Top 10 Albums (no particular order) Kendrick Lamar: Good Kid, m.a.a.d. City
“Swimming Pools (Drank)”
Kendrick Lamar has the Outkast factor. I can listen to his songs, intently focusing on the lyrics while getting lost in the scenes he vividly describes, or I can zone out, not pay attention to what he’s saying and dance to the beat while singing along with the incredibly infectious hooks. GKMC feels like 3 Stacks and Big Boi rolling through Compton with Caine and O-Dog from Menace II Society.
Standout Tracks: Money Trees, Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe, The Art of Peer Pressure, Swimming Pools (Drank), The Recipe Read more »
Is it really that time of year again? I have no idea where 2012 went; it seems like it was just January a few short months ago. In this seemingly short year, there has been a slew of superb releases – especially in the Hip-Hop realm. Like I’ve always said, making a year-end list is no simple task, and it’s inevitable that someone (or a lot of people) will disagree with my choices; however, opinions are unique to each individual, and we are all entitled to our own. If you feel the need to voice your opinion, leave a comment in the C-Section.
If you’ve gone on the internet in the past two years, I’m sure you’ve at least heard the name Kendrick Lamar. Last week his much anticipated major debut was released and has been talked about over and over while receiving critical acclaim. good kid, m.A.A.d city is Kendrick’s sophomore album, and it’s a follow up to his independent release Section.80 which dropped in the summer of 2011. I was a huge fan of Section.80,and it wasn’t long after I started listening to it that I realized Kendrick’s lyrical ability – especially when it comes to storytelling. Section.80 was a concept album, and good kid, m.A.A.d city follows in the same foot steps; I was very happy he didn’t let go of that style of music with this album. Read more »
I have to start this review by saying that this album came out of nowhere; I had heard of Macklemore back when he was a XXL Freshman, but other than that, my exposure was pretty limited. With the aforementioned being said, this is the perfect album for an introduction into the world of Macklemore. Let’s face it, we’ve all heard the story about overcoming addiction and life obstacles to become a champion; however, no one has done it quite like this. Backed by the prodigal production of Ryan Lewis, Macklemore has created one of the year’s most honest and resonant records.
If web-hype were any indication of talent or potential, Brooklyn youngster Joey Bada$$ might well be one of rap’s hottest names right now. The typical talking points seem standard across the board: Despite being only 17 he has a “sophisticated” and “confident” flow, reps hard for his Progressive Era crew (“a collective of 18 rappers, producers, graphic designers and studio engineers“), exhibits a distinct and refreshing ’90s hip-hop vibe (reviews have been tireless with Nas references), and for having just released his first mixtape with 1999, he already has everyone from Mac Miller to MTV backing his cause. In the month that’s passed since 1999 dropped for free online, the mixtape has already racked up nearly 400k combined views between DatPiff and Live Mixtapes alone. Astounding results for a kid who has yet to enter his senior year of high school. But does web-hype really equate talent?
Of course not.
But it does accurately reflect Bada$$’s potential.
Part of 1999‘s immediate appeal comes with its obvious resemblance to what real “hip-hop heads” are either already familiar with, or are desperately seeking. Take for example one of the set’s most acclaimed cuts, “Survival Tactics,” which utilizes Styles of Beyond’s eponymous track from the group’s 1998 debut. Although it isn’t exactly a showstopper as far as musical references go, it shows that he’s actively looking back — digging, if you will — while moving forward. The same goes for when he leans on Dilla and Statik Selektah. “World Domination” goes a little deeper with sample of DOOM’s “Poo-Putt Platter,” which in turn sampled a tune from the Fat Albert Halloween episode: this is the kind of incestuous keeping-it-realness that back in tha day trumpeters kill for! “Funky Hos” and “Snakes” would each sound at home on Midnight Marauders tribute LP, but it’s “World Domination” that especially speaks to where the kid’s at musically: He’s most comfortable within the previous generation’s ideal of what an old-school flow was supposed to sound like. 1999 is the scrapbook of a kid whose parents listened to Biggie, attends the same high school as Adam Yauch once did, and who discovered Gangstarr through video games.
Most of the release finds him spitting about girls — what would you rap about if you were 17 again? — but even there he maintains a strange lyrical mixture, balancing macho posturing with emotions: “Word to my mother/Two things I never do is leave the crib without some rubbers or tell a funky ho I love her/These broads be trying to get a brother caught up in a sticky situation, missing menstruation” (from the Steve Miller Band-sampling “Funky Hos”) follows “So tell me what the fuck I’m supposed to do/You know it ain’t too easy getting over you/I sent the postcards so you know it’s true/I promise that I wouldn’t get emotional” (Bada$$ doing his best DOOM in “Pennyroyal”). But 1999 isn’t empty in terms of showing his dexterity as an MC either: peep 3:43 to about 4:30 of “Hardknocks” where his rapid fire delivery really takes off, “This is for my niggas, killas, hundred dolla billas/On the block in the rock spot glock cocked watchin’ out for cops/All about they cheddar young girls know nothin’ that’s better…”
Speaking with Pitchfork, Pro Era producer Chuck Strangers explained his process in developing the handful of tracks he contributed to the release, “Joey had a very specific vision for 1999. I was playing him all these other kinds of beats and he’d be like, ‘These are ill, but not what I’m going for.’ So I sat and I listened to Joey Bada$$ music. People ask me, ‘Did you listen to a lot of Wu-Tang and Illmatic when you made these beats?’ I know those shits because I’m from Brooklyn and I love ‘em, but to make Joey Bada$$’ tape, I listened to Joey Bada$$.” Growing up on hip-hop is a great starting point, but the ability to be so selectively focused of what it is he’s trying to do at such a young age is what might actually separate Bada$$ from the crowd. 1999 is no Illmatic, but it is a skillfully constructed tape by a minor-leaguer who’s playing at a pro-ball level. Whether you’re boom-bap’d out halfway through the mixtape or not, what you should take away from 1999 is its what-ifs: the what-ifs that have inspired the web-hype and the what-ifs that suggest his future to be bulging at the seems with “potential.” The reason it’s important to keep his age in mind isn’t simply because it’s remarkable that Joey Bada$$ appears so “sophisticated” and “confident” at only 17, but because he seems to already be better at constructing a consistent album than many who’ve been doing it since back before he was even born. Oh, the potential…
[Guest contributor Chris DeLine is a freelance writer living in Nashville, TN. Follow him or Twitter or friend him on Facebook.]
When looking at legendary groups throughout Hip-Hop history, two main elements become crystal clear: a strong in-house production team and a roster stacked with talented emcees. Collectives such as The Juice Crew and Diggin’ in the Crates exemplified the aforementioned credentials in the most incredible ways possible; however, that was the past tense, and in the present tense, cliques like the Brown Bag All-Stars are making seismic waves throughout the Hip-Hop community. Koncept is one of the lyricists that Brown Bag brings to the table, and if his debut album Awaken is a just a small sample of what we can expect from the New York City cooperative, it’s no surprise that East Coast legends like DJ Premier are giving them a co-sign.
Canada is known for loving their strong bier and the sport of hockey. Lately, I have been loving the electronically hip music that they have been sending south of the border through the airwaves. Purity Ring is one of these bands that has been making my ears go fully erect. They are out of Montreal and have been slowly seducing their fans by releasing a single here and there over the past few years.
Their debut album, Shrines, comes out on July 24th but I was able to get my hands on it at their show this past Sunday night at First Avenue in Minneapolis. The album adds 7 fresh tracks to the previous 4 singles that have been floating about the worldwide web. Throughout the 11-track full-length album the elctro-pop duo provides a perfect blend of new wave digital beats along with beautiful lyrical melodies. Read more »
I’m the type of guy that really likes a jack-of-all-trades; if an artist is capable of rhyming and producing their own music, then I’m most definitely going to be a huge fan. Michael Maldonado (aka M.i) is a perfect example of my aforementioned statement because he literally does everything (emceeing, producing, mixing, engineering) himself. The Austin, Texas native has been on his grind for quite some time now, and The Coldplay Sessions is actually the fifth project that he’s released; back in 2010 M.i released The Jack Johnson Sessions (which featured a Jack Johnson sample on every track), and last year he released the superbly stellar album Prep Time (Produced almost entirely by musical genius Tyler Keyes). Read more »
Happy to You starts out in formidable Miike Snow fashion with a relaxing and engaging sound. “Enter the Joker’s Layer” captures you from the start with the groups ability to blend digitally appealing sounds around the harmonious voice of frontman Andrew Wyatt. “The Wave” comes in with a cavalry sounding drumline fit for a king. It is a song that focuses on the overall sound with a strong but softening drumline. This theme is carried out through the entirety of the album. Miike Snow made us wait 3 long years for their sophomore album but I am not surprised by the quality of work that was produced. Now, if I could only pick their complex Swedish minds to interpret Read more »
At first, I was upset to be arriving late to the second day of Lollapalooza in 2011. My attitude and mindset were altered instantly as we walked up into the crowd where Phantogram was performing. At the time, I was clueless to what I was being mesmerized by. It is one of those festival moments that I will never forget as I became a Phantogram fan. The focus of their show was music off of their debut album Eyelid Movies. Now, I am going to pay homage to the band and review one of my favorite albums of recent years.
If there was one thing that I understood after seeing the duo out of Saratoga Springs, New York it was that Phantogram’s album was expected to be great from start to finish. Let me tell you EyelidMovies did not disappoint me and it will not disappoint you either. It starts with “Mouthful of Diamonds“, a track that showcases the various talents of this duo. They blend elements of electronic music with hip-hop beats while demonstrating a canny ability to have lyrics that draw you in. Phantogram continues to showcase their talent of blending all of these components throughout the length of the album.
