various artists :: Times, Rhymes & Beats :: XXL Magazine as
reviewed by Steve 'Flash' Juon  [Times, Rhymes & Beats] Late in
2012, Best Buy and XXL Magazine teamed up to put a special
edition double CD in stores, bargain priced at $5.99, coming
complete with a 60 page mini magazine. "Mini" in this case means
you have DVD sets that are larger and thicker, but they packed
the pages with content, interviewing everyone from Casey Veggies
to T.I. to Eve. You can't knock the hustle nor the price, but if
you're not careful taking off the shrinkwrap, the compact discs
inside will knock the floor. There's nothing securing them
inside - not a plastic sleeve nor a single dab of glue - they're
just stuck between the pages. As "Times, Rhymes & Beats" was the
first to fall out, that's the first one we're going to rap
about.  At twelve tracks and just under 44 minutes long, "Times,
Rhymes & Beats" has a title which implies a grandiose statement
within - yet none is forthcoming after pressing play. This is
not an extension of