Review #142: 3rd Shift (The Cincinnati Monster) "The Coup d'Etat II: Back To Business"

Reviewed on 10.23.2008 (Review No. 142)






FrankieThaLuckyDog here… A lil' too tired right now but since I'm bored, I gotta do somethin' so I betta catch up wit somethin'. I guess I'll review somethin'; 3rd Shift, a great producer from Cincinnati (who's around New Orleans, Louisiana a lot too), and his brand new mixtape, "The Coup d'Etat II: Back To Business." Who knows what'll happen on this review… Anyway, without further or do, here goes my review for 3rd Shift (The Cincinnati Monster) "The Coup d'Etat II: Back To Business"! Start Time: 7:14 PM | Video Game Playing: Secret Of Mana (for Super Nintendo) (on my computer)


01. 3rd Shift "The Coup 2 Intro"
I sometimes forget this a compilation; that's more exciting for me 'cause you get to see artists battle it off in tha review (plus, it's different artists)!! Let's see if you produced tha intro + you talkin' or it's just you talkin'… >>> It's 2:50 on tha length! I'm glad it's a combo of you talkin' and a beat you produced!! I think I said this in Lil' Bossy's review: Ohio iz right next to where I'm at right now, Pennsylvania, so that's watz good. What an anticipating intro right here! It gets you VERY ANTICIPATED for tha jointz on here!! My Rating: N/A


02. Oba Rowland Feat. 3rd Shift "Who Better"
Was gonna be anticipated for it right off tha bat but it's tha "A Milli" beat so can't be too excited… >>> I like that "bitch, I'm hotter than hotter" line. Of course this izn't your typical "A Milli" beat; it's 3rd Shift's 2 cents into it! Glad you put a beat to this; sounds nice! Likin' Oba Rowland's rhymes a lot on here; glad he hit me back on Myspace when I wrote him. Yeah, cool joint right here fa'sho and better intro joint than I expected! I like at tha end of Oba's part that he said tha title; that sounded good. My Rating: 4.3


03. Lil' Bossy "Where You Been At?"
Damn, Bossy, "where you been at?" I been tryna hit him up to see watz good wit him but no responses… Hope he hits me back when he can. Anyway, prolly one of my biggest anthems of tha Summer… It was No. 2 on my August 17, 2008 playlist but didn't get close to beatin' No. 1, tha Haji & Emanuel remix to The Ting Tings "Shut Up And Let Me Go;" that had 71 spins on that playlist and Bossy had only 29, which was enough to grab tha No. 2 spot (at least it was still tha No. 1 Rap song on there). Here's what I had to say about this joint on my review for Bossy's "Who The Fuck Is Lil' Bossy? (R.N.M. Vol. 1)" mixtape: There were SO MANY HOT underground jointz that came out this year and this iz proven to be one of them! Just love it and just tha way he comes in, tha hook, his hustle throughout tha verses and it's just mad catchy. I'm gonna certify him as a "fuckin' beast" when it comes to tracks. Yeah, I didn't know "who the fuck he was" 'til this and now he's certified as a "fuckin' beast" when it comes to this Rap shit! Oh yeah, tha beat reminds me a lil' of some Young Jeezy shit like "Trap Or Die". >>> Also forgot to mention (mentioned it on Bossy's review): I see he told you (3rd Shift) that he was very hungry for some beats. Well, look what happens when an artist iz starvin': they RIP THA TRACKS APART!!! BTW, it was almost a **PERFECT RATING** when I reviewed it on his mixtape. Now, I feel that this song earns a **PERFECT RATING** from me!! LOVE THOSE LYRICS!!!!! My Current Rating: 5.0


04. Uncle Monster "ABC Bounce"
I'm eating dinner (fishsticks) so I'm kinda takin' a lil' break. I rather type 94 WPM than only 29 wit my left hand. Anyway, finally back to this shit! Just by lookin' at tha ID, I have a feelin' people would hate on tha title and prolly call it "gay" 'cause of tha "ABC" part. In my eyes, it looks like it could be REAL REAL TIGHT, especially wit you on tha beat! I've got my anticipation locked-in for this joint!! >>> It's only 1:47? Neva mind, this iz fuckin' gay!!! WTF?!? Sounds like it's on a phone wit that low quality… Why iz this on this mixtape? Waste of 1:47!! My Rating: 1.0


EDIT: Wow, look at that transition! Tha biggest eva from 5.0 to 1.0!


05. Famous Stranger "The YFL"
*Refuses To Review!!*
Now I know why that "ABC" shit was before No. 5… Anyway, you're lookin' at what I just wrote like "huh, why iz he refusing to review No. 5?" Well, including tha 4 jointz/intro on here that I reviewed, I have reviewed a grand total of 2,838 songs/intros/outros/skits/interludes (including multiple times reviewed) so far on CDs since February 2006 (even if I HATED an artist/song; I neva skipped ONE SONG yet)!! Today, at 8:00 PM, this has happened for tha 1st time; I'm gonna skip a song!! Now, why am I doin' this? It's not just tha song, it's tha person/rapper; Famous Stranger. Tha reason why I'm refusing to review any of his shit right now iz because we have a lil' unknown problem. On July 29, 2008, I wrote Famous Stranger on Myspace sayin', "do you need any favors from me? You know I got yo back for anything, no matter what it iz. Hit me back when you get this!" while we were just gettin' to be cool wit each other. Unfortunately, 2 dayz later, July 31, 2008, I see that he went on Myspace and I didn't get a response back. I was curious so I checked his comments to see if one of mine were there and 3 of them were deleted!!! Why did that happen?!? I had a panic attack, not expecting him to do that!! Also, I could've listened to Peter Presta Feat. Nocera "Viva L'Amour (Josh Harris Radio Edit)" on Music Choice Dance that day but I didn't listen to it on there for tha 1st time 'cause of what happened. Since then, that song hasn't been around on Music Choice Dance anymore. On tha same day, I wrote Famous Stranger a message, sayin' that I was really, really hurt from what he did; I didn't know why he did it. I told him I had Autism/Aspergers and that it was very hard for me to take things/say things; he really hurt me badly (mainly 'cause I really liked him as a rapper). Unfortunately, he ignored tha message. Then one day on Music Choice Dance, DJ Scotty K Feat. Knockhopper "Goodnight Tonight" came on and when it comes on, I get really excited and try to make people that don't write me back write me back. It worked for Alex McConduit and even brought DeTrane back into talkin' to me! When it came to Famous Stranger, it didn't work; he ignored me again. I told Alex McConduit about this and that did nothing. Then I wrote him a few other times (one if he was alright wit tha hurricanes comin' to Louisiana in August and how he was doin') and he didn't write me back. I told him he was in my "Favorite Rap and R&B Songs of July 2008" video, I took a pic of a "YFL" license plate for him (click "YFL" to see tha pic), I made these for him for tha hell of it:

1.
^ I made this outta scratch-off lottery tickets. It says "Famous Stranger".

2.
^ This iz outta tickets too. It says "YFL".



3.
^ This iz tha last one made outta tickets. It says "Young Fella".



4.

^ This iz his "Guns & Guitars (Strings & Straps)" mixtape cover traced by me. I did it for fun.



And no response as well. I don't know what I did wrong… People like Savage (from Trill Entertainment) have 1,900,000+ views on Myspace and I talk to them here and there; really, I don't know what I did wrong… Tha last time I wrote him was last month, tryin' to get him on a mixtape. That morning, when I went to see if tha comment was still on his page, I had a reading assignment to do for English 180; I had to read about 50 pages. I went on his page and tha comment was removed. When I was readin' my assignment, page by page, I had nothin' but upset clouds in my head because of what Famous Stranger did to my comment; I couldn't help but to have it in my head tha whole hour I was readin'. I also brought this up to you 3 times: 1.) Commenting on tha tracklisting to this CD on Facebook; 2.) Commenting on a Famous Stranger pic you took on Facebook and; 3.) Commenting on a video wit you and Famous Stranger on Youtube; this did nothing. Anyway, sorry this had to happen. After reviewin' 2,838 songs/intros/outros/skits/interludes (including multiple times reviewed) so far on CDs, I sadly had to skip one for tha 1st time. Damn, I remember sayin' to myself, "I'm gonna make Famous Stranger rich!" What happened?!? Famous Stranger has a chance to fix this though. Either he has to give someone (or me) $11 to give to me to review tha song by paying for it at http://www.myspace.com/frankiethaluckydogreviewz (on tha left wit tha Paypal button) or by apologizing for what he did to me 'cause I'm still very hurt by it today (I really hope we're still cool; it'll mean a whole lot to me to know that he's real cool wit me still and that we becoming cooler; this clear tha situation up for me Famous Stranger)! Then, I'll be glad to review anything by him but for now, *SKIPS*. My Rating: N/A


06. Oba Rowland Feat. 3rd Shift "I'm The Bomb"
After 24 minutes (should've been just 4 minutes, smh), time to get back! Lookin' at tha title, I think it's gonna be somethin' to do wit Weezy when he said, "bitch, I'm tha bomb like 'tick, 'tick'," in "Got Money". Will I be right? Let's see! >>> Sounds like anotha nice beat from you in tha beginning! Oba iz very interesting to listen to, especially wit those REAL NICE rhymes and that real nice flowin' too! He's got a great voice on these tracks, especially since he's not a Southern cat (since he's from Detroit) but wit 3rd Shift backin' him up, it's a great borderline-South sound! Yes, I was right about that Weezy part! Great guessin' from me, great title and great hook; Lovin' it! Great 1st and 2nd verse fa'sho! JUST FUCKIN' LOVE THAT HOOK simply!! Likin' that "I put a nigga on tha side like a bookbag" line; damn, Oba Rowland just VERY CONSISTANT wit this shit!! That's cool how you talk at tha end of these jointz. My Rating: 4.7


07. Oba Rowland "My Niggaz"
Good, it's tha right title (and not tha clean title). When I put this in my "Favorite Rap and R&B Songs of July 2008" Youtube video to promote people, this was HEAVILY requested as lots and lots of people wanted this track so props to 3rd Shift for makin' it that joint that grabs err-body's attention! I always liked tha "when my niggaz…" part in tha 1st part of tha hook. Then, I really liked tha "HOW YOU FEEL DAWG??" part in tha 2nd part of tha hook; real great shit right here! Lovin' that beat (as always) and it reminds me a lot of "Ride With The Mack" from Mack Maine/Lil' Wayne/Dizzy a.k.a. Raw D.I. during parts of tha verses and tha 2nd part of tha hook. CRAZY 1st verse and I also really like that "I keep tha tool… like Batman" line. Great 2nd verse too; this joint just goes TOO HARD!! Lemme see where this peaked at on my playlist… No. 19 (on that same playlist wit Bossy bein' No. 2). It did better on my computer though vs. my iPod due to it was on my Top 10 Countdown many of times. My Current Rating: 4.8


08. 3rd Shift Speaks About Instrumentals
Let's see what you got to say about this dawg; you know your beats are EXTREMELY INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >>> Yeah, few things I like about your mixtapes (while this iz tha 1st one I'm listenin' to by you): 1.) You talk at tha end of a bunch of tha tracks; 2.) You are tha producer on pretty much all tha tracks; 3.) You deliver TOP QUALITY production where it's just SO INSANE; 4.) You have this as a compilation mixtape; 5.) You're not SCREAMIN' on tha tracks like DJ Khaled; anything else? Lookin' forward to these "3rd-Strumental"s! That's tha 6th thing BTW: you havin' just instrumentals on here for people. I'm not gonna freestyle on 'em so I'll just check 'em out! My Rating: N/A


09. "3rd-Strumental No. 1"
Tha 2nd type of CD this has happened (where it's just a beat and no vocals). This will rarely occur on tha "Promo Only Dance Radio" series that I review when it's a Trance song (where I love it at all times). Let's see how you just put a beat on here! High anticipation level for me! >>> Nice slow start in tha beginning, not knowin' what kinda beat this gon be. Hearin' tha kick in towards tha 2nd ½ of tha intro part and it has more of a gutta feel to it. Now, I'm hearin' tha beginning of tha hook (I'm guessin') and that's that NICE style of yours! I liked those lil' sound effects before tha hook (where it sounds like "My Niggaz"'s sound effects before its hook). Tha hook iz tight wit this. Now, I'm hearin' tha 1st verse and just really likin' that beat! Because it's just a beat, I feel like I could just chill out to it, kinda like I would listen to Trip-Hop beats. Nice 1st verse (or should I say tha only verse on here since this iz a lil' short on length, 2:44). I like how tha verse changed styles a lil' in tha beat wit its added flavaz. Hearin' that hook again and likin' it. I guess this one made me type during tha whole song 'cause I barely touched tha video game I was playin'; REAL GREAT idea!! You're tha 1st Hip-Hop person to do this in my opinion effectively/tha 1st time I saw this wit a mixtape! My Rating: 4.5


10. Oba Rowland "Be With You"
I thought another "3rd-Strumental" was coming up; I guess not. I guess you're tha closest wit him vs. tha other dudes on here since this iz his 4th joint on here already; that's cool. Let's see what he delivers this time… >>> Nice lil' skit in tha beginning; sounds like a comedian. That's very hot weather if that's tha case. It's only 41 degrees where I'm at. Tha beat finally came on at about 1:04. It sounds like a New York type of style that I would listen to when it would come to tha artist/beat. Let's see what will happen wit my feedback to this joint… Nice lil' 1st verse. Hearin' tha hook right now and this style ain't really me too much, especially on this HARD mixtape. Sounded a lil' like Kanye on tha 2nd verse wit tha lyrics. Maybe this iz tha relaxin' break for this mixtape. My Rating: 3.5


½time: It's off to a real nice start here. Already a lot of high 4.0ish ratings and a **PERFECT RATING** thanx to Lil' Bossy!! What will tha remainin' 10 jointz be?


11. 3rd Shift Talks I'm Focused
I didn't expect a skit right after "BWY" when I heard you talkin' at tha end and it sounded like what you were sayin' stopped. Anyway, definitely anticipated to hear another skit from you dawg. >>> I thought your favorite joint on here was "Daddy"? I guess like you said, it's one of your favorite songs on here. That was definitely cool hearin' what you said on here. I like how it took only 45 minutes… Shit takes me like 2 hours to write a song at least and then to produce it, maybe like 2-5 hours around. And "fuck that trio" (like you said) that tried to do their thang on this beat 'cause really, it was meant for G-Eazy! It actually was my favorite joint on G-Eazy's "The Tipping Point" mixtape and I was real excited to hear you on that mixtape 'cause I didn't know that you and him were cool like that. My Rating: N/A


12. G-Eazy Feat. 3rd Shift & Diddy "I'm Focused"
What's that "Diddy" feature?? Oh neva mind, he's in tha beginning. Here's what I had to say about this joint for G-Eazy: Ooh 3rd Shift! Did he do tha beat or iz he rappin'? I predict tha intro/outro wit tha beat. High anticipation level!! >>> SMH @ tha bleep shit and "bitch-assness" regular. That iz a 3rd Shift beat (sounds like tha intro to "Daddy" by Oba Rowland). I was 100% right: tha intro/outro wit tha beat! TIGHT!! 3rd Shift iz that dude who iz ALWAYS focused and just FUCKIN' FUCKIN' LOVES producing!!! This iz so far tha HARDEST joint on this CD [referin' to G-Eazy's CD]!! When he said "dawg" (which I really like when rappers say that) and "pussies," I know he ain't playin' wit this shit. I think 'cause 3rd Shift made him HUNGRY for this beat (he made Lil' Bossy VERY hungry for beats; that's why Lil' Bossy MURDERED all his 3rd Shift beats). That "get you pissed on" line iz full of focusness! No playin' games here! NOOOOOOOO tha fuckin' joint ended!!! UGH!!!!!!!!! <- To add to this: Oh, it was No. 12 on G-Eazy's CD too, lol! Oh yeah, in my "Favorite Rap and R&B Songs of September 2008" video, when I put in tha "CDs/Mixtapes To Go Cop" section to go cop G-Eazy's CD, I had this song play in tha background (to make people curious to download tha CD).My Current Rating: 4.9
^ P.S.: Here's tha review I did for G-Eazy's CD: CLICK HERE


13. Oba Rowland Feat. Tony Harrell "Daddy"
How weird that in G-Eazy's song, I said, "sounds like tha intro to "Daddy" by Oba Rowland," when I was reviewin' tha beginning of that beat. Now look, "Daddy" iz right after it, lol! This one didn't really break into my playlist 'cause "My Niggaz" was doin' its thang. Let's see what I got to say about reviewin' this joint finally… >>> Tha hook just gets you right into tha joint; I like tha 2nd part of tha hook better than tha 1st part though. Those are some real nice lyrics during tha 1st verse. I didn't know who tha singer was until I saw tha tracklisting to this, mainly 'cause I had this ripped originally 3.5 months ago. Anotha nice verse too by Oba Rowland on tha 2nd verse; I'm glad they call him "daddy." *Pretends Shaznay Lewis iz singin' to Oba Rowland on Wideboys Feat. Shaznay Lewis "Daddy-O" for Oba* "In tha night, when nobody's around me, I call on you, 'daddy-o." My Current Rating: 4.4


14. Oba Rowland Feat. Pay Ray "So 100"
More of Oba, huh? Expectin' good wit that title! >>> Jointz are nice and long (4:40 on tha length)! Who's tha skit person in tha beginning (that was in tha beginning of that "Be With You" joint as well)? Hearin' tha nice beat intro! Beat iz DEFINITELY nice in this one (like tha "outer space" type of style in tha hook)!! Of course, that "I got my swag up" type of hook that I like for tha hook! Nice 1st verse and I love tha hook easily; when I do these reviews, "I'm 'so 100'!" Nice 2nd verse too and damn, I can't say it enough: "I LOVE THAT HOOK!" I'm hearin' Pay Ray on tha 3rd verse and he sounds real nice to hear! Like tha end of his verse wit tha 25%/50% shit. My Rating: 4.7


15. G-Eazy "Knockin'"
Anotha G-Eazy joint! Iz this tha one after "I'm Focused" on his CD? *Checks* Wrong… it's not? Then high anticipation for this joint! >>> Pretty decent start so far… Yeah, nice 1st verse from G-Eazy. Might have to get into that beat more but I'm likin' tha hook more as it's "knockin'" better on my stereo. That was also a nice 2nd verse too. My Rating: 4.1


16. Lil' Bossy "My Dougie (Freestyle Interlude)"
That's a lil' different for tha ID (wit tha "(Freestyle Interlude)" part); it was originally "My Dougie (Remix)" on his mixtape. Heard this fade-in and I was like "ewe, it came outta nowhere; especially for No. 16!" Let's see what I had to say: I attempted to do this dance but I couldn't. I think there's too much movements all at once and it's kinda fast for me… Soulja Boy Tell'em did it in tha Bow Wow/Soulja Boy Tell'em "Marco Polo" video and I was like "EWE!!!" ("ewe" iz my sayin' for somethin' funny or exciting in an odd way). Anyway, great start! He's got his "fresh on." He's still got those dickies on, lol? It's all good 'cause he's "fresh" so they ain't gon get "non-fresh." He did tha damn thang on this dawg; real good shit!! <- To add to this, no wonder why it's labeled as a "freestyle;" its length iz only 1:31 on this mixtape. Great 3rd Shift beat!! My Current Rating: 4.4


17. 5th Child Feat. 3rd Shift "Young Black Man"
Let's hear how this "young black man" gon sound on this wit my dawg, 3rd Shift! >>> Pretty nice beat from you again. Gonna have to try and get into that hook for this joint; it's decent so far. Hearin' tha 1st verse right now and it's not bad. Hearin' tha hook again wit those "you know they runnin' for ya/gunnin' for ya" parts and hearin' that makes me think that this iz for a "young black man" who has haterz and iz tryin' to evade them tha best he can. Nice lil' topic I'm guessin'. Pretty nice 2nd verse and I'm gonna try and like this more when I play this mixtape in tha future. For now, this was my opinion on a 1st listen. My Rating: 3.8


18. "3rd-Strumental No. 2"
Ooh for a second, when I heard tha 1st milli-second of it at tha end of "YBM," I was like, "ewe, anotha 'Daddy' (Oba Rowland's joint)!" Nope, it's that 2nd "3rd-Strumental!" High anticipation level on listenin'! >>> Sounds like an odd "Daddy" beginning… Like tha buildin' up to this beat in tha intro. Here comes what could be, tha 1st verse… Reminds me of a 2003 Texas song I liked from tha underground, Ice Water Slaughter Feat. Slim Thug, E.S.G. & Billy Cook "Platinum Team". Pretty nice job here and I do like that hook for this! Hearin' tha 2nd verse and still gettin' that same feel as I had for tha 1st verse. My Rating: 4.0


19. Shout Outs
So this gon be it for you wit tha checkin' in? I thought it was gonna end wit you on No. 20 but I guess I was wrong. Let's hear who you gotta shout out… >>> Ooh it's 3:49! Lookin' forward to your actual album comin' out in tha future! Ooh, I was just dozin' off, listenin' to you shout out people and then all of a sudden, I look at Music Choice Electronica and I notice that pH10 Feat. Pete Miser "Think It Through" iz playin' (a HOT Rap song; one of their "rare songs" (where it's an old song that only comes on once a month)) so I'm gonna listen to it and then get back listenin' to you shout out ya peeps! Now then, I didn't know who you were gonna say wit tha "BIGGEST shout out," but no, it's to tha haterz! Lookin' forward to that EP as well! That should be a nice single too coming up! My Rating: N/A


20. Oba Rowland "Try Me"
No other way to close it out than wit Oba Rowland, since you like him a whole lot. Let's see how we gon end this joint! >>> Almost thought it was "Where You Been At?" in tha beginning; I like tha similar sound though! Not bad so far, I think it's a good song. Great verses from him and I'm startin' to like that hook! I like how tha beat sounds durin' tha hook; real nice shit 3rd Shift! My Rating: 3.7


Overall: End Time: 9:57 PM. DEFINITELY a great piece of work from you 3rd Shift! I have an easy feelin' this was definitely better than tha 1st "Coup d'Etat" mixtape (even though I neva heard that one). DEFINITELY keep doin' tha ma'fuckin' thang dawg; you tha shit fa'real!!!!! FUCK THEM HATERZ!!!!!


Rankings (according to my ratings):

15. Uncle Monster "ABC Bounce" 1.0
14. Oba Rowland "Be With You" 3.5
13. Oba Rowland "Try Me" 3.7
12. 5th Child Feat. 3rd Shift "Young Black Man" 3.8
11. "3rd-Strumental No. 2" 4.0
10. G-Eazy "Knockin'" 4.1
09. Oba Rowland Feat. 3rd Shift "Who Better" 4.3
08. Oba Rowland Feat. Tony Harrell "Daddy" 4.4
07. Lil' Bossy "My Dougie (Freestyle Interlude)" 4.4
06. "3rd-Strumental No. 1" 4.5
05. Oba Rowland Feat. 3rd Shift "I'm The Bomb" 4.7
04. Oba Rowland Feat. Pay Ray "So 100" 4.7
03. Oba Rowland "My Niggaz" 4.8
02. G-Eazy Feat. 3rd Shift & Diddy "I'm Focused" 4.9
01. Lil' Bossy "Where You Been At?" 5.0

^ As you know, there would've been 16 rankings. If Famous Stranger can fix this, then there'll be 16 rankings.