2 Chainz - Like Me (internet, 2012)

2 Chainz enlisted the assistance of Chicago producer, Million $ Mano, for this Weeknd-sampling affair. Utilizing The Weeknd’s “The Birds, Pt. 1”, Mano creates a somber backdrop for 2 Chainz’ ever misogynist lyrics, as Abel heeds an unknown woman not to “fall in love with a nigga like me.” Though they don’t make the likeliest of pairings, both Weeknd and Tity work far better in execution due to the fact that both of them are, at the core, repulsive human beings. Though 2 Chainz never quite admits to this on the song, the fact that he chose such a self-loathing sample to identify with proves that 2 Chainz is more self-aware than his critics would have you believe.

Chief Keef - Bang (Youtube, 2011/12)

bang. bang. BANG. BANGBANG

(thank you for this wonderful discovery, So Many Shrimp)

Riff Raff SODMG & Kid Sister - Kris Krangle (Fool’s Gold, 2011)

Riff Raff and his good friend Kid Sister hooked up once again, this time for one of the best Christmas songs ever conceived on Kid Sister’s label. Gathered around a mall Santa, Riff waxes scriptures of Johnny Bravo and Herman Cain, with his baby Jesus swag turnt to the max. 

The Throne - Otis (Def Jam, 2011)

I think this video speaks volumes to me about Tumblr’s counter-culture aesthetic. It’s the first music video off of the most anticipated album of the year, and not a single person posted it on my dashboard in the past 24 hours. Not even to say anything bad about it. Is that because it’s particularily uninteresting or because the video’s too happy and fun to really hate?

I didn’t like Otis when it first came out. It was only the second song to be revealed from the album, and it felt like Jay and Ye’s present to the old heads, yo. You know, our mortal enemies. Yet as time went on, the combination of Jay and Ye’s back and forth (they finish eachother’s bars!) and that bassline had won me over. Much like the video for Lil Wayne and Rick Ross’s similarly-named-after-a-deceased-singer John converted many people into fans of that piece of shit, this video turned me into a believer.

The energy’s just so positive; based, even. The fact they they’re deconstructing a Maybach in front of our eyes while winking to the camera is absolutely hilarious to me, too; it pretty much addresses most of the critics’ complaints without uttering a single word. Arrogant, smug, cash coming out of their asses (pause). Yep, that’s pretty much the foundation of this album, and they know it.

s/o to Aziz Ansari for appearing to cheese for those all too brief three seconds.

The Throne - Illest Motherfucker Alive (Def Jam, 2011)

So, Watch The Throne was released little more than a day ago and it had the internet goin’ nutz (© Paul Wall, 2005). Lots of people wrote reviews about the album only a few hours removed from its release, and some bloggers started writing those reviews before they’d even heard the album. No one needs to, or should, write about this album, yet I have thought about it enough and digested the content to the point that I feel the need to dispose of it in some form. What comes next maybe diarrhea in text form.

First, the song featured, Illest Motherfucker Alive, is the “hidden song” that bridges the gap between the standard and deluxe versions of the album. It’s produced by Waka Flocka’s main contributor, Southside, along with additional work done by Kanye himself and his personal MPC carrier, Rap-A-Lot legend Mike Dean. Like H.A.M, this is clearly part of the first incarnation of Watch The Throne (apparently there were three different versions of this album before the conclusive one); one which, from the sounds of it, aimed to be an art-house Flockaveli. Which is an incredibly interesting idea, far more intriguing than the final product could ever hope to be, but I digress. This is the castle music Jay and Ye promised to bring us when the project was announced.

When you take Southside’s 808s and sprinkle them with Kanye’s bells, whistles,  and church choirs, expertly mixed by Mike Dean, you get something that transcends the sum of all its parts and stands as a strong entry both Ye and Jay’s discography. At least from a production standpoint; the rapping, like many others places on the album, aims too high and falls into complacent territory. Kanye names off every famous Russell he knows with no connection other than their being famous, being Russell and knowing Kanye, while Jay name-checks Michael Jordan, The Beatles, Robert De Niro, AND Scarface all in perhaps the most cliche verse he’s ever written. But you know what? It works. Watch The Throne just .. fucking works, despite and in spite of everything it has going for it and against it.

The album presents a lot to work with when it comes to writing, but it doesn’t really make itself all that interesting to write about. Writing about this album almost feels obligatory, like there’s some sense of obligation that comes with this release just because it’s Kanye and Jay. The same can be said about both Jay and Kanye at this point in their careers - the idea of their albums are far more interesting than the actual content. But does that make Watch The Throne bad? Do we need innovative techniques and profound content to really enjoy music?

Watch The Throne is The Hangover 2 of albums, if I can give a recent example. A wholly enjoyable experience that I find myself returning to frequently, but I never walk away from it with anything. It’s a hell of a ride while it lasts, but you forget it the instant it’s over until you get the itch to revisit again. Like The Hangover 2, both of these projects’ success can be solely attributed to their creators’ previous triumphs, and despite the industry standards and cloned ideas each present, they still remain feel good experiences. Perhaps because each was given a bottomless budget, and their creators have enough talent to create something enjoyable when they’re coasting on their laurels alone.

Album of the year? Nah. Classic? Definitely not. But does that really matter? Watch The Throne’s impact may not exceed its own boundaries, but it’s satisfying for the moment, and that’s all life is a series of.

And yes, I’d still rather Observe The Ferraris.

R. Kelly - Looking For Love (1998, Jive)

R. has announced recently that his next album will be The Return Of 12 Play: Night Of The Living Dead. Thankfully Kellz has gotten back into his artistic groove thanks to Love Letter, his throwback Soul album that displayed that Robert still got those chops despite all the wackiness surrounding the last 7 years of his career. Unfortunately, Love Letter kinda got lost in the shuffle because it’s pretty difficult to listen to if you’re under the age of 35. Hopefully Night of the Living Dead will be able to put Kells’ re-discovered talent in perspective and provide us with some more of that great baby-making music.

For now here’s a song that may or may not have made me cried at some point in my life. Bless your hart, Robert