Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Childish Gambino- Camp


I admit first time i heard Childish Gambino aka donald glover aka troy barnes i was suspect of this cat. Mainly because i knew him from community and didn't give a player his fair chance saying he probably some corny motherfucker who doing this because he is one of those guys that thinks he can do anything, wassup Jamie Foxx. Now usually its musicians that break into acting or whatever and not the other way around but troy been claiming that he has been making music for a long time and you can tell when listening to him. But you gotta give it up he is talented. Like i said he's one of the main stars of Community, wrote for 30 Rock, is a stand up comedian, makes his own beats, and has been buzzing underground for a minute so yeah i'm late to the party like i just signed up for myspace but whatever. Shit maybe he sucks and it was a good thing i didn't get into him. I first heard him on Do Ya Like where he sampled Adele then i thought this soft pussy sampling adele what a bitch. Then i remember my man Krit sampled adele on Hometown Hero and i was thinking dam i don't wanna be a hypocrite so i gave the track another listen and realized the man's a clever dude. He got punchlines for days so i was thinking let me check his other stuff. That's how i came across his first studio album after his music started buzzing, Camp, so ima give it an unbiased review. I only heard a couple songs from Troy's catalog before and they were hit or miss for me so i don't know which way this album is going to go. Bouta find out.


am i the only one that thinks its hella funny Troy Barnes makes music that is Parental Advisory
Ratings right here:
0- never playing this shit again or just hitting the next button
1- if it comes on i'll let it play
2- i go out of my way to play this

p.s. i decided to give the final rating of the whole albumin a grade form so here is the other reviews i did so you guys don't have to go back
Kid Cudi- Man On The Moon: B-
Atmosphere- You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having: B+
Kanye West- The College Dropout: B+

 1) Outside

Apparently Gambino grew up in the hood. That right there sets him apart from white America because we all know how they look down on people from the hood. Not only was he looked down upon by white people, which he mentions in the second verse going to the white schools, but he didn't fit in to the hood because he wasn't a g like all the others so he was always on the outside looking in. But the moral of the story is that there is a whole other world outside of the hood. just because you live in the hood doesn't mean you have to live the hood life and ultimately make your family succumb to that. Good intro giving us introspective as to where he is from. 2

2) Fire Fly
I don't understand why Troy is picking the worst titles to tracks ever but i guess he just doing that in his own lane thing. Second he be making a lot of references that i know be going over people's heads mine included and it is annoying to look them up. But when you do that shit is full of information and everything makes sense so i give mad props to Troy for being a dam good punchline rapper unlike some people whose names rhyme with Fake and Smedium Jean. Cmon now these two were arguing over who was the one to put hashtag rap or some shit on the map and despite the fact that it was neither of them they were verbally punching each other with their eyes closed while everyone else was standing back thinking "that shit sucks anyway, why the fuck would you wanna claim that bs."Gambino on the other hand uses his punchlines intelligently so you can appreciate the connections he makes when he spits them. Anyways he is saying that his hip hop shit is forreal and isn't some actor rapping for a joke, nah he serious and he brought his big boy gloves to box the beats. 2

3) Bonfire
Right here Troy Barnes is just tryna show he can spit and flex his aforementioned punchline prowess as almost every bar ends in one. Not my thing because i could handle punchlines in moderation but not for a whole a track, just not my preference. My favorite line though is "Chillin with a Filipina at ya local Jolibee" because if you know filipinos you know they love their Jolibee. And if you ain't never been there find the closest one to you and grab the three piece fried chicken combo with rice and hella gravy and a side of spaghetti. Shoutout Jolibee for that free press right there. Line i ain't care for though "made the beat then murdered it: Casey Anthony." Cmon son that shit is too soon, gotta be a grieving period. I may be wrong but i don't think there were OJ jokes right out the gate. Clever line but unnecessary. Anyways all his punchlines were on point some corny but definitely look them up if you didn't know what he is talking about. Wonders what a Community college education can do for a rapper. 1

4) All The Shine
Man he coming with that Kid Cudi i'm so lonely bullshit but that's what he is. He talking about how he is going to stay being him and not compromise his artistic integrity to sell out and become something that he is not. And because he is not the prototypical rapper he gets hate from outlets or magazines and whatever. Troy is smart because he doesn't have to change his artistic approach to music. Even if he gets blacklisted for some reason in the music industry he still has other lanes to explore. I mean he is still best known for his work on television so he doesn't have to pander because his career isn't based on music. It would be interesting though to see how his shit would come out if his career depended on this. 1

5) Letter Home
This some borderline drake shit right here. He's writing a letter or texting or talking an old girlfriend professing his love all while being drunk. If i was the chick's boyfriend i knock him upside the head with a right uppercut throat stomp the motherfucker like Bruce Lee then lock him into the Walls of Jericho till he taps. 0 fuck this

6) Heartbeat
Coming with some dubstep or whatever the shit is called Troy is playing off the the previous interlude. Pretty much talking about how he can't get over his ex no matter how much he tries. Bruh either move the fuck on or get back with your ex. He coming in with some female emotions and shit when he needs to be a man and take control of the situation. I'm getting a Taylor Swift but not as crazy vibe from him and that's the shit i don't like, shout out to Sosa. Lowkey tho i fuck with the beat, but i can't stand the pussy shit he is spitting. 0

7) Backpackers
Troy Barnes coming in with that wordplay and puns. I think he is the best new rapper at using puns and shit. Shout out to Big Pun and Big L tho, RIP. His shit is getting repetitive though talking bout how everyone fucking hated on him for trying to rap. As my man Big Ghost would say he be spitting those deja vu bars. Mix it up a little bit. Artists need something to inspire them to write and if that is his inspiration then so be it but there is going to be a point in time either either A) people ain't going to be doubting him no more so he needs to come up with something different or B) people still going to be doubting him and he needs to go back to the drawing board because what he is spitting obviously ain't working plus his fans don't wanna be hearing the same things over and over. For someone who is so versatile with their career you would think he could switch the subject up a bit. 1

8) Les
And right on queue he switches up subject matter so i may have jumped the gun and bashing him for lack of variety. Ima wait till the end of the album though to see i needa change the rating on that last track. The difference between Troy and other people that when he be talking about girls is, at least on this track, he is telling a story about a relationship. He's not just talking bout how many bitches he slammin or how many hoes is on his dick which is taking brag rap to another level of arrogance. Brag rap nowadays is something completely different than what it used to be. It used to be boasting about how raw you were on the mic and yeah maybe talking how good you are with the ladies might slip in but when that's all you talking about, c'mon ain't no one believing your wannabe having aids ass. Especially when they sprinkle in swag at the end of every line, soulja boi i'm looking at you. Only dude that could get away with that is Lil B because he is the BasedGod and he can spit when he wants to, whattup Joe Budden. TYBG. 2

9) Hold You Down
My man is starting to put some ooomph behind his shit and i'm liking it. He putting out messages that need to be heard. Don't get it twisted he ain't the first by far to touch on the subject of racism but his fans are a different demographic so he is reaching out to new people on an old subject with a twist. He mentions many times he was never accepted by white because he was black and never accepted by blacks because he was perceived to be white. He gets put down by blacks all the time but when it comes down to it, white America sees all blacks as the same so he is actually stereotyped with killers and thugs. I could do without him singing the hook though, i know he didn't want other people on his album but you if you going to have a hook that requires singing might as well get someone who can sing, i'm sure Shirley coulda stopped by, not like she busy. 2 he killing my variety criticism

10) Kids
Fuck the hook dawg. Troy is trying to get his inner singer on but it don't work. Either find a sound that works for you like Cudi or just stopped singing it almost makes me wanna skip the song. Plus the beat is sounding like some shit you hear as you go up for Communion during Sunday Morning mass. If you don't know what i mean it sounds like it was the rejected theme for 7th Heaven, shout out to Jessica Biel. This shit is his fuck you to the broads that gave him no play while he was a nobody. I don't know shit maybe he just looking in the wrong places but whatever. Then he made it big and now girls chase him rather than the other way around and Troy knows he gotta be on top of his game. When he is hooking up with a girl he can't be taking any risks and ensures the girl ain't getting pregnant force feeding her plan B and shit. Multiple children with multiple women is the formula to going broke, Travis Henry. 0 i ain't fuckin with the beat at all

11) You See Me
One of the more ignorant tracks here bruh. I ain't feeling that fucking trumpet in the background cut that shit out Troy. I'm diggin his flow but he ain't saying nothing here though so i'm not fucking with it too much. If i had some 12's in the trunk i'd bump it. 0

12) Sunrise
I'm feeling this shit. It's definitely my favorite off the album so far and seeing as its the second to last it most likely will end up being the favorite. He coming with the flow, the clever punchlines, a dope hook with a choir or some glee club in the background. His punchlines are crazy like i said before. Troy know for sure that not everyone knows what the fuck he is talking about so he wants us to look up the references and so we get a better understanding of Donald Glover as a person. This shit goes. 2

13) That Power
Remember how i said the last track was my favorite, i spoke too soon this my shit right here. When he said "i could make a cripple crip walk" i was just awww goddam how did i never think of that shit. The verses were cool but the ending is what had me. He ends it on some spoken word stuff talking about summer camp and the bus ride back pretty much telling the story of how he professed his love to a girl and got denied then proceeded to get made fun of. He closes it out by explaining the purpose of the album and why he does music in the first place. I'm a fan of this stuff right here. He doesn't just end the album he adds a proper conclusion to it. 2

Final Grade: B

The album grew on me a lot. I thought the beginning was just meh then he picked at the end and finished strong. Like i said in the intro his shit is real hit or miss with me but i did like the album. It ain't going to the recycling bin and it definitely earned a spot in the coveted ipod rotation. I don't just be letting trash take up my memory, only so many songs i could put on there. Going to check his other shit out for sure now. Aye yo and props because i believe he handled the production on it too. I don't know where he finds the time to be doing all this but goddam whatever he is dong is working for him. peace.


Zo! & Phonte- Return of the Mack



I mentioned in one of earlier posts that Phonte got bars when comes to singing and his Mark Morrison cover proves it. If you still ain't convinced how many people could hit that high note on Take On Me. Check his shit out with Foreign Exchange if you want some original r&b but if you prefer covers of 80's songs check his other stuff out with Zo!

Phonte- The Good Fight


The man got bars when it comes to rapping too. The best rapper/singer that is out right now. This track is off his debut solo album, Charity Starts At Home. Much respect if you knew his opening monologue came from a Chris Rock bit. The album also has the track Life Of Kings featuring Big K.R.I.T and Evidence (of Dilated Peoples) and Phonte's mama makes a cameo and spits in the video. If you new to Phonte check out the group he came up with called Little Brother. In the group with Phonte were Rapper Big Pooh and just some producer called 9th Wonder. Check them out.

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