Cam'ron - Killa Season

Cam'ron, "Wet Wipes"

Cam'ron, "I.B.S."

Ahh, one of Pound for Pound's most anticipated albums of the year has finally dropped. The leader of the Dip Set, Cam'ron, has come out with his latest album to bide the time between shootings, mixtapes and beefs with Jay-Z. Killa Season is the next movement in the Takeover, as the Dipset Empire attempts to run the NYC game with the retirement of Jay-Z and the weak recent product of Mr. Kelis, Nas.

Unfortunately, this is not gonna seal the deal. I can't really put my finger on it yet, after a few listens, it just never really gets to the level of his past albums. There is a sense that this is a mixtape with better distribution, especially when the first few minutes of the "Intro" feature a freestyle from 40 Cal, B-list Dipsetter. I mean, this is Cam's album, the head guy, the star of the group and he's opening the album with someone else's rhymes. What? But, I think that the biggest problem is that there isn't a killer single, something that can get the club or blogs going nuts. Cam's voice and lyrics can carry a lot for me, I love it. However, on this album, he doesn't get the beats to make a banger, and that means that the album drags, it's completely reliant on Cam's lyrics. And that's just not gonna cut it, especially on a full LP.

Okay, I don't want to sound like this is a piece of shit. Far from of it; I just have very high expectations for Killa. Above are my favorites from the album, really great songs. "I.B.S." especially is amazing, backed by a tinkling piano beat that sounds so g-ddamned good. This is an Alchemist beat, maybe this relationship should be expanded. Other favorites, like "Get Em Daddy (remix)" and "You Gotta Love It" (the Jay-Z dis), have circulated, but still sound great to my ears. More attacks on Jigga please. Go and get Killa Season, as it's a good album. Don't go expectin' no classic, but it can never hurt to know what's up in the Dip Set world. The great Joey at Straight Bangin' clearly does not have the same high regards for Cam and the Dip Set, so make sure to check his post out for the other side of the coin.

-Check out this great TV Funhouse segment from Saturday Night Live. As much as I love "The Ambiguously Gay Duo", it's great to see Robert Smigel and Matt O'Brien doing more political stuff. Crooks and Liars has the video, as always.

-Want more laughs? Here's my favorite Stephen Colbert clip that I have come up with, as there is nothing I like more than uncontrollable laughter. The piece is funny to begin with, as Colbert attempts to discuss rumors that Prince Charles is gay without actually saying it.

-Caught two great games last night, as the two Western Conference semifinals finished up with Game 7s. Can I just say how happy I am that the Suns and Mavs are going to be going at it in the next round? Two of my favorite teams, they both play the game the way I wanna see it played, uptempo, offensive, up and down, old-school steez. Check out The Daily Dime for your NBA Playoffs needs. For Philly fans, Phil Jasner has an incredibly depressing, but honest, piece on the Sixers in today's Daily News.

-While we're talking sports, I have to point out my favorite sports site on the Internets, Deadspin. It's everything that ESPN's Page 2 wishes it was, informative and funny, taking on all sports, showing the right level of love and scorn for the fucked-up world of sports. Especially love how they call out some of the douches of the "journalism" world like Matt Drudge and Jay Mariotti. Make this a daily read, as it doesn't get much better or entertaining.

-Thanks to a few good folks who have sent their readers this way recently: My bol ventilatorblues at Cosmic Elevator, Torr, the Dallas Observer's blog Unfair Park, Expecting Rain. A real honor, I hope that everyone will continue to check in and see what's popping off at Pound for Pound. We are gonna crack our all-time high for one-day visits, more than 2000. Just the beginning, I hope. Holler.