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Vince Staples: “Big Fish Theory” [Album Review] by @MILFENCE

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Long Beach rapper, Vince Staples, has really made a name for himself, and has also carved out his own creative lane in hip-hop. Staples really caught peoples’ eyes with his EP, Hell Can Wait, and since then has gone on to release two critically acclaimed projects in his studio album, Summertime ’06, and his EP that followed, Prima Donna. His dark, interestingly different West-Coast sound, along with his unapologetic lyricism has really made Vince a “staple” in hip-hop. Now, Vince has presented us with a new studio album in Big Fish Theory. On the surface, the album is already vastly different from his last album, hosting only twelve tracks compared to Summertime ’06‘s twenty. A short tracklist can be a double-edged sword. While shorter albums tend to have more focused, quality tracks, there also leaves very little room for error. However, digging into Big Fish Theory was quite the trip. On Big Fish Theory, Vince expands on his unique sound and elaborates on concepts brought up on his last few projects.

There are many talking points to go off for this project. One of the first I would like to address is the title. Big Fish Theory can certainly be interpreted in many ways. One of the more talked about interpretations is the idea that a fish can only grow as big as it’s tank. Therefore, the tank is a metaphor for Long Beach/Ramona Park and the fish is a metaphor for Vince, or on a larger scale, African-Americans who are born into the projects and have very limited room to grow as people due to drugs, violence, etc. Another interpretation that I thought of while listening to this album is the idea that the “big fish” could be representing Vince, and the fact that he believes he is at the top of the food chain in hip-hop and life and general, and no matter what box you put him in, he will rise to the top and be the one running the show (or his own show for that matter). This theory would also align with the “Crabs In A Bucket” metaphor, which is also the first track on the album. “Crabs In A Bucket” refers to the action of crabs climbing over each other in a bucket to escape their demise, leaving other weaker crabs at the bottom. This is most likely how Vince sees himself coming from Ramona Park, or how he sees himself in hip-hop.

But enough about the concepts and theories. Let’s talk about this music. Because it’s some of Vince’s best.

The next talking point I’d like to address is the production…….because it’s pretty insane. Majority of it is handled by LA producer, Zack Sekoff and boy did he handle it well. Sekoff’s mix of electronic, house influence fits perfectly with Vince’s tone, and brings the LA flavor of his music to life. And I mean LIFE. Sekoff’s instrumentals are vibrant and full of energy. Get familiar with this guy and check out his remix of Thundercat‘s, “Them Changes”.

Right? Pretty damn good. Two of my favorites on this album “Homage” and “Party People” were produced by Sekoff. Two other beats on this album I feel I need to point out are the one’s on “Samo” and “Yeah Right” (yes, we’ll talk about the Kendrick verse in a second, hold your horses). “Samo” and “Yeah Right” are produced by Sophie, an electronic producer out of London. I had no idea who this dude was before this album, but from the bottom of my heart I thank him for blessing us with these bangers. These beats are border-line industrial level hard, and will more than likely ruin your subs if you turn the volume up too loud.

I also wanna discuss Vince’s subject matter on this project, which seems to follow suit from his recent project, Prima Donna. Vince talks about the struggles of being a celebrity, a culture he is not used to being apart of. “Party People” in particular highlights this. Vince discusses his own anxiety on this song, something he is much more aware of because of his sobriety and upbringing. This is expressed in the lyric: “How I’m supposed to have a good time when death & destruction’s all I see?” It’s an interesting combination of emotions, considering the track’s high energy and party appeal. However, Vince isn’t afraid to express some braggadocio, like on the track “Yeah Right”. On this track, Vince mocks the common tropes of modern day hip-hop (cars, jewelry, etc). A potent guest verse from Kendrick Lamar also helps get the point across. He viciously ends his verse with:

“I said, nigga, yeah right, I don’t fair fight but I bear fight, lookin for my next roadkill for the headlight, hangin on my last four kills for the highlights, my life, hiii life, high five, bye-bye.”

Big Fish Theory was quite the thrill ride. Featuring some of of the most unique production I’ve heard all year, along with Vince Staples’ unapologetic and honest lyricism, Big Fish Theory makes for one of the most creative West-Coast hip-hop albums I’ve ever heard.

 

Grade: A-

MC Eiht: “Which Way Iz West” [Album Review] by @MILFENCE

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West Coast legend, MC Eiht, has released his first full-length album in 11 years. However, the Compton native may be unfamiliar to hip-hop fans in my age bracket. Most people my age who have heard of Eiht, have so because they are familiar with his guest verse on Kendrick Lamar‘s “m.A.A.d city”. What many people my age don’t realize, is that Eiht is a staple in West-Coast hip-hop, whose style has influenced a number of West-Coast rappers, including Lamar. Without artists like this, we would not know the West-Coast sound for what we know it as today. MC Eiht continues this sound on is new album, Which Way Iz West, and ultimately makes this project a blast from the past, in a good way.

One thing to take note of is the fact that DJ Premier (another legend) was an executive producer on the project, and even made a couple of the beats too. His influence can clearly be heard on the album and makes the album that much better. The album is clearly very West-Coast, however Preemo’s presence gives it a very vintage edge. A track like “Compton Zoo” embodies this observation. The beat on this track is just as boastful as Eiht’s hard bars. It embodies the West-Coast “ride or die” mentality while infusing Preemo’s vintage hip-hop flavor. It’s quite the track.

Another plus about the album was the guest features. First off, there’s a TON of em, including The Outlawz, Kurupt, B-Real, Xzibit, and Eiht’s very own, Compton’s Most Wanted. All guests delivered, which is a rare feat for an album containing that many guest features. However, I gotta give a shoutout to my favorite feature on the album, The Lady of Rage, because GODDAMN. She hasn’t lost a step since The Chronic.

In all honesty, neither has MC Eiht. Eiht is still aggressive as ever and West-Coast as f***, and it shows vibrantly on this album. It’s easy to say that this album is good because it’s “nostalgic” but in reality, it’s just a very well made hip-hop album. Production is handled excellently, and as I stated before, Eiht brings a lot of energy and passion to his lyrics that complements the energy of the beats very well. It also comes at a perfect time with summer just getting started (at least for me here in Rochester, NY). West-Coast hip-hop and summertime go hand in hand don’t you think?

Anyways, if you’re a fan of 90’s hip-hop and are still blasting The Chronic in your subs, I really don’t need to say much more. This is most definitely for you. This isn’t just good West-Coast hip-hop, this is QUALITY West-Coast hip-hop. It was really nice hearing Eiht back on some quality West-Coast s***.

 

Grade: B-

Coming into Self: A Review of Ctrl by SZA

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SZA-CTRL-album-cover

The first time I heard SZA I just happened upon a video of her just talking about student loans and trying to discover what identity meant to her. That’s what pulled me in. A girl just trying to discover what self-meant and having a public space to do that.

The long awaited summer album of Solana Rowe, Ctrl was slated to debut the summer of 2016 but was met with bumps in the road that pushed it into 2017. In Ctrl, not only are we seeing an older SZA but a young woman with more transparency in her lyrics and a braveness that we couldn’t grasp onto in past projects. The passing of time and the ability to speak truth to her experiences helped develop an impressive body of work that makes me even more excited for more music in the future.

This album alone musically we hear a stripped down and turned up SZA, with much heavier beat influence and a fusion of indie rock and neo-soul influences that collide to create a slick drum heavy sound that makes everything head nod worthy.

SZA‘s journey to self-begins with calling out and being honest about the self-doubt she feels and the validation she tries to find in relationships. Songs such as  Anything, where she is attempting to break bad habits, be a better person and hoping to seek validation from someone who will never answer the call:

“ You could take my anywhere
I hope you will, I hope you will, I hope you will
Do you even know I’m alive?
Do you even know I, I”

I think that’s where this album really hits a lot of 20 something old black women/femmes who find themselves in relationships hoping to find purpose and realizing it never shows up. How those moments of seeking validation can suck but turn into a catalyst for healing. That’s where you see the growth and clarity, SZA has the confidence to say the things most people keep to themselves. To say this heartbreak shit isn’t easy isn’t simple and that at the end you can come out more whole.

The best parts of the album for me were the interludes of the conversations SZA had with her mother and Grandmother that reflect a lot of strength in moving on, songs like Broken Clocks, where we hear SZA discuss just trying to make it but trying to keep love in her heart as she reflects back on past hurt:

“Never hearing what they say
Ohhhh
I just take it day by day
Ohhh
I just do it my way
All I got is these broken clocks
I ain’t got no time”

One of the pitfalls of debut albums are features, many young artists get a million features and that overpower the work so much you lose the voice of the original artists. On Ctrl, the standout features are Doves In The Wind ft. Kendrick Lamar and Pretty Little Birds ft. Isaiah Rashad, both of these features felt natural and held the energy of both featured artists in a way that did not interrupt the flow of the album. I still have yet to hear an Isaiah Rashad/SZA collab that didn’t sound amazing. Also felt as if Doves In The Wind could’ve easily fit on Damn, but that’s neither here nor there.

While scouring the internet for interviews, I was met with a songstress full of the anxiety of dealing with intrusive questions about her weight and sexuality that anybody would be uncomfortable answering. It felt comforting to see the growth SZA develops through her album in those moments of setting clear boundaries with radio hosts. Speaking about her process and how her visuals are a peek into her brain.”Music is my own private language and it’s hard to incorporate people into that.”

SZA‘s Ctrl is a concept. It’s about trying to chase an illusion, an illusion that you can control your destiny and experiences, how no matter how hard you run it will never be enough and that true healing happens when you let go and let yourself heal.

My favorite song on this album, Normal Girl, another drum heavy almost drowsy vibe, specifically speaks to all these huge concepts SZA is wrestling with but ends the song realizing that the best way to find yourself is just to make it out alive:

“We own the world, cause we not going away out
Wait on yourself cause you can figure your way out
Normal girl
Why do you, babe?”

This was made for women like myself and so many others attempting to find ourselves and making mistakes along the way. As a black woman dealing with depression and thinking back to the insecurities that I work through every day to be a better person, it’s never about the low moments. It’s about the process and clarity in finding yourself. The beauty in that journey is speaking it, it’s saying I am history in the making and I’m allowed to not have it together at this moment. While listening to this album, the academic in me was reminded of Black radical subjectivity and the ways black folks and black women/femmes have always been in the business of constructing self for ourselves. bell Hooks talks about in relation to postmodernism how the power to be able to name yourself, to say this is my journey, and how my path to self is something no one can take away from you. The path to self is hard, complicated and full of boys we shouldn’t have fucked but you find yourself in those moments, you learn from them and move on better than before. This album for me validated the reality of black girls out here just trying to make it and finding beauty in the struggle.

“Part of our struggle for radical black subjectivity is the quest to find ways to construct self and identity that are oppositional and liberatory.”- bell Hooks

When black women define themselves for themselves…..that’s power.

 

Stream the Album here:

Buy the Album here: 

Live In Concert: G-EAZY (Portland, OR)

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G-Eazy is on the cusp of something big. They say hard work pays off, and after three years of non-stop touring and releasing independent projects along the way, he is currently in the middle of a 40-date tour across the map, and selling out nearly every date. But it doesn’t stop there. He is also working on These Things Happen, the unreleased project that this tour is promptly named after.

The stage went black, the smoke machine kicked in, drummer Blizzy picked up his sticks, and Christoph Andersson hit the first notes of “Far Alone.” The instrumental blared for a well timed 15 seconds, and suddenly, G emerged from the backside of his extravagant new stage set-up. He spit the first lines and the crowd went wild.

pic1“Portland, what the fuck is up! I’ve always dreamed of playing this venue. Ever since we stepped foot in that tiny-ass coffee shop across the street, I’ve wanted to play the Roseland and tonight we’re fucking here!” G proclaimed two songs into the set. He showed love to Portland and they shot it right back at him for the rest of the night, as he went through songs from various points in his career. After opening with singles from the upcoming project, he went back to Endless Summer, a project released in 2011, and even went as far back as “Fried Rice,” a single from BIG, a mixtape he released in 2010. But he didn’t only play material from previous entries, as he went on to play three songs from These Things Happen, and they sounded different from what he’s released previously. That wasn’t  a bad thing, as the songs sounded excellent.

The rest of the night was as crazy as it had begun, as he played a few more hits, and ended with an encore of “LOADED,” where balloons and confetti rained down as G and his crew went H.A.M. and super soaked the crowd with water guns and whatever liquid was in reach. The crowd of 1500 did not leave disappointed, and this came from the fact that G-Eazy takes his live show very seriously. In this day and age, live shows can make or break an artist. After touring with the likes of Lil Wayne, Drake, 2 Chainz, as well as headlining two sold-out nationwide tours in two years, he knows how to pull everything out of the crowd. If his live show and the new material he previewed were any indications of what to expect from These Things Happen, expect very good things to come from G-EAZY moving forward.

Both images courtesy of Mel Brunelle. (melbrunelle.com)

ScHoolBoy Q, ‘Oxymoron’ | Album Reviews | DeadEndHipHop

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ScHoolBoy Q, ‘Oxymoron’ | Album Reviews | 

"Give daddy your best gangster grill"
“Give daddy your best gangster grill”
“An engrossing album dipped with hues of a bloody past, crippling drug use, sleazy living and easy dying. It took all Q could muster to spell out this moody doctrine, but the California-TDE rapper both delivered and dismantled.”

*Written Review

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

                Oxymoron is straight hard-hitting, with rag-tag lyrics, loud delivery, and non-“conscious” subject matters that are told from a user, dealer, and trigger puller. Each song is a bit of a disunion within themselves, reaffirmations that lifestyle only serves as sub-context for the music. For every droll, amusing lyric comes a bone-hard serious verse, and for every campy tune comes a diabolical counterexample. Schoolboy Q decimates each beat within an inch of its life, a furiously daunting task taking into consideration the roars served on each drum and bass-line from boisterous production on songs such as “What They Want” and “Hoover Street”. Q tames the wild beasts uncaged by super-producers like Pharrell and Mike Will Made It with a stiff javelin that cuts straight across the ice cubes of the “polished trap” sounds and the sinister murals painted on steep, adamantine cliffs one calls a beat. Oxymoron is a particularly different and new sounding album, relishing in a lukewarm light that exploits the pairing of hard sounding music with progressional chords and various lurking instruments, like the piano’s on “Fuck LA” or the violins at the end of “Man of the Year”. Musically, the album is multi-faceted, with an elongated dragon painted on one side of the face, and a perched owl on the other. Tracks like “Gangsta”, “Hoover Street”, “Prescription/Oxymoron”, and “Fuck LA” are the raw, rugged, oozing and stenching songs which are manifests of previous Schoolboy works from “Habits and Contradictions” and “Setbacks”. Full of decomposing, malevolent harmony progressions and discomforting piano keys, these songs embody both Schoolboy’s personal intricacies and style. Meanwhile, tracks like “Break the Bank” and “Blind Threats” are clear homages to late 90’s hip-hop ancestry, leaking a long, thick trail of boom-bap elements chockfull of cutting percussions and ominous strings. The album serves up songs like “Man of the Year”, “Hell of a Night”, “What They Want”, and “Studio”, which offer up divergent countenances that include R’n’B elements, striking trap beats, dance bass-lines, and woo-ing melodies. Additionally, frivolous songs like “Collard Greens” and “Los Awesome”, along with cacophony anthems such as “The Purge”, “Grooveline Pt. 2”, and “His & Her Fiend”, are corners of the album which emit shadows deviating from the main course. They are lodged within the LP, spontaneous between tracks of different accords and themes. That division between seriousness and self-deprecation is a facet of Q’s music which separates him from the good kid, do-goody vibe attitudes of a Kendrick Lamar or a flawlessly cohesive, non-stop album from say a J. Cole or Drake. The finale of this album, “Fuck LA”, is the summation and the “Tl;dr” afterword of the album. A middle finger to the world and a reckless disregard for both conventional and bohemian schools of thought, this album is one of total disarray. Full of crushing melodies yet dastardly well-placed harmonies, the music side of this project is top-notch albeit overwhelming in certain respects.

ScHoolBoy Q, 'Oxymoron' | Album Reviews |

As Q treads on this album with his various moods and idiosyncrasies, the lyrical hole that occupies this album is, however, largely left un-filled. Q is by no means a super-flowing, extra-brainy rapper of an Ab-Soul or even Kendrick demeanor, but the feeling one gets is that Q left a lot of things un-said and a lot of gravely stones un-turned. The concept of this album, an oxymoron, where Q is doing bad to ultimately do good for his daughter, is really only a general gist of Q’s project. The stories and insights one might expect from the self-proclaimed “most gangster rapper since 50 Cent” are either largely non-existent or sluggishly explored on this album. Save the captivating narratives such as “Hoover Street”, “Blind Threats”, and “Prescription/Oxymoron”, Schoolboy Q released an uncharted and dense album, which clocks in at about an hour and 15 tracks, and one that is left un-bothered in terms of lyrical depth. Listening to past projects like “Setbacks” and “Habits & Contradictions”, one quickly realizes that Q was saying more on those angles. Braggadocio songs like “What They Want” and “Man of the Year” are appetizing, but come major label debut studio album time, a demand is placed that asks for more bread for the birds and more lyrics for the rummaging. Q only serves a half-palatable experience in terms of lyrical prowess and insight, and while it’s not fair to place him on that pedestal obtainable only by a few elite rappers, many will not give him the benefit of the doubt considering his company of sharp MC’s like Ab-Soul, Kendrick Lamar, and Isaiah Rashad. Holistically, the album does not offer a whole lot from a written, narrative standpoint, but that is not to say a listener cannot be entrenched or floored by Q’s magnetic delivery and convivial love for ring-a-ling choruses and verses.

“O-X-Y, I’m Moroooonn…”

The Lyrics: 6.9/10

The Music: 8.8/10

Overall Score: 8.5/10

3 Best Songs: Hoover Street, Break The Bank, Prescription/Oxymoron

3 Worst Songs: Los Awesome, The Purge, His & Her Fiend

Alternate Tracklist:

1. Gangsta

2. WHat THey Want

3. Studio

4. Collard Greens

5. His & Her Fiend

6. Grooveline Pt. 2

7. Gravy

8. Blind THreats

9. Break tHe Bank

10. Hell of a NigHt

11. Man of tHe Year

12. Hoover Street

13. Prescription/Oxymoron

14. FUCK LA

Bonus: THe Purge & Los Awesome

Music Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc-Vqcud32I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEMsjeq43_U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L2vJEb6lVE

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Fabolous: The Soul Tape 3 Review | Dead End Hip Hop |

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THE SOUL TAPE 3 REVIEW

Fabolous’ toolset includes a vast array of punchlines, appealing and charming hooks, and an aptitude for picking just the right drum or snare. And recently, Fab has done his best job at showing you his knack for beat picking on the successful, well acclaimed “Soul Tape” series. The Soul Tape series is a treat for any fan of the genre; fans don’t have to pay anything, and the digestibleness of Fabolous coupled with the series’ signature fedora hat feel, fan favorite producer style of soul sampling production aims for an easy listen with any rap fan. There is also an underlying continuation within the series: the beats get lavisher, the features get bigger, the freestyles are dialed down, and the venues on the covers (From the Apollo, to the Beacon, to MSG) grow in size and prestige by every step of the series. And so, back by popular demand, Fabolous shimmy’s down the chimney this Christmas season, as the Soul Tape series returns with another inclusion, this round upping the ante one more time.

Soul Tape 3 opens up with the intro song “Everything Was The Same”, which is a play on the title of Drake’s 2013 album “Nothing Was The Same”, and a freestyle over the Jordan Evans produced “Paris Morton Music 2”. This freestyle track, the only one on Soul Tape 3, contains hindsight only a few rappers as surviving as Fabolous can talk about. Fab is a vet with more than just a few medals in the showroom, but the grandiosity of those achievements have all but lost their luster by now, and particularly so as Fab enchants the situation by laminating a cushy piano track with his grievances and introspects. Fab’s lyrical prowess is also as sharp as ever on this song, as he raps “All ya’ll see is sunshinin’, think I was never shaded/Ya’ think these calendar models is all that I ever dated”. While Fabolous’ fondness of punchlines has often been pointed out as the crux of his music, he is more tasteful this time around as he tones down the acute overtones which often embody the typical crude and lewd “punchline” lyric of today. This song segues into “Sacrifices”, a track which arrives as merrily and sprightly as can be, but a track which tackles far more introspective than frolicking subject matters the song’s production might suggest. It opens up with the lines: “Seeing your family scrambling, that’s sanity damaging/Gotta, make a move can’t just stand and be mannequin”, an exhibition of Fab’s dagger wordplay and rhyme scheming. If any sound embodies the series, “Sacrifices” is it; it’s a lively track with a crooning sample that is accompanied by hard hitting drums that seemingly defy the convention of soft bass instruments which often accompanies soul sampling. The song also exhales an air of groundedness in both the boards and the verses, an air, however, that is quickly whisked away by Fabolous on track 3 “Playa”. The song, which samples Notorious B.I.G.’s “Playa Hater”, has verses that are melodized and hummed, much in the same way Biggie does in the sample track. And from one sampled Brooklyn-MC to to the next, track #5 “The Get Back” contains an eerie, chill arousing version of the piano from Jay-Z’s classic “Dead Presidents” beat, over fleeting southern trap high drums and a plethora of blaring, thundering snares. This song also contains Fabolous’ formal reply to Kendrick’s “Control” verse that was all the rage during the summer months of 2013:

“Just tooting your own horn, do your thing my N-I-G
Whenever you ven aquito that mighty NYC
We gon’ check that name you claim, bring your YAWK and I.D
We take it the wrong way, all gold everything”

While it’s only a commentary on the backlash Kendrick received for his statements and not a retaliation against the new self-proclaimed “King of NYC”, the lyrics provide a type of sage quality, the type you seek from a near middle aged rapper, and a type of conveyance sorely lacking from previous responses and from today’s rappers (looking at you Papoose). Fabolous is also the gracious host for track 7 “The Hope” which features NYC rapper Jadakiss and production from Araabmuzik, the producer who also worked on Soul Tape 2 song “Beauty”, a song which uniquely paired deep, booming drums with a wailing looped high-pitched soul sample. “The Hope” does more of the same, as the pulsating and strumming drums on the song barrages against a hollering voice track and reverberating synths. As The Hope exits with a fade out, the first act of the mixtape bows its head and shifts the curtain for the second troupe that opens and enters with “You Know”, a song which seeks to embody the town car, tip your hat to the door man at the Tribeca Grand experience the series has been known for producing. It also features a hook and verse from ATL rapper Young Jeezy, who with his gravelly voice belts out a melodized hook that takes up much of the song.

The mixtape then enters “Cuffin’ Season”, a song which wholeheartedly epitomizes the Twitter/Instagram culture of 2013 over icy and harsh production, and a song that seeks to disclose the feline intent which has seemingly eluded the so-called “La Marina ballers”.. as the hook goes “These hoes keep calling, I ain’t picking up/Damn, I’m so cold in the fucking winter”. But oddly enough, this persnickety song transitions into the last 3 songs of the tape “Thim Slick”, “Lay Down”, and “Situationships”, songs which rather serve as serenades and toasts to the ethereal allure of Fab’s favorite hookups. As Jeremih sings on the hook of Thim Slick, “Thim slick girls get me every time/Thim slick girls could get every dime”, and as Mack Wilds closes out on “Situationships”, “Somebody gonna be mad if they hear me sayin that/I’m single”, Fab seals the deal with a kiss as he brandishes his sword on what will probably serve as this season’s best mood music.

What is particularly enticing about this mixtape is Fab’s liking for “sticking to the plan”. He only crosses into dangerous or unmarked territory as an artist when something is on the line, which is not so the case of this mixtape. The “sound” of the mixtape is predictable; anyone who’s heard previous Soul Tapes knows what to expect. All 3 tapes are even sequenced similarly, as a song with one subject matter from ST1 or 2 will be duplicated to the next, even on the same track number and with the same formula. And yet, not a single moment lapses on this tape, or any other addition to the series, where the music is dull, cut-and-dried, or mechanical. Really, the only song this tape that surrenders its signature sound is “Foreigners”, an understandable digression which pairs Chicago drill instruments with epic movie soundtrack strings. Another thing worth noting is the mixtape’s careful timing. The tape is not only short enough for simultaneous playbacks but also long enough for a deeply engrossing listen upon the heavy tracks and even lightheaded enjoyment on the sensual ones. The brilliance of this tape is found in its briefness, and as a rule of thumb, the shorter it is, the more people want it.

Top 3 Favorite Songs: Sacrifices, Thim Slick, Situationships
3 Least Favorite Songs: Foreigners, You Know, Lay Down
How I would have sequenced this project differently: No other way, the songs are sequenced perfectly
The chances of you liking this project: 89%
The Verdict: 4.5/5

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Mixtape Review: Azizi Gibson – Ghost in the Shell

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Ghost in the Shell

There are some rappers out there that have flow figured out so well that they have it down to a science. This definitely applies to the Brainfeeder label rapper, Azizi Gibson. In fact, he flows so well that I have recently been scouring the internet for an Azizi Gibson interview where he is not actually rapping because I want to hear if he carries his rapper cadence in his regular speech. Gibson recently dropped his third project called, Ghost in the Shell, which is named after the critically acclaimed Japanese manga, written by Masamune Shirow. The tape is filled with 19 tracks of Azizi Gibson organically flowing through ambient and funky beats.

Gibson credits Jonathan Lowell and MiLLz for producing almost the entirety of the lengthy mixtape. The beats are one of the project’s best features as they are all very melodic and easy to vibe to. They all seem to have a similar underlying style; however, they do not contribute to making eachother redundant by repetition, as the beats also offer a wide range of moods for Gibson to rap to. This is especially true when listening to the mixtape in the sequential order that it was meant to be listened to. For example, the intro contains a smoother and slower groove while the next track, “Crunch Time”, has more of an upbeat banger type of feel to it.

Azizi Gibson is definitely not outshined by the beats on his tape. As previously mentioned, Gibson’s plethora of flows could keep a hyperactive kid entertained who forgot to take their heavy dose of Ritalin. At points he sounds like a member of Bone Thugz on acid (like on the title track “Ghost in the Shell”) and at other times he sounds like a creative trap rapper (like on “PHC LA LA”). Another aspect of Gibson’s raps that make him so appealing is just how overall entertaining he is. There are many geek culture references embedded in his raps that are rooted from video games, anime and pop culture. Furthermore, next time you listen to this tape, just focus solely on Gibson’s adlibs and I swear it acts as one of the funniest collections of sounds I have ever heard on a rap project. That’s not to mention the story he tells on the track “Party Woman”.

The length of the mixtape, as well as the lack of lyrical depth, are the only minor setbacks on the project…with an emphasis on minor. There is seldom a mixtape with 19+ tracks that I enjoy listening to from beginning to end, but I have done so with Ghost in the Shell multiple times and plan on doing it again multiple times in the future. With that being said, Gibson may have been able to provide a more concise and concentrated project by shedding off a very minimal amount of tracks that could be deemed as fillers. With respect to lack of lyrical content, Gibson has presented music to make you laugh, party to, for girls to get ready to, or to just chill and smoke a fat doobie to. He even offers some lyrics that can make you think a little bit deeper, like on the outro, however, the tape could definitely use more of this. This is especially true for an international citizen like Gibson, who mentions that he grew up in Thailand and Singapore.

The Prehistoric Crew rapper from Los Angeles just may have snuck in one of the best projects of 2013 thus far. If you have not heard a track off his newest mixtape or even heard of Azizi Gibson at all, make sure to give his tape a quick download. It is free after all.

Oh, and before you go, you need to tap into your mind, open up your skull, stop living life blind.

T.I. – Trouble Man Album Review | DEHH

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax_y-oKQpyM&w=560&h=315]

T.I. is back with new album Trouble Man: Heavy Is The Head. Considering T.I.’s troubles with law, this was one album fans have anticipated. How would T.I. respond content wise? Does T.I. still have the same fire as he once had? Hell is the album any good? Take a listen to our review and let us know what you think?

Death Grips – No Love Deep Web Album Review | Myke C-Town

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We didn’t see much point in doing another Death Grips album review. At this point, you can place a safe bet on how we’re going to feel about any further material they release. However, since so many of you were asking for Myke C-Town’s opinion on it, he decided to do a solo review of No Love Deep Web. Check it out.

Kane Mayfield – ‘Rhymes by Kane (Thievery Corporation Edition)’ Album Review

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Written by:  @darcwon

Kane Mayfield has been on his grind for quite some time. The Long Island raised Guyanese rhyme spitter has been at work creating music for the past few years.  Having been raised in the same city as De La Soul (Amityville, NY), a town over from Rakim (Wynedanch), and up the road from EPMD (Brentwood), it’s not hard to imagine where Kane found his voice in hip hop.  For his latest project, Kane delivers Rhymes by Kane: Thievery Corporation Edition using intricate instrumentals from the library of Thievery Corporation.  Thievery Corporation (Rob Garza and Eric Hilton) is a duo from Washington, D.C. known for creating lounge music with elements of dub, reggae, acid jazz, Brazilian, Middle Eastern, and bossa nova styles.

Kane’s flow is simple enough to be easy on the ears but it can become complex enough if the right instrumental gets him open. “Ghetto Almanac” lets him unleash a diatribe about ghetto living under the curtain of capitalism. With “Beautiful Drug”, the track allows him to speed up his flow and let his vocals be manipulated over the dark track really bringing home the narrative of the song.  If you haven’t watched the video, it’s a must watch as it further captures visually what the song entitles.  “New Jack City” uses movie references to illustrate three different narratives describing growing up in New York with the perfect musical backdrop that adds to the song.  In short, Kane is a good rapper.

Kane Mayfield’s ear for the instrumentals used from Thievery Corporation’s catalog must be noted. The moody and dark verses on “White Collar” moves right along with its instrumentation. “Vampire” flips the rhythmic guitar licks and vocal samples into something quite danceable and horn infused quite different from what the track title would imply. “Cereal Killer” even has a Western feel with its “wah wahs” and background bongos using a slight Jamaican accent (may be due to his West Indian upbringing) in the beginning and throughout the song keeping the listener engaged.  The production selected by Kane Mayfield set the mood for many of the songs spread throughout the EP.

Kane Mayfield is willing to take chances in a day and age where safe is the sure bet.  It’s not easy rhyming over Thievery Corporation let alone FINDING the beats to use but Kane Mayfield accomplishes that feat all while maintaining rhyme schemes that are good enough to keep you tuned in throughout the EP.  Will it get a lot of replay? It all depends on what you like but this EP by Kane Mayfield is definitely worthy of a listen.