews, Ambrose, and some others are also keeping their old portfolios. Tony Clement has been given President of the Treasury Board and Julian Fantino has the new title of Associate Minister of National Defence. This leads to the total number of cabinet positions increasing to 39. The small government in me is raging but I am taming it. I've already crossed off a bunch of cabinet positions that does not need to exist (most of the "Minister of State" positions, especially Sport).

All in all, a very exciting day. I'm back =)

- Franny.

March Madness 2011!!!

This is by far my most favourite time of the year. The NBA and NHL seasons are winding down towards the playoffs and the MLB season is just around the corner. However, before all of that we have March Madness and as much as I love college football there is nothing like March Madness in terms of college athletics. There is always drama, intense jubilation, and intense heartache as some emerge as Cinderella stories while others settle for maybe just one upset and some live up to their ranking and go all the way. The possibilities of what can happen are endless and what makes it supremely unique is that it's the way sports is played on the playground: if you win you get to stay on the court but if you lose you go home.

This year's tourney is a little different because there was no "play-in game" but rather a "play-in round" consisting of 4 games between 8 teams this is also being called the 1st round so technically March Madness is under way but in the hearts of many (like me) it won't start until the "real" first round: the round of 64 (which is now the 2nd round). The field of 64 is set as VCU, UT-San Antonio, UNC-Asheville, and Clemson won their respective play-in games and March Madness is set to begin!!! So fill out your brackets ladies and gentlemen if you have not already. Check out my brackets below, just click on them to enlarge them:

My very professional, official and objective bracket:



My uber prejudiced: "what I want to happen" bracket:



This year's tourney is really tough to predict 'cause there hasn't been any team that's really been consistently good or dominating so I wouldn't be surprised if we see a lot of upsets. In my opinion though, this may be a tourney where there might not be monumental upsets like we had last year with Butler and Northern Iowa but there are plenty of teams in that 8-13 seed range that could make a good run because honestly they shouldn't be seeded as low as they are.

Anyway I don't care if my brackets don't run true, because in all honesty they probably won't. I'll be rooting for my Duke Blue Devils to the fullest (shout out to all my fam in Durham, Fayetteville, and Charlotte even though some of y'all are UNC fans) and of course I'll be rooting for the home town Washington Huskies (shout out to my fam in Lynnwood). So let the madness begin!!!

Share your Final Four picks with us in the comments section!!

Peace and Much Love to Ya :)

LASERS Review

It has been way too long. That is mostly my fault. We haven't blogged in a long time mainly because our lives have somehow become incredibly busy (yea still wondering when that actually happened). However, I will try to post more on the blog as of now mainly because the written word is still the best way for me to express my emotions and thoughts (seriously I'm really quiet and reserved, just ask Franny) and also because I like to believe (foolishly) that somehow, somebody out there in the world actually cares about what I think; but I digress.

My last post was about Lupe Fiasco so now that his much anticipated album Lasers (Love Always Shines Everytime Remember 2 Smile) has actually come out what better way to get back into blogging than posting an album review? I bought the album the day it came out but admittedly I've had the bootleg for a good month or so (I waited 3 years for this album and did not mention to anyone I had it out of respect to the artist). To those who are Lupe fans and haven't bought it yet 'cause they already have the bootleg I advise you to buy the album (it doesn't cost that much) so that Lu's label will be happy and we get even more music from Lupe, mainly that Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album gets released on time (though if I have to I will wait like I did for The Cool and then Lasers).

It has been over two and a half years since Lupe Fiasco wrapped on the first tracks for what would become his third album, Lasers. What followed was chaos and pun fully intended, a fiasco. to make a long story short: Atlantic Records rejected the tracks deeming that the album was not marketable, froze Lupe’s production budget, and Lupe requested to be let out of his contract. Atlantic refused to drop Lupe or his album, loyal fans protested in the artist’s defense, and the label conceded to release the album if Lupe made some serious sacrifices. He compromised with Atlantic and voila Lasers had a release date. If you’re looking for a detailed history of the ordeal, the folks over at Ology have done a great job in bringing the whole story together.

I’ve been a huge fan and supporter of Lupe since his early beginnings (I've written for 2 blogs about his music) so I was eagerly anticipating this album. However, it’s obvious that this isn't a normal Lupe album. By Lupe’s own admission in an interview with Complex, Atlantic had their hands all over this record and forced him to do certain songs, rap a certain way, and use certain hooks and beats. Lasers is mostly Atlantic’s album when compared to The Cool or Food & Liquor, which were entirely Lupe’s albums and it’s obvious. In the interview mentioned above Lupe said he loves certain parts of the album and hates others not only 'cause of the music but because of what went on behind the scenes and the pressure that was exerted on him to compromise his creativity. I have a feeling fans will also have a love/hate thing goin' on with this album.

However, Lasers is still a fantastic record if you look at it objectively. As a Lupe album it fails to deliver to the expectations of the hardcore fanbase. It's an album that is entirely different and that should be ok with the fans. Just because he's great at making records in a certain way that should not limit his ability to try his creativity out of his normal realm and push the boundaries of his talent. Also I think this album was necessary for Lupe's progression and evolution as an artist because the one thing about this album is that it is extremely radio friendly and appeals to a wide array of demographics and these are good things for Lupe because the core fanbase will always be there but this album is open to a whole new audience that may be experiencing Lupe's music for the first time ('cause they only listen to chart-toppers).

Also, contrary to some reviews, the lyrics are not overly dumbed down and certain songs such as "All Black Everything", "Word I Never Said", "Beautiful Lasers (2 Ways)", "Till I Get There" and even "The Show Goes On" are every bit as complex and intuitive as Lupe's past work. The lyricism is still great and even on a track like "I Don't Wanna Care Right Now", which is heavy with the electro-pop sound that Atlantic seemed to push Lupe on, is really enjoyable to listen to because of the lyricism and flow. With that said I have to admit that the use of auto-tune on some tracks put me off a bit. Case in point: "Beautiful Lasers"; this was a song I listened to live when Lupe came to Seattle and it was my favourite of the snippets he provided to the fans that day but the use of auto-tune on the hook in the album version put me off a bit because the original song I heard just sounded so much cleaner without auto-tune and flowed much better. "Beautiful Lasers" is still a very good song but the non-synthesized version was great.

I was also really disappointed with the fact that Lupe's frequent collaborator Soundtrakk didn’t have a single production on this album. I believe he is a key factor of Lupe’s sound and holds his albums together. For those who don’t know, Soundtrakk did the beats for and co-wrote Lupe's biggest hits: “Kick, Push” and “Superstar”, plus he produced five songs on Food & Liquor and more than half of the songs on The Cool. They have great chemistry together and Soundtrakk is definitely capable of producing massive hits for Lupe that are loved by both fans and the general public as he has proven. I don't know the situation but if this was a decision by Atlantic they must be profoundly stupid because I can't fathom any reason why they wouldn’t want him to continue contributing to Lupe’s albums.

There are some good songs on this record and while some of the lyrics are not nearly as complex as the dense lyrics on his mixtapes or first 2 albums, Lupe’s message still comes through pretty clearly and he still brings the heat on most of the tracks. The album starts off very strong with “Letting Go” featuring Sarah Green followed by, “Words I Never Said” and “Till I Get There” (produced by long-time collaborator Needlz) which has a real old-school hip-hop feel to it. “State Run Radio” is a great song despite the chorus (which was sub-par in my opinion) and takes out his frustration with the music industry. "All Black Everything” is definitely the most hip hop sounding track with strings and hard drums. The album closes with “Never Forget You” featuring John Legend. Even though Lupe said he had little to do with this song and it was submitted to him by Atlantic, it’s actually pretty catchy (I guess the label did good work on that front) and ends the album on an optimistic vibe.

It’s a heartbreaking thing to see someone you admire being taken advantage of by the music industry. It breaks the idea of an artist, producer and writer actually working together in the same room to create songs they want to make. Instead, Atlantic records exposed the music industry as a bunch of cut-throat faceless business executives whose job is solely to create hits with little care for the artistic integrity and individual creativity of its signed artists. With that said take Lasers for what it is because it delivers as a pop-rap record and honestly it's still better than most of the major rap releases in the last year or so. To me this record is a stop-gap/experiment in order for Lupe to make the music he actually wants to make.

Notable Tracks: "Letting Go", "Words I Never Said", "Till I Get There", "The Show Goes On", "Beautiful Lasers", "State Run Radio" and "All Black Everything"

Grade: 8.75/10

Peace and Much Love to Ya :)

MTV Offers Lupe Fiasco Some "Career Advice"

So today being a #FiascoFriday it was only too appropriate for the haters to come out and bash the way Lupe goes about his business. An MTV article claims that because Lupe doesn't drop a new track every week that he's fading out of the public imagination, hence the album delay. They also sort of inferred that Lupe doesn't deserve the #FiascoFriday protest, that is being held on October 15th outside of the HQ of Atlantic Records in New York, because he doesn't "deliver" to his fans on a more consistent basis.

One of MTV's main arguments was the fact that Lupe passes on "hit" records and refuses to record the types of songs that get massive radio play. Specifically the fact that Lupe passed on "Nothin' on You" and instead gave it to labelmate B.o.B. What MTV forgot to tell was that Lupe did initially record his own version of "Nothin' on You" but when he heard B.o.B.'s version he felt that it would be more of a success than his previously recorded version and guess what? it was. So a selfless act to give a labelmate a push in the public sphere gets Lupe criticized for not being selfish enough (yea that's what you want to teach kids right?). MTV instead makes it seem like Lupe passed on "Nothin on You" because he thought it would be a success. Seriously? who thinks like that? That's like a baseball player saying he's not going to use a bat to hit because he could actually get a hit (yea it makes no sense to me either).

Another thing that the article brought to the front was that if Lupe is actually all about the music why doesn't he just release L.A.S.E.R.S. as a mixtape? This is where the label politics and legal jargon come in. An album differs from a mixtape in the fact that the money provided to create it comes from the label versus a mixtape which an artist pays for themselves and sometimes the label will pitch in. Therefore an album is an entity of the label and not the artist themselves. This is why artists don't make crazy amounts off album sales because they only get a percentage of the profits and most of the profits go to the label in order for them to one, at least break even on the production value of the album and two, to create a profit (the album makes more than it took to make). Therefore if Lupe were to "release" L.A.S.E.R.S. without Atlantic's permission it could possibly be a breach of his contract (not totally sure about this 'cause I don't know what the particulars of the contract are) and Atlantic would have the right to sue him.

Anyway, Lupe fans went on the offensive and flooded Twitter and Facebook with messages of support aimed at Lupe and bashing MTV for it's um, "advice" to a critically acclaimed artist. It wasn't just fans either, artists like Chamillionaire and fellow All City Chess Club member Wale, also gave their endorsements to Lupe.





MTV has once again incensed the Lupe fans and let's all hope it's for the best and results in the release of L.A.S.E.R.S. I've been waiting for the album since the Cool dropped and I'll continue to wait but in the meantime I'm going to continue listening to the timeless and countless Lupe mixtapes and his 2 studio albums (by the way I did BUY the albums when they dropped) that have messages in them that ring true to this day. Certain artists get immortalized with their music and that's what Lupe's music will be like. It'll be remembered years from now and still ring true. Just like Tupac who some (like me) regard as the greatest rapper of all time. 'Pac didn't have an extensive mixtape collection or a large quantity of studio albums but his music lives on forever because he was a true poet that stayed true to his craft and didn't hold back in sending out the truths of society. If Tupac is the Malcolm X of rap then in my opinion Lupe Fiasco is the Martin Luther King Jr. of rap.

Peace and Much Love to Ya :)

*you can read the original MTV article here*

R.I.P. Ian Cameron

UK Prime Minister David Cameron's father, Ian Cameron, died earlier today after suffering a stroke while on holiday in France. The Cameron family was at his side shortly before he passed away. I know many of you don't follow UK politics and this actually isn't political, but I wanted to give a bit of background information about the life of an inspirational person.

Ian Cameron was born with very deformed legs. His father had little faith in his ability to fit in but nothing ever held Mr. Cameron back. He played many sports in school, even football; nobody could tell him he couldn't. In his adult years, Mr. Cameron persevered to become a successful stockbroker just like the generations before him. He went through several surgeries in his lifetime, especially in his youth, to ease the pain from his legs, but later had both legs amputated and lost the use of one eye due to an infection. Regardless of the appearance of misfortune, Mr. Cameron was very adamant about leading an extraordinary life, passing on the same attitude to his children, one of whom is now the prime minister of the United Kingdom.

Prime Minister Cameron has always praised his father and said this during the campaign:

"My father is a huge hero figure for me. He's an amazingly brave man because he was born with no heels – quite a disability. But the glass with him was half-full, normally with something alcoholic. I think I got my sense of optimism from him."

The House of Commons sent their condolences today prior to the Prime Minister's Questions period, which was led by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

I just wanted to add that President Sarkozy of France gave the Cameron family a helicopter to use so that they could get to the hospital as soon as possible. Great man.

May our thoughts and prayers be with the Cameron family at this difficult time.

- Franny.

A G.O.O.D. Ass Mixtape

Ahead of the November release of his fifth studio album, Kanye West along with longtime friend/collaborator/blogger Perajok have released a brand new mixtape. The aptly titled G.O.O.D. Ass Mixtape features 30 tracks of music and skits from Kanye and artists signed to his G.O.O.D. (Getting Out Our Dreams) Music label, including Kid Cudi, John Legend, GLC, Big Sean, Fonzworth Bentley, Tony Williams, and Mr Hudson among others. This will clearly be the prelude of the anticipated domination by Kanye's camp in the coming Fall.

Whether you like him or not, it’s clear Kanye is working his way out of the trenches that his big mouth got him into (one of the biggest faux pas' of all-time!!), and he’s showing just why he IS the superstar that he is. Recently he's done new songs, new videos, new appearances, new tweets (yes Kanye FINALLY has a twitter, and it has been every bit as entertaining as I thought it would be)… and now a new, FREE mixtape. Some people might argue that it’s too much too late to make amends, but if he’s working on a change, then maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt.

But I digress, the mixtape itself is a great sample of what is to come from the G.O.O.D. crew. As a label it's always great to give a sample of what is to be expected. With that said, it has to be pretty stellar to grab the audience's attention. This mixtape certainly does that as it provides not only a deep tracklist but also good music to listen to. It includes some new songs and some snippets of new songs to come as well. All in all a very solid effort. You can listen to the mixtape below courtesy of Hypetrak and then download it here. Enjoy!!


Perajok & Kanye West Present: G.O.O.D. Ass Mixtape by Hypetrak

Peace and Much Love to Ya :)