Category: Hip Hop

Album Review: KIDS SEE GHOSTS – KIDS SEE GHOSTS

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Artist: KIDS SEE GHOSTS 

Album: KIDS SEE GHOSTS 

Genre: Hip Hop/Alternative Hip Hop

Rating: 8/10

 Considering the fact that both Kanye West and Kid Cudi changed the landscape of Hip Hop and set the foundation for Hip Hop in the 2010’s together, it’s surprising that the two are barely teaming up for a collab album now, but in a way, no other time seems more perfect for this to happen than right now. We’re near the end of this decade, and under the name “KIDS SEE GHOSTS” Kanye and Cudi have released an album that solidifies the impact the two have had in the music world. This is album number three in this recent string of Kanye produced albums, and following the mediocre disappointment that was Ye, this album puts Kanye right back on the cutting edge, and it sure is nice to hear Cudi’s return. With well crafted and imaginative production, the two sound more rejuvenated than ever. The beats are what Kanye strived to do on The Life of Pablo, but this time around they’re more unique and… you know…. finished, and with lyrical themes involving self-acceptance, self doubt, and overcoming mental illness, this album is the inspirational impact Ye should have been. I’m sure the two had their beloved fans in mind when creating this album, but it’s evident that the two absolutely had to make this album to exorcise their demons. Everything from the explosive Pusha-T featuring opener “Feel The Love” that erupts with Man’s Not Hot-esque “brrrraaa ka ka kas” to the emotional Kurt Cobain sampling closer “Cudi Montage,” this is a forward thinking album that incorporates new musical elements, but also features everything we love about Kanye and Cudi. One can only hope that the two continue to make incredible music like this under the “KIDS SEE GHOSTS” name.

Written By: Steven Sandoval 

Date: 06/10/18

Death Grips Announce Release Date for Upcoming Album “Year of the Snitch”

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The wait is finally over. We now have a release date for Death Grips’ upcoming album Year of the Snitch. It will be released on June 22nd, which is just around the corner. The band have also shared another new track off the album titled “Ha ha ha.” You can listen to the track below:

Album Review: Kanye West – Ye

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Artist: Kanye West

Album: Ye

Genre: Hip Hop

Rating: 4/10

 After Kanye’s ugly album rollout which took Kanye’s signature batshit behavior to another level, a level with downright offensive and irrational outbursts, it’s clear that Kanye is trying to compensate for his erratic behavior by claiming to be immensely bipolar on his new album Ye. The album cover even features a text that reads “I hate being bi-polar it’s awesome.” I guess Kanye is selling bumper stickers now. Anyway, this does not excuse the fact that he claimed “slavery was a choice,” and that he will not give any reasonable explanation as to why he supports Trump other than the simple fact that he’s just another outspoken rich celebrity he identifies with, but hey, I can separate the art from the artist, but Kanye’s erratic behavior floods this new album. Even in it’s short length of 24 minutes, this album is insufferable. Sure it’s not as scatterbrained or incohesive as his previous album The Life Of Pablo, but this album is without a doubt his most cringeworthy work. It’s littered with lyrical contradictions and Kanye even has the nerve to wear mental illness as a fashion statement. Yes it is a good message that we shouldn’t judge or shun anyone who who has a mental illness and that it shouldn’t come with such a stigma, but Kanye doesn’t care about your illness, he cares about his illness. He flaunts it in front of us and he truly believes that it’s just another attribute of his genius, genius he no longer has. He claims his bipolar disorder is his superpower on the track “Yikes,” but he’s doing absolutely nothing to help the cause, it’s just more egocentric self worship. The supposed “emotional centerpiece” “Wouldn’t Leave” is a song about his wife and her loyalty to him even after his public meltdowns. He even dedicates the song to all the women who have stuck with their men, but this is really a one-sided delivery that comes from the “boys will be boys” mindset, as if it’s a woman’s role to be dependent on and loyal to a man. Lyrically this album is atrocious, but what about the instrumentation? Well, to put it in the simplest terms, it’s nothing special. Kanye proved he is still a great producer on Pusha-T’s new album DAYTONA, but the production on Ye is quite forgettable, it’s not as ahead of the curve as his older material was. There’s really nothing else to say about this album. Should I mention the unnecessary features? The god awful Kid Cudi vocals on “Ghost Town?” None of that is worth noting. This is just a 7 track stench of narcissism from a artist who once was a talented visionary.

Written By: Steven Sandoval 

Date: 06/02/18

The Internet Share Details Of Upcoming Album “Hive Mind”

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The Internet’s long awaited follow-up to their 2015 album Ego Death will be released on July 20th, and it is titled Hive Mind. The band have also unveiled the cover art, and have released a new track off the album titled “Come Over.” Check out the track and the album’s cover art below:

Hive Mind Cover Art:

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Come Over:

Album Review: Pusha-T – DAYTONA

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Artist: Pusha-T

Album: DAYTONA 

Genre: Hip Hop

Rating: 8/10

 Following a string of controversies involving Kanye West’s batshit antics, anyone associated with the guy unfortunately has to address where they stand on the whole Trump thing. You’d think people would realize that you can be friends or work with someone who doesn’t have the same political views as you, but hey, here we are. Pusha-T is the latest rapper to work with Kanye West, and by no means does he share the same views as Kanye. He just utilized Kanye’s immaculate production skills for his new album DAYTONA, and if My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was an indication that the two work very well together, then DAYTONA is a powerful reminder of that fact. This album has that gritty tough as nails Push we love. Yes the lyrical content mostly features his same ol’ drug dealer subject matter, but his delivery is so infectious that it makes us completely okay with the fact that he’s been talking about this subject for over a decade. Pusha’s straight to the point no bullshit style doesn’t require grandiose production, and it’s as if Kanye knew this while creating these beats. The production is minimal, but still features Kanye’s staple of sporadic soul samples and beat switches. Tracks like “The Games We Play” and “Hard Piano” feel like updated throwbacks to the glory days of “Boom Bap,” and Rick Ross is the cherry on top on “Hard Piano” where both him and Push speak on their experiences with drug dealing and where they are now. Mr. Poopity Scoop even has a verse on the track “What Would Meek Do?” and the chemistry between the two goes over quite well. The track that follows, “Infrared” is the closing track, and this one definitely has people talking. It’s no secret that he’s taking obvious shots at Drake and probably other modern rappers who don’t write their own lyrics, and yes Drake has responded, leading to this year’s most interesting beef so far. I’ve already forgotten about Joyner Lucas and Logic’s beef. Sure Pusha’s lyrical content isn’t exactly something that requires immense dissection to decipher any meaning, but that’s okay. Not all lyrics have to be dense. Pusha excels in lyrical simplicity, his blunt and cold delivery is what gives him his signature style, and with Kanye backing him up with perfectly crafted production, the two are a force to be reckoned with.

Written By: Steven Sandoval 

Date: 05/27/18

Album Review: A$AP Rocky – Testing

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Artist: A$AP Rocky 

Album: Testing 

Genre: Hip Hop/Experimental Hip Hop

Rating: 4/10

 Being the most standout member of the “A$AP Mob,” A$AP Rocky has quite the fanbase. A fanbase of people who hold him to the highest of standards, but the New York rapper’s new album Testing proves that he fearlessly creates music on his own terms, and that he has a strong urge to experiment. His last album At. Long. Last. A$AP found the MC stretching his talent and satisfying both bar lovers and lovers of trunk knocking beats, but tracks like “Fine Whine” and “L$D” showcased a side of Rocky that wanted to experiment with sounds that transcend the boundaries of “Hip Hop,” and these tracks were definitely precursors to Testing. The album title is fitting, seeing as how Rocky is testing the waters with odd production that you really won’t hear anywhere else in the mainstream, but honestly the result of his experimentation is a lackluster album that relies too heavily on sporadic beat switches and sounds, and odd noise whether it be abrasive distorted bass or chopped and screwed vocals, and the samples on these tracks are poorly mixed. Everything from the Moby sampling “A$AP Forever,” to the messy “Gunz N Butter,” this whole album is a cringeworthy disaster that lacks cohesion. Features like FKA Twigs or Frank Ocean provide underwhelming vocals, and the guest rappers on these tracks add nothing worth noting, and Rocky himself sounds barely there, delivering lazy verses. Putting more emphasis on the Experimental nature of the production and less on his rapping skills just eliminates any humanity on this record. You have to admire his aspirations to innovate, but he needs to realize that not all Experimental music is genius.

Written By: Steven Sandoval 

Date: 05/26/18

Jay Rock Unveils Release Date and Album Cover for Upcoming Album “Redemption”

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The wait is finally over. We now have a release date for Jay Rock’s highly anticipated follow-up to 90059, as well as the the album title and cover art. Jay Rock and “TDE” shared all the details yesterday. The album is titled Redemption, and it will be released on June 15th. This follows the release of his triumphant track “Win.” You can listen to the track below:

Jay Rock Releases New Track “Win”

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The “Top Dawg” camp have had quite the year so far. The Kendrick Lamar curated soundtrack to “Black Panther” was an instant success, nearly every “Top Dawg” signee have embarked on a tour together dubbed “The Championship Tour,” and Jay Rock is set to release his highly anticipated follow-up to his 2015 album 90059. The album title and release date have yet to be revealed, but Jay Rock has dropped a brand new track from the upcoming album appropriately titled “Win.” You can listen to the track below:

Album Review: J. Cole – KOD

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Artist: J. Cole

Album: KOD

Genre: Hip Hop

Rating: 5/10

 Hip Hop is at a point now where the golden era of the 80’s and 90’s is often labeled “Dad Rap.” It’s been this way for awhile, but this recent crop of Trap rappers whom dominate the airwaves have made this even more apparent. The tattooed from head to toe rappers with colored dreads who put more emphasis on pounding bass and Trap high hats to make up for lack of technical skill have set the bar pretty low, but their success is at an all time high, but there are those rappers like Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, and Big K.R.I.T. who deliver thought provoking lyrical content all while pushing the genre forward by incorporating new and innovative elements, but there is a rapper who has all the qualities Hip Hop traditionalists love, but still manages to slip through the cracks when it comes to the “G.O.A.T.” talks, and that man is J. Cole. We’ve all heard the “platinum with no features,” “boring,” and “folding laundry” jokes, but all memes aside, the guy is a respectable MC. So what is it about his music that is so divisive? Well, everything he has released thus far has showcased his skills as an MC and a lyricist yes, but his songwriting abilities are very average, and his “old head” mentality is more of a curse than a gift. His decision to rap over dated “Boom Bap” production and his lack of interest in pushing the envelope deems much of his work inessential, and when you make Hip Hop in the 2010’s that’s indistinguishable from Hip Hop of the 90’s it raises the question “Why should we care about Cole?” His new album KOD suffers from the same issues, but the thing is, this album sounds like it was supposed to be his masterpiece. It feels as if Cole was shooting for a revolutionary album. This album is rich in thought provoking and quite intriguing subject matter, and it features recurring themes of mainstream Hip Hop’s glamorization of drugs and the influence it’s having on the youth, as well as humanity’s immersion in the evils of money, and the complex subject of love, which according to this album is “The strongest drug of them all.” Ugh, I don’t think I’ve eaten nachos as cheesy as that, and I don’t think that joke I just made is as cheesy as that line on the album. Anyway, yes these are topical and important subjects on paper, but the delivery is so lackluster that it unfortunately makes this album uninteresting, and I’m not talking about Cole’s rapping, I’m talking about how he focuses more on his flow and lyrical content and not enough on the production and anything else in the bigger picture that truly makes an album good. Yes lyrical content is a beautiful thing, and it is a very important part of music, but it’s not the only important element. If that were the case than books would be more popular than music. His lyrics and flow are not enough to save the album from the very plain and bland instrumentals, the generic “Trap” whether it’s done ironically or not, and the repetitive and uninspired hooks, and believe me, these hooks are terrible. Just listen to “The Cut Off” and you’ll know what I mean. Under the guise “kiLL edward,” Cole delivers a God awful annoying as Hell hook that anyone in their right mind would find grating, and unfortunately this uninteresting alter ego appears once again on the track “FRIENDS.” The tracks “ATM” and “KOD” are the strongest moments on the album, but they only sound a lot better than what they actually are because the rest of the album is so forgettable. Now I’m not trying to just rip this album to shreds. I actually have respect for J. Cole and I think he is a very talented MC, but he needs to realize that just because you talk about “real shit,” doesn’t mean you’re automatically going to be placed amongst the greats. It doesn’t automatically make an album good. If he’s too stubborn to realize that then he will most likely continue to release inessential and divisive music.

Written By: Steven Sandoval

Date: 04/23/18