Evan's Mixtape Mondays-- Volume 2

Neako's Rubix Cube: Blue Edition
*Author's note- If you have never heard of Neako and enjoy good hip hop, download any or all of his mixtapes on his MySpace*

You can say what you want about Neako's music (I think it's dope), but there is one undisputed truth; the man is talented.  On the third installment of his “Rubix Cube” mixtape series, Neako produces half of the tape himself-- a true testament to his musical genius.

In my opinion, up and comers produce the best mixtapes because they need to get noticed; they have something to prove.  Weezy can record an entire tape of flops and half of the internet would still say, "MANE U SO DAME SICK WAYNE I LOVE YO MUSIC AND VIDEOS AND YO ACTING."  Neako, who is unsigned and largely unrecognized, was obviously eager to prove his worth on Blue Edition because his flow and delivery have significantly improved since his first tape.  His already punchline heavy rhymes have gotten sharper and the heightened energy in his vocals insinuate perhaps a well deserved boost in confidence.  He has always been sick behind the boards (check out his Dipset massacre remix of Cam'ron's "Get It in Ohio") and Blue Edition is probably his most impressive production to date.  In all, this is a very well rounded mixtape; a great collection of tales of aspiration, love, and deception.

Wiz Khalifa's Burn After Rolling:

Good, but could have been better.  Like Neako, much of Khalifa's music is unknown to the casual hip hop fan.  But for those of you who love Wiz and have stayed current on his music, you're probably wondering, "WTF?!"  6 of the 20 songs on the mixtape were leaked previous to its November 2nd release.

The tape itself didn't beat Flight School, which dropped earlier this summer, but it was alright.  As always, the beats are incredible and the subject matter is some variation of being famous, smoking weed, and making money... but there's some novelty to it.  You see, Khalifa literally paved his own way to success; after the mild success of his 2006 hit "Say Yeah," he started a grassroots internet campaign which has culminated into the enormous buzz he is currently enjoying.  But since his second album, Deal or No Deal, is scheduled for release on the 24th of this month, I feel that this tape was more of perfunctory effort to simply get some new music out to the fans.  Fine by me as long as Deal or No Deal is fire.  Some notable tracks include, "If I Were a Lame," "Gettin Up," and "B.A.R."