And we are back! Because as evidenced by the fact that I’m posting on a blog that I have not updated since 2014 (at 3:43 A.M.!) I am desperate for something to do while I am holed up in this Godforsaken house going stir crazy. So what better lucrative hobby to invest m time in than to add to this completely directionless site of the jumbled interests that result from the misfiring synapses in my brain which include amongst other things, music.
Hey, speaking of music Process by Sampha is still easily the best album that I’ve heard this year. This dude deserves to blow up huge so put away that god damn Sam Smith already and…oh shit wait, that’s no good! I swear I’m not still stuck in 2014! I mean put away that uhhh Ed Sheeran! Yes that’ll do. Because as Hayes and Kulap so aptly put it on the most recent episode of Who Charted? (See I get podcasts now. I’m hip, I’m with it. I’m quoting Austin Powers. Oh fuck!) “Shape of You” is a baby song. And not like in a “making babies music” way but as as in literally the instrumental and melody is something a God damn literal baby would create. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, Sampha! He is the Brit who deserves your attention so shower him with listens, all ten of you who visit this defunct site. Who are you and what random Simpsons reference brought you here?
Ludacris – Southern Hospitality feat Pharrell (Produced by The Neptunes)
Pharrell? The dude with the big hat from The Voice? The “Happy” guy? Wait, I know him! I didn’t know he was around when Outkast burst onto the hip-hop scene with “Hey Ya!”. He’s good, but he’s no Illmatic.
Once in a great while, we are privileged to experience a television event so extraordinary, it becomes part of our shared heritage. 1969: Man walks on the moon. 1971: Man walks on the moon… again. Then, for a long time, nothing happened. Until November 12, 2003 when Cam’Ron changed everything by asking Bill “We’ll Do it Live, Fuck it!” O’Reilly if he was “mad’.
More than From that day forward, most minor squabbles with friends and co-workers could easily be settled by using those two simple words. Most reasonable people would take the suggestion as a chance to colllect themselves and think “Is this really worth being so mad about?” and cooler heads would prevail. Bill O’Reilly, being smarter by spending a lifetime in the No Spin Zone, has never had to have one of these moments. He remains perpetually angry because that’s the only way that he can convey to his angry viewers that it’s the hip-hop and the jazz cigarettes that are robbing this once great nation of it’s morality. During a recent interview, when asked if O’Reilly was still mad, Cam replied, “I don’t think he’s really mad at me, I think he’s mad in general. He’s like a Donald Sterling type… just mad at anything that’s not what he sees as fit.”. He still mad.
Nickle Season is approaching, people. With yesterday’s release of the Shady XV Cypher as well as the much anticipated “Detroit vs. Everybody” track and with the release of the aforementioned Shady XV compilation (including Bad Meets Evil and Slaughterhouse tracks), Prhyme and a new Slaughterhouse album it looks like one of the most consistent and underrated MC’s alive is about to get some much deserved shine. Personally I’m the most excited for the release of Prhyme, Royce’s collaborative effort with arguably the best producer of all time, DJ Premier and boasting some big name features including Mac Miller, Jay Electronica, Killer Mike, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q. “Boom” marks the first meeting between the two rap vets and hopefully offers at least a taste of what’s they have in store.
In a somewhat surprising statement today Kanye West, pictured above attempting to take the camera of a member of the paparazzi, admitted that his own father used to be a member of the much maligned group of vultures with cameras. “My father was a paparazzo himself,” Kanye, who has a long history of disdain for the paparazzi including a misdemeanor battery charge for the incident that occurred outside of LAX in July of 2013, said before adding that his parents, “be out here wrestling with random paparazzi”.
It goes without saying that a psychologist could have a field day with this revelation, especially given the fact that Kanye’s wife and the majority of her family are sustained by the incessant FLASHING LIGHTS of the paparazzi. It was the inspiration of my Simpsons Screencap of the Day today in which Marge realizes that her underlying fear of flying stems from a traumatic revelation that her father was a male flight attendant. I can just picture a little Kanye running to tell his dad about his love of Thriller or Bad and how when he grows up he wants to be a musician just like him…only to and witness him kicking over children and small animals just to get a fleeting glimpse of the pop star that he could sell to The National Enquirer for the small fee of his soul.
For those of you who frequent this site, or at least the stragglers that remain after our long hiatus (There are hopefully DOZENS OF YOU. DOZENS!) I’m sure you’re aware that while I listen to many different genres of music, the majority of my listening goes back to my first love: hip-hop. So while I’m pathetically listening and commenting on every Run the Jewels snippet that leaks, it unfortunately means that I’m usually behind the curve as far as getting around to excellent albums in other genres go; sometimes years behind. Hospice, an album released by The Antlers, which I’m sure all of you indieheads are well acquainted with, all the way back in 2009 is one example of this. Since I’ve discovered this album through a posting of 4chan’s /mu/ essentials list on a music subreddit in an embarrassing Inception of internet forums (WOW A SNARKY POST INSIDE OF A SNARKY POST) I haven’t been able to stop listening to it. It’s a beautiful album and I really recommend any Johnny-come-latelies like myself to give it a listen.
The general feeling among many rap fans seems to be that 2014 has been rather disappointing thus far. This is probably largely due to the fact that we’re coming off of a year that was chock full of high profile releases (Kanye, Jay Z, Eminem, Drake, J. Cole, Mac Miller, Childish Gambino, Tyler the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt ) as well as critical smashes (Run the Jewels, CZARFACE, Pusha T, Danny Brown). It’s because as Jonah from “Veep” likes to say, “Haters gonna hate”.
While 2013 was undeniably a huge year for rap, this year has seen it’s share of stellar projects like albums from vets like Freddie Gibbs + Madlib, the Roots, Pharoahe Monch, Statik Selektah, Cunninlynguists and Common to up and comers like Mac Miller, Isaiah Rashad and Vince Staples as well as more experimental works from CLPPNG, Death Grips and Ratking. However, regardless of how you’ve felt about the first 8 months of 2014, I think we can all agree that the last quarter of the year is already looking very promising and could even be substantially better if several big-time albums actually see the light of day. Let’s take a look at what we already know is slated to be flowing through your speakers soon:
September 9:
Jhene Aiko – Souled Out
After an impressive debut mixtape and EP complete with guest features from the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Vince Staples and Childish Gambino, Jhene is set to release her debut album with Def Jam. Although there aren’t any TDE or Staples features, the tracklist does boast production from No I.D. and features from her frequent Cocaine 80’s collaborators Common and the criminally underrated James Fauntleroy.
Meek Mill – Dreams Worth More Than Money
The Philadelphia rapper’s second album boasts features from Migos, Rick Ross, A$AP Ferg, Big Sean and Ty Dolla $ign with rumors of a track featuring Nas and Jay Z as well.
50 Cent – Street King Immortal
Although June’s Animal Ambition was a disappointment, the recent, unlikely resurgence of G-Unit makes me optimistic that 50’s sixth studio album will be a much more inspired effort.
September 23:
Big K.R.I.T. – Cadillactica
After five (six if you count the “Week of K.R.I.T.” compilation EP released in March) stellar mixtapes, the Mississippi rapper/producer is finally set to release his major label debut album. You’d be hard pressed to find anybody who deserves critical and commercial success more than K.R.I.T., who by all accounts is one of the hardest working, most down-to-earth talents in rap today. If the lead single, “Mt. Olympus”, which many have dubbed the best song of 2014, is any indication he is primed to carve out his spot as one of the kings of the not just the South, but the new school of rappers as a whole.
NehruvianDOOM – S/T
NehruvianDOOM is the collaborative LP between 19 year old New York MC Bishop Nehru and rap legend MF DOOM. Nehru, who released his debut mixtape Nehruvia at the age of 15has already had the honor of being co-signed by none other than Nas, now gets a whole album of DOOM’s signature production to showcase his abilities. Hard to think of a more ideal scenario for a young rapper’s first album. Although rumor has it that DOOM will do very little rapping of his own on this album, what we’ve heard so far has me more than just a little excited for the full project.
October 7:
Flying Lotus – You’re Dead
The experimental producer and rapper follows up his critically acclaimed 2012 albums Until the Quiet Comes and Duality with what promises to be another ambient adventure. Reportedly, the album is finished and is waiting for Kendrick Lamar to complete his verse on their track entitled “Never Catch Me”. Waiting for Kendrick to perfect his bars over Flying Lotus’ production is a valid reason for delay in my book.
October 28:
Lil Wayne – Tha Carter V
Although many fans were disappointed with Carter IV I’m of the belief that it suffered Cruel Summer-style from Weezy simply releasing too much of it’s best content months in advance of it’s actual release. If people hadn’t been playing “Six Foot Seven Foot”, “John” and “She Will” to death before the album dropped I think the reception would have been very different. Regardless of your thoughts on that, it’s pretty clear from what we’ve heard from Wayne recently that he’s hungry, (mostly) drug-free and not finding a new way to say he’s swimming in pussy every other line anymore. In all likelihood he’ll never be the same Weezy who absolutely ran the game during the Carter 2/Dedication(s)/Carter 3/No Ceilings period of the late 00’s but if we can get anything close to that form and far away from the I Am Not a Human Being 2 shell of himself then that’s reason to celebrate.
Run The Jewels – Run the Jewels II
Following up on what I felt was the best rap release of 2013, the lovable duo of Killer Mike and El-P reunite once again to punch all of us in our faces. Figuratively of course. Or literally, I’m good either way. RTJ2 mark the third straight project between the two as El-P produced Killer Mike’s excellent solo album R.A.P. Music as well. El is one of the most talented and innovative producers around and he’s also far from a slouch on the mic. He and Killer Mike have incredible chemistry together and I can’t wait to hear their effort to follow up their sensational debut. After teasing us with several snippets, El-P finally released a full length track called “Blockbuster Night Part 1” and it sounds absolutely bananas. With apologies to Big K.R.I.T., this is my most anticipated album of 2014.
Now, even as impressive as September 23 and October 28 look, you might still be sipping your Stuart Scott brand haterade out of your snooty Dornish wine chalice and saying “Well, that still doesn’t look very impressive HARUMMMPH!” to which I would respond “Well sir, you haven’t yet feasted your eyes on these potential releases!”
Omarion – Love & Other Drugs (Album) | Singles: Paradise
Pusha T – King Push (Album)
Raekwon – F.I.L.A (Fly International Luxurious Art) (Album)
Redman – Muddy Waters 2: Even Muddier
Slaughterhouse – TBA (Album)
T.I. – Paperwork: The Motion Picture (Album)
Tech N9ne – Special Effects (Album)
The Cool Kids – Shark Week (Album)
The-Dream – Fruition (Album)
Timbaland – Textbook Timbo (Album)
Waka Flocka – Flockaveli 2 (Album)
Wale – The Album About Nothing (Album)
Wu-Tang Clan – A Better Tomorrow (Album)
Yelawolf – Love Story (Album)
Now, it’s virtually impossible that we see 100% of that list before the year is out, but honestly JUST LOOK AT THAT LIST. If we get even 60% of it, it will be incredible. Shit, if we just get stuff that by all accounts should drop like Frank Ocean, Joey Bada$$, Redman and Slaughterhouse in addition to what we know is dropping I’d be happy as hell. Any Pusha T, Kendrick, Jay Rock or Kanye releases are just icing on an already delicious cake.
Add to that the ever elusive projects from Dr. Dre (Detox), Jay Electronica (Act II), K.R.I.T./Yelawolf (Country Cousins) and even XV (The Kid With the Green Backpack) and we could have a very epic end of the year indeed. If you haven’t learned by now, don’t hold your breath because you will pass out and hit your head on a coffee table.
BADBADNOTGOOD – Six Degrees feat Ghostface Killah & Danny Brown
Last week r/hiphopheads had a thread asking the various precocious pre-teens and Kanye swallowers (WE REALLY OUT HERE!) what they felt the top five hip-hop songs of 2014 thus far are. While this track might not be tmy number #1, it certainly has etched out a place in my top 5 and frankly I was surprised at how few people included it in their lists. I mean Chance hasn’t even really released anything this year besides a cover of the “Arthur” theme song. AND I SAID HEY, WHAT A WONDERFUL KIND OF DAY! Ahem, anyway, two of my favorite rappers over a BBNG beat is a formula for awesomeness and “Six Degrees” doesn’t disappoint.
TDE’s resident songstress SZA’s album “Z” has leaked and the one of the highlights is the track “Babylon” which features Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick, fresh off a string of angry verses sounding as though he had stubbed his toe on a coffee table, tones it down a few notches and brings his indoor voice (which is definitely a good thing as it would have been a stark contrast to SZA’s chilled out vocals). Not to say that I don’t like the “angry Kendrick” every now and again, but it’s nice to hear him back with his signature flow. It should also be noted that it’s only April and this is already Top Dawg’s THIRD release, joining Isaiah Rashad’s “Cilvia Demo” and ScHoolboy Q’s “Oxymoron”. It’s been rumored that there are solo album’s coming in 2014 from Ab-Soul, Jay Rock and Kendrick’s highly anticipated follow up to his Grammy nominated sophomore effort “Good Kid m.A.A.d. City”. I want to believe.
What I've Learned This Week 