What ever happened to the days when a DJ actually moved crowds with his or her dexterity at the scratching and mixing of records? These days it seems all a DJ is good for is the mixtape, pirating hit songs before their commercial release on a artist's LP. Now that major labels have seen the underground buzz built on these tapes by artists like 50 Cent, they are handing any DJ Tom, Dick and Harry a major label deal. Growing up in Queens on the same block as DJ Clue, DJ Envy was around to witness the true evolution of the "Mix Tape Game firsthand." Now, after establishing his own company called BLOK Entertainment (through Clue's Desert Storm/ Elektra imprint), he showcases his "creative talents" on his own debut album, DJ Envy BLOK Party Vol. 1 The Desert Storm Mixtape. The album showcases a regional hip hop all-star lineup of artists such as Jay-Z, Redman, Cam'Ron, Styles from the Lox, Ja Rule, Busta Rhymes, Foxy Brown, Juvenille, The St. Lunatics, Desert Storm's own Fabolous, as well as drunken interludes from celebrities like Jamie Foxx and Stephon Marbury. Aside from surprisingly bouncy catchy single "Focus" by Joe Budden and the fierce "What Goes Around" by rising star 50 Cent and G-Unit, the album is a bit flat. Although there is no doubt that this LP should not be overlooked, by the sound of it, the only thing to truly impressive aspect of the project is the amount of star names Envy has managed to place on a single LP.

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