Dec 22, 2017 Brockhampton - Saturation I still remember when I started seeing this new name come up in rap circles all over the internet, with the majority of everyone praising it. My intial impression was who the heck is this and what kind of stupid name is Brockhampton? I looked into it and saw that it was a group of unknown artists who are younger than me. It wasn't too long after and I finally caved in and had to check it out. Musically Brockhampton is like if you pulled the most talented soundcloud artists from several genres and smashed them together, except it doesn't come off as disjointed or a mismatch, instead it's a perfect intertwine of all of these members unique qualities and musical styles and talents. There are several members (literally too many to name) and yet they all stand out on their own effortlessly-- whether it be Ameer Vann with his deep gangster raps, Kevin Abstract with his clean and calming vocals, or Merlyn with his sporadic harsh flows which sound much in the same vain of Ol' Dirty b------ of Wu-Tang Clan on some verses. Sometimes they heavily edit the vocals of every member, giving the impression that there are so many different voices featured on the tracks that it's a little overwhelming at first. These guys show incredible maturity both lyrically and musically, given that they are all 20ish years old. Half the time the music is loud and brash, the other half lowkey and vulnerable-- but always impactful and meaningful. The lyrics are often about finding your self belonging, drugs or falling in love. The introspection is top notch...it's a real pleasure to get inside their minds and understand them over the course of 14 tracks and by the end it really feels like you know them personally. That's incredible to happen over one album featuring a bunch of people you had never heard of until you listened to this album. My favorite section of the album comes on the back end where there is more singing and the group crafts some of their most beautiful melodies and songs. The same people that write a song like "SWIM" and "FACE" opened the same album with "HEAT"? How? That's the strength of Brockhampton, their ability to ecompass so many sounds and pull them off effectively. 8.5/10
Dec 22, 2017 Brockhampton - Saturation II A few things are for sure, this record has superior production this time around and the members are far better at rapping on the sequel than the original. I honestly have no clue how these guys advanced so much from a musical standpoint on a record just a little over two months after their last one. The tracks on this each have more unique identities than on the original album, with the beats complimenting each member perfectly and there being rarely any misses at all from a musical standpoint. This time around the group is obviously more comfortable with themselves following the success of Saturation, and it allows them to rely on themselves more as rappers and explore their creative aswell. There are segments of this record, such as Ameer Vann's thrilling interlude "TEETH" or Kevin Abstract and Joba's duo "CHICK" that accurately showcases Brockhampton's confidence on Saturation II. Another highlight, "TOKYO" starts out with a rapid fire melodic introduction and then turns into a harmonized hook leading into an Ameer Vann verse. The album crosses so many genres and sounds over it's 14 tracks it's impossible to encompass and do it justice. Highly highly recommend, there will be something here you like. 9/10
Jan 10, 2018 I'm gonna settle on 7/10 for DOOM's Take me to your leader, it's got some incredible highs but is way too inconsistent imo some joints just didn't click for me, or maybe I'm just missing something? I wish DOOM had a bigger presence on it too Also I downloaded Deltron3030
Jan 10, 2018 nice, I agree tbh, but most of it clicks with me obviously I think u gonna like deltron more
Jan 10, 2018 Except Eminem's Revival scores seem pretty much like what I would give. Thank god Future's HNDRXXX is not higher than 5/10. On the other hand, an album full of similar songs rated better than an album with very different sounds compared to generic trap sound of our days... Whatever. If d--- is 9/10, I would call 4:44 a strong 7 at most.
Jan 10, 2018 I didn't like 4:44 as much at first but after repeat listens it is a nearly perfect album that Jay could've dropped at this point in his career
Jan 10, 2018 The only problem I have with the album is I was never a big Jay fan and it doesn't have replay value like d--- has at all... d--- is way much more playable to me. Can't say I'm fan of production of 4:44 neither. d---'s production is nearly 10/10 to me...
Jan 10, 2018 SSLP beats were good. 4:44 beats are too complicated to me. Let me give example from the album I'm currently listenin'. Hunger For More by Lloyd Banks, great prduction. Specially on songs like Chips Are Down and I Get High, Warriors 2... Pure hard hitting basses, clear high hats and stuff etc..
