Tag Archives: Nas

RPHH Presents: Top 10 Projects of the Year

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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 Mafia

I 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 – Trilogy

It’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 – Fortune

Put 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 – Trophies

Every 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 World

This 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.

No, Kendrick Lamar’s Album is Not a Classic…Yet

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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.

It’s Gonna Be a Short (Cruel) Summer

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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.

Life is Good…but is the Music?

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Nas is one of those rappers who constantly gets listed with the greats, and rightfully so. Between Illmatic and It Was Written he easily has two of the best rap albums of all time in his catalog. So when almost four years to the day after his Untitled album was released we finally got another offering from God’s Son there was an obvious hype, fueled by leaked tracks such as “Nasty” and “The Don”. It didn’t hurt that songs featuring Mary J. Blige and Rick Ross also had leaked, providing some hope for a quality release after weeks of laughing over the saddest album cover since Cole World. Knowing that this album would reflect the recent divorce between Nas and that ugly bitch the Neptunes used to waste beats on made me a little apprehensive about the whole project but I’m not one to let assumptions dictate opinions, so I checked the album and was halfway impressed.

See, the first 6 tracks are fire, plain and simple. “A Queens Story” is easily one of the most powerful and epic songs in Nas’ entire discography. “Accident Murderers” is another gem, complete with Rick Ross providing a solid guest appearance as he always does. And “Locomotive” was that classic NY sound we’ve come to expect and appreciate from an artist who still thinks it’s 1994 and Timberland boots and hoodies are the style. But to be honest, the rest of the album kind of dragged. Aside from “The Black Bond” (a bonus track at that), the remaining 12 songs were average at best. “Back When” was good but it actually felt a little too short, it needed another verse, and the less said about Oochie Wally Pt. 2 a.k.a. “Summer on Smash” a.k.a. Please Let Me Get A Mainstream Hit, the better. Naw fuck that, I need to address that. How the fuck are you 45 years old, supposedly this super lyrical rapper, and you rhyming about sundresses on girls and bottle popping? “Is it Black Girl Lost or Shorty Owe You For Ice”?

Enough about the album itself, here’s my real reason for writing this, what is up with Nas fans trying so hard to convince everyone (including themselves probably) that he’s still relevant and making good music? I get it, being a fan of a rapper who was once on top of the game and seeing him fall off, resurrect his career through a beef with a more legendary rapper, then fall off again has got to suck. Musically Nas hasn’t done shit worth mentioning since 2001 aside from a couple guest appearances, some Kanye production, and “Black Republican” which is only epic because it was the Jay/Nas collab we’d spent 10 years waiting for. From a double album disaster to trying to stay in the media with “controversial” album titles, Nas has been struggling for over a decade. “Made You Look” was the last true commercial success Nas experienced and since Nas was so clever in pointing out how “Eminem murdered you on your own shit”, well, Ludacris murdered you on your own shit. Yet his fans still go above and beyond to defend his music and act like he is in the same arena as his former rival, former boss, and the current part-owner of the Brooklyn Nets.

I’m all about listening to what you like, ignoring what you don’t, and not spending time bitching about other peoples’ opinions. The biggest problem with hip hop isn’t the music it’s the fans. Only in hip hop does disagreeing with someone mean you don’t know shit about rap. So right now, saying that I don’t particularly like the new Nas album means that 1) I’m a hater, and 2) I don’t know anything about good hip hop. Meanwhile, Nas fans are calling this “an instant classic”, “as good as Illmatic”, and whatever other crazy attention seeking comments they can think of just to try to prove that in 2012 anyone under the age of 25 gives a shit what Nas has to say. Were people doing this a few years ago when Rakim dropped an album that went quadruple tin? Has anyone done this with KRS-One’s last 59 records? What is it about Nas that makes his fans so desperate to convince people he’s still somebody to care about? Is it the obvious loss to Jay-Z? Look, think what you want, diss tracks or whatever, but Nas lost. Just like Canibus lost. Your diss track means nothing when the other artist goes on to be way more successful than you, and honestly, when Nas become an employee of Jay-Z, that’s when the battle really was settled.

So what is it with Nas fans? Why is there so much defense of this record, so much acclamation for an album that isn’t even a week old yet, so much insistence that this album is so great when it’s a lot of the same old boring Nas 90s-era rhymes mixed with a little bit of struggle and depression over his divorce? If you like it that’s fine, I have no problem with that. I like Flocka’s newest album, I’m sure many would disagree (but for the record if you didn’t listen to it you can’t say shit, I at least listened to Life is Good from start to finish before forming an opinion). But to tell anyone who doesn’t like this Nas record that they are wrong, or don’t know good hip hop, or are writing off one of the greatest of all time, or whatever other angry comments Esco supporters are making, comes off as desperate and pathetic. Like this man has fallen so far that his fans have to go above and beyond just to convince people he’s still making good music. Enjoy the album, say you enjoy the album, but save the extreme defenses of it, Nas has suffered enough that he doesn’t need his fans bringing him down more.

The Real Issue With The Nicki/Hot 97 Nonsense

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Now that the dust has settled and everyone has weighed in on the Nicki Minaj/Hot 97 situation, I wanted to take the time to look at a very important aspect of this whole drama that no one has spoken too much about. We know it was the wrong place/wrong time to say what Rosenberg said, we also know that Nicki is delusional in thinking it had anything to do with gender or that album sales were all at relevant in discussing the situation. As Flex said, both sides were at fault. But we learned something from this that needs to be looked at and reflected upon so hopefully we can work towards fixing it in the future. People need to stop buggin’ out at other peoples’ opinions.

I know, it’s some elitist asshole shit to complain in an opinion column about people being mad at opinions, but Rosenberg said some shit after the fact about how in today’s world you can’t give an opinion without taking all types of shit for it. There’s something really wrong with that.

We’re in an age where everyone and anyone can make their opinion on something a public statement. Whether five people or 5,000 people see or hear that opinion is a matter of relevancy but the point is everyone is a critic. What used to be discussions of hip hop in small circles have become worldwide debate rooms with hundreds of different opinions being thrown into the mix. This has resulted in never-ending debates (Jay-Z vs. Nas) and pointless complaints from underground fans that mainstream rap is garbage (here’s a hint: just bump what you like and ignore what you don’t). With anyone who owns a smartphone having the ability to weigh in on any discussion, it has become a lot easier to tell somebody they are wrong for what they believe and calling them every name in the book just because they don’t like Jay Elecsmritorifcirica (yeah whatever where’s his album at anyways?) Not only is this unhealthy but it’s childish and doesn’t contribute to a good debate about rap.

Where it gets scary is that these artists get so offended whenever you say their music is wack and it turns into some bullshit like not performing when you signed a contract saying you would perform. Let’s just keep it all the way 100, “Starships” sucks. In all honesty I still think it’s a Katy Perry song whenever I hear it and I can’t tell the difference between it and any random Katy Perry song, so yeah, it sucks. Is it not “real hip hop”? That’s a whole other discussion. What matters is that song sucks and that new album sucks, and Nicki caught feelings when those truths were brought to her attention. What’s worse is how people flipped the fuck out at someone calling something crap, whether or not it is in your opinion, Rosenberg’s opinion is his own and he has every right to feel the way he does. These attacks on peoples’ opinions are the real problem here, not some Barbie bitch feeling disrespected.

In 2012 when everyone has the ability to give their opinion, we gotta understand that everyone isn’t gonna agree on everything, ever. So while you may feel a different way than someone else about a song or an album or an artist, there’s no need to attack them just because they don’t agree with you. I like Flocka, many people don’t, but I’m not demanding they like Flocka. A lot of people like Kendrick Lamar, I don’t, and I don’t expect anyone to demand I do like Kendrick Lamar. Just let people have their own opinions and tastes and don’t crucify them for it, and if you’re an artist don’t get mad when someone doesn’t like your music, no song is for everyone, just be happy you do have fans and that your albums do drop, I mean shit you could be Jay Electronayamacha.

It’s 2012, The Black Album >>> Illmatic

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Hip hop is approaching a 40 year life span. What some thought would die early has gone on to get bigger and more diverse than anyone ever expected. And in those almost 40 years the general consensus among numerous rap fans has been that Illmatic is one of if not the greatest album in the genre’s history. At ten songs in 39 minutes, all practically flawless it’s an easy selection for the highest honor and anyone over the age of 25 has to remember playing it endlessly back in the days of tims and hoodies. But just because it’s always been the best album does that mean it always will be? Or has another release come along in recent years that at this point should surpass Illmatic and grab the title for best rap album of all time? The answer is yes and it’s The Black Album.

Back in 2003 one of the most well known and perhaps the best MC we’ll ever see in our lifetime announced his retirement. His swan song was an album with no guest features but with a powerhouse production team and the perfect sequencing of tracks. Lyrically Jay had never been better and his confidence in releasing the best material possible before retiring made the record only that much better. From the opening song about his childhood to the shoutouts at the end of “My First Song” (a joint which saw him return to his fast flow roots) every minute of the album was on point. It had its highlights, like “Encore”, “What More Can I Say” and the Timbaland banger “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” but every single song was solid, a rare feat especially in today’s rap world.

Perception and timing is everything, which is why Illmatic was so monumental as it was released at a time when the West Coast was still dominating the charts. It made New York rap relevant again (Wu-Tang might have a little more responsibility for that but whatever) and it fully encompassed the time in which it was released. The Black Album was a retirement record, and so part of the greatness of it was the knowledge that this would be the last time we would ever hear a Jay-Z album and what we got was perfection. It was sad and epic at the same time.

So why is The Black Album better? Well for starters it better reflects hip hop as a whole than Illmatic. When Nas dropped his debut the genre was still in its infancy and was trying to find its identity. Nas truly represented rap on that album in the rawest form possible with street tales and observations along with just flat out rap skills. But The Black Album was more diverse in its topics, in its production, in its representation of what hip hop has come to be over the years. You had the Rick Rubin rock-influenced song, a tribute to the old days of Def Jam. You had the song for females which has become a staple in every rapper’s repertoire. You had the club banger from Timbo, the pure skills raps of “What More Can I Say” and “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” and especially “Public Service Announcement”. But you also had the reflective tracks like “Lucifer” and “Moment of Clarity”. And in all of its diverseness The Black Album was still very cohesive and flowed together flawlessly. Again, a perfectly sequenced album.

Not to take anything away from Illmatic but we can’t keep hanging on to the same perception that the almost 20 year old album from Nas is still the best thing rap has ever blessed our ears with. Sure it’s a great record but by today’s standards it’s really one-dimensional whereas The Black Album offers a wide variety of music, all put together properly with lyrical gems sprinkled all over. Putting a track like “Encore” at the beginning of a retirement album might seem wrong but for some reason it worked brilliantly, again attesting to the masterful sequencing on what is now most definitely the greatest rap album of all time.

Is It Still Nasty Nas?

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Last night, Nas released what was advertised as the first single off his upcoming album called “Nasty”. A raw funk beat provided the backdrop for Nas to spit rapid fire with the same hunger he had back in 1994. And I’ll be the first to say that the joint is fire. Thing is, the song sounds like it was made in 1994. Now whether that’s a good or bad thing all depends on what his fans are looking for and what Nas is trying to accomplish with his next album. If the plan is to sell records then I don’t see this being an anchor for that, but if the plan is just to sell to the fans he already has, then it will probably work. The question is what is Nas trying to accomplish at this point in his career and is it better for him to just cater to his built-in core fanbase while excluding the rest of hip hop or does that make him look washed up?

Nas has seen his career go through all types of ups and downs. He started off being a huge breath of fresh air for the game, setting a new standard for lyricism in New York rap. Then he slipped up by trying to imitate what other rappers were doing at the time and over the last few years has tried to gain attention through controversy, with album titles like Hip Hop is Dead and Untitled, the latter named as such due to the label’s refusal to release an album that was titled as the n-word. So now he’s going to the opposite extreme with Life is Good being the next album title. At some point I think Nas has to realize that album titles don’t make a record stay in your deck for 3 months straight, good music does. Correction, good music for 2011 does.

If Nas is trying to sell to his core fanbase then I have no doubts he’ll make that happen. “Nasty” is pure hip hop in its rawest form. The beat is dirty and Nas runs through his verses with ease, rhyming like he just came out the gate. And his fans have no doubt been waiting for a hungry Nas to return to the game. On Hip Hop is Dead he sounded fatigued and on Untitled he perhaps alienated some of his fans by dropping too much knowledge for most to handle. So this homecoming of sorts will most definitely be welcomed by his core fanbase, but don’t expect new fans to come from this.

“Nasty” was announced as a single, and while artists like KRS-One and Buckshot also release “singles” to promote their album, you’d expect a supposedly still top notch MC like Nas to really get his buzz up, and a song like this won’t do that. It’s 2011, and when you got “Racks on Racks” and Maybach Music dominating the airwaves, a song like “Nasty” is something you’d expect to hear on the Throwback Hour, not the Top 9 of the day. And if this is a taste of what’s to come, expect an album that hardcore Nas fans will love, while those who celebrate the incredible talent of artists releasing material in 2011 will probably pan a record that sounds like it should have dropped 15 years ago.

This new Nas joint is fire, there’s no doubt about that. The question is if this will make Nas relevant again in hip hop or if it will just continue the general though that, although he was once great, he hasn’t been able to keep up with hip hop and probably needs to just give it a rest. Without the backing of a label he won’t be able to release material, we already saw what happened with Lost Tapes 2, so while we all should be happy that Nas still got it after all these years, it’s still a matter of whether or not his fans will be able to keep him going while he continues to make music that sounds dated.


The Elusive Top 5 MCs List

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Recently there have been a lot of lists being released by various sites with famous rappers naming their top 5 MCs of all time. Some specifically asked for names not normally mentioned, others gave us the typical “Big, Pac…” nods, but the most recent list that dropped proved two things; first that we really shouldn’t trust everything the news sites tell us, shit we been doubting them about everything else for so long it’s about time we take their hip hop reporting with a grain of salt as well. Secondly, these lists really don’t mean shit other than for the inevitable debate in which no one comes out a winner.

In the last couple days a list was released that was apparently Joe Budden’s top 5 MCs, he however denied that this was true and proceeded to list off about 10-15 MCs that he considered the best. While some names appeared on both lists, the point is that here are these publications completely making shit up, including descriptions and all that, for some shit that really doesn’t matter with regard to the artist who is being discussed. Is Joe Budden’s favorite MCs gonna change your opinion of him as a rapper? Probably not. And if it does then I gotta wonder what exactly you base your opinions on. Everyone is gonna have a different top 5 and most likely it will exclude someone who you as a fan think should be in there and it will include someone who you as a fan will think sucks. But what does that really do for you, as a fan?

It’s a never ending debate on who the greatest rappers of all time are. But that debate is a changing one as new artists become old artists and old artists become forgotten. Fifteen years ago there wouldn’t be a top 5 list that didn’t include KRS-One, Chuck D, or Kane. But now, with the combination of years past as well as a new generation of hip hop thinkers, you probably won’t see any of those names (short of Kane, and you better fucking see that name) on anyone’s list because half the fans aren’t thinking about them anymore and the other half haven’t heard more than 2 songs by any of them. So does a top 5 matter all that much really?

There’s also the need for a distinction between a personal top 5 and an admitted top 5. I think most people will admit that they like some rappers more than the general public does. So while you might think Immortal Technique is all types of amazing with his brilliant poetic op-ed raps, he clearly isn’t qualified for top 5 status as nobody outside of his little fanbase knows about him or really gives a shit. Not saying he isn’t talented, but just because some random guy on the corner in NY may be the best rapper in the world doesn’t mean he is if no one knows who he is; success and relevancy do mean something.

The top 5 list is a fun discussion, and with a group of friends you can always have a solid debate about who gets placed where in the list, but as far as what other rappers think, it sounds more like something you’d read in a teen magazine like Word Up! (that still around?) than something most fans would want to know. Am I wrong? Do you care who your favorite rapper’s top 5 MCs are? And if so would their answers change the way you feel about them as an MC themselves? Also would your list be different if you were naming the top 5 MCs of all time from a more objective standpoint? Does your opinion differ from what you accept as being a general overall top 5 list? And are you able to admit that just because you like an artist doesn’t necessarily mean they are one of the best?

Oh and for anyone that cares….my personal top 5 all time are, in order:

  1. Big Daddy Kane
  2. Rakim
  3. Jay-Z
  4. Nas
  5. Left open as at any given time a different MC could be placed here (Scarface, Kool G Rap, Ice Cube, Talib Kweli, Chuck D)

Who’s in your Top 5? Comment below…


Nothing Compares To Vinyl

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In honor of DJ Appreciation Month I wanted to address something I’ve been noticing recently in “mixtapes” that these new DJs have been attempting to do, scratch records. While the sound hasn’t been used as much as it previously was, DJs are still cutting back tracks and chopping up lines to put their own stamp on their mixes. While this is completely understandable, for the most part it doesn’t work, as the sound of a record being scratched and cut and faded is very specific to vinyl, you can’t recreate that on a computer. So while the attempts are admired, it may be about time to accept that scratching in hip hop is dead, unless you’re still keeping it funky with them 12”s.

So the story goes that the art of record scratching was invented by Grand Wizard Theodore who, one day while spinning records, was interrupted by his mom who walked in the room. To avoid missing where he was on the record he started spinning the vinyl back and forth. When ma dukes left the room he realized how dope the sound of a scratched record was and thus an essential element of hip hop was born. But in the days of iPod mixers the use of vinyl has drastically declined, however the DJs still attempt to find some way to pull back songs, cut up verses and put scratches in between tracks, and to be honest, it sounds like shit.

Back in the day DJ Premier, as well as many others like him, turntablists would drop mixtapes which had incredible transitions between songs, with all types of various techniques they had picked up through their years of DJing. These cuts became recognizable depending on who was doing them and they became just as much an artist as the MCs whose records they were playing. Premier himself is famous for his scratched hooks, just look at “Mass Appeal”, arguably Gang Starr’s biggest single, the hook is just an old Youngstas line looped. “The World Is Yours” from Illmatic consists of not just the sing-songy Scarface quote but brilliant scratching as well. But with the death of vinyl came the introduction of CD mixers and now iPod mixers, and while you can imitate the sound of scratch, you can’t imitate the actual technique used to make the transition smooth, so you’re left with choppy cuts that just sound off.

Mixtapes now make this attempt to do what DJs did back in the day, play the first line of the joint about 15 times, each time bringing it back to the jump with a spinback. You can’t do that with a iPod mixer though as it doesn’t sound natural, it comes off like you cut a section of the song and just looped it in Pro Tools. So while these DJs are clearly influenced by their predecessors, they aren’t recreating the sound they grew up on, they’re just showing how technology has done some harm to the culture.

DJs are the corner stone of hip hop. Without the DJ there would be no rapper, no beat, no song, no nothing. DJs are what made hip hop relevant to the world. And while these new cats are forced to use iPods because vinyl isn’t pressed like it used to be, rather than try to imitate techniques that worked on vinyl, I think they need to create their own unique ways of mixing songs to create tapes for us to rock out to. Honestly the shit they do now with these tracks sounds like what I used to do with cassettes back in the day, the pause/stop bullshit that was fine for my own tapes, but I’d never try to pass it off as a real mix. I love and respect the DJs of hip hop, they keep this culture going, but if you aren’t gonna use vinyl, don’t try to use the tricks of vinyl, cause you just sound played out like Kwame.


Pusha T a Top 5 MC?

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Last week saw the first official solo release from one half of the Clipse, Pusha T’s Fear of God mixtape. A collection of 13 tracks with mostly original songs and a couple freestyles thrown into the mix, the reaction has been everything from touting Pusha as a top 5 MC to calling the mixtape boring and proof that he needs his brother to make anything memorable. What it has no doubt done is open up the discussion regarding Pusha T as a solo artist and not just a piece of the brilliant Clipse/Neptunes formula which has been going strong for almost a decade now. But the question remains, can Pusha really be put on a list of best solo artists since he’s only had 1 solo release, and is this solo project good enough to bring him out of the group shadow or does it just prove that sometimes you need that other rapper to help carry an album?

Some of the best rappers started as part of a group. Busta Rhymes originally was a member of Leaders of the New School before realizing that he had a unique style that allowed him to branch out on his own. Ice Cube left N.W.A. and formed quite the successful solo career, and Q-Tip had a decent little hit when he broke away from A Tribe Called Quest to make his own side project. But it doesn’t always work, even if the music is dope sometimes the perception that you won’t be as good by yourself isolates listeners from even bothering to check your shit, just ask Buckshot and Erick Sermon who both dropped incredible solo debuts that never really got noticed like they should have.

But more important than who succeeded and who failed after breaking away from their crew is whether or not you can classify an MC as a great when the majority of his work is part of a group. If you always had that other person in your corner then how can you be one of the top rappers in the game? This the reason they have a tag team belt in wrestling, because when you’re a group all your stats are looked at together and part of what’s taken into account is the chemistry you have with other group members where as a solo artist has to carry all the weight, so it puts them in a different class.

Nas carried his entire debut with only one guest verse, Jay-Z’s Black Album had zero features on it and it’s a straight up classic. It’s not easy to keep peoples’ attention for 50 minutes by yourself, to have them care about 3 straight verses from you, 14 songs with only your voice. So regardless of Clipse’s near perfect catalog, Pusha has had help from at least one other person the entire time, so how could you even consider him a top 5 MC when he only has one solo release? He’s never carried a project on his own up until now and one of the best tracks on Fear of God is the track with Rick Ross and Re-Up Gang member Ab-Liva, so again, he ain’t carrying tracks on his own (although the two best songs on the tape, “My God” and “Alone in Vegas” are both straight up solo joints).

When you’re a member of a rap collective, whether it’s a duo or group, your skills will always be measured with that of your rhyming partners. No matter how ridiculous you may be with your bars, when you only have to provide one verse per track then it’s a lot easier, you have someone else helping you with concepts and ideas instead of you having to do all the work and keep your listeners intrigued for the entire time. That’s not to say Pusha isn’t one of the best MCs out right now, but let’s not elevate him to a level which puts him in a class with rappers who’ve been on their own since day one. And let’s not act like he ain’t even the best member of his group. At this point we need more than one mixtape before we call Pusha T a top 5 MC. I’m not saying it can’t happen, but it’s still too early to tell.

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