DIGGIN' IN THE CRATES WITH BEATS MCGEE

Yo. Beats McGee here. No time for intros, kids. If you don\'t know who I am, then go back to sleep. Let\'s look at some records.
1. MF DOOM - Metal Fingers Presents: Special Herbs Vol. 5 & 6 (Metal Face Records)
I\'m telling you, nobody can fuck with MF Doom. He\'s the illest. Formerly known as rapper Zeb Luv X from KMD, his brother, Subroc, was killed, Zeb lost his mind, and resurrected himself as the metal-faced villain MF Doom! This album is the latest collection of some of his instrumental tracks, all very jazzy and fresh. Check out his other projects: Viktor Vaughn, King Geedorah, and Monster Island Czars.
2. MADVILLAIN - Madvillainy (Stones Throw Records)
It don\'t get much better than this, folks. Producer/DJ/stoner Madlib (Quasimoto, Yesterdays New Quintet, Lootpack) and MC/producer MF Doom deliver a flawless, collaborative, comic book sonic boom. Crazy, funky beats, tons of great obscure samples, surreal rhymes, and 100% originality will make this the best hip-hop release of 2004.
3. DEAD PREZ - RBG (Columbia Records)
This is some angry, revolutionary-type shit. White people will probably be scared of this. No skits or filler bullshit; just 12 bangin\' tracks that will make you want to go out and fuck up some cops. Good for those BBQs with your homies, where you\'re sittin\' around, drinkin\' 40s, and talkin\' shit about \"The Man\" and whatnot.
4. IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE - Revolutionary 2 (Viper Records)
Jesus! Talk about angry. This motherfucker is angry. His album sleeve folds out to show an illustration of Bush, Bin Laden, Cheney, and the rest of those good ol\' boys, all laying on the floor of the Oval Office, riddled with bullet holes. The tracks are all fuck-the-man, anti-government, anti-corporate, anti-media war chants that will be great to bump out of your car stereo when the revolution finally comes.
5. FOREIGN LEGION - Playtight (Look Records)
Ah... and now for something fun. This is a fantastic, balls-out, pump-your-fist-in-the-air party album. Intelligent and hilarious rhymes over ridiculously funky tracks. \"Party Crashers\" and \"Roommate Joint\" make this worth the price of admission alone. Pop this on, get drunk with your friends, and break shit.
6. PETER TOSH - Don\'t Want To Get Busted (Rastafari Records)
Praise Jah, and spark up a fat bowl! This is an unreleased live album from 1978, with some nice bonus material on it. Highlights include a 12-minute version of \"Legalize It\", and 14 acoustic songs with Peter and his guitar, jammin\' out. Also, check out the interview at the end in which Peter tells a reporter about getting arrested and nearly beaten to death by ten cops. Crazy shit!
7. MURS - 3:16 The 9th Edition (Definitive Jux Records)
Damn, Murs is just the fucking man, ya know? I mean, everything he puts out is just pure gold. This album is no exception. The amazingly talented 9th Wonder of Little Brother fame provides the tracks, and Murs provides the raps. This is a killer combo with no skits, and some of the best storytelling I\'ve heard in hip-hop in a long time. \"Bad Man!\", \"Trevor An\' Them\", and \"Hustle\" are the standout jams here. A perfect summer album.
8. DANGERMOUSE AND JEMINI - Ghetto Pop Life (Lex Records)
Dangermouse has been getting a lot of attention this year for his avant-garde Grey Album. Honestly, that album isn\'t that great. Sure, Dangermouse\'s mix compositions of The Beatles\' White Album are amazing, but you have to listen to that idiot Jay-Z rap over this stuff. Believe me, that gets old real quick. Now this album, Ghetto Pop Life with MC Jemini, is fucking bangin\'! Sixteen solid tracks of incredible beats, tight production, and confident raps make this one of the most slept-on releases of the year.
BIGGEST SELLOUT OF THE CENTURY: BOB DYLAN
You little whore. Victoria\'s Secret commercials?!? Fuck you. I just burned all your old albums. And by \"burn\", I don\'t mean I copied them for a friend. I mean I literally threw them in the fucking fire where they belong. You used to be an icon, man. You used to stand for something so true and so pure. You were one of our heroes. You\'re already a millionaire, you burnout. It\'s like Bill Hicks said: \"If you\'re rich and you still do a commercial, that\'s it. You\'re off the artistic roll call for life. You\'re another corporate shill and a whore at the capitalist gangbang.\"
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD: SUBTITLE
This is a cool kid who works at Amoeba Records in Los Angeles. He\'s been putting out his own albums for a while, and they\'re always unique, interesting listens. Kind of like old Aesop Rock mixed with Anti-Pop Consortium. Simple beats, scratchy production, and quirky and bizarre rhymes make this some of the freshest stuff I\'ve heard in a minute. Check out his new six-song EP, I\'m Always Recovering From Tomorrow.
Beats McGee is a DJ/producer/MC who lives and works in New York City. Send him some free shit so he can review it. Also, his t-shirt size is medium, for those who wish to adorn him with free clothing. He\'s a constant couch-surfer, so he doesn\'t have a mailing address. He can, however, be reached through his cousin, Food One at: 40oz Comics, PO Box 46879, Los Angeles, CA, 90046.