Green Lantern once said “I don’t get exclusives, I make them”. That’s what I enjoyed about “Welcome…”. The blends took on the feel of actual commissioned tracks. I like the direction of mixtapes being artist centered. Just slapping multiple Lil Wayne tracks together doesn’t make an artist mixtape. That’s a quick money getter. To each his own, but I’m not really a fan of that bullshit.

Mick Boogie started something with the way he released mixtapes and its become the standard, but where he excelled, others miss the mark. I mention him because he didn’t always have new material. It was the presentation. Kep maintains his own identity by giving the listener a mixture of his production and earnest blends. There done in a blue collar way. Its not glazed and over done, so his presentation separates him from the norm. There are no top 40 instrumentals. The beats that he uses stay within the D-Block boundaries. A lot of Dj’s assume that if the beat matches the accapella, then it’s a hot blend. That assumption may be why you can’t find a decent blend tape on the sites or in the streets.

From the outset, “24/7 D-Block” sounds like a war cry and the whole world should take offense. Kep provides the perfect soundtrack for these lyrical beast. There are some missteps, but not enough to mention. “Welcome To D-Block” isn’t a new genre and I’m not sure if the success can be duplicated, because it takes more time to make this type of release, but it also has a longer shelf life than all the fly by night “new shit”. There was a time when blend cd’s were in high regard, but like “real Hip Hop” (who knows what that is anymore) as mixtape fans we have to support the Dj’s who are actually putting forth the effort or we’re just complaining about shit and not affecting change.

“Welcome To D-Block” is a shot in the dark on a deserted road, and if Kep wants to be remembered, that next release has to be half way finished when this review drops. (4/21/08)