#j hus - common sense album

[grandadofrad]

here's some album art i really like, round one! just for fun. no particular order.

you thant - in search of incredible

the knife - deep cuts

tubeway army - replicas

x ray spex - germ free adolescents

skepta - konnichiwa

overmono - good lies

j hus - common sense

sneaker pimps - becoming x

sault - 5

perfume genuis - immediately (remixes)

[javerend]

勉強ログ ー 11/21

I was curious to see what the citations were like for Nation's papers that I've been reading, and the one I read yesterday has been cited by 2568 other papers in peer-reviewed journals (at least by google scholar's reckoning.) That's obscene for a linguistics paper. Also had to double check something because that paper is authored by I.S.P. Nation, and other papers he's listed as Paul Nation, but they are in fact the same person.

Inspired by following the Pokemon Scarlet/Violet stuff, I also did a lil quick and dirty twitter work looking at vocabulary for shiny hunting. In japanese, the term is 色違い (variation in color, which is actually a noun, not an adjective). One example: 「色違いのホゲータゲットしました」 Similar usage here: 「色違いのポケモンをゲットしました」, after a quick scroll through the #色違い tag on twitter, this seems to be the most common way to talk about catching shinies. (Also love that the english loan word "get" ゲット is a する verb. Flawless.)

One thing I haven't seen a lot of people talking about with the impending demise of twitter is how much this will hurt the field of linguistics. Twitter is a huge, mostly open access data set (with an easily usable API) of informal written communication that gets used a lot for all sorts of linguistics research. Losing that would be an enormous blow to the field.

Read:

耳をすませば page 32 -> 70 Good Words: 連れて行く 「つれていく」 ー to take someone (to a place) 奥 「おく」 ー inside part 不思議 「ふしぎ」 ー wonderful, marvelous 敏感 「びんかん」 ー susceptible, sensitive ヤナヤツ = いやなやつ ー something like “unpleasant guy”

Unknown Vocabulary Density and Reading Comprehension (Hu, M., & Nation, P.) 2000 - This appears to be the study where the 98% vocabulary comprehension number for comfortable unassisted reading comes from, with some experimental backing. Essentially, they took a story and replaced varying amounts of low frequency word families with nonsense words, gave it to some college students, and then tested comprehension. Importantly, they were only looking at written text and with no assistance for unknown words (no gloss, no visual indicators for context, and a relatively short story without many word repetitions). These pretty severe aspects make the 98% number make a lot more sense, but somehow that nuance has been lost in a lot of the other writing I've seen use this number. Also contains a really good lit review at the beginning, so lots of new papers to look at!

Quit your Band! (Ian Martin) page 91 -> 128 - Discussion of differences in the music industry between the US/Europe region and Japan, and in particular a lot of ways that the industry fails to actually do anything for musicians. Artists are seen as a customer for music service industry rather than a workforce, and are often marketed in an exotic "japan weird" way to people overseas rather than on the merits of the music. Which, from my experience so far with bands like Number Girl, BOaT, Sheena Ringo, Uplift Spice; some vocaloid (wowaka, supercell, reol); and also a heavy dose of internet era J-pop and J-rock (ヨルシカ, yoasobi, ado) is actually just quite good on the whole. There's a thriving diversity of musicians doing some really cool stuff, both on major labels and on indie ones.

Listened:

HOPE LEFT ME (Astrophysics) - A newly released album of original music by the Brazilian vocaloid producer along with an accompanying visual novel. Their cover album earlier this year The First Sound of the Future Past was already in the running for my AOTY, combing synthwave and classic new wave sounds (new wave is like 40 years old, I can call it classic, right?) with english vocaloid to build some extremely creative arrangements. It was already a full few steps above the quality of most vocaloid cover music, and this is another full cut above that with original music to boot. I was very much looking forward to this, and I am not disappointed. It's lush, dark, and lonely; ghostly synths echoing through snowy canyons of empty unlit buildings punctuated by descents into the panic of breakcore. I haven't had a chance to play the VN yet, but the LP cut of the music is truly on another level. Highly recommend, I give it 4/5. If physical media is your thing, you can order it on limited run CD or Cassette (I ordered a CD) Favorite Tracks: you're killing me, lobotomy, embracer, shivers

10 Songs, 10 Cities (Panicsmile) - Ian Martin describes this as a band he had a really hard time getting into, but one that he felt was important to get in to to understand the underground rock scene in Japan in the 2000s (Quit your Band, 93-94). Idk, I rather enjoyed this album. Unpredictable, raw, noisy, often atonal, and almost hypnotic at times. He cites them as a big influence for Number Girl, and I can definitely hear it. 3.5/5 Favorite Tracks: still life, ghost subway, yuuuca

[sinceileftyoublog]

J Hus Album Review: Big Conspiracy

(Black Butter)

BY JORDAN MAINZER

It seems like British rapper J Hus (Momodou Lamin Jallow) has the weight of the world on his shoulders. With seemingly one song, “Dem Boy Paigon”, featured on his 2015 mixtape The 15th Day, a new genre was bestowed upon him by the music press: Afroswing, a unique type of Afro Carribean-inflected grime that he continued on his debut album Common Sense. If the pressure of buoying a new genre isn’t enough, consider that Hus’ career started when his childhood friend (and future manager) suggested he focus on music after two stints in prison but that the legal trouble continued. In 2018, a year in which he already experienced his father’s death, Hus was arrested for carrying a knife in public. Though he was released in 2019 (and hours afterwards made a surprise appearance at a Drake concert), he has become the de facto martyr against Brexit-era Britain’s racist knife paranoia, a perpetual false crisis attempting to censor black men, disguised as societal concern. It’s understandable that Hus has indefinitely put off touring and providing features to other rappers.

When tracks from Big Conspiracy, his then-unannounced second album, started to leak online last month, it seemed like something that could put a guy over the edge. Instead, Hus announced the album on social media and released it a day later, revealing to the world a remarkable set of vignettes, bursts of energy that traverse the inner workings of his mind and position as a black man in today’s world. Ultimately, with production from frequent collaborators TobiShyBoy, JAE5, and iO, he offers a coherent and club-ready statement of self-aware pride. The vibe is surprisingly chilled out, yet confident: The first two tracks, the title cut and “Helicopter”, feature guitar licks and drums that boost Hus’ proclamations. “You never saw me in a suit, but I had a blazer,” he smirks on the title track, taking the pearl-clutching suspicions of knife-phobic conservatives and raising them a gun. More serious, on the latter, he shows his deft rhyming skills: “They enslaved my ancestor, no remorse / I bring knowledge to Europe, just like the Moors.” It’s not often someone can manifest a new subgenre, and Hus wants to give his lineage credit where credit is due. Over the bright arpeggio percussion and warbling, smeared synths of “Love, Peace and Prosperity”, Hus declares, “I greet you with my right hand ‘cause that’s my culture,” a forceful physical interaction celebrating his differences. And “No Denying” offers skittering drums and horns, a classic “back from jail” brag track. Hus is simply impossible to ignore.

Yet, he’s aware of his shortcomings and the extent to which the odds are stacked against him. “How you gonna run the world? / You can’t even run your life,” he asks himself on “Fight for Your Right”. On the Burna Boy-featuring “Play Play”, he raps, “Only God can judge me, but my friend’s a lifer,” incinerating the prison industrial complex’s lack of morality while still recognizing its evil strength. The realism is mirrored by the solemn timbre of some of the aesthetic: the piano on single-verse closer “Deeper Than Rap”, the soulful horns of “Must Be”, the forebording string plucks of “Reckless”. If something like the tropical, trilling “Cucumber” and infectious “One And Only” could have fit on Common Sense and before, it’s the truly verisimilitudinous material that’s unique to something cheekily titled Big Conspiracy.

[ireallylikealbumart]

Common Sense [2017] - J Hus

[camwallen]

COMMON SENSE - J HUS 1. Common Sense 9/10 2. Bouff Daddy 10/10 3. Clartin 10/10 4. Leave Me 9/10 5. Closed Doors 7/10 6. Did You See 10/10 7. Like Your Style 10/10 8. Plottin 10/10 9. Sweet Cheeks 9/10 10. Fisherman 10/10 11. Good Time 10/10 12. Spirit 10/10 13. Mash Up 10/10 14. Goodies 8/10 15. Good Luck Chale 8/10 16. Who You Are 9/10 17. Friendly 8/10 OVERALL PERCENTAGE 93%

[wyattvsmusic]

J Hus - Big Conspiracy ALBUM REVIEW

British rapper J Hus is an anomaly. He has carved his own lane in the UK scene but his sound much larger than hip hop. J Hus is essentially the guy responsible for carrying the afroswing sound and movement on his back that has become so popular these days. J Hus’s sound can be best described as afroswing with a road edge that also has some hip hop roots mixed in. I wouldn’t categorize it as Hip Hop though. I first heard about him when he appeared on Stormzy’s track Bad Boys. His debut album, Common Sense came out in 2017. I’ve always thought of it as a fantastic album but I didn’t find myself returning to it that much that year because there were a few of songs on it that made the album a lot less enjoyable to listen to all the way through. Fast-forward to 2020, Common Sense has aged beautifully and I listen to it a lot more regularly. That album has also shown its influence because plenty of artists are borrowing from J Hus’ sound. I believe that international sounds like afrobeat and reggaeton are gonna be the next driving force in music and pop music culture because more and more artists from both genres are already crossing over into the American mainstream. J Hus could easily cross over and gain a big following in America but I don’t think he cares about that at all and I love that he refuses to compromise. His highly-anticipated album, Big Conspiracy is finally out but J Hus’ life has changed a lot since Common Sense. For one, he’s famous now, he spent time in prison for carrying a knife in public, and this album leaked a month early but it was not the final version. Big Conspiracy is noticeably more laidback than Common Sense. The title track/intro on this album is much more chill than the intro/title track on Common Sense (which is actually my favorite J Hus song). Aside from this being a more laidback album and it being shorter, the most noticeable difference between this one and the last album is in the lyrical content. J Hus is introspective on most of the songs with rap verses and I find that there aren’t many braggadocious lines. There isn’t even a mention of hopping out of a benz or leaving in one. The Common Sense album starts better than it ends but Big Conspiracy ends better than it starts. The first section of this album was not bad at all—very enjoyable actually—but I didn’t feel as interested in these songs as I did with the latter portion of the album. With Common Sense, I felt like the first section of the album was so good that the end of the album didn’t hold up as well. One thing that separates J Hus from other afroswing artists is that the production on his songs are more lively and contain more musical elements—they don’t sound so electronic. The saxophone solo at the end of the title track, trumpets on Triumph, and the use of guitars on multiple tracks just bring out the production so much in a beautiful way. Shout out to Jae5 for killing it on the production once again. The first track on this album that I really fell in love with was Play Play with Burna Boy. Their last collab, Good Time was one of my favorites on Common Sense but this one is a laidback track is lyrically introspective but also fun. Burna Boy’s hook is fantastic and the track is perfect for both of them. Any time these two link up, I know I’m gonna get something great. Reggae singer Koffee also has a dope appearance on the album. The afrobeat/afroswing songs on this album blend together really nicely but this album also includes some dope hip hop tracks. The song Reckless is an instant standout not just because Hus is rapping his ass off, but he sounds so commanding over this beat. The following track, No Denying might just be the most hard-hitting track J Hus has ever put out. He has put out better rap songs than it but it just goes so hard and it’s a super fun song. He hasn’t put out a track like it before. J Hus is a great rapper but sometimes he has lyrics like “She peck on my wood, I call her Woody Woodpecker” which just make me scratch my head. There aren’t many wack lines on here so the bars are almost always on point. J Hus has the power to make any hook catchy like the hook on Must Be. And then there is the last song: Deeper Than Rap. This song doesn’t have a bounce or a summer vibe, but it is a soft piano loop which aligns perfectly with J Hus’ reflective bars on the song. He spits one long verse over this gorgeous beat. J Hus just looks back on his “life and [analyzes].” The lyrics reflect on J Hus’ experiences on the roads with lines like “The gun man was aimin' at me but he wasn't precise / I looked down the barrel of the gun and saw paradise” and “Jakes won't find shit if they run in my yard.” Aside from his own experiences, he embraces what he’s learned from the roads, he speaks on his journey and rise to the top. It’s an amazing way to end an album and one of my favorite J Hus songs. This is the first time he has rapped like this and he has never rapped over a beat like this either. Incredible. Big Conspiracy is a great follow-up to a great debut album that has been super influential on music today. “Daily offender, crazy eastender.”

Fav Tracks: Play Play, Fortune Teller, Reckless, No Denying, Must Be, Deeper Than Rap

[madstreetz]

[People Profile] All We Know About Producer Jae5 Biography, Career, Girlfriend, Age, Family, Songs

[People Profile] All We Know About Producer Jae5 Biography, Career, Girlfriend, Age, Family, Songs

Producer Jae5 Biography, Career, Girlfriend, Age, Family, Songs. Jonathan Mensah who has been popularly known as JAE5 is a British/Ghanaian producer, best known for executive producing UK Hip Hop artist, J Hus’ critically acclaimed album “Common Sense”. The album was certified Gold in the UK, and peaked at number 6 on the UK Albums chart. While he is known for blending genres, his music has been…

[ssfoc]

Brits Nominations 2018

BRITISH MALE SOLO ARTIST

Ed Sheeran, Asylum, Warner Music UK

Liam Gallagher, Warner Bros, Warner Music UK

Loyle Carner, AMF, Universal Music UK

Rag'n'Bone Man, Best Laid Plans/Columbia, Sony Music UK

Stormzy Merky, Distributor: ADA

BRITISH FEMALE SOLO ARTIST

Dua Lipa, Warner Bros, Warner Music UK

Jessie Ware, Island/PMR Records, Universal Music

Kate Tempest, Fiction Records, Universal Music

Laura Marling, More Alarming., Kobalt

Paloma Faith, RCA, Sony Music UK

BRITISH GROUP

Gorillaz, Parlophone, Warner Music UK

London Grammar, Ministry of Sound, Sony Music UK

Royal Blood, Warner Bros, Warner Music UK

Wolf Alice, Dirty Hit, Dirty Hit

The xx, Young Turks, XL Beggars

BRITISH BREAKTHROUGH ACT

Dave

Dua Lipa, Warner Bros, Warner Music UK

J Hus, Black Butter, Sony Music UK

Loyle Carner, AMF, Universal Music UK

Sampha, Young Turks, XL Beggars

CRITICS’ CHOICE

Jorja Smith - WINNER!

Mabel Polydor, Universal Music

Stefflon Don Polydor, Universal Music

BRITISH SINGLE

Calvin Harris Ft Pharrell Williams/Katy Perry/Big Sean, Feels, Columbia, Sony Music UK

Clean Bandit Ft Zara Larsson, Symphony, Atlantic, Warner Music UK

Dua Lipa, New Rules, Warner Bros, Warner Music UK

Ed Sheeran, Shape Of You, Asylum, Warner Music UK

J Hus, Did You See, Black Butter, Sony Music UK

Jax Jones Ft Raye, You Don't Know Me, Polydor, Universal Music

Jonas Blue Ft William Singe, Mama, Positiva, Universal Music

Liam Payne Ft Quavo, Strip That Down, Capitol, Universal Music

Little Mix, Touch, Syco Music, Sony Music UK

Rag'n'Bone Man, Human, Best Laid Plans/Columbia, Sony Music UK

BRITISH ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Dua Lipa, Dua Lipa, Warner Bros, Warner Music UK

Ed Sheeran, ÷, Asylum, Warner Music UK

J Hus, Common Sense, Black Butter, Sony Music UK

Rag'n'Bone Man, Human, Best Laid Plans/Columbia, Sony Music UK

Stormzy, Gang Signs & Prayer, Merky, Distributor: ADA

BRITISH ARTIST VIDEO OF THE YEAR - Top ten identified by YouTube/Vevo views.

Anne-Marie. Ciao Adios. Asylum/Major Tom's, Warner Music UK

Calvin Harris Ft Pharrell Williams/Katy Perry/Big Sean. Feels. Columbia, Sony Music UK

Clean Bandit Ft Zara Larsson. Symphony. Atlantic, Warner Music UK

Dua Lipa. New Rules. Warner Bros, Warner Music UK

Ed Sheeran. Shape Of You. Asylum, Warner Music UK

Harry Styles. Sign Of The Times. Columbia, Sony Music UK

Jonas Blue Ft William Singe. Mama. Positiva, Universal Music

Liam Payne Ft Quavo. Strip That Down. Capitol, Universal Music

Little Mix. Touch. Syco Music, Sony Music UK

ZAYN and Taylor Swift. I Don't Wanna Live Forever. (Fifty Shades Darker Soundtrack) RCA/Republic Records, Sony Music/Universal Music

INTERNATIONAL MALE SOLO ARTIST

Beck. EMI, Universal Music

Childish Gambino. Glassnote, Universal Music

DJ Khaled. Black Butter/We The Best, Sony Music UK

Drake. Cash Money/Republic Records, Universal Music

Kendrick Lamar. Interscope, Universal Music

INTERNATIONAL FEMALE SOLO ARTIST

Alicia Keys. RCA, Sony Music UK

Björk. One Little Indian/Universal Music

Lorde. Virgin, Universal Music

P!nk. RCA, Sony Music UK

Taylor Swift. EMI, Universal Music

INTERNATIONAL GROUP

Arcade Fire. Columbia , Sony Music UK

Foo Fighters. Columbia, Sony Music UK

Haim. Polydor, Universal Music

The Killers. EMI, Universal Music

LCD Soundsystem. Columbia/DFA, Sony Music UK

[thebeautifulzoo]

50 BEST MUSIC PROJECTS OF 2017

The Beautiful Zoo’s best musical projects of the year, in no particular order.

1.     Migos – Culture

2.     Kendrick Lamar - DAMN

3.     Jay Z – 4:44

4.     Lil Uzi Vert – Luv is Rage 2

5.     Sampha – Process

6.     Tyler, The Creator- Flower Boy

7.     SZA - CTRL

8.     Big Sean – I Decided

9.     Kehlani – Sweet Sexy Savage

10.   Calvin Harris – Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1

11.   Playboi Carti – Playboi Carti

12.   Drake – More Life

13.   Dua Lipa – Dua Lipa

14.   Young Thug – Easy Breezy Beautiful Thugger Girls

15.   Kodak Black – Painting Pictures

16.   Lil Yachty – Teenage Emotions

17.   21 Savage – Issa Album

18.   Wizkid – Sounds From The Other Side

19.   Skepta – Vicious

20.   Various Artists - Fast & Furious 8: The Album

21.   Mavi Phoenix – Young Prophet

22.   Stro – Grade A Frequencies

23.   BROCKHAMPTON – SATURATION 2

24.   Amber Mark – 3:33 AM

25.   J. Hus – Common Sense

26.   Khalid – American Teen

27.   Lana Del Rey – Lust for Life

28.   Lil Pump – Lil Pump

29.   A. CHAL – ON GAZ

30.   Mura Masa – Mura Masa

31.   NAV & Metro Boomin – Perfect Timing

32.   Damian Marley – Stoney Hill

33.   Vic Mensa – The Autobiography

34.   21 Savage, Offset & Metro Boomin – Without Warning

35.   Dave – Game Over

36.   Chris Brown – Heartbreak On A Full Moon

37.   2 Chainz – Pretty Girls Like Trap Music

38.   Future – HNDRXX

39.   Wale – Shine

40.   DJ Khaled – Grateful

41.   Gucci Mane – Mr. Davis

42.   Stormzy – Gang Signs And Prayers

43.   PnB Rock – Catch These Vibes

44.   Tyga – Bitch I’m The Shit 2

45.   Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory

46.   Gucci Mane & Metro Boomin – Droptopwop

47.   Meek Mill – Wins & Losses

48.   Everything Is Recorded – Close But Not Quite

49.   A$AP Ferg – Still Striving

50.   Smokepurpp – Deadstar

[crimedawgbylaw]

crimedawgbylaw’s ten favorite albums of 2017

1. Kendrick Lamar - Damn

2. Playboi Carti - Playboi Carti

3. Young Thug - Beautiful Thugger Girls

4. Lil Uzi Vert - Luv Is Rage 2

5. J Hus - Common Sense

6. Corbin - Mourn  

7. Future - FUTURE/HNDRXX

8. Chief Keef - Thot Breaker

9. Ball Greezy - Bae Day

10. Thundercat - Drunk

[popularmolds]

Best rap, 2017

In 2007, I thought I was very fast. That fall, I was one of the top sophomores at the Minnesota high school cross country state championships, which, believe it or not, are very competitive as far as high school cross country state championships go. Then it was winter. There’s no indoor track season in Minnesota; I played hockey, like I had for my entire life to that point, but I also ran 60 miles a week in toques and gloves and terrible things called “wind briefs.” I got ambitious and decided that in the spring, I wanted to be the fastest 15-year-old in the state, the Midwest, maybe the country. 

But in the first week of outdoor track, in the middle of a mile repeat workout we were running on the sidewalk (there was snow on the track), I felt bones splinter. There were stress fractures up and down my left tibia. 

Every afternoon for the next twelve weeks, I had to find a ride from my high school down to a suburban YMCA, chosen because it had a reliably deserted pool. I needed to get in some sort of cardio with zero impact on my bones. If you’ve never seen someone water run, it looks like a recurring nightmare playing out under fluorescent lights: a skeletally thin person in the water, upright, making all the movements he or she would make on the track, but moving impossibly slow, back and forth, end to end. It’s like quicksand. I would sweat and strain and grit my teeth, but I was barely moving. 

A couple weeks into my muggy purgatory, my friend Collin burned me a CD of an obscure album he’d found on a Wordpress blog. It was called Brokelore and was by someone named Grip Grand––clearly from the Bay, but we couldn’t find anything else about him. 

It blew me away. I listened to it every day, to and from the Y, in headphones or out of those primitive aux hookups that plugged into the cassette decks in my friends’ cars. He sounded gruff and grizzled, but we had no idea what he looked like. (Eventually, Collin found a short interview Grip had done with a blog, but we assumed the press photo was of the blogger, not the rapper. Sorry, Grip.) 

The record’s mostly self-produced; the beats have a little grit and a lot of warmth. Grip’s voice is tough, but elastic enough to bounce and bend and let the humor through. Grip is quick and witty, but threads the record with these incredibly earnest love letters to rap: "96 Tears” is an extended lyrical exercise, “Hip-Hop Classic” is the sound of someone pounding his fist on a computer desk, searching. There’s a song with Percee P (”Paper Cup”) and a song where Grip thanks Percee P for dropping that verse (”Showtime (That’s Entertainment)”). There’s “Handle That,” which was probably conceived as a parody of popular rap styles at the time but got mutated along the way and sounds like a good-faith alien transmission; there’s distortion and vocal modulation and lines like “While you pretend to be sick like Ferris Bueller / Grip Grand drop gems like a careless jeweler.” 

But it’s called Brokelore. This was a few months before the financial collapse; this was Oakland and San Francisco and the shadow of the early tech boom. Sometimes Grip and his Rec League comrades broach this with a light touch, cashing bad checks and skirting tax forms. (One of the album’s highlights is the remix of “Poppin’ Pockets,” where Grip and A.G. (!) rap joyously about having absolutely zero money.) Then there are the graver moments: “Out of Service” is a half-dreamed conversation with a factory worker who’s in limbo at a bus stop; it’s tearjerking but never treacly. “Tomorrow” is sorrowful. 

And then there’s “Love/Drama” which––this is not an exaggeration––is one of the most deeply felt rap songs I’ve ever heard. It’s structured as a letter back to a writer who ripped his last record, Welcome to Broakland. An artist responding to criticism looks defensive––and that’s the point. In the space of a few bars, the song unspools into a catalog of Grip’s deepest fears as an artist.

“My whole albums’s a jack: “Impeach the President?”  Yo, how done is that?  Tribute to early rap? DIY ethic?  No, a piss-poor producer—take my name off the credits.”

The song wraps up with a venomous couplet:“You’re so astute brah, every minute flaw, you heard it / Can’t wait to hear your album, it must be perfect.” But he’s not brushing off the critic. “Love/Drama” isn’t about brushing off a detractor, it’s about scratching and clawing and stretching $10 in groceries for a whole week, pouring yourself into a record only for it to be...fine. The kicker, then, is that Grip Grand internalized all of that and made a masterpiece. 

I say all that to say this: I don’t know if I would have found Brokelore today. Ten years after the fact, it’s ostensibly my job to find and write criticism of rap music, including obscure releases like this. But the economics of the media industry are strange: while it seems clear that people still want to discover new music, it’s difficult to get anybody to click on articles that present it. Music discovery has moved mostly to the curated playlists at streaming sites (so, radio) and there are fewer and fewer places willing to publish full-scale album reviews for artists who are untested or unsigned. I don’t spend enough time in pools. 

Of course, there are still massive communities of rap fans who dig for new material. But as it becomes more difficult to make a living covering it––and with the collapse of the blog world, which was invaluable for fans and artists in the mid- and late-2000s––there’s less time and attention given to smaller artists. Especially the kinds of time and attention that can be turned into money. (On that count, I physically recoil imagining how much bleaker the Bay Grip rendered on Brokelore has gotten.) 

The good news is that rap is in an exceptional place right now. There are vibrant underground scenes in cities across the country. In 2018, I’m resolving to take time, stay still, and appreciate rappers who would otherwise go uncovered. 

Notes/methodology: This list, obviously, includes both songs and albums. In most of the cases where either an album or a song from it could have made my top sixty, I chose whichever entry would rank higher, i.e.- I think “The Story of O.J.” is one of the ten best rap things from this year, while 4:44 as an album would rank a couple dozen spots lower. There are exceptions. “We Ball” would probably be among my top ten entries, but I wanted to give a nod to Meek Mill’s album because it hasn’t left rotation since it came out. Similar case with Boosie: “Webbie I Remember” could easily be in my top five, but BooPac should be on everyone’s radar, even if it’s ninety minutes. Slow down.

60. YG, “Pop It, Shake It” 59. Smooky MarGielaa, “Stay 100” 58. YBN Nahmir, “Rubbin Off The Paint” 57. Freddie Gibbs –– You Only Live 2wice 56. Muja Messiah & Roc Marciano –– Saran Wrap 55. Frosty Da Snowmann, “Oh My Gawd” 54. Wiki –– No Mountains in Manhattan 53. Greg Grease –– Down So Long 52. Chris $pencer, “Shark Wrestling” 51. Chief Keef, “Can You Be My Friend” 50. P.O.S –– chill, dummy 49. 2 Chainz –– Pretty Girls Like Trap Music 48. Young Dolph, “100 Shots” 47. Roc Marciano –– Rosebudd’s Revenge 46. Bbymutha, “Roses” 45. Sahbabii, “Pull Up wit ah Stick” 44. Nef the Pharaoh, “Bling Blaow” 43. J Hus –– Common Sense 42. 21 Savage –– Issa Album 41. Cardi B, “Bodak Yellow” 40. Deniro Farrar, “Can’t Touch Me” 39. Lor Jugg & Bandhunta Izzy, “Back At It” 38. G Herbo –– Humble Beast 37. billy woods, “Police Came To My Show” 36. French Montana, “Unforgettable” f/ Swae Lee 35. Rich Homie Quan –– Back to the Basics 34. Lil B –– Black Ken 33. Nipsey Hussle, “Rap Niggas” 32. A$AP Ferg, “Plain Jane” 31. Young Thug –– Beautiful Thugger Girls 30. Migos –– CULTURE 29. Playboi Carti, “Magnolia” 28. Why Khaliq –– The Mustard Seed 27. Snoop Dogg –– Neva Left 26. C Struggs, “Go to Jesus” 25. Lor Choc, “Fast Life” 24. RJ, “Blammer” 23. Tee Grizzley, “First Day Out” 22. OMB Peezy, “Lay Down” 21. Boosie –– BooPac 20. Meek Mill –– Wins & Losses 19. Kodak Black, “Patty Cake” 18. Drakeo –– Cold Devil 17. Don Trip & Starlito –– Step Brothers THREE 16. milo –– who told you to think??!!?!?!?! 15. 03 Greedo –– Money Changes Everything; Purple Summer 03; First Night Out 14. DJ Quik & Problem –– Rosecrans 13. Nocando, “1998″ 12. Goldlink, “Crew” f/ Shy Glizzy & Brent Faiyaz 11. Mach-Hommy –– Haitian Body Odor 10. Lil Uzi Vert, “XO Tour Llif3″ 9. Jay-Z, “The Story of O.J.” 8. G Perico –– All Blue & 2 Tha Left 7. Kendrick Lamar –– DAMN. 6. Tay-K, “The Race” 5. NBA Youngboy, “No Smoke” 4. Future –– HNDRXX 3. Armand Hammer –– ROME 2. Creek Boyz, “With My Team” 1. Open Mike Eagle –– Brick Body Kids Still Daydream

[reviewsbyr]

The BRIT Awards 2018 Winner Predictions

It’s that time of year again! The BRIT Awards 2018 nominees were announced a while ago and just like the previous two years, I am going to predict the winners! The show is set to be amazing with artists like Justin Timberlake, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Sam Smith and Stormzy all performing on the night and the show is being hosted by Jack Whitehall! Here are my predictions! All of the nominations will be linked to the songs on YouTube- so click on them if you want to have a listen! Here we go...

BRITISH ARTIST VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Nominees:

Clean Bandit Ft Zara Larsson - 'Symphony'

Dua Lipa - 'New Rules' 

Ed Sheeran - 'Shape Of You'

Harry Styles - 'Sign Of The Times'

Liam Payne Ft Quavo - 'Strip That Down'

Little Mix - 'Touch'

ZAYN And Taylor Swift - 'I Don't Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker Soundtrack)'

Winner Prediction: My winner based on the video is 100% ‘New Rules’ by Dua Lipa. The video goes with the song brilliantly and I just think it’s a worthy winner. But judging by the leaderboard at this moment, I think Harry Styles will win with ‘Sign Of The Times’ - to be fair, who doesn’t want to look at that face?!

BRITISH BREAKTHROUGH ACT

Nominees:

Dave

Dua Lipa

J Hus

Loyle Carner

Sampha

Winner Prediction: My winner prediction for this category has got to be Dua Lipa, it’s been an incredible year for her and I think she should win this! 

BRITISH MALE SOLO ARTIST

Nominees:

Ed Sheeran

Liam Gallagher

Loyle Carner

Rag'N'Bone Man

Stormzy

Winner Prediction: This one is between Ed Sheeran and Stormzy for me. It’s got to be Ed Sheeran though, right?

INTERNATIONAL GROUP

Nominees:

Arcade Fire

Foo Fighters

Haim

The Killers

LCD Soundsystem

Winner Prediction: Personally, I absolutely love The Killers and would love to see them win this award, but I think the Foo Fighters might have it.

INTERNATIONAL FEMALE SOLO ARTIST

Nominees:

Alicia Keys

Björk

Lorde

P!nk

Taylor Swift

Winner Prediction: Wow, what a tough choice... Are you ready for it? I think Taylor Swift will win!

INTERNATIONAL MALE SOLO ARTIST

Nominees:

Beck

Childish Gambino

DJ Khaled

Drake

Kendrick Lamar

Winner Prediction: It’s got to be Drake!

MASTERCARD BRITISH ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Nominees:

Dua Lipa - 'Dua Lipa'

Ed Sheeran - '÷'

J Hus - 'Common Sense'

Rag'n'Bone Man - 'Human'

Stormzy - 'Gang Signs & Prayer'

Winner Prediction: Another very tough choice, I think Ed Sheeran should win this one because Divide is such a brilliant album.

BRITISH SINGLE

Nominees:

Calvin Harris Ft Pharrell Williams/ Katy Perry/Big Sean - 'Feels'

Clean Bandit Ft Zara Larsson - 'Symphony'

Dua Lipa - 'New Rules'

Ed Sheeran - 'Shape Of You'

J Hus - 'Did You See'

Jax Jones Ft Raye - 'You Don't Know Me'

Jonas Blue Ft William Singe - 'Mama'

Liam Payne Ft Quavo - 'Strip That Down'

Little Mix - 'Touch'

Rag'n'Bone Man - 'Human

Winner Prediction: This one is between ‘Shape Of You’, ‘New Rules’ and ‘Touch’. I believe that Dua Lipa could be leaving the BRITs with quite a few awards. It’s ‘New Rules’ for me! That song was (and still is) a massive hit.

BRITISH GROUP

Nominees:

Gorillaz

London Grammar

Royal Blood

Wolf Alice

The xx

Winner Prediction: I adore London Grammar and it would be fantastic if they won this award, but I think it will go to Gorillaz.

BRITISH FEMALE SOLO ARTIST

Nominees:

Dua Lipa

Jessie Ware

Kate Tempest

Laura Marling

Paloma Faith

Winner Prediction: All are fabulous artists, I particularly like Jessie Ware and Dua Lipa. Again, I think Dua Lipa will win this!

Thank you so much for reading, please let me know your predictions and/ or if you agree with mine or not! I can’t wait to watch the show and I will be doing a review of it!

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter: @ReviewsByR

[indirajan]

MOBO, whats’s good? i love Stormzy, but “Common Sense” by J Hus is the best album of the year!

[camwallen]

TOP OF POP 2017: ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

10. BETTY WHO - THE VALLEY

9. J HUS - COMMON SENSE

8. THE XX - I SEE YOU

7. BECK - COLORS

6. CHARLI XCX - POP 2

5. KEHLANI - SWEETSEXYSAVAGE

4. WOLF ALICE - VISIONS OF A LIFE

3. LIGHTS - SKIN & EARTH

2. KENDRICK LAMAR - DAMN.

1. JESSIE WARE - GLASSHOUSE

[kiss-myvans]

Vinilos Para Pedirle a Santa

Faltan seis días para Navidad lo cual significa que el momento para mandar su carta a Santa esta en el limite para que lleguen a tiempo sus regalos al menos que prefieran, como bien dicta la tradición mexicana y católica, que se los entreguen los Reyes Magos el seis de enero. Para ayudarles terminar su lista de deseos, hicimos una breve lista de álbumes o vinilos que no deben de faltar en su colección.

1. The Ooz - King Krule

The Ooz es el segundo lanzamiento que comparte Archy Marshall bajo el pseudonimo "King Krule" desde 6 Feet Beneath the Moon del 2013, su primer lanzamiento para XL Recordings. En este disco te encontrarás escuchando un disco de trip hop, un disco de dub, punk rock, tierna balada de jazz o R&B.

2. Kelela - Take Me Apart

Sin duda una de mis artistas favoritas de los últimos años, especialmente después de su show en el Nrmal del 2014 donde estuvo presentando Cut 4 Me. Take Me Apart nos dio todo lo que ese primer mix tape nos prometió y más. La asombrosa colisión de la vertiginosa canción y la electrónica experimental ha hecho que Take Me Apart no solo sea uno de los mejores álbumes de 2017, sino también uno de los más importantes dentro de la música electrónica este año.

3. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

Rumours es un album que toda persona, fan y coleccionista de música debe de tener, nunca será solo un álbum. Tras su lanzamiento en 1977, se convirtió en el LP de ventas más rápido de todos los tiempos, moviendo 800,000 copias por semana en su apogeo, y su éxito hizo de Fleetwood Mac un fenómeno cultural. Este año, gracias a una reedición que incluye grabaciones en vivo, mezclas alternativas y tomas de estudio, nuevamente se posicionó como uno de los discos más importantes formando parte de los 40 álbumes más vendidos del 2017. 

4. J HUS - Common Sense

Common Sense, disco debut de J Hus es otro ejemplo contundente de cómo la escena de rap del Reino Unido trascendió el género para ofrecer algunas de las canciones más emocionantes de 2017. El álbum mezcla ganchos de grime más tradicionales pero no menos frescos junto con RnB, cuerdas exultantes y tintineos de calipso, reflejos de vino hogareños, afro-beat, reggae y una pizca de alma para crear un paseo de muestra pegadizo al siguiente nivel.

5. Björk - Utopia

Si Vulnicura en el 2015 fue un diario catártico de separación y tristeza, queda claro entonces que Björk se propuso demostrar que la melancolía no es la única musa. Mientras que Utopía nunca sondea las devastadoras profundidades de 'Black Lake' o las complejas observaciones de 'Lionsong', sí mantiene un flujo y reflujo silencioso que comunica nuevamente con el mundo más allá de su dolorido corazón. Es importante recordar que fuera del deseo de dar y recibir durante estas fechas, los finales de año siempre son una buena oportunidad para recapitular y hacer listas no solo de cosas materiales que deseamos agregar a nuestras colecciones pero también de experiencias que nos hacen crecer y siempre ser mejores.

xo, Adria