#i will from know on use persona when i talk about how Kendrick and Drake are

[spiegelgestalt]

The west coast isn't going to save you this time: Drakes rhetoric strategy during the beef (part 2/?)

So i hate Taylor Made Freestyle as a song but i respect it as a diss. It's one of Drakes better disses and has a important function in his original rhetoric strategy. It also cuts closer to Kendricks persona.

Let's remember Push Ups. In Push Ups Drake painted Kendrick as a small, lonley man who gets abused and extorted by the people around him, a dancing monkey with no real integrity or power. Kendrick stands alone without his former label backing him and now he's ready to be taken down. TMF introduces a short response time into the beef as another measure to see who won. So lets see again how Drake wants this battle judged: Numbers, Money, Gossip and response time. He also posits that Kendrick has to win decisively - or the win won't count. (SN: looking at Drakes strategy really shows again and again how scared he is of Kendrick - i will die on the hill that Drake didn't really wanted to do this open battle and had to after Cole apologized)

But TMF has another function: it's supposed to cut Kendrick off from everything that can give him power. It's supposed to cut Kendrick off from the west coast.

Let me explain.

So why does Drake use 2Pac? Well this once again serves multiple functions:

It makes fun of Kendricks 2Pac obsession. Kendrick "asked" 2Pac for advice in TPAP, he has a story how Pac came to him in a dream once, people say he's the reincarnation of Pac etc. ... So it kinda makes sense to advice scared little Kendrick with his greatest hero.

It also once again posits that Kendrick couldn't possibly be special - just look how short he is - that can't be manly man's 2Pacs heir, that can't be a gangster!

It sends the strong message: 2pac isn't going to save you.

It also tries to defuse the 3 biggest angles Kendrick could have on Drake: the pdf-file allegations, Drake the weak light skinned Canadian and Drake "the bitch" who is feminine

He than proceeds to call Kendrick feminine (in some language that sounds a little transphobic to me: It was me and Snoop Dogg, had my fuckin' shirt off in the House of Blues K, you gotta fuck this nigga girl, he gotta get abused also another weirdly sexual line towards Kendrick: Kendrick is a girl and weak; cant take his shirt of because ? he has boobs? because he doesn't have any gang tatoos? , and if he doesn't answer Drake's gonna fuck him/abuse him? Do you see what i mean?)

it also is supposed to show: i have the right to use 2Pac as much as you - YOU.ARE.NOT.SPECIAL

And Snoop?

Snoop stands for the real gangster rappers you know the real men (TM) who are not impressed by Kendricks weakness while they are impressed by Drakes strength

Snoop crowned Kendrick the King of the Westcoast (together with Dre, Game, and I think Eminem) -> this was the acolade Kendrick had before he met Drake. It's the strongest counter to "I made you who you are" and needs to be dismantled if Drake wants to win against Kendrick. Because even if he wins by his own measures the west would stand behind Kendrick. (SN: i will put my conspiracy hat on for a second and reach a bit: Remember how Dr. Dre's Compton was full of subliminal disses towards Drake after Drake made the 100 video with Game -> you could read this as the west coast very decisevly standing behind Kendrick in 2015 but you don't have to). So Drake says that you can only be the King of the West if you are a Gangster/Tough guy. But Kendrick is a weak little guy who only seems tough because he leeches of the real Gangsters

By saying Unc' to Snoop (who calls Kendrick nephew and doubts him) Drake affirms his relationship to Snoop which is based on mutual respect and being a gangster. Because Drake is a real Man (TM)

And Taylor Swift?

There is one last powerful ally to Kendrick and that is Taylor Swift.

so this is a bit more conspiratorial but: Taylor has expressed admiration for Kendrick; their producers are in a band together, he was seen at least once on one of her parties, and they collaborated twice. Drake wants to drive a wedge between Kendrick and Taylor - She is his new Top (sexual and buisness wise)

Kendrick is scared of her.

It's all "Nininini a girl is giving you orders nininini" and than it falls flat because Drake tries to position himself as a real man who respects a fellow gangster and who would bow down to her. this is btw the first time Drake destroys his own diss by giving us to conflicting images: is Taylor a girl and Kendrick a little weakling for listening to her or is she a gangster and so it's okay for Kendrick to respect her? Are we supposed to think that Kendrick is scared of her numbers? but Kendrick doesn't care about that?

what this is supposed to do is provoke Kendrick into making a fast dumb response were he allianates Taylor Swift and draws the ire of her fans and of herself. Thats my best guess.

So here it is the TLDR: TMF is supposed to isolate KEndrick from all his allies and leave him alone with the weak PGlang. it posits that only strong gangster deserve respect and tries to make Kendrick into Meek Mill 02.

And it fucking blows up into Drakes face immediatly:

Kendrick ignores him and moves in his own time. He will take 2pacs advice. In "Not like us" he calls Drake a pussy, a PDF-File, and an outsider. It will be devastating.

The 2pac estate openly allies themselves with Kendrick and says in no uncertain terms that 2pac is for Kendrick and not for Drake.

Snoop refuses to comment but makes light on the whole affair. (BTW i doubt that he would've collaborated on this song for money. I think that's something you don't do on the Westcoast unless you also want to diss that person.)

And Taylor Swift lends her producer.

And a lot of people in the west coast saw this song as a sign of disrespect towards 2Pac. And even if they were neutral before they now sided with Kendrick. Because maybe you can disrespect Kendrick. But you don't disrespect 2pac. BUT: that also increased the pressure on Kendrick to respond. So maybe that was a good thing?

And one last thing: This diss says more about how Drake sees the world than how Kendrick sees it: KEndrick isn't the boogeyman because he's a gangster - he's the boogeyman because he can rap better than anyone else. That's his persona. His persona is the smart lyrical guy with lots of emotions and a strong message. Saying he's soft and nice doesn't do anything to this image. What you mean the guy who made a whole album how his wife made him go to therapy doesn't mind being seen as soft, and doesn't mind when women tell him what to do? Wow! Tell me more!

[adevotedappraisal]

The Id and the Super Ego, part two of two

A look at Kendrick and Drake’s latest albums, and the links between them.

The Id and the Super Ego part one can be found here

I found a new muse, that’s bad news for you

Drake on the other hand, needs no excavation, as he famously wears his heart on his sleeve, when it isn’t carved into his head. Throughout the decade the singer/songwriter rapper documented his life, focusing on two major themes: his rise to the top of rap stardom and his restless love life. Through songs like the minimalist hit “Marvin’s Room" from 2011s Take Care and “March 14th" from 2018s Scorpion, he painted voyeuristic exposes about his past loves and his estranged son respectively, garnering derisive labels of ‘sensitive’, ‘soft’ or ‘emotional’.

For his actual fans it was fascinating and compelling. Rarely did the rapper with the number one spot in the overtly masculine genre reveal their life like this. Really, what did Melle Mel tell us about his love life? Or Rakim? Or Cube? Jay Z himself waited until his third decade of albums before he pulled the curtain back. With Drake, this lack of a filter endeared him to his worldwide audience, and because he talked about the easily relatable aspects of the human experience- that of falling in and out of love- he could grab his fanbase by their heartstrings and their Id and never let go.

On Honestly… Drake continues this oversharing in songs, regaling us with his tales of excess riches and exhaustion over love, this time over kinetic, nocturnal house and dance beats, the words not studied and rapped, but sung unimpeded and untethered, as if lucid dreaming through an album. On “Sticky,” anchored by door-slam kicks and anxious hi-hats, he is relishing his assholia, blithely disposing his women like a Saudi Sheik, or forget-me-not petals. He crows “King of the hill, you know it's a steep one, if we together, you know it's a brief one/ back in the ocean you go, it's a deep one,” expressing his puerile passions with the same acuity as Kendrick on “Worldwide Steppers” when he reveals “silent murderer, what's your body count? Who your sponsorship?/ objectified so many bitches, I killed their confidence.” It’s the same transgressions, except Kendrick is reflecting on the past, while Drake takes us with him to the sweating moment.

His indulgences are entertaining, but his naked longing is more compelling. His approach to songcraft here never explicitly explains how he always ends up the bachelor looking for a bachelorette, or explores how it effects him, but, in a sense, the music reflects his mind state. Basslines are deep and ponderous behind the stalks of four-on-the-floor kick drums, while the pianos are moody, rain-speckled chords. Songs like “Massive" and “Falling Back" are the hypnotizing daze you would dance the night away to in New York’s Webster Hall or some basement party in order to get over a break-up. It’s house as cosplay sure, but in some cases the music gets the point across better than Drake’s lonesome digi-warbling could alone.

We manage a moment of clarity on “Flight’s Booked,” a late-album highlight soaked in the same midnight vibes, centering itself around a classic Marsha Ambrosious sample. Drake is lovelorn and undone, singing a tender tale of holding onto a love his life can’t bear the weight of at the moment. He sings “although there's distance between us, there's no place I'd rather be, I owe you some hospitality, and it comes so naturally/ promise, I just need some more time if you can bear with me.” It’s endearing really, but you get the sense that she will be the one to respond back in the ocean you go sir, it’s a deep one.

But a mask won't hide who you are inside

Look around, the realities carved in the lies, wipe my ego, dodge my pride

The immutable truth of ourselves lays with us in the valley, between the monuments of the persona we greet the world with. And even when the artist or celebrity inflates this persona to the size of a myth, glimpses of truth find their way through in fits and starts. With Mr. Morale…, Kendrick Lamar shepherds these truths into a grand drama of himself and the events that made him the mythical hero of the shire of rap music, a persona he had clearly gotten tired of hiding behind. The album both shines from this honesty and is hamstrung by the unevenness it causes.  Really, is this how anyone wanted Beth Orton from Portishead to be utilised, swallowed by self-pity instead of defiantly belting her heart out? As fascinating and visceral as “We Cry Together" was, is this the type of Alchemist beat we wanted Kendrick over? But it reminds me about what the Good Book says about the truth in the scroll, that about it being sweet to the taste but bitter in the stomach.

Drake reveals his truth as well, in slivers of misogyny and churlish boasts, or in slipped out confessions and his unthinking yearnings for real connection through the myth of himself, across his cavernous, meaningless mansion. If his divisive Honestly, Nevermind reveals anything about him, it’s his deep love for the genres of r&b and house, as well as their function of charting the moods leading up to and away from falling in and out of love. In the context of his turbulent, beef-mottled rap career, his love songs themselves were muses about his transient muses, and this album, much more consistent than Kendrick’s, revels in these affairs. They are precious, underwritten things though, tossed-off melodies about indelible loves and groupies over muscular dance beats, the ear candy of the summer, but candy nevertheless.

These two artists, linked by ambition and circumstance, represent two different modalities of rap music, one existing to move the crowd, the other wanting to move the crowds mind. If you asked Drake fans his best songs they’d list singles, controversial diss songs and immaculate late-night driving songs. You ask Kendrick fans and they’ll tell you about his thematic closing songs, his sprawling, epic centerpieces, his tender biographies. Even their choice of bling is telling. Drake recently unveiled his chain titled Previous Engagements. Designed by famed jeweler Alex Ross, the piece consists of 42 stones totaling 351.38 carats, embedded into 18K white gold, representing the 42 women he considered marrying. Kendrick meanwhile, appeared in performance wearing a diamond encrusted literal crown of thorns by four craftsmen from Tiffany & co. The crown has 8000 cobblestone diamonds totaling 137 carats. The two pieces are both about love, but the two different manifestations of it, that of the material flesh and of the eternal spirit.

Remember though, these two lads aren’t really that different in a certain light. At their core they’re two rappers who found their lane and deliver product to a fan base attracted to the persona they present to the marketplace, same as Nas and Jay did before them, same as Rakim and Kane even earlier. However, Kendrick’s carnal urges read more like Drake’s lines sometimes, while Drake on “Flight’s Booked" sounds like the long distance musings Whitney might hear from Kendrick himself. Over these essays they have been compared to an Id and a Super Ego, famous psychological categorizations first developed by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud, whose theories have fell out of fashion in modern times.

Consider then the work of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, who believed the psyche consists of the ego, the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. What if the two are simply mining their personal unconscious, (Kendrick digging deeper quarries of course) and, in expressing their truths in these songs, tap into the collective unconscious of rap? Drake presents to us our romantic, egotistical desires while Kendrick the spiritual and reflective, but up to a point. For within the fuckboy shell of Drake's tales is a human need for connection with another real human, and the catalyst for Kendrick’s emotional and metaphysical self-reflection is his coming to terms with his destructive addiction to the flesh and to his image. What we can learn from these two curious B-tier albums then is that our polarities, positive and negative, feed off of each other ultimately. We can acknowledge in the valley then, that to deny the earthly desires that reside within us, is as ill-advised as denying the savior that lives there as well.

[namelessandfamous]

The 2010s

THE 2010s

Ahh, the 2010s. The decade that I became a full fledged adult in. I experienced the highs, the lows, the mids, the joy, the pain, the riches, the squalor and everything in between. I lived in five different states, five different cities. I traveled the nation multiple times around. I jumped jobs, locations, identities like any fledgling twentysomething that possess the gravitas to explore.

Outside of my being, the world experienced a lot. We experienced two terms of Obama only to enter the Trump era during the final three years of the decade. We lost many a legend—Prince being the one that hit me hardest—and gained a few more. Activism reached a visibility not seen since the 1960s—from Occupy Wall Street to Black Lives Matter. Mass murders became a regular occurrence as overall crime rose all across the nation. Global warming made for both Los Angeles and New York to share similar temperatures in December despite being on the opposite side of the seaboard.

And, musically …

Things shifted so much that they remained the same. Record sales reached a record low yet the record industry began to rebound with the rise of streaming. An entire century’s worth of music is only nanoseconds away for a small monthly fee. The decade saw the rise (and sometimes fall) of dubstep, “alternative R&B”, cloud rap, mumble rap, trap beats (which punctuated almost a majority of popular songs regardless of genres throughout the past ten years), etc.  Adele sold the most records than anyone else despite pop getting more and more EDM-influenced by the minute, Drake was easily the most popular rapper as rap became increasingly non-rap in its sound, R&B continued to thrive outside of the mainstream, rock increasingly became a genre of the past and well, everything else remained the same.

Yet, in my headphones, these ten albums provided the aural narration for various times and places and mental explorations and live experiences throughout this past decade. While I listened to hundreds of albums—and liked just as many—these ten stood out the most to me even if my individual interest in a few has dissipated beyond the time that they spoke to me the most. These ten albums remind me that despite the roller coasters of emotions, thoughts, experiences and mindsets I’ve experienced these past ten years, the 2010s was a good decade, overall. Here are my 10 of the ‘10s:

1.      D’ANGELO, Black Messiah (RCA, 2014)

Arriving on the scene when the nation was in tatters after the rash of police brutality targeting black men around the country (which was never a rare occurrence, mind you, but that’s another screed for another day ….) and the Black Lives Matter movement was in full bloom in the mainstream media, D’Angelo re-appeared some 14 years after his last album, the landmark Voodoo. This re-appearance feel right on time even if it was almost a decade and a half late in an increasingly ADHD world. That it spoke to a nation’s frustration as well as its joy despite such an extended wait was almost miraculous and made claim to it’s title claim. Even more miraculous is just how much the music resonates as much as D’s storied past. A D’Angelo album is almost as mythic as the man but like any myth, neither fails to be magical. So magical that Messiah resulted in many album-long reactions by artists that spanned various genres and commercial statuses.

 2.      KAYTRANADA, 99.9% (XL, 2016)

Released just months before the end of the Obama administration, 99.9%, the full length debut by Montreal maestro Kaytranada treated the pre-election tension in the air—then placing Donald Trump and Hillary Rodham Clinton as contenders to replace the nation’s first black president—like the perfect atmosphere for a party. A decidedly Pan-African dance party, at that. Kaytranda, born Louis Celestin, is an obvious student of black music that spans decades, genres and continents. The son of Haitian immigrants, Kay knows the power of rhythm like any Caribbean expat does. This rhythm powers an one hour long song cycle that never lets up despite many variations in groove and voice (Kay gives the floor to a multitude of vocalists which include  everyone from Anderson .Paak and Phonte to Syd of The Internet and Little Dragon’s Yukimi Nagona to rappers Goldlink and Vic Mensa to even 2000s British pop/R&B superstar Craig David). The sheer joy here—peaking with the late-album, Gal Costa-powered “Lite Spots”—is palpable and it’s groove unstoppable. And it will surely remain so for many years to come.

 3.      INC., No World (4AD, 2013)

The Brothers Aged—Daniel and Andrew-- created a quixotic, otherworldly mood piece in their debut No World. The juxtaposition between D’Angelo and especially Maxwell’s largely carnal “neo soul” velvet and the post-punk atmosphere that colored many a classic on the label that released the album made for an intriguing listen. What stands out most about No World is its subtlety. This is a work that requires several listens before it entirely sinks in. And when it sinks in, it completely submerges.

 4.      JESSIE WARE, Devotion (PMR, 2012)

A merger of soignée “diva” vocals, distinctively British tastefulness, dance music rhythms and commitment to low-key R&B of decades past made Devotion a promising prospect even before its spring 2012 release. Jessie Ware had already built a name for herself via cameos on records by fellow forward thinking Brits SBTRKT, The Joker and Sampha but on Devotion that name became emboldened and placed in caps. A set that’s gossamer (the precise Aaliyah channeling on its opening title track; the lush and almost folksy closer “Something Inside”), earnest (the single “Wildest Moments”), funky (“Sweet Talk”, the Little Dragon-esque “110%”) and stately (the single “Running” which piqued my interest in the first place from its blatant nods to Sade’s “Cherry Pie” and so much sophisti-pop of the same era and origin). Devotion turned out to be such a masterwork that its author has yet to match its range and breadth with a couple more follow-ups that were increasingly pop-orientated and plainer in sound. Regardless of Ware’s musical trajectory, Devotion still stands as one of the best debuts that the 2010s birthed.

 5.      KENDRICK LAMAR, Good Kid mAAd City (Aftermath/Interscope, 2012)/ To Pimp a Butterfly (Aftermath/Interscope, 2015)

Kendrick Lamar. The rapper that almost tracked my entry into adulthood and became one of the biggest rap stars in the world by decades end. In a way, Kendrick almost seemed like a kindred spirit. He and I are both young black men from coastal city-suburbs, born the same year (almost exactly six months apart, in fact), introverted, always exploring even if we don’t like what we find. While Section .80 introduced me into me—and many, many others—into the fantastical world of Mr. Duckworth, it was his 2012 major label debut Good Kid mAAd City that showed the world his actual palate. An incredibly well-curated and extremely accessible release, Good Kid tells the story of really, Lamar’s public persona: a good kid in a mAAd city escapes the turmoil around him—narrowly—when he finds a higher power. In his case, that higher power that provided peace of mind was music. If Good Kid showed the world who mainstream rap’s next auteur was, To Pimp a Butterfly showed us all just how much he was capable of. Arguably, the rap album of the decade, Butterfly was a work of extreme vision. It’s 79 minutes packed with rage, depression, remembrance, questioning, soul and resolve all stoked by Lamar’s new found widespread adulation—sparked by his recent rap fame—and his realization of where his black skin placed him in society. Butterfly’s adventurous yet vaunted sprawl could characterize itself as a wild theater of the mind of one of the last gifted pop-rappers we’ve seen. It could also stand as the Magnus opus that is hard to follow up. Lamar’s subsequent work achieved even more commercial success than Good Kid and Butterfly—both of which debuted at the top of the US pop charts and earned platinum status in a climate where such an award had become extremely rare—as well as continued critical adoration but failed to compel as much as its predecessors. This rather swift creative peak wasn’t relegated to Lamar, however, but also applied to many others that emerged as exciting young forces in music—Drake, J. Cole, Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, Big K.R.I.T. , Miguel, Toro y Moi, etc.—at the dawn of the decades but seemed creatively tapped just a few short later despite wildly increased commercial profiles. Still, both Good Kid and Butterfly’s mark on the game is permanent.

 6.      TORO Y MOI, Anything in Return (Carpark, 2013)

Chazwick Bundwick began as an insanely talented hipster recording warm yet self conscious “chillwave” under the name Toro y Moi during the beginning of the decade. Then Anything in Return, his third album,  was released and Bundwick was no lomger a cutesy indie poster boy but a distinct artist in his own right. A swooning, often sensual set of midtempo grooves with hooks that stick like gum, Anything in Return is millennial angst with a sweet aftertaste. Inspired by a failed relationship, While Bundwick’s melancholy is audible, the music’s sexy optimistic is what makes it so hard to shake. Toro’s following releases were all less interesting than the last even if at least a couple tried to follow Anything’s template. Yet, the bar set by Anything may have proven hard for Toro to reach even if the bar for its sheer enjoyment will likely never too high.

 7.      SOLANGE, A Seat at the Table (Columbia, 2016)

On the night of November 8, 2016, I stood downstairs of a LA Fitness in the San Fernando Valley, California and watched with several others on the television screens above as Donald Trump was in a landslide of a lead over Hillary Rodham Clinton as the 45th President of the United States of America. Amongst all of us that stood there, there was a multitude of emotions and reactions. Mine was one of sheer rage, if not astonishment. Prior to this night, I had been living in Glendale, a predominately Armenian-American enclave to the east of Hollywood. The lack of fellow black faces was assuaged by three aural black girl manifestos—Jamila Woods’ debut Heavn, Esperanza Spalding’s Emily D+Evolution and most strikingly, Solange’s third release A Seat the Table. Yet, on this night that the country was beginning a steep decline that it couldn’t retract for another quarter-decade, A Seat the Table acted as an elixir yet again. An album of mood—mainly rage and frustration—that was dictated by tone—delicate, airy, proudly feminine and definitely defined by its culture-Black with a capital AND bolded B, Seat played a feminine yang to the aforementioned Black Messiah (the album that undoubtedly inspired its creation) and Butterfly’s more masculine yin. It was the album that summed up a collective mood of a people even if it was markedly personal. The political has always been personal and vice versa and Solange knew this. A huge turning point for both Ms. Knowles’ career—it launched her as a must-hear artist spanning genres and scenes instead of being just you-know-who’s little sister that also sung—and really, many other artists in its wake.

 8.      THE INTERNET, Ego Death (Columbia, 2015)

The Internet began as a likeable but painfully tentative—and youthful-- answer to the “future soul” of LA of the past decade heralded by the likes of trailblazers like J*Davey, Sa-Ra Creative Partners and Georgia Anne Muldrow. Members of the Odd Future collective, The Internet brought a sense of sophistication to the otherwise “bratty”, then under-25 crew. On each follow-up, The Internet grew away from Odd Future’s “shock” image and into their own as a legit force in modern live band soul. By the time of Ego Death, The Internet were no longer just a legit force but now arguably one of the best bands of their generation. Ego Death is a magnus opus and easily the best album to ever come out of the Odd Future camp (only Channel Orange can match it but it can be argued if Ocean was ever an actual member of the crew). Sleek, sexy, clever, thoughtful and distinctively LA (dizzy, balmy, calm), Ego Death is the sound of a band not only finding its wings but soaring. Syd’s supple soprano is fully realized now whereas it was still in development a couple albums ever before. Now fleshed out into a five-member band, the grooves are all vivid—the bass warm and sometimes rumbling, the guitar prickly, the keys always sweet—and the songs—which were just loose groove sketches before—all fully formed. Ego Death’s peaks with the dreamy “Girl”, co-produced with Kaytranada, and proved to be a career highlight for both acts (and made for my personal favorite song of the decade). Yet, despite “Girl”’’s awestruckness, Ego Death never falters. And even if ego dies, its appeal will not.

 9.      THE WEEKND, House of Balloons (self released, 2011)

I still remember listening to “What You Need” on some music blog back in late 2010 in my college dorm. It’s sinewy sexed up R&B groove and lyrical promises to “knock your boot off” were nothing new but it’s approach was. There was something alien about it and sinister. Very sinister. It was almost like hearing the aural equivalent of a Jodeci video directed by David Lynch. It was sensual but dark. Little was known about the artist that recorded “Need” when I first started to listening to the song. All we were given was the name The Weeknd and a blurry gray picture of an obscured face. Soon enough, “What You Need” was given a home via release entitled House of Balloons which was self released and available for free download. And The Weeknd was given a face via an Ethiopian-Canadian singer from Toronto named Abel Tesfaye.  And both House of Balloons and The Weekend were given a distinct aesthetic; an aesthetic that would inform and influence popular music for the entire decade.

 Listening to House of Balloons nearly a decade later is an interesting experience. Back in the days when I downloaded Balloons on its day of release, it’s sound was incredibly fresh. The noirish, downtempo grooves, Tesfaye’s slightly off-key falsetto, naked references to Oxycontin, drugged out debauchery, empty sex and fatal heartbreak, indie rock samples and unrelenting vibe-over-song structure was all so, well, new. It didn’t take long for The Weeknd to be labeled as the vanguard of something called “Alternative R&B” alongside LA-based auteurs Frank Ocean and Miguel.

 Yet, nearly a decade later, Balloons sounds almost like parody. Tesfaye’s vocals seem almost amateur-ish. The lyrics can feel almost like bad fan-fiction. Its low-slung, vibey atmospheres almost generic. Yet, this reappraisal just speaks to just how massive Balloons’ influence was on mainstream R&B and hip hop. What was new in 2011 had become commonplace a decade later. In other words, House of Balloons set the template for what followed on the charts (alongside the entire oeuvre of another fellow Toronto native who went from teen TV star to the rap superstar of the decade). Even if its follow-ups—released months apart—were stronger and more realized. Even if a sanitized and often altered version of these songs were re-released upon The Weeknd signing to a major label conglomerate within a year of his first three efforts’ self releases and packaged as Trilogy (the alterations were largely due to sample clearance issues). Even if The Weeknd became a shell of himself artistically after Balloons—and its two follow-ups Thursday and Echoes of Silence, respectively--while becoming one of the biggest male pop stars in the world by the middle of the decade. Despite whatever occurred in its aftermath, House of Balloons will always remain a document in time of when the new became the standard. And Abel Tesfaye was an exciting force in music, regardless of how brief.

  10.  KHRUANGBIN, Como Todo El Mundo (Dead Oceans, 2018)

By 2018, I finally caught up with the world and entered into the world of streamimg after having my umpteenth iPod Classic clash. Tired of spending $340 every 1.5 to 2 years because of glitch Apple software, I reluctantly decided to let my android become my new source of sound. I signed up for a premium membership on Spotify (no plug!) for $9.99 and pressed play. One feature on Spotify that I grew to anticipate was the Discover Weekly playlist which collected thirty songs that almogriths decided I’d like based on listening history. I was both startled and delighted by how accurate the selections were. While I was already familiar with a large percentage of the songs compiled, I made several wonderful discoveries. The one that stands out amongst the rest is a lazy but endless little funk groove called “Evan Finds the Third Room”. There was something very “exotic” about “Evan” yet familiar. It evoked a lot of things—early ‘80s Lower East Side NYC post-punk, early ‘70s garage funk, Jamaican dub—but sounded like nothing specific. And that is the magic of Como Todo El Mundo, Khruangbin’s--a Texan trio comprised of bassist Laura Lee, guitarist Mark Speer and drummer Donald Johnson—sophomore album. It is music that conjures up a slew of vibes that you’ve heard before but nothing in particular. In other words, it like nothing that you’ve heard before. For instance, the closer (and standout) “Friday Morning” sounds vaguely like what Ice Cube’s “It Was A Good Day” would sound like if it were on a hell of an acid trip. That the trio created such a wonderful psychedelic musical carpet ride that remains funky and irresistible throughout its duration with few words is even incredible. With Como, there is no need for any psychedelic substance your body when the music here already bends your mind and soothes your spirits so vividly.

 10 That Almost Made the 10 of the ‘10s:

Frank Ocean, Channel Orange (Def Jam, 2012)

Jose James, Blackmagic (Brownswood, 2010)

Erykah Badu, New Amerykah: Return of the Anhk (Universal Motown, 2010)

JMSN, JMSN (White Room, 2014)

Dam-Funk, Invite the Light (Stones Thow, 2015)

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, Pinata (Madlib Invasion, 2014)

Little Dragon, Ritual Union (Peacefrog, 2011) OR Nabuma Rubberband (Loma Vista, 2014)

Flying Lotus, Until the Quiet Comes (Warp, 2012)

Robert Glasper Experiment, Black Radio (Blue Note, 2012)

YG, My Krazy Life (Def Jam, 2014)

[buzzfeedreader]

Jonathan Leibson / Getty Images

SZA’s Ctrl is a black girl’s Tumblr come to melodic, vibrant life.

SZA, who is 26 years old and grew up in New Jersey, is speaking in a specific vernacular that will be familiar to black women who spend chunks of their time in certain corners of the internet. It is apparent right from the opening song, "Supermodel," which begins with a recording of the singer’s mother speaking on the grand theme of the record (“That is my greatest fear. That if, if I lost control or did not have control, things would just, you know. I would be be...fatal”). It’s not that the lyrics come in the form of some impenetrable fancy language, necessarily — it is standard (African-)American English, after all — it is the attitude with which she throws out the lyrics that catches the ear, and then makes the words linger on the mind.

When she plaintively sings “Why can’t I stay alone just by myself / wish I was comfortable just with myself” on that opener, for example, you can almost taste the minimalist Tumblr theme; if you close your eyes you can picture an ironic Blingee lighting up on a loop behind your eyelids. Ctrl is covering much of the ground that fills my own dashboard up every single day, the hundreds of posts that essentially boil down to a quest for self-determination — self-determination in a world that seems hell-bent on pushing us into predesignated roles and situations. And that is expressed in pithy but heartfelt text posts about black girl magic in all its forms, mood boards and videos of hair and fashion inspiration, and the men and women we fancy and love, alongside photo sets and GIF sets of nostalgia-nourished TV shows and age-relevant quotes about life and love and self-care. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that SZA was for a good long time an active Tumblr user (I have followed her on there for years). Even now, via her million-follower Instagram, her preferred platform these days, SZA is still doing much of what her Tumblr used to do (minus the direct contact afforded by her Ask box). Last month she posted a screenshot of a Tumblr post about awkward flirting with the caption: “who dragged me like this?”

SZA’s reputation has been building for years via a couple of well-received EPs, See.SZA.Run and S, and her first studio album Z. In 2013, she signed with indie label Top Dawg Entertainment, the home of Kendrick Lamar and the rest of the Black Hippy crew — the first woman to do so. Three years later, she appeared on and co-wrote Rihanna’s opening Anti track, “Consideration.” Collaborating with the likes of Jill Scott and Chance the Rapper, she’s been making atmospheric, lush, and moody R&B that is as much throwback as it is forward-looking, and it is a combination that has made listeners consider her a safe pair of hands (3.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify is no small feat, after all) — the evidence of which lies in her label’s ease with releasing Ctrl in the same week as Katy Perry’s latest.

Music like SZA’s found its first home on Black Girl Tumblr. Or, at the very least, gained loyal followings there. Artists like SZA, H.E.R., Jennah Bell, Jhené Aiko, and so on were the much-cherished discoveries of like-minded girls and young women who were also yearning for their own reflection to come back undistorted. And so perhaps it is inevitable and fitting that listening to SZA’s Ctrl often feels like reading a series of all lowercase, punctuation-free Tumblr text posts. Those posts are often telling a version of the truth, comically bemused but with an arched eyebrow. SZA is earnest, yes, but that doesn’t mean her eyebrow isn’t raised throughout Ctrl.

You can almost hear that eyebrow creak upward on "Garden (Say It Like Dat)” in which she sings engagingly about self-doubt and anxiety: “Lie to me and say / my booty gettin’ bigger even if it ain’t” is a funny, relatable lyric. And even before she expands it into something more plainly stated, it carries undertones of a little sort of sadness. The latter half of this second-verse lyric, for example, is tongue in cheek and on the nose: “I know you'd rather be laid up with a big booty / body hella positive ‘cause she got a big booty” (her ad-lib — an incredulous “wow” — is pitch-perfect). But then the emotion pinballs quickly again with the quiet admission that comes by verse’s end: “You know I'm sensitive ‘bout havin' no booty / havin' no body / only you, buddy / can you / hold me when nobody’s around us?”

In many ways SZA is singing about the things we have come to expect from our indie-slash-folksy white female singer-songwriters, but what Ctrl is delivering comes as experienced and reported through a firmly black girl lens. Like another young musician who has developed an ardent following, British singer-songwriter Nao, SZA makes pop that's sincere — almost painfully so — but she is also playful and smart and funny. Even when she is not in control (of her gravity, of her ex, of the size of her booty), she’s still "finding herself" while remaining refreshingly self-aware — she knows who she is and roughly where she wants to end up. I thought a lot about Nao’s For All We Know while listening to Ctrl and had a clear thought: Where Nao’s constructions sound something akin to black girl church, SZA sounds like the aftermath of a black girl night out (one in which you might have found yourself crying in the club). It perfectly encapsulates that keyed-up post-club, pre-sleep 3 a.m. feeling when feelings are close to the surface.

There is also a firmness in SZA’s persona on this record, best exemplified by her grandmother’s short, spirited interlude at the end “Love Galore”, addressing SZA by her given name, Solána Imani Rowe: “But see, Solána? If you don’t say something, speak up for yourself, they think you stupid. You know what I’m saying?” It’s a nod and a wink to the listener. SZA knows who’s listening, and who that message is for. Another noteworthy and matter-of-fact exemplification comes straight out the gate on “Doves in the Wind”: “Real niggas do not deserve pussy.” Which is self-explanatory.

On “The Weekend,” a soon-to-be sidepiece classic, SZA is funny: “My man is my man is your man / heard it’s her man too,” she coos dismissively before telling her paramour to make sure he’s at her place “by 10:30 / no later than / drop them drawers / give me what I want.” And on “Drew Barrymore” (a geniusly titled song, effortlessly conjuring as it does images of '90s teen rom-coms and coded norms of suburban insecurity and acceptance), she is sharp: “I’m sorry you got karma comin’ to you.” When she sings wistfully about the titular character from 1994 film Forrest Gump (first in cinemas when she was 4), SZA’s being cute but also serious — imagine a world in which pussy was given to only deserving men! “Where's Forrest now when you need him?” she intones almost solemnly on "Doves in the Wind.” “Talk to me.”

The dip into the '90s oeuvre of Robert Zemeckis notwithstanding, Ctrl is very much of the now. Even with its dizzying array of producers, the entire record sounds cohesively and fluently like 2017: Peep the references to Netflix show Narcos (which also got a shoutout on Stormzy’s 2017 LP Gang Signs and Prayer) or the aforementioned “body positive” (a term whose overuse has given it an unearned negative reputation on Tumblr and beyond). On “Normal Girl,” SZA borrows liberally from Drake’s 2016 single “Controlla” (“You like it / when I be / aggressive”). Even the nostalgic TV Ctrl harks back to is curiously very current again: that period in the '90s that young people have rediscovered and which they quote liberally from, thanks to streaming. SZA refers to comedy sketch show MadTV on “Doves in the Wind,” and on “Go Gina” she uses one of Martin Lawrence’s catchphrases from his sitcom Martin.

Ctrl is a mishmash of so many influences, which will continue to reveal themselves as it beds in with listeners. Its pop DNA is evident in its many catchy hooks and choruses (“Prom” sounds like a 2017 update of Gwen Stefani’s “Cool,” for example), and her guest stars — Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, James Fauntleroy, Isaiah Rashad — add weight but are never overwhelming. SZA has an ear for what is aurally pleasing and commercial: Upon my third listen to the record, I was struck by how happily pretty much every song would sit on the soundtrack of a teen show (won’t someone invite her to score a black girl coming-of-age movie, please?).

What sells the record best, though, is SZA’s own conviction. Like the black girls who live their multi-adjectived lives on Tumblr, she is the best chronicler of her own life. It’s an expansion of self-identity that stretches beyond Strong Black Woman (which is not entirely discarded as one facet) and travels into the territory we have always known was in us. SZA’s music is vulnerable and sweet, self-questioning and self-affirming, all at the same time, in a way that is performative, yes — but also intimate and tender. It is a snapshot of one 26-year-old’s life right now, much like all those Tumblrs are moments in amber. Ctrl feels “Dear Diary” real, which is to say it is Black Girl Tumblr writ large. Control, in all avenues, is the defining characteristic, and it is powerful. “I belong to nobody / hope it don’t bother you / you can mind your business / I belong to nobody” SZA sings on “Go Gina.”

Listening to Ctrl, you don’t doubt it.

—Bim Adewunmi on SZA’s new album

[mrwilliamcharley]

Run The Trap’s Top 25 Hip-Hop Songs Of 2018

It’s no easy task to rank the top songs of a genre for a full year, and it’s especially difficult when that genre is as all-encompassing as hip-hop. And it was an amazing year as hip-hop dominated the charts and massive albums like Scorpion, Astroworld, and Kamikaze exploded. Without further ado, our top 25 hip-hop songs of 2018.

Run the Trap’s Top 25 Hip-Hop Songs Of 2018 | SoundCloud Playlist

25. Mac Miller – Self Care

This is a good example of a song that absolutely had to make the cut. You don’t know what you have until it’s gone, and Mac Miller was an example of an underrated puzzle piece in the American hip-hop culture. His song “Self Care” rocketed through the charts following his passing from a drug overdose, as many connected with the message in a year that brought mental health to the forefront of American conversations, especially within the music community.

24. The Carters – APESHIT

Beyoncé and Jay-Z have always been a super team, but when they teamed up to release one of the year’s biggest hits in “APESHIT”, everyone lost it. The beat is simple, but the rappers’ lines and flow are flawless. The track references their come up through the game to their current life of luxury, a theme found throughout much of The Carter’s rap discography. Also, “APESHIT” was one of Barack Obama’s favorite songs in 2018, so there’s that.

23. A$AP Rocky – Praise The Lord

Popular within meme culture as well as the radio, A$AP Rocky‘s “Praise The Lord” was one of this year’s top hits. This song also was part of a growing movement within the UK Rap Scene, as it featured the prominent UK rapper Skepta. As part of his album Testing, A$AP Rocky discusses his religious and spiritual beliefs, landing him at number twenty-three on the list.

22. Eminem – Killshot

Aim. Fire. “Killshot.” That’s exactly what Eminem did to poor Machine Gun Kelly, in a diss track firing back at Kelly’s “Rap Devil” diss track. As most diss tracks are, this track is entirely focused on the lyrical elements, including Eminem’s typical amazing word play and heavy burns.

21. SR3MM – Powerglide

Contrary to the Eminem track, this song is mainly driven by Mally Mall, Jean Hovart and Mike Will Made It’s incredible production – no disrespect to  SR3MM. A catchy and pop-styled hip-hop song, “Powerglide” was probably on your Spotify’s repeat earlier this summer.

21. Lil Baby – Drip Too Hard

The lead single from Lil Baby and Gunna’s debut collaborative album, Drip Harder, “Drip Too Hard” is part of Lil Baby’s explosion into the rap scene.  Both the song and album title are homages to Lil Baby and Gunna’s respective “Hard” and “Drip” series of mixtapes and albums. Keep an eye on Lil Baby as he continues his progression in the rap scene, with his lead single landing him at twenty-one on the list.

19. Lil Peep & XXXTENTACION – Falling Down

An alternative version of the song “Sunlight On Your Skin” which features iLoveMakonnen, “Falling Down” instead features XXXTENTACION and was made after Lil Peep’s death. There was some alleged controversy, as Lil Peep’s team claims that Peep had no intention of releasing that version of the song due to XXXTENTACION’s history. iLoveMakonnen, who was featured on the original version of the song, said on his Instagram that he was “honored to have co-written this song that X was inspired to be a part of, shortly before he died”.

18. Post Malone – Better Now

Post Malone might be hip-hop’s favorite nice guy. Known for his hilarious internet antics, Posty has risen to the top as a fan favorite. In “Better Now”, Post Malone reminisces about a past relationship, claiming both he and his ex miss each other though both are trying to mask their feelings. Both feel that they let each other down in some way but it was never their intention. Post suggests if they met up with each other again there is a possibility they could hook up again. In a top sad boy rap song of 2018, “Better Now” lands at number eighteen

17. Travis Scott – STARGAZING

As you have heard across rap this year and will see as this list continues, 2018 found many popular songs to have choppy arrangement, with some combining seemingly different songs into one unique track. “STARGAZING” continues the trend, opening up with an atmospheric feel as Travis Scott describes the experience of an unpredictable psychedelic trip. Switching between his regular cadence and an auto-tuned falsetto, Scott alludes to his drug use and relationship with Kylie Jenner and their daughter Stormi. The song then switches into a much tighter, more aggressive mix, where Scott goes absolutely in. The song title could be a reference to Houston’s iconic ties to astrological exploration, with NASA’s Mission Control Center being located in Travis’s hometown. It wouldn’t be surprising, as Scott makes references to Houston multiple times throughout the album.

16. Drake – Nonstop

Quickly stepping out of the nameless/faceless/objective writer persona, I have to say “Nonstop” is my personal favorite rap song in 2018. TayKieth, who has produced tons of songs on this list, absolutely murdered this song…like MURDERED it. The song opens up with that incredulously large sub-loop, paired with a perfectly mixed kick and beautifully crisp, high-end drums. The production on this song is A1, and there simply isn’t enough to be said about it.

Drake’s vocals enter stage left, introduced by the definitive statement that he “just flipped a switch,” setting the tone for the incoming tirade about his nonstop success in the rap scene. Many of Drake’s lyrics also allude to the conflict he faced with Pusha-T and Kanye West over the summer, and Drake confirmed on HBO’s “The Shop” that he channeled much of his frustration from that into tracks like “Nonstop”.

15. Kanye West – All Mine

The top song on his 2018 album Ye, Kanye talks about the topic of infidelity. Happily married to Kim Kardashian, West goes on to talk about controlling his desires while in a committed relationship. With his line “letting the genie out the bottle,” West alludes to an action that cannot be reversed, such as cheating. Kanye goes as far to call out many celebrities for their infidelity, including Tristian Thompson, who was exposed for cheating on his then-pregnant partner Khloe Kardashian, Kanye’s sister-in-law.

14. Lil Wayne – Uproar (feat. Swizz Beatz)

In an album that was supposed to be released in 2014, but was delayed for multiple years due to conflict with Cash Money Records label-boss Birdman, Lil Wayne warns his enemies to stop playing with him before he causes an “Uproar”. Ecstatic to see the New Orleans native back in action, fans across the globe clambered to get a listen to Wayne’s newest release, and they were not disappointed.

13. Travis Scott – Butterfly Effect

Produced by Murda Beatz, “Butterfly Effect” builds on the quintessential Travis Scott spacey ad libs and builds an environment to match, with a beautiful repeating melody and soft percussion. The ‘butterfly effect’ is the concept that small causes can have large effects. Travis Scott is also using a double-entendre with “butterfly” wherein as he refers to the doors on his Lamborghini car. First released as a single off his ASTROWORLD album, “Butterfly Effect” is one of the top songs off Scott’s album, landing number thirteen on the list overall.

12. Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future & James Blake – King’s Dead

We’ve already discussed how great the music video for “King’s Dead” was, and almost a year later it seems that this song is deserving of a top honor. Our original article for the music video, which was released the same day the Black Panther was released in theaters, could not have predicted the quality of the epic soundtrack.

11. Migos – Walk It Talk It

So many more songs from Culture II could be included on this list, but as mentioned in the article’s preface, we can only pick 25. “Walk It Talk It” was clearly the most popular song off of Culture II, with over 300,000 streams on Spotify alone. In “Walk It Talk It,” Migos and Drake take jabs at fake people around them who can’t walk the life that they talk about. As some of the top artists in the game right now, Migos and Drake are clearly walking it like they talk it, landing them at number eleven on the list.

10. Kanye West & Lil Pump – I Love It

Weird music video, great song. Kanye West teamed up with Lil Pump to create one of this year’s top songs in “I Love It.” Sure, Kanye may be struggling with some issues in the public eye, but his production skills haven’t lost their touch.

The video debuted at the inaugural Pornhub Awards in Los Angeles, California. Kanye linked with PornHub following an interview in which Jimmy Kimmel asked Kanye if having daughters had changed Kanye’s attitude toward women, to which he replied, “Nah, I still look at Pornhub.”

9. BlocBoy JB – Look Alive (feat. Drake)

An homage to his hometown of Memphis, BlocBoy JB‘s “Look Alive” was a standout of the year. Featuring Drake, the track was released via OVO Sound and is easily his most successful track to date surpassing over 505 million streams on Spotify. This track lands up-and-comer Blocboy JB at number nine.

8. Drake – Nice For What

Drake’s “Nice For What” takes the cake as the female empowerment song of 2018. With relatable lyrics supported by a New Orleans styled bounce beat, Drake and Murda Beatz aim to create something women can “cut up to.”  With female driven lyrics littered throughout the song, the message is further supported by NOLA’s Big Freedia, a figure of empowerment within the rap scene.

From a sonic perspective, “Nice For What” is known for its choppy arrangement. At one point, BlaqNmilD abruptly cuts the beat, leaving just the kick and female vocals before the listener is suddenly warned to “watch the breakdown,” transitioning the song back into its high energy, percussive bounce beat. Drake and his team absolutely destroyed this song, leaving “Nice For What” at number nine on the list.

7. Juice WRLD – Lucid Dreams

Juice WRLD‘s “Lucid Dreams” explores the pain of a breakup through the metaphor of a Lucid Dream, a state of awareness during one’s dream that allows the dreamer to control the reality they are perceiving. As Juice goes through the stages of his breakup, he aims to control his mental reality by simply forgetting his ex, pushing aside the universal stress and heartache that comes after any breakup.  Nick Mira’s beat puts the listener in the mind of Juice’s dreams, as soft, atmospheric bells dance around while Juice delivers his promise to control his reality and emotions.

6. Cardi B– I Like It

Complete with horns, Latin Grooves, and an infectious trap beat, Cardi B flaunts her Latin heritage in “I Like It.” Released as a part of her album Invasion Of Privacy at the top of the year, Cardi B won over thousands of new fans, and established herself as one of the top artists in today’s age. The song samples Pete Rodriguez’s 1967 boogaloo song “I Like It Like That”, and guest features Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny and Colombian reggaetón star J Balvin.

5. Drake – In My Feelings

The “In My Feelings” challenge was one of the most viral video challenges of 2018, as thousands of American’s found themselves dancing to the beat, their moves synchronized to the famous catchy chorus. As the song shifts from Drake’s emotional rant, the City Girls come in and crush a hook layered over a sample of Magnolia Shorty’s “Smoking Gun,” a New Orleans styled bounce track originally produced by BlaqNmilD. This is the second bounce track on the top 25, both of which were produced as part of Drake’s Scorpion.

4. Childish Gambino – This Is America

This Is America. Don’t catch you slipping up. Childish Gambino‘s internet sensation was easily the most woke song of 2018, with its famous music video decrypting the hype song as much more than just a summer banger. Gambino’s commentary spoke to the day to day internet nonsense that is distracting the American people from addressing today’s important social issues. On top of the important message “This Is America” brought to the forefront of conversation, the beat, play-on-words, and cinematography of the music video were grade A works of art, landing “This Is America” at number 4 on 2018’s list.

3. XXTENTACION – SAD!

With over 780 Million streams on Spotify, XXXTENTACION‘s “SAD!” is clearly a top 5 song of 2018. A somber song about love, “SAD!” has resonated with millions of rap fans this year.

2. Travis Scott – Sicko Mode

Nothing is more hype than sitting in a club, and all of the sudden you hear those infamous, horn-like chords that open up the song. Travis Scott‘s “Sicko Mode” was an instant hit upon its release. With a dynamic and tight mix that features lines from Scott and Drake, listeners found themselves on an ASTROWORLD roller coaster, with twists and turns as the song progressed across its three sections. As one of the ultimate turn up songs of 2018, “Sicko Mode” lands at number two on the list.

1. Drake – God’s Plan

“God’s Plan” is by far the most popular hip-hop song of 2018. With 1.1 BILLION streams on Spotify alone and another 900 million on his epic music video, Drake cemented himself as the top hip-hop artist of 2018. There isn’t much more that needs to be said about the number one song on this list, as it has been on repeat the entire year across clubs, radio stations, and Spotify playlists.

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'Run The Trap’s Top 25 Hip-Hop Songs Of 2018

The post Run The Trap’s Top 25 Hip-Hop Songs Of 2018 appeared first on Run The Trap: The Best EDM, Hip Hop & Trap Music.

from Run The Trap: The Best EDM, Hip Hop & Trap Music http://bit.ly/2VjVLRH

[spiceukonline]

Loyle Carner - The underdog who should win the Mercury Prize

Loyle Carner - The underdog who should win the Mercury Prize

Originality

Production

Tracks

Lyrics

Impact

2017-07-31

4.6/FIVE

It makes me laugh that I only came across Loyle Carner because of a PR email sent to SpiceUK. A little over 18 months ago, his manager was asking us to come and see him in concert. Now we’d do anything for an interview.

Yesterday’s Gone is definitely my album of the year up to now, but my choices don’t often correlate with the Mercury Prize judging panel. Sometimes criticised for being a bit ‘snobby’ with their choices, they are on the search for “artistic achievement'”, celebrating a range of different genres that provide “a snapshot of the year in music”. Their top 12 albums will always be criticised by someone, and there will inevitably be arguments about the winner. But one thing remains, it’s kind of a big deal.

So why is Loyle a deserved winner?

  Pushing boundaries in a genre

Name a British hip-hop star who is respected in the mainstream, as well as within the genre. Now don’t bite my head off, I’m not talking about Grime, we all know Grime is massive, I mean proper hip-hop. Old-school, stylistic, clever lyrics over a funky beat with a few DJ scratches. There has never been an equivalent in this country to the likes of Dr Dre, Tupac and Drake. The way they rhyme has more bounce than UK rappers, Grime is more confrontational, and whether fanatics of the genre like it, this isn’t for everyone.

In my opinion, Loyle is the first of his kind. No one has been able to replicate this style, adored by millions, within the UK’s borders. Moreover, creating such content without relying on the usual rapper go to’s is mind-boggling. There’s a reason hip-hop has a bad name. Even though it speaks the truth about a lot of people’s lives, you can’t get away with talking about drugs, bitches and guns all day long on the radio.

A first person confession about his upbringing in South London, Yesterday’s Gone doesn’t need to rely on the usual click-bait inspirations, no gun fingers or young money will be found here. Carner is part of a new age in this genre,  following the likes of Chance the Rapper and King Kendrick, who are using their music to show you don’t have to be a bad guy to make a rhyme. When you hold artistic influence, it is important to use it wisely.

On Stage Presence

I know this award is about the artistic brilliance of an album but, for me, to discount how it is performed, is naive. Would Skepta really have won last year if all the albums had been listened to independently, discounting who they were and how they are on stage? Knowing how a performer transforms their work is essential to understanding their true talent. For Loyle, this is what he excels at.

He skips through his lyrics with an infectious charm, an ultimate confidence, which reminds me of Kendrick Lamar in a lot of ways. He has no on stage ego, no fake gangster signs, no lies, just him. Balancing cheeky cockiness with respectful modesty, he even brought his mum on stage at Glastonbury, before making the crowd bounce to a song about her. Girls love him, boys want to be him, and the critics can’t shut up about him.

For me, his relationship with DJ and right-hand man, Rebel Kleff, is a big part of his on stage persona. They must practice their songs to within an inch of their life, telling stories about failed fathers and teenage struggles. This connection with the music is hard to find, bubbling through any venue he decides to play. It is this energy that makes me know he could fill any room with his style, from the smallest of venues to the most of impressive of stadiums – his narrative holds no boundaries.

Community Factor

I’ve touched upon how Yesterday’s Gone is not your usual rap album. His understated tone relies upon his childhood memories, and I think it is important to understand how a person’s life controls their music.

Benjamin Gerard Coyle-Larner grew up in Croyden, with his Mother and Step-Father. (He says he has little contact with his biological father). He has ADHD and dyslexia, has been involved in music and drama from a very early age and now helps run several community projects to help children in similar circumstances. The most famous of these are the cookery classes he helps run with The Goma Collective, taking full advantage of his other passion, cooking, and helping children who have similar “problems” that he had.

“She could be my freckle-face fidgeter, me but miniature, sleeping on the sofa ’til she tackles and I tickle her” – Florence is Loyle’s story pretending he has a little sister, so his Mum has another girl to spend time with

Of course, you might be sitting there saying there are plenty of nice people about but that’s got nothing to do with their music. But what I plead with you to understand is how effortlessly eloquently Carner puts this across in his music. ‘NO CD‘ follows the story of an excited child building their music collection, ‘Isle of Arran‘ creates sounds that seductively describes a grieving family and ‘Aint Nothing Changed‘ faces up to the rejection Carner faced when trying to reach the top. This album is a journey through the life and times of a boy wanting to make a name for himself, and the thing that will project him from yesterday into the future.

Simply put, Loyle Carner stands out for all the right reasons. Charismatic yet modest, talented with a personality, honest but doesn’t feel the need to depress you whilst on stage. He is an artist as well as a musician, in everything he does, ticking a lot of the Mercury prize boxes. And when all this is said and done, he probably has no chance of winning because he is too niche, even for this prize. A real underdog amongst a vast array of talent, would they really give it to an MC two years in a row? Well, if that is their choice, there is no stopping where he might end up next.

[surge42-blog]

StereNOtype

As the world around us change from politics, fashion, social issues etc so does the music we listen to. Today my fellow followers...oh wait, I have no followers so I guess I'm talking to myself right now...oh well, I would like to talk about the impact of stereotypes on hip-hop music. NERDY GEEKS & GEEKY NERDS --- Recently during yet another hip-hop related debate I saw someone in the comment sections say he doesn't like a rapper whose name I will not disclose is only for nerds...and he meant it in a bad way, and with the ambiguity of the words nerd and geek it was safe to say he referred to both of these words. His viewpoint was rather preposterous and here is why: Nerds/Geeks that are not part of the NERDCORE rap genre have been killing it in the rap game. Let me go way back to the 90's. In the East Coast, in New York to be precise, rose a hip-hop supergroup by the name of The Wu-Tang Clan. One of rap's best hip-hop collectives if not the best, the de facto leader of the group, RZA, has made it no secret that he is a Nerd/Geek. Before some guy hits me with a "how sway?" line let me explain. RZA has another side to him, an alter ego called Bobby Digital, his geeky/nerdy persona, but aside from the Bobby Digital stuff (I love saying Bobby Digital), RZA is already am extremely smart emcee, he loves comic books and watching martial arts flicks even incorporating it into his rap collective (in true otaku/fan boy fashion). Next on the list is Kanye West, the man who paved the way for future generations of nerds and geeks in the industry. At a time when rap was all about braggadocio and that street life, Kanye on the other hand took a different approach. He wanted to be true to himself as a geek/nerd so he thought "Since I ain't a gang banger how about I go with what I have". Years later Ye has cemented his spot as a legend. Soon many followed such as Lupe Fiasco with Food & Liquor, The Cool, and Tetsuo & Youth under his belt, and Childish Gambino with Camp, Because The Internet under his. And who can leave out Tyler, the Creator out of the equation? Heck even the now popular Lil Uzi Vert is a nerd/geek as referenced by his love for anime and the graphic novel Scott Pilgrim. QUEER EYE FOR THE RAP GUY --- Sexuality is one of the more cringeworthy topics to have amongst people,a topic many shy away from. I had a chat with a friend a while back about Frank Ocean, he would listen to Blonde a lot but be confused about "certain" lines. I explained to him that Frank Ocean is and always has been gay and never his it from anyone. At this realization he said "I'm deleting this album" and I did a mental smh when he said that. As we know rap is seen as the type of music thats heavily filled with braggadocio, machismo, and whatever other masculine phrase there is. In recent years we've seen the likes of Jaden Smith wear dresses, Young Thug wearing a dress on his album cover, and now rompers are now creeping into male society. A lot of people see these things and call it "gay" and use it as a reason to belittle a rappers music. Gay has been associated with weakness or in the case of rap weakness in lyrics as well. Last year (2016) we saw the rise of Young M.A (is it em aye? Or ma?) a lesbian femcee, she came into the mainstream with OOOUUU which has been remixed left and right and we gotta admit her cypher on BET slapped. We have Chance The Rapper's younger brother and fellow rapper, Taylor Bennett, open up about his sexuality (he's bisexual just so you know, even ILoveMakonnen has admitted to being bisexual. Former Black Eyed Pea, Fergie, is also bisexual...heck Angel Haze is pansexual for crying out loud and their music is good. They are examples that there is hope in the LGBTQ society in the industry. BLACK TO THE FUTURE --- Ahh and last but not least is the topic of race. Original "rap" was a fast spoken poetry used long ago that even Shakespeare might've dropped some bars himself back in his time. Modern rap emerged from New York as a form of expression by black people. Rap was that edgy sound equivalent to rock music, it was an infectious sound, but it wasn't a white sound. When Vanilla Ice picked up the mic we were not given some country tune or any guitar riffs but were given rap's funniest figures. No one expected Mr. Ice-Ice-Baby to even reach plastic, he went as far as reaching 7x platinum with no features. But one day a boy from the motor city itself, Detroit, Michigan came up, carried on the shoulders of Dr. Dre, it was none other than Eminem. The Rap God as he is referred to, in my youth I recall seeing him and Dre dressed up as Batman and Robin, and I giggled at "Ass Like That". But he has showed us that white people go hard too, we've seen an increase in white rappers such as Machine Gun Kelly, Slim Jesus, G-Eazy, and Lil Dicky (lol he said dicky). An interesting specimen is Logic, although not many will admit it some folks harbor hatred for Logic because they see him as the white kid who so trying too hard to be black (glares at Just on Bieber), some comparing him a cheap imitation of Cole and Kendrick for various reasons. This specific hate on Logic is, dare I say, illogical. In reality Logic's mother is white while his father is black. This is the exact same thing with J.Cole and Drake, both have white and black parents but people are fine with them because their features lean more towards the black side as opposed to Logic who looks more white than black. Bottom line here is that rap music is more than just boasting about women consuming your phallic body part, how manly you are, or how gangsta you are, it's a form of expression of the individual, like interpretive dance...but for the voice instead. Scroll down my tumblr for more articles and follow me....please follow me, I can't keep talking to myself like this lol.

[therappundit]

May 2017 - *PlayLi$t of the Month*

Here we are, in that weird middle zone of the year where it’s not quite summer, but it’s too damn muggy to be spring. Yup, we have already gotten a taste of what kinda heat summer 2017 is going to bring, which means we need to adjust our playlists accordingly. 

Much like 2016, rap music in 2017 has brought us the kind of diversity in sound styles which is guaranteed to make arguments about everyone’s ‘Best Of’ lists interesting. But let’s not got ahead of ourselves, the year is still young, and these are just some of the joints I’ve been bangin’ this month...

1. “Spurs” - Conway ft. Benny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1AtRI-wU34

(My favorite cut off of Conway’s Reject On Steroids. The beat is hard enough to chip a tooth on, and Benny & Conway are sounding like Jadakiss & Styles P on steroids right now.)

2. “Issa” - 21 Savage ft. Drake & Young Thug

http://www.stereogum.com/1942825/21-savage-issa-feat-drake-young-thug/music/

(21 reminds me of a modern rap hybrid of Snoop and 50 Cent. He’s able to sound chill on every track, but his persona is intimidating enough to add gravitas to every threat he delivers. Drizzy and Thugga sound like they’re having fun on this one, too...which makes me wonder if inclusion of this song on More Life’s track list would have made life a little more interesting.)

3. “Bleacher Report” - Willie The Kid & V Don

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTGXG-iwGVs

(Possibly the most raw track on Willie The Kid & V Don’s Deutsche Marks tape, V laces WTK with militaristic drums, backed by a spooky sample which Willie proceeds to tap dance over with some slick bars that would make Raekwon and Roc Marciano tip their caps. This project should officially anoint V Don an elite underground producer, and successfully welcomes back Willie to the highest rung of the underground wordsmith ladder. I hope this means WTK is back on the scene for good.)

4. “Legendary” - Jamal Gasol ft. Sage Infinite

https://soundcloud.com/jamal-gasol/legendary-ft-sage-infinite-prod-intifada-beats

(It seems to be a recurring theme: what is happening in upstate New York!? Niagara Falls’ Jamal Gasol connects with The Winners’ Sage Infinite to light up an eerie instrumental as if they were auditioning for a record contract. Bars on top of bars on this one...and to borrow a line from Sage, this thing is HARD like "missing lay-ups and having to hustle back". )

5. “iLL” - Conway & DJ Green Lantern ft. Royce Da 5′9

http://nahright.com/2017/05/23/dj-green-lantern-ft-royce-da-59-conway-ill/

(When The Machine and 5′9 get together, you know that you’re in store for rewind-worthy material. Reject On Steroids is packin’ some heat, folks.)

6. “Magnolia” - Playboi Carti

https://soundcloud.com/678carti/magnolia-1

(An early contender for the summer smash crown, Carti might not spin gold over Pierre’s fun & bouncy beat, but he certainly knows how to provide a contagious flow when he needs one. This track is begging for a star-studded remix.)

7. “Tiddly Winks [stx]” - Mach-Hommy & Knxwledge

https://mach-hommy.bandcamp.com/track/tiddly-winks-stx

(Mach and Knxwledge sneakily dropped a tape on Bandcamp roughly two weeks ago, but no worries folks, I was all over it. As a MC + producer combo, the two have natural chemistry, and right now I feel like this track off of The Spook is the best example of that.)

8. “Left Hollywood” - Meek Mill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw0UufFr0qM

(Meek dropped a few tracks this month, and this one was easily the gem of the bunch. Meek still has a raw hunger and energy that comes off well when combined with the right production, and he is certainly at his strongest when dropping verses that reflect on his past, as he does on “Left Hollywood”.)

9. “24 Hours” - Willie The Kid & V Don ft. Roc Marciano

https://soundcloud.com/thewilliethekid/24-hrs-feat-roc-marciano-prod-vdon

(Willie and Roc Marci sound like two peas in a pod on this smooth work of mafioso music. These two would do considerable damage on a group project.)

10. “RAF” - A$AP Mob ft. A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti, Quavo, Lil Uzi Vert & Frank Ocean)

http://www.thefader.com/2017/05/23/stream-asap-mob-raf-asap-rocky-playboi-carti-quavo-lil-uzi-vert-and-frank-ocean

(A much hyped - but somewhat basic - gathering of some of today’s biggest mainstreamers, I can’t help but feel like “RAF” sounds like a J.V. version of “Mercy”. That being said, A$AP Mob cuts have a tendency to grow on me, and this one has already induced a fair share of head-nodding upon repeated listens. Looking forward to Cozy Tapes, Pt. 2, whenever it drops.)

*Honorable Mention - Bonus Cuts*

“Dead Bodies Left” - Conway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxRFWC4WPUU

(At this point, not many MC’s can come close to Con with the autobiographical street talk.)

“Through It All” - Conway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7HfpzsaIWg

(If you’re still sleeping on Griselda Records, I simply don’t know what to do with you.)

“Jean Claude Van Damme” - Slayter & Jace

https://soundcloud.com/coldgameslayter/jcvd

(Slayter and Two9′s Jace talk their talk over a cool 70′s blaxploitation-esque backdrop.)

“Montega” - Grandmilly

https://soundcloud.com/grandmilly/montega

(I know very little about the Hempstead MC, but I know that Hempstead knows how to breed MCs and I am feelin’ the vibe on this soulful joint.)

“On The Moon” - Rockie Fresh ft. King Louie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6thxuuVIT_c

(This instrumental is sick. Rockie Fresh is still a curveball artist - you never know what sub-genre of hip-hop Rockie is going to bring to the table. Here he sounds like he’s on a hard-Drake wave, which mostly works...but then King L comes through with his strong mic presence to make this cut a winner.)

Still In Heavy Rotation:

Rosebudd’s Revenge by Roc Marciano

http://onsmash.com/music/roc-marciano-rosebudds-revenge-album-stream/

DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar

http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/drake-sacrifices-feat-2chainz-young-thug-new-song.1973358.html

Due Rent by lojii & Swarvy

https://daily.bandcamp.com/2017/03/30/album-of-the-day-lojii-swarvy-due-rent/

Painting Pictures by Kodak Black

https://soundcloud.com/rapfavs/sets/paintingpictures

The Seven by Talib Kweli & Styles P

http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.43066/title.styles-p-talib-kweli-team-up-for-the-seven-album#

“Luger” - Benny ft. Westside Gunn & Conway

https://soundcloud.com/bennythebutcher1/luger-ft-westsidegunn-conway

“Easter Gunday 2” - Westside Gunn ft. Keisha Plum & Mach-Hommy

https://soundcloud.com/user-5212897/easter-gunday-westsidegunn-ft-mach-hommy-keisha-plum

[ICYMI: Last month’s list below]

https://therappundit.tumblr.com/post/159996709776/april-2017-playli-t-of-the-month