New Release Tuesday

A day late, I know, but so what? Here's my picks from April 5th's releases. First is Rapper Big Pooh's latest, Fat Boy Fresh Vol. 1: For Members Only. The first single, "Freebasin," is my Song of the Day and really captures the essence of what Pooh and Little Brother have represented over their career.

From what I've heard off the album, it's what you'd expect from Pooh. No gimmicks, no weak attempts at airplay, just straight hip-hop. Head snapping beats and solid lyrics to match. Little Brother fans don't hesitate on this one. If you're not familiar with Pooh, scoop this one up and then go get some Little Brother albums and enjoy.

Pick No. 2 is Blueprint's Adventures In Counter-Culture.

My biggest concern on this album is production. Lyrically, Blueprint always brings it, but I've grown so accustomed to him working alongside RJD2 for the Soul Position projects, that not rhyming over RJ beats may not sound as fresh. Then again Blueprint's 1988 was fantastic, so there's proof he can stand on his own. I've heard very little from this album so far and it's definitely different from his other work, but that's what makes Blueprint a dope artist. He can change his sound and bring something unique to the table every time out.