I've always liked Onyx, but they're not a group that I would freak out for if I heard they were making a new album. Still, I was really excited for this release for a couple of reasons. One, its entirely produced by Snowgoons, a German production team known for their use of orchestra sampling. I shouldn't use the term "known" because they're relatively unheralded outside of the underground/backbacker community, but they're a really solid group that has been producing some yearly gems. Similar to their project with M.O.P., its a great move working with a classic 90s group like Onyx. Not only will it expand their brand to an older audience, but it also helps Onyx sound fresh and up to date. The second reason for my anticipation was that the lead single "Wakedafucup" was actually really damn good.
Well I've been going pretty hard on the track-by-tracks as of late, but instead of taking a break, I've decided to run a quick review in order to keep the content fresh. This time around, its Onyx making their big comeback that I'm sure most of you weren't even aware of until now. Onyx is a New York based rap group currently made up of rappers Sticky Fingaz and Fredro Starr. They first bursted onto the scene with their overrated debut Bacdufucup, but perfected their sound on their sophomore album All We Got Is Us. Their sound was somewhat of a predecessor of the intensity of modern day trap music, but they're mostly known for always being pissed off as fuck. Seriously, these guys have never been happy in their lives.
I've always liked Onyx, but they're not a group that I would freak out for if I heard they were making a new album. Still, I was really excited for this release for a couple of reasons. One, its entirely produced by Snowgoons, a German production team known for their use of orchestra sampling. I shouldn't use the term "known" because they're relatively unheralded outside of the underground/backbacker community, but they're a really solid group that has been producing some yearly gems. Similar to their project with M.O.P., its a great move working with a classic 90s group like Onyx. Not only will it expand their brand to an older audience, but it also helps Onyx sound fresh and up to date. The second reason for my anticipation was that the lead single "Wakedafucup" was actually really damn good.
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I'm doing this for two reasons:
First, YG and DJ Mustard claim they have created the new Chronic, Dr. Dre's classic 1992 debut. Yeah, the same dudes that are responsible for "My Nigga." Now, I'm not a fucking idiot, so I'm not going into this album expecting an exact replica of Dre's masterpiece. Not only would I be taking the comparison too seriously, but I would also be setting myself up for guaranteed disappointment. Young Gangsta is never making a classic, but that little statement made me just curious enough to see how this would actually sounds. Second, and this is ultimately a play off of my first reason, but the duo also say they are the modern day version of Dre and Snoop Dogg. YG is catering to a demographic that holds the two in at least somewhat high regards, so I would imagine that they have to have something up their sleeves. What exactly that is? Well, there's the other reason that I'm taking time out of my day to catch up on the krazy life of Keenon Jackson. Even though we've been hearing the name for years now, this is actually YG's first official studio album. It was released on Def Jam, so the fact that it ever saw the light of day has to count for something, but it was also sent to shelves from the Jeezy's branch of the label. Jeezy himself is actually the man responsible for the Chronic comparisons, and to a degree, he's succeeded because I'd be lying if I said there was any other reason I'd be writing this right now. In addition to that, YG decided to take the road of what I guess can be classified as a concept album. He hails from the same city as Kendrick, so he'll be telling a story you've already heard before, but this time its from the viewpoint of our host. Are you all tired of listening to the same old bad music? If so, you're in luck, because today we are going to be talking about some G.O.O.D. Music. In fact it is coming to us courtesy of one of the more hidden members of hip hop mega label G.O.O.D, CyHi The Prynce, who I will henceforth be referring to as Cydel (his government name) for convenience sake. Cydel has been on G.O.O.D since 2010, yet has not been able to release a debut as of today, for what ever reason. Instead he had one verse on Kanye's "So Appalled" and has since released a series of lackluster mixtapes. There was obviously potential with Cydel seeing as how he got the co-sign from Kanye, as well as the cover of XXL freshman edition alongside the likes of Kendrick Lamar. Unlike Kendrick, Cydel has yet to capitalize on the opportunity. You have to wonder at this point if he will ever be as big as he could have been once upon a time. It's been years since you've heard his name in the media, and Kanye's touch has to wear off at some point. Cydel may be yet another hip-hop story of untapped potential if something big doesn't happen for him in the near future. Not to say this mixtape is his last shot, but at some point in order to have fans you need to start putting out quality music. Pretty simple.
Freddie Gibbs hails from Gary, Indiana, one of the poorest and most dangerous places in America. Even though his name has been popping up on blogs for at least a decade, it feels like he's been around much longer. With a myriad of EPs, mixtapes, and a shit load of critical acclaim to go with it, Piñata is only the man's second studio album, after drooping his official debut ESGN last year. Only this time around, he brought Madlib.
I'll just get this out of the way now: the dude's rapping style is very similar to 2Pac's. Aside from being one of the most gangsta men on the planet, his rapping has more of a poetic feel, at least for the subject matter. Like I previously stated, his career has been built through work ethic, releasing countless projects, all the while staying true to his form and not conforming to the latest trends. The hard work has paid off too, as this project is arguably his most high profiled and whenever you have an unquestioned top ten all time producer working on your entire album, something's going right. Well I've never written about Rick Ross before so I can pretty much go on all day, but let's start with some biographical stuff. William Roberts II is a Miami-based rapper that has enjoy one of the most commercially successful runs in recent memory. He dropped the "William Roberts" and is now rhyming under the moniker "Rick Ross", which he borrowed from the infamous drug trafficker. Throughout his career, he's been mostly known for three things: his incredibly awesome beard, being fat as shit, and being known as the guy who formerly worked as a correctional officer before his rap career blew up. With that knowledge, you're basically going to have to accept that everything the man says is a lie if you ever hope to enjoy his music. Yup, coke rap from the first hand experience of a cop.
It should come as no surprise to you all that I've never been a fan. I don't hate the dude or anything, but his music has never been all that interesting and he's kind of terrible as a rapper. I'm not going to sit here and lie, (which already gives me more credibility than our host) up until a few weeks ago, I'd never listened to a full Rick Ross project. But I knew I'd be writing this sentence sooner or later so I went ahead and listened to Teflon Don, Rich Forever, (his two projects that most people consider to be his zenith) and Trilla (his unanimously worst effort) to see where Mastermind would rank among his catalog. I will say that the public got it right on this one. I was pleasantly surprised with Teflon Don, while Trilla really did gargle as much rhinoceros cum as I thought it would. Alright, alright, so me and Kid Cudi have had some differences over the years. Almost everything he's done has gotten historically low rating from this site, which may bring up the question, "why do you keep reviewing his music if you're going to shred it to pieces? Aren't you supposed to me giving props to deserving artist?" Well yes, I am, but I'm also loosely trying complete the discographies along the way, so Cudi will continue to pop up on the front page as long as he's making music. That and its kind of funny. But who knows maybe this will be his moment. I have no expectations of hating this album or hoping its wack. So after this prelude of sorts, I present to you my completely disinterested and unbiased analysis of Kid Cudi's fifth album, Satellite Flight: Journey to the Mother Moon.
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