What Are You Listening To? (warning: Nsfw Language)

Discussion in 'Open Discussion' started by Barnstable, Oct 2, 2014.

  1. John3:16

    John3:16 Moderator Staff Member

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    ^^^ growing on me. I still think Cadillactica is his best. But this is solid. I'd probably grade it a B right now after 3 listens. And I like his slower stuff too.
     
  2. Helljumper

    Helljumper - Lakers All Star -

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    Cadillactica was definitely nice but this latest album has stayed in my rotation longer then any other Krit project. Maybe that’s partially just because I think the end of this year has kinda had a draught musically.

    Saturation 3 from Brockhampton dropped last night though. Loved it after first listen, possibly more then Saturation 2.
     
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  3. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    The Black Panther album that Kendrick produced is fantastic if you liked Damn. It's basically a sequel to that album based on the Black Panther movie.

    So far my favorites are X, The Ways, and All the Stars.
     
  4. John3:16

    John3:16 Moderator Staff Member

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    J Cole - KOD

    Just downloaded it. About to listen and give a review. Anyone else listen to it?
     
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  5. Helljumper

    Helljumper - Lakers All Star -

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    I’m not a huge J Cole fan. Loved Forest Hill Drive but was underwhelmed by all his other major albums.

    I enjoyed this one. It was a cohesive project that almost had a Kendrick-esque “cinematic” vibe to it. Still didn’t do anything to really get me excited though. He was going for this numb aesthetic to match the drug addiction he was rapping about, but that left me wanting more musically.

    That last track was fire though. He murdered the entire new generation of whack rappers but in a way that might actually hit home with some of them.

    Standout tracks so far are KOS, Friends, and 1985
     
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  6. Helljumper

    Helljumper - Lakers All Star -

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    I was more excited reading Kanye’s tweets yesterday than listening to Cole’s album.

    Pusha T album, solo Kanye album, and Kanye/Cudi collab album all within the next month and a half or so. Knowing Kanye none if it will actually come to fruition, but if it does that’ll singlehandedly end the musical drought I thought we were in and make this an awesome summer for music.
     
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  7. Jaguar

    Jaguar - Lakers 6th Man -

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    Book of Ryan. Royce da 5’9” is one of those rappers that I feel if they couldn’t rap they would not have survived; it’s thier therapy. I feel the same about Eminem.
     
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  8. John3:16

    John3:16 Moderator Staff Member

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    Album is fire. I love everything on it. Very personal album. Best album of the year, so far, for me.
     
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  9. John3:16

    John3:16 Moderator Staff Member

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    https://hiphopdx.com/reviews/id.314...a-59s-book-of-ryan-is-a-pensive-graphic-novel

    In today’s social media-heavy rap landscape, autobiographical rhymes are virtually a requirement for lyricists. Kendrick Lamar gave listeners a peek into his teenage days in Compton, and J. Cole’s fans saw him ascend from shopping his demo outside of JAY-Z’s offices up being signed to Roc Nation. But previously, it was generally enough to rap very well — and Royce Da 5’9 has been able to survive multiple false starts in the industry because of it.

    But aside from exceptions like 2009’s solemn “Shake This,” Royce has relied more on his wordplay wizardry and his conceptual prowess than on opening up about his life and his views on the world. So when his son asks “Who Are You?” on a skit from his new solo album Book Of Ryan, many of his longtime fans may have the same question. His last LP Layers(2016) began to incrementally give listeners access to him, but this new endeavor completely takes the plunge.

    On the first single, the breezy J. Cole-assisted “Boblo Boat,” Royce fondly remembers childhood trips to the Boblo Island Amusement Park outside of Detroit, sharing tidbits of him losing his virginity and his grandmother catching his grandfather cheating. But at the end of the song’s first verse, he ominously speaks about he and his older brother Greg’s future of alcoholism. The bottle has been a big part of Royce’s life: he spent a year in jail after a third strike for drunk driving, and he drank up to a liter of Patron daily before his friend and fellow ex-addict Eminem helped him kick the habit six years ago.

    But drug abuse runs in his blood. On “Cocaine,” Royce reveals his father’s addiction and questions whether he’s to blame for Royce’s struggles with alcohol. “Power” depicts his dad leaving his mother with a bloody nose and punching out an inebriated Greg, with the neighborhood glaring as cops took him out the house in handcuffs. But instead of taking on the resentful tone of a song like Eminem’s “Cleaning Out My Closet,” Royce uses these songs to show appreciation for his father overcoming addiction to save his relationship with his family. “My father chose me over cocaine,” he croons. Familial demons continue with “Protecting Ryan,” a skit that shows Greg stewing with resentment in prison after taking a neighborhood fight too far under the guise of keeping his brother safe. “Strong Friend” relights Royce’s conceptual flame, as he imagines his fears and anxiety pushing him to suicide, and gives a heartfelt salute to musicians whose mental health got the best of them.

    Royce’s personal songs are made more potent by restraint and discretion: “Power,” “Cocaine” and “Protecting Ryan” aren’t dazzling displays of lyricism, but he tackles every inch of the toolbox to tell the story. “Cocaine” and “Power” are both driven by mournful melodies, while the latter uses conversational raps that occasionally don’t rhyme. “Protecting Ryan” has Royce narrating without lyrics at all, painting the picture with sound effects and voice changes. Too much overt technique could have stripped these songs of their emotions, but Royce keeps the feelings palpable. Elsewhere, Royce still continues the A+ bar work that earned him his stripes, locking in with Eminem on the dizzying “Caterpillar” and verbally sparring with Fabolous, Jadakiss and Pusha T on “Summer On Lock.”

    The emotiveness is also strengthened by a musicality that exceeds all of his other works. Royce enlists respected musicians like executive producer Mr. Porter, KeY Wane, DJ Khalil and S1 to craft a mix of melody, broodiness and thump while adding Robert Glasper, Marsha Ambrosius and even a surprising T-Pain appearance to harmonies that keep it easy on the ears. Still, the few missteps here are more musical than lyrical: “Legendary” is plagued by cheesy synths, and the chorus on “Summer On Lock” aims to appease to clubs while the song is a posse cut.

    Book Of Ryan ends a four-year, six-album streak of top-tier lyricism, with noted personal and artistic growth in the process. His 2018 output will not earn him noted respect as one of the best lyricists of the year but in rap as a whole. “I woke up this morning and decided there’s no such thing as being in my prime,” Royce asserts on the intro. “You go ahead and be in yours, I can always improve.”

    If that’s true, Royce just released his definitive work. And he’s still getting started.


     
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  10. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    Eminem just doesn't do it for me anymore. These were solid videos and good stories. I like it.
     
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  11. Jaguar

    Jaguar - Lakers 6th Man -

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    He drank up to a liter of patron a day??? Not only is that expensive, but damn how do you function. How does your liver not just say f*** it I’m out. Glad he got out of that condition.
     
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  12. Jaguar

    Jaguar - Lakers 6th Man -

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    Got into a good discussion with a younger gen about this rap debate, not battle, between J.Cole and YBN Cordae. I think the larger issue is generational gap and how to communicate and understand each other. But there are many sub-issues that are opened up too.

    J.Cole’s track is called “1985” and YBN responded with “Old N***as”. Both are good and make good points, and I’m pleased with the level of engagement in the lyrics. The beat is tight too. I would have posted the videos, but they are in YouTube, and I have no success trying to post those things. Recommend.
     
  13. jbiggs

    jbiggs - Rookie -

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    ^^ pretty dope


    been really feelin this dude bishop nehru lately
     
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  14. Battle Tested20

    Battle Tested20 Moderator Staff Member

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  15. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    When I saw it was Will Smith I sort of chuckled at it, but that there's not bad. :D
     
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  16. John3:16

    John3:16 Moderator Staff Member

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    I'm shocked. like Real, I laughed when I was it was Will Smith, but I liked it. A lot.
     
  17. Barnstable

    Barnstable Supreme Fuzzler of Lakersball.com Staff Member

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    Much better than I expected
     
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  18. vasashi17

    vasashi17 LB's Resident Capologist

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    Will's been nice! He's just consciously PG, but that man can spit!

    But whoever said that the Meek will inherit the earth didn't tell Push. Now that's how you go at Drake's head.


    #Yuck
     
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  19. therealdeal

    therealdeal Moderator Staff Member

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    I don't know anything about these new rapper wars. What's going on with these two?
     
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  20. Helljumper

    Helljumper - Lakers All Star -

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    Apparently Push and Drake have taken light shots at each other in the past, but Push hasn’t dropped a project in a few years. His album Daytona dropped last week (album of the year so far, by the way) and on the last track Infared Push took more shots at Drake, Birdman, and Wayne. “It was written like Nas, but it came from Quentyn” was the main one as it restarted the conversation about Drake having ghost writers.

    Drake then responded with a track “Duppy Freestyle”. Tried to compare Quentyn’s help to the way Kanye makes Pusha’s beats (weak argument IMO) and attacks Push for only rapping about cocaine and acting like he’s a badass like Escobar when in actuality he probably just sold enough to get himself some nice shoes and a car. Drake ends the track by telling Push that his team should send Push an invoice for 20k, cause Drakes gonna raise Pushas album sales just be responding to the beef.

    Push immediately tweeted back, asking them where the invoice was at. At this point, I was entertained but I thought it was all a publicity stunt considering Drake and Ye are relatively close, and it was odd how quickly Drake was able to respond.

    But then Push released this new rebuttal... and he just went in. To start with, the cover art is apparently a real picture of Drake in blackface for some old photo shoot. In his track, Drake had mentioned something about a ring and name dropped Pusha’s fiancée and I guess he didn’t like that. In the rebuttal, Pusha starts off by talking about how Drake’s dad left him and how his mom never got a ring. It was jarring and honestly sounded too personal, but then later Push ties it in when he apparently reveals that Drake has a son with a pornstar who he is trying to keep on the downlow and avoid responsibility from.

    But honestly, instead of reading this wall of text, I highly recommend you listen to all of it. It’s quality stuff. Pusha’s album, Drake’s response, and Pusha’s rebuttal. You can listen to all of it in less than 30 minutes.
     

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