Dirty Harry's "25 Dollar Mixtape" [July, 2004]
reviewed by Kaleal Crooks for Hiphopcrib.com

Pros: the artists and the potential talent pool
Cons: the production, overall bad mix from track to track resulting in disjointed vocals
Score: 5/10

Kentucky emcee and producer, Dirty Harry, compiled an album of local and online artists over the past few weeks, and out of fairness, it was distributed to reviewers at 112 kbps. Overall, the album brings your typical street emcees on street beats, and unfortunately, very little about this album stands out. Even after several plays, the sponge on my shoulders doesn't seem to want to absorb the collage one might call a soundscape. I have heard a few of these tracks under other circumstances, so I won't slam the individuals because the tape could have easily become a better product with more dedication. The mix just completely takes away from the artists. The album is something you can play in the background and never remember a word that was said. In addition, a few of the artists have very amateur flows and seem like they struggle to ride the beat, using adlibs to cover the choppy fluid they attempt to spit. If you are bobbing your head it's very obvious, and annoying.

A few artists do show some potential through the fog, those names, I will call out. Conscious, and Prizm, two very different emcees, both add a little seasoning to this bland main course that we are expected to easily ingest. However, it's not enough to save the tape because they contrast with everything else as well as each other, so they may be overlooked by the average listener. This is one of Conscious' rare appearances where he uses the majority of the beat to rhyme rather than speak the oral terms he has been noted for. The beat compliments him very nicely as well. The state of New York has been represented once again. Canadian emcee, Prizm, and the beat he chose are like ice and water. At first glance, you may only see the physical image, and overlook that they are indeed, one in the same. Nobody else on the tape is really worth being mentioned. My apologies for any deflated skulls. The Kentucky squad, like the planes that hit the towers, did do some good, but left more of a mess to clean up than we'd like to see.

If you have some spare change and no other obligations *ahem* (bills, a wife, kids, lottery tickets, the blind man holding the cup?) then hey, go for it... Honestly, it's no worse than most of the mainstream garbage you collect in your house anyway. It's just another CD on the rack, never to be played again. (track listing and purchase information can be found here.)

REVIEWED BY KALEAL CROOKS
(Article online here.)