The Hip Hop Thread

[Shindig]

Frig. Turns out I've heard ALL CAPS before. Working my way through his catalogue now. Now I know what I've been missing.

[Baz]

Was there a song(s) on Madvillainy with a female mc?

[Lofty]

Mm.. Food? was my gateway to his work and stays my favourite personally but I also love Special Herbs and often listen to them while working, including finding the original songs he sampled and listening to those too. The sample he pulled off Dave Matthews' cover of Space Oddity for Rapp Snitch Knishes is immense. The best there ever was for me, not just the lyricism but the ear.

[Shindig]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2L7KvS2wDs

It works too well.

[Offshore Toon]

Dr Dre has had a brain aneurysm but is apparently "doing great" now. I think we're probably entering the period where hip hop legends are going to start falling dominoes.

[Don]

https://youtu.be/Y52M28WQu2s

Came on radio today. Spotify tells me it was released two days ago. Need to locate that Big KRIT mixtape.

[Baz]

Alexa, play Girls Fall Like Dominoes by Nicki Minaj.

[Don]

Just seen the Four Tet/Madvillain album through the comments to that above. No doubt good shit.

[Alex]

Dr Dre has had a brain aneurysm but is apparently "doing great" now. I think we're probably entering the period where hip hop legends are going to start falling dominoes.

I absolutely shit myself when I saw that headline on the BBC website this morning. But, as you say, he's apparently doing "great". Worrying though.

[Offshore Toon]

Cancer 4 Cure is such a timeless album. I still feel like RTJ dampened both El-P and Mike a bit compared to the two solo albums before they formed RTJ. I'd love to hear how a solo album from each would sound now.

[Shindig]

Probably not much change when Mike gets his albums produced by El-P.

[Offshore Toon]

You say that like RAP Music isn't significantly different to RTJ...

[Shindig]

Run the Jewels came after that, didn't it? I'm not saying it can't happen but it's been a while.

[Alex]

I do agree with you here Offshore. I was thinking the same thing when RTJ4 came out. Now, RTJ4 is a perfectly good record. I liked it. But there's definitely an element of "what more can be done here?" isn't there? It's just more Run the Jewels. Which is fine, I guess. But I would like them to step away from it for a while and do their own thing.

Mike could do something a bit more typically southern, maybe. El-P could go work with the whole host of new guys out that sound like they would have fit right in with Def Jux. Or make up with Cannibal Ox and produce them a new album. Or get Company Flow back together. Or just do the solo thing again. Whatever. Mix it up a bit though.

[Baz]

Anything but RTJ5, at this point.

[Offshore Toon]

Does anybody else feel like Jurassic 5 are a bit shit? It's all so bland and basic like 80s hip hop but without any of the charm. Jayou just came on Radio 6, and this is what was on offer:

We be the crew, guess who, the Jayou
R-A-double-S, I-C
We're in the place to be, it don't stop
We got the rhythm that makes your fingers
Snap, crackle, pop pop, fizz fizz
We're known to give a show plus handle our business
Stress, we'll destroy
We're known to make noise as the original b-boys
In the flesh, greater to the depth
Creates the ill scenes when we manifest, yes

"We're known to give a show plus handle our business"? So cringe.

[Offshore Toon]

https://youtu.be/e8hFahi3TiM?t=30

Chance is laughably awful these days.

[CJay]

What happened to him? How can you go from Coloring Book and the stuff before that to what he’s putting out now?

[Offshore Toon]

I actually thought Coloring Book was pretty shit in comparison to Acid Rap and 10 Day but I didn't expect him to degrade even further.

[CJay]

I liked it. It felt like that was his ‘commercial’ breakout type album, but in hindsight it was just the tip of the iceberg.

[Alex]

Coloring Book was my favourite too. Acid Rap was very good as well (and I liked the Social Experiment record) but Coloring Book just felt like he had taken another step to me. I think like CJay says, it just felt like a big step towards him breaking out, whilst retaining everything I liked about him. I thought he was going to be a megastar.

I think (and I'm totally just spouting my own opinion here) what went wrong with Chance and he believed his own beyond the rap world a bit too much. He sort of started occupying this space that he hadn't really earned yet, for me. Activism is never a bad thing. But all of a sudden he was the guy "saving Chicago schools" or "rescuing Soundcloud" or whatever his latest cause was.

I think he got very caught up in all that and either forgot how to make interesting music, or just got bored of that part of his life and doesn't have the same interest in it anymore. I half expect him to be holding some form of office in Chicago and no longer rapping in ten years time.

[Baz]

Bobby Shmurda is out of prison.

[Don]

New Ghetts album is a good listen.

[Offshore Toon]

Ghetts is a fanny. He can be amazing but he doesn't know what he's good and bad at. No Mercy is awful despite two great features.

[SincereTheRebel]

D Double would have been great on Crud instead of Giggs.

[Bernanke]

Don't sleep on this Armand Hammer-album.

[Offshore Toon]

https://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000165322890-0xrtrm-t500x500.jpg

Still bangs. :cool:

Will check out Armand Hammer. Album cover looks interesting if nothing else.

[Baz]

I thought it was two bleeding cocks at first glance.

I like the song Falling Out The Sky.

[Baz]

Netflix have bought Kanye’s documentary for $30million.

https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/kanye-west-netflix-doco/?utm_source=The+Brag+Observer&utm_campaign=3e72135137-%5B08+Apr%2C+2021%5D+Hip+Hop+Observer+%280-3m%29&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5f6dd9c238-3e72135137-205999776&mc_cid=3e72135137&mc_eid=748e329b43

Hopefully it will be released in parts so I can skip the last couple, or something. :harold:

[Offshore Toon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKYrGdvmeqc

We need more Noname.

[Don]

:dance:

[Offshore Toon]

DMX has gone. A true legend. Grand Champ was one of the first albums I owned, which seems ridiculous now looking back for a 13 year old to be listening to some of the tracks on there (the intro to Bring The Noize in particular), but it shows how great his reach was after X Gon Give It To Ya. He'll still be my go-to when I need to get hype and I'm not sure there's a better sequence of three songs than Where The Hood At?-Dogs Out-Get It On The Floor.

[Alex]

X. :(

It never looked good, did it? But I was hoping he would somehow pull through. A troubled guy, but a very singular talent. An original, for sure. Those first two albums were a hell of an achievement, back-to-back in one year I think.

[Baz]

Have you ever seen Prince Philip and DMX in the same room? Makes you think.

[Alex]

Have you ever seen Prince Philip and DMX in the same room? Makes you think.

:D

I was just actually thinking, if an afterlife does exist, I quite like the idea of Prince Phillip and DMX arriving at the same time. I think they might get on quite well. As long as Philip kept the racial insensitivities to a minimum. I don't imagine X would be as forgiving over that as most people.

[Shindig]

He'd be asking Philip for money. I guarantee it.

[SincereTheRebel]

and i paid to go see him in the summer just gone, but lockdown put a stop to the that

[SincereTheRebel]

I never bought many genuine physical albums but Great Depression was one of one them.

[Offshore Toon]

That Gods Of Rap II tour was like £100 a ticket, wasn't it? Mad prices.

Feel more gutted than I thought I would tbh. Don't think this is getting washed without listening to DMX all weekend.

[Offshore Toon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvofs3n2ZmY

Think this is my favourite X song. That beautiful mix of nostalgia whilst also being a 10/10 track.

[Baz]

Anyone else staying up for Trillerfest Miami?

[Baz]

Dark Soldier’s watching :cool:

[Baz]

I’ve had 2 hours sleep but I got to watch 6ix9ine live and I streamed it on my Twitch so now have 72 followers and also all the people uploading “Full Show [HD]” type videos to YouTube are using my stream, which I obviously sneakily added a watermark just as he’s coming on stage with my face and BAZ9TORRES. :lol:

Time stamped link. (https://youtu.be/e4nI8cyTFQM?t=69)

[Shindig]

I applaud the grift.

[Baz]

I applaud the grift.Life’s a grift and then you die. :baz:

Just watching Lil Wayne’s set from last night now (I went to bed after 6ix9ine but didn’t sleep cos I was full of adrenaline) and Jesus Christ he’s a superstar isn’t he. Because he’s churned out so much content it’s easy to write him off, but his hits are hits. Probably top 5 of all time for me. He seems in a really good place too. Absolutely killed it.

[Dark Soldier]

Dark Soldier’s watching :cool:

I was very confused. Bunch of what looked like crackheads mumbling over shit beats.

[Shindig]

Yeah, that's the danger with live hip-hop. At some point, they have to take a breath. The one time I saw Public Enemy seemed alright, though. 6ix9ine appears to get around by running on stage lots like a massive, useless twat.

[Baz]

Sorry to harp on about this but i rewatched 6ix9ine and Lil Wayne’s performances again last night.

I think it speaks volumes that (allegedly) 6ix9ine performed to a packed out 15,000 crowd, yet only around 1000 of them stayed to watch Wayne. He’s a megastar, man.

[Baz]

Kobe album leaked: https://archive.org/details/KobeBryantLP2000

[Baz]

Heard this Czarface/MF DOOM album? Fire.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQlNCG5GQ2w

[Baz]

This kid is blowing up:

CO5c2iMpjo4

[Shindig]

There's a joke to make about a suicide vest in there but I just can't make it work.

[Offshore Toon]

Go and listen to Bath Salts on DMX's Exodus immediately.

[Baz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDEKUUxnLac

Damn.

[Baz]

Also, Gift Of Gab is dead.

[Manc]

This is a gem.


https://youtu.be/oTri3zbX-R8

[Alex]

Also, Gift Of Gab is dead.

Well, shit. That is sad. I know he has had health problems for quite a long time. Something to do with his kidneys. A talent, for sure. He will be missed.

[Baz]

Anyone else heard this IDK album? USEE4YOURSELF :eek:

[Shindig]

Pour one out for Biz Markee.

[Offshore Toon]

https://youtu.be/sNZQOgvRc-Y

Love Pan Amsterdam. He's a former jazz musician who got pissed off with the jazz scene and started making hip hop. His wordplay is great. Definitely worth checking out his work if you like that.

[Reg]

That was cool. Wouldn't have guessed the jazz background but I liked the beat.

Doesn't really fit this thread, but since it has rapping - the new album from The Go! Team is great. A lot of summery fun.

[Shindig]

Oooh, I might give that a look. I haven't really enjoyed them since Rolling Blackouts.

EDIT: Yep. That's vintage Go! Team. Might wait til Part 2 comes out. I assume they've got one planned.

[Offshore Toon]

That was cool. Wouldn't have guessed the jazz background but I liked the beat.
That's probably the least jazzy track I've heard from him, so I don't know if he's moving into more of a traditional hip hop sound now but either way I like it.

[Baz]

Anyone else heard this IDK album? USEE4YOURSELF :eek:

Honestly this is hands down album of the year.

[Manc]

Keto is the funky beat we all needed. Is that T Pain ft on 10 feet?

[Baz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SylHXq9Jtig

[Baz]

New Dave album lesssgooo. 2021 is fucking blessed.

Hopefully Kanye doesn't shit on it.

Whew that new Lil Nas X:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTHLKHL_whs

[Manc]

That explains a lot.

[Baz]

The video he released to tease the song (that ends with the first few seconds of that music video) of him in court, where he plays every character was great too.

He should definitely collab with Tyler the Creator.

[Bernanke]

King's Disease 2 is as good as KD1, if not better. Nas does his thing but it's really Hit-Boy's production doing like 75% of the work. I was worried it was gonna feel too long but some of the latter tracks are amazing, especially the last 2.

8.5/10 with KD1 being a 7/10 album.

[Bernanke]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGIodbLzXJc&ab_channel=AlChemist

Alc + Boldy came through again. This is so fucking good.

[Offshore Toon]

Liking that. Will check out the album.

[Offshore Toon]

Whilst we're here, anyone (except Baz) got any recommendations from this year? Feels like a quiet one for hip hop, but might just be me.

[Bernanke]

Whilst we're here, anyone (except Baz) got any recommendations from this year? Feels like a quiet one for hip hop, but might just be me.

Nas, Boldy x Alc as mentioned. Isaiah Rashads has less highs than his two previous but it's a very consistent listen. USEE4YOURSELF by IDK. Boy Anonymous by Paris Texas. Haram by Armand Hammer. Ka also just dropped a new project but I haven't checked it out yet since it's not on streaming services until a few weeks probably.

Both Tyler and Vince Staples didn't do a lot for me.

Edit: Also Dreams Still Inspire by Abstract Mindstate is fully produced by Kanye and pretty good.

Navy Blue's new album is great on a first listen too:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4wg1WI0yhk&ab_channel=edre

[Baz]

Why except me?

[Manc]

White boy summer.

[Offshore Toon]

Why except me?
Our tastes don't match in the slightest.

[Reg]

Whilst we're here, anyone (except Baz) got any recommendations from this year? Feels like a quiet one for hip hop, but might just be me.
Not listened to much hip-hop this year myself but a few I've been meaning to get to: (although you might've heard them all)
- Exodus (DMX)
- Super What? (Doom, Czarface)
- Man On The Moon III (Kid Cudi)

and though I mentioned it before, The Go! Team's new one is great - contains some rapping (even if some is reminiscent of Iglu and Hartley's classic 'In This City' :cool:).

Meant to reply to Shin a while back:

Oooh, I might give that a look. I haven't really enjoyed them since Rolling Blackouts.

EDIT: Yep. That's vintage Go! Team. Might wait til Part 2 comes out. I assume they've got one planned.
So joyous. I haven't actually heard Rolling Blackouts iirc.

[Offshore Toon]

I've listened to Exodus. Although X's rapping wasn't anywhere near his peak I thought the production was great, but my judgement may have been a bit clouded at the time.

[Offshore Toon]

I've listened to quite a few of the albums recommended and yank hip hop just feels so dead at the moment. UK is killing it in contrast.

[Offshore Toon]

Czarface never fails to deliver. :drool:

[Offshore Toon]

Donda is out. Nearly two hours long.

[Baz]

How shit is it?

Far more excited for Certified Lover Boy, obviously, and also Montero.

[Offshore Toon]

Way more consistent than JIK and feels like an actual album. The highs don't feel that high, though.

It reminds me of listening to Blonde for the first time so it might take some getting used to before appreciating.

[Offshore Toon]

Kanye has posted on IG that Universal put the album out without his approval. :D

Such a shambles, but I've learnt to enjoy his pre-album chaos.

[Alex]

I was just reading that. :D

I can see why they would get fed up with his current idea of a release schedule though, to be fair to them. It's tedious beyond belief at this point.

Also, I listened to it earlier and I honestly can't imagine myself ever being arsed to listen to the full thing again. I'm not even saying it's terrible or anything. It's all just a bit "whatever" for me. The only real memorable moment that sticks out to me in retrospect was the very first track with the Hov verse. And it wasn't even a good Hov verse, to be completely honest.

[Offshore Toon]

Yeah, none of the features were particularly good. Jay Electronica's verse sounds like a parody for the most part.

[Offshore Toon]

One thing I will say, it's a disgrace that Yandhi got scrapped when it was far better than anything he's done solo since TLOP. Jesus needs to fuck off.

[Offshore Toon]

Donda hit much, much harder today whilst I was out walking the dog. It's risen from a 5/6 to a 7/8 and I can see it rising further. Highlights are Off The Grid, Hurricane, Believe What I Say, Jail but honestly I'm enjoying all of it. I can't imagine anyone other than Kanye fans is going to give it time to win them over, so it'll probably go down as his most polarising album to date. The narrative war will continue until he hangs up his boots or does another MBDTF (which won't happen) and it's going to be boring as hell, which will only further entrench both sides.

In other news, this came out today and I fucking love it:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie7r76prfvg

And this is great from Big Boi:


https://youtu.be/thjAzBNC-x4

[CJay]

Jail is so good. I had those electric guitars going round and round my head all day.

It’s solid but bloated, which is a bit of shame after the sparseness of his previous 2 albums.

[Offshore Toon]

The sample in Praise God is so good. There's actually plenty to take away so I'm happy. Those that persevere will be rewarded, as with 808s and Yeezus.

[Baz]

We all set for AOTY tomorrow?

[Bernanke]

We all set for AOTY tomorrow?

Little Simz? Yeah.

[Baz]

I really don't get Little Simz but I think its cos 1xtra played her to death when I used to listen to it most days. It's like she raps acapella and then just throws it over any beat, like Thotiana.

That Point and Kill song is dreadful.

[Offshore Toon]

It feels like we're getting a lot of albums at the moment. It must be the COVID backlog.

[Offshore Toon]

Quite like baby keem's album. This in particular:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9zPS6FfC8w

[Offshore Toon]

Also, for my UK crew (which I think is just Taz), Black on Black by KAM-BU is a great little album:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV4rkxtz3Rc

And Pa Salieu has a new African-themed three-track EP out and I like this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIp0_Hao6mk

[Baz]

Keem needs to chill out with his beat switches. Also without the hype from the Kendrick track, nobody would even be commenting on the album.

Top of the morning.

[Don]

That Pa Salieu track bangs, will check the EP out. African music :drool:

My boy produced this video and it's a nice vibe:

https://youtu.be/cg14EVOxiuQ

[Bernanke]

Keem's album is incredibly mediocre, and would pass by without anyone noticing if it wasn't for the Kendrick co-sign. Some of the production is okay, but he's just so insanely boring as a rapper.

[Baz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPDAbEVCSTU

[Baz]

Anyone watched the Drink Champs interview with Kanye?

[Baz]

I just watched it. A lot better than I expected to be honest. I love how much of a hip hop head Ye is underneath all the rest of the bullshit.

[Offshore Toon]

Yeah, it was actually pretty uneventful for a two hour Kanye interview but I enjoyed it.

[Baz]

Meanwhile the Kid Cudi documentary on Prime “A Man Named Scott” is turd.

Leaves so much out. Fair enough when he refuses to talk about any songs on Speeding Bullet cos it was a dark time or whatever (but even then, come on mate you’re meant to be alright now. Talk about it) but it doesn’t mention any of his acting. I remember enjoying How To Make It In America, which he was in. No mention. Entourage Movie? Nope.

Also talks about making Day N Nite but there’s literally no mention of how the remix came about, or that process. 9 people out of 10 think of the Crookers Remix when they think of that song, and we see him dancing to it at a gig, so tell us about it plz.

Plain Pat though man. What a character. I’d watch a ten part series just about him.

Also Shia LeBeouf’s arms are incredible. Definitely got arm envy.

[Shindig]

He needs those arms to smash his women about.

[Baz]

It's mad that Something for Thee Hotties is better than most albums and it's literally a bunch of Megan Thee Stallion's "loosies."

Also, the Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) album seems pretty fucking special after one listen.

[Offshore Toon]

Donda deluxe is out. Life Of The Party with Andre is a fantastic new addition.

[Waffdon]

Kanye last night :cool:

[Baz]

It’s on Prime right? Friday night sorted.

[Waffdon]

Praise God”
“Jesus Walks”
“All Falls Down”
“Gold Digger”
“Touch the Sky”
“Stronger”
“All of the Lights”
“Black Skinhead”
“All Day”
“Mercy”
“Good Life”
“Flashing Lights”
“Say You Will”
“I Wonder”
“Find Your Love”
“Runaway”
“Can't Tell Me Nothing”

Unreal

[Offshore Toon]

I'll give it a watch at some point but the whole 'free Larry Hoover' thing is so fucking weird.

[Baz]

Yep this is great.

Loved the 'more specifically, Kimberley' at the end of Runaway.

[igor_balis]

I've not actually listened to (aside from hearing the singles on the radio and that) a Kanye West album since Graduation, lol. I absolutely loved College Dropout, quite liked Late Registration, and didn't care for Graduation so totally lost interest. I was gonna ask if I should try some of the newer stuff but I guess it's pretty obvious the resounding response will be yes, so which album should I listen to?

[Baz]

You've never listed to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy? :eek:

[Don]

It's all varying levels of shite after that.

[Offshore Toon]

MBDTF is essentially 'perfect', but if you don't care for perfect then Yeezus is the better album. TLOP is a 9/10 album padded out into an 8/10 too. Also check out Kids See Ghosts with Kid Cudi, which is easily a 10.

Everything he's done has quality in it, but sometimes it's quite heavily drowned in shit (only ye and JIK are anywhere near bad, though).

[Bernanke]

I still maintain that TLOP has the highest count of truly great tracks out of all of his albums.

[Waffdon]

I’m glad I’m not alone I’m thinking TLOP was pretty incredible. MBDTF will probably always be my favourite though.

I just love the mad cunt.

[Offshore Toon]

TLOP's highs (30 Hours, Wolves, Real Friends the standouts for me) are as high as anything he's ever done, but as an album it doesn't really flow. I think if you take out half the tracks it becomes a 9, possibly 10 if some cohesion can be formed.

[Bernanke]

No argument there, it's pretty awful as an album experience. I'd add Saint Pablo to your list as well, then there's a slew of tracks just under that tier (Waves, ULB, FML, No More Parties in LA, Famous).

Edit: Actually, bump No More Parties up to the S-tier category.

[Offshore Toon]

Yeah, that's pretty much how I see it too.

I also rate Donda on par with 808s as a 7-8/10. Fivio on Off The Grid is just madness. That and Glidin' by Pa Salieu are my top tracks of the year

[Manc]

It's all varying levels of shite after that.

You're a mess.

[Bernanke]

New Nas/Hitboy surprise drop. :happycry:

[Alex]

I would say it's my favourite of their three collaborations so far too, on early listening! I think they've improved together with each project. Nas is ageless, isn't he? You know how some rappers, however sharp they stay lyrically, just start to sound old and tired? Nas sounds the same as when he was twenty.

[Bernanke]

Yeah this might edge both KDs for me as well, Nas is flowing on this.

[Bernanke]

https://youtu.be/szaiIPewEZQ

The production on this...

[Baz]

https://mega.nz/file/xElBHIpK#7xTMlQaGy4-Hou_Da04YoPgHSBRsHKAw9hCrBSSmc8s

[Baz]

https://mega.nz/file/xElBHIpK#7xTMlQaGy4-Hou_Da04YoPgHSBRsHKAw9hCrBSSmc8s

Watched this today (first part of Jeen Yuhs, the Kanye Netflix doc) and goddamn I can’t believe I’ve gotta wait until 23rd February to watch the second part. Will probably watch the first part again when it hits Netflix in 2 weeks. So good to see him young, hungry and optimistic, and watching his mum rap his songs was great.

I’m glad we’re watching this now so we can “give Kanye his flowers” while he’s still alive and making music.

[Baz]

In a new interview with Connecticut hip hop station Hot 93.7, Minaj said: “I will say this album will be the closest thing we’ll ever probably get to Pink Friday 2.0, and that’s why I keep stressing ‘Pink Friday, Pink Friday’.”

https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/nicki-minaj-reveals-her-new-albums-vibe-and-name/

:drool:

Finally.

[Alex]

Does anyone have any stand out favourites of 2022 so far? Nothing has come out that has totally blown me away but it's early days, and there have been a few solid releases I think.

A few early favourites:

Jam Baxter - Fetch the Poison

Probably my favourite rap release of the year so far. Just a really solid release. It's on the longer side too (pushing an hour) but it holds up. I've got increasingly into UK Hip-Hop (the sort of boom-bap-ish, east coast inspired brand of it anyway) over the last couple of years and this guy is one of the better ones out there. Has a cool multi-lingual posse cut (people should do this more often) with some guys from (I think) Brazil too.

Earl Sweatshirt - Sick!

I'm not a huge Earl fan. And when I say that, I don't mean I've anything against him. I think he's very talented. He just inspires absolute fervour in some people, and I'm not on that level. But this is a really solid project. I feel like it's maybe not as, I don't know, "dark" as some of his other work. It's good. I think what Earl does really well is stay on the cutting edge production wise. He sounds experimental but still decidedly Hip-Hop at the same time. It helps when you can undeniably spit like he can.

AJ Suede & Televangel - Metatron's Cube

I had never heard of either of these guys going into it. Well, in a round about way I do know one of them. The producer, Televangel, is (I think) one half of Blue Sky Black Death, if anyone remembers them! Really solid album.

Bloodmoney Perez & Messiah Muzik - Second Hand Accounts

This is just one of those under the radar releases that deserves a bit more exposure. Quite sort of wordy, off beat but dope Hip-Hop. Messiah Muzik produced a lot of Backwoodz Studioz (Billy Woods et al) and this sounds a lot like a Backwoodz release despite not being one. That's the best review I can give it really.

Che Noir - Food for Thought

Che Noir is very underrated, big Jean Grae vibes for me. Great little 30 minutes of beats and rhymes. Conceptually quite strong as a body of work, and she owns the whole "female emcee" thing without making it a crutch or a gimmick. Raps and produces too I think. She's super talented.

[Baz]

So much good stuff coming out I'm struggling to keep up.

billy woods album is really good.

6ix9ine got a new song coming on the 15th April too. :baz:

[Baz]

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=DmKpePzn5-c

It’s a hit. First 4K video too.

[Shindig]

I can't take that motherfucker seriously.

[Alex]

So much good stuff coming out I'm struggling to keep up.

billy woods album is really good.

6ix9ine got a new song coming on the 15th April too. :baz:

The Woods album is indeed great. My favourite rap album of the year so far I would say.

History Will Absolve Me is ten years old this year, he's basically has not missed once since then. It's been a really fantastic run.

[phonics]

I wasn’t a big fan of the new Vince Staples outside of the first two tracks.

[Alex]

Yeah, it's not grabbed me massively either. I mean it's fine, but it's just "alright" for me.

[phonics]

Kendrick just announced an album for next month.

[Baz]

Kendrick just announced an album for next month.

Same day as Pusha T. :youpi:

[igor_balis]

Jpegmafia is definitely a bit of a meme rapper for middle class white idiots like me, but hazard duty pay is one of the best things I've heard for years.

[Alex]

The new Pusha T album is dope. I think it's better than Daytona. The reunion with Malice on the last track is amazing. Just give me more Clipse music lads.

[Offshore Toon]

Agree its better than DAYTONA. I said to my mate earlier its his best solo work. It's impressive that he's becoming more consistent so the best may well be yet to come.

[CJay]

Yep, that Push album is brilliant. The Donny Hathaway sample on Dreamin of the Past is just perfect.

[Offshore Toon]

Yeah, it felt a bit weird on first listen but my how it's grown. That and Let The Smokers Shine The Coupes are my favs.

[Bernanke]

Let The Smokers is amazing, but I think Call My Bluff is my current fav.

[phonics]

Re-listened to JayLib - Champion Sound in full for the first time in years. Might be a perfect album.

[Don]

Good time to dip back into the genre. That Pusha album is getting repeat plays currently, when is Kendrick's out?

[Baz]

Next Friday innit

[Alex]

Think so, yeah. Double album? Seems to be the word.

[Baz]

Will take some doing to top Future's.

Also Drake completely stole Jack Harlow's album with this feature:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiI3L-7X33o

:o

[Alex]

The new Kendrick single (and accompanying video) is outrageously good. I know it probably won't be on the album, but if it's in any way indicative of what is to come on Friday then we're in for something special.

[Offshore Toon]

The harder he tries, the less I care. It may sound ridiculous, but he'll never be respected with the greats. Hip hop is all about personality, which he doesn't have.

[Baz]

Young Thug and Gunna are going to jail for a long time. :uhoh:

[Bernanke]

Young Thug and Gunna are going to jail for a long time. :uhoh:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgRrxFsX538&ab_channel=MeekMill

[Baz]

Also if you watch jeen-yuhs just skip episode 3, man. :(

Even Coodie (the guy who filmed everything) is like ‘it didn’t feel right to record him like this so I turned the camera off.’

And it’s not like there’s a nice warm wrap-up of an ending. It’s basically yeah Kanye is crazy now soz but hope you enjoyed parts 1 and 2.

Parts 1 (trying to get a record deal) and 2 (college dropout releases!) are very good.

[Ben]

At what point did he start to go off the deep end? Was it as simple as his mother's death?

[Baz]

At what point did he start to go off the deep end? Was it as simple as his mother's death?Mostly yes, but from the documentary he already seemed to have changed almost overnight from winning the Grammies for College Dropout and his mum becoming his business manager and them starting the Donda Foundation or whatever. Coodie said he told him he was now playing a role/acting for the media. Very strange considering how likeable and warming he is in part 1.

[Alex]

Young Thug and Gunna are going to jail for a long time. :uhoh:

They borderline deserve jail time for how bad their song with Future on his new album was.

Disclaimer - I like Young Thug. Or have liked him in the past, I can't say I've kept up with him all that much lately. That song was garbage though.

[Baz]

They borderline deserve jail time for how bad their song with Future on his new album was.

Disclaimer - I like Young Thug. Or have liked him in the past, I can't say I've kept up with him all that much lately. That song was garbage though.

Possibly my favourite track on the album. :D

[Alex]

Possibly my favourite track on the album. :D

:D

I haven't been back to the album since first listen to be honest, I just wasn't a huge fan of it in general. I like Future too, he's just not done anything that's interested me in a while. I kind of feel like his time might have come and gone. Or he needs to switch it up a bit, but I don't know what that would look/sound like really. He very much has his "lane" and he sticks in it!

I did recently pick up a copy of DS2 on "Record Store Day" though, and have been revisiting that absolute beast. :drool:

[phonics]

The only good Yung Thug song is Pikachu and that's because it's so fucking trash it's interesting.

[Alex]

I think there was a time when he was legitimately making a lot of very fresh and interesting music. He sort of took Lil Wayne's garbled autotune persona and ran with it to new and often quite weird/creative lengths, and subverted a lot of idea about what you could and couldn't do with the genre along the way.

Barter 6 was his pinnacle for me. Although I enjoyed a lot of the stuff around that time. The mixtape with Birdman (I forget what it was called now), the Slime Season tapes. The Jefferey album, that was good too. He was a really interesting artist for time.

I'm not saying he's not necessarily now, that Future feature was the first I've heard from him in a while. It just happens that I really disliked it.

[Offshore Toon]

This Kendrick album definitely isn't appropriate for listening first thing after waking, so I'll steer clear of criticism for now...

[Baz]

I’m sure Pitchfork will score it higher than Jack Harlow’s. :harold:

[Offshore Toon]

There's a lot to unpack, as you'd expect. I'm not sure I can be bothered to annotate the lyrics, but it'll definitely take a while to unravel.

[Ben]

My opinion after one listen is tremendous.

[Offshore Toon]

I've caught up with Denzel, Vince and Boldy James releases. Vince was good but fairly flatline, similarly to Kendrick, which on relistens remains mostly forgettable outside of a few tracks (Mr Morale, N95, Father Time, Purple Hearts).

Walkin is maybe track of the year by Denzel and its a great album overall. No idea how it passed me by without realising, but I love it. Boldy James is great too but I'm not always in the mood for that type of gritty, raw stuff.

I think Pusha will be hard to top for album of the year. That album just fucking bangs in so many ways. Kendrick for lyrical ability and meaning and all that waffle, but I really wish he'd just write some poetry or a book separately and focus on making great music again.

[Don]

Aunti Diaries and Mother I Sober :thbup:

[Baz]

Drake's new album though. :dance:

[Waffdon]

It’s definitely not hip hop :D

[Baz]

Yeah, sure.

I bet Don approves.

[Don]

Didn't know of it, will report back in the coming days.

[Bernanke]

Like everything Drake has done since WATTBA, it's mediocre.

[Baz]

You’re not allowed to use that word anymore. It’s mid.

As far as sitting in the garden sunning myself music goes, I’m enjoying it.

[Manc]

The Kanye interview with Tucker Carlson is something else. I find it impossible to follow his train of thought.

[Shindig]

He's a black Israelite or something during whatever manic phase this is.

[Manc]

MF DOOM. Talk to me. I've started with MM...FOOD and it's very much a vibe. Any other musts in his discography?

[Offshore Toon]

Madvillain, Take Me To Your Leader

[Alex]

Quite a deep discography where he collaborated a lot and worked under various aliases, but I would say the absolute highlights are:

Operation: Doomsday - His debut as a solo artist and return to rap after a few years away from it. It's not one I revisit a lot to be honest but it's undeniably very good and sort of lays the blueprint for his whole persona.

Madvillainy - His collaboration (as "Madvillain") with Madlib, who produced the whole thing. If you polled the entire rap community I imagine this would easily come out on top as the best DOOM album, and with good reason. Weird and wonderful and he flips rhymes in particularly mind bending fashion, even by his own standards, all over the place on this. A classic that had a lot of crossover appeal with "serious music" type people. Widely considered one of the best rap albums of this century, if not ever.

Take Me To Your Leader - Released under his "King Geedorah" alias. This is almost like his "producer" album in that you get a lot of guest spots and him putting more obscure people from his crew on. It's DOOM's best collection of beats and an absolutely fantastic album.

Vadueville Villain - Released under his "Viktor Vaughan" moniker, this is like a bit of a concept album and has a sort of weird, loose story to it. He works with a lot of random producers on this that I never really saw pop up again in any other major capacity. This is my personal favourite DOOM album and I would say one of the very best rap albums of this century.

There's a lot more to delve into on top of that, many of which would still shit on a lot of rappers best albums, but those are the key ones I would say.

[Manc]

Fantastic. You've sold Vadueville Villain to me. I'll pick that up next.

[Shindig]

I really like Operation Doomsday.

[Baz]

Drake can stfu dissing Megan The Stallion.

Not heard the full album (Her Loss, joint project with 21 Savage) but the bits I have heard all seem good.

[Baz]

1589738981516005377

:lol:

[Bernanke]

King's Disease III is ridiculous. Best of the three I think.

[Baz]

It is indeed.

[Baz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9KeHFbT_5s

[Offshore Toon]

Dizzee gives off serious 'old man yells at cloud' vibes these days.

[Giggles]

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8TnbAWV7LG4/sddefault.jpg

[Offshore Toon]

https://www.meanwhileinireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ira-costume.png

[CJay]

Someone please help me: trying to figure out the name / artist of a track. It’s an instrumental hip hop track. Tinkly piano, drums and a heavy bass line. I had it in my library years ago as I recognise it, but I’ve heard it recently on The Totally Football Show when they run through the scores and can’t for the life of me remember a name. Anyone know what I’m talking about?

The word ‘coffee ‘comes to mind (either for the name of the song or the artist) but that could be way off the mark. Spent the last hour googling for it but to no avail.

[phonics]

Someone please help me: trying to figure out the name / artist of a track. It’s an instrumental hip hop track. Tinkly piano, drums and a heavy bass line. I had it in my library years ago as I recognise it, but I’ve heard it recently on The Totally Football Show when they run through the scores and can’t for the life of me remember a name. Anyone know what I’m talking about?

The word ‘coffee ‘comes to mind (either for the name of the song or the artist) but that could be way off the mark. Spent the last hour googling for it but to no avail.

Can you link an example pod or just give me a timestamp?

[CJay]

Can you link an example pod or just give me a timestamp?

Starts at 15:00 on this episode https://twitter.com/TheTotallyShow/status/1621365612596588546

[Baz]

That's Capital Steez. Dead Prez.

[Baz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67Pzsdm3r_I

[CJay]

That's Capital Steez. Dead Prez.

Good man. :hail: Love that.

Pro Era brings me back to my uni days. :happycry:

[CJay]

Someone please help me: trying to figure out the name / artist of a track. It’s an instrumental hip hop track. Tinkly piano, drums and a heavy bass line. I had it in my library years ago as I recognise it, but I’ve heard it recently on The Totally Football Show when they run through the scores and can’t for the life of me remember a name. Anyone know what I’m talking about?

The word ‘coffee ‘comes to mind (either for the name of the song or the artist) but that could be way off the mark. Spent the last hour googling for it but to no avail.

Got it. Memory was on the money with coffee as well.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNQ_A9r_hBA

[Ben]

That's excellent.

[Shindig]

It's not quite as cool as Space.

[Baz]

Love this video:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qv_6XQefJ4

[Don]

That's big.

[Shindig]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64620788

De La Soul lost a brother. :(

[Baz]

https://i.gyazo.com/11a9d2513d52097bff1510b56e252ffa.png
https://i.gyazo.com/64a5582fa0d8a5bf8da498a5d765a042.png
https://i.gyazo.com/93064173f728b9bc8c40f63b2e4aecfe.png
I sell ice in the winter, sell fire in hell, I'm a hustler baby I'll sell water to a whale

There are more but that's my favourite.

[Manc]

Melon v Logic is the best thing on the internet right now.

[Baz]

Melon v Logic is the best thing on the internet right now.

What’s that?

[Offshore Toon]

I miss when people would explain what they'd found instead of assuming we all take in the same shit. The internet is dead.

[Offshore Toon]

Danny and Peggy was never gonna be a letdown. :drool:

[Baz]

There’s a 6ix9ine sex tape.

https://www.reddit.com/r/6ix9ine/comments/12kywl5/the_full_video/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1

[Don]

There's some Tyler The Creator tune on radio (Dogtooth?) That sounds like prime Big KRIT. Need to hit up that 2010-ish mixtape of Big KRIT again.

[Offshore Toon]

I've had Viktorious stuck in my head today weirdly enough, so I've been thinking the same thing.

[Baz]

6ix9ines last two songs have sounded like rejected World Cup anthems. The latest, WAPAE, is especially bad. If he doesn’t go back to shouting slurs soon I’ll be sad.

[Offshore Toon]

This thread is awful these days.

[Bernanke]

Scaring the Hoes is very good, and gets better over time.

New Alc record has some good production, but Larry June is boring as hell.

[Vanishing Wanderer]

Scaring the Hoes is very good, and gets better over time.

New Alc record has some good production, but Larry June is boring as hell.

I gotta listen to it. But one thing you can depend on Alchemist for is good production.

[Baz]

I finally got round to re-downloading Logic’s old Young Sinatra mixtapes, after years of wishing they were on Spotify. Still absolutely slap.

I think Nasty is in my top 10 songs of all time.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=eVbTkFsCc24

Are any recent (post-2014) Logic albums worth listening to?

Once I’ve rinsed these three I might finally get around to re-downloading Bastard (Tyler the Creator) because it’s such as glaring omission on my phone, considering how much I love the pre-Cherry Bomb stuff.

Also, speaking of both, Blindboy posted that he’s gonna record some podcasts in Canada and asked for ideas for guests to speak to.
Someone suggested Nardwuar and now I need to hear that happen.

[Baz]

6ix9ines last two songs have sounded like rejected World Cup anthems. The latest, WAPAE, is especially bad. If he doesn’t go back to shouting slurs soon I’ll be sad.

Live in 15 mins :youpi:

https://www.youtube.com/live/SVV9zSAFM8g?feature=share

[Baz]

Someone put Central Cee’s live show beside 6ix9ine’s (https://www.reddit.com/r/6ix9ine/comments/133zy6n/video_comparison_between_the_performances_of/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1) from the same festival, the following night. :rosebud:

[phonics]

I try not to be the old man annoyed at the new generation but I just heard Lil Uzi's cover of System of a Downs - Chop Suey and I want to find the nearest soundcloud rapper and kick his head in.

[Baz]

Not heard it but I have no doubt that Avril Lavigne’s cover was far worse.

[Alex]

https://pitchfork.com/news/mf-dooms-wife-sheds-light-on-circumstances-of-his-death/

MF DOOM died in Leeds. That's mad.

[Baz]

Saw these posted elsewhere:

Part I - Strictly Business (Covers 1973-1998): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6p2eB9sCxyjdiG2Bl65Cd8?si=ae2f76b02c274b76
Part II - Unfinished Business (Second set covering 1973-1998): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5GGjObVkjeKaIzT7pSyicL?si=3fb5147841624bdd
Part III - Business as Usual (Covers 1998-2023): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6kH3GGE41t5r9WuzYZ6Ptd?si=92af829a24594c60
Part IV - Business Never Personal (Second set covering 1998-2023): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1fEqDLXPyIdMoDpSQzYPth?si=e763bc47c470455a
Part V - Step in the Arena (Covers the 1980s): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/59FrOlwxoSKoKbEfDZ5G62?si=3a03826258464994
Part VI - Daily Operation (Covers the 1990s): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6MoeJvUsluGN9Xx4uQwe5a?si=8fc1113f72ff4614
Part VII - Hard to Earn (Covers the indie scene from the mid 1990s-2000s): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1kTBinYyWtdBPjN7SXuLJ4?si=bfc35f427edf4c3b
Part VIII - Moment of Truth (Covers the 2000s): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5i4f0jssZS8VcENnjiYnd0?si=f7f8c68c864c486a
Part IX - Run the Jewels (Covers 2010-2023): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2RPm2VzbndVRIobX5Xd2C1?si=485b1491551f4725
Part X - Illmatic (Imaginary live show featuring some of the greats): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/29Qg64Sq84yRMGONzv7nah?si=e965da0225c04e83

Part 8 is so good.

[Don]

Nice, this'll be explored.

[phonics]

1) Thats a good list
2) God damn was my Hip-Hop knowledge pretty good as I knew every song
3) No EPMD is a huge miss. No Eric B & Rakim is just weird considering how backpack the rest of the playlists are. No Little Brother either.
4) MF Doom was good, he wasn't 'has 4-5x as many songs as any other artist on the list' good.

[Shindig]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svQ4lzjR5Tk

How has it taken this long?

[Offshore Toon]

The new Danny single is banging and the tracklist looks great. Mon.

[Baz]

As the person on here probably the most excited for a new Nicki Minaj album, Pink Friday 2 is not it. I’m only half way through, admittedly, but so far the only good bit has been J-Cole’s verse.

[Baz]

6ix9ine’s back with a new shouty English album, Blackballed. Only 20 mins / 9 tracks long.

[Baz]

Three in a row, hey ho.

I listened to Earl Sweatshirts first album (EARL) to and from work today and aside from one track (Moonlight) it really is like that ‘post someone rapping like it’s paying the rent’ meme cos damn he was hungry. So good. I’m a massive stan for the title track but I listened to Kill about three times in a row, just so good, and the last verse of epaR with the police is so so good. Shame I found none of his music since he was 16 accessible at all.

I suppose Tyler the Creators similar where his first three albums are so unbelievably good and then Cherry Bomb was an absolute dud and he never really recovered since, save for the odd song here and there on Flower Boy and Call Me (Wilshere being one of my favourite songs ever) but then I imagine there are likely just as many fans who hate the Odd Future KILL PEOPLE BURN SHIT FUCK SCHOOL music and want to listen to him play piano while some woman sings. :sorry: Eh I dunno.

But yeah EARL, still so good.

[Max Power]

I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside best Earl album for me

[Baz]

Kanye sampling Jay (of & Silent Bob fame) saying beautiful big titted butt naked women don’t fall out the sky you know, from Dogma, is hilarious.

[Alex]

Kanye sampling Jay (of & Silent Bob fame) saying beautiful big titted butt naked women don’t fall out the sky you know, from Dogma, is hilarious.

:D

It is pretty great. Gibbs absolutely rips it on that track too!

Honestly I quite like Vultures.

It's the first release from him in a while that feels like some coherent thought has gone into the whole project. As a piece of work it has a definite vibe to it. It's obviously a long way off top-tier Kanye (I doubt that will ever happen again, the man isn't well) but I at least actively want to listen to it repeatedly, and it's nice to feel that way about something he has put out again.

In fact I'm going to go ahead and say my first impression is that it's the best thing he's done since The Life of Pablo.

[Revolution]

Popped on the havoc version of of vultures video last night whilst stoned and shit sent me to space lol

Enjoyed his new album tbf the production is so so good

[Baz]

Feels like an actual album rather than whatever Donda was.

Need more listens before I decide if I like it.

[Revolution]

Deffo his best album since kids see ghosts I'd say. Hope Peggy more involved on vultures 2 (if it happens)

[Bernanke]

I didn't expect a Metro x Future record to have so many hits in 2024. Really didn't think Future had it in him anymore.

Kendrick feature is great too. Chip on his shoulder Kendrick > preaching at me Kendrick.

[SincereTheRebel]

30th year for Illmatic. Nas will be performing 2.7 miles away from my house. I will be there

[Manc]

You and all the whites.

[SincereTheRebel]

I will see you there