jakejames09

[jakejames09]

Yaeji builds bridges on dance floors, when will she do it again?

Yaeji’s late 2018 single “One Time” was a tease.  More of the same goods. Sleek house music for bedroom dancers and small dance floors and more sing murmurs in varying languages.  This time though, the focus was on a narrative structure.  On my favorite Yaeji track ‘Drink I’m Sippin On’ she repeats the phrase “That’s not it” over 30 times over the course of the chorus because it “phonetically sounded amazing” she said.  She wasn’t wrong.  She also gave away when it came to making music, the song’s lyrics were an afterthought. Sensually using the two languages to rap sing and murmur over her music, unpredictably switching from one to the other has added a valuable instrument to her techno sound. 

One More was different.  The same in the sleek house and murmuring as I mentioned but a story was being told here.  She was able to use the languages not only as an instrument but a storytelling tool as well. He says: "What so, apologies are made for fun."  Without having to translate any of the Korean, that and other lines tell a story of dealing with a jerk who doesn’t take things seriously.  With this ability, to now evoke emotion through lyrics where indecipherable murmurs used to be is a huge step forward for the ever-growing artist.  The potential to be a game changing pop star I thought I heard on her underground mixtapes 2 years ago is all over this track.  I said fuck yea, got some friends into this song, got the “sure, if your ordering tickets I guess I’ll go” approval and got tickets to see Yaeji in Brooklyn for the first time since her legendary boiler room set.  I was psyched for a beautiful spring day with new music to dance along to…I was wrong on both accounts. 

Whether Yaeji has the juice to make it as a household name in America remains to be seen, but she seems to be touring well despite her studio inactivity.  She has shows sold out in Singapore and Thailand with plenty more scheduled. From my experience at her show in Brooklyn, there won’t be a disappointed customer.  Unlike your traditional rave show, you can have several different gratifying experiences at her shows.  Raving on molly in the front, whispering to your lover in the back.  Break dancers and slow movers.  Outcasts.  The mood she creates is a private one.  I spent it in a private corner of the dance floor with my 3 friends.  On a night with several DJs she set herself apart with her inviting voice.  She does so on record as well.  Cute and idiosyncratic, it’s a memorable sound in a vast field of producers making glossy down-tempo house music.  The Seoul-based producer sliced a nice chunk of the scene out for herself.  And I hope, for the sake of both of us, whatever she’s whipping up next comes out soon.

Boiler Room Set- NYC

Raingurl

Drink I’m Sippin On

[jakejames09]

The Rad Dad Mixtape.

Fourth of July weekend really made me realize what a time to be alive it is for 45-50 year-old white men who are still convinced they follow music.  Fans of Rock N Roll had new music to rejoice over! And I’m happy to say they did, on every jukebox and BBQ-side Alexa around the Jersey Shore that wasn’t playing a Diplo house mix. Modern dad’s talking shop and having their day out of the office made sure to show their friends and their wives the new stuff from the Black Keys and the Raconteurs.  Dad’s trying to score cool points know they will succeed because they’ve succeeded before.  Two of the biggest rock titans of the modern era writing old songs with new names.  Both acts are now instantly recognizable, which makes those casual music fans still convinced they follow music happy to hear from them.  They know who’s playing, it makes them feel good. 

Make you feel good is something both albums do quite a bit of.  One of many similarities.  Both albums were recorded in Nashville and released within 6 days of each other.  Both albums capture the essence of back-to-basics blues rock and are infectious no matter the repetition and lack of innovation.  But they do feel like natural progressions for both acts.  Their garage-blues was good and they developed a strong cult following but it wasn’t until 2010′s Brother’s did the Black Keys finally achieve festival headlining success.  With the help of Danger Mouse, the band executed a bluesy electro-pop sound that commercially catapulted the group to new heights.  They struck while the iron was hot with more hits that sounded the same a year later, 2011′s El Camino. The streak of success came to an end after the meandering psychedelic odyssey ‘Turn Blue.’

After a well deserved 5 year hiatus they return with ‘Let’s Rock.’ An appropriate amount of time from Brothers has worn off, so a ‘return to form’ approach is a reliable one that doesn’t carry much risk so long you can write a decent song.  And the Keys can, in abundance.  Even without Danger Mouse in the studio his pop instincts are still there, but his synths aren’t and that leaves plenty of space for Dan Auerbach to layer as many guitars as he can. He does this first chance he can on the killer opening cut ‘Shine a Little Light.’ From there the record succeeds on its mission to just be good. It does this on the back of well-constructed back to the roots summer guitar songs, a few with replay value.  They almost take replay value too far, ‘Sit Around and Miss You’ sounds so much like ‘Stuck in the Middle With You’ you can picture Michael Madsen dancing.  But that’s what the fans love, something familiar. 

The same can be said of Jack White and company.  The riffs on ‘Born and Razed’ are familiar but totally kick ass.  ‘Sunday Drive’ has the swagger of one of the better Jet singles.  Tracks like ‘Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)’ bring old school blues vibes that bring the Rock N Roll nostalgia trip full circle.  Although a little more authentic, the Raconteurs can’t hide how obvious their influences are, especially when it’s often their own past material.  But to the 88k first week buyers that made Help Me Stranger the number 1 album in the country, not hiding past influences is exactly the point.  Because the songs are still good.  It once again delivers a great soundtrack for a trip up to Cooperstown or a few beers ion the lawn seats.  Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of Dad’s who don’t listen to music this good.  To the real ones, the Dad’s and Mom’s who still knows who and what rocks, this week was for you.

The Raconteurs- Sunday Drive

The Black Keys- Lo/Hi

[jakejames09]

Currently Listening: Bon Iver ‘Faith’

Bon Iver’s music has never been particularly warm.  Aside from 2011’s wonderful peak from out of the woods, the music from ‘For Emma’ to  ‘22, a Million’ has always been fascinating but cryptic.  Especially his last effort, 2016′s folktronic experiment, a left turn I didn’t care for. An album filled with ambitious ideas of eclectic futurism with no actual songs (or song names?)  Bon Iver’s music has always gotten it’s narrative point across through memorable phrases rather than wordy stanzas, which was fine until the phrases from the motifs echoed by aimlessly.  This doesn’t happen on ‘Faith’ in the slightest.  The best track of the ‘electronic Bon Iver’ era has the beautiful feel of nature his best work always does seamlessly mixed with stripped down electronics. It sounds like what ‘33 God’ wanted to be.  The lyrics are more forthright, openly dealing with themes the songs title suggests it would.  It’s nice to see legible track names again. ("715 - CR∑∑KS") was a tough one lol.)  It’s also nice to hear Justin creating in this space.  Faith is his most elegant composition yet, a balance that magnifies his ever expanding talent palette more than any individual track of his career.

Faith

[jakejames09]

“a day once dawned, and it was beautiful”

From the Morning

[jakejames09]

How Nick Drake and Kacey Musgraves helped me through my week...

It was June 21st, the summer solstice.  After several rum buckets, a shared feeling of anti-patriotism and an admiration for the USWNT.  Lainey and I started got to know each other on the heels of agreement.  Her general distain for the way certain things are were also right up my alley, and during the utopian sunset at Wind and Sea’s dockside bar, we shared a brief moment of romance. We enjoyed each other’s company a few nights later and plan to do it again, its been nice. 

When it came to the recent 4th of July holiday she had plans with friends and family so I smoked pot with Netflix and watched Stranger Things all day.  On the 6th we went to dinner by the beach.  We drank two tall boys on the beach afterwards and talked about music.  I’ll admit I’m a snob when it comes to dating women with bad taste in music.  You can be Helen of Troy, but if your top artists are Luke Bryan, Zach Brown, and Journey we won’t last a weekend.  We discussed what we love currently and before long ended up staring at the stars listening to Nick Drake’s 1972 classic ‘Pink Moon’ without any provocation from me.  A beautiful album that fit in perfectly with the sand and stars.  Nick Drake was bringing the souls of two human beings closer together, all the way from the grave.  Timeless music transcends.  Timeless music can even transcend politics.  I’ll explain…

My father’s side of the family is extremely liberal.  My mother’s…not so much. Family parties usually result in me representing a voice of reason in a 7 on 1 attack on far-right lunatics.  One of my uncles, Will, crazy as hell, I do believe is a well-intentioned man.  We make it a point, the two of us, to do what we can to stay in touch.  His daughter’s BBQ for her Law School graduation was an obligation I felt inclined to attend.  At its worst, I eat gourmet food, have one too many drinks and pick a fight with someone about the incompetence of the president.  Luckily for me, I had a Lainey, someone who mitigates my worse tendencies.  She came, and the party went well.

Politics worked its way into the conversation between Will and I.  It always does, and we’ve maintained a healthy rivalry with a begrudging respect for each other’s personal political acumen.  He isn’t one of those Trump supports you can roll over.  He has the conservative talking points down to a science, especially concerning the market.  My respect for him is similar in his for me, and my ability to articulate my points on the border and climate change create heated debates.  We were around a large audience so before things got too heated, I did what I always do in tight scenarios, look for a way out through music.  

I took the AUX chord and blasted ‘Slow Burn’ by Kacey Musgraves.  Aside from one- or two-party goers, she was relatively unknown, but her country sound immediately caught the attention of the guests.  Golden Hour was one of my favorite albums last year and deserved all the acclaim it received and this party was all the proof you need. The progressive liberal puts on psychedelic country pop with a progressive message and for the better, the party instantaneously changed.  

People asked me about her, I sung her praises.  Lainey and I got a laugh out of it.  The evening turned into one of summers most enjoyable.  So, thank you Kacey Musgraves.  Bridging gaps through art is hard enough when you don’t have an uphill battle to break through the confines of political tribalism.  Golden Hour is a beacon of hope and an instant classic in country music. The benchmark of what every country artist trying to diversify their fan base should strive for.  All 45 minutes of Golden Hour played.  Whether you were listening closely, or just in the background, her universal message was absorbed and hopefully downloaded and spread to more people.  I believe the more the world listens to Kacey, the better the world will be.  At this party, just for a second, in Golden Hour, Kacey Musgraves restored my faith in humanity.

Oh, What a World

Golden Hour

[jakejames09]

checking in on Liam Gallagher, who still isn’t giving a fuck.

Liam Gallagher gives no fucks.  His great new single comes with a hilariously brazen music video about him leading a protest and lighting barns on fire while the small town folk watch...I guess he couldn’t get his hands on his brother.  He struts through the video with his trademark scowl and God-like swagger.  He’s a Rock N’ Roll God, don’t your dare tell him otherwise.  “Now I'm back in the city/ The lights are up on me. They tried to keep me locked away/ but hallelujah I feel free.”  Unabashed in his arrogance and still dressed for the Manchester rain ‘Shockwave’ is Liam Gallagher indeed feeling free, reminding us all what a national treasure he really is.  His solo material has always been better than his Noel’s and ‘Why Me? Why Not.’ is shaping up to be no different.  

New Liam Gallagher album due out the 20th of September on Warner Records

[jakejames09]

hearing the unspoken stories told by shabaka, kamasi, richard d. james + co.

“Intelligent Dance Music” or IDM has to be the most pretentious sub-genre in music.  “Lounge Pop” doesn’t have a thing on IDM.  Although the name is unbearably smug, it is not without reason. Essentially, the broad term was coined to describe electronic music that didn’t equate itself with the bass-dropping mainstream Electronic Dance Music (EDM) scene. Whether that scene is comprised of unintelligent people is irrelevant, IDM enthusiasts thought so and wanted to move far away from the molly tweaking acid heads that were representing electronic music on a national scale.  This is nothing new.  This underground has had a usually innocuous one-sided feud with mainstream EDM starting in the late 80s and still existing to some extent today.  

Genre labels aside, I’ve been exploring more and more into the depths of instrumental music in recent years, from electronic albums to film scores.  One of the great things about having eclectic favorite artists that are constantly reinventing themselves is that they are perpetually introducing you to new and diverse groups of musicians you would have otherwise remained unfamiliar with.  This happened a lot in 2015. Kendrick released ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ a rap album I fell in love with immediately, but it also exposed me to more jazz instrumentation than ever before.  After a few listens I started to explore other forms of jazz, ultimately leading me to spend a ton of time listening to great modern-day players like Kamasi Washington, Vijay Iyer, and Shabaka Hutchings.

Around the same time Radiohead was also (as always) taking me into uncharted territory.  After a screening of ‘There Will be Blood’ I was impressed or crazy enough to seek out other Johnny Greenwood film scores to lend an ear to.  They were good, but nothing could prepare me for THE album.  On May 6 2018 James Blake released a ‘The Colour in Anything’ :), a morbid album perfect for getting you nice and sad in the way only British mops can… two days later Radiohead dropped A Moon Shaped Pool, the band’s ninth studio album. (That was THE album.)

A Moon Shaped Pool is the first Radiohead album to feature music from an outside source.  Johnny used the London Contemporary Orchestra to arrange various choral vocals and string compositions to take with him to the recording sessions.  Thom, often the one credited most for taking the band to its most inventive boundaries applies his contemporary aptitude to ambient music and haunting vocals.  The way the band gets the sounds to blend so perfectly is a marvelous achievement. They show their astonishing ability to master these new sounds on several levels, from the speedy and powerful chamber pop of ‘Burn the Witch’ to the gentle strings on the back end of the beautiful, old school 90’s style acoustics on Desert Island Disk that you feel, but can barely hear.  On the albums final track, Thom disregards Johnny’s strings entirely, bringing back an old concert favorite ‘True Love Waits’ and records it over a simple four-note piano figure and what sounds like a vocoder that adds a devastating humanity to the entire thing. An eerie ending to a sonically wonderous album.

Whereas the interest and knowledge I have in today’s jazz scene came from current Kendrick Lamar rap music, the Radiohead album sent me back in time. Starting to feel more at home with instrumental music, I started to listen to artists that have infamously influenced Radiohead.  Ironically, that’s points directly to the godfather of IDM himself, Aphex Twin.   Thom was obsessed with his glitchy production techniques when he was recording Kid A and Amnesiac. Radiohead has successfully got me into musicians I love such as Flying Lotus, and various other forms of underground music, but a love for Richard D. James always evaded me and I was determined to change that.  

The place to start according to the rabid disciples is Selected Ambient Works 85-92.  Considered to be a benchmark in not only ambient, but break-beat, drum n’ bass, techno, and other forms of popular electronic melody without ever resorting to building up a base drop.  He prides himself on artfully switching up the rhythm as soon as you start vibing to it. The music had shades of brilliance, especially considering how dated the tech is.  It’s important to realize this is a whole decade before Daft Punk.  So, while the music felt primitive and unlovable, I did understand the innovation.  I was happy I listened to another two releases, both from this decade.  Syro was something else entirely.  It’s as though Richard updated his software to the future and took off from there.  His unquestionable production skills make it impossible to call into question his legend. On Syro, I finally enjoyed. His ability to maintain grooves and simultaneously stay abrasive was done so in a truly unique way. Summarized with a genius album closer that features nothing but a simple piano and chirping birds.  A beautiful outlier reminiscent of ‘Bound 2’ or the Sopranos ending.    

After taking a 14-year hiatus before Syro, Aphex Twin has remained relatively prolific since its 2014 release.  Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments pt2 EP was the other release I streamed and still remains my favorite, but his EP’s and singles are always well received. His new music, along with some other favorites have kept me in touch with the electronic movement.  Nicolas Jaar’s A.A.L album was my most played album of 2018 on Apple Music.  I finally got around to giving the new Flying Lotus album a listen this very second.  His infatuation with jazz-funk music usually makes for an easy and enjoyable listen.

[jakejames09]

i want it, i got it.

By anyone’s standards, Ariana Grande has been through some shit. Billboard’s reigning person of the year is no stranger to trauma.  No twenty-four-year-old should see their concert turn into an arena for mass murder.  No twenty-five-year-old should see a love of their life pass away so tragically.  With the burden that comes with being the most followed celebrity on Instagram, this decade’s biggest pop star has been able to attain that status through her wide-ranging vocal ability and her candid social media presence.  The superstar is confiding and vulnerable in nature, trusting her ardent fan base and hateful detractors  with personal details about her mental health. Ariana has a big heart, and she wears it on her sleeve.

Like any true artist (which Ariana unquestionably is now) the process of abruptly creating an album can lead to unforgettable creative watersheds. In less fortunate cases, sessions can lead to writer’s block, angst and frustration. Thank U, Next has none of that.  The album was obviously written in sessions built on the love you personally gain from practicing grace and acceptance. Through tragedy, Ari’s peace of mind shines bright.

Especially evident on the first single, appropriately titled ‘Thank U, Next.’ A brilliant pop song that’s both a feminist anthem and politically incorrect at the same time.  Successfully subverting the mainstream pop standard of empathically “Never ever getting back together,” Ariana handles her break-ups with elegance and maturity.  A fun-loving display of inner fortitude and poignant self-awareness.  Impressively, the track was released a mere 90 days after her successful third album ‘Sweetener’ hit the airwaves.  This was a pleasant surprise to me, and made the deeply personal track feel even more so, almost like she had to get it out into the world.  Seeing that she wasn’t due for any new music, pressing her vision gave everything that came next a naturally authentic feel.  For the first time in her career she was being heard on her own terms, and she wasn’t done…not in the slightest.

“The album was written in a week and recorded in a couple more” she told Billboard magazine.  The short creation span takes me back to early days of following music.  The White Stripes recording and mastering ‘White Blood Cells’ inside a garage in four days.  Jay Z allegedly writing the lyrics to ‘the Blueprint’ in a two-day stream of conscious.  That entire classic, one that changed rap music forever was comprised and mastered in two weeks.  It didn’t follow the rules of major label promotion campaigns, neither does Ari.  She and a few close collaborators recorded this for her and her only.   

What always strikes you first about her music is her incredible voice, one with range depth and instincts for several different genres.  Her ability to manipulate her vocals has actually turned her into a bit of a late-night comedian with her now infamous renditions of other celebrities.  On a more serious note, this is definitely her most life-affirming effort yet.  Most evident on the Max Martin assisted highlight ‘ghostin.’’ An eerie song that gently walks a tightrope high up in the clouds balancing breezy minimalism and uplifting strings to create an artistic high point for the young singer.  Her angelic voice mixed into the beat can provide an out of body, almost hallucinatory experience.  So sincere, sang to a man in heaven with a deeply affecting empathy over music that sounds like its already in those same heavens she’s calling to.  As an artist, its new heights. 

Her growth is shown in so many other areas as well.  The immediate vocal showoff on the opener ‘imagine.’ The tasteful low-key stuntin’ on ‘needy.’  The surreal imagery of ‘NASA.’  The undeniable sex appeal of ‘break up with your boyfriend, I’m bored.’ Knowing when to let the production run on ‘bloodline.’ Her natural trap instincts on ‘in my head.’  Looks included, Ariana checks all the boxes of a perennial superstar, and in doing so she creates new ones.  Thank U, Next is devoid of all those major label grabs at airplay that force misplaced guest features onto the project.  Max Martin and company aside, Ariana’s singular vision is the albums central appeal and driving force.  A cohesive high art pop record from the guardian angel of sass and cuteness.  A level of songwriting and maturity that needs to be recognized as special and one of a kind.  The legacy of this type of pop music can live on.

Overall, I’d say pop music left a lot to be desired in 2019.  The new Mark Ronson has shades of greatness, same with Billie Eilish.  But most of the “pop” music I consume comes from more outré sources.  The new Katy Perry wasn’t bad, but in the pop world there has been excellent releases by Tame Impala, the 1975, and Vampire Weekend. Bands more so associated with indie rock but have great pop instincts.  I’m sure more well-rounded pop releases will surface before the years end, but I can’t see anything being as good as Thank U, Next. The cohesive 40 minutes of ‘off the cuff’ bounce pop seems to be the best the year has to offer.  The music would border on experimental if it wasn’t for the dazzling and unifying vocals she so effortlessly provides. 

Thank U, Next has a lot in common with Beyoncé’s Lemonade. Independent women of immense talent and influence dealing with the emotional damage that can come with falling in love, albeit in two very different ways.  In that emotion, both women channeled the healing power of music to create something human and special by deciding to own it all.  ‘Next’ is the year’s musical beacon of light.  A mass appeal record.  Inspiring Middle School girls to be independent while increasing her credibility in the indie music community.  An irrefutable force.

This not ordinary pop music and it’s certainly not written by an ordinary woman. As special as the album may be, I will not be attending the subsequent tour. The record, start to finish, will remain a staple of my running playlist.  I can’t imagine hitting “next” on the year’s most infectious album anytime soon…I can’t imagine a world like that.

ghostin’

needy

[jakejames09]

I’VE BEEN GOING OUT EVERY SINGLE NIGHT

[jakejames09]

Raps Best Posse Cuts of the last 10 Years.

Highlighting some of the best group efforts in rap.  To qualify, the song must have been released after July of 2009 and feature at least 4 people.  There are some incredible tracks with 3 rappers that had to be omitted..

10. Slippery- Migos ft Gucci Mane

It felt right that the list of best posse cuts started with raps premier posse. Migos, the most charismatic and star powered rap group this half of the decade shows why on Slippery, with the help of a rejuvenated Gucci Mane.  Like all their best tracks, Quavo immediately sets the tone with his great ear for melody and unpredictable cadence.  Offset seamlessly takes it from there making hilarious brags about his girl looking like a wildebeest before going into triple time about the usual suspects: Patek Phillipe, models, full throttles, and Gucci’d up collars.  Takeoff ends the song sounding possessed after Gucci gives one of the most patient and introspective verses of his life.  When it comes to posse cut trap rap, Slippery has all you’ve ever wanted in abundance.

9. All the Way Up (Remix)- Fat Joe, Jay Z, Remy Ma, French Montana & Infared

I’d venture to say this song got more mainstream airplay than any other track on this list.  Released late May of 2016, this siren glaring club ready banger was synonymous with the summer of 2016.  The song has more than most summer hits that come and go. Show-stopping verses from both Jay Z and Remy Ma make this remix a truly memorable affair.  Jay Z understood the moment, realizing the magnitude of publicly addressing Lemonade on record for the first time.  He brilliantly deflects the scathing aspects of the record and brushes it off as just another example of him getting money.  His homage to Prince is among the most emotionally resonant rap bars he’s conjured up in years…all the more so since Jay actually owns the Prince catalog.  I would love to see Jay relegate himself to an Andre 3000 type of role going forward, especially after he cemented his legacy with the late career gem 4:44.  The second half of the song belongs to Remy Ma, who makes you feel every syllable in a verse so raw and emphatic you can’t help but feel all the rage spending “7 winters and 6 summers” on vacation can build up.  South Bronx legend Fat Joe’s verse gives you a laugh and French relegated to the bridge is the perfect amount of him on this radio posse cut that offers far more than most in its class.

8. Big Beast- Killer Mike, Bun B, T.I & Trouble

There isn’t a track #1 on any hip-hop record in recent memory that just set the tone for what’s to come quite like ‘Big Beast.’  “Hardcore G-Shit! Homie I don’t play around!”  A call to arms that is just the beginning.  Listening at the time primarily out of my love for Definitive Jux.  The track, produced entirely by El-P drew me in, especially the tempo flip after Trouble’s futuristic bridge. Futuristic or not, the song is a vivid portrait of street life in Atlanta.  Full of Bun B’s wise man advice “Don’t leave till your ass get grown” and T.I’s full-bodied imagery, “A record full of felonies, searching for a better me/ But choppers go off in my hood like Iraq, Cuba, Tel Aviv.”  For five minutes you inhabit that ATL street corner. 

Killer Mike makes it clear, in order to make it in the streets of Atlanta; one must be a Big Beast.  The socially conscious rap anthem served as an unforgettable reintroduction into Killer Mike, someone I’ll admit, I always associated with as an inferior extension of Outkast and the Goodie Mob.  Here Michael Render demands to be heard.  A singular vision with the power to resonate in an underground rap scene that happened to be dying for his perspective.  With Big Beast, the El-P and Killer Mike creative flood gates officially opened. Lucky for us.

7. Really Doe- Danny Brown ft. Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul & Earl Sweatshirt

Like all great posse tracks, the best verse shouldn’t be easy to agree on.  The down played modest hook provided by Kendrick Lamar does a good job bridging what’s most important on the track. The verses.  Every verse could be considered the best.  A hilarious manic Danny Brown who is “rolling up with them vegetables.”  Ab-Soul’s sixteen bars playfully bend his patent hardcore bars with socioeconomic realities, a verse that exemplifies all that’s ever made him a compelling emcee.  Kendrick does his thing as per usual and Earl Sweatshirt doesn’t.  In my favorite verse of the song, Earl ditches his cryptic and triple entendre tendencies for a more straight forward take a bat to your head approach.  Aggressively honest and devoid of his usual wordplay techniques, Earl ponders “I’m at your house like, ‘Why you got your couch on my Chucks?’ Motherfucker.” The comic relief is there.  Really Doe is lyrical labyrinth designated for the purist of rap fans.  Four world class emcees each with a different flow, each on top of their game. Enjoy. 

6. Move that Dope- Future ft. Pusha T, Pharrell Williams & Casino

Future’s creative 360 from emo auto-tuned heart throb to drugged up nihilist was complete here.  His split from Ciara turned his heart cold and drove him into various chemical comfort zones.  Chemical zones that acted as his muse, similar to Pusha T, who finds himself right at home on a track like this.  He delivers some of the most expressive drug rap bars of the song, totally in tune with the general concept.  Someone who is a stranger to the general concept of “moving dope” is Pharrell.  Such songs aren’t usually up his alley, but Pharrell rapping on anything is usually a gift, and here is no exception.  His personal alienation from dope moving proves to be totally irrelevant as he spends time in the cosmos “frequency: high, like a spaceship” and bringing to life his personal idiosyncrasies “The Gandalf hat and the weird ass clothes, that’s Commes des Garcon and the Buffalo.”  Over menacing production from Mike-Will-Made-It, Future rings in his new sound and mantra with a group of A-list friends, one familiar with moving dope, the other familiar with constant reinvention.  Here, Future handles the scales beautifully. 

5. Zip That Chop That- Black Hippy

Revisiting ‘Zip that Chop That’ makes me once again yearn for the Black Hippy album that was always promised but never came.  This overlooked early career gem was released in 2010, and provided a young white kid with his very first Kendrick Lamar exposure.  Before Section.80 and Setbacks, ‘Zip That Chop That’ was all I knew.  What’s amazing about Black Hippy is how easily they fall into their respected roles.  Jay Rock comes on strong as the deep voice of reason, having the rest of the crews back no matter what Compton issue may erupt.  Ab-Soul acts as the groups source of comic relief, while Schoolboy Q acts as the vice, the devil on the other shoulder.  And then there’s a young Kendrick... his commentary on the plight of black Compton youth not yet legendary.  Excelling in the tracks latter third, it takes three listens to realize Kendrick is the best rapper on the song.  It’s no surprise success has came to the rap collective individually, but Zip That reminds us all some of their best material comes from them working together.

4. Oldie- Odd Future

The most influential group to any millennial ‘Left Brain’ hip hop listeners.  After Bastard I wrote off Tyler as a creative but drama seeking iconoclast, I didn’t give much else released by the collective an ear.  It wasn’t until Frank Ocean started to release music did I think to revisit odd future’s discography in a different light.  Oldie is a song that makes me glad I revisited.  Who is rapping is ultimately irrelevant, the chemistry between the worst rappers of the group and those who could be considered geniuses is uncanny.  It creates a universal feeling of friendship and community that transcends skill level.  This was taking putting your friends on to a whole new level. The talent lies in Tyler, Frank, and Earl, but for a long time the other members of the collective had roles inside the collective that held immense value to those who actually had talent.  Tyler, Frank and Earl fed off the group, all of its flaws, for better or worse.  Seeing how unwavering and passionate their belief is in their own vision, it’s clear that Odd Future was a talent incubator that ended up cultivating three of the most influential artists of the modern-day era.

3. Mercy- Kanye West, Pusha T, Big Sean & 2 Chainz

Turning the posse cut into high performance art was something Kanye spent a lot of the decade mastering.  Quite frankly, from the G.O.O.D Friday roll-outs to the standout tracks on Cruel Summer to Ultralight Beam, this entire list could’ve been comprised of Kanye orchestrated posse cuts.  Excluding Ultralight Beam, which I didn’t find qualifying enough to be featured on this list, Mercy is the most meticulously curated posse cut Kanye released.  The lead single on a project Kanye wanted to use to emphasize the depth of his label, Mercy does exactly that.  He put Pusha T and Big Sean in a position to spend the summer all over the radio, threw down a solid verse himself after an understated beat switch, all leading to the breakout performance of 2 Chainz, who’s rap career took off to stratospheric heights after his show stopping verse on Mercy. Kanye succeeded in putting all his boys on without compromising the artistry in the slightest bit. Most posse cuts will sacrifice a bit of innovation in order to focus more on the lyrics.  An old school approach to keeping posse cuts and the spirit of rap as competition alive. Once again, Kanye refuses to play by those rules. Mercy is high performance art, lyrical rap, pitch-black club banger, and total team flex all in one.

2. 1 Train- Asap Rocky ft Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson & Big K.R.I.T

The sound of ‘1 Train’ actually sounds like a train ride.  The production for this timeless epic rap track fits the narrative perfectly.  The track provides a transient urban feeling mixed with unpredictable DJ premier like scratches and gritty lo-fi drums.  It’s a beautiful canvas for hook-less rap music. It never tires, and neither do the emcees.  Every rapper featured on this track has something relevant to say from Danny Brown’s hilarious “Weed a different color like a hood rat bra and panties” observation or Action Bronson “selling Susan Sarandon.” Asap’s impressive “Bag made of Goyard, cheffin’ like I’m Boyar-Dee, probably selling D in your local courtyard” line is an emphatic change of cadence.  Big K.R.I.T declares himself a true artist on the songs final line and after delivering what could arguably be the tracks strongest verse, a true artist sounds like an understatement.  Everyone rapping punches above their weight.  The ULTIMATE posse cut.

1. Forever- Drake ft Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Eminem

Released ten years ago in August, Forever did a great job living up to its namesake.  From the Lebron starring music video to Drakes hook, Forever basically predicted the future.  Three weeks later on another platinum record Lil Wayne raps “We gon’ be alright if we put Drake on every hook.”  That era of hip hop officially started on this track.  Finding himself on a track with three legends who all decided to bring above average verses, Drake holds his own by coming up with the first of a million ubiquitous hooks.  His combination of rap skill, hook making and singing proved to be a tool set big enough to hang with the greats, even when they themselves brought their A-games.  It also opened the door to the possibility that Drake himself could be a great one day. Personally, I think it still remains to be seen, but the hooks are still catchy, and the numbers don’t lie. 

[jakejames09]

White Lung’s ‘Paradise’ is 28 Minutes of Overlooked Punk Rock Perfection

“Love is a beast now”

The frustration that comes from procrastination associated with writer’s block has brought me back to an old favorite.  A few posts prior on this blog was a picture of Fiona Apple coupled with an overdue library card that was featured on Frank Ocean’s tumblr account during the infamous delay between his two studio albums.  I’ve also posted an article about the ubiquitous presence women have in the modern-day indie landscape.  When writing that article, I thought of and listened to artists that released music within the past two years (Snail Mail, Mitski, Phoebe Bridgers).  I’ve spent a ton of time with the new music coming from that scene, but I’ve noticed that one of my usually prolific favorites have been missing in action.  

White Lung, a punk rock band from Vancouver Canada, has 75 minutes of recorded music over four albums. Four albums, released like clockwork every two years until 2016 were a vital part of keeping me interested in seeking out new punk rock music.  Half hour albums that really did come off as a shot of adrenaline.  They’re sound is extremely tight, fast and cohesive even in the confines of all the noise. That and the brevity of each album make for an easy and compelling start to finish listen.   

After three complex but totally uncompromising punk albums, White Lung released Paradise in May of 2016.  A record far more appealing to an indie audience, the anthem driven power ballads that highlighted Paradise were among the best songs of the bands career.  The noisy guitars and heart pounding drums are still all over it.  I think if Liz Phair released Below just the way it is in 1995 it would’ve been a platinum record.  All that exemplifies the versatility Mish Barber-Way shows as a songwriter.

The record has those moments, but equally as great are the ones that push punk rock forward.  ‘Kiss Me When I Bleed’ is wildly accessible, a far grittier and more dynamic Paramore track.  ‘Hungry’ is another great example of the band being able to seamlessly embrace pop music without sacrificing their commitment to conveying their message over the fastest and loudest rock music they can conjure up.  The importance of pop in punk music cannot be overstated.  If you don’t believe me, throw on London Calling…there’s pop songs all over that (Lost in the Supermarket, Clampdown).  From the Sex Pistols to Patti Smith, having a feel for pop music has always been a necessary component to affecting punk rock. 

It’s been over three years since the album’s release and this isn’t the first time I’ve came back to it.  Mish-Barber Way the lead singer and vocalist of the band is also a published journalist.  Recently, she has openly spoke about fulfilling her dream of retiring to the countryside with her motorcycle riding husband. Mish sneers “Ride South with me now!” on the title track.  It’s a pretty image. Whether or not another we will ever be graced with a follow up to Paradise remains to be seen.  Until we know for sure, let’s celebrate a deep discography of innovative punk rock music at a time when most people get there fix for punk music through industrial trap and hip hop.  That discography ends with Paradise, the benchmark in modern day punk rock music.

Dead Weight

Hungry

Paradise

[jakejames09]

Bruce Gives Us a Late Career Gem with ‘Western Stars’

Western Stars will win the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2020.  I know this because Western Stars doesn’t sound anything like the 18 studio albums that preceded it, because it’s The Boss, because the wheel that makes the Grammy's turn is still ran by old white men…and because it deserves it.  Like most 26-year-old music heads, the Bruce record wasn’t on my radar as upcoming must listen music.  However, I did get a chance to listen to and appreciate the albums lead single, an optimistic prototypical Bruce track about persevering through hard times in Mid-West America, ‘Hello Sunshine’ definitely caught my attention.  The string arrangements struck a chord with me, maybe I’m partial to them given the amount of Andrew Bird I’ve been listening to lately and how much I loved Extraordinary Machine era Fiona Apple (It’s no coincidence Jon Brion assisted with production on several tracks here.)

From the top, the album begins with lyrical content the diehard Bruce fans will be quick to eat up.  In the first minute of ‘Hitch Hikin’ the titular character is “a rolling stone just rolling on” and your immediately worried that the rest of the record will be filled with predictable caliginous-folk oriented mediocrity.  I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about the Bruce discography other than the big hits, Nebraska, and a few tracks in between, but from the acoustic music I have heard, the results are often a mixed bag.  That deep heartland growl on a soft acoustic guitar can tingle your spine or lull you to sleep.  But around the 2:10 mark, a subtle change occurs that makes a world a difference.  Springsteen’s  acoustic guitar blends brilliantly with a familiar sounding piano and a whirl of beautiful string arrangements follow it up.  It’s a beautifully complex change of pace for the straight-talking stadium rock king.  “Dashboard picture of a pretty girl/ I’m ridin’ high on top of the world.” The imagery matches the magic, and Western Stars begins to catapult itself up to those same stars the album aspires to.

The second track, one of the albums immediate highlights, does the best job of combining the Bruce Springsteen we know and love with the new romantic and orchestral sound that he keeps experimenting with throughout the course of this new record.  ‘The Wayfarer’ the driving guitar anthem about a good-natured vagrant hopping” “town to town” is one of Bruce’s most relatable down and out characters in a long time.  “Some folks are inspired sitting by the fire, slippers tucked under the bed/ But when I go to sleep, I can’t count sheep, for the white lines in my head.”  A character with little money who spends it on the wrong things.  That beautiful raspy voice of his makes you really feel the woman’s despair.  But Bruce flips it on its head and turns the track into a pulsating life-affirming country pop banger that uses the elegance of the production to add a certain class to his main character.  At the end of the track she’s dignified and she’s accepted herself with grace.

The album continues to use the damaged and worn down American spirit to highlight the intestinal fortitude we can show in the face of adversity.  Other men like the beaten down stuntman past his prime on the devastating ‘Drive Fast’ doesn’t have that grit and his later years pass him by.  The perfectly titled ‘Somewhere North of Nashville’ details the life of a session band country songwriter who lived life on the outskirts of the country capital of the world, selling the soul and still losing.  This is a line that Bruce has always toed perfectly. His ability to stay grounded in a middle-class reality while giving off that not so subtle hint of optimism was the core formula that created one of the most adoring fan bases in American Rock history.  Bruce often tells American stories about people whose political views wouldn’t exactly line up with his. Another central characteristic of universalizing his appeal.  But the Boss also tells it like it is, and this is his most meticulous, potent, and life-affirming character study in a long time.

I would be remiss without bringing up producer wunderkind, Rob Aniello and his groundbreaking contribution.  A pristine canvas that doesn’t stray too far from the country roots the album grounds itself in.  Aniello does an incredible job of channeling the vastness of the open road through his sonic expression. His sound is incredibly elegant and luxurious, seamlessly weaving sweeping orchestrals, French horns, basic pianos, airy acoustics and the voice of America all together flawlessly.  Sonically, Western Stars is an experimental record, probably more so than the casual Bruce karaoke singer would like. Which was great news for me, because it did carry the music when some of the lyrical content relied too much on mainstream country tropes.  The title track is an example.  “Two raw eggs and a shot of gin” “Some days I take my El Camino, throw my saddle in and go” and “I was shot by John Wayne” are believe it or not all phrases sang in the very same song.  But the saving grace is Aniello’s gift to uplift even most conventional country tune into passable album track. Another one is “There Goes my Miracle,” a song as sentimental as it sounds.  It has a monster hook that could see considerable airplay and encore time in the near future.  If your one of those people with Born in the USA in your best albums of all-time list, this is the track for you.  A track that serves its purpose as just about the only live sing-a-long anthem the entire record gives you. 

He returns to form and continues the album’s theme on the final track, the stunning ‘Moonlight Motel.’  The production was a marvel, but this triumph belongs to Bruce, both as a songwriter and a vocalist.  He carries the emotional weight of the song alone on ‘Motel’ shedding the string arrangements for a knock out folk song calling to mind images of young love, dandelions poking their way through the concrete, and pouring drinks for two.  The song is careful in its gentleness and makes feeling nostalgic unavoidable.  Whether it’s a specific lyric or the sweet temper of his acoustic guitar, the song will give you all the feels.  And that’s the emotion timeless music is meant to evoke.  Bruce has proven himself timeless over and over again, but on this late career gem Bruce is challenging his fan base to step away from the stadium rocking anthems and do some thinking about the America of today.  He’s done this before, but with the string arrangements and stories that make up Western Stars, Bruce hits an introspective high note unmatched by anything he’s done before.

Final Grade: 8/10

Moonlight Motel

The Wayfarer

Hello Sunshine

[jakejames09]

Currently Listening: Compro by Skee Mask

Compro by Skee Mask is the best album for any editorial writing, investigative journalism, or any activity that demands undivided attention and long term focus.  It’s music for writing. It’s a trance record with grit. It’s thought provoking and filled with drums.  It’s a Disclosure collaboration away from gym music...it’s just as smart.  

See, I was never good at trying to get something done while listening to my favorite songwriters.  90 minutes later all I’d have was an over flowing ashtray, a notebook scribbled with quotable phrases and two sentences of bullshit.  Albeit though, because my writing has endured the experience covering music introduced me to a vast collection of ambient and jazz music I immensely appreciate that I would’ve otherwise never known.  Instrumental music has surprisingly filled up an important section of my playlist from Kamasi Washington to Nicolas Jaar.

Skee Mask makes futuristic industrial dance music built to last in my corner office.  Dissatisfied with becoming yet another techno record relegated to a UK garage Compro provides a lasting texture. Lasers shriek, alarms ring, it sounds like a high budget sy-fi mission close to catastrophe.  The type of catastrophe you can’t help but become enamored with.  A trance that tells a story.  A trance that calls you back for more.  When working on an important article the sound of Skee Mask is my espresso.  When listening to Compro in the background, it’s slowly working it’s way up into the subconscious. Weaving those dreamy ambient interludes with an electronic pulse from what sounds like  year 2075. A hybrid breakbeat album that pays homage to revolutionary predecessors while sounding like the future of poignant, meaningful techno music.  New school drum and bass.  Block Rockin’ Beats for a generation of intellectuals.  Similar to the A.A.L project of last year, it’s music you can feel.  Not just in your bones but also your cerebellum.  Compro is electronics for the thinking man.

50 Euro To Break Boost

Dial 274

[jakejames09]

Decade Alert! Revisiting 2015′s Carrie & Lowell” by Sufjan Stevens

To so many catholic school boys like me who grew up idolizing his music, Sufjan Stevens struck a particular chord in our hearts with Carrie & Lowell.  I can’t recall another album this decade that required such emotional preparation.  The confusion the spiritually thirsty young boy faces in ‘Casimir Pulanski Day’, the summer camp imagery of ‘The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!’ acted as blueprints to a childhood filled with Religion.  Songs I’m now grateful for.  Songs that made me ask questions to the St. James higher authority.  A spirituality that was the start of my agnostic beliefs.

Although Sufjan had moderate success experimenting with cryptic electronics on 2010’s Age of Adz, he has always been at his best when surrounded with light acoustics and honest lyricism.  Carrie & Lowell is just that, an album as naked as they come. Sonically, the album features next to nothing.  Twangy guitar picking, airy synths, fleeting keyboards and the voice of a generation. That’s all Carrie & Lowell needs to come off as the rawest album of the past 9 years.

Stevens has used other characters as the central appeal to his music but here it’s his autobiography.  He explores childhood, motherhood, loneliness, faith, and the lack thereof like never before.  He brilliantly ties Greek mythology into his current psyche. Religious references as well, especially tied into the tracks about mortality.  Sufjan has always offered an unflinching portrayal of death.  No more intense than the devastating ‘Fourth of July’ a song that rings goosebumps down the spine. 

Emotionally, it reminds me of this decades Funeral.  A record that holds so much emotional weight it’s almost impossible to get through on one listen without needing to recuperate.  Like Arcade Fire, Stevens reminds you that true love will always triumph over the finality of death and no matter how bleak it gets believing in something is a human obligation to all those you love. 

Yes, you undoubtedly stare into the face of death on more than one occasion on this gut wrenching listen, but it’s his blissful, life-affirming faith, “My brother had a daughter, the beauty that she brings: illumination” that radiates on long after the record ends.

Should’ve Known Better

The Only Thing

Fourth of July

[jakejames09]

where the cattails sway...

Big Thief- Cattails + :)

[jakejames09]

In 2005, a man who I hadn’t a clue existed had a bigger impact on me personally than any of my quick to name favorites.  I remember that August being a scorcher, I spent all my days at the beach slowly coming to terms with the start of fifth grade.  Ironically, Late Registration came early.  I remember buying that Kanye CD in Target with my mother a week before class started. The CD had me bouncing off the walls in jubilation.  Even my mother saw the undeniable brilliance.  I memorized every song on the entire record, and went about pressing it on all my friends.  The fall ball baseball team took the field to ‘Touch the Sky.’

The opulent string arrangements and high-class fusion of hip hop and refined orchestras sounded great, and I attributed the sound to Kanye, who did in fact co-produce every song on the damn thing.  But I should’ve paid more attention to the liner notes.  Because sixty days later, the same man who had me head over heels for hip hop on Late Registration once again had me transfixed, unbeknownst to me.  

Fiona Apple, one of my favorite songwriters of all-time released Extraordinary Machine only a few weeks after Kanye dropped Late Registration.  Still, it didn’t dawn on me that the man responsible for the lush instrumental backdrop my favorite rapper was taking advantage of was the same exact one my favorite songwriter was also using.

Jon Brion, an accomplished player with an extensive history with session work and film scores was hired as a co-producer by both Kanye and Fiona’s project. His perspective/background gave both projects a lush canvas that deviated from the artists past sonic endeavors.  Fiona was often minimal, using every strike of the piano key to its greatest effect while Kanye was introducing instruments that were totally unfamiliar in hip hop.

Six years after When the Pawn… we got Extraordinary Machine.  Seven years after that, the masterpiece that is the Idler Wheel… and it’s been seven years. 6-7 years seems to be the threshold in which a super fan can possibly stay sane without needing a new album to explore. (Frank Ocean, your currently pushing it).  Fortunately, albums like Ms. Apple’s Idler Wheel has no burn, it’s a record that can always yield new results after hundreds of listens.  Her back catalog is gorgeous and although far from prolific, it’s extensive enough.  In 2019 a new perspective from Fiona is something I yearn for.  A drop what you’re doing and get your headphones if a full-length drops type artist.  A tulip in a cup.

[jakejames09]

Jay Z Becoming the First Billionaire in Hip Hop Cements his Legacy as the Greatest Rapper of All-Time

“How could something that has nothing to do with bars, nothing to do with lyrics do such a thing?” “A man’s ability to make money and a man’s ability to rap are two different things entirely.” “Several conscious rappers have been consistently more lyrical than Jay Z.” The purists will come out in droves against me on this one.  They already started.  Those are just a few of the first examples.  “You on the gram holding money to your ear, there’s a disconnect, we don’t call that money round’ here.” Jay Z’s well thought out take down of the new generation of rapper is both extremely telling and ironic.  He made the game about money.  The young kids are playing it, doing it well, but not scratching HOV level.  Jay Z is beyond showing off money stacks. The mogul rapper is above such peasantry, but he did invent the game they’re playing.   

Before Jay Z, rap was extremely hostile.  Beef definitely existed back when Jay Z started and it definitely still exists today, albeit on a much more innocuous level.  Back then it was about bars. Double entendre’s. Wordplay. What you said on record was your name. In the streets, East Coast or West Coast, your ability to bend the English language to create hot and impactful rhyme schemes was far and away the most important thing one can do to prove your merit and advance your career in hip hop.  Dre did all he could in revolutionizing hip hop sonically, but your reputation was still weighted heavily on your verses.  This was good news for Jay, for hot verses came easy to him.  His debut record Reasonable Doubt is often considered a landmark recording in Mafioso themed rap music and to this day stands among the immortalized classics of the 1990s.  Jay went toe to toe with Notorious B.I.G on Brooklyn’s Finest which earned himself a spot on Big’s 1997 album Life After Death. Along with being legitimized by the East Coach kingpin and being able to out rap the next best guy in the booth, Jay was able to do something most rappers at the time weren’t.  Jay was able to recognize the potential for fiscal expansion.  Using the clout earned as a platinum artist was now a ticket to succeed in other facets of business…and in your social life.  Along with several business partnerships Jay Z was also lucky enough to catch the eye of ubiquitous ‘it’ star Beyoncé.

By 2003, Sean Carter had three classic albums under his belt, and two successful business ventures with major retail distributors, and “The hottest chick in the game wearing his chain.”  Jay Z and his ability to make savvy business decisions while simultaneously releasing club ready singles that remain lyrical enough to get the adoration of the streets is what he does best. It’s why he’s responsible, for better or worse, for adding a capitalistic expectation to anyone being considered among the greatest rappers of the new era. Although it had nothing to do with music, making money was now a prerequisite to being a respected rapper. Jay Z was achieving a level of black excellence you could not reach on music alone.  The PR shrewdness Jay always possessed made it seem like he lived in slow motion, making calculated high stakes business transactions that continued to increase his wealth and social standing with chess-like precision. 

While Jay Z will continue to grow as a person, his music reached a legendary peak that same year with the release of what was supposed to be his last album at the time, The Black Album.  The album featured Jay Z’s true crossover moment as a rapper.  99 Problems was the song that made him a household name.  A phrase that instantly infiltrated the public vernacular.  One that legitimized his relationship with the most desirable black woman in the world. Another genius PR stunt, another genius club ready rap banger.  The man was unstoppable and he knew it.  “If skills sold, truth be told, I’d probably be, lyrically Talib Kweli/ Truthfully, I want to rhyme like Common Sense, but I sold five mil’, I ain’t been rhyming like Common since.” That self-aware line from the second verse of Moment of Clarity shows the prowess Jay has in all his work. Admitting to us all he can out rap the most conscious rappers when he wants to, he is telling us he makes club ready jams because the conscious rappers can’t, and people need to party.  Oh, and yes, it gets him paid.

So, congratulations to the man.  Jay Z, the greatest rapper of all-time.  The man who defines what it means to be a modern-day rapper outside the booth, while achieving astonishing longevity that spans over 25 years and counting inside it. He found Kanye West in his Mother’s basement and gave him a platform to produce music, paving the way for one of the most fascinating and confounding pop culture runs in music history.  He married Beyoncé.  And aside from some well reported rocky times and a scathing album, they seem to be a happy family with their problems in the rear-view.  He won the game.  The rap game. The modern day one invented by Jay Z himself. A hip-hop pioneer in every way imaginable. He changed the way we look at a rapper’s business acumen, net worth, ability to navigate major label mechanics, and social standing.  Things that only mean something because of his ability to pioneer rap music itself. 

Jay Z has released high quality rap music for longer than anyone else in history. It all started in 1996.  His Mafioso street rap opus Reasonable Doubt is widely considered to be one of the greatest debut LPs in any genre.  After that came a series of quality CDs part of the ‘In My Lifetime’ collection.  It featured street music… impressionistic posse cuts, bouncy instrumentals and creative wordplay.  The release of the Blueprint in 2001 showed the world a mature Jay Z, a rapper who deviated from the mainstream sounds to use soul sonics and retro live free-range jazz and low-key piano vibes.  Although new in the realm of hip hop, the risk was a massive success and the sonic expansion continued on the 2003 classic The Black Album.  The record featured beats by Rick Rubin, Kanye, and Pharrell.  After other successful albums and business ventures his latter career has been defined by two exceptional collaboration albums and tours, one with his wife Beyoncé, the other with Kanye West.  He also released a critically acclaimed swansong in 2017 titled 4:44, a deeply personal record about infidelity, the death of ego, and his mother. 

With 22 Grammy awards, Jay remains the most awarded rapper of all time.  In the upcoming years it will be interesting to see what we get from Jay Z on a music level.  He doesn’t have much else to prove, and 4:44 acted as the perfect goodbye.  He’s a parent of three kids and involved in multi-million-dollar businesses.  “I’m a businessman not a business man, let me handle my business damn!”

I hope Jay Z stops by once in a blue moon to give us an inspired feature. Similar to the way we hear from Andre 3000.  Andre stops by at a time when your yearning for his perspective… he’s finally there for you. I wish they’d trade roles.  A new album from Andre 3000 is long overdue.  Jay Z, you’ve proven enough, lets relegate you to the “I’ll show up inspired on 3 records a year to let you know how I feel” role.  As Jay Z continues to age and sound deflated on the microphone, this role sounds more appealing than ever.  A role that lets the greatest rapper of all time ease himself out of the game he invented gracefully.