The Deal: Out of jail and in the studio, T.I. drops his first project since becoming a free man again sometime between chopping it up Larry King and others.

The Good: At a few points in the mixtape, I thought I heard, I'm Serious, T.I. but it may have just been a little rust from not being in the studio in a while. He declared early on that he was tired of being compared to people who've had three mixtapes when he's dropped seven albums! That needed to be be said.

"Yeah" with Lil Wayne is dope, "Yeah You Know" was heat also."Once Upon A Time" was old school, storytelling at it's finest. Beat and all, only way it could be better is with a Slick Rick appearance.

Can't wait for Killer Mike to return to the mainstream, his appearance on "Ready, Set, Go" was a good look. The comedians that made a point to jump on the mixtape, Jamie Foxx, Kevin Hart and Lil Duval were all funny.

The Bad: Completely devoid of anything introspective but it's a mixtape and as the title and content of this record illustrates, Tip isn't too fond of the whole concept, why waste the effort in being thought provoking in something you're giving away for free? "Bitch Who" and "Like So" are skippable.

The Verdict: You shook the rust off Tip, now give us an album. The hood will love this mixtape and While it does get better on multiple listens and definitely cranks for the summer, it lacks the complexity and production diversity you'd expect (and get) from a T.I. product you pay for.

INFO

Release date: May 27, 2010

Download T.I.'s Fuck A Mixtape here.

Tracklist:

22. Got Your Back (Feat. Keri Hilson) (Bonus)

The Deal: Ross sneaks out an EP in advance of his next album, Teflon Don, and manages to steal some of T.I.'s mixtape shine last week in the process.

The Good: More than a handful of album and summer sun ready tracks. Who knew John Legend could produce? No one would've predicted a Kool G Rap feature on "Knife Fight", let alone that feature be dope. (Now Ross has to find the Juice Crew). As corny as it is, it's hard not to give Diddy credit for getting your mind in the right place to receive this kind of an album with a intro that deserved a counter for all the N-bombs and motherfuckers he dropped.

The Deal: Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek team up for the first time in a decade for new Reflection Eternal album.

The Good: Can't even begin to describe just how good Hi-Tek was on this album. Producing every track, he managed to be soulful, dope, at times anthemic, experimental and precise. Just good hip-hop from behind the boards, he was definitely in a good grove.

Kweli was in rare, but expected, form as well. I was truly impressed that he was able to take some of the things that made his last solo album, Eardrum, his most commercially successful. Lots of standout tracks on the album. "Strangers (Paranoid)" which captures the flame from their previous cuts together over a crazy beat. "In This World" cleverly chops up Jay-Z's line on "Moment of Clarity" where he admits, lyrically, he'd be more like Kweli. "Midnight Hour" with Estelle conjured images of Amy Winehouse meeting the Star Wars Cantina Band, seriously, I don't know why. While "Ballad of the Black Gold" was eerily current and relevant with the oil spill in the Gulf Coast and also featured one of the hardest beats on the project.

The Deal: Atlanta rappers become yet another act to turn their mixtape release into an event and Twitter trending topic, even crashing their personal Web site.

The Good: Damn it's catchy. Not just one song or chorus, but the whole fucking thing. A couple clever references to hood staples like Tahitian Treats made me smile, but you can't slam then from the glaring lack of lyricism because at no point in time do they ever say they're trying to be insightful or thought provoking, they kinda just want to dance, party and get chicks. Can't knock 'em there. Also dropped a free 30-minute movie for a free album.

The Bad: It's easy for all these songs to run together in your head as one, they don't sound that different at all. I have no clue how they associate what they do with Che, Mandela and Marcus Garvey but yeah, they're all on the artwork.

The Verdict: Ignorant to some, dope to others, I say let the kids have fun. Wouldn't be shocked to hear every single song on Power 98 at some point in time this summer. Whether that's a good or a bad thing, I'll let you decide but if you see any girl over 25 blasting this, please slap her with her birth certificate, but considering every other song I listened to in high school told me to stomp somebody out, I can't say this is worse.

INFO

Porter House; Release date: May 18, 2010

[Download Travis Porter's Proud 2 Be A Problem]

Tracklist:

1. Intro

2. Proud To Be A Problem

3. I Put On A Show

4. Feet Ball

5. Hotel

6. Put It In Yo Mouf

7. Secondary Girl

8. Lemme Take You Out

9. Travis Say

10. Fan Mail

11. Over Again

12. Sunshine On Me

13. Squirt Checks In

14. Mighty Mighty

15. Sumn I Won't Do

16. Minaj

17. Do It

18. Swallow The Bottle

19. Wassup Witchu

20. Bring Yo Team

21. Drunk Sex

22. Keep Ya Head Up

23. Scared

The Deal: Legendary Texas MC takes a stab at the "modern" mixtape game.

The Good: No denying this mixtape had soul but it also had an grit that man artists shy away from. "Lyrical Assualt" with Malice & Mr. Lo Key, "The Ghetto Report" and "2 The Beat" are all tracks that stand out for their honesty and just damn good production.

"Get Lost" seemed radio ready but I really could've rode out to an instrumental version of this mixtape and been cool, it's some crazy beats on this project.

The Bad: Way too much B. James and Monk Kaza. While serviceable their constant presence made you wonder why they weren't bigger, doper, Texas artists on some tracks instead.

The Verdict: It's hard not to enjoy a Scarface project but this one seemed to be more of a vehicle to push affiliated artists than get me excited for a forthcoming Scarface album.

[Download Scarface's Dopeman Music]

INFO

Release date: May 4, 2010

The Deal: ATL's next big thing drops long awaited and critically applauded, debut album.

The Good: B.o.B is one of only a handful of artists that possess the ability to sound completely different on every song. The fact that you can have a song like "Bet I" with T.I. and Playboy Tre, work for the streets, then kick out "Nothin' On You" with Bruno Mars and "Airplanes" with Hayley Williams of Paramore that works mainstream demos takes a real talent and versatility. Add "Airplanes, Pt. II" with Eminem sounding like the Eminem we know and love and it's bulletproof. "Past My Shades" with Lupe Fiasco and "Fame" are some of my favorite cuts on the album. Expect to hear "Lovelier Than You" in a romantic comedy near you.

The Bad: Am I the only one that noticed lots of previous hits missing? Where's "Haterz Everywhere" and "I'll Be In The Sky"? Sure, they both dropped over a year ago and have long since outlived their radio rotation but they were his biggest songs and are nowhere to be found (even on the deluxe edition I have). Not really feeling "The Kids" with Janelle Monae — I think I expected more.

The Verdict: The Adventures of Bobby Ray may go down as a blueprint for crossover success. As far as a debut goes, it's beyond solid. Who knows what direction he'll go in next.

INFO

Atlantic; Release date: April 27, 2010.

The Deal: Mississippi rapper/producer proves David Banner isn't the only one putting on for the 'Sip.

The Good: From track one, this album shines. "Return of 4eva," "Country Shit" and "Just Touched Down" are Chevy-friendly, but you'll hear things slowly begin to shift toward the meat on "Home Town Hero."

"Viktrorious" talks about how every state in the South has had their run except Mississippi and flashes a surprising lyricism from an artist you would pigeon hole into only making trunks rattle. For those still on the fence about his lyricism, "Children of the World" turned them into believers.

Has a certain Hustle & Flow aesthetic about it that lends to it's authenticity and is strangely refreshing. Absolutely loved how perfect this record mellowed out over time going from windows down, ghetto blasting to blunts on the front porch, chill.

The Bad: I honestly can't point to one fault on this mixtape, I just wish more people knew about/knew who he was.

The Verdict: A must-download. Beautiful blend of substance and Southern style with lyricism that sneaks up on you. Hey hip hop, I hate to break it to you but umm... we ain't goin nowhere if material like this keeps dropping. Hopefully the "trap" sound of the first few tracks won't scare listeners away from the rest.

[Download K.R.I.T. Wuz Here]

INFO

MULTI-RECORDS; Release date: May 3, 2010

The Deal: West Coast trio drops new mixtape after Church League Champions was one of 2009's best.

The Good: Had to listen multiple times before I could critically get over the excitement of just hearing new tracks from these guys. A few cuts stood out. "Birds" is a track that will either be one of your favorites or annoy you 15 seconds in. "Here We Go" features the late 2Pac, "Overcome" had the soul and spirit you expect from Pac Div over a gospely sample. "Waves At The Prom" and "Shine" are minimalistic but two of the dopest tracks on the project.

The Bad: Loved the "traditional" Pac Div sound before, but hearing them over "South" beats was awkward, while it had the sound of something from below the Mason-Dixon it was missing some of the spirit. They're much better at taking a traditional West Coast sound and expounding upon it. "Waves At The Prom" was barebones but hot.

The Verdict: Another mixtape that's album good. After flashing on the radar five or six years ago, they've grinded their way into indie/underground big names, hopefully there's something left in the tank for a real album now that they have hip hop's attention.

[Download Pac Div's Don't Mention It here]

INFO

Release date: April 27, 2010

The Deal: New mixtape from trap rap star temporarily blows up the Internet during lunch breaks today.

The Good: Everything people love about Young Jeezy is on display here. A blend of trunk rattlin' and soulful beats, slick lyrics perfectly balance the shine and the grind. "Lose My Mind" with Plies is so dope, I can completely ignore the fact that Plies is a college-educated man playing a goon. "Ill'in" featuring Clipse is exactly why "cocaine rap" has never gone away. "Ride Wit Me" with Trick Daddy and Scarface preaches the gospel of keeping your crews small and close knit from the mouths of seasoned vets in the game. Also happy to see Jeezy get a couple Shawty Redd beats before the producer was locked up.

The Bad: Repetitive, but so what.

The Verdict: Maybe not the classic the first Trap Or Die was but it definitely blows other recent mixtape releases out of the water. If these are throwaway tracks, imagine how good Thug Motivation 103 is going to be. A helluva prequel you'll hear blaring in traffic every sunny day this summer.

Tracklist:

01. Introduction

02. Trap Or Die Reloaded

03. Stop Playin Wit Me

04. Insane

05. Problem

06. Camaro

07. Lose My Mind (feat. Plies)

08. Greatest Trapper Alive

09. Ill’in (feat. Clipse)

10. Just Saying

11. The TakeOver (feat. Bigga Rankins)

12. D Boyz

13. Hood Politics

14. Ride Wit Me (feat. Trick Daddy & Scarface)

15. Go Hard

16. Talking

17. Time

18. I Remember

19. Grape

20. My Tool (feat. Baby & Bun B)

21. Da Greatest

22. Trap Or Die 2 [Bonus]

[Download Young Jeezy's Trap Or Die 2]

INFO

Release date: May 4, 2010

The Deal: Is it time for Rhode Island to make it's mark on the hip hop landscape? New mixtape from R.I. native makes a solid argument that they do.

The Good: It was really different — not in a wannabe rockstar way, not in an avant garde way, either. It just didn't strike me like anything I'd listened to lately, I mean, how many rappers are throwing hard snares over classical music? "The Monocle" serves as the mixtapes' mission statement and let's you get a better understanding of what to expect from the rapper whom I'd never heard of until last week. The entire project was produced by $port and has a sound that's experimental without being just noise. Lots of clever lyrics that you'll miss on first listen or if you're not listening closely.

The Bad: Needs more than one listen for appreciation but thankfully it's only seven tracks, so multiple plays insist a time suck.

The Verdict: It's a cool EP. You'll be hard pressed to find many rappers spitting about the everyday struggle and Earl Grey tea.Would love to hear more or hear him over more traditional beats. It's hard to find info on Theo Martins or $port individually but they've also done work as the duo Chris Connery since 2009 (for those trying to find more).

[Download Theo Martins' You Can't Do That on Television]

INFO

Release date: April 22, 2010

Website: http://imjusttheo.com/