r/hiphopheads Essential Album of the Week #85: Above the Law - Black Mafia Life - HipHop | HipHop Channel

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r/hiphopheads Essential Album of the Week #85: Above the Law - Black Mafia Life - HipHop

r/hiphopheads Essential Album of the Week #85: Above the Law - Black Mafia Life - HipHop

r/hiphopheads Essential Album of the Week #85: Above the Law - Black Mafia Life

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 04:21 AM PDT

Welcome to the new and improved Essential Album of the Week discussion thread!

Every Wednesday we will discuss an album from our Essential Albums list

Last Week: Warren G - Regulate... G Funk Era

This Week: Above the Law - Black Mafia Life

Stream/Purchase

Not available on Spotify

Not available on iTunes

Not available on Google Play

Songs/Singles

Call It What You Want

V.S.O.P.

G-rupies Best Friend

Background/Description (courtesy of allmusic.com)

Above the Law's second album had three things working against it. One: over two years had passed since their debut (unless you factor 1991's Vocally Pimpin' EP), which certainly left many with the impression that they were no longer. Two: they had to follow up a strong Dr. Dre-produced debut with in-house production. Three: it was nearly half an hour longer than the debut, leaving it wide open for filler issues. Despite these factors, the members of Above the Law proved with Black Mafia Life that they were more than a one-album wonder. They returned with a record that was both more laid-back and assured, yet the sound was tougher all the same. The tales spun by Cold 187um, KM.G, Big Hutch, and Go Mack are as unrelentingly grim as ever, yet this is -- if anything -- a party record, full of grooves and licks swiped from Bootsy Collins, the Fatback Band, and Curtis Mayfield. Cold 187um's slick sampling work -- almost as accomplished as Dre's on the debut -- combined with live instrumentation more than makes up for the fact that none of the thoroughly convincing MCs are lyrical masters. Lop off a few substandard moments, replace them with one or two big singles (admittedly, nothing here is as hot as the debut's "Untouchable"), and you'd have a West Coast classic.

Guidelines

This is an open thread for you to share your thoughts on the album. Avoid vague statements of praise or criticism. This is your chance to practice being a critic. It's fine for you to drop by just to say you love the album, but let's try and step it up a bit!!!

How has this album affected hip-hop? WHY do you like this tape? What are the best tracks? Do you think it deserves the praise it gets? Is it the first time you've listened to it? What's your first impression? Have you listened to the artist before? Explain why you like it or why you don't.

DON'T FEEL BAD ABOUT BEING LATE !!!! Discussion throughout the week is encouraged.

Next week's EAOTW will be MC Eiht - We Come Strapped

submitted by /u/Saiyaman
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Album of the Year 2016: The Wrap Up

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 03:05 PM PDT

Sorry for the wait, but here it is finally: all the albums and posts in the AOTY 2016 series (in the order they were posted, not the order they were originally supposed to be in—a lot of people posted late or out of order).

  • What were your favorite write-ups?

  • What albums that didn't get a write-up did you think deserved one?

  • Did you discover out any dope album(s) that you hadn't heard before because it was in the series?

User Album Artist Link
/u/Mikeest Honor Killed the Samurai Ka Link
/u/TheRoyalGodfrey Cashmere Swet Shop Boys Link
/u/Cohtoh American Boyfriend Kevin Abstract Link
/u/theinfinitygauntlet Views Drake Link
/u/Chriscftb97 TGOD Mafia: The Rude Awakening TGOD Mafia Link
/u/nd20 Still Brazy YG Link
/u/SoTheFliesDontCome Hellboy Lil Peep Link
/u/snidelaughter Malibu Anderson .Paak Link
/u/ReconEG "BBF" Hosted by DJ Escrow Babyfather Link
/u/fozzik Atrocity Exhibition Danny Brown Link
/u/TheBlanko We Got It from Here...Thank You 4 Your Service A Tribe Called Quest Link
/u/thebasedyeezus Blank Face LP ScHoolboy Q Link
/u/ReptiIe Imperial Denzel Curry Link
/u/5122007 Cozy Tapes Vol. 1: FRIENDS A$AP Mob Link
/u/pussyonapedestal Wildflower The Avalanches Link
/u/Dictarium untitled unmastered. Kendrick Lamar Link
/u/StroHersh Telefone Noname Link
/u/torre_avenue There's Alot Going On Vic Mensa Link
/u/mpejkrm Big Bossin' Vol. 1 Payroll Giovanni and Cardo Link
/u/EvilBosom Campaign Ty Dolla $ign Link
/u/punchingtickets Open Your Optics to Optimism Blu & Fa†e Link
/u/ItsBigVanilla The Sun's Tirade Isaiah Rashad Link
/u/Burntholesinmyhoodie Genesis Domo Genesis Link
/u/Mevansuto The Life of Pablo Kanye West Link
/u/Chrussell A-Wax Pushin' Keyz Link
/u/Pasalacquanian Kairi Chanel Dave East Link
submitted by /u/nd20
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[SHOTS FIRED] T.I responds to Donald Trump calling out Snoop Dogg

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 08:03 PM PDT

[SHOTS FIRED] Donald Trump tweets at Snoop Dogg: "Can you imagine what the outcry would be if @SnoopDogg, failing career and all, had aimed and fired the gun at President Obama? Jail time!"

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 07:20 AM PDT

I'm Just Blaze aka The Megatron Don and I've produced and written a few records here and there. AMA!

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 12:26 PM PDT

What up Reddit!! Just Blaze here. I'm a record producer, audio engineer, DJ, songwriter, uber tech geek, former computer programmer, life coach and therapist and all around pretty decent guy. Ask me anything!

Proof: https://twitter.com/JustBlaze/status/842032396161716224

Edit: Thanks for hanging guys. Hopefully I was able to answer a few things and inspire a few folks the way the legends inspired me. I'll be back on here sooner than later. Love!!!

submitted by /u/JustBlazeOfficial
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[Discussion] To Pimp A Butterfly turns 2 years old today! How does it hold up?

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 09:30 AM PDT

I still maintain it as one of the best albums I have ever heard and one that continues to be relevant to this day. Kendrick captured something special with this one...

submitted by /u/LorcanGullySquad
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[FRESH] Freddie Gibbs - No PRBLMS Freestyle

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 09:23 AM PDT

Goldlink's new album "At What Cost" comes out March 24th

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 06:26 PM PDT

Meek Mill charged with assault

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 04:38 PM PDT

Literary Analysis of Kendrick Lamar's "How much a dollar cost?'

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 05:06 PM PDT

The way literature is consumed in this day and age is often removed from analytical thought.

If it takes an individual about an hour to write a mediocre 2 page essay, the same level of thought should be used to accept or reject music, movies, books plays etc. made by others.

I believe Kendrick Lamar's "How much a dollar cost?" is a good starting point for such analysis. It was Obama's favorite song of 2015 making it accessible to many, and most people have listened to or continue to listen to the song without diving into it.

To Pimp A Butterfly is perhaps his best album to date and it justifiably received near universal critical acclaim.

To give some authorial context, Kendrick was born in Compton, the gang riddled birthplace of some of the most talented rappers of all time. He found success after releasing a mixtape and soon signed under the label Top Dawg Entertainment.

Most would call him a household name at this point and it is due to his incredible talent.

The title explains the song. Despite Kendrick's commercial success, he finds this question on his mind constantly and it plagues him with guilt. He begins the song with the same question phrased a bit more aggressively. "How much a dollar really cost?" he asks himself before moving into his personal grapple with money stating "the question is detrimental, paralyzing my thoughts".

The setting opens up in the next few lines and it is revealed that Kendrick is sitting in a luxury car feeling like a king.

Kendrick is 5'5, but after finding commercial success, he feels as though he is 7'2 because people treat him as such.

"'20 on pump 6' dirty Marsellus called me Dumbo" is one of my favorite lines in the verse.

Kendrick asks the attendant to fill up his car in the fewest amount of words possible and reminisces on his time as a gang member.

Marsellus Wallace was a gang leader in Pulp Fiction and leaders like Marsellus gave Kendrick a lot of knowledge and time, but also mistreated him.

Dumbo works perfectly to finish this line for two reasons. These gang leaders are telling him he is stupid on the surface level, believing he will amount to nothing. On the metaphorical level they mistreat him because they knew he could fly despite the difficult situation he was born into. He tells the listener that this happened 20 years ago, and that it had a permanent impact in who he grew up to be.

He attributes a part of his success to the experiences he had running with these gang members, and he wants to tell them how they can also find success.

Despite his nice car, and apparent abundance of wealth he has to repeat himself to the gas station attendant.

"20 on pump 6" he repeats, but his voice is unheard.

He is a black man in America. Even though he was born in the US, even though he is successful, his voice carries less weight because of his skin color and ethnic background.

The setting then reveals itself.

The gas station is located in Africa, and the attendant can not understand him because he only speaks Zulu. The roles are reversed, but the attendant represents a part of Kendrick's experiences. Kendrick looks at this attendant as he is often looked at, and his ability to toy with switches in perspectives is a large part of why I think the song is brilliant.

Before he can get gas, a homeless man exits the gas station and accosts Kendrick.

He asks for 10 rand, which is the equivalent to $1.

The man only asks for a single dollar, but Kendrick immediately makes a judgement based on his appearance. Because he lives in South Africa and wears rags, Kendrick immediately assumes the money will be spent on crack. Having come from Compton, Kendrick understands the proliferation of escapism in districts such as this one and empathizes with the homeless man.

Despite this, Kendrick refuses to give the man a dollar.

The homeless man pleads, stating he defeated his temptation, but Kendrick closes his door in the man's face, representing a barrier between the two.

Kendrick asks again how much a dollar costs.

Given the context of the previous verse, we can assume this refers to the homeless man's situation. Kendrick applies his subjective experiences from childhood to a stranger in Africa who happens to be the only other person in the area speaking english. Kendrick knows of the destructive powers of drugs and the idea of contributing to another man's escapism disgusts him. He will not give a dollar.

James Fauntleroy sings to anyone dealing with problems such as this, nothing that to find success you need a limited amount of material objects.

The theme changes with the verse. The homeless man stares at Kendrick and Kendrick is frustrated by this. He grabs his keys to start the engine, but decides against doing so. He allows his curiosity to get the best of him and stays in his car, staring at this man he thinks he recognizes.

The man keeps his gaze with "no laser".

I love the use of the word laser here. It notes the lack of hostility, but frustration he holds for Kendrick. It also works incredibly well because lasers are generally associated with a futuristic society or outlook. Kendrick lives in this future and because of his success, he sees the homeless man as a lesser being. Kendrick reciprocates the man's stare and they become more and more disgusted with each other due to their failure to keep verbal communication open.

Kendrick sits in his anger and lets it fester and grow. His car is a metaphor for his new life and he lets it act as a safety blanket from what he once knew.

He is willing to kill this man over the lack of respect he is given compared to what he expects, claiming "If I could throw a bat at him it would be aimin' at his neck". Kendrick doesn't care about this man's experiences or potential worth, simply wanting this man dead. The man asked for a single dollar when Kendrick was willing to spend $20 on his car. Despite this Kendrick refuses to give this man who is very clearly in a desperate situation a single dollar.

The homeless man breaks the silence. He asks "have you ever opened up Exodus 14? A humble man is all we ever need".

Holy shit.

Exodus 14 is the story in the bible in which Moses frees the Israelites. They all decided to put their full trust in Moses, a humble man, and found freedom as a result. This metaphor goes deeper, but freedom means something different to everyone so I will stop here otherwise I will never finish writing this.

Kendrick is no longer humble. He is aware of his growing narcissism and it plagues him constantly, but he believes it is justified. This causes the next statement the homeless man makes to have a visceral impact.

He wants Kendrick to tell him how much a dollar costs. He never cared enough to know, so he must go to Kendrick for advice, and to Kendrick, the pursuit of dollar cost him everything except for money and material possessions. Fauntleroy's hook has a wholly different meaning now.

He speaks from the perspective of the homeless man to Kendrick, noting that he has forgotten the importance of his roots. Kendrick becomes more and more frustrated at himself and his current predicament.

The next four lines represent an ego death of sorts. Kendrick wallows in guilt once he realizes he is in the wrong. He feels resentment for himself, this "transient", and the shift in mentality which has been going on for quite some time. His rise to fame caused him to lose his perspective and his ability to recognize that had the potential to save him.

He rejects this potential.

He tells this man that he deserves all of his money. He made it through selfishness and so he will keep it selfishly. He fears changing his ways because he believes he will fall back into the life where he had to struggle in order to find success. This is a life where he had to pinch every crumb and penny and he wants to reject it.

He then begins telling off a complete stranger, who has wanted nothing more than a dollar.

He used to make compromises, but once he recognized how far selfishness could take him he refused to be anything but selfish out of fear.

The homeless man is a reminder of his past. He reeks of alcohol like his grandfather once did. He babbles as he speaks and Kendrick refuses to believe anything he says as a result.

He only wanted a dollar.

Kendrick looks at him and tells him a story the man never told is fake. He imagines this man as an actor on par with Denzel, but believes he convinces himself he has seen through this act.

Kendrick compares him to Shaquille O' Neal in Kazaam, claiming his act is shitty.

The homeless man reciprocates these thoughts for different reasons.

Kendrick has convinced himself that he has seen right through this homeless man in Africa.

The man looks at him and tells him outright "your potential is bittersweet"

I fucking love this line.

Kendrick's potential is squandered by his selfishness. He could be a superstar and a compassionate person at the same time, however he has convinced himself it is impossible. The homeless man knows this but Kendrick rejects it anyway stating "every nickel is mines to keep".

He used to pinch pennies and now he has graduated to nickels. I believe this was Kendrick's way of telling the listener he still believed this version of himself was nothing but small change. Although this represents a graduation of sorts it is still cheap metal, because that is what Kendrick represents at this point.

His failure to care for others is what truly limits his potential.

The homeless man then reveals himself to be God and Kendrick loses a spot in heaven due to selfishness.

Isley begins the outro from Kendrick's perspective, and what he hopes will become the listener's perspective. This marks a change in prose. The former verse-breakers were sung from the hearts of each character, but this verse is not sung for the homeless man.

Kendrick acknowledges he was wrong and acquiesced in his problems after talking to God. He washes his hands and says grace, asking what more God wants from him and the next lines reveal his purpose. His tears fall like those of a clown once he recognizes what a joke he had become. He knows that he isn't the most important person in his life and that nothing will change if the only changes he make are for himself.

The last line two lines might be my favorite in the song.

"Shades of grey will never change if I condone" "Turn this page, help me change to right/write my wrongs"

He speaks directly to the listener asking for them to turn the page and change as he does.

He asks for help to right his wrongs, but the line has another more significant meaning.

He is also writing his wrongs as a message to the listener. He knows that it means nothing if they don't also keep the lesson near and dear.

submitted by /u/bplnqd
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[FRESH MIXTAPE] Wale - Before I Shine

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 04:52 PM PDT

A video I made analyzing the wave of Lil Uzi Vert's, and how he has been able to thrive and stay on top for over a year now

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 10:34 AM PDT

[FRESH] Lupe Fiasco - ANKH:HER

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 09:21 AM PDT

FADER's take on NAV using the N-word, and its larger cultural implications on South Asian identity (interesting read)

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 12:59 PM PDT

HHH has the 4th most "fucks" among Reddit's subs (x-post from dataisbeautiful)

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 09:32 PM PDT

Here's the infograph.

OP was u/clardata6249 - I take no credit, I'm just crossposting the original post.

The only three subs that say "fuck" more than we do:

CringeAnarchy

BlackPeopleTwitter

Australia

How do you fucks feel about this?

submitted by /u/CranberryMoonwalk
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Drake - Over (Explicit)

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 08:20 PM PDT

Joey Bada$$ Clears Up 2Pac Comment + Talks J Cole's Feature On 'All-Amerikkkan Badass'

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 02:48 PM PDT

Chief Keef - Love Sosa

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 05:10 AM PDT

[FRESH] Tinashe - Flame

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 08:16 PM PDT

[FRESH] SKI MASK THE SLUMP GOD - SLMD REMIX (RIP BERNIE MAC)

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 05:18 AM PDT

Fredo Santana ft. Kendrick Lamar - Jealous

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 02:56 PM PDT

Migos | Kelly Price (feat. Travis Scott) | Making Of The Beat

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 10:12 AM PDT

[FRESH] Young Thug - Smash [Prod. By London On Da Track]

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 10:49 PM PDT

Daily Discussion Thread 03/15/2017

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 08:00 AM PDT

Welcome to the /r/hiphopheads daily discussion thread!

This thread is for:

  • objective questions with right/wrong answers (e.g. "Does anyone know what is happening with MIXTAPE?", "What is the sample in SONG?")
  • general hip-hop discussion
  • meta posts...e.g. ideas for the sub

Thread Guidelines

  • Do not create a separate self post for these types of discussions outside of this thread - if you do, your post will be removed.

  • Please be helpful and friendly.

  • If a question has been asked many times before, provide a link to a thread that contains the answer.

Other ways to interact

There are a number of other ways to interact with other members of HHH:

submitted by /u/AutoModerator
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Lil Wayne - D'usse

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 07:21 AM PDT

[FRESH] Xavier Wulf & IDONTKNOWJEFFERY - 100s And Hope

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 04:56 PM PDT

Kendrick Lamar made a love song for Beyonce!

Posted: 15 Mar 2017 08:44 PM PDT
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