Pistol Calhoun dropped another weekly installment of the Official Freestyle series @Rap_or_Trap. This sequel is dope, Calhoun comes in hard and flows smoothly. The beat is sick and its a great second installment. Stay tuned to Rep Pgh for this series to continue, we will be posting Pistol Calhoun’s Origional Freestyle series every week!Check it out now:
Category Archives: Original Series
Channel Bru News
PITTSBURGH UNDERGROUND MUSIC AWARDS SHOW COVERAGE
Check out RPHH’s coverage of the Pittsburgh Underground Music Awards at the August Wilson Center on April 28th, 2013. Almost every dope Hip Hop, Rap & R&B artists in the Burgh came out to collect their awards and support their favorites. We have not seen the city come together like this in a long time, it was refreshing to see everyone support each other. The night was a huge success, brought to the Burgh by Mista Scrap & Holly Hood! S/O to you both for such a great awards show! They had legit A&R’s in the building, meeting with artists and managers to give advice, feedback and opportunities to those who deserve them. The venue was a great choice, the auditorium at the August Wilson Center was beautiful! The performance show at Frankie’s was poppin, coverage from that event has already been posted. Check out the site to see the interviews and performances from that evening. All and all, they did a great job from start to finish. DJ Afterthought held it down all night long, at both events, on the one’s and two’s! The awards were pretty sick and every single person who took one home was ecstatic. Couldn’t have asked for a better award’s show! Check out all our interviews, Pgh performances & still shots from the evening’s festivities. Click this link now to see Brenna & Joanna cover the PUMA Awards show! We offer this service to any promoters, club owners and event coordinators who are interested in our event coverage. Please send your requests to our email: RepPghHipHop2013@gmail.com and we will get back to you in a timely manor.
“Here Me Now” a new Freestyle by Pistol Calhoun
the first release of the OFFICIAL PISTOL weekly drop! It’s a great start, this freestyle flows nicely and the beat is dope. Pistol proudly declares, “I’m bout to blow,” and if he continues to drop fresh verses like this he will realize his dreams. This freestyle is a solo release from Pistol, the heavy hitter from the Calhoun Gang. I look forward to weekly installments from Pistol, we are happy to post them here for all of Pittsburgh to hear. Look for his weekly drops under our new Original Series section of RPHH! For more from Pistol follow him now on twitter @rap_or_trap & make sure to go like his fan page if you like what you hear, click the link and show your support now: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pittsb…
RPHH Presents: Top 10 Projects of the Year
First off, rather than create a separate list for mixtapes and albums I figured I’d just pick the 10 best projects and make a list so for anyone that missed out on any of these, there wouldn’t be an overwhelming amount of shit to catch up on. Also, this is a list based mostly on my own opinion, in fact since I’m writing it, it’s entirely based on my opinion. So if an album or tape isn’t listed that you feel should be on here, too fucking bad. I did, however, address a couple records that didn’t make the cut and explained why below so before you flip out that Life is Good isn’t on the list, look at my explanation as to why.
WHAT DIDN’T MAKE THE CUT –>
Nas – Life is Good – It’s not that this album sucked, in fact, “A Queen’s Story” is one of the best songs ever in the extensive catalog of Nas. But what keeps this album off the list is how badly it drops off after the first 6 songs. Not to mention, the majority of the solid tracks leaked before the album, so when I finally get a record, and only 1 or 2 songs I haven’t heard are actually good, it doesn’t help keep the energy up for the whole record. If this shit was an EP of the first 5-6 songs it would be #1 on the list, but the boring shit on the second half just made me fall asleep and I’m not putting this on the list just because everyone loves it mostly because it’s the first halfway decent thing Nas has dropped in a decade.
The Alchemist – Russian Roulette – The fact is, this album was on the list, until the Jeezy tape dropped. I didn’t plan on putting the Jeezy tape on this list until I listened to it for a week straight and realized that it really did deserve a spot. And so because of that, something had to drop off, and unfortunately it was this amazing effort from Alchemist which is part instrumental/part dope collaborations. Left field albums are always a favorite of critics and this was no different, and for good reason. The production alone was magnificent, and with assistance from Fashawn, Big Twins and Guilty Simpson, it easily makes this record one of the most slept on of the year.
TOP 10 OF THE YEAR –>
Freddie Gibbs – Baby Face Killa
The diversity alone of Gangsta Gibbs makes him one of the best rappers in the game today. Simply put, he’s a rapper’s rapper. He can outflow anyone and everyone, and his maturity and style is such that he can go in over any type of beat, whether it’s laid back, hyped up, or a curve ball from Madlib. On this tape, Gibbs really showcased how versatile he is, as he tackled new styles while still staying true to what he’s best at, rapping. The intro alone is one of the hardest tracks of the year, with the first verse setting off the tape in a way that makes you wanna duct tape your neighbors until they tell you the combination to their safe. Sprinkled all throughout this smoke filled tape are jewels like “The Hard”, “Krazy” with Jadakiss and Jay Rock, the auto-tuned “Bout It Bout It” with Kirko Bangz, and quite possibly the most smoked out track of the year which easily gets my vote for hidden gem of the year, “Boxframe Cadillac (83 Deville Mix)” with Z-Ro. Too many rappers make an album filled with the same shit for 17 tracks, Gibbs delivers a collection of songs with something for everyone and he brings his A game on every track.
Maino Presents – The MafiaI spoke at length on this project already but basically these guys are like the new Diplomats. You got Maino at the head, PUSH! as the MVP and the others fall perfectly into place on this tape filled with hood anthems and bars on bars on bars. This is what New York rap is supposed to sound like. The beats are hype, the verses are filled with rawness, emotion and truth, and the result is a project that you can play from start to finish without getting bored or needing to skip a single song. Whether it’s the introduction to the Mafia where everyone sets the bar incredibly high, the deepness of “Bury Me a G”, the hypeness of “Black Batmobile”, or the harsh truth’s of the PUSH! solo joint “Black Mask”, every track is up to par. PUSH! is easily the next up in New York as his honesty and originality are such a breath of fresh air in a rap environment that’s gotten too one dimensional. His talents are put on display on this tape and alongside the rest of Maino’s Mafia, this is the album that’s gotten more spins than anything else for me this year.
Troy Ave – Bricks In My Backpack 3: The Harry Powder Trilogy
It’s amazing to see the growth of Troy Ave since his first Bricks tape, where he gave us the rawest street raps possible, to a second tape filled with hopes and dreams of a sky that had no limits, to what he delivered on the third installment which displays an incredibly maturity and really functions as more of an album than just another mixtape. As he begins the tape reminiscing on past rhymes, the air is chilled and the blunt is sparked, the room begins to fill up with the scent and sound of powder. Then as the tape moves forward, street anthems emerge, over the top boasting comes about on “Coke-A-Mania”, and risks are taken on tracks like “Snow” and “Super Cool”. Troy isn’t just making street music anymore, he’s making complete songs that hit all styles of hip hop, and he does them all with confidence and skill. “R.N.S.” is hyped as fuck, “Merlot Pt. 2” is proof that sequels can absolutely be a step up even when the original is already dope, and “Red Cup” remains the absolute best summer anthem since Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince almost 20 years ago gave us “Summertime”. Troy closed out the Bricks in My Backpack trilogy in the best way possible, proving that with time and motivation, growth is possible as he raised the bar each time to deliver more and more of that gettin’ money music to an ever-growing fan base.
The Weeknd – TrilogyIt’s beyond impressive that The Weeknd managed to sell almost 100K units of this considering it was 3 previously released free mixtapes with only 3 new bonus tracks attached but that speaks to how absolutely amazing this music is. House of Balloons is still the pinnacle, but Thursday is also a gem, while Echoes of Silence has hints of brilliance sprinkled throughout, even if the overall project suffers a little bit, mostly due to not living up to the perfection that is the first two (especially House of Balloons). Basically this is new wave R&B that oozes sex in every way possible while giving us crooning for days and powerful production, and after being remastered it’s clear why this is some of the best music to drop in years.
Chris Brown – FortunePut all your personal opinions of Chris Brown, the man, to the side, this is a great fucking album. From start to finish this record is sequenced perfectly, has hyped up club anthems (“Turn Up The Music”, “Don’t Wake Me Up”), straight up boom bap (“Mirage”) and plenty of songs for the ladies in between that still are dope enough that as a guy you aren’t embarrassed to admit you love this shit, even a joint like “Stuck on Stupid” which every mafucka has to admit they can relate to. If there was an album of the year award it would have to go to this, as even though the mixtape game was on fire this year, the proper retail album gem is easily Fortune. The artist Chris Brown has proved time and time again his ability to make great music and this album takes it to a whole other level.
Kendrick Lamar – good kid, M.A.A.D. city
Before this album dropped, I didn’t see the appeal of this young Compton MC. I had listened to section.80 and some other mixtape and just couldn’t get into his whole style. This record though, it made me realize just how much talent this kid really has and how complete of an album he was able to make. It helps that the record is basically a narrative from start to finish, but with gems like “Swimming Pools” and the epic Just Blaze anthem “Compton” along with the beautiful “Poetic Justice” track featuring Drake. This is a great album, and anyone who appreciates good music should recognize what Kendrick has done here. It may not be something you blast in the whip regularly, but when you play this straight through it’s like watching a movie that is captivating for the full duration. This record proved that you can still make thought provoking conceptual music in 2012 and it’s appreciated and for that Kendrick Lamar has achieved well deserving success with his proper debut album.
The Man With The Iron Fists – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Yup, a soundtrack made the list. Combining both old school soul with real raw rap and a marriage of both with Kanye’s beautiful “White Dress”, this is the first amazing soundtrack we’ve gotten in hip hop in years (50’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin” soundtrack was probably the last). Whether it’s the reunion of the Wu-Tang on “Six Degrees of Boxing” or a solo joint from affiliate Killa Sin, or even covers of old soul songs like “I Forgot To Be Your Lover”, this eclectic mix of music forms the perfect background to a movie that more than lived up to its hype, and showcases the influence of RZA throughout the years. Wu-Tang is all over this, along with some of the biggest names of today like Pusha and Freddie Gibbs, and the diversity of the tape makes for a journey of sound that only RZA could compose, complementing what was an incredible directorial effort in the movie.
OC & Apollo Brown – TrophiesEvery underground artist believes they are gonna reinvent the wheel by rapping multi-syllabic nonsense over boom bap production, OC & Apollo Brown actually made a great record by doing just that. If you like Flocka or Rick Ross then this album probably isn’t for you. But if you like to call back to the days of tims and hoodies, and you want something that actually sounds good and features a razor sharp lyricist working with one of the most consistent producers in the game right now, then this album is for you. It’s start to finish raw raps, with knowledge and storytelling at the highest level, and enough proof to remind you why O.C. is one of the best to ever do it. You can only go to the clubs at night, so when you need to ingest a heavy meal of hip hop, this is the album that meets that requirement.
2 Chainz – Based on a T.R.U. Story
Say what you want about 2 Chainz, but he makes catchy fucking music. “No Lie” was one of the best singles this year, Nicki Minaj dropped her best (only good) verse since “Monster”, and “I’m Different” was just the right amount of simplicity to work. “Yuck” was just plain dope and introduced an album full of what is now commonly referred to as “brilliant ignorance”, highlighted especially on “Birthday Song”. 2 Chainz is arrogant and isn’t winning any “lyricist of the year” awards, but he has a great personality and the result is an overall solid debut. And when you get a guest verse from Scarface, you know it’s something special, as 2 Chainz is able to run the gauntlet of not just easy ignorant club anthems but also truly deep music that opens your mind.
Young Jeezy – Its Tha WorldThis tape only been out for a week, how can it possibly make a “best of the year” list? Simple, because it’s really that good. From the jump, Jeezy once again gives evidence as to why he’s the best at making intros. Then you got “Knob Broke” which sets off the tape on some crazy hype shit. Gems all over this project, and surprisingly a lot of straight up solo tracks. The guest spots work well, as 2 Chainz drops a verse on the club-ready “R.I.P.”, and 40 Water blesses “All The Same”. The hypeman work of Lody on “How It Feel” is epic, and you already know that “Get Right” is a fucking anthem. Coming off one of the best albums of his career, it’s only right that Jeezy delivered another dope mixtape, and while this has been on repeat for a week straight I doubt it’s coming out of the deck anytime soon, thus giving it a deserving spot on this list.
Behind the Mic: Johnny Bianco
I first met Johnny Bianco back in 2006, we were introduced by Pittsburgh super producer Nesia Beatz. After watching Johnny on social networks I realized it was time to see what he’s been up to in the last 6 years…
K-Mo: Thanks for taking the time to catch up. You’re currently operating under the name “Militia Music Entertainment”. What does that mean and how did it start?
Johnny Bianco: Well to understand what Militia Music is let’s start off with the definition of militia. A militia is a group of civilians supporting common goals usually in the form of an uprising rebellion. I started my (Bianco) Militia a little over a year ago it was a Facebook group where all my friends ,family, fellow artists and businesses could gather to support not just my music but also one another’s own personal endeavors. In late May of this year one of my life long friends Ken Moore was struck by a truck while riding his ATV and suffered from severe brain trauma among other injuries so i decided to put together a benefit concert in his name to help him with his finances during his recovery! I rallied support from local businesses and artists from all genres when it was all said and done there were over 20+ 0f Western Pa’s humblest performers who all agreed to not only donate their time and talents but also a small contribution to support my wounded friend . It was nice to see every ones camaraderie for another human who at the time was unknown by majority of acts! After all was said and done the show raised $2000 to help assist him! After such a great turnout of not only performers but also patrons I decide to do my best to return the favor to the artists involved by starting a group on Facebook called Militia Music which we all could post opportunities for shows as an outlet for those who helped out my friend it grew from there! Militia Music Entertainment was founded to help offer artist and business alike an affordable and professional chance to get exposure by uniting their fan bases and customers in a unique networking family as well as concert series.
K-Mo: Your most recent mix tape is called Jelly of the Month. Is that a play on jam, which is another name for a song? Tell us about it
Johnny Bianco: The concept of The Jelly of the Month is derived from Chevy Chase’s movie National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. For those who aren’t familiar i suggest you watch the movie its one of the funniest Christmas movies in my book! In this late 80′s film Chevy Chase aka Clark W. Griswald is suffering from the woes and turmoil of having a family Christmas at his house when all he really wants is what he has been waiting the entire movie for his yearly Christmas bonus check so he can put a swimming pool in his backyard. Unfortunately due to his cheap penny pinching boss he hasn’t received it because bonuses had been cut out of the company’s budget. Instead he receives a Jelly of the Month membership which entitles him to one jam a month. Me being a lyricist i used the title Jelly of the Month to metaphorically describe my musical journey because i feel i work hard just to keep getting the Jelly membership instead of my bonus check for my efforts invested. i also used Jelly of the Month because it was originally only going to be 1 jam for each month of the year also playing of the word jam so you were right as well because its sort of a double metaphor in a sense.
K-Mo: That’s unique, I like it. Who is your favorite Pittsburgh producer/studio to work with and why?
Johnny Bianco: My favorite Producer to work with currently is Mike McCue of Swirley Eye Productions. He has been the Producer/Engineer responsible for the majority of the music of mine you hear. Not only does he make most of my beats but he is also a great engineer. If it wasn’t for Swirley (Mike) there may not have been a Johnny Bianco. I recorded my first 10 jams at his studio as well as spent countless hours shadowing him during editing as well as offering insight to him during the building of quite a few of my beats so that we could both get what we wanted out of our music. He never had a problem with me not only progress under his wing as an artist but also as a Producer/Engineer. He helped teach me how to use a few different recording software and beat programs as well as purchase the proper equipment so that i could start to venture on my own when we where unable to link up. Now i have the ability and know how to not only build beats and record myself but do a damn good job at it! So my favorite Studios are Mikes Swirley Eye Productions and my very own I’m Right Here Productions.
K-Mo: Where do you see Militia Music in 5 years?
Johnny Bianco: Our vision for Militia Music Entertainment is to achieve the ability to be a leading force in Hip Hop Promotions not only in Pennsylvania but hopefully nationally and then worldwide.
K-Mo: What is the next project you’re working on and when does it drop?
Johnny Bianco: The next personal project i will be working on will be titled I’m Right Here Productions Presents Jelly of the Month Volume 2 Militia Jelly. This album will showcase not just my talents but also the talents of Pittsburgh’s Elite Artists as well as a few other national collaborations. This will be a double disc format with a special 2nd disc with details i cant release at this current time. As far s a release date i am aiming for spring 2013 at the latest so make sure to keep an eye and ear out for that! As far as a business project i have recently opened my Studio I’m Right Here Productions to the public to cater to the abundance of local artists recording needs. We offer an affordable studio with professional quality to the masses!
K-Mo: What is the best advice you’ve received about being a local independent artist?
Johnny Bianco: Its funny you ask because i was actually told this from our fellow friend Nesia Beatz. He said If you want to rap it takes more than just writing a verse and a hook it takes every ounce of your heart and soul! If you don’t give it everything then you can never truly reach your full potential! its going to take relentless perseverance dedication and professionalism as well as commitment. looking back now he was so right and i am forever grateful for those words of wisdom! Thanks Nesia!
No, Kendrick Lamar’s Album is Not a Classic…Yet
This topic needs to be addressed now more than ever. The problem is constant, but the recent release of Kendrick Lamar’s album has brought this issue front and center. What I’m talking about is the overusage of the word “classic”. I’ve gone in about this before, whether in full posts or a mention here and there, but it’s time to bring the discussion back to the forefront as the record is barely a week old and it’s already being heralded as the next “classic” rap album. That shit needs to stop.
good kid, m.A.A.d. City is amazing, no doubt. And especially as someone who is not a fan of Section.80 or any of Kendrick’s other earlier work, it really says a lot that I loved the album. Now, his voice is still kinda annoying to me, and I still think he’s being way overhyped, but I have no problem recognizing good music when I hear it, and this is straight up good music, start to finish. The album flows brilliantly, all the skits fit and even the length of some of the songs didn’t bore me or have me pressing next. Basically the record is solid. And if it wasn’t for the many other albums that I’d rather listen to I would probably be bumping this regularly, but the fact is even though I actually really liked this effort from the young Compton rapper, his music is just not for me. It is good that I can finally understand why people love this kid’s music so much, but you won’t catch me at any traffic light with this album blaring from my speakers.
Point is, the record is great, but all over Twitter and the forums (both of which I’ll be the first to admit are full of people looking for attention, but also plenty of honest opinions), people are calling this shit a classic. One of the definitions of the word “classic” is that it has “lasting interest or significance”. How in the fuck does that apply to an album that’s a week old? The fact is, in a year this shit could be forgotten. Now I’m not saying it will be cause it probably won’t, but we’ve all had that album that we played nonstop for a month thinking it was the best shit ever, only to return to it a couple years later and find ourselves skipping like half the songs we once thought were so amazing (good example is basically every Nas album since It Was Written). At the time, I thought Hip Hop Is Dead was damn near flawless, but I only bump like 4 tracks from it now, same with Untitled. I ain’t trying to shit on Nas here, he’s just an easy example. At the same time, I thought Teflon Don was great when I first heard it, but still thought Deeper Than Rap was better. Two years later and I consider Teflon Don to not only be a classic but to be the best Rick Ross album (cue people telling me my whole article is irrelevant now because I’m a Rick Ross fan).
What you love today you might only like tomorrow, and what is average today might be a classic 10 years from now. My point being, let that shit marinate before you call it a “classic”, because otherwise you’re just taking away the impact of the word and as a result you’re making truly classic albums less valuable in the overall discussion. Part of it may be the desperation to find the next “classic” in what many people think is a hip hop market that’s been lacking in great music over the past few years. But rather than labeling every halfway decent album a classic just to argue that there’s still good hip hop out there, how about actually taking the time to really reflect on an album and if it’s still got replay value in a year or so, then label it a classic. Otherwise you’re just overhyping a bunch of mediocre projects, giving those “real hip hop” fans even more of a reason to say hip hop is dead.
The Mafia…..The new Diplomats?
Ten years ago the mixtape was revived with the success of 50 Cent & G-Unit turning a run of mixtapes into one of the greatest rap albums ever made, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. At the same (damn) time, Cam’ron and The Diplomats were also heavy in the streets with their Diplomats series of tapes that culminated in one of the best double rap albums ever made, Diplomatic Immunity. The formula for the Diplomats was one of a leadership role by Cam’ron, with Jim Jones and Juelz Santana playing front court while a slew of other talented artists known as Dipset came in off the bench to deliver street raps and punchlines over epic production. We look back now and see the classic run that Dipset made and it’s incredible how Killa assembled such a great group of rappers with such chemistry and made such an impact in the game. Fast forward to today and we got one of the best mixtapes out right now consisting of the same formula, only this time instead of Cam and the Dips, it’s Maino and the Mafia, and the comparisons are endless and incredible, while the music is still just as fire.
The mixtape, headed by Maino, features PUSH!, Lucky Don, Twigg Martin and Hustle Hard Mouse. From front to back the level of energy is hyper than a Meek Mill record and the level of lyricism is on point. I’ve spoken on PUSH! (formerly PUSH! Montana) here before but I just have to reiterate that this MC is not to be slept on. Dead ass, PUSH! has every positive quality that Jay had from the jump, a vicious flow, emotion, and wordplay that forces you to play back verses multiple times just to catch every brilliant line he spits. I’m not overexaggerating when I say that PUSH! is one of the best rappers in the game right now. And that’s where the comparison to the Diplomats is all that more impressive, they never had anyone as lyrical as PUSH!. Jim Jones and Juelz were greater counterparts to Cam’s star power but neither have bars as quotable as PUSH!, so The Mafia is like a Bulls championship team, with Maino and PUSH! as the Jordan and Pippen. I’ve also never seen anyone put on for his team as much as Maino does. This tape isn’t about him, it’s about The Mafia. While Maino has a couple of verses, he mostly sticks to doing hooks on tracks and lets the crew put their talents on display, even giving a couple artists (including PUSH!) their own solo tracks. The result is a powerhouse tape full of anthems and straight up raw lyrics, it’s kind of like what a Slaughterhouse album should have been.
The other three in the crew can’t be overlooked either. Lucky Don is a beast on the mic, and honestly he vocally reminds me of Hell Rell. Hustle Hard Mouse got a style that’s simple but effective. He lays out bars that need no reflection but make their point, and that’s important to be able to get people to easily relate and understand. Finally you got Twigg Martin who rounds out the swag in the group, and has one of the most exuberant personalities on the mic. His lyrical abilities can’t go unnoticed either as he certainly has the bars to match with his peers.
Whether or not the magic of the Diplomats will reoccur with The Mafia is left to be seen. But if they keep making music like this tape there’s no doubt their impact will be felt. While artists like Meek Mill are at the forefront of the street rap game on the mainstream side, groups like The Mafia as well as artists like Troy Ave and Freddie Gibbs are the true MVPs of the genre, and as PUSH! says on his brilliant When PUSH! Comes To Shove Vol. 2 tape, “as long as there’s gangsta shit in these streets that’s going on, there’s gonna be gangsta shit in these songs”, meaning that there always be a market for this type of hip hop, and as far as right now today, no one is coming close to matching the level of talent that The Mafia is delivering.
The BET Hip Hop Awards Is Already the Show of the Year
Look, I ain’t advocating violence, but it’s about damn time something happened. It’s been boring as hell recently. I ain’t been writing shit but half-reviews of albums, bringing up shit from damn near 10 years ago just to complain about why an artist today ain’t never really gonna be shit, and I even recently scrapped an article that was basically just gonna be a reaction piece to some old ass dude who felt it necessary to write a review of an album he knew he was gonna hate but he still chose to take the time to listen to only to rip it apart for the most trivial of shit. When the frequent and tired rants of Lupe Fiasco damn near become the subject of 600 words from me, it means shit is dead. So yeah, I’m happy that something finally happened that’s worth discussing. I’m of course talking about the shooting at the BET Hip Hop Awards.
We don’t know much yet. We got a couple twitter statuses, and a short report from HipHopDX, but it seems that the boiling beef between Rick Ross and Young Jeezy finally reared its ugly head at an awards show that used to be awesome for the freestyle cyphers but after seeing this year’s lineup I give zero fucks about anybody except for RZA and maybe DMX (he could rip it, you never know). I was beginning to wonder how many more “fuck boys” would have to be uttered before Jeezy finally handled his business, and after I stopped counting at around 8 it’s nice to see that some shit finally came from this.
The history ain’t much. Rick Ross called Jeezy a fuck boy, Jeezy said Rick was disrespecting BMF, Rozay called Jeezy a fuck boy, then Jeezy made a better album while “We push nothing back but tops” Maybach Music delayed God Forgives, I Don’t for half a year. There were some more “fuck boys” in there but the point is, two artists who are easily a dream collaboration for me instead decided to hate each other, which is surprisingly since it’s usually the New York artists who can’t work together which is why NY is losing right now while the South is (was) winning.
Again, make no mistake, this shit ain’t good. Sure it’s entertaining for those of us who weren’t there, or have to deal with the repercussions. I read that the gunman was arrested and I never like hearing about people getting arrested so that ain’t cool. The chance for Fox News to decide to all of a sudden pay attention to hip hop again just so they can inevitably publish an article claiming rap is responsible for violence even though violence has been occurring in society for millions of years ain’t cool. The comments section of any news site that does cover this incident won’t be cool. But what is cool is that beef in hip hop is finally back. Call me ignorant, but as I sit here in the comfort of my apartment in a semi-safe neighborhood with the new Gibbs tape on repeat, I’m laughing at the fuckery going on in the hip hop world, as we’re finally seeing more than just subliminal bars and half denials of shit talking. After 50 Cent made it cool to diss everyone for no reason at all, and Jay-Z made it cool to never drop names or admit to calling out anyone ever (“tell them ordinary Joe’s Budden button up”, come on) it’s kinda refreshing to know that all beefs don’t result in bitchassness like bottles being thrown and “fuck _____ and anybody who love ‘em” tweets. Ignorance is bliss, and I’m in hip hop paradise right now.
It’s Gonna Be a Short (Cruel) Summer
Most anticipated album of the year? Yeah probably. Aside from the follow up to Rick Ross’ best effort yet, the G.O.O.D. Music label’s debut compilation album has been much discussed ever since it was initially announced (as are most Kanye projects) and so now that the dust has settled and the album is out the critiques begin. In a year that’s seen multiple disappointments, from the aforementioned Rozay album (not saying it’s bad, cause it’s dope, but it’s too long with about 3-4 tracks of filler that should have been cut), to the D12….I mean Slaughterhouse album, and now with the destruction of The Weeknd’s best song for a rerelease which is apparently a reworking of his masterful trilogy, the only thing to fall back on (aside from still hoping for the Cousin Bang and Killa Season 2 movies) is Cruel Summer.
So is the album any good? I mean yeah, it’s good. The real question is, what were you expecting? It’s always best to go into any Kanye project with zero expectations. Since his debut, the man has not exactly followed protocol or adhered to standards, he’s set his own. This is the same artist who dropped a classic, I mean for real a CLASSIC, in 2004, and then followed it up the next year with a completely different sound. Oh but Late Registration was still fire right? Sure, but why stick with that formula when you can change it up again for Graduation? And of course, following what some still call his best album he went completely past left field and into the parking lot for 808s and Heartbreak. So even expecting a sound similar to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy or Watch the Throne for this album will only cause confusion and disappointment.
First off, this is not a Kanye album. This is a compilation of different artists and sounds put together by the musical genius himself, so it’s incredibly diverse and as usual, very different from whatever else is out there. I’m not one for song-by-song reviews but basically if you’re looking for an album full of “Mercy” and “Clique” it won’t happen. The bangers were released already, that’s why they’re singles, while something like “Sin City” or the beautiful “The One” are album cuts. “New God Flow” is the song of the year, with the added Ghostface verse pushing it over the top, and as hilarious as it was, removing Kanye’s call-and-response to himself was the right move. The rest you gotta check for yourself, but make sure you go in with an open mind and remember that this is the same man responsible for completely changing his style multiple times, and creating 5 classic albums in the process.
In all honesty this has been a weak year for hip hop. I personally didn’t like the second MMG effort although following a lot of great reviews I think I may have skimmed through it rather than really listened to it. I covered the Slaughterhouse mess already and I should have known that Rick Ross couldn’t follow up a truly flawless album with anything less than a semi-disappointment. And nobody wants to hear Nas in 2012 other than unemployed college students and 35 year old auto mechanics so save that Life is Good shit for someone who can tolerate 70 minutes of “back in the day I wore British Knights”. With nothing on the horizon for the end of the year aside from what could be the return of the classic rap soundtrack and an album from the most consistent member of the Wu-Tang, this G.O.O.D. Music disc might be all we got to take us into 2013, and like most Kanye albums it’s probably a good thing we have so much time to digest it as it usually takes a minute to really get everything he’s doing on an album. Genius don’t take one spin to realize.
Oh and speaking of genius, there’s no way that Ghost and Rae essentially spitting back to back on Cruel Summer is a coincidence, that’s gotta just be more of the brilliance of the greatest artist of our time.