Blaqstarr had a good 2007 (signed with Mad Decent, int'l touring styles, beats for M.I.A. and Young Leek) but it sounds like he's got some mindblowing shit lined up for 2008. Lots of new classics ("Supastarr," "Shake It To The Ground") and unreleased tracks on King of Roq, the mixtape/album which was self-released last summer in an edition so small that it barely made it out of Bmore. Most of the songs are laced with the man's inimitable vocal styles, and all have that patent pending bizarre minimal vibe. The best new bits are the re-teaming of Blaq and Woodie from Dru Hill (aka RoqStarrz) on "Let's Go," plus genuinely strange tracks like "Allday" and "I Wanna Touch." I've heard this likened to a Bmore version of Stankonia, and while I don't think it's quite on that scale, it still proves Blaqstarr will be a force to be reckoned with for a while yet. As if that needed proving. 31 tracks, 63 minutes. Recommended.

reviewed by Larri Byrd