I stopped reviewing mixtapes on this site a long time ago for two primary reasons: my Inbox is already cluttered with enough PR bullshit on a daily basis, and why compete with the best in the business?  That being said, it would be near impossible for me to let Zilla Rocca’s new disc, Bring Me the Head of Zilla Rocca (2008), slip under the radar, even if it is, technically, a ‘mixtape’ that he’s offering for free over at his site Clap Cowards.

Even if 2008 wasn’t one of the more miserable years for hip hop in recent memory, this would still be one of the best things I’ve heard all year.  Take notes, aspiring MCs, as Bring Me the Head is exactly how a mixtape should be constructed: superb beat selection, impeccable pacing, solid guest spots that are kept to a minimum, and Zilla’s pen remains as sharp as ever.  It’s a rare occurrence indeed when I’m left wanting more after 22 tracks in 67 minutes.  Any critic will have reservations about plugging their friends’ music fairly in a public setting such as this, but honestly, when the material is this good, those qualms all but dissipate entirely.  And again, it’s free, so why not grab yourself a copy?

“All Feast No Famine” – Zilla Rocca feat. ASK? & MAGr 3:18 (Bring Me the Head of Zilla Rocca, Beat Garden 2008)