First installment in our new quarterly rap-up special! Featuring writing from myself and HumbleGold, we wrote about our favorite 25 releases released thus far this year. This is numbers 25-15 of the series, the rest will drop in the coming days.
The second quarter is over, which means we’re half way through the year. 2011 has been a great year for rap, despite the fact that the album format is little more than a distant memory. It’ll be interesting to see what the rest of the year holds for us.
I wrote about Curren$y’s Covert Coup over at No Jumper because I’m no slouch (also because I really like Spitta and this shit is fucking great). Check that out!
It’s 4/20! I don’t smoke anymore, so this is of little value to my personal life. However, as an active listener of rap in 2011, where every holiday (official or not) brings about a plethora of new mixtapes, it’s only appropriate that 4/20 would bring a bunch of blunted projects from some of my favorite acts. Strangely enough, Soulja’s is an ode to lean and Main Attrakionz are essentially the human-embodiment of drank, but rest assured that the purple in their lives can be consumed through different routes than the digestive system.
Main Attrakionz - Blackberry Ku$h (Green Ova, 2011)
Curren$y - Covert Coup (JETS, 2011)
I haven’t written much lately. I hope this makes up for it.
Albums:
1. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy :: Kanye’s fifth album in six years is his most fully realized to date; an epic prog-rock inspired album full of songs that often go onto long, but never feel cluttered. This is going to be many writers’ number one, and with perfect reason.
2. Waka Flocka Flame - Flockaveli :: Flockaveli isn’t shocking or profound, and it isn’t likely to leave listeners and bystanders (so) appalled; but it harkens back to the days when hip-hop albums had that type of effect on people. Lex Luger and Waka Flocka are the perfect producer/rapper duo in 2010, and on Flockaveli, they could do no wrong. An almost flawless debut, and a personal, biased favorite.
3. Domo Genesis - Rolling Papers :: If I could place BASTARD here, I would, but it’d be unfair as it was released in the tailend of 2009; Domo’s Rolling Papers is the most fully realized project to come out of the OFWGKTA camp this year, as EARL was too short in length and Blackenedwhite was a rather bumpy, though exciting ride. Domo is looked at as one of the weaker links of Odd Future, but he’s easily my third favorite behind the Tyler and his brother; he has an effortless cool that more seasoned veterans like Gucci and Curren$y possess, despite being a stoner-rap staple, he has a wonderful idea of conceptual songs.
4. Diddy-Dirty Money - Last Train To Paris :: I honestly don’t care how anyone feels about Diddy as a person or an artist (he mooches off his dead best friend, hypes up rappers long past their initial due date, doesn’t write or produce his own music), he consistently releases great albums, and Last Train To Paris is one of his strongest yet. It’s not heavy on rapping, but the little bit that is here is competent enough, and the ensemble cast that Diddy gathered to feature really take this album to extra lengths. The production is just masterful; this weird little electro-hop album is one of the most refreshing things I’ve heard all year.
5. Curren$y - Pilot Talk :: Pilot Talk II may’ve found more praise amongst my circle of bloggers, but Pilot Talk is far more appealing to me than the good, but flawed follow-up. Curren$y’s pen game might not be a sharp on the predecessor, but his presence here is nearly unmatchable; making rhymes about eating chips and playing NBA2K sound as glorious as they ever have, all whilst admiring the view from his hotel suite. Ski Beats provided a lush layout for his stoner-charm, and this became the feel good album of the summer.
continue after the jump..
OJ Da Juiceman - I Talk To My Car (missed opportunities, 2009)
So, last night, when listening to Red Flame, Hugh Hefner came on, and I expected another Bitches On My Dick track; instead, I pretty much got Lil B’s rendition of Curren$y’s Michael Knight, complete with reference to that song as well as the skoodoodoodoo. Then I listened to Waka’s new song, Gangsta Hop, off Waka Flocka Myers, and I heard Waka namedrop KITT. Then I remembered this song; one of the most hilarious songs OJ ever created, and honestly one of of the last times I genuinely enjoyed listening to his music. I think this was the first time I recall hearing about Michael, KITT, and the whole Knight Rider meaning very expensive car with GPS gimmick that’s becoming ever so popular today.
Back in 2009 OJ could pretty much do no wrong (at least in my eyes), and he was starting trends weekly, it seemed. Asylum never capitalized on the full potential of OJ, and he pretty much was forgotten about when Gucci’s more serious (and talented) homie Flocka become far more popular than OJ ever was. Nowadays he’s rehashing everything that made his music fun on lackluster mixtapes, and God only knows what happened to his relationship with Gucci.
What I’m trying to get at here is the fact that rap is so resemblant of high shool, and this whole Michael Knight thing is the latest trend (and I’m sure it won’t stop until that Knight Rider movie is made here soon). I’m still surprised Lil B hasn’t made a song called David Hasselhoff yet, although I’m sure he will now. Actually, Based God, make a whole mixtape inspired by Bay Watch! call it Based Watch!
I’m tired. What other weird, obscure trends has hip-hop embraced that seem completely nerdy from any other point of view? Super heros were big for awhile, and still kinda are. But has anything else taken the hip-hop world by storm that really shouldn’t have?
aside from this guy:
Curren$y - Michael Knight (DD172/Def Jam, 2010)
This video is cool. I am wondering if Shante knows KITT was a Trans Am, and not a Corvette however. I realize they’re both GM vehicles with hidden headlights, but hey, gotta pay attention to the details Curren$y. I’m also wondering if Curren$y’s sequel to Pilot Talk will be as strong as the first - clearly the anticipation’s not as overflowing as it was the first time (it’s the fourth quarter and three more recognized/popular rappers are dropping the same day), but I think may work in PT2’s advantage, as the first one leaked out track by track months in advance. There’s been little leaks from Pilot Talk’s successor, and I doubt barring the full-album leak destined to appear in the coming weeks, that this will be too readily available.
November 22nd.
There is waaaay too much stuff dropping that day, but I’m not complaining.. alright, yeah I am. I’m almost 99.9% sure that Kanye’s album will overshadow Banks, Nicki, and Curren$y’s, which is sad since I’m looking forward to those quite a bit. Oh well, it’ll be a good day for music at least. This album has the dopest cover art of the four (obviously); it’ll also probably be better than Nicki’s (because she won’t stop fucking singing).
Curren$y - Michael Knight (Blu Roc/Def Jam, 2010)
and the view from the rocking chair improves…
I’ve been waiting for this song since I heard the preview, but oh my God - this is fucking fantastic. Firstly, the artwork is the type of stoner-culture x pop-art that all of his covers this year have represented. I could honestly stare at that for a few hours, just admiring the textures and colors. High, of course.
But the song is the real prize, just as fascinating as the purple-kush covered Knight Rider seen above. This is the spiritual successor to King Kong, in the sense that it not only is the first single from an album in the Pilot Talk series, but it also continues that pop-culture referincing along with hotel-skyline imagery.
While the Cheech Marin of today’s hip-hop, Wiz, is kinda bordering mainstream success as we speak, his Chong remains little more than an internet sensation at the moment; and it’s honestly because Spitta is just so strange compared to Wiz. While both of them are obviously stoners that watch too much television and play too many video games, Wiz really only expresses this through his beat selection, full of obscure samples from those sources. Curren$y, on the other hand, submerges himself in them, immitating the sound Michael Knight’s car makes (skoooodoooodooooodoooooo) while talking about ducking some Carl Winslow’s. Curren$y’s stoner charm is on another level entirely.
(Source: imaknucklehead)
yes, this is the one tradition on my tumblr I actually intend on keeping. I simply post pictures of my favorite albums (and mixtapes) from the last four months, with no captions nor anything else because that’s why I write genuine reviews. These last four months have produced some amazing music, and below I post some of my favorites that stay on (near) constant rotation. Also, I’m including anything from the first week of October (which is why Flockaveli will be on here).
Contact Me:
Email - yayodancing@gmail.com
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AIM: KingEvo101
Twitter - @yayodancing
