Mestizo
LifeLikeMovie
[Galapagos4; 2004; Hip-Hop]
Rating: 7.7
galapagos4.com

When I hear a record like this it reminds me of everything that is wrong with the music industry today. I have to shake my head and wonder why the worst of the worst in the hip-hop world are out there making more money that most small countries. And what they're putting out is SHIT! You didn't see the new Mestizo video on MTV? That's because I wasn't talking about this record. Artists like Mestizo are what's right with the world of hip-hop.

Intelligent lyrics that don't deal with how much bread he's making, bitches and hoes, how much bling bling he's got, no chanting choruses, no record cover with his name diamond encrusted and Ferraris and stacks of cash sitting around a mansion.

Mestizo is the newest addition to the Galapagos4 label and is accompanied by a wealth of guest MCs including Qwel, Offwhyte, Denizen Kane and others over innovative beats (without trying to blur the line between traditional hip-hop and electronica) from Galapagos4's rock-solid production crew of Meaty Ogre, DJ White Lightning, Maker, Jackson Jones, Dreas and newcomers Om, Kip Killagain and Mike Gao. Combined with Mestizo's gritty view of the world around us, each guest contributes his own stylistic elements to create over an hour of some of the best hip-hop you're gonna find out there today. If you like good hip-hop anyway...