You wouldn’t know by listening to most of the rap/hip-hop that makes it to radio today but there was once a time when rappers used their music to get across their feelings. Not how they feel about ‘bitches or hoes” or how much bling they have, but instead their feelings about politics and other things close to their hearts. Well Lasers shows that Lupe Fiasco knows how to stay true to that old-style rap philosophy.

While the world has fallen at the feet at rappers like Usher and Kanye West, the very talented Lupe Fiasco has been plying his trade in the shadows and now Lasers sees him break-out into the spotlight and truly announce himself as one of the best rappers going around at the moment.

Lupe Fiasco teams up with Sarah Green on “Letting Go” and shows the world that not all commercial R&B has to be crappy and lame, and then he really announces himself with “Words That I Never Said”, a track that seems call the War On Terror bullshit while also taking a swipe at some Muslims… see a rapper that has the guts to come out and say what he feels.

“Till I Get There” sees Fiasco get heartfelt about his career and why he is in the rap game while the very-electronic “I Don’t Care Right Now” is catchy enough to be the next radio single. “Out Of My Head” sees Fiasco team up with Trey Songz and momentarily head down the commericial track with a song about a girl, it doesn’t fit his normal style and the only thing that saves it from being a complete disaster is that it has a real Michael Jackson sound to it.

“The Show Goes On” is an amazing track but you can’t help but wonder if the fact that it has been played to death on Australian TV may mean it has lost it’s heartfelt message. MDMA steps up to the mic on the emotional “Beautiful Lasers (2 Ways)” and once again Fiasco’s great songwriting abilities are on show.

“Coming Up” is a truly forgettable song while :State Run Radio” may sound cheesy but if you listen carefully it takes a fair swipe at modern radio and the military. Fiasco mixes his styles up with the Ministry Of Sound-esque “Break The Chain” and then takes his fans on a poetic history listen with the very important ‘All Black Everything”. Lasers then closes with the smooth “Never Forget You” which is sung with true meaning by Fiasco and John Legend.

Dave Griffiths

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Over the years Ministry Of Sound Anthologies have become a Bible to dance music fans in the same way that any Triple J Hottest 100 is a must have for those who love alternative music. Now Ministry Of Sound have branched out and released Anthems: Hip-Hop to celebrate thirty years of hip-hop… a three disc set no less. But seriously perhaps they should stick to dance music because while Ministry Of Sound claim they have captured the 54 greatest hip-hop tracks of all time, they have certainly missed the mark.

Clearly what Ministry Of Sound meant to say was they have captured 54 hip-hop songs that were cheap enough to purchase because these albums are loaded with ordinary tracks (that could hardly be considered hits… and certainly don’t deserve to have the word ‘Greatest’ placed anywhere near them) while there are some huge omissions, such as 2Pac (surely with the number of times we hear “California Love” each year that should have be remembered) and Lil’ Kim (a huge mover and shaker in the hip-hop world). Other strange choices include “Forgot About Dre” as one of Eminem’s best songs (how about including one of his hits???) and “Joints & Jam” by The Black Eyed Peas… doesn’t take a genius to work out that it certainly wasn’t one of their greatest hits.

Disc One is the biggest offender with only OutKast’s “Ms. Jackson” and Missy Elliott’s “Get UR Freak On” saving it from being a complete waste of time. Disc Two certainly saves the day with 50 Cent, Ice Cube, DMX, Cypress Hill, Nelly, Slat-N-Pepa and The Notorious B.I.G. making for one hell of a party mix. It’s also nice to see “Kick, Push” by Lupe Fiasco getting a little bit of love… he has to be one of the most underrated hip-hop artists going around. Disc Three is again another right off with only Run-DMC, Tone Loc and Kelis there to save the day.

It seems Ministry Of Sound set itself a task beyond it’s reach when it tried to fill 3 discs with hits, there are certainly more than 3 discs worth of hip-hop hits out there, Ministry Of Sound just chose the wrong ones (or couldn’t get the rights to the ones they wanted… we have to give the benefit of the doubt there). Perhaps they would have been better just trying to make a single disc of hits and doing the genre proud.

Dave Griffiths

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One thing is for sure Australian electronic artist DJ Soup will never die wondering. The way he mixes genres on his new EP Ubersoup has to be heard to be believed. There is so much going on here, and you can’t help but love it.

“Ur Whatz Hapn” sees DJ Soup team up with Evelyn Duprai and create a song so sexual it would make Portishead blush. Duprai terrific real-soul vocals make this one of the best tracks to be released this year.

“Online Love” sees DJ Soup head down the cheesy pop-electronica road but remarkably enough it is still catchy enough to make you want to listen. Duprai returns on “So Much Power” a faster track that sees DJ Soup mix soul with R&B… and again it sounds brilliant.

“Midnight” contains vocals by Damian Miller and while it does take a few listens to get used to the old-style crooner vocals it is well worth the effort. The EP then closes with “Dreams Of Mother’ another great track that shows just how good electronica music can sound.

DJ Soup has dropped an absolute gem with Ubersoup and if you haven’t heard any of his work then now is the time to start.

Dave Griffiths

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Melbourne electronic-outfit Duosseudo (pronounced due-oh-sue-doh) return with a new single off their forthcoming album. On “Turning Up Gold” the duo team up with Adam Ferns to deliver a single that has a strong 90s feel and shows that Australian electronic music is still well-and-truly on track. A smooth track that grows on you after a few listens.

Dave Griffiths

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3Oh!3 drew international attention to themselves on the back of their successful single ‘Don’t Trust Me’ and their duet with current-it-girl, Katy Perry, ‘Starstrukk’. They proved that there was still a place in the world for bubblegum pop, but do they have the legs to create a career, or are they simply just another one-hit wonder? Well, their new album ‘Streets Of Gold’ shows that they are still at the crossroads of their career. There are some gems to be found here, but also some absolute trash.

A piece of mundane album filler, the uninspiring, ‘Beaumont’ kicks off the album and then is followed with some bubblegum pop with extra grunt in the form of, ‘I Can Do Anything’. These are the kind of songs that you can see commercial radio lapping up, but making the serious music fan very sick indeed.

‘My First Kiss’ sees 3Oh!3 team up with another pop-starlet, this time with Ke$ha, it’s cheesy but thankfully not as bad as Mika. ‘Déjà vu’ finds 3Oh!3 sounding a lot better, even if it something that sounds like it could have been left on any of Britney Spear’s later albums. But even the harshest critic has to admit that ‘We Are Young’ is catchy enough to be good… and you’ll probably hear it soon when the party of teeny-boppers next door is being busted up by the cops. It sounds like a song the new generation will choose as an anthem.

‘Touchin On My’ shows that when they want 3Oh!3 can produce some good pop while ‘House Party’ could well be Gen Y’s answer to ‘Fight For Your Right To Party’. Even the cheesy ballad ‘R.I.P.’ seems to eventually grow on you after a few listens, however this is where the album hits a snag. ‘I Know How To Say’ is catchy but oh-so-annoying while ‘Double Vision’ is so cheesy it will have you heaving, and title track, ‘Streets Of Gold’ should have been left on the cutting room floor… and then trampled on several times. You could also possible say the same thing about ‘See You Go’.

‘I’m No The One’ shows that 3Oh!3 possibly found their old East 17 albums and learnt how to write something verging on heartfelt, while you can only listen to ‘Love 2012’ and wish that 3Oh!3 could write an album of tracks like this. The album then closes with 3Oh!3 two previous hits ‘Don’t Trust Me’ and ‘Starstrukk’ (with Katy Perry), just in case you didn’t buy them the first time around.

You would have to be a total pop fan to find 3Oh!3’s ‘Streets Of Gold’ interestingly enough to buy. It may be good for a Gen Y party but will be given a wide birth by serious music fans. Cheesy pop for the new generation.

Dave Griffiths

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