Mixtape Mondays: DJ Kay Slay, G-Unit, Usher, Kanye West, Brandy

Artist: DJ Kay Slay

Mixtape: The Streetsweeper Vol. 2: The Pain From the Game

Representing: Harlem, New York

The 411: "This album isn't like a lot of albums coming out today," Slay said of his second official LP. "We're in a crisis of good music. Most albums have hot videos for one song [the single]. The average album, you'll hear three or four records you like and hate the other 14.  My album is a consumer's dream. We have a lot of real hot records up there."

Although The Pain From the Game is officially being sold in stores, it still has the diverse mixtape flavor Slay always brings. Eminem, G-Unit, the Diplomats, Twista, Lil' Flip, Obie Trice, Memphis Bleek and Jaheim are just some of the names who contributed to the album.

	Other mixtape picks

Joints to check for - The Drama King himself speaks about three of his favorite cuts on the LP:

• "Face Off" by Ghostface and Scarface - "Ghostface is my favorite rapper. He's a brother whose music I could always feel the realness [of in his verses]. Scarface is a brother who I listened to when I was getting back into the music game. He has hard lyrics and a hard tone. When he raps, I could feel it in my veins."
• "The Truth" by LL Cool J - "LL broke down the whole street game and music game from the '80s era to the present stage it's in now."
• "Angels Around Me" by G-Unit - "I like the energy of the record. It reminds me of their song 'Gangsta Sh--.' It's a realistic street record. Young Buck sets it off, then comes Lloyd [Banks] and 50. It's a balanced joint."

  Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week

  • DJ Big Mike's Dead or Alive Part 1
  • DJ Lt. Dan/Chops/Kanye's Changing Lanes
  • DJ Graffiti's Bling Free Vol. 3
  • Talib Kweli's The Beautiful Mixtape

  'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar

  • Usher featuring Jadakiss - "Throwback (Remix)"
  • Jim Jones featuring Game and Cam'ron - "Certified Gangstas"
  • Brandy featuring Kanye West - "Talk About Our Love"
  • Lil' Wayne - "Bring It Back"
  • The Diplomats - "My Posse's on Broadway"  

    Celebrity Favs

    Jermaine Dupri has once again proved that the youth is to be seen and heard — his teen act J-Kwon has the #3 song in the country with "Tipsy." The head of So So Def and boyfriend to Janet Jackson says: "My favorite mixtape right now is Snoop Dogg's Welcome 2 Tha Chuuch ... [Vol. 5]. Snoop isn't rapping over the same beats as everybody else."

    The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

    One of the hottest records to be put on the mixtapes this week has to be the street remix to Usher's Just Blaze-produced "Throwback."  While on the album version, Usher laments about lost love all by his lonely, the streets are eating up a reworking of the record where Jadakiss chimes in with his own brokenhearted thug second-guessing. "I'm wishing we could throw back to that exact spot where we found L.O.V.E. at," Kiss raps. "I lose some and I lose again, when I gonna win some? I said a lot of things outta anger but I meant some." Last week in NYC, Mr. Entertainment said he was not aware of any remix with Kiss rapping on it, but he did say he catered to Jada's hometown of New York while constructing the cut with Blaze this past Valentine's Day. "It ain't just a normal R&B record," Usher said. "I'mma give you an explanation of what I felt when I heard it. You know how Puff and Mary [J. Blige] got together and Mary has always had that realness that identifies with a hip-hop audience and R&B audience at the same time? ['Throwback'] is that. That record really has a New York feel to it." ...

    We all know that Queens' Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson is one of the most viable artists in the game today. We've heard a million times about his rise from the gutter to fame and fortune. A DVD is in the works that also tells the story of 50 Cent — not the rapper, but the legendary street figure from Brooklyn. Record executive/manager Jimmy Henchman's Infamous Films Inc. is currently finishing up the first edition of a 'hood-meets-"60 Minutes" video series called "Infamous Times." The introductory episode tells us about the life and times of Kelvin "50 Cent" Martin. "The original 50 Cent was one of Brooklyn's most ruthless and fearless individuals and someone I knew well as a youth," Henchman said. "We felt a need to tell his unique story and allow the fans to truly understand the origins of the legend who inspired the biggest name in rap." Through interviews with 50's family, friends, gangster peers, former enemies and even the chart-topping 50 Cent ("He was very helpful," Henchman said), "Infamous Times" examines not only Martin's notorious street background, but also his intimate family life. The DVD will also take an in-depth look at Bloods in Brooklyn, the wholesale drug trade in New York's Washington Heights, new handgun silencers and automobile bulletproofing. ...

  For other artists featured in Mixtape Mondays, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines.

  For a full-length feature on the role of mixtapes in the music industry, check out "Mixtapes: The Other Music Industry."