What a chillingly beautiful chorus. The perfect sample for track with this type of content. Speaking of which, in this track Esso lays out how it might feel to walk in the shoes of societies most shunned or despised (by some, at least, and celebrated by others) and offers explanations for why it is they may make the decisions they do, and asks you if you'd do any different in their situation.
And what if it was you with that felony to your name, always in and out the system even though you wanna change, you never gon' get that job no matter how hard you explain, you grew up in the hood, would you right be right back pitching 'cane?
And what if you was a star, everyone know who you are, would you make it rain in strip clubs after buying out the bar? Or would you right those songs that could change somebody life? Or feel like if you tried they'd ignore and treat you like, your outta sight..
It was the Boi-1da production that got me to check this out but i'm glad i did. The production is excellent, led by some epic, sweeping strings and layered piano. With the three MC's, some lack a little presence and some don't have the most dynamic flows but all have fantastic lyrics and insightful commentary. Pretty much, all three of them call out and make known all the hypocrisy present in anyone who justifies horrible actions in the name of love. Yes, that could very easily come across as corny but there's just too much realism infused in the content for that to be the case. This is the type of song you would play for an imbecile who claims rap is all 'gangster thuggin bullshit and and lacks any substance'.
Risk your freedom and your life for keys to beamers and some ice, You can't be beatin on your wife and teach your seeds about what's right,
This is one hell of a track. I can't seem to find who produced this effort but whoever was responsible deserves a heap of credit for the brilliant orchestral production, the way the tracks mood shifts and change-ups are handled and how Nikki's vocals were mixed. For those not familiar with the name, Nikki was the vocalist who contributed to Lupe's The Cool, where she contributed hooks on 'Hip-Hop Saved My Life' & 'Little Weapon'. Lupe and Black Thought both contribute stunning verses centered around well constructed metaphors, so, when i say Nikki was just as critical to this track, that should tell you something about her performance.
But, I'm not really wanting for too much
I could feel like a millionaire with a few bucks
Whether in black Chucks or a new tux
Some take note but never give two fucks
Whether Wu-Tang Clan or the Klu-Klux
Wonder how the world gon' handle the new stuff
Find true love, that's my new drug
Nikki Jean get the orchestra cued up
This was everything a Lupe Fiasco / Black Thought collaboration should be.
Medeiros' rapping is just so easy to listen to. The voice is unique without being too distinct, the flow is effortless, the rhyme schemes are flawless and there's just the right amount of lyricism for if you're not in an overly analytical mood. Stro's vocals are really growing on me as well and the singer does a good job with this track here.
Not too sure where exactly this cut is from. Nonetheless, i'm struggling to find much to say about it. Not a single facet of the song was disappointing..was it a good track? Yes. Does any part of it stand-out? No, not really, it's just your regular laid-back production and 'a day in my awesome life' content.
Consequence is solid as usual on this as speaks indirectly on his recent label situation and what he's learnt from it.
When you on the road to riches and you get to where the road stops people in your life are either shortcuts or roadblocks
I felt his verses were a little short but. I have mixed feelings though about both the Kanye production and the KiD CuDi hook. I think the vocal samples are used well but i'm not a fan of the strings Ye' sampled. As for the hook, there's something about CuDi's 'forever' refrain that just rubs me the wrong way but other than that it's enjoyable enough.
Apathy really hasn't put a foot wrong in the lead up to his Honkey Kong release (August 23rd) with every track put out being nothing less than great. Apathy does a great job over the House of Pain track but he pretty much destroys 'Eye For An Eye' and shows exactly exactly how you do multisyllabic rhymes without them coming across as forced.
Impatient, sick of waiting, sick of pacing in my room, in syncopation with the shit i'm playing, feel it boom Sick of chasing, chick's i'm dating, dick 'em then i'm quickly skating Spittin insignificant ignorance mixed with information
'Roll Call' is the type of Cool Kids i enjoy. No forgetting to rhyme half your lines from Mike and Chuck and the minimal production that manages to keep your attention and avoid feeling repetitive, especially given the track runs for 5 minutes. Asher has a nice verse, Chip's is okay and Boldy's is 'eh'.
This post is mainly thanks to Kosha Dillz. This is the first time I've heard the MC, who, if you hadn't noticed from the name, is Jewish, and seems to like to drop a number of references in his rhymes so you don't forget it. Gimmicks aside he does a terrific job with his verse here, his flows flawless, rhyme schemes are on point and he's adept with the imagery as well. RZA contributes some decent production and an average refrain while Kool G Rap lays down a fairly underwhelming 16 himself.
Vakill's long - and i mean looooooooong - awaited 3rd album, Armor of God, has finally hit the net. Funnily enough, though I love his last two albums, I wasn't particuarly fond of either on first listen. On that note, i'll be dropping a review in a week or so once i've had time to digest the release. Here's the tracklist and a couple of the tracks to be found on Armor of God:
1. Intro 2. Hi Ate Us (produced by Panik) 3. Armor of God (produced by Jake One) 4. Mean Mug Muzik (produced by Panik) 5. Sick Cinema (produced by Panik) 6. Heavy (produced by Panik) 7. Endless Road f/Vizion (produced by Bluntologist) 8. The Apology (produced by Joe Blow) 9. Wild Wild (produced by Bluntologist) 10. Beast Ballad f/Crooked I, Rhymefest, Juice & Nino Bless (produced by Panik) 11. NWA (produced by Panik) 12. You Don’t Know f/Astonish (produced by Panik) 13. I Came for U (produced by Panik) 14. Armorgeddon (produced by Jake One) 15. A Lynched Legacy (produced by Memo) 16. Bi-Polar (produced by Panik) 17. Proof (produced by Jake One)
This is a bit of a change of pace. Talented Minnesota collective, Doomtree, are making a mash up project called 13 Chambers where they're combining Wu-Tang Clan with Punk Rock band Fugazi. This track is the combination of Fugazi’s I’m So Tired and Wu-Tang Clans C.R.E.A.M. I must say, that as someone who generally avoids producer remixes I'm really enjoying this.
Off Trae's upcoming album, Street King, dropping July 12th.
Productions on point here with it's minimalist, relaxed vibe. MDMA's vocals are a nice touch an a lot less commercial than anything you might have heard from him on LASERS. Lupe's verse is pretty good and Big Boi brings some great energy to the track. Trae, Wale and Wiz's verses are all decent enough but hardly memorable. I've seen a lot of complaints regarding Trae's voice and I have to say, it certainly is distinct. I can't say I'm a big fan but it fails to bother me either.
Ghetto Dreams is Common’s first single off his upcoming album, The Dreamer, The Believer. My Hat's off to No I.D. for his production here, it sounds like a modern day revision of a 90's 'banger' with it's looped sample arrangement and vocal cuts for a chorus.
The type of bitch that Big said he would die for Is the type that I would rather stay alive for
While I never would have thought 'women' would be a suitable topic for this brand of production, Common's musings on the perfect woman and Nas' braggadocios adventures concerning the opposite sex both work because they apply the same flow and delivery you'd expect from either of them on a 'street track'.
After a slow start to the year the second quarters seen a ton of new music released and with Kendrick Lamar, Royce Da 5'9, Vakill, J.Cole and Jay-Z / Kanye dropping in the next month or two there's plenty of good Hip-Hop still to come our way.
Playlist: In general order of quality
Lupe Fiasco - Airplanes | Review
Vents - Marked For Death | Link
Kendrick Lamar - Ronald Reagan Era | Review
Richie Cunning - Pure Imagination | Review
Kendrick Lamar - HiiiPower | Review
Elzhi - Memory Lane | Link
Nas - Nasty | Review
Grieves - Boogie Man | Link
J.Cole - Return of Simba | Review
Big Sean - Wait For Me ft. Lupe Fiasco | Link
Brown Bag Allstars - See Again | Review
Random Axe - Jahphy Joe ft. Melanie Rutherford | Link
Drake - Marvin's Room | Review
Drapht - Sing It | Link
Royce Da 5'9 - Second Place (Prod. DJ Premier) | Review
Bobby Raps - Riff Raff | Review
Mr. J Medeiros - Neon Signs | Review
Blue Scholars - Cinemetropolis | Link
J.Cole - How High | Review
Drake - Trust Issues | Review
Jehst - England | Review
Drake - Dreams Money Can Buy |Review
Co$$ - Only When I Dream ft. Aloe Blacc & Sene | Review
Copywrite & Jakki Da Mota Mouth - Luscious | Review
Nametag - S.I.N ft. Quest MCODY & Buff1 (Prod. Black Milk) | Review
Ketchphraze - My Detroit ft. Trick Trick & Elzhi (Prod. Black Milk) | Review
For download links to individual songs click the 'review' link next to each track
Releases:
Drapht - The Life of Riley
The best release from Australia so far this year. The album has "some great production, well complemented with dynamic hooks and an MC with a unique voice and versatile and varied content".
This album really delivers exactly what you're expecting: great production from Black Milk and fairly good battle rap from Guilty Simpson and Sean Price. Nothing new or innovative about this release but it does what it does well.
"Much like the original record there is zero filler and the whole release has a ton of replay value". Will Sessions does an amazing job recreating Illmatic's production and Elzhi has one of his strongest performances yet.
Disappointing. Every now and then you can see glimpses of what the project should have been (mainly from Royce's corner) but in the end the whole release is sub-par.
Anyone that's never given Grieves a chance needs to, now. He's certainly not for everyone but anyone that's a fan of Brother Ali or Dessa is going to have a hard time not enjoying this release.
Big Sean falls into the Drake and Kid Cudi category of not necessarily being a great MC but still being able to make great music. Wasn't expecting to like this anywhere near as much as I did.
I must say, I was debating whether or not to even give this album a listen. My only real previous experience with Big Sean was his guest verses on Kanye's GOOD Friday series where he usually managed to put out the worst verse on any track he was featured on. Suffice to say, Finally Famous left me pleasantly surprised. The production - almost exclusively handled by No I.D. - is fantastic and thanks to a slew of guests the albums choruses are outstanding.
As for Big Sean himself, well, he's no Drake or Kanye but he is a lot better than I gave him credit for. His content isn't exactly varied but he's not rehashing the same work over and over again either and at times his lyrics are reasonably personal and revealing. His flow is competent but he does make an effort to vary it. Delivery wise Sean's rather bland and monotone and his attempts at, what I can only call, 'swagging it up', almost all fail miserably.
Boy, I’m cock-a-mania
The most zaniest, insaniant
Pulling up in Merced-iance
Rolling up like I’m Damian
I love girls that Arabian, Albanian, caucasian
You'll have a tough time finding lyrics more cringe worthy than that. That said, his lyricism is actually somewhat witty and impressive at times, though he does have some rather horrific punchlines and and attempts at wordplay. On the flip side, he has the ability to bring meaning and poignancy to his music, with tracks such as 'Don't Tell Me You Love Me' and the John Legend assisted 'Memories'.
While Big Sean is overshadowed somewhat by the albums production and guests (Lupe's verse is stunning) the album is still really enjoyable and likely to go down as one of the years better commercial releases within the genre.
Highlights: Memories, Don't Tell Me You Love Me, Wait For Me Lowlights: Dance(Ass)
I feel like I'm saying this a lot lately, but, this track is a contender for song of the year so far. The production makes use of the 'Willy Wonka' soundtrack - which it samples - to great effect, with a dark, somber loop that switches to more wistful, feel good instrumentation throughout the song. The writing is superb. Richie is both poetic and straight-forward as he muses on what life would be like if he made it, followed by his exploration of the reality of his situation.The lyrics are brutally honest and all the more endearing for it:
If i knew that even one listener was with it I would spit til the club had to close down, Like a tired old horn player blowin with his case popped open on the street in a ghost town, Take a breath, grab the mic, here we go again, Crowd thinning I pretend that I aint noticing, They say 'Richie yo you know we got your back but it's late and we aint sittin round waitin for the show to end', Type a night to turn bangers into sad songs, Didn't even make enough to grab a cab home, Same train same lonely ride, the cold world roles slowly by..
Together/Apart is Grieves' (with the help of Budo on production) first release under the Rhymesayers label. For those that have never heard of the 26yr old Seattle MC, he's one hell of a rapper. You're unlikely to hear more evocative imagery come out the mouth of anyone in the genre. Stylistically i feel Grieves is best compared to fellow Rhymesayers counterparts Dessa (of Doomtree) and Brother Ali. As Brother Ali is fairly well known i'll continue the comparison; both MC's put a large emphasis on introspective and reflective content (Grieves more-so even than Brother Ali), both have distinct and strong deliveries, great flows and the ability to both sing (well, i might add) and incorporate melodies and tempo changes effortlessly into their bar structure.Where Grieves differs is how his self-analytical musings are framed, his content is not delivered conventionally and instead he has a penchant for more abstract writing and imagery packed metaphors.
Swallow that lump inside of your throat
Open up the closet and push aside all the clothes
You believe, and never needed more to be said
To leave you scared of that little gap between the floor and your bed
So you jump, leaping over all over your options
And retreat right back to that bed we call a coffin
To sleep, never actually getting a wink
Due to all the little devils that dance around in your dreams
And attack you, pull you under the bed with their hands
And take away the chance of you ever making a stand
And if anything actually ever went as you planned
That you could retrace the steps you ran
But only if it hits, if it speaks
You could fight it to the death in the streets
You'll grip those sheets in attempt to hide
And figure out that you've been running from the feeling of never leaving alive
As you can see, the writing is complex and at times cryptic but Grieves' delivery and tone is both immediate and relatable and Budo's production (for the most part) complements his lyrics and helps translate into sound whatever mood's being explored. Their are some outstanding pieces of production; Budo's beats are never stagnant, always changing and progressing and his instrumental piece, 'Speak Easy', is one of the albums highlights.
Together/Apart is 16 tracks long and without any filler in sight. To be fair, there are a few choruses and a beat or two that i'm not a great fan of but i'm yet to hit the skip button on one of my listens.
Highlights: Falling From You, Boogie Man, Against The Bottom, Lightspeed Lowlights: Bloody Poetry (great lyricism but the beat and chorus let it down)
This will be the final edition of The Catch Up and should have me up to speed with the genre over the last 3 months. For Part 4 of The Catch Up click here.
Kendrick Lamar
With Kendrick Lamar's upcoming release, Section 80, dropping in a couple of days i've held off listening to any of the leaked tracks except the following two. Suffice to say, i'm anticipating the hell out of this.
HiiiPower (Prod. J.Cole) | 10/10
This may just be the best beat J.Cole has ever produced, it is absolutely fucking phenomenal. Not to be outdone though Kendrick kills it for three verses straight and leaves us with one of the best tracks of the year so far.
My issue isn't televised and you ain't gotta tell the wise
How to stay on beat, because our life’s an instrumental
This is physical and mental, I won't sugar coat it
You'd die from diabetes if these other niggas wrote it
And everything on TV just a figment of imagination
I don't want a plastic nation, dread that like a Haitian
While you motherfuckers waiting, I be off the slave ship
Building pyramids, writing my own hieroglyphs
Download | Lyrics Ronald Reagan Era | 10/10
I love how well structured this track is. You have a fantastic little sung introthat (a lot like the production) manages to lay out both a cheery and melancholy mood, a great chorus thats a mix of background ad-libs, samples, sound effects and rap, some real dynamic and emotive production and Kendrick himself who's urgent delivery perfectly matches the movement of the drum track. Every little detail is attended to and it helps to elevate this song to such a high standard. Download | Lyrics
Black Milk
Anyone searching for some more Black Milk after the latest Random Axe release should be happy with these two tracks here. Both these beats are as good as anything found on that LP.
Ketchphraze - My Detroit ft. Trick Trick & Elzhi (Prod. Black Milk) | 7/10
Ketchphraze. The name saids it all really, no one with a name that horrible is likely to have a verse worth hearing. Trick Trick is also predictably horrible but thankfully Elzhi has a great verse, the chorus gets you hyped and Black Milk produced a real head-nodder.
Nametag - S.I.N ft. Quest MCODY & Buff1 (Prod. Black Milk) | 7/10
The Black Milk production and the opening verse by Nametag are the highlights here. Quest and Buff1can't keep the standard up but their verses are still far from shocking.
This here is the Australian MC's second release, the follow up to his 2008 record 'Hard To Kill', and is fully produced by Trials. Straight off the bat, anyone who isn't a fan of political content in their music need not bother with this record, it has a massive focus on political and social awareness. Luckily for myself Vents' anti-capitalist, atheist, pro-drug use, anti-war, anti-ignorance world views are almost identical to mine. Such issues dominate the content in amongst a reasonable amount of battle rap (the two seem to go hand in hand nowadays).
Cinematic massacres, purges, murders, animal urges Militarism returns, made a massive resurgence Unkind is a word just scratching the surface Got me thinkin that humanity, it has to be worthless
As an MC Vents has a deep voice, aggressive delivery and dominating presence as well as an enjoyable flow...unfortunately none of these ever change up. I find with an MC that lacks versatility that to be enjoyable over a full-length release the productions needs to be impressive, but more importantly varied. Trials work on the boards here isn't particuarly varied but it's not a monotone soundscape either. As for the quality, for the most part it's reasonable enough, with a few real standouts (No Rest For The Wicked is amongst my favourite beats so far this year) and a few disappointments. That said there's no filler on the album, Vents is impressive on every single track and the guest verses all deliver, it's just the monotony that tends to drag the album down and kill a lot of the replay value.
Highlights: No Rest For The Wicked, Falling, The Punisher, Rollin' Balls
Lowlights: None Rating: 7.4/10
Further Listening: Check out his debut album, Hard To Kill, an album with a similar tone, similar content and of a similar quality.
In the lead up to his sophmore release, Take Care, Drake has been dropping a few tracks to build the hype up.
Dreams Money Can Buy (Prod.Noah “40″ Shebib)| 8/10
Noah samples the catchy Jai Paul number 'BSTU' to carve out a backdrop for Drakes in your face 'fuck your life, mines better' raps. Drakes' transitions between singing and rapping are flawless as he seamlessly drops in an out of his roles as an MC or vocalist without a misstep.
Marvin's Room (Prod.Noah “40″ Shebib) | 9/10
Both '40' and Boi-1da don't get the praise they deserve for their production, probably due to the fact their beats are not normally as epic or grand scale as your average mainstream 'banger'. I've always said Drake is nothing particularly special as a stand alone MC but he does know how to craft a great song (and album for that matter). Marvin's Room is a great example of both my above points. Every facet of the song works perfectly together to help put you in Drakes exact mood of 'lonely arrogance'.
I don't think I'm conscious of making monsters Outta the women I sponsor until it all goes bad
Trust Issues (Prod. “40″ and Adrian X) | 8/10
Some more fantastic synth-heavy, 'brooding' production. Only a few bars of straight rapping and a few sing-song melody rapped bars though so be warned if you're not a fan of the singing Drake.
