Lloyd Banks "Cold Corner 2" Mixtape Review

After releasing his third studio album “Hunger For More 2” around the same time last year, Lloyd Banks returns to the mix tape circuit to release “Cold Corner 2” for free download.

A sequel to 2009's critically acclaimed “Cold Corner”, “Cold Corner 2” has been a highly anticipated release for quite some time. Rumored to be released in early 2010, Banks decided to shelve the mix tape to work on other projects, but earlier this summer Banks decided to move ahead with the record and the result is an album quality mix tape for the fans.

Being one of the best lyricists in hip-hop today, “Cold Corner 2” is vintage Lloyd Banks. His hoarse voice provides the classic, raw, gutter NYC sound that has not been prominent since the heyday of G-Unit. With the lyrics being the forefront on “Cold Corner 2”, Blue Hefner delivers on every song with witty, chuckle inducing verses which will keep the replay value high.

Opening up with “1,2,3 Grind” featuring Prodigy, Lloyd Banks shows why he has one of the best flows and delivery's in hip-hop today as he effortlessly destroys the Arab-Muzik produced track.

“Make It Stack” is another standout featuring the up an coming A$AP Rocky. Over a melodic yet grimy beat, Banks begins the song with “Too much thinkin' On top of that, I'm getting' high and drinkin' I'm floatin' on cloud 9, watchin' these niggas sinkin” before stabbing keyboard warriors in the heart with “you just talk it, you don't does it So all those who suffer, You so humble out in public Computer make you tougher.”

Called the Punch Line King for a reason, quoting all of Banks' dope lines on “Cold Corner 2” would be nearly impossible, but some of my favorite bars include “I'm outta here on my way to the moon Blending in with the stars Put your cameras on zoom” and “I'm the survival type Cool as the champion on title night” on “Ice Box Pt. 2.” The track “Cashin' In” gives us “It's complicated I'm hated Badly underrated” and “foot race to the title Nigga I'll smoke your idol Try me is suicidal Dirty's how I do my rival.” On the Styles P featured “Predator”, Banks rhymes “Lashing out at the competition and shook 'em right off the map.” As well as “I'm sharper than the wood in a splinter Sit back and watch the king recoil You know me I OD Shinobi when I sling my sword” over the intense drums on the title track “Cold Corner (Eyes Wide).”

For me, the best song on the record is by far “No Love” as it has a perfect flow, perfect lyrics, perfect delivery and is just an overall perfect song. Produced by Tha Jerm, Banks releases one of the deadliest yet realest songs in a while and spits lines such as “I'm just as nice as anyone that wore the crown Livin' my dream Keep what you think Don't spoil it now.”

While the lyrics are clearly great, the main problem I have with “Cold Corner 2” is the production. All of the beats are grimy and melodic but midway through the record, they become bland and repetitive. However, this is a mix tape and the main showcase here is the skill of Lloyd Banks, so the production could be overlooked.

It has been a busy last couple of days for hip-hop with releases from Drake, Mac Miller and Childish Gambino but if your looking for pure lyricism, “Cold Corner 2” is the album for you. I definitely recommend giving this tape a download as you will not be disappointed. NYC is about to have a cold winter, and while “Take Care” will make you feel warm and fuzzy, “Cold Corner 2” will give pneumonia with the wordplay in the worst way.

Ranked on the Beavis and Butt-Head Scale:
3 Beavis' out of 5 Butt-Heads

Songs I Recommend:
1,2,3 Grind, Predator, Make It Stack, Ice Box Pt.2, No Love, Cold Corner 2 (Eyes Wide)

Tracklist:
1. 1,2,3 Grind ft Prodigy
2. Super Crack
3. Shock The World
4. Predator ft. Styles P
5. The Pulse
6. Make It Stack ft. A$AP Rocky
7. Score
8. We Fuckin'
9. Love Shots
10. Joke's On You
11. Young Fly Flashy
12. Ice Box Pt. 2
13. No Love
14. Cashin In
15. Cold Corner 2 (Eyes Wide)
16. Keep It Cool
17. Get It How I Live
18. Come Up

Drake "Take Care" Review

For many people, Drake's new album “Take Care” was the most highly anticipated release of any artist coming out in 2011.

Already a house hold superstar, many fans were touting “Take Care” as the album of the year as far back as summer when Drake did not even have a single song released. Coming off the debacle which was “Thank Me Later”, I felt Drake had a lot of work to do, in order to get back to the success he had with his critically acclaimed mix tape “So Far Gone.”

I have said numerous times that I considered “So Far Gone” to be Drake's actual debut album and “Thank Me Later” to just be a case of a sophomore slump. With “Take Care” Drake proves everybody right as the album is a fun, diverse record which sounds like the true sequel to “So Far Gone” but with Drake's growth and overall evolution as an artist.

Drake is clearly getting better and on “Take Care”, he masters his often imitated but never duplicated singing/rapping style over nice beats to offer listeners one of the most unique releases of the year.

“Take Care” can be listened to in three parts, with the first featuring a bunch of slower R&B inspired tracks.

The album opens up with a nice mellow, melodic piano as October's Very Own addresses his haters on “Over My Dead Body.” Storming out the gate, Drake raps “I think I killed everybody in the game last year man, fuck it I was on though.” Setting the tone nicely with his boasting lyrics, Drake lets the competition know that he is here for the long term and is a force to be reckoned with until he bows out of the game.

“Shot For Me” follows and is back to what Drake does best with his singing opening the first half of the track, and his rapping closing the remainder of the song with a flow that perfectly rides the beat. Drake even drops this gem of poetry towards the end of the song with the moving “may your neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you, angels protect you and heaven accept you.”

The next song “Headlines” is the lead single off of “Take Care” and is produced by Boi-1da who is responsible for some of Drake's biggest hits to date including “Best I Ever Had”, “Forever” and “Over.” “Headlines” is another hit for this dynamic duo as this song has been heard everywhere and has one of the best opening lines I have heard in quite a while with “I might be too strung out on compliments Overdosed on confidence started not to give a fuck and stop fearing the consequence Drinking every night because we drink to my accomplishments Faded way too long I'm floating in and out of consciousness.”

“Headlines” to me is the perfect song to showcase Drake's overall evolution as it is a stronger and better version of “Over.” The two songs are practically identical in every way but “Headlines” makes a louder statement especially with the multi-syllable opening bars, which is rarely done in mainstream hip-hop today and is a real standout record on the album.

Drake's partner in crime The Weeknd appears on the forth track “Crew Love.” “Crew Love” starts off with a heavy bass intro before The Weeknd begins to croon all over the spacey production, really shining on the track. Drake again comes in midway to deliver his verse, rapping lines such as “really I think I like who I'm becoming, there's times where I might do it just to do it like it's nothing” and “I told my story and made his-tory.”

The title track features Rihanna and Drake making great music again and I can see this track becoming a possible single in the future due to the trance/house beat the two duet over. “Take Care” showcases a vulnerable Drake singing and rapping to a girl who had her heart broken as he pleads with her to let her guard down and let him take care of her. With lines such as “pushing me away so I give her space, dealing with a heart that I didn't break”, Drake clearly wants this girl badly, but knows that he must be patient and let her heal first.

I believe this track is one of the stronger on the album and is a personal favorite of mine. Anytime Drake and Rihanna team up, the outcome is always positive and once again these two deliver.

“Marvins Room” is next and was the first song to be released from this record over the summer. The song is the essential formula for Drake's style and by now, everyone has heard this song. However, it was the following section titled “Buried Alive” which caught my eye, mainly because I saw that it featured Kendrick LaMar.

If you do not know by now, Kendrick LaMar is one of the hottest new rappers to come out of the West coast and has now been a key feature on two of hip-hops most notable releases of the year, the other being The Game's “RED Album.” What we get on “Buried Alive”, is pure brilliance from Kendrick LaMar, as he spits a straight two minute verse which is absolute fire. If you have not jumped on this kids bandwagon yet, I highly suggest you jump on quickly because K.Dot is blowing up fast and is already being crowned as the new king of the West coast without an actual album out.

“Buried Alive”, also signifies the end of the slower songs and introduces the harder more hip-hop based upbeat tracks on “Take Care.” This comes at the perfect time, because the album was starting to get a bit long and needed a change of pace to keep the listening smooth.

The first of these tracks is “Underground Kings” produced by T-Minus. Drake goes in with straight rap on this head-nodding fluid beat with lines such as “the living proof you don't have to die to get to heaven”, as well as referencing some of Lil' Wayne's best verses.

“We'll Be Fine” follows and although a solid track it is my least favorite song on the album. This leads to the second single released from “Take Care” and that is “Make Me Proud” featuring Young Money's queen-bee Nicki Minaj.

“Make Me Proud” is a nice choice for a single because it features a simple yet highly catchy hook perfect for the radio. Drake has a nice verse but Nicki does not do much for me and the track would have been better in my opinion if Nicki was not featured as much.

The structure of the track has Drake doing his verse first then the main chorus, followed by Nicki doing her verse and then her singing a chorus before going back to Drake. Nicki's chorus is unnecessary in my opinion and does nothing besides make us hear her cringeworthy metaphors such as “I'm a star, sheriff badge.”

Fortunately, the next track “Lord Knows” produced by Just Blaze and featuring the boss himself Rick Ross is one of the standout moments on “Take Care.” Just Blaze provides the craziest beat on the record and Drake absolutely snaps and arguably delivers his hardest verse to date. While Rick Ross also provides a nice verse, it does not compare to Drake spitting the fuck out of this song with lines such as “young ass nigga, lifelong dreams, they take the greats from the past and compare us.” Drake unquestionably lives up to his name on “Lord Knows” as he D.id R.ight A.nd K.illed. E.verything on this track.

“Cameras/Good Ones Go” is next and while “Cameras” is catchy, it is nothing spectacular but is the last of the harder hip-hop songs for the moment. In addition, “Good Ones Go” is a slower song and brings us back to the more R&B styled songs for the third and final part of “Take Care.”

The track I was most curious about is up next and that is “Doing It Wrong” featuring Stevie Wonder. “Doing It Wrong” is by far the most powerful song on “Take Care” with Drake singing truthful lines like “we live in a generation of not being in love, and not being together But we sure make it feel like we're together Because we're scared to see each other with somebody else.” For Stevie Wonder, he really brings this track to life with a beautiful harmonica solo, which is good enough to listen to on repeat for hours.

“The Real Her” is next and is the first Lil' Wayne feature on the album as well as a guest appearance from Andre 3000. “The Real Her” was released a couple of months ago, but it was incomplete since Andre 3000's verse was not added at the time.

Upon first listen, the track seems like a sequel to “Houstatlantavegas” off of “So Far Gone”, as Drake and Wayne have really mastered the formula of melody and delivery to cross over and adapt their songs to whatever genre they choose to apply the techniques too. Both are able to make catchier and stronger slow love songs then most actual R&B singers and with the addition of 3000, the song is an undeniable hit. Andre 3000 gives the track just what it needed and once again comes through proving he is one of the best to ever pick up a microphone, as his entire verse is pure magic.

Lil' Wayne makes his second straight appearance on “HYFR (Hell Yeah Fucking Right)” and delivers what is possibly his best verse since being released from Rikers. Wayne opens his verse with "so much for being optimistic, they say love is in the air, so I hold my breath until my face turn purple." Wayne comes off grimy on this track but I fear that within a weak or two “HYFR” will be that new annoying overplayed acronym that will be all over Facebook and Twitter, making me want to blow my brains out.

“Look What You've Done” is a beautiful piano sampled beat as Drizzy tells the tale of how he came from nothing and turned into something all because of the inspiration provided by his aunt. This track is moving and is a great story about never giving up on your dreams and believing in yourself.

The following song “Practice”, really caught me off guard, but as it progressed it turned into a cool moment, since it samples old school Cash Money with a “Back That Azz Up” Juvenile sample. Along with the similar beat, Drake's flow is identical to the original for a 2011 remix sound which is surprisingly good and is something I could see being played in a strip club.

The closing track to the album "The Ride" is a song which has had the the internet buzzing since May. Declared by Drake to be his favorite song on "Take Care", when the song was not released with the rest of the album, "The Ride" turned into a song of mythical proportions and for good reason. Featuring atmospheric background vocals from The Weeknd, “The Ride” is classic Drake with multiple memorable lines such as “you know it's real when your latest nights are your greatest nights The sun is up when you get home that's just the way of life” and “you niggas getting older, I see no threat in Yoda.”

“The Ride” is the type of song I enjoy hearing most from Drake, as it is him at his lyrical best. Make no mistake about it, “The Ride” is not only one of the best songs on “Take Care” but one of the best Drake songs period, and is a great track to end a great album.

“Take Care” is a very good album which lives up and might even surpass expectations on what was predicted. Drake's progress as an artist/rapper/singer/entertainer are all exposed here and it entails a throughly enjoyable listen.

Seeming to find the perfect balance between lyricism and emotions, the record has a good flow which will keep you interested the whole way through the 17 tracks. Those who proclaimed “Take Care” to be album of the year are not far off, as it certainly is in contention and is the real album we will thank Drake for later.

Ranked on the Beavis and Butt-Head Ranking System:
4 Beavis' out of 5 Butt-Heads

Songs I Recommend:
Headlines, Take Care, Lord Knows, The Real Her, The Ride

Tracklist:
1. Over My Dead Body
2. Shot For Me
3. Headlines
4. Crew Love ft. The Weeknd
5. Take Care ft. Rihanna
6. Marvins Room / Buried Alive (Interlude) ft. Kendrick LaMar
7. Underground Kings
8. We'll Be Fine ft. Birdman
9. Make Me Proud ft. Nicki Minaj
10. Lord Knows ft. Rick Ross
11. Cameras / Good Ones Go (Interlude)
12. Doing It Wrong ft. Stevie Wonder
13. The Real Her ft. Lil' Wayne & Andre 3000
14. HYFR (Hell Yeah Fuckin' Right) ft. Lil' Wayne
15. Look What You've Done
16. Practice
17. The Ride ft. The Weeknd

Anarchy In The U.K.

A hell of a fight card took place in Birmingham, England as UFC 138 is in the books. An event which was slammed by critics, delivered in action as every bout on the main card ended in a finish for an extremely exciting night of fights.

The main event was a five round non-title Middleweight clash between two fighters looking to move up the ladder and throw their names in the hat for the right to next face division champion Anderson Silva.

Mark Munoz (12-2) and Chris Leben (22-8) are two highly revered exciting fighters in the Middleweight division who both came to fight, but in the end it was Mark Munoz who earned the biggest victory of his career.

After a high paced back and forth first round, Munoz' conditioning took over and he was able to outwork Leben. Munoz used his “Donkey Kong ground and pound” to cut Leben on the left temple to the point where Leben could not see, forcing a corner/doctor stoppage at the end of the second round.

From the opening bell, Munoz controlled where the fight took place with his outstanding wrestling. Mixing things up brilliantly, Munoz used just enough strikes to avoid a slugfest and disguise his shot so he could smother Leben and bring the fight to the ground. Once the contest hit the mat, Munoz outworked Leben and eventually cut him resulting in the end of the fight.

Always a classy competitor, Munoz asked for a title shot after his victoy. Despite his impressive performance, I still believe Munoz is one more victory away from facing the champion. Personally, I would like to see Munoz next face the winner of the upcoming Michael Bisping – Jason “Mayhem” Miller matchup in December to decide who becomes the number one contender to face Anderson Silva.

As for Chris Leben, he will be back despite the loss. Chris Leben is a true warrior who was bloodied and could not see, but still wanted to continue and that is why fans love to watch him fight. He was hit hard numerous times while on his back, but Leben proved once again that he has the most ridiculous chin in all of MMA and fired back each and every time. He needs to reevaluate his ground fighting off his back which I'm sure he will, since Leben is constantly evolving as a mixed martial artist and looks better after every loss.

The co-main event of the evening, was a Bantamweight slugfest between Renan Barao (27-1-1NC) the owner of 16 straight victories and the highly touted debuting Brad Pickett (20-6).

Barao is now riding a 17 fight win streak as he was able to submit Pickett with a rear naked choke at the 4:09 mark of the first round.

Although, the fight did not last a full round it still received fight of the night honors as the contest was nonstop action the whole time through. Both men came out swinging, not wasting any time but it was Barao who caught Pickett with a well timed flying knee which sent Pickett to the mat. As soon as Pickett was on the ground, Barao quickly jumped on him and took his back, securing the body triangle and tapping him out with a rear naked choke.

Barao's performance was impressive enough, that he could now be one fight away from a championship fight against champion Dominick Cruz.

One time contender Thiago Alves (19-8) also fought at UFC 138, against the debuting Papi Abedi (8-1).

Alves came out strong right away with powerful leg kicks, sending a message to Abedi that he did not belong inside the same cage with Alves for his first fight. The message was heard loud and clear as Alves was able to hurt Abedi, get him to the ground and finish him off for Alves' first ever submission win inside the UFC.

Two top British prospects also fought on the UFC 138 undercard and picked up impressive quick first round stoppages.

After a 19 month layoff recovering from a serious rib injury, one of the most talented and promising Lightweight fighters returned in Terry Etim (15-3). Etim is back and better than ever as he was able to stop Eddie Faaloloto (2-3) in 17 seconds of the first round, making an impact in the process.

Etim came out fast, landing everything he threw and when Faaloloto went for a takedown, Etim locked in a standing arm in guillotine forcing the quick tap. The finish was very impressive earning submission of the night honors and even caused Etim to trend worldwide on twitter.

The other U.K. fighter who made an impact was the debuting Welterweight Che Mills (14-4-1NC). Utilizing picture perfect technique and clinch work, Mills landed two huge brutal knees to Chris Cope (5-2), putting him away quickly with a .40 second TKO victory and knockout of the night honors.

Mills made a huge entry into the UFC with his performance and will make some noise in the coming months in the division. Mills did what he had to do tonight and we have just seen a new dangerous Welterweight emerge from the U.K.

Overall, UFC 138 was a fantastic card with exciting, high energy, fast paced fights with loads of action. Not one fight on the broadcast was boring with numerous brilliant finishes. If you have the time watch the card when it airs on Spike TV at 8:00 PM because UFC 138 was an underrated can't miss event.

Bonuses:
Fight of the Night - Renan Barao vs. Brad Pickett
Knockout of the Night - Che Mills
Submission of the Night - Terry Etim



Results:
Mark Munoz defeats Chris Leben via TKO (corner stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2
Renan Barao defeats Brad Pickett via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:09 of Round 1
Thiago Alves defeats Papi Abedi via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:32 of Round 1
Anthony Perosh defeats Cyrille Diabate via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:09 of Round 2
Terry Etim defeats Eddie Faaloloto via submission (guillotine choke) at .17 of Round 1
John Maguire defeats Justin Edwards via Unanimous Decision (30-27. 30-27,30-27)
Michihiro Omigawa defeats Jason Young via Unanimous decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Che Mills defeats Chris Cope via TKO at .40 of Round 1

Mac Miller "Blue Slide Park" Review

Hype.

The one word to describe Mac Miller who seemingly blew up out of nowhere this past year. After being honored by XXL Magazine as one of their 2011 Freshmen, Mac Miller's buzz soared around the globe.

Having a loyal fan base due to his penchant for social networking, Mac Miller will release his debut studio album “Blue Slide Park” on November 8th 2011.

For fans of Mac Miller, “Blue Slide Park” will be an enjoyable album as Mac continues to create the feel good hip-hop music you have come to love from him. The record is filled with lyrics of partying, smoking weed, fucking fly bitches and just overall having fun and it is something you can not hate on Mac Miller for doing.

Miller's flow is great throughout the album, as he really has developed his own style and has a good level of breath control which allows him to ride smoothly over every beat. His lyrics are nothing spectacular and there is definitely room for improvement as it is not uncommon to hear lines such as on the title track “Blue Slide Park” where Mac rhymes “trying to go bananas like Donkey Kong.”

For the most part, the lyrics are really simple and there is nothing earth shattering to the point you have to rewind a song just to hear what Mac Miller has said. A majority of the songs are just basic raps and only on “Diamonds And Gold” does Mac Miller even remotely try a concept song about a social issue, and to be honest it is no where as complex as J.Cole's “Daddy's Little Girl” despite the similar idea.

The beats on “Blue Slide Park” are mostly done in house by I.D. Labs as ten of the seventeen tracks are made by them. While some of the beats are fun and lively such as the upbeat “Up All Night” a song about about partying, drinking and having a good night which is college relatable and “Party On 5th Ave.” which has an awesome DJ Kool “Let Me Clear My Throat” sample, the rest of the production is rather bland and repetitive.

Unfortunately, this drags the album down in my opinion since most of the songs sound too similar and barely distinguish themselves from the rest of the bunch. In fact, I'm confused as to why Mac Miller did not try and reach out to some top level producers for his debut record since he has worked with 9th Wonder, Chuck Inglish, and even Just Blaze in the past for his mixtape “Best Day Ever.”

Different producers would have really helped Mac Miller as the album could definitely have used some diverse sounds. However, since it does not, “Blue Slide Park” has a mixtape like vibe which is not what I was expecting for a debut studio album.

On a positive note, Mac Miller goes completely solo on “Blue Slide Park” and does not enlist any features. I found this to be refreshing, since now a days, a trending topic seems to be that every new hip-hop artist needs at least a minimum of one co-sign on their records. Whether it was Drake with his insane amount of guests on “Thank Me Later”, J.Cole with Missy Elliot and Jay-Z on “Cole World:The Sideline Story” or Wiz Khalifa with Too-Short on “Rolling Papers”, every new debuting artist this year has had a superstar feature to get them added recognition. The fact that Mac Miller has no one on “Blue
Slide Park” is something that I applaud him for and hope that more artists follow in the future.

I believe longtime fans who appreciate what Mac Miller does for hip-hop will very much like “Blue Slide Park.” However, those who have not jumped aboard the Mac Miller bandwagon or just find him to be corny will most likely stay away from this album, since it does nothing to convert nonbelievers into fans.

While the album does have some nice songs like “Party On 5th Ave.” which I believe could be a hit and “Smile Back”, the album also has songs which plain out suck like “Under The Weather” and “Loitering.”

Overall, “Blue Slide Park” is a decent album. It is an extremely easy listen, since there is nothing complicated on it what so ever, and is a record you could throw on just to relax and have a good time chilling out too. Sadly, the dismal production really hurts the replay value for me and is not an album I see myself listening to much in the future.

Ranked on the Beavis and Butt-Head Scale:
2 Beavis' out of 5 Butt-Heads

Songs I Recommend:
PA Nights, Party On 5th Ave., Frick Park Market, Smile Back, Up All Night

UFC 138: Leben vs. Munoz Preview & Predictions

History will be made on Saturday November 5th 2011, as the UFC will hold its last numbered event on Spike TV and will hold its first ever five round non-title main event for UFC 138: Leben vs. Munoz from Birmingham, England.

Up until now, only championships were competed in five round 25 minute fights and all other bouts were three round 15 minute contests. However, due to fan demand, the UFC has decided from this point forward all main events whether title bout or not will be five round 25 minute affairs.

This is an exciting time for fans as it gives every main event an extra boost and will help distinguish the fight from the undercard, as well as potentially add more finishes. There have been some great main events over the years, which deserved to go on longer but ended prematurely since a title was not involved. Fights such as Rampage vs. Rashad Evans, Junior Dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin and even last weeks Nick Diaz vs. BJ Penn fight were all big time non title fights and if they had the two extra rounds, would most likely have had a more climatic outcome.

Luckily, this is no longer the case as Chris Leben and Mark Munoz start a new era and for the first time ever a non title main event will see the championship rounds in this Middleweight contest.

One of the UFC's longest fighting employees, Chris Leben (22-7) enters the octagon Saturday night for the nineteenth time under the UFC umbrella. Owner of the most Middleweight fights in UFC history (18) and most knockouts as a Middleweight (7), Leben is looking for his second straight win after his 27 second knockout of Wanderlei Silva this July.

Mark Munoz (11-2) on the other hand is coming off three straight victories, earning a hard fought unanimous decision victory in his last fight over Demian Maia in June.

Stylistically, this matchup is striker vs. wrestler. Leben will undoubtably want to keep this fight on the feet and utilize his sprawl and brawl reverse wrestling to land one of his powerful overhand left. Munoz most likely wants little to do with Leben's striking and will look to take Leben down as quickly as possible and work his relentless ground and pound.

There is a reason Chris Leben has a plethora of fights and knockouts inside the UFC and that is because of how this man fights. Besides possessing some of the most powerful hands in all of MMA, Leben also has one of the best chins of all time. More then willing to take two strikes to land one, there have been many instances when Leben has looked rocked and nearly unconscious, before he went into full zombie mode, lowered his chin, swung wildly and knocked his opponent out cold.

In addition to his standup, Leben is also a solid wrestler and grappler with underrated jiu-jitsu. Submitting Yoshihiro Akiyama with a triangle choke off his back, Leben proved that he is ever evolving and more dangerous then ever since opponents can no longer take him down to avoid his striking.

For Mark Munoz, this Saturday night is arguably his toughest fight to date. A standout NCAA Division I wrestling champion and multiple time All American, Munoz wants to drag this fight to the ground as quickly as possible and work his ground and pound.

Getting the fight to the mat, should be fairly easy for Munoz since he is currently one of the best wrestlers in all of MMA. However, he needs to keep his hands up at all times and not get careless when shooting for a takedown as one clean shot from Leben is lights out.

While neither man have ever competed in a 25 minute fight, I expect Munoz to have a cardio advantage should the fight go into the later rounds. Munoz is going to want to slow this fight down as much as he possibly can to tire Leben out and make his punches come slower with less power, while making him more accessible for a takedown. Munoz is going to have to withstand the early onslaught from Leben and if he is able to do so, I see him doing enough to earn himself a decision victory.

If the fight ends early, it is most likely Leben will emerge with his hand raised. If he can avoid the takedowns, Leben is at a clear advantage since Munoz' standup at this stage of his career is no where close to Leben's level. If the fight stays standing, Leben is technically and powerfully superior and he will quickly dispose of Munoz.

Also on the card, one time Welterweight contender and Muai Thai wrecking machine Thiago Alves (18-8) returns to action. Alves at one time compiled a seven fight winning streak in the UFC before losing in his championship bout against Georges St. Pierre. Since that time, Alves is 1-2 and is coming off a disappointing losing performance against Rick Story at UFC 130. Looking to get back to his winning ways and redeem his spot in the upper echelon of the Welterweight division, Alves meets the undefeated debuting up and coming Judo black belt Papy Abedi (8-0) on the evenings main card.

Although UFC 138 is not the most appealing card to causal fans, the UFC is giving it away for free on Spike TV at 9:00 pm (EST). It is usually cards like this without the most luster that always provide the most entertaining fights, so if you are lonesome this Saturday night, watch UFC 138 for you have nothing to lose.

Predictions:
Mark Munoz defeats Chris Leben via Unanimous Decision
Brad Pickett defeats Renan Barao via Unanimous Decision
Thiago Alves defeats Papy Abedi via 1st round TKO
Terry Etim defeats Eddie Faaloloto via 2nd round Submission
Anthony Perosh defeats Cyrille Diabate via Unianimous Decision
Michihiro Omigawa defeats Jason Young via Unanimous Decision

Diaz Retires Penn, Gets Title Opportunity

“Where you at George?! Where you at motherfucker!?”

These were the words spoken by Nick Diaz (26-7-1NC) after his unanimous decision victory (29-28, 29-27, 29-28) over B.J. Penn (16-8-2) Saturday night in the main event of UFC 137.

Using constant pressure and his pitter patter boxing technique, Diaz was able to out strike Penn and tire him out to pick up the win and the fight of the night bonus.

Diaz was the aggressor the entire fight, and by the middle of the second round Penn was visibly gassed, hurt and in survival mode but Diaz never stopped coming.

Conditioning was the main x-factor for the fight as Penn could not handle Diaz’ pace and took punch after punch as he was caught up on the cage. Diaz’ reach was also a problem for Penn, as Diaz had a four inch reach advantage and used his length to keep Penn on the outside and continuously batter his head and body without ever being in danger. Tiring and wearing Penn out, Penn was essentially target practice for Diaz and was busted up due to Diaz' relentless attack.

It was a brilliant performance from Diaz, since Penn was never handled like that on the feet inside the cage before. Although, Penn fought like a warrior and never went down from the punches, he was thoroughly beaten up and left with a severely black and blue eye, contemplating retirement at the end.

Diaz proved Saturday night, that his boxing is the best in MMA and that he is the best possible opponent to take Georges St. Pierre’s Welterweight title. Currently on an eleven fight win streak, Diaz has all the tools to compete with and possibly beat the long time champion. Diaz’ BJJ is some of the best in the sport and if GSP took him down, there is a great chance Diaz would be able to submit him.

Stylistically, the matchup is a fight made in heaven since Diaz is the ultimate antagonist and would counter GSP’s clean cut, good guy persona. Although, past opponents like Josh Koscheck played a similar role to GSP, Diaz has a much better technical all-around game and is the only person in the division I could see dethroning the Welterweight Champion.

Diaz has proven time and time again that he is one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world and now that he is in the UFC will finally get the credit he deserves. B.J. Penn is not an opponent you run through and Diaz was able to do it with ease.

Now, Febuary 4th 2012 in Las Vegas, Diaz has earned himself a Welterweight title shot against GSP in the mega UFC Superbowl event.

GSP was originally slated to fight Carlos Condit at the event, but Condit has agreed to step aside and will fight another opponent at the same event. Normally soft spoken and polite, GSP was fired up and said about Diaz "he is the most disrespectful human being I've ever met, and I'm going to put the worst ass beating you've ever seen on him in the UFC."

I assure you Diaz will bring his A-game and come Feb. 4th in one of the biggest fights of 2012, there's a good chance we will have a new UFC Welterweight Champion.

Wale "Ambition" Review

M-MMMMMaybach Music!

“Ambition” Wale's first release under the MMG umbrella and second overall album after the semi-disappointing and forgettable “Attention Deficit” is a record where Wale seems to have finally found his grove and a sound that is unique to him.

A more mature sounding record, “Ambition” is more cohesive than “Attention Deficit” and has much better direction. Featuring a nice mix of radio songs like “Lotus Flower Bomb” and skill songs such as “Legendary”, Wale is able to show his versatility throughout the album and keep the hour long record interesting.

As part of MMG, Wale's beat selection has greatly improved as Rick Ross' ear for top production seems to have rubbed off onto Wale. The best sound on the record by far, comes from the T-Minus produced “Ambition” featuring MMG family members Rick Ross and Meek Mill. Having produced some of 2011's biggest hits including “She Will” and “I'm On One”, T-Minus graces “Ambition” with a daunting yet inspiring beat for MMG to ride over.

Lyrically, “Ambition” is the most uplifting song on the record with Meek Mill providing my favorite bar, “Now I move with aggression, use my mind as a weapon, Cause chances are never given they tooken like interceptions.”

Having songs for the ladies, Wale enlists Miguel for the albums first mainstream single “Lotus Flower Bomb” and Lloyd for “Sabotage.” While “Sabotage” is a song about a destructive relationship, due to its unique sound and Lloyd's crooning it had to be mentioned. “Lotus Flower Bomb” on the other hand is perfect for the radio and will help break Wale through to a wider audience. With a smooth old school vibe, Wale creates a banger while Miguel murders the hook.

Speaking of singles, the next potential radio hit could be “Focused” featuring Kid Cudi. After a brief falling out, Wale and Cudi team up for one of the most infectious tracks on “Ambition.” With Cudi providing one of his best chorus' of all time, Wale does the rapping and gives us a feel good song which is sure to be in heavy rotation.

Overall, Wale proves he is here to stay for the long run with “Ambition.” A much better record than his debut, Wale signing with MMG and Rick Ross was the right move for his career despite the initial backlash. Lyrically above most, Wale made a record with a little bit of everything without changing too much of his style to accommodate MMG. From radio hits (“Lotus Flower Bomb”) to straight bangers (“Ambition”) to soul (“DC Or Nothing”) “Ambition” is a solid record and will help push Wale into mainstream superstardom.

Ranked on the Beavis And Butt-Head Scale:
4 Beavis' out of 5 Butt-Head's

Songs I Recommend:
Lotus Flower Bomb, Focused, Sabotage, Ambition, DC Or Nothing

Tracklist:
1.Don't Hold Your Applause
2.Double M Genius
3.Miami Nights
4.Legendary
5.Lotus Flower Bomb ft. Miguel
6.Chain Music
7.Focused ft. Kid Cudi
8.Sabotage ft. Lloyd
9.White Linen (Coolin') ft. Ne-Yo
10.Sight Work ft. Big Sean
11.Ambition ft. Meek Mill & Rick Ross
12.Illest B****
13.No Days Off
14.DC Or Nothing
15.That Way ft. Jeremiah & Rick Ross