Thursday, May 28, 2015

Scattered Shots: Part One

Just some quick reviews of projects that dropped this year up to this date.

LOVE STORY x YELAWOLF
Don't listen to the hip hop-only critics about this album. I mean, if you don't personally mess with country music at all, then listen to them, but if you have an appreciation for it this album is most definitely worth your time. Yela mostly foregoes rapping on this album in favor of a country croon on songs like "American You" and "Best Friend" which also happens to feature a great verse from his mentor Eminem, while the overarching theme of the album drives home the message: love your loved ones while they're still here.
FINAL SCORE: 4.0/5.0
HIGHLIGHTS: American You, Devil In My Veins, Have a Great Flight


SUNNY WINTER x WREKONIZE & HIPPIE SABOTAGE
Wrekonize of ¡Mayday! links with Hippie Sabotage to produce this surprise EP which features more of what Wrekonize does best: drop thoughtful lyrics with effortlessly intricate flows and smooth hooks. Not a moment is wasted in these five songs, as Wrekonize tackles personal demons, brags about his bars, and lashes out at hating critics. This should not be overlooked and hey, it's free--no excuses.
FINAL SCORE: 4.5/5.0
HIGHLIGHT: Shadows In the Dark 2015 (Picture This)






TETSUO & YOUTH x LUPE FIASCO
Lupe Fiasco finally makes that return to form he's been promising for awhile with Tetsuo & Youth, the follow-up to the very disappointing Food & Liquor 2 and Lasers. Lupe more-or-less eschews his previous grabs for commercial appeal with the nearly 9-minute marathon rap "Mural" (not the last time on this label that a song runs near or past the 9-minute mark, either) and criticizes the police state on "Prisoner 1 & 2" which also features his poet sister, Ayesha Jaco. Production from the likes of S1 and DJ Dahi keep the music tight while Lupe drops some of the best rhymes he's penned in years.
FINAL SCORE: 4.0/5.0
HIGHLIGHTS: Mural, Prisoner 1 & 2 (feat. Ayesha Jaco), They.Resurrect.Over.New (feat. Ab-Soul and Troi)

SLOW MOTION VOLUME ONE x JARREN BENTON
Jarren Benton has arguably become Funk Volume's torch-bearer in the last few years, gaining cosigns from all corners of the rap industry, from R.A. the Rugged Man to 2 Chainz and back again. With this EP, he does a good job demonstrating how deserved the praise is with his sharp flows and sharper wit. However, even at only 8 songs, the momentum isn't sustained throughout, and it could've been trimmed of a few tracks. Most of the collaborations don't add much to the track either, notably excepting ¡Mayday! and Jon Connor's guest verses and the excellent hook Hopsin adds to "Killin' My Soul," easily the project's highlight.
FINAL SCORE: 3.5/5.0
HIGHLIGHTS: Atychiphobia (feat. ¡Mayday!), Killin' My Soul (feat. Hopsin and Jon Connor)

SORRY 4 THE WAIT 2 x LIL WAYNE
In the midst of a highly publicized feud with long-time label boss and surrogate father Birdman, Lil Wayne pours his heart and soul into an introspective album--nah, just kidding, this is thoroughly terrible. I listened all the way through, because even though Wayne has been rubbish for nearly a decade now, he still manages to sneak a gem or two onto each project, but not here. There is not one redeeming quality to this album, as Wayne's subject matter is staler than ever, and the few attempts he makes to get topical (police brutality, label politics, etc.) fall hopelessly flat. Over an hour of my life just gone to waste, and I didn't even get paid for it...and believe me, sitting through this entire project is enough of a chore to qualify as work. When you find yourself eagerly anticipating a Mack Maine verse, when Drake doing his tough guy act feels like finding an oasis in a musical desert, when 2 Chainz grandsons you on your own track, you know things are bleak. Even on the rare occasions when the lyrics aren't wack, the delivery is utterly atrocious, squeaky and unbearable. Don't listen to this. Ever.
FINAL SCORE: 0.0/5.0
HIGHLIGHTS: The times Lil Wayne lets someone else rap.

I'll be back for more soon. BTW: RIP Chinx.

Monday, March 30, 2015

REVIEW: Ludaversal x Ludacris


There was a time when Ludacris was one of my favorite rappers. His brash and cocky attitude, boisterous beats and unapologetically Southern demeanor, coupled with his undeniable skill, made listening to a Ludacris album a reliably enjoyable endeavor. Plus, anybody that knows me knows flow goes a long way with me, and not many rappers have a more consistently effortless flow than Luda. This winning combination kept him in pretty constant rotation for me for the better part of 8 years. Even when it started to become pretty obvious, around the time of Release Therapy, that he was trying a bit too hard for "serious" respect, his natural talent helped to overshadow the blatant pandering to audiences that had complained about his lack of depth on previous releases.

So I'm not exactly sure at what point it all went off the rails. With Theater of the Mind, he seemed to hit that balance of seriousness and fun that he missed on Release Therapy. But then came Battle of the Sexes, a shallow and rather annoying album that seemed designed only for club play and really had little to offer to fans of good hip hop, and lazy guest verses for the likes of Justin Bieber, R. Kelly, Chris Brown, My Darkest Days, and even Jason Aldean--the songs all being as terrible as the hosting artists' reputations would betray. Luda began prepping Ludaversal, his next studio album, as early as 2011, but it was delayed repeatedly and with the subpar material Luda had been a part of, a lot of people just stopped caring. There was a mixtape here and there over the last few years, but overall it seemed that Ludacris had faded away.

Then, what seemed like suddenly to me, since I had all but forgotten about it, Ludaversal had a release date, album artwork, a few very high quality singles, and a leak, each hitting the scene faster than I could catch up with the one before it. Suddenly, here I was, anticipating this album I thought would never see the light of day; his last good album was 8 (!) years ago and yet he seemed poised for a comeback.

And let me tell you, it was worth the wait. The album starts off with a bang on the David Banner-produced "Ludaversal (Intro)" which features Ludacris revisiting the double- and triple-time flow he injected into the raucous "Southern Fried Intro" from Chicken n Beer, and I can't remember a time his delivery has sounded crisper and more focused. The first half of the album is Ludacris flexing his mic skills solo, with no guest appearances on the first 8 tracks. He talks a bit about where he's been the last few years on "Grass Is Always Greener," calls out wack MCs on "Call Ya Bluff" through "Beast Mode" and gets drunk and high on "Get Lit." The album takes an introspective turn here, and instead of the light-and-fluffy social consciousness he had attempted on the likes of "Runaway Love" in the past, we get Ludacris opening up about his own life, something he had shied away from in the past. He laments a strained romance on "Good Lovin'," an interesting topic since we mostly know Ludacris for "Pimpin' All Over the World," and it's surprising to hear him speak so frankly about heartbreak, longing, and love for his children. He discusses how he lost his way in music and also in life, for so many years, in "Not Long," which is also notable for being a truly soulful beat from David Guetta, a producer I've only ever known for microwaved dance-pop; and covers shady label execs in "Charge It To The Rap Game." But the most poignant moment is the touching tribute to his late father in "Ocean Skies," where he mourns the loss of his father and admits to inheriting Dad's issues with alcohol and letting himself get carried away with it after his death.

The album closes with a victory lap in the Just Blaze-produced "This Has Been My World," which also features a poem from the illustrious Big Rube. The album also features several excellent mid-tempo bonus tracks with guest appearances from Rick Ross, Cee-Lo Green, John Legend, and even Aldean.

With Ludaversal, Ludacris has really hit his creative stride, for arguably the first time in his career sounding just as comfortable pouring his heart out on wax as he does calling out wack rappers. This is possibly his most balanced album and without a doubt his most mature, and a serious contender for best album of this year so far. If you were like me and believed Luda was done for, I can't recommend checking this out enough. Don't call it a comeback!

FINAL SCORE: 4.5/5.0
Highlights: Grass Is Always Greener, Ocean Skies (feat. Monica), Not Long (feat. Usher)




Oh hey, bonus content.

Two other anticipated albums came out this week, and I couldn't miss a chance to drop some feedback on those too.

MR. WONDERFUL x ACTION BRONSON
Action Bronson is back with his major-label debut, bringing more of his quirky personality, hilarious braggadocio, and excellent ear for beats to Mr. Wonderful, which features production from long-time Bronson cohorts like Statik Selektah, Alchemist, and Party Supplies, among others. Bronson experiments a bit on this album, even singing on occasion, and the results hit more than they miss.
FINAL SCORE: 4.0/5.0
Highlights: Terry, Falconry (feat. Meyhem Lauren), C. Baby Blue (feat. Chance the Rapper)

I DON'T LIKE SHIT, I DON'T GO OUTSIDE x EARL SWEATSHIRT
The Odd Future rapper drops his sophomore album, although notably without his OFWGKTA brethren backing him up (the Left Brain-produced "Off Top" being the only contribution from anyone else in the crew). Earl's rhymes are every bit as dense and dexterous as ever on this outing, but he's also maintained his tendency towards a sleepy delivery, and with it now being almost totally self-produced, the beats match the rapping. Don't come here looking for energy, but if you're a fan of what Earl does, you won't be disappointed.
FINAL SCORE: 3.0/5.0
Highlights: Wool (feat. Vince Staples)

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

To Pimp A Butterfly x Kendrick Lamar: REVIEW



It doesn't seem like this is only (sort of) Kendrick Lamar's sophomore album. He's been a ubiquitous presence in hip hop for the last few years, despite having released no new material since 2012 and only a handful of guest verses, albeit high profile ones. Even as far back as 2010, he actually had a critically acclaimed independent album, Section 80, which for some reason most don't count as his debut. Kendrick's presence in the rap game feels well-worn at this stage, due in no small part to the monumental nature of his major-label debut, Good Kid, Maad City. I'm not going to dwell at length on my thoughts on that album; I pronounced it the album of the year at that time, because it would have been intellectually dishonest not to, being the year's most critically acclaimed hip hop album and its second biggest-selling, but it never made it to constant replay for me. With that being said, its impact was undeniable and made Kendrick one of hip hop's biggest names, and earned him comparisons to the likes of rap-Rushmore candidates 2Pac and Nas.

The big question would now be how Kendrick followed it up. The pressure on Kendrick Lamar was enormous at this point, as he would not only have to follow up a debut that has been pronounced a classic by most critics, but would have to deal with the added scrutiny of being crowned the savior of West Coast hip hop and hip hop on the whole. Add to that the pressure of the dreaded "sophomore slump" and you have nearly insurmountable expectations for the Compton native to meet.

"I remember you was conflicted..."

For what it's worth, I never found the 2Pac or Nas comparisons accurate at all, at least from a musical standpoint. Both played the role of griots, especially in the early stages of their careers, streetwise poets who were equally at home wearing the khufi or slapping it off you. Their music was known, criticized and beloved alike, for representing human duality: they were capable of provoking deep thought, but the same thought they inspired could reveal the hypocrisy they sometimes demonstrated. Nas was famously called out by Jay-Z for making songs like "Black Girl Lost" while putting out singles like "You Owe Me", but it was this capacity for contradiction that made him relatable to many.

"I remember you was conflicted..."

I said when Good Kid, Maad City came out that Kendrick's true kindred spirit was the more eccentric Andre 3000. Despite the fact that he was marketed as a young Nas, a young 2Pac, I just never saw it. It wasn't so much that Kendrick lacked that griot-with-a-touch-of-thug persona that Nas displayed, or that he lacked 2Pac's charisma and fiery temper, although both of these statements were true. It was more that, sonically, he clearly borrowed liberally from Three Stacks, right down to the space alien voices and esoteric flows, and this is even more true on To Pimp a Butterfly. The funk flows throughout this album, starting with "Wesley's Theory" which features the prime minister of funk himself, George Clinton. The song could have fit neatly into the tracklist of Aquemini, before abruptly shifting gears into a rapid-fire onslaught of slam poetry-style rhyming on the humorous "For Free? (Interlude)." From here, the album sounds remarkably like Andre 3000's flamboyant The Love Below from a sonic standpoint. Erratic flows, rhyming that feels free-association at times, and jazzy horns and keys give the songs that follow a very laid-back, smooth sound that would be perfectly at home in a jazz joint. But there is an underlying theme tying it all together that stands in marked contrast to the free-love vibe of The Love Below.

"I remember you was conflicted..."

"King Kunta." "Institutionalized." "These Walls." The album is already being described as Afrocentric, but there's a subtle militancy behind the hippie vibe that goes beyond mere Afrocentrism. The topic of racial and social injustice is a cauldron boiling just below the surface, and you can hear it in Kendrick's rhymes. He's not concerned with calling rappers' names or being the self-proclaimed "King of New York" here, as on his celebrated "Control" verse. This is a protest album.

"I remember you was conflicted..."

These words are repeated between songs, the refrain of a poem that links the songs on the album in theme. The angst grows with this repeated stanza, as the songs' lyrics become more pointed. "From Compton to Congress, set tripping all around/ain't nothing but a new flow of DemoCrips and ReBloodicans," he spits on "Hood Politics." "How Much a Dollar Cost" is one of the album's standout tracks, and the human hypocrisy is on full display:

"He begged and pleaded,
Asked me to feed him twice, I didn't believe it
Told him, 'Beat it'
Contributing money just for his pipe, I couldn't see it
He said, 'My son, temptation is one thing that I've defeated
Listen to me, I want a single bill from you
Nothing less, nothing more,'
I told him I ain't have it and closed my door
Tell me how much a dollar cost..."

I won't reveal the song's ending, but the messages of social injustice and the price of selfishness are poignant and powerful. "Complexion (A Zulu Love)" continues with the pro-black themes and features the lone guest rap on the album, from the slept-on Rapsody, sending a message against the skin-tone prejudices still present in the black community.

The cauldron suddenly and abruptly boils over on the ferocious "The Blacker the Berry," the album's most powerful track. "So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street/when gangbanging make me kill a n---- blacker than me? Hypocrite!" Kendrick snarls, and the idea of contradiction and human duality comes full circle. From here, "I" and "Mortal Man" embrace the ideas of loving oneself as the album comes to a close on a more serene note, with Kendrick finishing his poem in an "interview" with 2Pac and explaining the metaphor in the album's title.

While not without a few minor blemishes (the vocally awful "U" in particular), this album stands as proof that Kendrick could do the things I hadn't been totally convinced he could. He's a griot, a thinker, a sinner, a commentator, and while the album's overall soundscape is reminiscent of The Love Below, the message runs much deeper, and suddenly those Nas and 2Pac comparisons don't seem so farfetched. It might sound a bit too laid-back at times, especially on first listen, but the juxtaposition of its smooth demeanor against its potent message, along with its gradual build into the explosive "The Blacker the Berry," is a big part of why it works.

I remember you was conflicted...and it made for an excellent album.

FINAL SCORE: 4.5/5.0
Highlights: How Much a Dollar Cost, The Blacker the Berry, Mortal Man

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

After Hours - Otherwise Known Review








In light of my return from hiatus, I'm getting back into form with a review of Canadian hip hop duo Otherwise Known's new album, After Hours. I'm somewhat familiar with Otherwise Known, having reviewed a solo mixtape from one-half of the duo, Nova, titled Whatever It Takes awhile back. (Every time I read that title I get the DeGrassi theme song stuck in my head, I'm sorry for embracing Canadian stereotypes :-( ). You can find that review here. Speaking of that review, the homie SYpher tag-teams this review of After Hours as well. Let's get into it. (Note: Click the track names for a YouTube link, or click here to stream the full album.)

GM: Alright say go and I'll press play.
SY: Let's dooooo it. 
INTROSY: Nice moody piano to set off the intro.
GM: Got a little back and forth to go with it. I love tracks like this with the dark sound.
SY: Hehehehe
MG: Cut that off in a hurry though.
SY: I liked the moody piano and back-and-forth bars, but I love the bait-and-switch approach even more. Just when you thought this was another sob story about how hip hop is dead, these guys flipped the script in a hilarious way.
iCANDY (feat. Danitto Kruz and Sass D)SY: And we're going straight to the club. That was a funny way to start it off.
GM: I like this one alright so far. I remember the commercial tracks on their last tape were weak points to me but this one works.
SY: I'm not sure if I can get into this hook, but I like the back and forth in the verses.GM: Right. the hook isn't it's strong point but it's not horrible.
SUPER FIENDSY: Okay now I'm at that skit at the start of Super Fiend. Actually Super Fiend itself is kind of a skit, these guys are rolling the car, drankin' and driving.
FUCK THE FIVE-O (feat. Ill Qaeda)
SY: So they just got pulled over by the cops in the skit, and now this is the "fuck the police" type of song.
GM: Who's rapping at the start of this?
SY: This is Danny Knight. I remember you liked his deep voice on the mixtape.
GM: I remember liking him a lot on the last tape. Hasn't changed. This dude rapping now has bars though.
SY: These two guys are a group called Ill Qaeda, I'm not sure what their individual names are.
GM: They're actually both pretty damn nice.
SY: Nova's verse is dope, I like the back and forth with Clockwork (note: a producer playing the cop character) and the chant at the end.
GM: Yeah everyone ripped that track. Very dope.

ROLL UP SKIT
SY: Another skit where the guys struggle to light their weed up. This is straight comedy, haha.
GM: This is a lot of skits for a 12-track tape. They're short though, which is good.

LIGHT UP
SY: So they found their lighter, now they lighting up.
GM: Yeah this is very clearly the smoke-out song.
SY: I like the flow Danny got going here.
GM: This is way too laid back for me, but I understand why it's that way. Just a little too chill for me. I do like the beat on its own.
SY: It's a good balance, Danny had the melodic thing going and Nova has the more speedy type of flow.
GM: Yeah on this track I prefer the Nova verse.
SY: And now there's another short skit here at the end of the track.

CHEMICAL BURN
SY: So some of the crew went back to school, Nova's off on his own doing some other shit on this next track. Awww sheeeit he poppin' molly?
GM: I like this already.
SY: Dope beat, dope flow, I like the change in vocals too. This reminds me of some old school Eminem.
GM: Yep a combination of Eminem subject matter and Hopsin-like vocal changes. The first song or two Danny stuck out the way he did on the last tape we checked, but the further we go into it the more Nova is shining.

ILLIXER SKIT
SY: So when I talked to these guys, they said Danny's character dies in his verse, and then the next skit will be a "resurrection" before the album takes a more serious tone.
GM: Ah, gotcha. So he basically OD'ed.
SY: Yep.

BREAK THESE CHAINS
SY: This right here is already much more serious than anything we've heard so far. Digging the Nas sample in the hook. Nice and simple.
GM: Yep. The production is nice on this tape.
SY: Yea, just as you mention that they let this beat breathe a bit before moving to the next track. Sounds like they're taking their second chance to cut out the reckless behavior from the previous songs and rapping about grinding, trying to make ends meet.

A.N.A.
GM: This beat is the right kind of chill. I can vibe to this without having to be high, haha. Any idea who produced this track?
SY: I think both of them worked on it, Danny and Nova, and also probably some work from Clockwork.
GM: The whole tape has a bit of a dark vibe. I'm liking this track. Rapid-fire back-and-forth always appeals to me. Hook doesn't really appeal to me as much.
SY: Yea, and I think they do a better job harmonizing on this track, compared to their other songs.
THE CRYSTAL FIST PT. 1SY: Oh I haven't heard this track when I got the preview last week. What the hell is this skit? Haha
GM: This makes me think of the "Bad Dreams" skit from Genesis by Busta Rhymes. The rapping there made think of Twiztid. Kind of on a dark, horrorcore type thing.
SY: So this took almost 3 mins before it got to the music. That's a strange way to arrange it, with a 3-min skit then a little rap, then more skit then more rap. I'll have to play it again to really follow the story.
GM: Yeah that was pretty unique. I dug the rapping parts.
SY: The song gets better the more you immerse yourself in the story, as Danny and Nova go back-and-forth again, rapping in a tone as if they're telling a scary story around a campfire.

AFTER OURS
SY: But for now we're on "After Ours", the final track.
GM: I'm liking this a bit more than Whatever It Takes. Less commercial-sounding and has more of a clear direction.
SY: Yea and it has a bit of a continuous narrative throughout the album. Just like the mixtape, my favourite hook comes at the end. The sound of rain returns from the intro, and we get that vibe they teased from the intro back.

FINAL THOUGHTS
GM: On Whatever It Takes I was really drawn to Danny Knight's rapping, and that happened on "iCandy" and "After Hours" again. But the rest of it, I feel like Nova shines. I think that Ill Qaeda group stole their track they were on. Overall, it's a much more cohesive listen than Whatever It Takes was, I dig the darker sound a lot. Only skip track for me (skits aside) would be "Light Up", just a bit too smoked out and relaxed for me to enjoy sober. Production is a step up on this one too.
SY: Nova gave us a taste last year with his solo mixtape, but Otherwise Known is able to step things up and make an even better, more cohesive project.  Their original production is dope all around, in every different vibe they touch on.  The album is real diverse to start, teasing the serious tone we later get at the end of the album but completely flipping the script and leading with a club track.  Even if you’re not into the clubbing or the drug-related tracks, their sense of humour on the skits and raw spitting on “Fuck The Five-O” should keep you drawn in until the more serious second half of the album. My only real issue is “The Crystal Fist Pt. 1” sounding out of place on the album. I thought it might have been a better fit as a bonus track, but it was still dope nonetheless. I also wasn’t really vibing with “iCandy”, but I understand they’re trying to show versatility by including at least one club song. Other than that, this is a solid listen that’s almost perfectly compacted into 35 minutes of diverse Hip-Hop.
FINAL RATING: 4/5
A worthwhile outing from some talented up-and-comers. A bit too packed with skits, but cohesive and sticks to a tight narrative. The MCs provide great rhymes and flows with competent production provided by Otherwise Known themselves and Clockwork. My previous exposure to them was Nova's solo outing Whatever It Takes, and the distinction between mixtape and album is clear between the two projects, as After Hours is much more conceptual and solidly produced. Definitely a strong introduction to Otherwise Known if this is your first time hearing them.