Mixtape Round-Up: November 20

Damn, I can't believe the amount of material that has dropped in the last two weeks. Forget yesterday being world AIDS Day, it was definitely the day of the mixtape. Let's start this rundown.

First off, we have to mention the return of Lupe Fiasco. The Chicago emcee has taken a break from preparing to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and dropped some heat on Thanksgiving day. It's only around 25 minutes but Lupe return to his Killer self and says more in that time than most can do ever. He murks "All the Way Turnt Up," a beat that was unheard of to remix until he came out of sleeping. He also borrows an older Lil Wayne joint to steal as well. While Lupe's at it he also grabs a couple Jay-Z and Clipse tracks.To me the man seems to take himself a little too seriously at times, but this sounds like him on that Pre-F and F trip and just going back to rapping for fun, not all business like.

What's Good?: "All the Way Turnt Up." Fireman (Yoga Flame)," "Popular Demand"

Tracklist and Download link for Enemy of the State

Next we got a real nice diddy that I've been waiting on for a minute. Mick Boogie and Terry Urban assembled what is probably the most bad ass collection of artists and producers for a mixtape I have ever seen. I'm going to name drop first: Phife Dawg, Camp Lo, Talib Kweli, Kardinal Offishall, U-N-I, Tanya Morgan, Skillz, Colin Munroe, Big Pooh, Chaundon, Chip tha Ripper, Daytona, 6th Sense, The Kickdrums, Apple Juice Kid, etc, etc, etc. All these dudes do a remix of old De La joints and they are all badass.'Nough said.

What's Good?: "Rock Co Kane Flow" Feat. Shawn Chrystopher, "Breakadawn," everything on here

Tracklist and Download link for Le Da Soul

Click above for more mixtapes.

Keeping on the Boogie & Urban tip, Cleveland, Ohio just got a little cooler. KiD CuDi running mate Chip the Ripper released his long talked about mixtape and it is something nice. It's the first real project I've been able to sink into of Chips and I like what I'm seeing. For the first time Chip is getting the shine on these instead of getting the feature-rich collabos on the blogs. Dude has a nice flow and is repping a new city we don't hear a lot from. Is the Midwest the Houston? Dunno, but if you aren't sold yet there are features from Mikkey Halsted, Naledge, Currensy and Big Sean, as well as beats by Chuck Inglish of the Cool Kids and Boi 1-da.

What's Good?: "Fat Raps" Feat. Big Sean and Currensy [Produced by Chuck Inglish], "Dear Hip-Hop" Feat. Naledge and 6th Sense

Tracklist and Download link for The Cleveland Show

Chip dropped his tape on the unofficial mixtape day of the year and so did Smoke DZA, but as an album. DZA is from the NYC scene, more specifically the came camp that Mickey Factz reps. If you can tell by his name, Smoke likes to smoke and it proliferates his rhymes. There's also a lot of content beneath drug references on some real NY shit. A lot of laid back, soulful production on this with a lot of movie themed titles such as "Marley & Me" and "Slumdog Millionaire." As expected, Factz stops by for a verse as well as Nipsey Hussle, Devin the Dude, Curt@in$ and Currensy.

What's Good?: "Marley and Me" Feat. Devin the Dude, Currensy and June Summers, "Highway" Feat. Devin the Dude

Tracklist and Download link for Substance Abuse

Last but of course not least is UNC student Rhetoric and his first release. This is Rhetoric and a couple guests rocking over some familiar beats made popular by Drake, Lupe Fiasco, UGK & Outkast and even some old Diddy. If you watched any of the Pit Spit a while back you may remember Rhetoric and would know he's got some flows. He even tries his hand at some production and it ain't bad either. And of course, give him props for repping UNC hard the whole time. Fuck the Heisman, do the Hakeem Nicks.