Fat Joe - "The Darkside Volume I"

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...lbum-cover.jpg
01. "Intro" (Scram Jones)
02. "Valley Of Death" (Cool & Dre)
03. "I Am Crack" (Just Blaze)
04. "Kilo" (Ft. Clipse & Cam'ron) (DJ Infamous)
05. "Rappers R N Danja" (DJ Infamous)
06. "Ha Ha: Slow Down" (Ft. Young Jeezy) (Scoop DeVille)
07. "If It Ain't About The Money" (Ft. Trey Songz) (Cool & Dre)
08. "No Problems" (Ft. Rico Love) (Scoop DeVille)
09. "How Did We Get Here" (Ft. R.Kelly) (Raw Uncut)
10. "Money Over Bitches" (Ft. Too $hort) (Raw Uncut)
11. "Heavenly Father" (Ft. Lil' Wayne) (Streetrunner)
12. "I'm Gone" (DJ Premier)
13. "At Last Supremacy" (Ft. Busta Rhymes) (Cool & Dre)

The Primo joint was tight and I'm hoping this album is good but some of the features and stuff have me a bit skeptical.

i haven't had expectations on a Fat Joe album for about a decade but i got a little interested when Joe said he was going back to his hardcore ish for his next album. especially when he announced production work from Buckwild and DJ Premier. my expectations sunk again when the tracklist was revealed and no DITC production was to be seen anywhere (altho Fat Joe/Preemo is always an ill collabo).

anyways i'm listening now and so far it's definitely better than i was expecting. the first 4 songs are actually ill, Joe is spitting fire again and altho the beats ain't superspectacular they are definitely pretty neat. the intro is real raw, Scram Jones has definitely been on a strike since 2009 supplying bangers for every serious Wu release, CNN's comeback album and now Fat Joe's supposed come back album.

Just Blaze gives Joey a solidifed crack rock in "I Am Crack" which might be the best Fat Fuck song that's not DJ Premier produced in years. "Kilo" with The Clipse and Cam'ron bangs HARD as well, lyrically and production wise - Clipse, Killa Cam and The Elephant is definitely a crazy trio. so far this album sounds WAY better than any other Fat Joe album since at least "Loyalty" or "J.O.S.E." but i still see there's the usual bullshit collabo's with R.Kelly, Rico Love, Lil' Wayne and Trey Songz and the producers ain't really the guys i count on for dope hardcore ish but we'll see.

on "Rappers Are in Danger" now, continues the dope theme - i'm feeling this too. it's cool to see he incorporates some heavy turntablism on some of these joints.

A good return to his roots album by Fat Joe. Have to peep the sequel albums to this.