Kanye West has filled the glaring void of a hip hop villain in the public eye. I, personally, don't wish for his downfall, (he's still one of my favorite artists) but its not hard to see why so many motherfuckers hate Mr. West. Regardless of the critical acclaim Yeezus accumulated, it still feels like Kanye was just trying to piss everyone off. For the remaining fans, he tried his best to alienate them by verbally assaulting Sway, rocking confederate flag jackets, and just acting like an all around ass. (depending on how you look at it, of course) Sometimes I have to remind myself how much I like Kanye West.
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Disqualified: The Shit that's never coming out
1. Detox- Dr. Dre 2. Act 2- Jay Electronica 3. Losos Way 2- Fabolous Maybe putting Losos Way in with the other two is a bit pessimistic, but something tells me that Fab has no intentions of actually putting that album out for the public. While this year Detox seems as likely as ever, I'd still be extremely surprised if Dre actually got off his ass and made some music. Jay is now so caught up in the idea of being a living legend, that he may be just as well off never putting out the long awaited Act 2, though I'd love to see that album come out. You'll see these projects all over most anticipated lists, but this blogger is going to be realistic. What I'm Excited For: The Shit I can't wait for 1. Run The Jewels 2- Run The Jewels 2. FILA- Raekwon 3.The Last Zulu- Q-Tip 4. A Better Tomorrow- Wu Tang Clan This is an odd little list I put together, but allow me to explain myself. Of course I am excited for RTJ to release another album because the duo was able to put together one of the best albums of the year. Killer Mike and El-P seem to be brining a little bit more to the table with this release, and I am very excited to see if they can duplicate the success. As for the new Raekwon album, the Chef is one of the best in the Wu tang as far as putting out solid projects goes, and a lot of work has gone into his most recent album. The Last Zulu doesn't require much of an explanation. I love Q-Tip and am joyous over discussion of this new album. I threw in the Wu Tang album very hopefully. While it's sure as hell no Detox, the ever elusive new Wu lp seems to be upon us. Other Projects I Want Shit I'm pretty excited for 1. P.T.S.D. - Pharoahe Monch 2. Czarface 2- Czarface 3. Glass House- Slaughterhouse 4. TBA- Elzhi 5. TDE Projects These are all projects from artists that I personally enjoy a lot. I've read that Glass House is finished, but God knows when they actually plan on putting it out. Czarface was a very good album, so who's to say they won't duplicate the success, much like RTJ. The new Pharoahe album should be good, it apparently is dealing with race so who doesn't love a politically aware Pharoahe album? Elzhi hasn't put out a full project since Elmatic which was incredible, so I'm anxious to see what he is able to do. Finally, TDE is supposed to release six projects. One of them is bound to be dope What I'm Not Excited For: Garbage 1. Mastermind- Rick Ross 2. Out The Sky- J Cole & Kendrick Lamar Now, the way things are going currently, who knows if either of these albums will ever be released. Mastermind has been pushed back a million times already, and Out The Sky has been done for a while according to Cole. Neither of these albums, which have been receiving all sorts of hype, interest me in the slightest. In fact, the J Cole and Kendrick project will likely frustrate the hell out of me, much like Born Sinner did last year. Both of these albums will receive positive reviews from the masses, and I personally am dreading their individual releases. Does Alchemist ever stop working? It was only a half year ago that I recorded my thoughts on his collaboration with Prodigy and he's released a slew of material since. His first project of the new year comes with long time friend Evidence. Like his partner, Evidence is both a producer and rapper, releasing consistently entertaining projects dating back to the late 90s. The duo united as the Step Brothers last year to officially announce the creation of their upcoming full length Lord Steppington.
In honor of the expected Pharaohe Monch release this year, it's time to review one of the best albums you've never heard. If you are familiar with the work of Pharoahe, give yourself a pat on the back. If you are familiar with his group Organized Konfusion, go ahead and give yourself a second pat. If you have already given yourself the appropriate number of pats, ask yourself if you've heard this project. if you answered yes to all three of these I give you a gold star, you win. If you are the general population however, let me educate you. This duo is straight out of the 90s Queens hip-hop scene which was oh so prevalent at the time, and consists of Prince Po, and Pharoahe Monch. Monch handles nearly all of the production, and him and Po share the mic throughout this lp. If you have never heard of these guys, don't get too down on yourself. If you fancy yourself a hip-hop head than I'm a bit taken aback by the fact that you don't know who Pharoahe is, but God knows where the hell Prince Po is these days. Wikipedia claims he released a solo lp in 2007, and is set to put out a project with Oh No this year, but I seriously doubt any of that is true. It may seem a but random to decide not to believe Wikipedia for the first time ever today, but I'd rather believe that after the separation of Organized Konfusion Po got a job at Arby's or something, and has maybe even made me a roast beef sandwich at some point.
I'll have to be honest here. I dropped the ball on this one. I was extremely excited for this release, listened to it about ten times, and completely forgot to write about it. My irresponsibility has cost you all valuable time, as I know you've been pending your purchase on this album, completely dependent on my opinion of the project. I can promise that such a blunder will never happen again as long as I am writing. Although, feel free from this point forward to trust your own opinion on music. I believe in you, and your ability to make smart purchases, unless of course you are buying the new B.O.B album. (oh boy that would be fun) Fortunately I can do your thinking for you for now, as we talk today about this new Kool G Rap and Necro collaboration, Once Upon A Crime.
First of all I would like to sincerely apologize for the shape of the above picture. Maybe I'm overreacting, but that image is bothering me a lot, and unfortunately that is the only image I can find on the entire massive Google engine. The sad part is, I really like the actual cover, but the narrow portrait style image is really grinding my gears. If you can't tell, the cover is a kid crashed straight into some hedges, apparently after a wicked skateboard wipe out, which does not play into the idea of being iller than anyone, but who the hell am I to question what Del is doing.
If you are wondering why you didn't hear anything of this release, first ask yourself. Do I even know who Del is? If the answer is no then you have your answer. If you are familiar with Del, then the answer is simple, he put out this album for shits and giggles. There was no hype, or promotion, just a simple SoundCloud download link. When you are a legend like Del is, you can do that, because your fans are the type of people who will find it. Of course there was no Beyonce reaction, but there is only one Queen I suppose. At this point in his career however, Del isn't making new fans, he's rewarding the loyal followers he has gathered over the years. When he put out the album on SoundCloud he noted that it was lyrical, but nothing too heavy. There are eleven tracks, all available for free download, so before I even get into the review, why the hell not, go download this shit. Allow me to backtrack for a second and tell everyone a little story about a man named Del. He is a member of the super hip-hop group Hieroglyphics, and also teams up with Dan The Automator to from Deltron 3030. He also released an album that many consider a classic in No Need For Alarm, and he was the rapper on the Gorillaz song Clint Eastwood. Yeah, that last accolade may seem a tad irrelevant compared to the others on the list, but if you are familiar with the Gorillaz or have purchased the new NBA 2k game, you love that song. Del is another one of those rappers who seemingly had no interest in becoming popular. There seems to be a legion of classic rappers, who never cared to assimilate to the evolution of hip-hop whatsoever, and faded into the back round, all the while making music that the fans who bothered to stay tuned swear is amazing. Del is actually someone who is still working very hard in the rap game, and has at the very least earned a listen every time he outs out a project. Moving on to this project (hell yeah it took 3 paragraphs, thanks for reading) it is what some would call delightfully weird. The production was fully handled by Del himself, which is not the usual, and it is really fucking good. It has a very industrial, electronically influenced experimental sound, that one may think clashes with Del's classic rhyme style, but it actually really works here. We are dealing with a project that is eleven songs long, and none of the tracks are particularly long, so this is a short listen, that provides a lot of highlights is my opinion. The length makes it hardly feel like an album, along with the lack of theme. I wouldn't say this is any cohesive project, but a collection of well produced dope tracks. The lack of togetherness obviously holds this album back, but I don't think Del was out to make a classic here. This is a short, enjoyable listen, that any fans of experimental production, or dope surface level lyrics will surely enjoy. This isn't a project that will go down in history, but it is top to bottom better than most the albums you will hear within the next year, barring the idea rappers like Tyga or Future will actually learn how to make enjoyable music. If this album cost any money, I wouldn't be losing my shit recommending, but it's free, so stop being a dick. With the amount of shit you buy on Itunes, I don't see why you would pass up on a free Del release. Like I said, this guy is a legend, and while you might not get the pseudo value you will from a Hopsin track ( that shit Good Guys Finish Last is one of the least enjoyable tracks of all time, and while I don't endorse the artist in any way, I know what the kids are into these days) you will hear some dope lyricism, and may even be influenced to get into some old Del shit. That's just me being hopeful, but hey, this is a dope release, and with a bit of luck, you'll be listening to some dope ass Hieroglyphics music in no time. While I go off and live in my fantasy world where all of the opinions of the kids are rational, and support good music, have yourself a wonderful day. Rating: 3/5 The first album I am reviewing in 2014 come straight from the streets of New York, courtesy of Roc Marciano. Now, Roc has been in the game for a minute now, having guest features all over the fucking place, mixtapes, and a very critically acclaimed album in 2012 entitled Reloaded. When you listen to Roc the first order of business is to immediately turn up the volume. The man whispers all of his lyrics in a very monotonous voice, and creates music that lacks emotion all together. He also produces the entire album, despite having guests such as Oh No, Alchemist, and Evidence hop on his tracks for seemingly no reason. His production is very New York, and littered with female vocal samples all over the place. He is often compared to, and even works with fellow New York rapper Ka, who has the almost exact same style, but quite frankly performs it slightly better. This album was released after a mixtape earlier in the year, The Pimpire Strikes Back. A tape in which I found worse than the album in every way, excluding of course the title because that shit sounds dope. That tape can generally be covered in this review as well because of a lack of variety in Roc's music. Fortunately I like that sound so much, that what I just said isn't an insult.
As far as this album goes specifically, Roc shares the mic with a lot of amazing features including the aforementioned Ka, Action Bronson, Quelle Chris, Freeway, Blu, Guilty Simpson, and Knowledge the Pirate among other lesser known artists. Seeing the track list and guest lineup alone got me excited enough for this album, as if being a Marciano fan like myself wasn't enough for a purchase. Lucky for you all, I'm going to tell you if it's worth the money or not, so you don't have to risk the waste of your precious ten dollars that you just can't live without. Throughout this album, Roc gave me a lot more than I was expecting. Sure, we got his gritty, whispered lyricism delivered over very obvious New York production, but that's not it. Given all of the features, Roc's style never gets old, which was probably my biggest issue with the Pimpire tape. There are a lot of catchy hooks on this LP, and a surprising amount of replay value for almost all of the tracks. I have to single out a few features that damn near stole the whole show including Ka, Freeway, and Quelle Chris. Not to say the other features were bad, but these guys shit on their respective songs in the most complimentary way possible. There is not a single track on this lp that doesn't deliver lyrically which is vital when talking about Roc's music, given that his lack of emotion isn't going to inspire you in any way. The album is short enough to listen to all the way through without losing your attention, while you fans will still get your money's worth out of the length by all means. Roc personally spits the New York street bars that have gotten him famous, and is almost chilling with his delivery at times, and in case you were wondering he does not at any time during the album raise his voice at all. His flow is methodical, and creepily slow, and he manages to leave me genuinely entertained while spitting at the pace of a line at the DMV. As always I have no problem with Roc on the mic at any point during this album, which I'm glad to say is always the case.If you thought that last paragraph sounded a bit like a Roc love fest then prepare for the shit storm. As much praise I have for Roc on the mic, I have almost as many problems with his production. The sad thing is, the production is fucking good. It just suffers from something I call the "Indicud syndrome". For those who can't put it together, the production makes this album run like one fucking song. I'm not saying every beat is the same, I'm just saying I literally can't tell when one song is ending, and another is beginning. Roc, you are a good producer, but you have to limit yourself to maybe seven tracks an album, and pull in those producers you have littered all over your album for no damn reason, and put them on the boards. I assume he takes great pride in somewhat putting this album together by himself, but a little help never hurt anyone. The problems I have with Roc on the mic are few and far between. If I had to be picky (which I do. For fucks sake this is a review) I'd have the same problem with the lyrics as I do with the production, but to a much lesser extent. Roc spits about the same shit a lot, but it seems like that is what Roc knows, and he's good at it. So as long as he keeps the features in abundance I have no problem with his lyrics. There are a few tracks that I really love on this LP, and a few that I am not crazy about. First of all, "Cut The Check" was an amazing song. Quelle Chris could have rapped over the entire track and I would have been satisfied, but Roc and Blu only sweetened the deal for the rest of the show. The same goes for the track "Didn't Know", in which Freeway makes the track his bitch while rhyming about his beard of all things. The last track that I really loved (not to say there weren't other amazing tracks, but these three really placed a claim in my regular rotation) would be "Confucious" with Ka. Both mcs did what they do best, and they killed that shit in the grittiest way possible. The eerie whispers of both Ka and Roc really highlight all of the good on this album, while the production actually really knocks. As far as the bad tracks there weren't any glaring missteps, just tracks that didn't leave me feeling any type of way like "Phsych Eard", and "456", but there wasn't anything specific about these tracks that made them noticeably worse than the others, just a personal preference in my case. With a few high points and even fewer low points, this album spent a lot of time in the middle. Not to call the sound of the album average, but good. Nothing extraordinarily special, nothing horrifically shitty, just some good music. As a final bit of advice, I can't tell you if you'll like this album or not. This will be some people's favorite album, if you are into the street lyrics, and gangster approach. On the other hand, if you, like many people do, need emotion, or meaning in ymthe music you enjoy, you will thoroughly hate this album. There is the rational in between, of someone who can appreciate the stellar lyricism while noticing the lack of variety in the production, but great opinions like mine don't come around all too often. Obviously musical taste is an opinion, but in this case, whether this is good to you or not is really an opinion. That sounds redundant, but look at it this way. Illmatic is a classic, everyone knows that, and Rebirth by Lil Wayne is astronomically bad. Of course there are assholes who will disagree with that, but generally those are two hip-hop facts. This album on the other hand is so in the middle that it is a complete opinion. Before I get off on another irrelevant tirade, I'll just end this shit here. Here's to hoping for a great 2014 in hip-hop. Rating: 3/5 |