A Podcast About Rap.
The one where Jean and Marcus get vulnerable by admitting that there are a few so-called classic rap albums they’ve never heard, and share their thoughts on their first listens.
In the History of hip-hop, there have been many albums and many album titles. Like other categories of music, you do have intriguing names, some that lend a trail to the listener that leads them to what they are about to partake. For the most part, and especially in hip-hop, there are titles that don’t do the content justice.
Dave East has delivered his debut studio EP, “Paranoia:The Untold Story” on August 18th, 2017 after multiple mixtapes. The Harlem, NY bred MC is on the Mass Appeal record label(ran by Nas) and Def Jam Recordings.
WHAT I EXPECTED:
A brag-heavy display of machismo that would need to be turned down to hear his real thoughts. I figured that it would not have the depth that I know that someone as talented as Dave is capable of.
WHAT I HEARD:
The album starts of with the Jeezy-assisted “Paranoia.’ It’s a thorough, hard nosed, but mis-titled and lackluster effort. Dave spits a chorus that lightly details his anxiety, but does nothing to expand on it as he brags through his verse. Jeezy follows suit on his over a slow-pounding trap beat. “The Hated” touts a Nas feature, but only has the Queensbridge legend on set for some hyping at the beginning and end of the track. Dave does very well to fill the sandwich with a dark, hood tale of descent that utters
“Killers kill you for talking, all you have to do is speak.”
The energy of the album takes a shift as the Whiz Khalifa – assisted “Phone Jumpin” comes on, features the two rappers driving sped-up rhymes over a trap beat and a violin-sample that reminds me of “Gimme Some Mo'” by Busta. Dave notes, “a lot of hammers and a lot of lead, a lot of Phantoms and a lot of red” as they detail a wild life of crime. A boring Chris Brown hook litters ” Perfect”. While Dave is just as thorough as usual with chunky bars on this, his deadpan delivery seems to drag to the album along at this point. He returns to the braggadocio on “Found a Way” where he cleverly states “I aint touch her body, but the bitch came,” but seems to fall flat on a laid back piano selection.
French Montana is onboard for “Maneuver”, where the the tempo of the album shifts to a cruise-able pace, ironically enough. Another Patek Philippe advertisement is dropped ( there are a few n this album.) Dave and French flip back and forth on one verse as Dave states “I’m in Miami with Sade on repeat, 50 grand, put it under the seat, keep a gun in my reach, walk in my shoes? couldn’t fit one of my sneaks.”
“My Dirty Little Secret” is a strong track that crawls along and then stands tall on a guitar-strummed tale. There is definitely an attachment to his standing on detachment: “Online shopper, she don’t gout, she just orders, I’m just trying to find out if she suck a mean dick, and put cheese on her grits.”
I wished that he went a little further with “Wanna Be Me”. He drilled into his pscyhe, while revealing flying fears and desire to be closer to certain family members. It just seemed too short. “Have You Ever” is a scattering of regrets, desires and pride to close out the EP. There are 7 and a half minutes of skits that seem to do little to lend to the album. The Khiari skit seems unnecessary as he has mentioned his daughter a lot on the album, though it is cute to hear her.
WISHLIST
CREATIVITY – 70%
PRODUCTION – 75%
DECENT PERCENTAGE – 54%
OVERALL – 66%
SUMMARY
Again, the skits did nothing for the album, and he definitely could have gone feature -free for the album. Dave East definitely stands well on his own two, and would be able to carry a full project. This EP shows great effort, and rhyming skill that is not easy to achieve. With fuller songs, and more concepts , I am confident that he can manufacture a great album, or even a classic. Now that we are aware of his background, and some of his thoughts, its up to him where he wants to take his story. There is room for re-tread, but even more for growth.
The feel of the album does shift back and forth from him proving himself well over trap beats, to storytelling over a couple head nodders, to getting vulnerable over a slow groove. Combing the three efforts and pushing forward is definitely possible, when sounding more inspired. I wanted to know more about his “Paranoia.”
In the midst of the changing atmosphere of hip hop,( including the generation gap, variance of opinions of how to respect the older rappers and what is a proper retirement age) there is a series of measuring marks. I have noticed that social media and presence there is one. Some of the veterans don’t touch it, while others, like Big Boi, seem to be right at home.
In the hip hop world, there will always be a place for Big Boi, whether its for his fans from the Outkast days, or the newer fans who want a taste of the Atlanta sound. On Boomiverse, Big Boi brings us further away from Outkast references and reunion wishes, and closer to the his current standing in the rap game and reality.
WHAT I EXPECTED:
an album full of very listenable beats, couple with Big Boi’s sharp lyrics and testimony of his track record over his long career.
WHAT I HEARD:
His third solo opens with him rapping right away on “Da Next Day”, spitting word play without a long buildup and takes a mid-song assist from old comrade Big Rube, who sounds fresh as ever. while this song(and others) seem to leave you expecting a 3rd verse, long term fans will know that this will not occur on a Big album. It is expected to enjoy the production as much as the lyrics, appreciating the beat as it slowly rides out on his own.
“Kill Jill” which features a tough but playful verse from Killer Mike and a hook from Jeezy, is an addictive mid tempo joint that samples what seems to be a sweet, foreign serenade throughout the background.
“MIc Jack” is an upbeat, dance selection that features singing from Adam Levine. Big Boi professes to “Break it u like the smile of Michael Strahan” as he glides over synth-y music and hook that seems fairly simple.
Gucci Mane makes an appearance an appearance on “In the South” dane between thoughts of police brutality and his car, while Big double-times his flow that I wished was longer. Pimp C is featured on the hook, only the hook unfortunately. “Order of Operations” is a reflective look at Big’s career, while making a statement on handing his money in smart manner. This is one of the stronger tracks. “All NIght” is a great song where Big displays an addictive chorus choice , while working a ragtime piano-infused melody into a party anthem.
Snoop sounds a bit redundant on “Lets Get with It”, but the two of them work the danceable beat into another party mover. “Overthunk” is a cool record but the hook doesn’t seem to meet the verses eye to eye.
By the time “Chocolate” featuring Troze comes on, you definitely get the idea that Big approached this album with the idea of a feel good product being the result. “Made Man” is a slow moving threat that is agressive and smooth simultaneously. “Freakonomics” sounds like a track that was left off of the Big Grams album, as it is filled with the same sexually suggestive energy of that album. Killer Mike’s third feature(yes three) closes out the album with “Follow Deez” which also features a hypnotic hook from Curren$y that states:
“Follow me into a land where Impalas squat
Young niggas with hammers and daily body drop
OGs survive, you still alive, a lot of niggas not
Smoking for my dead homies while I ride around.”
Surprisingly, the energy seems to pick with this hook and Curren$y’s verse for the win.
WISHLIST:
Creativity – 80%
Production – 90%
Track Separation – 80%
Decent Percentage – 100%
OVERALL: 87%
SUMMARY:
I find this to be a very listenable album, combining the elements that we always expect from Big Boi: Strong lyrics and great music that doesn’t disappoint. The areas of opportunity are usually there as well:him holding more of the album on his own, short verses at some points, but fuller ones at other points. Because the music works so much for me, I do look past the point where some lines or just thoughts sound recycled. What is good about the overall album is his playfulness with lines, and has been a staple of his sound for many years. He is still well ahead of many of his contemporaries, but there is a part of me that hope for the exploring of new ground.
GAME OF DEATH by Gensu Dean and Wise Intelligent
What I expected:
The most knowledgeable lyrics being spit, challenging my thoughts and spirit. Given that this work was with Gensu Dean, I expected some charging beats, and soul samples.
What I heard:
From the top, I was surprised at the slow crawl of a beat for “WTF?” was used as the opening beat. I would have figured that Gensu would have switched to another track , like the first single “G.O.D. (Game of Death)”’ or the relentless charge of “Ever so Lightly.” The plead for better content in the hip hop world in “We Are” (where also he warns of “Neighbors are gentrified, scientific genocide, the ethnic cleansing your contention cause this shit so well designed”) and “Damn” (disappointment with current hip hop and Africa Bambaata scandal) are similar, and stick to the tone throughout the album. Mental gems that examine society are inputted throughout the 10 track, 34 minute album.
Wise Intelligent’s rapid fire flow is consistent throughout the album, imprinting the idea that he has never lost his skill. For anyone who hasn’t heard from him since the 90s, this might be a surprise. This is his third album in the last 2 years, first since February’s “The Blue Klux Klan”, and first with producer veteran Gensu Dean on Mello Music Group.
Sharp skills, and a mind that scatters across may things at a speedy pace were not a surprise. In general, Wise Intelligent’s flow graces across black social commentary, being an aggressive advisor to perceived downfalls that include low quality hip hop, race-based hate, and missed messages.
Black fear is strongest track, touching on all that has been taken from the back community and the reasons to be afraid to believe in self and better things. The lack of soul samples and light hearted topics lend to the overall feeling of the album, which is definitely dark. Though “Amen” and “Ooh Wee(Shakiyla part 4)” are less dense, they are still laced with more warnings of pitfalls of society.
For Gensu Dean’s part, he usually comes with a mixed bag of musical treats. On this album, absent are the vocal samples and funk guitar peices that he has worked with on past albums. To match with Wise Intelligent’s fast-paced flow, he has reached for medium tempo, hard hitting drum beats coupled with a variety of sounds including chilling piano pieces and keyboards. His best displays come in the music supplied for “Oooh Wee(Shakiyla Pt. 4)” and “Amen”.
Creativity – 65%
Production – 85%
Track Separation – 60%
Decent Percentage – 100%
Overall – 78%
Summary:
While I am highly satisfied with Wise Intelligent’s delivery and Gensu dean beat selection, I still wanted more from them. I wanted Gensu to challenge Wise more, and I wanted Wise to contain his thoughts into each track more. There was a long stream of negative thoughts on today’s music. While this is entertaining, it slowly eased across the album as opposed to being sharply sectioned off to 2 or 3 tracks. I also wish that he could have spoken more specifically to each of of his through, like a whole song dedicated to one, instead of sprinkling them all over like cupcake toppings. While cutting the sped-up vocal samples was a good move in my opinion, i wish that Gensu had challenged Wise more. All in all, it is album that provides a blunt opinion on black society and the state of hip hop, and is an upgrade to Wise Intelligent’s recent efforts.
What do the ratings mean?
Creativity – a rating of concept originality, level of imagination behind the tracks, and generation of ideas. Several tracks that sound alike, concepts repeated from last album or associates, and rehashed ideas receive lower scores. Fresh concepts, tracks that are easily separated becasue they each stand on their own due to different topics, and new takes on a old concept or new concept all together get higher marks.
Production _ basically, is your selection of beats hot. Do we have banger after banger. Are there awkward beats that song soft or weird, in a bad way. Positive points are earned when the producer challenges the artist with unique beat selection.
Track separation – does you album song like a long stream of the same beats and ideas, or can I easily remember track 12, and easily separate it from track 15? Was there an effort to not only make the songs stand on their own musically, but also idea-wise or due to structuring.
Decent percentage – Now this number can be higher, but don’t be confused. I can listen to some songs and say that they’re are decent, but the overall feel of the album is tired. What decent percentage means is I was album to sit through the song, because it was “decent”. The percentage of tracks on the album that achieve this vs to the total tracks in the percentage. If i can’t sit thru the track because the beat is awkward, the lyrics are dead and uneventful, i will skip the track. Thus, a percentage is lowered,
Overall, is just the average of the prior percentage to make the album score. To me, 90 to 100% is classic or damn near, 80 to 90 is very good, 70 to 80 is cool but could be better. 60 to 70 is bearable. Less than 60 percent is hard to listen to, and goes down from there.
RETURN OF THE DON by KOOL G RAP, released June 2nd 2017
What I expected:
Well, from the title, I did formulate a picture that included reaches back to the “4,5,6” album, and mentions of movie gangsters while G Rap maintains a strong flow. I wasn’t expecting a rival to the illustrations of “Cuban Linx” or evenness of a more recent crime testimony, “Pinata” by Madlib and Freddie Gibbs. I felt that the strength of the album rested in production and G Rap maintain the level of rhyming that he’s known for.
What I heard:
To tell a tale of the street life, one must be genuine in the words that they speak, and aggressive in how they present in. A song or album about the street life can getboring quick if there aren’t detailed pictures painted or a balance between struggle and visions.
In past albums, New York rapper Kool G Rap has been no slouch at doing such. I mean, he’s been doing this for almost 30 years. He’s had practice.
Kool G Rap is rhyming as strong as ever throughout the album as his rides the musical selections, solely provided by Canadian Hip Hop Producer, MoSS.
The album is mostly a variance of mid-tempo beats that explore sounds from a flute to a driving guitar as the basis. At times, I was envisioning “12 Reasons to Die” series by Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge.
There are strong guest verses throughout the album, most notably Fred Da Godson as he easily graces the beat on “Mack Lean”. Crooked I/Kxng Crooked delivers a great verse on the 70’s soul-injected “World is Mine”. “Capitol Hill” features strong bars from Sheek Louch and Cormega, and a great testimonial of how ugly things can get in the hood, and how lavish it can become if the cards fall right.
There is nothing unexpected or surprising from through the course of the album, aside from a tight Sean Price verse. At 49, Kool G Rap has found his lane, and has decided that it works. There are no updates to his similes, and some stand dated(comparisons to Gary Coleman, long retired NBA Darryl Dawkins and long dead actor River Phoenix). He mentions at the beginning of the album that the gangster shit that he spits is thought of by him as “reality rap”, which was a common reference term in interviews by his contemporaries many years ago.
Highlights
– the music , use of flute” on “Mack Lean”. Strong verse by Fred Da Godson
– very strong production
– Kool G Rap is consistent in his appearance and wordplay on his records, despite the long list of guests.
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Wishlist
Creativity – 65%
Production – 80%
Track Separation – 65%
Decent Percentage – 100%
Overall – 78%
Summary
It is a very listenable selection. Kool G Rap doing what he’s been known to do for years. There was a lot of help, and there were no surprises. In some cases, if it aint broke, there shouldn’t be repair. While I am very curious on how current activities by politicians, NYPD and other factors speak to the streets, he does come up with some of his strongest recent material. I would have liked a visit to his storytelling practices, but I did hear quality delivery and strong production. There is no doubt that Kool G Rap is able to hold his own in current times.