Review by Loose Cannonz

Wiz Hoffa/Unexpected/DJ Supreme - Crack Cookaz Vol. 1

Normally I don't review R&B and Reggae, only when it hits upon a weekly pause tape I'll make note of its balance within the HipHop. Crack Cookaz is a different commodity altogether however; it's a blends album divided in three different sections by three different deejays. Street Sweepers may be the most popular of mixtape groups-with Evil Empire, Catch 22, and Tapemasters Inc. narrowly behind-but who of those groups aside from Kay Slay and Radio do we really know? Noizemob doesn't hide behind any moniker, and Unexpected we all know as a respected blend arteest. With that, it's no surprise who shines the most. I'm not a huge fan of Reggae, in fact, I prefer Reggaeton (shoutout to Dexterity kid), but the Reggae Thug segment of this CD is easily its best. Sizzla, who we know from Mobb Deep and D-Block cuts as of late, does his thing over beats produced by Eminem and Daz that ironically sound-all-too-similar; good work DJ Unexpected, exposing Eminem's influences. Just like a beginning, there's an end, and Sizzla finishes with "Streetside Knowledge," which takes back the traditional bouncy Reggae from the days of Shabba Ranks over some chirpy beats. There's no secret Reggae has a history of strong social commentary, but a song called "Bun Out Gay Guys"? It's a funny cover of Outkast's latest smash, blended with the somber keys from that Brand Nubian and Loon joint. Elephant Man's second cut "Get Low" is the apparent tribute to Chill Will. The big names of this genre, Bounty Hunter, Capleton, and Buju Banton come through over some of the hottest beats you wouldn't expect: "Ante Up," "Four Alarm Blaze," "The Heist," and a whole slew of others ranging from Bahamadia, Big Pun to Rampage that'll bring you back to when reggae was that shit.

The rest of the disc is whole other entity. As my mans Dimez pointed out in an earlier review, the mixtape is called Crack Cookaz, yet 18 of the tape's 35 are R&B? The intro and skits don't make any sense using New Jack City because this one says CUDDLY shit all over it. Check Razah's "Feel So Good" over…grrr…"Candy Shop." This is the first track! How many heads lookin' at Crack Cookaz do you think are gonna keep listening? Hopefully more than Noizemob thinks. 112 typically gets that street respect for being Bad Boys who jumped the Def Jam totem pole, so "Feels So Good" over Slum Village's "Selfish" is fantastic. I could've done without Ashanti (twice), Destiny's Child, or Brandy. Really. That ain't that crack. "Let Me Love You" over "Drop It Like Its Hot"? That took a while to think of. "Let Me Love You" appears again(!!)-as if the radio doesn't play it enough-and let's just say Mario and Midnight Marauders don't mix. At least the blends of Keshia Cole's "I Changed My Mind," Xavier's "Crazy," and Rahiem's "Who Loves U More" all have that added street edge to it. And yeah, Guerilla Black is in this segment. The last two blends are so off-base you'd think David Ortiz was slidin'. Silencer DJ Supreme, from the same mean streets of Boston as yours truly, takes charge of the Hip-Hop section and its ups and downs go along with the rest of the disc. Further proof Nas should get Alchemist on the wheels is "Hold Me Down" behind "Get Down," and "You Ain't A Killer" blend to the Puffy beat, but why do some blend deejays constantly forget about matching up the hooks? And if I hear another "I'm A Hustler," "Bring Em Out" or "Why" blend I'm gonna cringe; "Tit 4 Tat" has too many beats; while the "New York" remix, separating each of the verses with different beats, works as well as milk mixed with grape juice. Pending which side of this mixtape spectrum you coming from, the choice is yours.

RATING SYSTEM
	Trash
	Step Ya Game Up
	Diehards only
	In the Deck
	Straight Crack
	Among Year's Best
	Mixtape Classic