Feb 2, 2018 Glad you liked them! The Roc had such an amazing run with Hov, Beans, Dipset and later Kanye, but I always felt Freeway was poorly managed. They wanted Free to find radio success that kinda bogged down his work, if they just let him stick to crafting albums full of What We Do's he'd have much more acclaim. I forgot to do reviews for the previous albums, better late than never, I'll come back for Curtis! Blueprint 2 - I still love so many of the tracks on here, namely all the Just Blaze-produced masterpieces, but the filler makes this album drag-on and disinterests you no matter how good Jay was spitting on here. Glad he made 2.1 just to show the potential the album could have had. Follow Me Home - Man this album had one of the longest delays I have ever seen, lord knows how many tunes Rock still got shelved from those sessions. All My Life is still a tune after all these years, crazy how much more I appreciate Wayne now even when I was still a fan in high school. It's a middle of the road album for Rock, he's sort of stuck in this weird zone whether he follows Kendrick's eccentricities or he makes Game-type of West Coast traditionalist raps.
Feb 8, 2018 UUUUUUUUUUUGGHHHHHHHHH Percy Miller's 6th legendary album, released in 1997, is perhaps the peak of the No Limit era. If you haven't already, this (or his previous album, Ice Cream Man) is absolutely the best place to dig into the sprawling No Limit catalog. Its loaded with features from No Limit soldiers and features some of his most received work, both commercially and critically. Thoughts? Spoiler: Best Songs Spoiler: Mention List @Big Dangerous @Ordinary Joel @Fire Squad @Buddha @Rick James @Bourbon Ben @Mraczewsky
Feb 15, 2018 So no one's ever listened to Ghetto D? smh. Anyways, this one's a little more current. I don't know how I've been sleeping on this dude, but Mick Jenkins might be one of the best rappers out of Chicago right now. Granted, I haven't gotten into the rest of his discography yet, which I've heard isn't as good. The Waters, however, is d--- near a masterpiece. This dude sounds like a demonic Kendrick Lamar. Like G Herbo, if G Herbo could actually stay on beat. His flow weaves in and out of deep, grimy, watery beats that literally sound like they were recorded in an aqaurium. There were a few times listening to this I had to hit pause and absorb what he's said, his use of the English language is astounding, but he's also able to thread this ability through a coherent narrative. The closing track - Jerome - with Joey Badass is one of the most ferocious things I've ever heard. If you havent already, do yourself a favor and give this a listen. Spoiler: best songs Spoiler: Mention List @Big Dangerous @Ordinary Joel @Fire Squad @Buddha @Rick James @Bourbon Ben @Mraczewsky @TimmyT @awhellno
Feb 26, 2018 No one seems to be on the site recently but f--- it. Also a few days late but also f--- it. Alongside LiveLoveASAP, this album is arguably one of the most influential of the present decade, even though I'm not sure it gets even almost the recognition it deserves. The production on this album (or is it a mixtape?) was year ahead of its' time. To be fair, Rocky brought it all together better on his debut, SPG is a much less talented rapper. But its all about the beats and the atmosphere on this. The second track, Bringing the Phonk might be one of my favourite instrumentals of the decade so far. Its' a pity this dude's career never really took off. I'd be really curious to see what he'd be doing nowadays with the Florida scene getting as popular as it is. Anyways, if you're a fan of the A$AP/cloudy/atmospheric/interstellar sound then definitely check this out. Spoiler: best songs Spoiler: Mention List @Big Dangerous @Ordinary Joel @Fire Squad @Buddha @Rick James @Bourbon Ben @Mraczewsky @TimmyT @awhellno @Groovy Tony
Feb 26, 2018 I remember after following him for so long I was so excited for this album. I was initially disappointed the album was just remasters plus like 4 new songs but I still grew to love it. These days however I end up skipping through some of my old faves half way thru.
Feb 26, 2018 yeah it didn't have much going for it in the way of longevity. still revisit it occasionally though but then always find myself wanting to listen LiveLoveASAP instead
Feb 26, 2018 Man I remember this s--- when I was in college, dude really had p--- and Mortal Kombat samples all over it. Amazing production though, didn't even care that most of those songs were already old. Shame about how SPG's career panned out, had their been no drama or bs I could have seen him be a big name in that threshold below the mainstream circuit. Crazy how revisionist history now reflects how his aesthetic ended up being influential on the current crop of rappers.
Mar 1, 2018 I think I'm in the minority when I say I prefer Mobb Deep's second album h--- on Earth to their classic debut The Infamous. True, h--- on Earth has a slightly more polished feel but somehow it feels grimier, dirtier, even more sinister than its predecessor. A while ago I was compiling a top 100 list, which i never finished because i kept changing my mind about the order, but this album is absolutely still in my top 5. There's no way I could pick a favourite song on here. Havoc's production is just flawless; it goes from quintessential mid-90's boom bap (Animal Instinct) to horror flick extravaganza (Bloodsport and Extortion) to one of the most perfect, clinical piano loops I've ever heard (Drop A Gem on 'Em, which is one of the best songs to come out of the east coast/west coast beef). More Trife Life must be the most sinister, terrifying instrumentals of all time (P absolutely murders this one by the way). The guest spots are perfect - Nas, m--- and Rae all k--- their features (would have loved a Ghostface feature on here though). Although Prodigy and Havoc's juice kinda dried up over time as they released subsequent albums, they were still on top Infamous-like form on this. I'll say it before and I'll say it again: this s--- is a straight up classic. No question about it. Thoughts? Spoiler: best songs Spoiler: Mention List @Big Dangerous @Ordinary Joel @Fire Squad @Buddha @Rick James @Bourbon Ben @Mraczewsky @TimmyT @awhellno @Groovy Tony @JIGGA MANE
Mar 1, 2018 It's funny you picked this since lately I've been a walking dust tornado, still hasn't hit me that Prodigy is gone. Mobb will always have a special place back in those years before High School when I was listening to all the essential/classic hip hop records You certainly said it best Sav, this record is absolutely gritty, hardcore, unflinching and at times straight up evil. h--- On Earth is a fitting title, Satan might as well have co-produced these joints with Havoc. It was a great follow-up to the Q-Tip influenced stuff on The Infamous, showing that the Mobb still had their ears to the streets...the track with Chef secretly might be my favorite Mobb Deep record.
Mar 2, 2018 JOEL BACK! SXN80 REJOICE. absolutely. I can understand why Infamous is rated more highly, but it just feels like the stars truly aligned on this, this is the music they truly wanted to make, at the peak of their powers. I'd k--- for unreleased Mobb/Wu collabs from this era, I'm sure they've gotta be out there somewhere. What are your thoughts on Murda Muzik by the way?
Mar 9, 2018 I used to think Dolph was just another Gucci weed carrier, but oh boy was I wrong. Coming outta Memphis, Dolph is the hardest MFer alive. He's been shot and shot at, more than anyone else I've ever heard of. In fact, his 2017 album (tape?) Bulletproof is based around how he was shot at over 100 times (allegedly by affiliates of his nemesis Yo Gotti) and then made an entire album about it. Each song title combines to form a sentence: 100 shots, in Charlotte but I'm bulletproof, So fuk 'em, that's how I feel. All of them. I'm so real I pray for my enemies, I'm everything you wanna be, SMH. You don't go into a Dolph project expecting anything other than drugs, guns, money and threats (and some of the grimiest, firiest, trappish/Memphisish production out there right now) and this is pretty much the perfect example. For anyone interested, his latest EP/mixtape, n----s Get Shot Every Day is also an incredible listen. Thoughts? IT'S DOOOOOLLLPHHHHHHHH Spoiler: best songs Spoiler: Mention List @Big Dangerous @Ordinary Joel @Fire Squad @Buddha @Rick James @Bourbon Ben @Mraczewsky @TimmyT @awhellno @Groovy Tony @JIGGA MANE
Mar 15, 2018 Is it still a throwback if it dropped a couple of weeks ago? Apparently Veteran is JPEGMAFIA's fourth album, though I've never heard of him before this started making waves earlier this year. It's pretty difficult to describe; lots of weird, distorted, experimental, electronic soundscapes. His vocals alternate from aggressive and hard hitting to laid back and melodic. He's also a very gifted writer and he can be dead serious/hilarious at the drop of a dime. It can be a bit of an unsettling listen but there are other times when it comes together really well musically. Think Death Grips meets ODB meets Earl Sweatshirt. Or something like that. Definitely worth checking out if you havent already. Spoiler: best songs Spoiler: Mention List @Big Dangerous @Ordinary Joel @Fire Squad @Buddha @Rick James @Bourbon Ben @Mraczewsky @TimmyT @awhellno @Groovy Tony @JIGGA MANE
Mar 15, 2018 Imma get to the Young Dolph one at some point but I did find this recent one very intriguing dude, once again thanks for hooking me up! It somewhat reminds me of Shabazz Palaces where it really challenges you as a listener, it's so left-field and labyrinthine that at time I don't know whether it's amazing or if this is just a bunch of noises put together. JPEGMAFIA offered the same experience listening to this project, probably a lot more unsettling actually. It's so weird and distorted that I can't help but be so focused listening to every electronic chirp and vocal inflection, overall this was very intriguing to listen to.
