Kur is like Meek Mill on steroids. The Philadelphia rapper’s new mixtape How It Never Was, might position him as Meek’s protege. He raps faster (“Energy,” Never Before), better (“Up”) and has more diverse subject matter (“Doggie Dog,” “Project Nights”). Kur can paint a picture of life in the “trenches” of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods or do lyrical acrobatics and amazing speeds. I do wish he rapped less about girls and clothes and more about getting his mother out of the hood. How It Never Was will probably propel Kur into the ears of many listeners nation-wide, thanks to help from Meek Mill and company. But, will anything be better than “When I Lost It”? That song is easily my pick for best rap song of 2015.
It may seem a little late to be talking about this mixtape but I Swear could be the project of the year. Calling Johnny Cinco the Drake of Atlanta is a gross over-simplification. The Atlanta artist does rap and sing quite well, works mostly with the same producer (Spiffy), and makes songs that are upbeat and boastful as well as tracks that are more somber and ambient. Cinco, who comes from the place that made Trap, does seem stuck on drug-selling music (and the 808-themed genre named after it) in a way the Canadian rapper never could be. Although it seems that his music has some influences from Drake, the I Swear mixtape perfects the airy, repetitive rap-ballads Drake never spent more than ten minutes per album on. Cinco’s music is also less accessible to a broader audience than Drake’s will ever be, less pop, less manufactured. His 2013 single “Wrong N***a” allowed him attention from fans and the music industry (Cinco signed to Migos’ label Quality Control soon after.) In 2014, the song “No Choice” was even more popular without straying from Cinco’s usual sounds. As a result, the rapper has been free to experiment and open the floodgates for song after song, and two album-worthy mixtapes in the past year. While some of his biggest moments have been collaborations with his label-mates or his part in a feud with Rich Homie Quan, he has otherwise been making music that appears unconcerned with the typical problems modern Hip-Hop has. I Swear has no misplaced collaborations with well-known artists or producers, no songs trying to be singles or radio material and no inorganic appeals to new audiences. With an organic fan base, original and diverse material, Johnny Cinco is the ideal modern Rapper.
In 2015, hip-hop has garnered some of it’s most influential and creative musicals concepts. These efforts could lead to future Grammy nominations. It’s looking like it gonna be a good year for the genre, similar to 2013 with Jay-Z, Kanye, Drake, J. Cole, Childish Gambino and others all releasing their best work. This year is shaping up to be an incredible year for hip-hop. So far, Nicki Minaj, Lupe Fiasco, Joey Bada$$ and Drake all have released critically acclaimed projects, and the month of March did not disappoint with these three new albums.
Action Bronson – Mr. Wonderful:
You’d be surprised what a former chef can cook up when you give him recording studio. Action Bronson is definitely one of the prolific newcomers in hip hop right now after releasing two critically acclaimed mixtapes (Rare Chandeliers, the Blue Chips series) he rose to prominence quickly. This album is essentially Bronson’s coming out party with his major debut release, and it didn’t disappoint. Mr. Wonderful is an experiment in itself bringing particular elements to a odd rap record; from old German (editor’s note: it’s Turkish) folk rock samples like in “Easy Rider” to a boom-bap hardcore bass-boosted beat like “The Rising”. As always, Bronson delivers with catchy imagery-driven lyrics carries this album. Mr. Wonderful isn’t without it’s hang-ups though, the instrumentals and concepts seem to get lost in translation with the last few tracks. Bronson throws us a curve ball but nonetheless this album is unique but still tasteful.
I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside: An Album by Earl Sweatshirt
Earl Sweatshirt; hip-hop collective Odd Future’s most potent lyricist, released a follow up to 2013’s critically acclaimed “Doris” onto iTunes without any prior announcement. This album is very gritty and dark, it seems like Earl looked deep inside himself and put all his depression onto a short 30-minute LP. Sweatshirt displays his signature lyrical prowess over very grim beats and talks about his new lifestyle and his time away from limelight. Although this LP seems like a half an hour cliffhanger, it shines some light on Earl’s darkest perspectives.
Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
What more can you say about the revolutionary Compton-raised MC, Kendrick Lamar? He delivers another stellar project which is a follow-up of the Grammy-nominated album good kid, M.A.A.D city. This album further explores Lamar’s story-telling ability in which he’s able to deliver yet another cohesive LP but the concept behind the whole project is the drive that centers around every track. Subject matters like racial equality, conviction, politics, religion and the current state of hip-hop. Lamar digs deeper within himself and his personal life and gives the listener a lot of things to learn. I highly recommend listening to this is you want to get educated or in retrospect To Pimp A Butterfly is a celebration of music.
Young Money Yawn releases the second edition of his Street Gospel series, hosted by DJ Drama. Yawn came up in Norfolk, Virginia and had a major co-sign from Pusha T a few years ago. Last year, it was announced that Yawn had signed to RCA records. Street Gospel 2 has some familiar records, like “New Jack City”, “Half The Time” featuring Young Dolph, “Gutta” with Shy Glizzy and “Shout Out to Papi” with Pusha. The tracks are mostly Just Blaze-style soul chops meet 808s in the traditional Southern fashion. “Rain Rain” and “Allergic” stand out (as well as the singles.) Songs like “I Be Shining” seem out of place, with Yawn talking over his own raps and exploring a Migos flow that doesn’t fit his usual style. The mixtape is still worth a listen, especially if you’re unfamiliar with this Virginia rapper.
It probably surprises no one that Radiohead front man Thom Yorke released a new solo album on us suddenly (surprise), through BitTorrent, of all places. It’s not so much the method of distribution that makes this special, it’s just a good album. Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes emanates with a slow ghostly peace, trippy and alien, an album that would fall apart if it were crafted with lesser hands.
There’s nothing too ground shattering here, those familiar with Eraser and Thom Yorke’s side project super group Atoms For Peace won’t be surprised. It’s all the same strange, and antiquated electronics composed with grace and melancholy balance. Something that sounds both old and new, but not exactly timeless. What we get here is an album that sounds very good, not great. Nobody tops themselves all the time. The soundscape is haunting, bare and grey, something that can easily turn people off, but things are propelled forward by interesting percussion, something vital to keep our attention. Yorke isn’t looking to push things forward so much this time as simply express himself. Things get complicated as usual. He takes through an amazing walk of a different side of life. It’s certainly not a happy album but doesn’t seem to have as much of the lonely cold of Eraser. Things get beautiful in a way that only Yorke seems to be able to deliver, everything flying, seemingly chaotic, to create a harmonious mess, jangled nerves and tired eyes.
As usual, the album probably won’t win any new fans (maybe it will, considering the way it was released, another surefire way to buzz up some headlines). But what we get is a solid album, not the greatest, but at this point in his career, Thom Yorke is doing pretty stellar, finding the beauty in the darkness more than anyone, the rest and quiet warmth in the spaces in between.
Lil Kim drops a surprisingly decent mixtape. Actually, I take that back…Here are some things I gathered from the project;
1. Intro A-minor Pt.2 – Fucked up intro, damn…No I mean the intro was good but did people actually die because of a photo of Lil Kim?
2. Stadium Music Feat. Yo Gotti – This beat sounds like Boom-Bap Just Blaze meets Zelda. Yo Gotti does really well over this beat, although it could be that he just sold the song to Kim…her verse is full of boring cliches but rides out well.
3. Identity Theft – That Nicki diss…still eh. I heard a Worldstar tag. Did Worldstar host this mixtape?
4. Real Sick Ft. Jadakiss – Obligatory. Biggie. Sample. This beat is terrible. More boring modern NY punchlines. Jadakiss does a decent guest verse.
5. Trendsetter – Hahahahahaha…I’m sorry, Lil Kim doing her best Future impression on the hook and rapping like the Migos for the verses is too much. She actually rapped well on this one though. Who ghostwrote this song?
6. MIGO Ft. TLZ & Young Bonds – Oh ok this track is actually called “MIGO”.TLZ and Young Bonds do a decent track and Kim is on the track for less than one minute but does another good New ATL flow.
7. Whenever You See Ft. Cassidy – Reggae/Rap over a “classic” style beat. Did she just take lyrics from a bunch of other songs like “Tik Tok” or some shit. Otherwise a good song though, Kim vibes well with Cassidy on this one.
8. Work The Pole – A poppy song with a 50 Cent sample about how Lil Kim can ride a stripper pole and do sex things too.
9. Suicide Ft. French Montana. Kim keeps changing her voice around. I thought it was good at first until she said “He in that trap like Mickey Mouse.” Nahhhh bruh nah. French Montana does that near-rhyme thing and stretches it further…
10. Dead Gal Walking – More Reggae stuff, pretty decent lyrics, punchlines, etc. But if you wanted to hear Reggae Rap wouldn’t you just listen to modern Reggae? Or fuckin…Damian Marley or something?
11. Kimmie Blanco – Two tracks left… Kim is the head honcho so you better have the poncho…cause she’ll rain on you
12. Haterz Ft. B Ford – Oh no not a Dubstep wobble. Damn really? If you aren’t from the UK don’t rap over anything with a wobble. Also its 2014 so America likes that EDM shit now…this is dated and out of touch in so many ways. That’s a good sentence to describe the project. Fin.
Thump premiered to new Rusko tracks over the weekend from an upcoming EP. While the tracks had Rusko’s typical bounce and funky feel to them, the veteran DJ and producer has managed to move past limitations like genre and BPM to create some crazy new tunes. “Rusko’s Theme” and “My Style” are great examples of likeable Dance music that is bass-heavy and a little poppy with elements of jazz and 8-bit as well. Enjoy and keep an eye out for an upcoming Rusko EP. “Rusko’s Theme”, an ode to vintage video games, isn’t to 8-bit to be danceable and “My Style” sounds like a Trap track at first…but then horns and wobbles come in, turning it into something else.
I remember when I heard the original 1017 Thug; it was admittedly retroactive, after JUKEBOXDC writer JL continued to push the artist’s music on the website. Simply put, it was definitely the early signs of the growing star that he is now…with that said, I was about to give a very thorough review of this project here (the so-called sequel), but some media outlets realized something:
This project is one of the many being churned out of incarcerated rapper Gucci Mane’s label No Limit Records-style. Young Thug (most likely) has nothing to do with this — the recordings were probably done while he was formally “signed” to the 1017 imprint, and you can hear the lack of freshness in each song. But the above cover? The fact that they literally pasted Young Thug’s face on Wiz Khalifa’s body (even leaving notable tattoos in place) is absolutely hilarious.
If you want some Young Thug music just for the sake of it, this project should hold you over for a few days….unfortunately, none of the tracks in any way compare to the current quality from the Atlanta emcee (ex. ‘Danny Glover’, ‘Stoner’) and — side note — we haven’t been hearing a whole lot in that style of production when he’s making music for Birdman, either (ex: ‘Lifestyle’).
I don’t even have a notable cut from this that I feel sticks out as a gem on the project.
Lyor Cohen and Kevin Liles: I hope you guys have a solution to this…otherwise, Young Thug is going to eventually begin moving backwards. With that said, you can enjoy a stream of the project below; the purchase link is over at iTunes.
UPDATE: If you click on that iTunes link, you’ll see that whoever made that savagely-plagiarized artwork presented something more original.
As I stumbled through the heavily-packed sold-out show at the 9:30 Club, I tried to find a spot after. Openers Lucius, a great band in their own right, had posted themselves at the merchandise stand, signing autographs and taking pictures. Soon, the lights began to dim.
After somesingles, Yung Gleesh and DJ Iceberg present his latest project, Your Favorite Rapper’s Favorite Rapper, which is less like a polished project and more like a compilation of what the “shitbag” has been up to lately. You get the usual Gleesh weirdness and collaborations with in-house producer 2Tall and 1135 affiliates P-Wild and Chris Bo. There is also some beats from Atlanta stalwarts K.E. and Zaytoven and some collaborations with GBE’s Ballout and Capo. Gleesh also gets some left-field features, like LA rapper SK LaFlare and Philly Fool’s Gold signee Grande Marshall. The mixtape has a wide array of tracks including a fully (better) mixed version of the rapid-fire “Go Thru”, although the mixing on some parts of the project (“Go Thru” included) was a little shoddy. That track, “I Got Money” and the misspelled “Cemetary” show a lot of more experimental types of vocals, ranging from leaned-out autotuned tracks, rapid-fast flows, and slower chants (like in “Please” which was a bonus track.) The beats are mostly your typical 808s, synths and Trap-format but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the simpler structure allows for more vocal dexterity. So, the tape is pretty good, even great if you’re used to Yung Gleesh’s weirdness or similar artists (Peewee Longway and Young Thug both come to mind). This isn’t going to be throwback rap with a positive message, or the usual street rapper bars for 3-4 minutes, but hopefully that isn’t what most people are looking for…
MIXTAPE REVIEW: Shy Glizzy – Law 2: 1 Foot In, 1 Foot Out
★★★★★
By J. Cudder
In most cases, the sequel never lives up to the original, but Shy’s new mixtape Law 2: 1 Foot In, 1 Foot Out has changed the norm and is better than the original Law. Shy has stepped his game up with better hooks and bars to create in my opinion his first classic mixtape (I realize it’s too early to label this a classic, but I feel that confident about his latest body of work). It’s the best mixtape I heard from a artist in the D.C. area since Wale’s More About Nothing. Law 2: 1 Foot In, 1 Foot Out is a well-rounded project that gives you a little of everything. Whether you have been a Shy Glizzy fan or you’re new to his work, you will love this project. This will be, in my opinion, the last project he will have as an unsigned artist, as he will finally get the respect he deserves.
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Shy Glizzy opens the tape juggling between the streets and his music career on ‘1 Foot In, 1 Foot Out’. On on ‘CFWM’, he boasts no new friends and he sees himself on another level then some of these other rappers. Shy Glizzy warns his haters on ‘Get Well Soon’ with an assist from Ant Glizzy (who really impressed me with his verse…looking forward to more songs from him) and dedicates the song ‘Free The Gang’ to all of his fallen solders locked up or who are no longer with us.
Looking for something to party to? No worries, as Shy Glizzy has you taken care of with the Metro Boomin-produced track ‘If I Want To’ (which could be the next single) and his Doe B-assisted track ‘Street Money’. Shy puts the city on his back on his lead single, ‘I Am DC’, that will serve as local anthem for years to come. Shy Glizzy is known to have a big feature on his past projects, which have included Wale, Trinidad Jame$, Black Cobain & Project Pat….Law 2: 1 Foot In, 1 Foot Out is no different with features from Kevin Gates on ‘Gudda’ (in my opinion, one of the best hooks on the mixtape), Yo Gotti on ‘Money Problems’, Starlito on ‘The N Word’, and — one of the hottest groups out right now — Migos on ‘Wassaname’.
Overall, as I said before, Shy Glizzy’s Law 2: 1 Foot In, 1 Foot Out is a really great project. This mixtape will be talked about for years to come. I know you all will agree with me in a few years that Law 2: 1 Foot In, 1 Foot Out is a classic.
ALBUM REVIEW: Ace Hood – Trials & Tribulations
★★★★☆
Ace Hood is the epitome of the underdog.
I can’t even really say that I have been counting him amongst the elite in modern Hip-Hop, and he’s dropped 4 — count ’em: FOUR — albums when a lot of artists we have paired him with can’t even get past one. He’s also had a few radio hits and countless mixtapes; at 25, he could almost be considered a vet. But he’s like Rodney Dangerfield — no respect. I would say that that will all change for him with the release of Trials & Tribulations, but when folks are paying more attention to your broken watch than your music, well…you know. With that said, I’m still going to tell you what I think about his latest project.
‘Bugatti’
It’s dope. Seriously. From the start of the album (hell, the start of his career), Ace Hood continues to march forward for the other underdogs of the world (namely, the poor, the Black, the minority, the hopeless) with a lyrical ability that I honestly didn’t realize he had (the title track itself damn near makes you want to start a revolution just off being sick and tired of being sick and tired of whatever situation you might be going through). And he doesn’t stop; if only for a break or two to speak on love (‘Rider’ with Chris Brown) and ballin’ (‘Bugatti’ with Rick Ross & Future and it’s accompanying remix), Ace Hood mercilessly destroys every beat that comes in his way for the sake of letting you know that, like a lot of us, he’s a God-fearing man that came from nothing, but won’t stop at nothing to attain the success that he rightfully deserves.
‘Trials & Tribulations’
I’m not kidding about the lyrical ability, either; not only does he show versatility by switching flows on every track (which automatically debunks many assumptions about where he stands amongst his peers….the greatest example of raw Hip-Hop on here might be ‘Another Statistic’ or ‘The Come Up’ with Anthony Hamilton), but he’s also outrapping everyone else that appears on this album…..an album filled with the likes of a now-kind-of-wack Lil’ Wayne (‘We Outchea’), an equally aggressive Meek Mill (‘Before The Rollie’) and the aforementioned ‘Bugatti’ with Rozay. The hard-hitting production — which features Sonny Digital, Mike Will Made It, The Renegades, Cardiak and more — is just the perfect soundbed for Hood’s wrath.
‘We Outchea’
In a nutshell, I’m saying that Trials & Tribulations is easily one of the better Hip-Hop offerings this year. The unfortunate truth is that, in the middle of the congestion (just look at the all-stars that dropped in June), this album will probably be a mere aforethought*, and Ace Hood will continue to be that underdog. It’s only might hope that he will continue to make these progressive Rap records that folks might finally start to see on a bigger scale.
*As I was finishing this review, news reports come in stating that Ace Hood clocked in at about 37,000 units sold for his first week out, making the number 4 spot on the Billboard 100.
ALBUM REVIEW: Jay-Z – Magna Carta… Holy Grail
★★★☆☆
Despite the wildly left-field moves that Kanye West made to promote his album Yeezus, leave it to none other than Jay-Z himself to take it a step further by selling approximately 1 million copies of Magna Carta… Holy Grail well before it’s release date. All you needed was a Samsung Galaxy phone, and you were able to collect lyrics and check out in-the-studio adverts (complete with Hov, Timbaland, Pharrell and Rick Rubin laid out on a couch) before you could download the album for free.
I’m not even going to speak on how he outshined the actual Magna Carta in England, either.
What makes this review interesting are those lyrics; this is because when you read them, you saw a lot of the depth in some of his songs — particularly ones like ‘Jay-Z Blue’ and ‘La Familia’ for example — and the news headlines caught on to the fact that he was spilling his heart on a lot of personal issues concerning his family, fellow industry peers and even his new sports agent business. For me, it was further confirmation that this was about to be one of the greatest albums I’d ever heard.
And then it came out and we listened in its entirety.
One thing is for sure on Magna Carta; Timberland isn’t just back, this guy is even better than ever. Even with the other producers’ contributions to the project, you knew that Timbaland had his hands all over it, and it was probably the best decision Jay-Z could’ve made on the album. But we’ll get back to the production in a moment.
The biggest problem here, which is a surprise, is Jay-Z’s lyricism. It’s easily the most minimalist raps we’ve ever heard from the greatest emcee of all time this side of ‘Girl’s Best Friend‘. There’s no doubt that gems are on here, with lines like…
“When I was talking Instagram/Last thing you wanted was your picture snapped”
or…
“Can’t take this money with you/Burn this shit up like I’m Richard/Niggas asking/Is the oven on”
…but for the most part, Hov is basically conversing to his listener in the simplest way possible. While folks like Evidence, Prodigy and even Tabi Bonney can get away with this style, it’s not what I want to hear from Jay-Z.
As I said before, the production is damn impressive thanks to the overseeing of Timbaland (special kudos goes to Mike Will for ‘Beach Is Better’ and 16-year-old Wondagurl — with Travis Scott — for ‘Crown’)….hell, ‘Tom Ford’ could potentially be the greatest club anthem/trendsetter this year…
…and then there’s ‘BBC’.
It says that both Pharrell and Timbaland produced this, but it’s obviously more of Pharrell’s sound, and it’s terrible. It sounds like the type of beat he would have given Jay-Z during his Roc La Familia era, and after that missile that he gave Kendrick Lamar for good kid, m.A.A.d City, I’m floored as to why this was chosen for a song that also featured — in addition to Jay-Z, Timbaland and Pharrell — Nas, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake & Swizz Beatz.
So, to sum it up: Magna Carta… Holy Grail is a cool album with sick production from Timbaland & Co. and minimalist raps from Jay-Z (that sometimes do get personal enough to enjoy). That’s about it.
I’m not even going to bullshit around with this review, let’s get right to it: if I were to have put Wale’s album against the ones that dropped the previous week (Kanye, J. Cole, Mac Miller, etc….The Gifted drops this Tuesday, by the way), I’d put it at the top of the heap.
It’s just the well-rounded album that one would look for in Hip-Hop.
While it kind of looks as if Wale took a page or two from good kid, m.A.A.d City as far as cohesion, it’s still 100% Wale, down the to live instrumentation vibe he gives on much of Gifted that allows you truly visualize what city he came from.
‘Rotation’ Feat. 2 Chainz & Wiz Khalifa
Gifted starts off with hate (a couple of knuckleheads deface the statue you see on the album artwork), and aside from the topic of women (Ex. ‘Tired Of Dreaming’), that chip on our former underdog’s shoulder continues to take on a large part of the album (‘LoveHate Thing’ is an excellent example). He chants that he wasn’t supposed to have shit on the excellent Meek Mill-assisted ‘Heaven’s Afternoon’ and speaks for those who can’t speak for themselves on ‘Bricks’ (featuring dope boy Yo Gotti and the formerly-incarcerated Lyfe Jennings).
‘Clappers’ Feat. Nicki Minaj & Juicy J
For those looking to party, Wale offers the lackluster ‘Clappers’ featuring Juicy J and Nicki Minaj. While any drunk club or concertgoer will move to the track, I honestly feel that it just comes off forced; it’s like the obligatory DC track on a DC rapper album (who — for the record — needs no song of the sort to show where he’s from, as the District bleeds out all over the album in his speech and subject matter). Then there’s the remix to Tiara Thomas’ baby, ‘Bad’, which now has Rihanna holding feature duties: unfortunately, even a big feature won’t hold up against the solid track that Wale’s former artist helped to provide for the project (the “original” version is now a bonus track). It’s unfortunate that they even parted ways.
‘Bad’ Feat. Tiara Thomas
What makes this a repeatable listen over anything else is Wale’s still-progressing lyricism; in addition to the aforementioned first track (‘The Curse Of The Gifted’), look no further than ‘Rotation’ (further up this review) to see Mr. Folarin literally outrap collaborators 2 Chainz and Wiz Khalifa, lyrically, sonically…the whole nine. In addition, he’s harmonizing more. A lot more…just check out the airy ‘Vanity’. I wouldn’t have been able to say this about anything that came before A Mixtape About Nothing.
Overall, as I said before, Wale’s The Gifted is an absolutely solid effort. This is the type of album I’d bet will still be worth a full listen years from now, which is what makes it a potential classic.
You just have to press play and listen from beginning to end to understand.
The buildup to Kanye West’s Yeezus was building to near-mythical proportions prior to it’s release yesterday. In the midst of the other albums that were dropping the same week — J. Cole’s, Mac Miller’s, etc. etc. — it was without a doubt that Yeezy’s secretive ass album would take the top spot. And it probably will….as far as sales; after having a listen, I definitely feel that, while it’s made an impact, Kanye reaches so far off at times that I’m almost confident that he’s sacrificed creating a true classic in place of simply obliterating Hip-Hop’s boundaries with this album.
‘New Slaves’ (in the form of one of many of Kanye’s worldwide video projections)
Simply put, the album starts off pretty far left field, only for Kanye’s “style” to pretty much bleed all over by the listen’s end. This means that — for me — ‘On Sight’ started off headed toward cringe-worthy only for things to get damn-near nostalgic with the sample-beautiful ‘Bound 2’. He brings some cool features, who all somewhat-unfortunately seem to become part of the production rather than actual vocal features (this couldn’t be said more for Chief Keef’s haunting appearance on ‘Hold My Liquor’). Lyrically, he’s showing out over the whole album, so it’s no negatives there, even with his sometimes random subject matter:
“I am a God/So hurry up with my damn massage/In a French-ass restaurant/Hurry up with my damn croissants…” – I Am A God
It’s just that damn production. Spearheaded by Rick Rubin and featuring the likes of, well, everybody (HudMo, Daft Punk, Mike Dean, Travi$ Scott, Lunice (TNGHT)….the list goes on), Yeezus‘ main concept sonically seems to be minimalist, percussion-driven, mechanical…..dark. The more I listen to it, I definitely appreciate it more; but I do find myself wishing for more with the beats when you hear how beautiful that last song comes in.
In closing, Yeezus may end up being an album that’s far ahead of it’s time, and can be described as absolute genius. But with other dope artists building upon their own sound (that we all listen to them for) and bringing out excellent projects in the same week/month, I’m afraid that Kanye might have gone too far into space for this to ever be considered a classic in our lifetime.
Perhaps I’ll feel different listening to this decades from now.
Earlier in the week, J. Cole held an international listening session of sorts (he was present in NYC) where folks got a chance to listen to Born Sinner to see if it’s really going to hold it’s own against other same-day releases (namely, Kanye West’s Yeezus and Mac Miller’s …Movies…). It’s safe to say that, even though we probably won’t know what to expect from ‘Ye until the 18th, J. Cole’s sophomore offering probably isn’t quite as good or as progressive as whatever it is Mr. West is going to release.
‘Power Trip’ feat. Miguel
By all means, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad album; actually, it’s an excellent effort (even without virtually any Hip-Hop features present). The first thing I need to attack here would probably be his first official single…and by attack, I mean praise: getting Miguel on ‘Power Trip’ was an excellent move (it charted fairly well, making it as high at #20 on the Billboard 100 last I checked). I see this as a big deal because with Sideline Story, it seemed as if it was a struggle just to come up with a single to play on the radio, which it why his album took so long to be released. Wasn’t the case this time.
Moving onto the project as a whole: Born Sinner carries a general theme of an ordinary individual making it musically and having to face the different trials and tribulations throughout his young career, especially when it involves being not-so-saintly (money, women, drugs and alcohol, etc.). Two songs have to be mentioned because of the soundbed choices: Land Of The Snakes, which pays homage to Outkast’s Art Of Storytelling, and the Kendrick Lamar-assisted ‘Forbidden Fruit’, which points directly to A Tribe Calls Quest’s ‘Electric Relaxation’ (which in turn sampled Ronnie Foster’s ‘Mystic Brew’). Both songs are not only powerful songs aesthetically, but Cole actually managed to further the progress on both songs with his production (plus, he doesn’t even need an actual verse from Kendrick!).
‘Forbidden Fruit’ feat. Kendrick Lamar
The album also comes with some skits that act as glue for the album’s message: one features a hypocrite preacher selling his product, while another one features a choir who notices that their main character is missing during rehearsal (I’m not going to include the Mike Epps one here, it’s easiy recognizable when you hear it). In addition, J. Cole has included fairly short interludes (‘Mo Money’ and ‘Ain’t That Some Shit’) that he raps on that compliment the skits well. It’s obvious that Jermaine is really fighting with the organized church’s ideology in his album.
Most of you have probably heard the TLC-assisted ‘Crooked Smile’, which to me wasn’t bad….but it was pretty underwhelming, considering that he had Chilli & T-Boz at his disposal. The same can be said for ‘She Knows’ (with Amber Coffman). My favorite track on the album? ‘Runaway’. You just have to listen to it and picture how J. Cole was on his previous mixtapes….he’s in pure form on that record.
‘Let Nas Down’
Finally, everyone is talking about his ‘Big Brother’-esque message to his idol on ‘Let Nas Down’, which he gives his take on his feelings and emotions when he found out that Nas hated ‘Work Out’. It’s a powerful record, no doubt; but I can’t really call it as good as Kanye’s ode to Jay-Z. There was simply a lot more to what was going on over at Roc-A-Fella between the boss and his employee.
Overall, the album is a strong listen. The only real problem that I feel is that, with every project that J. Cole has released, there hasn’t been a huge amount of growth or progression, lyrically or production-wise (when I say that, I’m also comparing his own projects along with the evolution that’s found in Kanye West’s work. Simply put; Ye breaks the mold every time with some new mind-blowing shit while J. Cole gives you more of that same dope music that he’s been creating).
‘Crooked Smile’ feat. TLC
In closing, when you listen to Born Sinner and you’ve been a Cole fan, then you know what you’re getting…..and you’re going to be happy with the final product. It just isn’t going to put him on the same level at his biggest competitor(s?) come June 18th (June 25th if we count his peer Wale).
I admit that I expected Max B to be in the position that French Montana is now…..yet, here we are: French Montana is pretty much riding with the big dogs at the forefront of today’s Hip-Hop music scene, while Biggaveli is sitting in prison with a 75-year sentence. Now, we are on the eve of French Montana’s debut project, the slightly corny-titled Excuse My French, released as a joint deal between Diddy’s Bad Boy & Rick Ross’s MMG.
So, how is the album?
The project is literally a freight train of aggressive production, not all that far from Waka Flocka’s Flockaveli project in terms of feeling: French Montana and Co. flow seamlessly through posse cuts on the album (there are a few of them) like ‘Fuck What Happens Tonight’ (produced by Rico Love, the track features Khaled, Ace Hood, Mavado, Scarface & Snoop Dogg) and the already-well-known-so-I-shouldn’t-have-to-explain-it-to-you ‘Pop That’ (prod. Lee On The Beats). Even the smoother cuts on the album geared toward the chill crowd (read: women) have a very powerful flair (Ex. ‘Gifted’, produced by Danny Boy Styles, and ‘Drink Freely’, produced by Rico Love).
Two big questions about this project are answered:
–Can French Montana handle any songs on his own, or does he lean on collaborations?
The answer is really both: it’s no question that the features are heavy here (just look at his major singles), but I’m hear to tell you that his solo cuts hold their own just as well (Ex. the Rico Love-produced ‘Ain’t Worried Bout Nothin’ and the darker, menacing Danny Boy Styles-produced ‘When I Want);
– Is there any real influence from New York on the album, or is it just a Miami/Down South mashup?
While there are some New York influences to let you know where French is representing (the Vinylz’-produced cut ‘We Go Where Ever We Want’ — which features Raekwon — is probably the best example), the album is undoubtedly heavy into the type of sounds you’ve been hearing from We The Best and YMCMB. Anybody looking for the boom bap probably need to look elsewhere.
BOTTOM LINE: All in all, the debut album from French Montana is one that’s going to be played all through the Summer….and that’s probably the main purpose it was created for. It doesn’t try to be anything but a headbanging effort from an emcee who’s all about making money and spending it.
Brooklyn rapper/singer Melo-X just dropped his ambient Free EP GOD: LoFi on Live Mixtapes today. This is definitely an interesting project, think Flying Lotus meets The Weeknd and with metaphoric rapping mixed with singing. I hear a possible Kendrick Lamar influence as well, but it isn’t noticeably unoriginal like a lot of music inspired by the Compton artist. Unbeknownst to me, Melo-X has been a part of the New York indie scene, he even put out a song with Kendrick Lamar back in 2010. His maturity in music shows in the EP, which sounds polished and has re-occurring themes of family, love and responsibility that show through even in Melo’s cover of female inde-pop artist Laurel Halo’s song “Light + Space”. His vocal’s echo perfectly over the smooth, Jazz and R&B influenced and Drum & Bass influenced beats. Some of the lyrics became a little boring after multiple listens, but the songs were satisfying overall and Melo’s singing really kept the project enjoyable. Although I enjoyed all 5 tracks on this project, the standout seems to be “Handle It”, produced by frequent Talib Kweli and Pharoahe Monche collaborate M-Phazes. Melo-X’s GOD: LoFi is definitely one of the more original projects I’ve heard this year, its worth a listen. 7.5/10
