Danny Brown- Old

I'll be honest, i never got into Danny Brown's music because his voice was too much for me to take. However, i did like the stuff of his that i did check out like Grown Up and his feature on Terrorist Threats. Those two tracks were really the only Danny ones that i ever listened to and that was it. It seemed i liked him more for his interviews than his music because he seemed like a funny ass dude who was genuine in everything he said no matter how outrageous it was. For real though, if you need a laugh just go watch a Danny Brown interview on youtube. Then i heard him on E-40's All My Niggas track and i had to do sort of a re-evaluation on his music because his verse was that sick. I didn't get crazy with it but i did check out Blunt After Blunt (directed by ASAP Rocky). I was like cool, let me check out his mixtape XXX. I knew that was considered one of the best mixtapes of 2011 and i always meaned to get around to it but just never did. SO i finally checked it out and my assumptions about Danny were completely wrong. He wasn't just some party rap dude (although i should have picked that up from listening to Grown Up and Terrorist Threats) but he was a man with a story to tell and he told it the way he wanted to. I always got respect for people who not only do things their way but are successful at it too. If you haven't checked out XXX, check that out. Well listening to that got me anticipating his album, Old, which is what i will be reviewing if you haven't figured that out. I went in with some expectations so let's see if they were met.

You'll notice as you listen to the album and look at the tracklisting that it is split into two parts: Side A and Side B. The first half is Danny rapping more over traditional hip hop Detroit style beats. This is reminiscent of XXX because he is telling stories here. Danny is letting us into his mind and his life. If this is your first listen of Danny, it most likely is a shock to the system especially if all you know about him is the stories you hear about him or the interviews you watch or read about him. We here a theme beginning in the first track of the album that obviously has been bugging Danny ever since he blew up after XXX. He is pretty much venting that too many people want the "old Danny Brown" back meaning they want the underground rapper who spits lyric after lyric, bar after bar. They want him to be a "traditional" hip hop artist rather than the weird nasally high pitched Danny Brown we receive today. He addresses in the hook that he's moved from that. Not that he can't rap like that because he does go back to rapping "traditionally" for the first half of the album but the reason he rapped that way was because of how his life was. He was selling drugs, serving a stint in prison, unafraid to let it fly on anyone who stepped on his turf. That was the old Danny Brown and he is saying that he has no reason to be rapping like that anymore since he is in a different place now. But it's funny that Danny is saying he is going to do what he wants yet he won't hesitate to give the fans what they want. He is rapping like the old Danny Brown through the first half of Old but he isn't talking about the same stuff. Which transitions beautifully into the next track, Return featuring Freddie Gibbs. If you didn't catch it, it is a sequel of sorts to the Outkast track, Return of the G off the classic album Aquemini. People want the old Danny Brown back because they feel like he turned into this weird drugged out hippy that got out of Detroit and lost touch with the hood. If you thought that way about him, Danny is quick to remind he won't hesitate to take the gun out and shoot you. He has stated in many interviews that people get him wrong all the time and forget that he was a drug dealer in Detroit and that kind of personality doesn't just leave a person because they make some more money. Of course Freddie Gibbs comes in with yet another cold verse. I've said this before but i'll say it again...i have never heard a bad Freddie Gibbs verse. He does what he does and does it well.

that old danny brown

After looking back i'm realizing i'm just recapping the album song by song and i don't want to do that and i'm sure you guys want to read about it so i'm just going to give my thoughts on the first half of the album as a whole. In short, I liked everything about it. If he had just done the first 9 or 10 songs as an album, obviously it would be too short but it was so good that i would have nothing bad to say about it. It was as flawless as it could be. Honestly, if Side A was its own album it would be in my top 2 albums projects that were released in 2013. I can't say anything bad about it and i'm not even jocking Danny Brown. It wasn't groundbreaking but he did everything so well. he got his point across that the old Danny Brown isn't coming back because he has grown as an artist and is going to keep doing him since that is what got him to the next level. Look at what he says on Red 2 Go which is the last track of Side A and the transition between Side A and Side B, "Did it my way, i ain't nobody's hoe, bout to pimp the rap game." He is reiterating again he is going to do it his way because that is what got him to where he is at today.

Speaking of what got Danny Brown to where he is today, that is what the second half of the album, Side B is. It is Danny rapping over EDM beats or dubstep beats, i don't know what you're supposed to call them. I normally don't never listen to these kinds of beats but i actually like what Danny did. He did party rap over party beats. If you didn't follow the path he took over the course of the album, Danny Brown did "hip-hop" for Side A, and Side B was the experimental hip-hop. I definitely like the first half more but i wasn't hating on the second half. My favorite tracks on Side B were Smokin and Drinkin and Dip. Honestly there's no need to go in depth on these tracks other than he subtly shouts out A Tribe Called Quest on Smokin and Drinkin. I was surprised to hear the Ab Soul feature on Way Up Here because i have never heard him over these beats and i wasn't feeling it too much. It's not like it was bad but i definitely prefer him on those TDE beats. Side B wasn't my favorite but i still fuck with it nonetheless. The only thing i'm scared of is now there is going to be a bunch of trash rappers going over edm beats so that is going to suck.

I'm going out on a limb here and am going to say this album is a game changer. I don't think there has been a rapper who has the love from so many different types of people and has dabbled in the types of sound that Danny Brown has before. It took me a while to get used to Side B because that is not the type of music i ever listen to but i finally got the bigger picture. Danny Brown has spoken before about progressing hip hop and he is right. With so many people clamoring for the "old danny brown," they want him rapping over 90's type Detroit beats and there is nothing wrong with that. But the problem is that if Danny Brown sticks to that and doesn't attempt to go for something new then who knows how long it would take for someone else to rap over these edm beats. Even if this project fails at least rappers would now know not to rap over these types of beats. Danny Brown is looking at hip-hop not only as music but he is looking at the culture as a whole. If all rappers stick to the same script there is no way for hip-hop to progress. Nothing against Joey Badass because i think he is a very talented individual but he isn't doing anything special by doing his whole 90's revival thing. All he is doing is going backwards and by doing so he can't go forward. With his ever growing fanbase digging what he does, they too would clamor for that 90's revival stuff meaning there would be less of a demand for progression. Although i haven't listened to Yeezus, from what i hear it is even more experimental than Side B of Old. Even if it sucks it at least pushes the boundaries and takes hip hop into new directions. So if we don't give Danny Brown a listen because of the beats he raps over like i used to, then hip-hop won't be able to progress as a genre of music or as a culture. Peace


Just found this interview/article where Danny Brown talks about his goal to progress rap. I can't believe i actually understood the album like that and was right for once.


Gang Starr


Nas and Damien Marley

2013 NFL Season At The Quarter Pole

So, the 2013 season already has had some interesting story lines to it and and  just finished up 25% of the regular season. We've seen the JV's of the league in Oakland and Jacksonville live up to their preseason expectations of being hopeless, we've seen the addition of Wes Welker prove to everyone exactly what we thought would happen over in Denver and we have seen those dirty cheating She-Hawks up north live up to the hype and then some. I won't break down all the teams but give a sort of top tier power rankings. Here we go.


1. Denver Broncos (4-0)

Without a doubt, the most dominant team through four weeks. I know Seattle and their new legion of fans will probably cry and play the no respect card while Dick Sherman is up at 3 in the morning looking for that one person (like me for example) on the internet who will not say Seattle is the best team in the league then "relay the message to the boys" for bulletin board material then props to them for whatever gets them motivated but i digress. Peyton Manning is a robot who somehow keeps getting better despite him being 37 years old. I just keep thinking if Peyton signed with the 49ers that how much he could take of Marlon Moore and Kyle Williams making up his receiving core, no shots fired. But Denver has the offensive firepower in Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Wes Welker, and the out of nowhere Julius Thomas. They have a good stable of running backs in my cousin Knowshon, Ronnie Hillman, and Montee Ball. Losing Clady sucks but Peyton gets the ball out of his hand so quickly it really neutralizes those blindside shots. Seriously, have you ever seen Peyton get touched? On defense they don't even have Von Miller or Champ Bailey yet but are still ballin. I don't know too much about their D but they keep their opponents from scoring more than their offense so their doing something right. And Special Teams is so often overlooked until you have the midget Trindon Holliday taking one back to the house every other week. A complete team but will anyone be surprised when Peyton can't get it done come playoff time.

2. Seadderall SheHawks (4-0)

I have to give the devils their due. These roided up freaks are playing out of their mind right now and i'm praying to God they do not get home field advantage in the playoffs because it will be a wrap. Russell Wilson is showing no signs of a sophmore slump and for some reason can never be sacked. Marshawn Lynch is still running as hard as ever while i count down the days until his body completely breaks down which by the way is at 665 days and counting. Dick Sherman and those corners are very smart. They hold on every play because they know the refs won't call a penalty every play. Seriously, i don't understand how Dashon Goldson gets a rep for being a dirty player when he just puts good hits on anyone who comes across the middle while Dick, Browner, Thurmond, and whoever else lines up at corner for Skinny Pete play outside the rules on every play but are considered physical. NFL logic for you. Also, the Shehawks are a damn good team on all three phases and every analyst says they are either the best or second best team in the league yet they constantly play the underdog card. I'm all for using anything as a means for motivation but that shit is getting sad. When you are the favorite going into every game i don't understand how you can portray yourself as the underdog. Dick Sherman probably chills at home in a Lay-Z-Boy rocking a robe with his legs crossed smoking a pipe and reading various message boards looking for that one person to say "you know i feel like the Seahawks are the best in the league right now, but not the best ever." Then Sherman will go on after a game and call that person out for being an ignorant idiot most likely after they squeak out a 13-10 thriller at St. Louis on Monday Night Football. One last thing on my SheHawk rant is where did all these fans come from. Last year i never met a Seattle fan and now they're popping up everywhere. Get the fuck outta here with that. I know there are a lot of 49er bandwagoners but shit at least the 49ers had fans nationwide before they were good and then the bandwagoners jumped on. No one has ever grown up liking the Seahawks if you are not from Seattle and that is a scientific fact and i can't argue with what the scientists are saying, i just blog every couple months. Shout out to Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, and Earl Thomas. Skinny Pete, Dick Sherman and every person that claims the 12th Man but not in reference to Texas A&M can go fuck themselves.

3. New Orleans (4-0)

Sean Payton has come back with a vengeance and a defense to bring back memories of those glorious bounty years. We can obviously see the effects of having Sean Payton back but it is not like they were lost and hopeless last year. Credit has to go to Drew Brees since we all assume he was instrumental in being a player-coach of sorts and now can go back to being just Drew Brees this year. It must feel nice for him to have Sean Payton back and relieving the offensive duties and scheming off of his shoulders to a degree. If the Saints can get a running game going they will be Denver's mirror image. We all know the Saints can win a shootout but if for some reason the receivers aren't clicking with Brees we still don't know and highly doubt that New Orleans can win with the 3-headed puppy known as Pierre Thomas-Mark Ingram-and Darren Sproles and whatever other undrafted running back who will randomly get 20 carries one week. Until they can discover that, Brees will keep throwing dumpoffs to Sproles so he can run wild and lobs to Jimmy Graham since no one can match up with the guy on paper. If those don't work he'll just throw to Marques Colston who will probably get another 85 catches and 1000 yards. Even though they suck at running the ball if the defense can keep that aggressiveness going while still being productive that may be enough to compensate the one dimensiality of Drew Brees and friends. Kenny Vaccarro, despite looking like an injury prone player waiting to happen, has brought some nastiness back to that D which was neutered after the whole Gregg Williams hitmen debacle. So the front office was smart in signing Rob Ryan and letting that fat man implement his system and identity onto the team. Definitely not a team i would be too eager to play come playoff team especially if you had to travel to the Superdome...game over.

4. New England (4-0)

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are the gift that keeps on giving every year. Whether it be new faces every year because their tight end murdered someone or them cutting people loose, the Patriots will most likely once again win their division, get a first round bye and promptly lose in either the division game or the conference championship. Despite Brady not having his top 5 receivers from last year at the moment (credit Peter King) the Pats are lo and behold 4-0. No wonder Brady was pissed in that game against the Jets. Once they get the Gronk back, who btw is more fragile than a piece of China, Brady can finally calm down. I think sometimes he forgets he has 3 Super Bowls making tens of millions of dollars and is married to Gisele. Maybe he's mad because Gisele is the breadwinner who knows. As great as Brady is i would have to say that the homeless Ebenezer Scrooge impersonator walking the sidelines every week is better at what he does than the great Tom Brady. I do not know how he does it every year but it seems like the secondary is always revamped but they do have some key studs on that defense every year. Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo, Rob Nikkovich, and now Aquib Talib get their jobs done. We'll have to see how that defense reacts to losing Wilfork for the year since he is the engine of that 3-4 defense but knowing Bellicheck he will probably work his gypsy magic and throw shane vereen over at nose tacle just to say he did it. Seriously, when was the last time the Pats came into a game as underdogs.

5. Kansas City Chiefs (4-0)

It is amazing what a coaching change could do for a team. With a squad oddly resembling the same one that went 2-14 the previous year and ending up with the #1 pick in the draft, the Kansas City Chiefs have doubled their win from last year thanks to a new coach and a quarterback that knows what he is doing. If there is any ill will towards Alex Smith from San Francisco fans then those fans are delusional. The man was a model athlete, teammate, role model whatever other word you want to use. Honestly, him and Barry Zito should be able to get free drinks whenever they are in the city (even though they could buy any bar in the city) with the way they handled the fanbase over the years. Anyways this Kansas City team is oddly similar to the 2011 San Francisco 49ers team which saw Harbaugh come in, change the attitude of the team and revive Alex Smith's career to the point where he was actually worth two 2nd Round draft picks. The first way they are similar is that the team, as i said before, has a lot of holdovers from the Romeo Crennel/Todd Haley regimes. Second is that Alex Smith is the qb and i love that guy but he does have limitations and we have already seen them in the first four weeks. He is going to be 17-23 for 180 yards every week throwing numerous passes in the flat because he won't take any risks ever which is why he rarely turns the ball over. That means Jamaal Charles is the key to the offense. He is the running game and the checkdown guy for Smith. And like those 2011 49ers, it appears that the Chiefs defense is looking to make the jump to elite led by Tamba Hali, Justin Houston, and Eric Berry. Dontari Poe is showing flashes of the athletic ability that saw him rise from an unknown defensive tackle from Memphis to the #11 pick in the 2012 draft. It looks like the defense will keep KC in every game and it will be up to Alex Smith and company to make plays to win on offense. Then the last similarity is the x-factor of Dexter McCluster. Ted Ginn still remembered how to catch punts in 2011 and was a major player in the field position game for the Niners and McCluster is the same type of talent and he just took another one to the house as you're reading this. Shout out to Dante Hall.

6. Indianapolis Colts (3-1)

After that beatdown that San Francisco suffered at the hands of Indy, I am convinced that last season was not a fluke as they continue to embark in their post-Peyton era. Andrew Luck is not there yet but he continues to impress week in and week out with his play and leadership. I still can't believe people consider RG3 to be the superior QB of the two but that just goes to show how the flash can deceive people. Not taking anything away from Thrizzle, but Andrew Luck looks like he is going to be the man is Indy for the next 15 years. Their offense got better with Trent Richardson who for some reason was being labeled a bust despite being the only source of offense in Cleveland and playing last year with broken ribs but whatever. Jim Brown is a hater btw. They also have the ageless Reggie Wayne split out wide and he is still doing his thing. Hard to believe he may actually overtake Marvin Harrison on the all time receptions list. Despite him playing with Peyton all those years he still seemed to under rated every season. Also in that potentially potent offensive mix is TY Hilton, Dwayne Allen, and Coby Fleener finally looks like he is getting acclimated to the NFL. I'll be honest, i have no idea what is going on on the other side of the ball but for 3 out of the 4 games they have kept their opposition from scoring more points than the offense so they're doing something right. With Laron Landry, Eric Walden, and Ricky Jean-Francois as their big 3 free agent signings on the defensive side of the ball, i completely expected them to suck but they're holding it down. Shout out to RJF, love that guy.


7. Chicago (3-1)

I've never been a Jay Cutler fan and always thought of him as a poor man's version of the older Brett Favre meaning he is a gunslinger with no mobility but apparently he is changing his ways under a former CFL coach. He actually looks to pass it underneath and finally looks like someone a team could have faith in to make a deep playoff run. Of course Cutler gets credit but the real star of the offense is Matt Forte. Without him, they turn to Michael Bush i believe and no one wants to do that. I even think at Louisville Bobby Petrino would rather have Brian Brohm win the game than Michael Bush. Anyways, Forte can run the ball and catch the ball equally as well and the Bears will go as far as Forte will take them. He gets injured, there goes the season. On Defense, they lost Brian Urlacher but still have Lance Briggs, Julius Peppers, and Peanut Tillman holding things down. The thing they carried over from when Lovie Smith was the coach was that they take the ball away. Scientists have done studies and it shows the more you cause turnovers the better your chance at winning is. I think there is a formula: more takeaways = less possessions for opponent = less points for opponents = better chance to score more points than opposition. I think it was one of John Locke's philosophies or something.

8. Detroit (3-1)

One of several teams in the league that no team wants to get into a shootout with and this is because of one man...Calvin Johnson. Sure Matt Stafford is nice but Shaun Hill can come in and throw jump balls to Johnson too. That being said, the Lions have made Reggie Bush useful for the first time since his rookie season. I know he had a couple 1000 yard seasons in Miami, but he was in Miami which i believe is Spanish for mediocrity. Good for Reggie though that he finally is becoming the running-receiving threat for a meaningful team in his 8th year because better late than never. He gives the Lions a running threat that they haven't had since Barry Sanders Sr since Jahvid Best unfortunately has the lingering concussion problems. Just imagine the backfield speed of Best and Bush lining up together. It takes some pressure off of Johnson because he is not the only threat on offense. Ryan Broyles should be stepping up too now since Nate Burleson broke his arm reaching for a pizza and Stafford always has Brandon Pettigrew lurking over the middle as a safety valve. The difference this year with the Lions is that their defense is stepping up. Suh and Fairley dominate the lines which as we saw numerous times in the past, (New York Giants Super Bowl runs, Auburn over Oregon in the Natty) a dominate d lineman neutralizes anything that an offense wants to do. They keep their play up on that side of the ball and it makes the offenses job that much easier with the knowledge they do not have to drop 40 every game. Nothing wrong with a 40 though every week.

9. Miami Dolphins (3-1)

I definitely did not see the rapid development of Ryan Tannehill coming this season. I assumed it would take longer since he was one of the rawer QB prospects in a very long time to come out of college but that is a credit to him using his smarts and meshing it with his athletic ability. I still don't think the Mike Wallace signing was in any way smart at all but he is helping out the offense. He gives the Dolphins a deep threat opening up the underneath stuff for other Dolphin playmakers to step up. I'm not going to lie, i can't name you any Dolphins other than Cameron Wake, Pouncy, and Lamar Miller but they are 3-1 and beat Indy at Indy.

10. Tennessee Titans (3-1)

The titans have to be one of the least feared 3-1 teams in a while. It also doesn't help that Jake Locker now has a broken hip and their season resides in the brilliant Harvard brain of Ryan Fitzpatrick. Chris Johnson still appears to have mailed it in two years ago and they evidently hate Kenny Britt to the point where they won't even let him suit up on gamedays. Again like the Dolphins, i have no idea what the Titans are about except that Delanie Walker is the shit.

11. San Francisco 49ers (2-2)

They did look horrible against the SheHawks and the Colts but they looked the complete opposite against the Packers and the Rams. I really hope they don't play jekyll and hyde because i'm still recovering from the past 5 years of Giants baseball. When the Niners are on, i can't say they are the best team in the league but they damn near the top. This past Thursday night against St. Louis they went back to their bread and bread aka give Frank Gore the football. As dynamic as Kaepernick is, Frank Gore and that O-line still set the tone. It is like Greg Roman is trying to get too cute with the playcalling and looks more like he's playing Madden at times than calling a cohesive and sensible game plan. Another reason they have to keep pounding the rock is because there is no receiving threat outside of Vernon Davis and Anquan Boldin. I love Kyle Williams but he has to show something. He has the tools to be a dynamite slot receiver but he just needs to put it together. Everyone has high hopes for Quinton Patton but he just broke his foot. And when Jonathan Baldwin getting more playtime is considered a godsend, you know you are in bad shape. Anyways, Thursday was not only a statement game for Frank Gore but it was one for the defense as well. Despite being without Ian Williams, Patrick Willis, and Aldon Smith they put up their most dominant performance of 2013 even going back to the playoffs albeit against the Lambs. NaVorro Bowman just proved he is worth the extension he signed last year and Donte Whitner actually remembered he is a defensive back and not a linebacker. Eric Reid has played phenomenally for a rookie and already has two interceptions on the young season. While the safties are playing well the cause for concern are the corners. We all knew Carlos Rogers is on the decline but he isn't killing us but Tarell Brown man. I had high expectations for him considering he was the most consistent player in the secondary last year plus he is playing for a new contract but he has been wildly inconsistent not just in coverage but with penalties as well. Hopefully he can turn it around soon because losing Chris Culliver looks like it is hurting more and more every week. If the Niners want to win a Super Bowl they better do it fast because the core of this team will not be together for long. This may be their last season where the window of opportunity is still there. So many players will either be leaving or in need of new contracts soon and there will be no way of keeping everyone. Just a quick list of players who need new contracts soon or will be leaving: Kaep, Aldon Smith, Justin Smith, Frank Gore, Mike Iupati, Chris Culliver, Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin, Tarell Brown. They better win it all this year.

12. Houston Texans (2-2)

We all know this team has talent and that Matt Schaub is the Wale of quarterbacks. If you don't get that comparison it means Matt Schaub does nothing extraordinary but he isn't a scrub. He's just whatever. What's with Texan fans getting all pissy lately. TJ Yates is their backup. They must have forgotten that Matt Schaub IS the only successful QB in franchise history. They have had Sage Rosenfells, Tony Banks, David Carr yet complain about Schaub. I could see where they're coming from though because its not like they ever had success before so they don't know how to react to stuff like this. The offense is still legit with Arian Foster and Ben Tate in the backfield and Duane Brown manning the line. Andre Johnson is in that elite tier of receivers but probably pulled his hamstring thins morning bending down for the newspaper. On the defensive side of the ball it's no secret that JJ Watt is a stud. He does whatever he wants whenever he wants. The things he can pull off as a 3-4 defensive end is ridiculous. He deserves every bit of praise that has been heaped upon him these last two years. Other than that, there isn't really anything special that pops out on the defense. It's guys doing their jobs while Watt blows plays up when he feels like it. Don't even talk to me about Brian I Work Out Too Much Cushing. That was the worst excuse i ever heard for a positive PED test in my life. At least it was original though. What does Cushing and the SheHawk players that tested positive for PEDs have in common...yup they were coached by Skinny Pete.


If you couldn't figure out my reasoning for the rankings don't worry. I just took the 12 best teams by record (with the exception of #11 and #12) and ranked them since there are 12 teams in the playoffs. The five 5-0 teams were ranked followed by the five 3-1 teams and i chose what i felt were the two best 2-2 teams out there. I really wanted to do a team by team breakdown but that would take too long and seeing how i don't get paid for this i am not going to look for something positive to say about the Jacksonville Jaguars because God knows that would take hours, possibly days. My advice...just sign Tebow, there's nothing to lose. Peace.



A lot of good music is out there. Danny Brown's Old leaked and is one of my favorites this year. Pusha T's album comes out next week. Azizi Gibson came out with a tape, Ghost In The Shell. The Underachievers teamed up with Lex Luger to come out with another tape that wasn't as good as Indigoism but still bumps. Vic Mensa dropped Inanetape or however you spell it and that shit surprised me. Point is, it's been a solid year for music. Not great, but cool.

Rich Homie Quan


100s



Three 6 Mafia and UGK



UGK

2013 NFL Preview Part 1...Offensive Edition

With the NFL empire coming back into our lives for real in a few weeks, i figure i do part one of the NFL season preview. Today I'll let you guys see who i think the best players at each position are. Pretty self explanatory so here we go.
Also, if you click on the names there will be links to their highlights.

And you guys gotta get adblocker so you don't have to sit through those commercials on youtube.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK aka the most important position in all of team sports

Seriously on a team of 53 players, an injury to the starting quarterback will have you starting Joe Webb in the playoffs.

1. Tom Brady
2. Peyton Manning
3. Aaron Rodgers
4. Drew Brees

These four guys don't need any explanation as to why they are in a class of their own. Honestly they could be shuffled in any order and no one would be mad. So i'm going to focus on the guys in that next tier of quarterbacks who are on the cusp of eliteness.

Second Tier

Joe Flacco
We'll start off with the best gambler in the NFL. I'm not talking about on the field Tony Romo, Brett

this dude is worth $120 mil

Favre gambler. I'm talking about actual putting money on himself and he won gambler. If you had said on January 1, 2013 that Joe Flacco would receive a $120.6 million contract then you should be making money telling fortunes because no one saw that coming. What a difference a month makes. En route to leading one of the more impressive Super Bowl runs in recent memory, Flacco earned himself the richest contract ever at the time. He rejected a deal from the Ravens the year before betting that he would make more money by waiting a year and he kind of was right. he tore through the three best teams in the playoffs while outplaying Tom Brady in the conference championship for the second straight year. He was unstoppable in the first half of the Super Bowl against the best defense and was smart enough to keep throwing to Anquan Boldin in the second half. If he can translate the consistency he showed in the playoffs throughout the regular season no one is going to be complaining about that contract.

shout out to AJ Jenkins

Colin Kaepernick
I can't think of anyone since i started watching football that played so good so quickly than my man Kaep. Hard to believe he only has 10 starts to his name. This is going to be a huge year for Kaep since it is his first season as a starter and coaches now have had a full off season to prepare for the best "new-breed" quarterback (one that can equally devastate the opposition on the ground or through the air). He has all the physical tools to be the best quarterback, and from reports it sounds like he has the proper mental attributes and intangibles to become the seemingly perfect QB. The main thing he needs to work on is getting his offense to the line quicker so they don't have to burn timeouts because he's making checks at the line. It's way too frustrating to burn timeouts because the playclock is about to his zero. It also probably cost them the game winning touchdown that would have given them the Lombardi trophy. Also he needs to work on putting more touch on his passes. He has a bazooka attached to his right shoulder and needs to learn how to control it. According to reports he has looked real sharp in training camp and in his two series that he has played so far in the preseason. Just please don't get hurt because the 49ers just signed Seneca Wallace to compete for the backup QB job which tells you all you need to know about Colt McCoy and Scott Tolzein. And if you don't know what that means, it means that McCoy and Tolzein suck.

Eli Manning
Eli is a two time Super Bowl MVP and is a part of the NFL's royal family yet seems to be overlooked all too often. If you need one game to win, Eli should be at the top of that list. I definitely would take him over his brother and with the way Brady has been befuddled in recent playoff games i would say Eli is no doubt on the conversation for most clutch QB in the game right now. Idk how he completed those passes to Tyree and Manningham in the Super Bowls but he found a way to get it done. My respect for him shot up 1000 levels after the conference championship game against the 49ers. He took a beating....i mean a beating yet he still found a way to win the game on the road. Much respect to Eli. Probably gets overlooked because the giants tend to take a few years off after winning Super Bowls.

tell me he doesn't look like a rapist

Ben Roethlisberger
First off if you like the Steelers, just know your QB is a rapist. That being said dude can win games. Tough motherfucker who went from being the QB that the Steelers asked to just not lose games to the guy that they could not lose on offense. It's pretty ironic how the Steelers are known as one of the best teams of the last decade yet an injury to Roethlisberger completely decimates the offense and an injury to Polamalu has the same effect on defense. Idk if that means those two guys really are the shit or the Steelers are overrated. Also another guy in contention for most clutch quarterback in recent years. Need a game to win and you want this rapist, i don't think anyone can argue against it. Only thing i don't like about him on the football field is he is a fake warrior. I'm not knocking his toughness in anyway though. If he is hurt and playing well he is running sprints to the endzone after touchdowns, doing backflips, and doing pole vaults on the sideline. However, if he is hurt and playing poorly, all of a sudden he is limping back to the sideline after yet another interception with his head down and tail between his legs. Idk if Leftwich and Charlie Batch are still on the team but i'll take Roethlisberger with two broken legs over those two.


Close to Entering Second Tier

Matt Ryan
Another dude who got a big contract this off season has a chance to make that jump this year. He finally got a playoff win this past year but immediately went back to his choking ways in the seond half of the championship game. I still have no idea how he dropped that snapped and then looked like a total bitch when Aldon Smith literally took the ball from him. He holds on to that ball and doesn't throw an earlier interception to Chris Culliver, the Falcons easily could have been the ones getting torn apart by Joe Flacco. He has always had weapons at his disposal and now with the emergence of Julio Jones as an elite playmaker (spoiler alert) Ryan has everything he needs to succeed on offense and put up big numbers yet again. 

Andrew Luck
As goofy as Andrew Luck looks, the dude understands how to play the QB position. Yeah he threw a bunch of interceptions last year but i think he forgot he wasn't playing the University of Colorado anymore. Anyways, he did graduate with an engineering degree from Stanford meaning he is smart meaning he won't make those same mistakes again this year. He is underrated athletically seeing as he ran his forty in the 4.6 range yet no one thinks of him as someone who can beat you with his feet. And that's fine because he has no problem beating opponents solely with his arm. He led the Colts who were without their head coach for most of the year to the playoffs a year after finishing with the worst record and pretty much with new players all across the board. I think he will end up being the best QB out of the 2012 class. And no RG3 didn't make the list. And i love me some Thrizzle but i just have a feeling he is going to be injury prone his whole career. His build and playing style can't take the punishment that comes with being a QB and not only that but he plays in one of the more brutal divisions int he league. I hope i'm wrong about that because he is already one of the more 
dynamic QB's the league has ever seen.


RUNNING BACK

1. Adrian Peterson
If you don't know why Peterson holds the top spot i assume you don't watch football so just click on his name to watch his highlights from last year while keeping in mind that he did all that less than a year after shredding his knee. Peterson is on such another level that it's useless ranking the other running backs since they know they aren't number one.

Ray Rice  
Before Joe Flacco turned into a one man wrecking crew in the playoffs, Ray Rice was considered the life and blood of the Ravens offense and for good reason. This stat is from a couple years ago but it shows the correlation of Ray Rice getting the ball and the Ravens winning. From 2010 into the midway point of 2011 the Ravens were 3-4 when way rice got less than 20 touches (touches=anytime Ray Rice had the ball in his hands) and were 13-2 when he had more than 20 touches. That is something that is not hard to see. If the Ravens give Ray Rice the ball a lot their chances of winning go up a lot. Now the emergence of Bernard Pierce has lightened the workload and Joe Flacco has proved he can win games for the team but in reality how many people can do this. The biggest knock on Rice is was that he was too short to be a featured running back which makes absolutely no sense to me because if you just look at how he is built, the dude is a truck. Now he may not be a Ford F-150 but a Ford Ranger is still a truck that can get the job done. Speaking of short running backs it brings me to the next guy.

Maurice Jones-Drew
You don't know how bad i feel for this kid. At least he tasted the playoffs early in his career with David Garrard leading the team. It is hard being a running back in the league when the opposition doesn't respect the quarterback and stacks the box (the defense puts man coverage on the receivers usually leaving 8-9 defenders within five yards of the line of scrimmage). It's not going to be any different this year for Pocket Hercules unless Blaine Gabbert can grow a pair and use his physical tools for the betterment of the team. He does have help though on his offense with Cecil Shorts III bursting onto the scene last year as a deep threat and with Justin Blackmon looking like he is figuring out how good he can be when he is sober. they still have Mercedes Lewis as a security blanket for whichever QB is under center and selected Luke Joeckel with the second overall pick int he NFL draft to protect said QB. Jones-Drew success depends entirely on how well his QB plays. If the QB is competent MJD will go back to having one of his signature years.

Lesean McCoy
One of the prototypes for the new type of running back in this day and age. He isn't the big bruiser like Jerome Bettis or Jamal Lewis and you won't see McCoy going up the middle 20 times a game. In fact idk if you'll even see him rush the ball 20 times. The Eagles just want to give McCoy the ball in space and let him do his thing. He is one of the deadliest open field runners in the league with the way he can change directions in a moment's notice yet stay at full speed. I think Ike Taylor of the Steelers said it best, "McCoy could make Superman miss in a phone booth." He isn't that big of guy especially for a running back but he almost never takes huge shots because of how shifty he is as a runner. Although Mike Vick is faster than McCoy, he is still very fast. When defenders have angles on you and you can still outrun those angles, that deflates a defense like none other. In addition to being a gifted runner he is a threat as a receiver as well. That puts the defense in a bind because if he is going to receive a pass out of the backfield that means a linebacker will most likely have the task of stopping him and there aren't too many linebackers who can.

Jamaal Charles
Speaking of these smallish running backs who will absolutely kill you with speed, we have Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs. Idk if he still holds the record but he at one point held the record for highest yards per carry average in NFL history with 5.8 ypc. That means everytime the Chiefs turn around and hand Charles the ball they pick up six yards. 1st & 10 suddenly becomes 2nd & 4. The funny thing is that he is not considered a power runner but is respected throughout the league for his toughness. As a smallish running back he is not afraid to go up the middle and lower the boom. Looking at his career stats i was very surprised he has only lost one year due to injury. I was certain he been banged up way more but 2011 was the only year Charles didn't play at least in 15 games. He might have had one of the quietest 1,500 yard seasons ever last year but playing for the team with the worst record will do that. Don't get it twisted, his calling card is speed and when he gets in the open field, no one is going to catch him from behind.

Chris Johnson
I may be wrong but Chris Johnson of the Titans was the first of these smallish running backs who relied on speed to make a name for themselves. I know Marshall Faulk did his thing back in the day but he was an outlier in a league full of bruisers. Johnson showed a small dude can be a featured back. It also helps to have 4.24 speed. and if you don't realize how fast that is, run 40 yards in a straight line and see what you are timed at. Chris Johnson would already be removing his gold fronts by the time you finish. The only problem i have with CJ is he needs to grow up and be a leader. Never has he put the blame on himself and blamed his O-line as the reason why he hasn't reached numbers close to his 2000 yard season in 2009. He didn't call them out hoping to motivate them, he squarely put the blame on them. If there is something you never do in team sports, blaming your teammates is right up there with stealing a teammates girlfriend or wife. You just don't do it. But with that being said, he is one of the more breathtaking players with the ball in his hands and grass full of green between him and the endzone.

Arian Foster
I hope this guy stays healthy and the injury bug doesn't get to him. I have no idea if he is a great running back or merely a product of the same zone blocking system that made Terrell Davis a borderline hall of famer and Orlandis Gary a 1000 yard rusher but Foster can't decide who coaches him. He simply does what he is told and he is told to run the ball and pick up yards which he has done to the average of 1,421 yards a year since becoming the full time starter back in 2010. The Texans have  a high powered offense and we'll see how much Foster really means to the team if he is unable to go in a couple games. We'll find out if they could just plug another running back in there or if Foster really is that good.

Frank Gore
Here is a biased pick but who cares. Since coming into the league back in 05 Frank Gore has been the most consistent running back in the NFL. The only years he did not rush for 1000 yards was his rookie year when he backed up Kevin Barlow for some reason and 2010 when he had a broken hip. Other than that, 1000 yards every year. He is the niners all time leading rusher and if he doesn't already hold all the team's records for a running back he soon will. He has the respect of everyone in that locker room and come to think of it, no one in the league has ever had a bad thing to say about Frank. For someone who reportedly scored a 6 on the wonderlic test he is renowned for being one the smartest football players. The only thing Frank doesn't have is breakaway speed. You don't know how frustrating it is to see Frank running free in the open field only to be caught from behind but he has everything else. He's got some of the best vision, patience, he can lower the boom, has light feet for a big man, and can pass protect with the best of them. And while he was the 49ers only option on offense for several years he proved he could be a threat in the passing game as well. In my opinion he is the most underrated player of the last decade. Who would of thought that from all that talent on the Miami Hurricane teams of the early 2000's that Frank Gore would be the one having the best career. Hopefully fans around the league can look at Gore and realize what a special player he is.

Marshawn Lynch 
Even though he is on the most annoying team in all of football i'm not ashamed to say i love the way Marshawn Lynch plays. Not only that but you could tell is from Oakland. You could take the kid out of Oakland but you can't take the Oakland out of the kid but i digress. Marshawn is the kind of running back that people envision running backs to be. He doesn't stop his feet, it usually takes half the defense to take him down, and he will run you over without second thought. Although i think it is inevitable his style of play will catch up to him let's hope it's not for another few years. I mean this run pretty much has defined him as a player. I still don't think that Tracy Porter has gotten his career back on track.


FULLBACKS

With the way offenses have been trending the last few years and the way the college game is full backs are becoming extinct which sucks. I'm not going to pretend like i know all the full backs in the league so i'll just say Bruce Miller and Vonta Leach are the best. No disrespect to the other full backs in the league becuse they have the most thankless job in all of football. Yes more so than an offensive lineman. At least O linemen get PAID.


WIDE RECEIVERS

1. Larry Fitzgerald
If there was one pain in the side NFC West division opponent i would love to be on the 49ers it is no doubt Larry Fitzgerald. What the man has been able to accomplish in the desert is nothing short of remarkable. Aside from playing with an aging end of his career Kurt Warner, Fitzgerald has never had a competent QB throwing to him. The man is a true professional. At no point have there been any reports of Fitzgerald requesting a trade or dogging his teammates in all the years his talents have been forsaken to the southwest region of the country. Maybe it has something to do with the $120 million the Cardinals gave him but he still seems like he would have been a cool dude. When he finally was able to reach some success during postseason run up to Super Bowl 43, he made the most of it. He was the best player on the field for every game while setting records for most receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns in a single postseason. He was balling out of his mind. The greats rise to the occasion and Fitzgerald is no exception. He is every bit as physically imposing as the next guy on the list. Fitz can do it all. Line up in the slot, be a possession receiver, go down the sideline, catch in traffic, go up at get the ball at its highest point, and possesses the best set of hands in the League. If there is a checklist of all the things an NFL needs to do, not only can Fitzgerald check them all off but he can do every single one as well as anyone in the game.

that's against triple coverage

2. Calvin Johnson
I really wanted to do a 1A and 1B with these two but that would feel like a copout. Instead i took the postseason success that Fitz had and decided that was the thing that put him over the hump ahead of Megatron. That's not a knock on Calvin at all because he definitely is not the reason the Lions have been in one playoff game since he arrived in 07. The Lions whole offense is based around this guy and for good reason. Seriously i don't think they call plays in Detroit. I think Matt Stafford asks Calvin as politely as he can to please get open and he'll throw it in the vicinity. He is almost always double teamed and even triple teamed at times yet he still set the record for most receiving yards in one season. Meaningless yards because they didn't translate to wins but impressive nonetheless when you look at the supporting cast. And remember when i said Larry Fitzgerald is every bit as imposing as Calvin...well i lied. He really looks like he was made out of a factory. There has never been anyone like him in the history of the NFL who is as big as he is and to have the production to match the body. It should not be possible for a human being to stand 6'5, weigh 240 pounds, run 40 yards in 4.35 seconds (in someone else's shoes), and to jump 3 and a half feet straight up into the air. It's not fair even more that human wants to actually be the best at his position and has a great pair of hands to catch anything coming near him. Hopefully the Lions get better because Calvin is someone i want to see when all eyes are on him come playoff time.

3. Andre Johnson
Ditto for what i said for Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald except he gets injured too much. Literally can do it all except prevent injuries.  

Guys I Expect To Make the Jump Into Elite

4. Julio Jones
It's amazing what actually watching a game versus watching highlights can do to change your perception. When watching highlights you don't get the full picture of how dominant someone is. My perception of Julio Jones changed when i saw what he was able to do against the 49ers in the conference championship. He owned the first half. There was no stopping him. When the Falcons needed a first down they threw to Jones. When they needed what they thought was a backbreaking touchdown they threw to Julio. When they wanted to get out of blocks guns blazing, they threw to Julio. So pretty much anytime they needed something to happen they threw to Julio and he responded every time. It helps he has passing threats like Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez to prevent constant double teams but i think it is pretty clear now that Julio is the top dog of the Atlanta receiving corps coming into the season. And to think we haven't even seen the best of Julio yet. The rule of thumb is that receivers don't really blossom into the player they become until the third year and lo and behold, 2013 will be Julio's third year. I'm expecting him to make that leap into the elite category soon.

5. AJ Green
Right behind Julio is the man picked two spots ahead of him at the 2011 NFL Draft. Idk about anyone else but seeing highlights of AJ Green is like watching Randy Moss in his prime. Andy Dalton just throws it up down the sideline and waits for AJ to pluck it out of the sky for yet another catch. I'm not knocking Dalton at all but i think we could all say AJ is the one making Dalton look good versus the other way around. His peers around the league already revere this kid who is only going into his third year. That says it all right there. You have super bowl champions, multiple time bowlers, and veterans who have been around the league long enough to know what a special player looks like speak in awe of his talents. The only thing idk about him is i haven't really seen him go over the middle but i am completely being ignorant considering i have yet to watch a Bengal game while he has been on the team. Even if he doesn't go over the middle he is built to fly up the sideline and get the ball which he has proven to be very adept at.

6. Dez Bryant
When Dez was falling in the draft you don't know how bad i wanted the 49ers to take him and team him up with Crabtree and Davis and Gore to form with one of the most potent offenses in the NFL. That shows why i'm not a GM considering that the 49ers found themselves two of the best at their position in Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati but Dez is special nonetheless. Although he can be a knucklehead at times the talent outshines that...for now. I think eventually he is going to be a Terrell Owens type kind of guy who has the potential to tear locker rooms apart so let's enjoy him while he's young. He really broke out last year giving the Cowboys a legit threat at the receiver position so they don't have to keep throwing curls to Jason Witten. He is a physically imposing MAN on the field who does not shy away from contact. He can make all the catches and knows what to do when the ball is in his hands. He seemed to shake the incinsistency bug a bit last year so we'll see if he carries it into this year. If he can string together the kind of games his potential allows for then he will make the jump into the the Fitz/Calvin category.

Receivers Destined to Be Very Good but not Elite

Michael Crabtree
I still think he has the potential to jump into the elite category especially after what he showed when Kaep took over at QB but i fear the Achilles injury will prevent him from ever reaching that potential.

Stevie Johnson
A seventh round pick with no elite talents except route running has somehow maximized his physical abilities and combined it with good hands and intellect to become a very reliable number 1 receiver. Also, showed loyalty to the team that drafted him by re-signing with them despite being able to sign anywhere. 

Hakeem Nicks
Unfortunately the injury bug looks like it will haunt him. A real shame because he seemingly has all the tools to be a great receiver and has displayed those tools when healthy.

Roddy White
The two time high school state wrestling champion took a while to get his career rolling but once he did, he has not looked back. 

Steve Smith
It's a shame it took him this long to team up with a competent quarterback, no disrespect to Jake Delhomme. The things he can do in this league despite standing 5'9...ultimate respect.

Anquan Boldin
One of the more appreciated and underrated players since he stepped into the league. The old man can still turn it on when necessary.

Marques Colston
I want to see what he could do without Drew Brees but we may never see that. I think Drew Brees made Marques into the player he is today. 

TIGHT END

1. Jason Witten
Production wins out ultimately. Jason Witten is Mr. Consistency. He gives the Cowboys anywhere from 80-100 catches and at least 900 yards a year. Witten is Tony Romo's security blanket which is weird because Romo still finds a way to fuck the game up. The classic too big for defensive backs and too fast for linebackers kind of tight end who knows how to use use body to shield defenders and combines it with a nice pair of hands. If you take him off of the Cowboys, then you have Romo forcing the ball to Dez which inevitably lead to interceptions which lead to Dez yelling at Romo which leads to a free for all in the Cowbiys locker room. So when it comes down to it, Jason Witten is the reason the Cowboys can function as a team.

2. Tony Gonzalez
Gonzalez revolutionized the tight end position. Although Kellen Winslow and Mike Ditka back in the day were some of the best receivers during their time, Gonzalez turned the position into an art. He is probably the most athletic tight end to grace a football field. He combines speed, hands, route running, body control, and using his body better than any tight end to play the game. Even his old ass kept making life hard on Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman back in January. Teams were forced to game plan defenses that would specifically stop Tony. He made it so the tight end was not seen as a third or fourth option on a play but rather he was the one QB's wanted to get the ball to. I don't see any reason to not expect Gonzalez to put up more of the same numbers in what appears to be his final year. 

3. Vernon Davis
Vernon can be one of the more frustrating players to watch on a week in week out basis. We all know he is a freak athlete but his regular season production has not been there save for a couple years. Last year he did nothing really of sort until the playoffs rolled around which is cool because we know he is a guy who steps his game up as the lights shine brighter. That makes it even more frustrating that he can't put those numbers up over a 16 game regular season. But as long as he helps the team get to the postseason we know he will show up. Another frustrating part about his game is that he dances way to much for someone who should be a runaway freight train with the ball in his hands. He is 250 and runs a 4.3 but is always trying to go around and juke people. And if you watch Vernon he is not the type of athlete to make people miss. Idk when it happened but i remember early in his career one person was never able to bring him down and now it seems like it happens way too often. If he is trying to save his body i understand but it can get super annoying. And i alluded to it earlier but Vernon is not a fluid athlete. He is big and fast but looks very awkward when changing direction and when catching the ball. He catches the ball with his body too much for my liking but like i said earlier, he produces in the big games. And though it seems like i am bashing on Vernon, i am not. It just gets frustrating seeing the inconsistency. He's a dude that looks like tarzan and plays like tarzan as well. If you have a chance to watch him run block it is a thing of beauty. As terrible of a head coach that Mike Singletary was, i will be forever grateful for the way he turned Vernon's career around. Before Sing became the coach there is no way Vernon would have turned into the absolute beast of a run blocker and consummate team player that he is today which is something he openly admits. I do think he will have a big year because he has no other choice but to pick up the slack left by Crabtree's injury and Vernon is definitely more than up to the task. I just know that whatever Vernon is doing he will be giving it 100 percent and with a smile on his face.

4. Rob Gronkowski
The man, the myth, the legend, every frat boy's hero is the best tight end when healthy except for the fact he has a tendency to not be healthy and this issue goes back to his college days. But when he is healthy there might not be a more unstoppable force then the Gronk. The classic too big for defensive backs and too fast for linebackers kind of tight end is special because he is not only too fast for linebackers but too big as well. So a double team pretty much has to be committed to stopping Gronk every time he is on the field. He has the record for most touchdowns in a season for a tight end and i have to fact check it but i think he also has the most receiving yards in a season for the position as well. I don't think there is anyone in the League who enjoys being the lifestyle that comes with being an NFL player more so than Gronk. Something tells me he would act the same off the field even if he was a long snapper.

5. Jimmy Graham
What a work of art Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints coaches did with this kid. Before entering the NFL, Graham's entire football career stat line read like this: 17 catches for 213 yards and 5 touchdowns. He didn't have much production in his life because he was busy playing basketball at the Division 1 level. You can say he progressed pretty fast because in his second year of professional football, third year playing football overall, he produced 99 catches for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns and earned a spot on the All Pro team. Not too bad for a football novice. It just gets you thinking how many Jimmy Graham's are out there playing basketball in Europe right now *cough Rob Jones cough*. If Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates didn't already set the precedent for college basketball tweener power forwards having an alternate career path then hopefully Jimmy Graham has.

Other Tight Ends of Note

Antonio Gates
Antonio Gates was the most productive tight end of the last decade but injuries seem to have caught up to him. I just mentioned how he and Tony were the forefathers of college power forwards coming into the league and dominating as tight ends and their play has revolutionized the game. Tight Ends are usually guaranteed to never be double teamed and Gates will take advantage of single coverage every time. Get healthy big man.

Delanie Walker
As much as i like 49ers rookie Vance McDonald i feel the loss of Delanie Walker to the Tennessee Titans will prove to be more costly than what people think. The reason why the 49ers were able to employ so many two tight end sets was because of the many talent of Delanie. It's ironic that his worst attributes are his hands seeing that he actually is a converted wide receiver. It still befuddles me how he can drop so many open balls yet make catches while three guys are draped on him. I hope the Titans use him correctly and take advantage of his skill set because his value to the 49ers was that he was able to do so many things well. He could block as a traditional tight end, do trap blocks on the interior, block as a leading full back, split out wide, line up in the backfield, make plays with the ball in his hands, and straight lay people out on kickoff. Definitely one of my favorite players that i had watched in recent years.

Jared Cook
Don't sleep on the Rams. I keep reading how Jared Cook is going to do big things in St. Louis after never reaching his potential in Tennessee. Big target for Sam Bradford.

Dennis Pitta
Shout out to Dennis Pitta who was really coming into his own and looked like he could be the Ravens number one receiving option before going down with a season ending injury.

OFFENSIVE LINE

I'm not even going to pretend like i know which individual linemen are the best and if you can tell me that you're full of shit. That being said i'm just going to say the 49ers have the best o line in football. Joe Staley is widely considered one of the elite left tackles in the game which still leaves me flabbergasted because idk when that transformation took place. Mike Iupati looks like he was born to play guard in the NFL and is living up to that prophecy. Johnathan Goodwin is the leader of the line and makes sure everyone is on the same page. Anthony Boone has a rhino named after him. And Anthony Davis just looks like he wants to hurt people.


Part two featuring the defensive side of the ball coming soon.

Earl Sweatshirt- Doris

To the people who listen beyond mainstream rap, Earl Sweatshirt's Doris has been hyped up for 3 years. I, like most people, got my first introduction to not only Earl but Odd Future as a whole with this pretty little video. Now when i first saw it, i said fuck it these guys are too out there for me to fuck with them musically. And for the most part i didn't mess with them. I was a casual observer of the Odd Future movement meaning Yonkers was cool and i respect Frank Ocean and that was it. Then i kept hearing about how Earl is supposedly the next Nas, Em, next great lyricist, etc but he was stuck in Samoa which i'm sure you guys had heard as well. It sucks that Earl actually missed the whole Odd Future blowing up part but when he came back the anticipation for new material from Earl was growing exponentially. Idk how the guy is wired but that is a lot to ask of an 18 year old who is finally coming back home to immediately get back in the studio and drop a classic. I wasn't really paying attention to the situation but one day i was curious to see what all the hype was about and i listened to Chum. I had a Holy Shit moment when i heard that for the first time. This was the same dude that had that video of shit coming out of his eyes? I was amazed at how the words just fell out of his mouth yet it all fit together. That track made me understand why everyone was hyping this kid up and now i had expectations for the debut. Now on to Doris...

I'm not going to lie...i was disappointed. With all the hype that was behind this album i was expecting a classic that would contend for album of the year. However after putting it into perspective i am cutting the kid some slack. After all, he is still a teenager who was pretty much pressured into making this album from the moment he stepped back onto American mainland soil. His first few lines off of Burgandy should have given a warning too when he said "But i'm too busy trying to get this album cracking...I'm afraid i'm going to blow it." I think we all could appreciate the honesty but let's be real; what great rapper doubts themself? He has to come in with the mind set that he is going to kill it. Maybe as he makes more music and gets more comfortable, that doubt will go away. And let me say this before making my next point. Earl has one of the best flows out there right now. I'm not going to say the best because i have not listened to every one but imo him, Joey Bada$$, and Bishop Nehru have the flow game on lock in terms of new school cats. With that being said, too much of one thing is a bad thing no matter how good it is. For the love of God, Earl needs to switch the flow up. I know that's his style but 15 tracks of the marbled monotone flow gets boring no matter how many golden nuggets he may be dropping. Despite how good that flow is, Earl is too talented of a lyricist to not switch it up.

breakout star of the tape?

That being said it's not like i hated the album. I was just surprised at the little amount of tracks that i actually liked. I already mentioned Chum but my favorite track off the album is Hive for sure featuring Vince Staples with Casey Veggies on the hook. Let me just say goddam that motherfuckin Vince Staples. I heard the name before but never checked him out but now i will definitely keep my eye on him. To me, he was no doubt the breakout star of the album despite appearing only on three tracks and spitting on only two of them. Which brings me to the point of me not understanding why these artists insist on having so many features on a debut SOLO album. My guess is that they knew listening to only Earl for 15 tracks straight that the monotone delivery probably isn't the best idea to make people actually want to sit through the entire project. Favorite line off the track though did come from Earl when he said "breaking news, death's less important than when the Lakers lose." i mean that line is self explanatory right there. Moving on to the next track with a Vince Staples feature, Centurion. The beat was grimy, i like how it switched up between Earl and Vince but when Vince said "spend it all on guns and rims, i ain't nothing but a nigga, no reason to pretend" i was like yup...i fuck with this dude. It's not some groundbreaking shit but it seems to be the kind of ignorant rap with dope lines, and grimy/dope production that i've been looking for. Pre feat SK Laflare was alright and so was Burgandy. Those are the only tracks from the album that i actually fuck with after hearing it all the way through several times. Molasses was cool, i wish it had a RZA verse though instead of him repeating "i fuck the freckles off your face bitch." Lastly, wtf was mac miller doing? That is the worst shit i've heard in a while. "eating bagels with no cable on." Word? Is that what's hot in the streets right now. Eating bagels with no cable? I really want to get back to liking Mac Miller but when he says shit like that in the stupid muffled voice, it makes it really hard to do so.

In short i have to give this a C+. The reason it did not getting any lower is because there are three tracks that i not only fuck with but go out of my way to bump. Also it introduced me to Vince Staples so thank you Earl. 3 tracks out of 15 is not a good percentage but what can you do. It may seem weird giving an album a C+ despite liking only 20 percent of the material but what can you do. His talent as a lyricist is obvious even through his less than stellar tracks but they weren't hitting it for me. Switch that flow up Earl and rap about other stuff than being angry. I'm anticipating his next album to not only be sound very different but seriously better than his debut. Find some inspiration Earl.

And i also found out that Vince Staples recently dropped a tape with Mac Miller handling the whole production. I have not given it a listen yet but i am praying to God Mac Miller does not rap. That how much i hated his verse.

El Madmo and Norah Jones- The Best Part



E-40 Danny Brown Schoolboy Q

A$AP Ferg- Trap Lord

The rest of A$AP Mob looks like they're finally ready to break out of Rocky's shadow and leading the charge is A$AP Ferg. If you peeped my Rap Crews post i called them A$AP Rocky and friends and i still stand by that assertion which tells you what i think about Trap Lord. However, the album grew on me a little. The first couple listens i was whatever to it. It was what i was expecting from an A$AP album. Good mindless music. By that i mean you could play the album while you're busy doing other things and enjoy it. You really don't have to listen to what Ferg is saying to enjoy it because the beats are on point. Nothing caught my attention the first couple times around except that Hood Pope was annoying af and i kept wondering why he jacked M.I.A's flow on Let It Go and on Shabba to an extent. That being said Shabba eventually got stuck in my head and right now its my favorite track off the album.

The one thing that bothered me the most about the album was the lack of Ty Beats productions. I mean come on, he is a big part of the reason that A$AP Mob even blew up with Peso and Purple Swag so idk. Maybe Ferg is really going for that commercial sound but to me i think Ty Beats could have laced him with something. Another thing that bothered me is that Ferg doesn't sound comfortable when he is doing his M.I.A/Bone Thugs flow. It sounds forced which for me makes it a hard listen.

To sum it up A$AP Ferg's album is a mehhh translating to an arbitary C grade. Im not going to listen to a Ferg track for inspiration but rather to just get my head moving when im in the mood to hear some of that stuff. I'm missing something because a lot of people are talking about Ferg like he is next up but i just don't see it. Hell, Sportscenter even compared Ferg to Tom Brady and i really did not know he was making noise like that. Anyways, don't listen to me but listen to Trap Lord for yourself and tell me if you agree or not. If you like it support the man and if you don't like it respect the man.

p.s when Ferg is talking about trapping he is talking about selling belts. Literally belts that hold your pants up.



A$AP Ant and A$AP Nast- The Way It Go/Trillmatic




D'Angelo- Lady