Jan 18, 2016 I'd be interested to see your thoughts on Rich g---: Tha Tour Pt. 1, Tha Carter II, and Stankonia when you have the time for them.
Jan 21, 2016 Danny Brown - Old Released by Fool's Gold on October 8th, 2013 Well... First in a long line of user requests but I finally got around to it. I've heard of Danny Brown from reading the hip-hop news but due to the amount of music I had to listen to, I never got around to it until now. From first listen, it's clear Danny Brown is aiming for one audience only; the underground. The rhymes are very hard hitting for example; it's clear Danny Brown isn't dumbing down for anyone with his dark grimy rhymes filled with clever metaphors, drug references and well... smart gangsta rap. His lyrics are bravado at it's finest and braggadocio at it's peak and the voice he utilizes suits his soundscapes well. It's clear that he's not going to appeal to the mainstream as many of his lyrics require prior street knowledge or an admiration for the game at hand, he isn't out to party; he's out to get high and he's not out to have relationships, he's here to have straight sex. This is a very good thing as it shows integrity in it's purest form. While the album may not be produced by him, it's very consistent and mixes 3 types of styles well. Underground boom bap, trap and electro-hop. It's very underground per say and takes a natural understanding of the genre to appreciate; if you're not the one who collects underground records that only sold 500 copies or less then it's going to take some time to adjust as these sonic soundscapes are unforgiving in nature and brooding encompassing all types of feelings from aggression, contemplation to (though very rarely) even happiness. The drums, snares and hi-hats all snap and the backgrounds are amazing in their detail and appreciation towards the culture. Best part about it is that the songs are short, he just spits 1 or 2 verses and then it's on their way. There's no hooks and if you were expecting song structure than only one song has it. This is hip-hop at it's rawest, purest and finest and there's no time to linger on bad decisions with songs, if there isn't a song you don't like; don't worry, it'll be on to the next one in 2-3 minutes. I appreciate him for doing this as it allows him to include more songs without losing the attention of the listener, there are so many things Danny has to say and though it may be 19 songs long, the album's timeframe is only 40 minutes. Only downside is that there are a few weak tracks in there where he goes too underground or too long. Not to say they're not polished but I just couldn't get into them, it was like he was trying too hard when previously he wasn't trying as hard. I get the need to include some selling points but this album was supposed to force Danny in the spotlight and showcase integrity. While it does have a lot of integrity, the weakness in some of it makes me question that. So what do I think. This is good stuff, listening to it makes you feel like you're at a dive bar listening to hip-hop music and that's the intended feel. It's almost like a live album except without the live part, it's one concert that's disquised to be an album and it's Danny Brown's shining moment. For that, I commend him. Rating: 8.5/10
Jan 21, 2016 Nice, interested to hear your thoughts. It has its flaws but his talents shine through and musically I love it
Jan 24, 2016 I'm a writer for the blog now so this is going to turn into the place where I review "old" albums and do user requests from readers like you; I'm probably going to review unknown albums and new albums on the blog. If you have a request, place it here but don't overwhelm me. Music takes me 20-60 minutes to listen to depending on length. http://hiphop-n-more.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/kendrick-lamar-pick-next-single-from-to-p-----a-butterfly.jpg Kendrick Lamar - To p---- a Butterfly Released by Top Dawg/Aftermath Interscope on March 15, 2015. I've been wanting to review this for a while mainly because of it's polarizing appeal. I've read alot of things about how people think it's unlistenable and pretentious, how people think it's the GOAT album, how people don't appreciate this album and how people think this album influences a new generation to listen to jazz... Quite frankly it's the most interesting aspect of this album. I have a theory, I think everything about this album is designed to provoke discussion. For one, the title; To p---- a Butterfly has many meanings, it doesn't refer to the album in general but to the concept... A butterfly is a metaphorical animal that flies and pollinates everything while pimping is to make something better through support (people say that pimping is excess oftenly though...) so my theory is that Kendrick is the metaphorical butterfly and because of the experiences he's gone through, he's becomed pimped out. Another is the album cover, this shows Africans rising up to power with success to the point of being recognized by Washington and it's a provocative statement. It's something that can only be theorized on, the difference between eras and racial treatment, the long process of acceptance, it could even mean anything... The title and cover alone should combine to make it art but here's the third part... The jazzy atmosphere. While Snoop and Common have often touched the surface of Jazz and Funk, the two blackest genres known to man; Kendrick fully embraces it and the production on this is amazing. It's like a mixture of Good Kid with Section.80 except with complexion, it's atmospheric but hectic at the same time as tons of horns and guitars populate the albums soundscapes; the best part about it is that it's subjective. For one person, it might remind them of the 90s, it might remind them of a certain moment in life, it might even be the soundscape of Kendrick's life. This is what good production is all about, making people think and making people feel something unique to them; it also provides to the argument, does the hate of the album subject people's resistance to the unknown, the unfamiliar, the barrier on this is large and the only way to find out which side you're on is by listening to the album. It's like "Knocked Up" or "The 40 Year Old Virgin", you can read up about it but you'll never find out unless you listen to it. I'm not going to go into a history lesson here. The lyrics are socioconscious and self-referential at the same time. Kendrick declared in an XXL interview that he was "the chosen one", and because he's the chosen one, he has the ability to talk down to an audience. Many of these lyrics contain references to history and references to abuse/shunning to different races along the ongoing flow of time, including now; his lyrics contain complex subverbs, metaphors and entendres that are different, even if you've listened to Kendrick's previous work. People are going to draw up distinct viewspoints about it including what Kendrick truly feels about the world he lives in and whether or not he'd be able to find peace in a world full of hate as examples. Each viewpoint is going to be unique and you're probably going to be finding him rapping about something common or enjoying every one of his words. I can see why people hate and love this album at the same time but the point is clear; the entire album is a provocation for discussion that doubles as entertainment. Even though the album seems like a mainstream hip-hop on the outside, it's really underground; like Bandcamp underground; it forces people to chose a side on each subject, including the album as a whole. Issues that aren't normally brought up are brought up through this album and frankly I consider it to be a social experiment to see how people tick mentally; brains are a complex thing you know. But as a cohesive piece of music, this is exceptional. Kendrick placed faith in the right guests/producers and even if it is shrouded in controversy, this is a good album to listen to. Exception include "u" but that's only because it was designed to be uncomfortable to fit the sociological experiment. If Kendrick the chosen one, probably so. Rating: 9.5/10 Begin discussion now.
Jan 24, 2016 I agree with the overall write up, but i think my overall rating would be about the 8.5 mark.
Feb 19, 2016 black nate debiase - Keepin' it 100% Self-released August 22nd, 2010 Yes, that's the way he spelled his name. He sold me this CD for $20 when in actuality I could of gotten it for 50% off had I known about it prior; it was near the Mann's Theater on Hollywood and Highland (the most famous hustling zone for rap artists) and he signed it and I lost $45 that day; so much for keeping it 100%, he like ganged up on me and pressured me into paying $20 for this crap CD. For one, it's not worth the price it's worth; it's not even worth anything if given away for free. Much of the album is subpar gangsta rap from the beats to the rhymes to even the packaging. What you see above has no text or even professionalism, it's just a portrait image surrounded by bars. If this were an art rap album I can see this meaning something but since it's not, it's just really unprofessional and pathetic. The beats here are dated and took me back to the time of the early 2000's where stuff like this polluted the radio, except the stuff there was at least innovative and distinctive and professional; this seems like something destined for stuff like production music or at least to appear in the background of your favorite TV show. To make it short, it's generic, uninspired and definable. The rhymes appear to be the same; this album was dated when it was released and it's clear this person is under the delusion that he is an actual rapper who lives that struggle. Who can forget such gems such as "Hataz Free" or the super "hit" single "Swag Steala" where he repeats the chorus for 10x ad nauseum. I don't need to quote lyrics when I can describe them in 3 simple phrases. "I make more money than you", "I f--- your b---- better than you" and "I lived in the ghetto so I'm reeeeeallllll!" and he repeats those themes throughout the album leaving much to be desired in terms of variety. Worst part, it's 15 tracks long and the longest song clocks in for 4 minutes. Don't get me wrong, it's an okay album but this guy acts like he's god. He scammed me out of $20 for this worthless album that should of been a mixtape or something that I wouldn't expect. Makes me loose faith in Hollywood even more, and I actually have professionally manufactured CD's ready to sell... Why would I choose this album to review here. 1. To warn people about Hollywood rappers and 2. Because it needs to be known that scam albums will not be tolerated with me. If you dare try to sell me a weak album that's been released 6 years ago under the guise of a free CD when it's really $20. People will know and and Nate Barrett, people know about you already... thanks to this review. Bottom album, don't get fooled into buying this CD for $20 or even $10, get it free if you can. Garbage. Rating: 1.0/10 Get the s-----y album on iTunes.
May 3, 2016 Drake - Views Released April 22nd, 2016 by Cash Money/Republic Well... First review in a long time but I had to do it; for the culture and to compete with @Narsh you know... Anyways, the buildup to Views (which was known as Views From The 6) has been long and tenseful with nobody knowing what the album would be like. We even got a commercially released mixtape out of it which I promise I will review later. Tensions were high, was it going to be a Drake album with IYRTITL rapping or was it going to be a unique Drake album. The classic which everybody was expecting. Unfortunately, what we got was another Drake record. From the getgo, this feels like a mixture of Take Care and Nothing Was the Same with some modern tendencies; except it starts off with singing instead of rapping. Many of the songs here are not representative of Canada (specifically Toronto) but specifically himself with the usual songs talking about his family and of course, how clever and big he is on the mic. It's not to be expected, Drake is the biggest thing out there right now (with guests like Future on the mic which tries to replicate the magic of WATTBA but falls way short) and what he does works for him but in an album that was promised to be Drake's "Blueprint", we expect more. If you've taken a listen to Drake's previous albums, you'll notice that this one sounds a lot more east coast. I will say that I like this change because it gives the album a unique sound. One that is unlike Drake albums of the past... Of course, it's polished and it at times feels like a P. Diddy album rather than a Drake album; if you're one of the ones who expected Views to sound like IYRTITL and I mean raw than you're in for a disappointment because this was designed for the pop charts, not for the streets. Not to say there aren't some good tracks and with 19 tracks, it's definitely more than Drake's last album. There's definately something here for everybody, if you like aggressive moody rap, there's "Pop Style" (which of course is home to the Chainin' Taitum' line.), if you like pop songs, there's "One Dance" (which of course is up there with the best of views) and if you like reggae (ish), there's Controlla. I can't believe how good Controlla is, I initially disliked it but upon second listen; wow, it's such an enjoyable track, probably the best of Views. However, if you've listened to Take Care. You've listened to Views. If you listened to NWTS, you've listened to Views. If you've listened to IYRTITL then you'll probably want to check out Views and this is the problem because this album will likely gain critical reception for simply being slightly better than the rest. It's simply not worth the hype that was built upon it, it's a good sounding record but will I remember it 5 years down the road or will I listen to IYRTITL and enjoy every minute of it? I think you know the answer. Rating: 6.5/10 Get the album on iTunes.
