I think this is a fair enough question. XV is a rapper from Wichita, Kansas who seemed primed to breakout every year. XV first emerged with his mixtape 40 Days/40 Nights where he released one song in the morning and evening for 40 days straight. Then he got some more attention with 2009's Everybody's Nobody. That is when it seemed XV was primed to become the next underground superhero. He was working with Just Blaze and signed a deal with Warner Bros. Every year, the comment section on blogs across the internet always mentioned how XV got snubbed from being an XXL freshmen. He didn't let that stop him. In 2011 he released Zero Heroes, a mixtape featuring the likes of Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Pusha T so it's not like he was working with strictly the underground of the underground. He was working with established guys and dudes who were set to blow up next. Still, no album though. Then the next year he dropped another mixtape, Popular Culture to some more rave reviews. However, still no album and then it felt like only the hardcore fans were the ones still following him. The push for him to get on the XXL cover diminished over the next few years. He temporarily slid out of irrelevancy last spring with his March Madness series but that was short lived. With this post, I'm going to try and see why and how XV seemingly fell off and how he can come back.
I have literally no idea what XV has been up to or where he is even chilling at. He's been MIA. It's kind of startling to be honest. He was supposed to be the next underground emcee to break on through to the mainstream but that was almost three years ago. I can't even find an interview written or on youtube since 2012. In an age where someone's every move, even if you are a minor celebrity, is recorded somehow there is an argument to be that the fact XV has been able to pull a Houdini is more impressive than him actually releasing an album. The only news we've gotten from him are promises that the album is coming and his March Madness series from a year ago. His twitter doesn't reveal anything. I haven't been able to find anything about his whereabouts on any message boards. All speculation and whatnot. So to answer the main topic of the article...My hands are up in the air about what happened to XV. He might be dead for all I know.
Say XV released his album back in late 2012 or 2013 like when it was supposed to be, allow me to offer my best oracle impression. I believe XV would have been a hit. He had catchy tracks, got co-signs from notable artists like Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Talib Kweli, and Pusha T amongst others. Like I said earlier, Just Blaze was and for all I know is still set to executive produce the album. Just Blaze knows a little something about churning out hits. If you don't know who Just Blaze is, then wikipedia him. If you never heard of XV's music, picture a nerdy cross between J Cole and Lupe Fiasco. Late 2000's rap saw the genre move away from the gangsta rapper and ushered in acts like Kid Cudi, Drake, and the aforementioned Cole and Lupe. XV took the go against the grain approach and took it even further. He would spit about Wichita (his hometown), comic books, sample Smashing Pumpkins, and just do things out of the ordinary even for "conscious" rappers. The only question I would have for XV as a commercial artist is what kind of hits he would bring. He showed with Awesome that he can make a positive radio hit that could be played on commercials and self-esteem promos until the end of time but the question is whether or not he could make money. AKA make that club banger. That gets the radio spins which equals to getting the paper. XV seems like a grounded enough dude to at least try and stick to his guns and make an XV album versus making a Warner Bros album. Maybe that is what the delay has been about. Maybe XV isn't willing to compromise and that is why the album still has not come out. Who knows? But if he is really bashing heads with label execs they would have dropped him a long time ago. Labels don't put up with that. They know there are numerous rappers eager to jump at the chance to make a radio hit if that means becoming a company yes man.
Another theory I heard was that XV just hasn't been the same without longtime producer Seven. They had a falling out or something because they don't work together anymore which is kind of significant because part of the reason of how XV blew up was because of the music that he had conjured up with Seven. That's like running for President and then you and your running have beef over something and now you need a new running mate. There are obviously other candidates to replace your running mate and they might even be more talented but the replacement can't come in and replicate the same chemistry you had with the original one. It's that unspoken bond two people have that allows them to create something beautiful they can't necessarily match when working with someone else. Who knows. Maybe Seven felt some type of way about XV working with bigger names and felt he was getting left in the dust after all the work he had put in. Maybe XV was getting an ego and since he was on the move constantly, couldn't respond to Seven in timely manners. Who knows? I'm just throwing rumors out there which I am sure XV and Seven can appreciate. Oh well, free country. Maybe them seeing this will get them back into the lab together. You both aren't doing anything anyways. Might as well give it another shot. I don't even want any compensation for being the mediator. Just give the people what they want.
I really hope this helped slide XV back into your relevancy. I know I had zero thoughts about him until I came across one of his tracks while the iTunes was on shuffle. I'm pulling for him. Although absolutely every molecule of his momentum has evaporated, it would be a nice comeback story for XV to get some shine. Hell if he can crank out some hits, I think he'll actually do better than if he came out when he was supposed to because he would have more of an underdog story which we all know the media will eat up. The question then will be (other than if he ever breaks out) will be if it will be some 15 minutes of fame type stuff or was XV fooling us all and is a secret rap/mogul genius hiding out in farm country (or whatever Kansas is known for, other then perennial underachieving basketball teams).
I know...I know. To all of my 8 loyal followers, I apologize. It's been a while. You know how it is, people just get caught up in stuff and that is what happened here. I've started and scrapped so many posts that if I were to die, there'd be a Tupac like level of demo-posts that other people are going to have to finish based on what they thought I would have said...kind of like all those posthumous Tupac tracks. Well I figured I kind of ease into this next entry with an oldie but a goodie. My top 10 hip-hop albums. My oh my what a difference a couple of years make. One of my first posts was a favorite albums list but that encompassed all genres and was kind of thrown together in a few hours. This list was narrowed to 10 so I can speak a little more about each project in depth and try to do some politicking on behalf of some of my favorites. Without further ado, my top 10 hip-hop albums of all time. Don't hold me to it though. This list is bound to look very different in a year.
10. Europass by Elzhi
Here is the
random album barely anyone has heard from an artist few can recognize
each list has. Elzhi, for those that don't know, is a rapper from
Detroit, Michigan. He is bar-for-bar one of the best rappers I have ever
heard in my life. He is your favorite rapper's favorite rapper. Sean
Price said he was afraid of getting on a track with Royce Da 5'9 and
Elzhi for fear of his career ending. That is the kind of rapper Elzhi
is. Europass is actually a mixtape/demo that was recorded while Elzhi was touring and almost all of it ended up becoming the album, The Preface. I just prefer the rawer sound that Europass possessed.
I can't say much for Elzhi. He is an artist whose work you just have to
experience for yourself to appreciate his craft. Having someone else
tell you about how good he is doesn't do Elzhi's work justice. I'm just
going to list my favorite lines off Europass.
"what i put down in the sound coil is crown royale, it's like i dug in the ground soil and found oil." "you haters deprived of knowing i'm the greatest alive." "i took away with your breath and ran, and still left with a grand like theft auto"
"to my step-dad here's 100 thou i owe, because my real dad never got to see his child grow."
"it helps to release the pain i've endured 'cause when i'm spilling the illings from my brain, then i'm cured"
"keep the flow top-secret, 'cause guys they might spy"
"and i came a long way from being in the gutter stealin', now i'm dope as the shit that your blunt concealin'"
9. Rap Music by Killer Mike
I am so
happy right now for Killer Mike. He has been going on CNN, Bill Maher,
been to the WHITE HOUSE while acting as the de-facto voice of hip-hop
when it comes to political and social issues. I'm happy because I am a
fan of Killer Mike. I'm not going to sit here and say I am a day one fan
and know every verse he ever spit or some shit like that but I am a big
fan of Killer Mike. I remember first hearing them on that OutKast track
(which is the most underrated track in their discography) and then
forgetting about him. The next time I heard of him was when Rap Music
started appearing up everywhere because it was such a great album. I
remembered Killer Mike and thought "everyone is talking about the album
and I really liked that Killer Mike verse on The Whole World...I'm going
to check it out." Thank God that I did. Not a single skippable track on
this masterpiece. The run from Don't Die through the end of the album
was probably the greatest 6 track run/run to close out an album I have
ever heard in my life. The last half of Rap Music took the album
to another level. It went from being a very good album to a great great
album. The production was immaculate. Not even going to lie. This album
introduced me to El-P. This one album spawned two of my favorite figures
in hip-hop. That is why I am happy to see Killer Mike get his shine on
major news networks. That is why I am happy to see El-P and Killer Mike
put on the craziest shows touring as Run The Jewels.
8. The Score by The Fugees
The Score was actually the second album that the Fugees dropped. The first, Blunted On Reality, is nowhere near the sophomore release in terms of anything. I still refuse to believe they were made by the same people. My theory is the first album was probably created by Pras but Wyclef and Lauryn finally wised up and didn't let Pras touch anything the second time around. Shout out to the Nappy Heads remix though. That is how great The Score was/is. Every person gives that first album a pass. If you hold Blunted On Reality against the Fugees, someone needs to revoke your citizenship and deport you to Kazakhstan. That is how great The Score was/is. Let's be honest with this though, Lauryn Hill owned this. It was her single, Killin Me Softly, that propelled the album to its commercial success and a grammy win. They had the charts on lock. Then when listening to the rest of the album, it was Lauryn's amazing presence as an MC that took this album into anothther stratosphere. With all due respect to Wyclef (who might have had the best second banana run on an album ever), The Score is as legendary as it is because of the words that fell out of the mouth of Ms. Lauryn Hill. In addition to her solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, these two make up that legendary mystique that hangs over the head of Lauryn. She killed every track she on. Seriously, I ranked every track. Every track went Lauryn with the best verse, Wyclef with the second best, and Pras somewhere after number 2. Too many quotables, too many slick one liners, too many stories, packed into one verse per song. If Biggie can be considered an all time great after 2 albums, why can't Lauryn? Can we at least have a conversation about it. Obviously Lauryn Hill is a different type of animal than Nicki Minaj or Iggy or even Rapsody but seriously...has any female emcee in recent memory put up a verse that can even compare to Lauryn's on Zealots, or Ready or Not, or The Mask, or Family Business, or Manifest. I just gave you six verses on one album that is better than anything another female rapper has put out since The Score dropped. Please let me know of a better verse. And don't even say Nicki's verse on Monster. Just no. No. No. No. That's a conversation for another time though.
7. Below the Heavens by Blu
Everytime I
listen this poetry, it gets moved up my favorite albums list. Each time
I listen to this album, I have a new favorite song. Right now it
happens to be Cold Hearted. Ask me in two weeks, it might be Simply
Amazin. I mean, just yesterday my favorite track was Blu Colla Workers.
It's impossible to get tired of this album because I find something new
to love about it everytime it gets put on. Blu & Exile have spoiled
me with their masterpiece. The only bad thing about this Michaelangelo
type of art is that everything Blu puts out now and will always be
compared to his debut album and two things work against Blu in that
regard. The first is that Below the Heavens is such a Madison
Bumgarner in the postseason work of art that of course it will be hard
to top by subsequent releases. The dude hit a perfect 10 in his debut.
The second is that Blu is the kind of artist to experiment with new
sounds. Every project is different from the last and the next. Below the Heavens boxed
us in as to the type of sound we wanted to hear from Blu. It didn't box
Blu in however because he wants to record and release whatever he feels
like doing. How can you not appreciate an artist who takes the risk of
actually challenging himself instead of sticking to a comfortable and
successful "style." Even if I don't like several of his stuff, I can
respect Blu because he has also made a lot of stuff I can really dig. I
don't know what he will release next but I know I'm going to listen to
it because it could be the next project I love.
6. Midnight Marauders by A Tribe Called Quest
"Honey let me tell you 'bout my only vice, it has to do with lots of lovin' and it aint nothin' nice."
To
me that represents the third album that the amazing/great/phenomenal A
Tribe Called Quest brought into this world. They're getting "edgier" to
fit in with the hardcore shift happening in hip-hop while not losing the
essence of their sound whatsoever. Midnight Marauders is still
such a fun album to listen to. I don't think it sounds dated at all. A
timeless sound is one of the qualifications for a classic album. Even
the lyrics stand the test of time. "Kick a slow dance like my brother R.
Kelly....I'm Jordan with the mic, wanna gamble." You could still use
those two references today and it won't be out of place. Possible chance
it just worked out that way and is a coincidence. I'm 90% sure though
that Phife planned it that way.
This was the toughest choice for me. Should I pick The Low End Theory or Midnight Marauders? Despite me liking every single track on The Low End Theory,
I have to choose the latter because I just enjoy it more. I would
really only skip Keep It Rollin' anyways. It was Tip doing his usual
thing and Phife Dawg at the top of his game. Phife really seemed to
tighten his rhymes down. No fluffer, just straight to the point and the
bars came out concise. "I like 'em brown, yellow, white, puerto rican,
and haitian...my name is Phife Dawg from the zulu nation." That right
there tells you a lot of what you need to know about Phifer.
A
Tribe Called Quest is an important group for me because these are the
guys that opened the floodgates for me to find the rest of the golden
era/"underground" hip-hop. From ATCQ, I went on to listen to Pharcyde,
Illmatic, Jurassic 5, Little Brother, Slum Village, and countless
others. Ths is a debt I will always owe A Tribe Called Quest. Salute.
5. Kismet by Mr Muthafuckin eXquire
Mr. Muthafuckin Exquire. I don't know where his hood ass was found but thank god he was. Such a versatile MC in terms of subject matter and even sound. Ex has said in interviews that every project is different from the previous. I've mentioned this before but I'll say it again. I'm never going to hate on an artist for experimenting and trying new things rather than boxing themselves in and sticking to what is comfortable. How can there be any progression if no one is trying anything new? That being said, if Ex releases a follow up to Kismet, there will be no complaints from me if it sounds anything like the original. This "mixtape" is everything I love about Ex as a rapper. A little backstory first though. I put mixtape in parenthesis because Kismet was actually supposed to be his debut album for Universal. The label didn't think it was good enough to be sold in stores or played on the radio. Exquire didn't care. Ex made his album and not the label's album. After some back and forth, Exquire said "fuck it" and released it for free. Makes sense, seeing as the project never would have went to retail. I think it's safe to assume that Exquire put much time and effort into it and at the end of the day he is an artist and an artist's ultimate goal is to release their work, especially one that is amazing.
Anyways, back to what made Kismet amazing. Even though Mr Muthafuckin Exquire still doesn't have the type of notoriety he deserves, you can still listen to the project and realize this is something unique to Ex. He isn't jocking anyone's sound and is completely original. Honestly, there isn't another rapper who raps that can combine all of the topics that Ex spits about and make it sound coherent. There is a lot of black empowerment, distrust of the government, outspokenness against traditional systems, etc. At the same time he will spit some of the most ignorant lyrics ever. "Revolutionary thoughts, Fred Hampton speeches in my ipod...conflicted as Flavor Flav...nine chains on my neck, you can weigh my pain." That is off of Noble Drew Ali. "Money doesn't change you are, only amplifies the shit." Same track. Ex is that dude who has so much knowledge about a variety of topics that he can speak to anyone about anything. He seems like someone who has the gift of gab. He's dropping all these crazy references to Noble Drew Ali or he'll call out fellow Muslims for being fake then he'll drop a track called I was Drunk When I Wrote This or Illest Niggaz Breathin and be on the most ignorant shit imaginable. INB by the way has a Lord of the Rings sample in it. One main reason why I really appreciate Ex's music is because of the point of view he raps from. On Kismet, he is merely rapping from his own perspective. We are listening to Mr. Muthafuckin Exquire. Not a person speaking on behalf of a group of people. That makes everything more personable, making it more relatable. This actually could be a problem as to why Ex hasn't really gotten more fans. He isn't going to try and make music in a why that everyone can enjoy. He will continue to write from his own thoughts and if people get it they get it and if not, then oh well. I really could go on but you gotta listen to it for yourself. If you never heard of eXquire, it might be a tough first listen, but if you could get past that, you won't be disappointed.
4. Illmatic by Nas
Along with Steph Curry hitting threes, listening to Illmatic is one of the rare wonders in the world where words truly do not it justice. Just listen.
3. Krit Wuz Here by Big Krit
It should
come as no surprise that a Big Krit album (album quality even though it
was labelled a mixtape) appears on the list. I've spoken about him ad
nauseum on here. The only question was which one would it be. For me,
the first Krit project I heard is the best. I could throw it on today
and find tracks still relevant to me today. Even though it was not
Krit's first project, it was the one that put him on the map nationally.
As the story goes, it was actually going to be his last try at music.
If it wasn't successful, Krit would have went a different route for
his career. You hear the hunger in the music. You hear the desperation
in his voice that he knows it was his last shot. Safe to say that Krit
made his best music with his back up against the wall. He has shown over
the years to be able to rise to the occasion. When his studio debut, Live From The Underground, "flopped," Krit released King Rememberded In Time to quiet the naysayers. When it came time to release his sophmore studio album, Cadillactica, he shut some more critics up. Anyways I digress. Back to Krit Wuz Here.
The first track with Big Sant, Return of 4Eva, still is in the rotation
heavy. "Young K-R-I-T, macking hoes like n****s with perms and gold
teeth." That was the first line I ever heard from him and I was hooked.
It was the perfect conconction of ignorance, cool, slick rhyming, and
imagery all packed into one line. That combination is what I love about
the album and Krit as an artist as a whole. He is so versatile that I
put him on to many of my friends because there's guaranteed to be
something there for everyone. In addition to Krit's rhyming, the beats
on the album were fire. Not only that, but he produced the whole thing
himself. I don't think any other rapper could have possibly rhymed over
the beats the same way that Krit did. The music was such a perfect
marriage between rhymes and beats. The samples were perfect, the
editing, the mastering, the sequencing, etc. You name it, Krit was on
point with it. I'm not one of those people who are like "you don't like
this then I question your intellect blah blah blah," but exceptions have
to be made. If you don't like Krit Wuz Here (you don't have to like Krit as an artist or think that KWH
was his best project) then you need to re-evaluate your life choices.
Especially after knowing the backstory and what that project meant to
his career, to me that just makes listening to it that much more
enjoyable. I mean, who else can sample Adele and make it sound that
good. If you say Childish Gambino, take a lap. Check it out if you
haven't, you'll thank me.
2. ATLiens by OutKast
Remember how I said picking Midnight Marauders over The Low End Theory was my toughest choice. I lied. Picking between ATLiens and Aquemini
was the toughest choice. Outkast is my favorte thing in hip-hop that
involves more than one person. So I'm picking between two of my
favorite's babies. You know how hard that is? I could have easliy thrown
both of them on here and said fuck it but that's not how we roll over
here. We get the small bucks over here to make these grand decisions
that could possibly throw off the space-time continuum. We don't run
from that challenge over here. We embrace it. I think I made the right
choice too because everything in the world is still functioning how it
is supposed to. The weather out here is still bi-polar, Dwight Howard is
still a mental midget, and the Duggar family is still somehow relevant
in 2015.
Unique. I have yet to hear anything that
sounds like Outkast's second album. There are multiple reasons for that
and one of them is that it is such a distinct sound that if anyone else
were to try and duplicate the sound, it would be such a clear case of
biting that it wouldn't even be worth it to go through with it. Another
reason is that Big Boi and Andre 3K challenge themselves to experiment
and expand their sound with every subsequent release so that no project
sounds like anything they have done before. When you create such a
unique sound so-much-so that there is nothing that sounds like it, it
almost forces that project to become timeless. Timeless=classic.
Whenever
someone says Andre is light years ahead of Big Boy as a rapper, I just
throw this cd on. Outkast is a duo. For a duo to be great, they have to
complement each other. That is what Big Boi and 3K do to each other.
They are two great MC's who see each other as a way to make themselves
better individually and consequently make the group better because of
the internal competition. People are still looking for an Andre 3K album nowadays but what the people really want is another OutKast album.
1. Enter the 36 Chambers by Wu Tang Clan
If you have heard this album before then nothing really needs to be said about it. I know I'm not the only person who has this listed as their favorite album of all time. Words still won't do it justice but I'll try and give it a shot. Why not. Since I was still running around in diapers when this album was released by the Wu Tang Clan back in 93, i can't speak to the total impact it had in regards to hip-hop at the time but from what i hear...the group of 9 MC's from Staten Island changed the game. Dr Dre and the west coast were dominating rap at the time towards the end of a second "golden age" for the genre. The Wu Tang Clan completely shifted the focus back to the east coast and the aesthetics went back to gritty rhymes instead of the sunshine and party lifestyle raps that g-funk and co were pumping out of the left coast. Hip-hop had never seen anything before like the Wu Tang Clan and quite frankly have never seen anything since (don't even compare Odd Future to them if you were thinking of doing so). These were 9 legitimate MC's (yes even U-God and Masta Killa had their moments) who came together to produce, in my opinion, the greatest record in the history of hip-hop. That is not an easy thing to do. The egos eventually drove the group apart but we witnessed what the 9 were capable of when all are on the same page. 7 of the 9 MC's went on to release amazing solo albums after 36 Chambers. That is the kind of squad that made this album. It's like those old Boston Celtic teams from the 60's where it seemed every single player on the squad was a hall of famer. Boston had Bill Russell leading the way and the Wu Tang Clan had the RZA holding it down, being the glue guy for the Clan. Much credit should go to the Zig Zag Allah for quarterbacking 36 Chambers to great success. He handled all the production and everything was perfect. The edits on each track fit right in with the kung-fu theme throughout the album, the skits, the beats, the transitions...everything fit like a Greg Maddux front door two-seamer on a left handed hitter. Not a single skippable track on here which is the most basic/best compliment you can give an album. I know I gave RZA a lot of the credit and deservedly so, but shout out once again to the GZA, Raekwon, Method Man, Ghostface Killah. Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and the late great Ol' Dirty Bastard for making the most enjoyable piece of art that fit into a 58 minute 23 second span of time to ever hit my ears.
Back blogging live from the beautiful neighborhood of Crocker-Amazon to bring you guys the third installment of the G.O.A.T. series. If you missed the first one with Jay-Z, check it here. If you missed part two featuring Rakim, check it there. If you followed the first two, you will notice two different kinds of reviews. They didn't necessarily follow the same format so I'm going to be switching it up again for thus third entry. Just trying to find which writing style is the best so sorry for any confusion or any perceived lack of cohesiveness.
Now that we got that out of the way, the third person I will looking at to determine who truly is the G.O.A.T. is the one and only Notorious B.I.G. aka Biggie Smalls aka Frank White aka Big Poppa aka Mr. Throw D*** to Dykes, R.I.P. He really doesn't need an introduction but I'll give one anyways just in case. Biggie was recorded two studio albums and has two classics to his name. He has one of the greatest debut albums of all time in Ready To Die. Big not only is one of the most revered MC's to come out of the great 90's era but it one of the most iconic MC's of all time. Jay-Z owes a lot of his career to Big from all the lines that he bites (just kidding, all Jay-Z fans please don't become enraged). I do feel Puffy owes a majority of his career to him though. Think about what Puffy has done recently. Not much that we see, although he does handle his business that is not in the eye of the public. But look at how he was able to even get to that level. The reason Puffy could branch out his entrepreneurial skills was because of his successful record label at Bad Boy. Bad Boy with Biggie and Craig Mack on his roster, not the one with Machine Gun Kelly, French Montana, Red Cafe, and Los aka The Mixtape Beat Jackin Whisperer. No disrespect to Craig mack but the reason why Bad Boy was as big as it was was because of star power of one Mr. Christopher Wallace. He made the dope music to make Bad Boy a legitimate record label to be reckoned with. Big is the reason Puffy even won a grammy for I'll Be Missin' You. But enough talking about Puffy. That's for another time. I feel like I'm just giving him more unnecessary shine. Let's get to talking about the great Biggie Smalls.
It's ironic that Craig Mack was the one that was supposed to blow up for Bod Boy records but then the remix to Flava In Ya Ear happened. Shout out to Easy Mo Bee for producing the track too. He played a HUGE part in making Ready To Die the classic that it is but I digress. Craig Mack was set to blow until the world heard Big's verse and all of a sudden no one really cared about Craig Mack anymore and the hype was now surrounding the husky boy whose words just seemed to fall out of his mouth. It was just a preview of the talent that Big possessed. He gave us some of what he did best which was humor and just dope bars. Spoiler alert, Big wasn't enlightening anyone with his words. He was a New York street rapper meaning how he said what he said was more important than any message he would have delivered.
If you throw the ingredients to make a successful rapper into a blender minus a social message, then Biggie Smalls is what would come out. He made up for the lack of social message by being an inspiration to those who grew up the same way that he did. Big did not make his past as a drug dealer or a crook any secret and let his listeners know that yeah, that lifestyle will bring you money and power but it won't be enough to overcome all the heartbreak and paranoia that comes along with it. On to one of Big's stronger qualities now which was storytelling. I completely underestimated that ability of his until I went back and gave him a thorough listen. It has become something of a lost art nowadays where a rapper might throw one storytelling song onto an album but Big had plenty of them and did them well. I know I'm about to say some stuff that has been said a million times but Biggie was able to paint pictures with his words and put you right there in the scene. He did so in a way that was engaging and kept you intrigued to see how each song ended. I think Biggie should be mentioned as one of the greatest authors of the 20th century but you know how this country won't give a black rapper that kind of love. Now I haven't given Slick Rick a proper listen but I believe Big can claim the title to greatest storyteller of all time. I don't know how much of it is real and how much he made up but he makes it so damn convincing that it really doesn't matter. It's weird how we blast rappers for not being authentic or what have you but we'll complain when Leonardo DiCaprio doesn't win an Oscar for playing a druggie, sleezy, Wall Street con artist. It's media. People need to sell their materials in order to put food on the table. Sometimes you have to lie to get that paper. I don't think Rick Ross really cares that people don't believe anything he says. Rick Ross would make a great WWE villain actually. There's too many examples of Big's great storytelling on two albums that I can't even go through them all, so I'll give examples of a few. Not only is the Intro on Ready To Die one of the greatest intros on any album ever but it set the stage for the album so we knew exactly where he was when Things Done Changed came on. Then he had Gimmie The Loot where he is playing different characters and Warning with possibly my favorite opening lines ever with "who the fuck is this paging me at 5:46 in the morning, crack of dawning, now I'm yawning, wipe the cold out my eye, see who's this paging me and why." Then on that same Ready To Die album he had my favorite Biggie track in Everyday Struggle, shout out to The Wackness. I thought I was going through the struggle right there with Biggie for a second. That is a beautiful piece of art right there. I haven't even gotten to Life After Death yet. But i'm going to lay off the storytelling aspect of Life After Death because that was a different animal compared to his debut and brought Biggie up from the ranks of a dope rapper to a star.
Biggie fans are just like any other fans in any genre. He dropped two albums and fans either like one or the other more. Fans who like actual rapping ability and a more cohesive project from front to back will like Ready To Die more. He had some great commercial tracks on there like Big Poppa and arguably his biggest hit in Juicy but what made him a mainstay on the radio and ensured that everyone him was the double album that was Life After Death. It was definitely more geared to radio plays while sprinkling in his street records. Big took 2pac's advice and made hits for the girls because that is how a rappers gets singles to be successful. That was what makes rappers like Biggie so appealing is the ability to craft songs that both "underground" rap fans and Top 40 fans can both enjoy. Who doesn't know his verse on Mo Money Mo Problems. Everyone can at least recite some of it off the top of their head. This ability to appeal to both the hardcore and casual rap fan is something that is a common denominator you see in the ones who are mentioned as the greatest of all time with the exception of Nas. You look at Jay, Biggie, Eminem, and you see Kanye nowadays mentioned in this conversation and they are because they have skill and know how to make hits.
The last reason why Biggie is considered one of the greatest is because he never released any bulls***. We all know that Big left us too early but that meant that he never had the chance to release sub par material. Every time his pen hit the pad, it was candy to the ears. Look at how much b.s. is released nowadays and it is amazing that Big didn't have any filler. If he was around nowadays, I doubt he would be a slave to the constant pressure of releasing new material because he would be at a status where he would have been above that. The time he took between releasing albums let us know he wasn't just trying to give the public his art as soon as he finished it, but he took his time crafting it. I understand the music industry, especially hip-hop, is in a different place today than in the mid-90's because artists don't have the luxury of time to wait multiple years between projects. They feel the need to constantly release something to keep themselves in the public eye. However, that separates the greats from the average ones. Look at Kendrick. He's got one major label album out, yet everyone is anticipating his follow up. He's kept himself relevant on features and dropped some stuff here and there but that first album was so good, and he has taken his time in crafting his next album that people are anticipating greatness when it does drop. Artists nowadays still can take their time and do the quality over quantity approach. They just have to make sure when that quality does drop, that it is some fire and not some dog shit.
Shout out to Christopher Wallace and his long lasting influence. He still looms large over hip-hop nearly 20 years after he passed away. Rappers coming up now and that were there before him refer to him as one of their favorite MC's ever. He had the respect of everyone and definitely had the talent to back up all the claims of greatness. Thanks for reading...peace.
I know it isn't new or anything like that but I've been listening to The Roots' excellent 2010 album, How I Got Over A LOT recently so I decided to put up a review for it. We'll file this in the classics review section for Crocs In The Amazon. It was the 9th studio album for The Roots and is my personal favorite album for the group out of Philadelphia. For those who are wondering, How I Got Over is #1 followed by Illadelph Halflife then Things Fall Apart. Anyways, on to the album...
1) A Piece Of Light- Just a little intro to set the mood. I usually just skip it but not taking anything away from it.
2) Walk Alone feat. Truck North, P.O.R.N., and Dice Raw- The theme of the album is people who start off in unfavorable situations growing up and achieving something with their lives. This track signifies the attitude that many who live that life and need to "get over" have. They feel like they are alone, no one quite understands them. This can either break the person or make them stronger. And "walking alone" does not have to be taken as a literal term for someone not having a support system. It could also signify that people in the ghetto who do not get that support system from the government to achieve something with their lives. They have terrible public school systems, not the finest grocery stores leading to unhealthy lives, etc. Those people are alone in their endeavor for a better life.
3) Dear God 2.0 feat. Monsters of Folk- This is Black Thought speaking to God and praying for something better. It is as if God doesn't know what is going on because he is letting God know of all the problems going on in his personal life. Black Thought is living a stressed life because of work and bills, bills and work. Black Thought still has faith in God but he just wants answers as to why things are the way they are. All the natural disasters, recession, and job cuts seem to only effect the poor. Black Thought is venting to God in hope that he hears his cries for help.
4) Radio Daze feat. Blu, PORN, and Dice Raw- One of my favorite rappers, Blu, makes his first appearance on the album and does not disappoint. He said he had more tracks recorded for the album but this is one of the two that made the cut. Blu sets the tone for the track where he details how hard it is for an underground rapper like himself to get some love and shine. He knows he is doper than everyone on the radio but because he refuses to change his style up, he realizes he will always be looked over. At the same time, it isn't like he resents anyone on the radio. PORN continues Blu's theme of the radio putting a "daze" on listeners. Because of the "petty perceptions" and "window dressing for misdirection," up and coming rappers think this is the only way to make it in hip-hop. In a way, this helps those who do make it "get over" but at the same time it fails so many more who try to go the same route and fail because they spend so much time trying to eat from these rappers when all they are feeding us is empty calories.
5) Now Or Never feat. Phonte and Dice Raw- Real good motivational song. Dice Raw's hook is simple. You have to adapt in order to succeed. You must change with the times in order to progress in life. Life won't wait for you to make that jump though. It's either you do it now or you miss the boat. Another great feature this time delivered by another one of my favorite artists, my man Tigallo aka Phonte. He looks back on his past and admits his mistakes but he isn't using that as an excuse to not progress. He using those mistakes as teaching lessons because knows he can't be doing the same shit if he wants to make it in life and get over.
6) How I Got Over feat. Dice Raw- The title track's hook quickly gets to the point. That whole "don't give a fuck" attitude is one of the dumbest things ever. You will quickly make yourself look like a fool if you live by that motto. This is the first track on the album that Black Thought is just spitting bars by himself and it is beautiful. I don't even know how many times I replayed that second verse. Black Thought isn't taking bullshit from people talking down on him or his people. He's letting them know that he has their back and wants to be the voice for them. Black Thought is the voice of reason in a culture where reason is seemingly thrown out the window.
7) Dillatude- Classy tribute to J DIlla.
8) The Day feat. Blu, Phonte, and Patty Crash- Another positive song and this time about having eternal hope. Everyday is a new day and will only be terrible if you let it. You have to wake up in the morning with a positive mind state. If not, there is no way short of winning the lotto that the day is going to be good. You gotta be like Soulja Boi every morning and turn that swag on. Solid verses all around from Blu, Black Thought, and Phonte. No quotables but that's okay because that was just a good song overall.
9) Right On feat Joanna Newsom and STS- Not feeling this track too much. The first track on the album that hit the skip button. I feel like they could have cut this one out. Or just made it an instrumental because the beat was dope.
10) Doin' It Again- Black Thought goddamn. "Unsung, underrated, underappreciated, the one the underachievers had underestimated." That's his career in a nutshell. I'm confused because I like the features that The Roots do on all their projects but when they let Black Thought loose, he goes off. So I don't know which I like more. Like Right On should have just been Black Thought spitting some raw shit.
11) Fire feat. John Legend- Once again, Black Thought is killing these solo tracks. It's some more positive, motivational bars. I don't know if the radio doesn't want to play The Roots or if The Roots don't want to be played on the radio but there is no reason this should not be on the radio. John Legend is on the damn track for god's sake. This track feels like the culmination of the album. The album started off as Black Thought being pissed at the world but now he is on top of it because he wasn't content with where he was at. He didn't wait for something to happen either. He worked his ass off along with Questlove to make The Roots a legendary group that will live in hip-hop lore forever. So he can now look at his work and all the accomplishments with a smile on his face.
I didn't review the last two tracks but whatever. I think the album should have ended on Fire so that's where I'll end the review. Black Thought was on point throughout the entire album and the features were perfect. With this album, Black Thought jumped from the rappers I thought were dope category into the My favorite rappers of all time category. He was not outshined on any of the tracks where there were features and he absolutely murdered the tracks where he was on by himself. The Roots are like the San Antonio Spurs. The band may have changing parts throughout the years but the main guys in Black Thought and Questlove have stayed the same and the band has enjoyed unparalleled success in hip-hop. They continue to drop amazing projects on a seemingly yearly basis and really have no peers at their level.
Some final thoughts on How I Got Over. This is a near perfect album for me. Like I said I wasn't feeling the last two tracks to close the album out and wasn't sold on Right On. Other then that, I have no complaints. It's a 9.5/10 album for me, an A album. It was perfect at only about 45 minutes. There were no wasted verses, the hooks were catchy and had real great messages behind them. The beats were on point. It is a project that should be played on the radio. Like I said before, I have no idea why it isn't on the radio but that's neither here nor there. If you haven't listened to it yet, please give it a listen. It will brighten up your day. Also let me know if you want me to review any album, new or old. peace
Ab Soul finally has released his major label debut album that fans have been clamoring for. These Days is following Soul's excellent 2012 Control System so expectations were high. Not only was Control System an amazing piece of work but look at the pressure Soulo is under. He has to keep the momentum going for the best label out right now in TDE. Ever since Control System dropped, Kendrick dropped Good Kid Maad City and a million features. Schoolboy Q released Oxymoron. Isaiah Rashad and Sza were both signed and released very solid projects of their own. No one can really remember the last subpar Jay Rock verse. The point is TDE has been on a roll and Soul is looking to keep that going. There is a lot of expectations for the album but did it meet them?
I'll just get to the tracks which I didn't like out of the way first. Hunnid Stax, Dub Sac, and Sapiosexual I could do without. Those songs I straight up just didn't like. When I see Schoolboy and Soulo on a track together, I'm expecting Druggys Wit Hoes, not the generic "fuck bitches, get money." If you're going for that radio hit, make that shit fun like Druggys Wit Hoes. I don't understand why rappers on the radio who do that money, hoes, drugs stuff take themselves so seriously. Make that shit fun to listen to that can make people laugh when they singing along to it because they know how stupid it is too, but I digress. And one last thing on Hunnid Stax, someone please get Mac Miller off of here. From what I hear on the internet, Mac has improved a lot since his Blue Slide Park and Kids These Days projects but shit, I haven't heard it. I haven't listened to his solo projects yet from from the features I've heard him on I just am not impressed. And if you somehow come across this Mac, I'm still going to listen to your solo stuff so I'm not saying you suck as an artist (you got bars as Larry Fisherman), I'm just saying I haven't liked the features you've been on.
A track that perfectly sums up how I feel about the album is Twact. I have no idea what that means and I love Ab-Soul's verse but please someone never let Jinx (or Short Dawg idk) near a mic again. "I stay in the lines like I'm coloring." I don't even have to say anything else about that weak ass line. I hated the song for a good three days just because of that line but I don't hold grudges so I kept listening to it and it grew on me. I love the beat, I love the hook, and I love Soulo's last verse and how he sounded on that beat. It gives me some hope that he can make it on the radio with the right feature (not that I think he cares about that). He has a chance to make it mainstream, but I don't think he can do so by himself. He needs a big name to get people's attention but the potential is there. Another example of how I think he can make it mainstream is the next song Just Have Fun. Great sequence btw since Twact is all about having fun and is some "turn-up" music, Just Have Fun's hook is "Do the Drugs don't let the drugs do you." Definitely a nice little PSA to all the ravers out there who just swallow pills and 80% of the time are lucky nothing happens to them because guarantee they have no idea what they are ingesting. My favorite line in the track was "I never paid tuition but I paid attention, that's why I gotta make it count when they pay admission." Another great message you don't hear on the radio. There's a lot of public school kids who don't pay tuition. It shows if you take advantage of a free education, people will pay you well to perform at your job whether you are on stage or sitting in a cubical as long as you take your education seriously.
Another standout from the album was Closure. A lot of people hated Closure but I liked it. I always like when artists get introspective and I appreciated this from Soulo. He is still shaken up by the loss of Alori Joh and is not even pretending that he has gotten over it. Even his rebound girl (sorry Yaris) can't help him overcome the loss. People didn't like that he was crooning the whole time but I liked the change of pace. It shows versatility.
It took me a while, but These Days has grown on me a lot. At first, I thought it was a good album but I was mad that it wasn't as good as Control System. Although I wasn't expecting it to be the same album, I was expecting some of the same content but with more radio friendly beats. After realizing how stupid I was for expecting that kind of album, I listened to it again and really couldn't believe all the hate that it as been getting so far online. This is one of the better albums of 2014 for me. It isn't at the top but it's in the top 6 or 7 for me personally. I'd give the album a B-
Check what Talib Kweli had to say about the album, pretty dope.
Also 2014 been a pretty dope year so far for Ab-Soul features, check some of the favorites.
