future - honest
future - honest
There's been a lot of stuff mentioned in this thread that I've missed or been unaware of. So kudos to all for that.
One album that hasn't been brought up (surprisingly) is Ray's Cafe, by OC and Rey West. I remember there being a lot of talk around here a few years back about OC's album with Apollo Brown, Trophies, but nothing at all for this (at least in this thread). It's very good, and available for stream here. It's more an EP than album, with 8 real songs, but they're all very good. Like Trophies but with more organic/traditional/live instrumentation. Very good stuff. Sunny morning cigarettes and coffee music.
Apart from that, I've been very impressed by Pharoahe Monch's PTSD in every regard save cover art (that shit is really bugging me). Definitely my favorite album of the year, the first real album that I have been consistently rocking to and living with. Easy pick for number one.
Schoolboy Q also dropped a banger. It's not as focused as Monch, but it has a lot of dope shit.
Originally Posted by SKANK HILL
Q wasn't lyrically slacking at all. He was Schoolboy Q to the max. If you like his other stuff, you'll love this album. I agree with Sha that it feels more like a collection of dope tracks than cohesive album. But the album is laced with bangers.
I was very pleasantly surprised by this one. He's not the best lyricist (although he does have his Cam'ron/2Chainz moments of brilliant ignorance: "Godzilla ain't got shit on me, niggguh" stuck out, and that's during a shit-talking song intro) but he has some skill in terms of songwriting, beat-selection, and employment of guest features. It's pop-rap at it's finest. The album is at its best when he's venturing away from hard/gangsta shit; when he tries to do Rick Ross sounding stuff, or come across as menacing, he tends to yell and sound like shit, and ends up kinda wailing over these fairly generic thumpers. But this only happens in two or three of the twelve songs. The rest of the album is excellent fluff. "Move That Dope" is great Yeezus-inspired goon shit, "Benz Friends" is gonna be great for summer days, and "Special" is going to be great for those late night/early morning moments when everything's coming to an end and you're kinda on a comedown but it's not really bad, just bittersweet. So, yeah, again, impressed by what Future produced with this one. It is odd, though, that the song with Drake is hardly two minutes, and features just a Drake hook. Is Future running out of money? What's the deal with that? Infinite Vagina, do you know about this?
I gotta say I was underwhelmed by this one, although I've always been underwhelmed by De La overall. They have great beats, and some passable flows and voices, but nothing about them as emcees has ever reached out and grabbed me. It's cool but simple, or so it's seemed to me. I've never really dove through their discography, because I've never felt the need to. Same thing with this mixtape. Played a few tracks and got bored. I'd rather listen to these beats in original form, or with other emcees spitting on them. If I'm missing something here, please enlighten me. I'm befuddled by the props they receive.
Agreed with Claa on Gibbs's skill and sometimes-lackluster beat-selection. That being said the album wasn't as amazing as I was anticipating. I was expecting something that would be able to stand tall with Madvillainy (albeit in it's own lane; I wasn't expecting Freddie Gibbs to rap about cartoons), and this definitely falls short of that. It's a solid, quality release in its own right, but nothing spectacular. I'm shocked to see someone calling it an instant classic, though. I don't know. Shit didn't really hit me like that. It's not even my favorite Gibbs project. Still though, it remains one of the best of the year from what I've heard. Hopefully the recommendations in this thread will brighten things up.
My reaction to Pinata is similar to that which I had to Lord Steppington, although my expectations were lower and met. Both Evidence and Alc have never been more than passable as emcees in my eyes (Alc has his moments on those Gangrene records, to his credit, but I think Oh No brings it out of him). The beats are great, as are the features, but overall this isn't an LP I find myself consistently revisiting.
I love Kev Brown's beats, but Mindsone is garbage as a rapper. Rappity rap rap shit. If you're gonna rap about how good you are at rapping, it has to legitimately be good rapping -- you're gonna be compared to Rakim, Kane, Nas, etc. I woulda rathered a beat tape.
https://delasoul.wetransfer.com/down...4195806/05a73e
pinata bangs! one of the best material I've heard lately
thugnificent, i don't know if future is running out of money, but he's the best mainstream hip hop artist right now
^^ hunger is the best motivation
yeah, not any skippable songs on "pinata" for me.
it's just that straight up, no chaser hood type shit.
shit bangs from front to back.
and the step brothers album is cool, beats bang. but alchemist is just corny on the mic. like esoteric type corny. dude needs to stay behind the boards, like preemo.
Imma go with Phillie x Lord Jessiah Allah.
The production imo is flawless, crazy basslines, drums, samples. The soundscape is amazing & the album is cohesive. Its a hard album so if youre not into that then it may not be your cup of tea but then the music will get cha. Guests come with heat too, Bronze, Salute, Illah Dayz, K7, Most High & Drug thee MC, & even Jessiah brings it. It really sounds like a Wisemen album. If you haven't checked it out I suggest you give it a spin.
Of course Pinata, no ?
Im am gonna check out the OC x Ray West album, been hearing a lot of good things about it.
GRANDMASSIVE AKA HIGH PRIEST
RAW CHRIST SHABAZZ
http://www.reverbnation.com/grandmas...wchristshabazz
http://www.soundclick.com/grandmassive
Break by Black is my favorite track this year, even if it doesn't have raps.
Kanye > Future
But Future does his thing.
Truuuuuue. Although isn't he eating still off Tony Montana and Turn On The Lights? And all the Akon/T-Pain-esque hooks? Don't tell me dude pulled yet ANOTHER buy tons of gaudy shit on a 360 deal and end up back where you started, except in a bigger house and car, getting chased by bigger sharks.
There's not anything skippable, but there's also not much that makes me sit down and say, Let me listen to this album right now ahead of anything else. Maybe I'm not giving it the chance it deserves. I'm just feeling Pharoahe Monch's album and other various older stuff much more. I do like the song with Danny Brown, that's a standout.
I agree on SB being just "cool." As for Alchemist, I disagree, but definitely see what you're saying. He's been improving over the years, but a lotta times it seems that he needs Oh No to bring the best out of him. Evidence definitely didn't -- and I'm not much of a fan of his to begin with; kind of a boring rapper to me honestly. Seems like a cool dude but just mediocre as a spitter. There's no fire in his guts.and the step brothers album is cool, beats bang. but alchemist is just corny on the mic. like esoteric type corny. dude needs to stay behind the boards, like preemo.
Haven't heard of this, sounds ill. Gonna check it out. Thanks.
It's worth it. Short, but worth it. More jazzy/meat-and-potatoes than the Apollo Brown stuff.Im am gonna check out the OC x Ray West album, been hearing a lot of good things about it.
Speaking of Apollo Brown, I know a lot of us like his production style. Personally I find it as a perfect mold of modern and old school styles, although sometimes I wish he dug a little deeper in the crates (and even then he tends to flip well-known samples on some new, fresh shit, so really I'm nitpicking). Well, he has an album coming out that he's calling an "instrumental soundtrack". It's available for cheap preorder (prolly gonna buy it considering how much I like his beats) and drops on April the 29th -- just a few days away, for those of us really lost in the music.
Black Milk reminds me of Kanye West in a lot of ways. He's always improving and experimenting as both an emcee and producer, and I'm always interested to see what he releases next. Black Milk is much more old-school/hardcore influenced, and Kanye has a lot of avant garde type shit -- but overall they aren't so dissimilar. And, speaking of which, Kanye is apparently on the precipice of dropping a new album, postponing his tour to complete it. That plus (supposedly) new Ice Cube, then maybe these Wu albums will come to fruition (or at least A Better Tomorrow), and I think in the summer we're gonna get another Run The Jewels album, which would be a heavenly blessing from the rap gods above... In a similar vein OutKast is touring. I know they gotta hit up the studio and lay SOMEthing down.. Come on now. Either way, things are starting to rev up. Very nice.
ALSO: Does anybody know what's good with Mr. Muthafuckin Exquire? Dude has crazy potential, I can't wait for his proper album to drop, I know he's gonna come with some heat.
Last edited by THUGNIFICENT; 04-25-2014 at 04:24 AM.
Yeah EXquire, need to hear more of him Loved the Kismet album
I need to hear these other artists ya'll talking about.
I do like the Royal Flush album
Ratking Freddie and Kool AD got the year so far for me
BEWARE:
https://soundcloud.com/frieza-saga
BEWARE:
https://soundcloud.com/frieza-saga
BEWARE:
https://soundcloud.com/frieza-saga
Also future YG schoolboy (date?) And step bros
BEWARE:
https://soundcloud.com/frieza-saga
BEWARE:
https://soundcloud.com/frieza-saga
BEWARE:
https://soundcloud.com/frieza-saga
good lookin' out for this, homie.
new eXquire this year? good.
slaine has a solo album dropping too, i think.
This thread made me realize I haven't heard any new albums at all this year. Man, I'm really losing touch now.
"Pornography is the orchestrated destruction of women's bodies and souls; rape, battery, incest, and prostitution animate it; dehumanization and sadism characterize it; it is war on women, serial assaults on dignity, identity, and human worth; it is tyranny."
-Andrea Dworkin
Atmosphere - Southsiders
CunninLynguists - Strange Journey Volume Three
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