NYE 2018 General Discussion Thread - HipHop

The Alchemist (Alc for short) has set a standard of both quantity and quality over the years due to his ability to always sound fresh despite the sheer volume of his output, and 2018 is no different. After starting the year off with 4 production credits and a feature on Evidence's Weather or Not (check out "Sell Me This Pen", it's great), Alc released the 4 track EP Lunch Meat in April. Featuring verses from ‪Action Bronson‬, ‪Roc Marciano‬, Westside Gunn, Conway, Styles P and Benny the Butcher, Lunch Meat was a bite-sized release that set to highlight Alc's contributions within New York's bustling street rap scene that's had a resurgence within recent years thanks in no small part to Marci & co. Dusty percussion, jazzy horns and keys, soulful string sections and the occasional old-timey vocal sample would combine to create a surprisingly thorough tape that captured both the grandeur and grittiness of the Empire State. The whole thing is worth a listen of course, but if you had to peep one track I'd recommend "The Hopeless Romantic". Bronson tackles the solo track with ease, delivering some characteristically outrageous bars over a drumless horn band sample fit to match his larger than life persona.

He would go on to have a rather quiet summer, providing production to 3 tracks on Westside Gunn's Supreme Blientele and adding 2 more tracks to his Craft Singles vinyl series, "In Case You Forgot" with ‪Roc Marciano‬ and "Universal Studios" with ‪Wiz Khalifa‬. ‪On September 21‬, Alc took to Instagram to announce Bread along with the tracklist, and on November 24 revealed the EP would release 6 days later on the 30th. Based on both the culinary name and the collage styled artwork that bore resemblance to Lunch Meat's cover, it seemed that Bread would serve as a "sequel" of sorts to that EP, and the circle of rappers featured certainly supported that. On the music side of things Alc seemed to be picking up steam. Aside from dropping two long awaited tracks featuring Westside Gunn, Conway and ‪ScHoolboy Q‬ on his own label ("94' Ghost Shit" and "Fork in the Pot"), he also provided beats for Gunn's third project of the year, as well as for Roc Marciano's second, Benny the Butcher's third, and the entirety of Curren$y and Freddie Gibbs' Fetti. On November 27, 3 days before Bread was set to release, the Earl Sweatshirt headed "E. Coli" dropped along with a weird ass music video (NSFW). On the following Friday, the full project was made available on all streaming services.

Review - provided by /u/yung_hokage_stef

Now, with a preface like that it's kind of hard to follow it up with a review for something that's only 13 minutes long (25 if you count the instrumentals), but I'll do my best. Despite its brevity, Bread succeeds not only in providing a substantial amount of sonic variety within its old school niches, but also in creating a cohesive listening experience that is near cinematic. There isn't much to go off of with this project, at least on the surface, but for the brief time that it is here it does its best to make every moment count. In a year where its become common to mischaracterize shorter albums as having "zero-filler" simply because of their quicker runtime, it is something like Bread that properly exemplifies that idea. Even though this is a review focused on The Alchemist and the project released under his name, in a way this writeup also serves as a mini analysis towards each of the featured artists here. Alc has crafted an environment in which each respective MC is in one's element, and in doing so he has showcased the unique qualities they possess that have led them to become a force in the underground. It would only be fair for me to treat this like a group effort as opposed to a composition with guests that come and go. After all, this is a display of the tried-and-true relationship between the rapper and the DJ in full force.

Let's get this bread.

The EP begins with "Ray Mysterio", handled by brothers and Griselda collective founders Westside Gunn and Conway, viewed by many to be the modern day Ghost and Rae under their duo name Hall N' Nash. The track opens up with soft, snappy drums that lumber back and forth on the beat, supplied by the sounds of distant open bongo slaps. A faint ascending piano scale can be heard in the background while a female vocal sample wistfully harmonizes, slowly evaporating before looping into the next bar. Within just the first few seconds all of these moving parts, minimal on their own, come together to not only create something pleasant to the ears but evoke a hazy feeling of nostalgia. Visions of yachts, speedboats, white sand beaches and Mediterranean coastlines through the grainy lens of a 70's film camera instantly spring to mind as the song bleeds into warm, vague memories of rest and relaxation. It's not unlike the aesthetic commonly conjured up by ‪Harry Fraud‬'s production, and it would probably fit right in on a Curren$y project helmed by him.

Before you can get too comfortable though, Gunn lets out a barrage of his signature "ayo" and "brrrrrrr" ad-libs to kick off his verse. Detailing the Griselda customs: high fashion, coke business, organized crime and self-made fortunes, Gunn delivers a laid back, loosely structured flow to perfectly match the tone set by the instrumental. As usual with Gunn, the bars here do little to deviate from his typical writing style, and it's hard to say he holds a candle to his peers in a technical sense, but what he lacks in those departments he certainly makes up for in charisma. With the ruthlessness and disdain of a young Ghostface, Westside Gunn truly feels fitted for the self-appointed role of "Flygod", and its this quality that helps to make him a worthwhile artist. Conway's verse serves as a nice contrast, delivered with more technical precision and emphasized rhyme schemes. Bragging about his supremacy over other rappers and his kill at will attitude, Con brings the track to a satisfying close. His best performance is yet to come though. After a short interlude comprised of film dialogue and warped soul instrumentation, the track segues into "Roman Candles".

"Roman Candles" features Roc Marciano and ‪Black Thought‬ on their second collab of 2018, with the first being "Diamond Cutters" from Roc's Behold a Dark Horse. Whereas "Ray Mysterio" eases you in with its vacation-like atmosphere, "Roman Candles" grabs your attention right out the gate with an upbeat drum break that bursts into a triumphant trumpet loop. It's this abrupt introduction that I'd consider the first example of Bread's cinematic qualities previously mentioned. You don't feel like you've transitioned to the second song, but rather, the second act, a mere passing of the torch towards what this tape aspires to be. If "Ray Mysterio" was the opening credits, this is the beginning action sequence. Continuing his near flawless streak of features this year (not to mention projects), Roc wastes no time in showcasing his absolute mastery of internal rhyme beginning his verse with:

Ugh, Hawaiian shorts shit, four-fifths, Porsche stick

Cut the dog's shit, fuck a whore, never courtship

Knocked a couple whores down, raw, never caught shit

Got a gorgeous dick, I was fortunate, you fraudulent

Despite cramming any instance of assonance he can into his lyrics, never does it feel like Roc is trying to force a rhyme scheme for the sake of "bars, bruh". He has the ability to weave together multisyllabic rhymes like it's nothing, all while piecing together several non-sequiturs that together help to establish the near deity-like image he upholds. At this point the opening drums have faded, replaced by an occasional muted drum roll in the background as the track remains anchored both by the driving trumpets and Roc's dominant vocal performance. Here, Alc employs the mantra of "less is more". With only 2 main elements to most of this song's instrumental he still manages to make the track feel "full". Compare this minimalism to "Ray Mysterio" and the next track on this project, and you can see no matter what tools Alc is given he knows how to use them to their fullest potential.

As Roc's verse comes to a finish the momentum of the track persists as ‪Black Thought‬ makes a spirited entrance with a hunger that's been with him for 2 decades backed by a muffled soul sample. Similar to Roc's verse, Thought details the finer things in life: art auctions, orchestral concerts, gastropubs, but what makes this verse stand out is how it mirrors Roc's rhymes and flows. To mimic his opening lines, Thought opens up with:

Ugh, higher cause shit, Thought shit

Triple black Maserati Sport skrtin' out the crib porch yeah

Auction at Sotheby's, I bought a rare portrait

The City of Brotherly's an iron clad fortress

and this verbal symmetry continues for nearly the entire verse. Aside from being an effective use of repetition, to me this decision really enhances the feeling of collaboration. These verses weren't just sent in and laid over the instrumental (at least it doesn't appear that way). Instead, this song is the product of Thought and Roc making an effort to assemble two verses that build off and compliment each other, and the great end result is a testament to the unexpected amount of chemistry these two have. This very "hands-on" approach is something that can be felt all over Bread. After Thought's verse ends, the previewed soul sample plays out in full before the track combusts in a cacophony of piercing synths, leading the way for "Mac 10 Wounds".

"Mac 10 Wounds" is a track that took me and many other listeners by surprise. Headed solely by Conway, the potential of this track seemed relatively understated when the star-studded tracklist initially dropped. As it stands now though, it's my favourite off the project, and is host to one of the hardest beats of the year. It starts off on an ominous tone, with excerpts from both ‪The Terminator‬ and Taxi Driver woven together referencing scenes in which the main characters purchase guns for the purpose of murder, foreshadowing the topic at hand. As the firearms are cocked a shrill guitar arpeggio begins to loop, accompanied by a bassy surf guitar strum invoking a sense of doom. From there the track starts rolling as the strings continue and a dusty kick drum emerges to form what sounds like the soundtrack to Boyz n the Hood meets Halloween.

Conway starts his verse off on a strong note, referencing the time he got shot in the face twice and his old days of selling coke to his mother. Backed by the ongoing kick drum, Con's words hit you like a brick to the face as the instrumental's intensity only continues to ramp up. Synthesized guitar notes play in unison with the other string elements further increasing the aggression as the track perpetually builds towards a climax that never comes. For all intents and purposes, this beat is a mess, though there is method to the madness. At no point does "Mac 10 Wounds" feel overproduced or mismanaged, but rather a deliberate sense of chaos. A panicked wall of sound made only to compliment Conway's hyperviolent vignettes, which only get more grim as the track carries on. Just as Con starts to pick up his flow the beat cuts off making way for a jazz lounge snippet before progressing to the second part of the track.

The slow kick drum is replaced with a steadier drum beat as haunting piano keys are synchronized with the dusty thuds. The track has now gone a much more skeletal route, shedding its veneer of high class theatrics to paint a picture reminiscent of the bleak streets of Buffalo, NY, Conway's origin. An applause breaks out in the background once again adding to Bread's cinematic feel. At this moment you're long past the point of listening to an EP, but instead witnessing a production. After a much needed breather, Conway dives into his second helping of bars with a more laid back flow, still cold and calculated as ever ending the track on a high note. It's been a while since I've heard Conway with as much ambition as this. "Refined griminess" has always been his schtick within the Griselda camp but for a while I found that he was stuck in a rut, never truly challenging himself, choosing instead to coast on the idea of being "grimiest of all time". While his output has been on the upswing for the second half of the year, "Mac 10 Wounds" is the culmination of several attempts to capture the aesthetic he aimed for since the release of G.O.A.T.. It's definitely one of my favourite Alc beats in recent memory, and easily one of Conway's best works.

Lastly, we have "E. Coli" with a newly risen Earl Sweatshirt, a song that would've been much better suited for an EP titled Salad. This track was the main attraction of Bread for many users I imagine, and it stands out as being a black sheep of sorts. Even with Earl and Alc's tight relationship, it was a bit of a surprise to see Earl on the tracklist of a street rap oriented release. Despite co-signing several artists within NY's current underground Earl hadn't really worked together or associated with them much (though this did change with Some Rap Songs, among other collabs), and overall the feel of this track does differ from the other 3 quite a bit. Nevertheless, "E. Coli" serves as a great addition to the project, especially as a conclusion.

It kicks off with an airy female vocal sample harmonizing alongside minimal drums. The sound of violins can be heard playing in tune creating a graceful instrumental of pure bliss, light as a feather, almost too delicate to rap on. The occasional warbly synths are a neat touch, bringing an almost futuristic element to the otherwise antique aesthetic the track holds. Combined, these sounds give off the feeling of an old sci-fi B-movie from the 60's, making the aforementioned music video a uniquely great fit. Earl commences his verse with an appropriately poetic reflection on his mental state which sets the stage for the EP's final presentation. Utilizing the off-beat flow and minimalistic writing he's grown accustomed to, he delivers a brief chronicle on the changes he's made for the better in an attempt to get a new lease on life. It isn't all sunshine and rainbows, but rather the admission of past struggles, the acknowledgement of the burden it carries still, and most importantly, the acceptance needed to persevere. It's a perspective that's nothing short of beautiful, and it's communicated perfectly through both Earl's passages and Alc's musicianship. It also acts as a nice refresher because up to this point, while the writing has been great, there's been very little in the way of actual substance throughout this EP, so a track with a bit more of an angle to it really adds another face to the project. As Earl's verse concludes, a snippet from a ‪Miles Davis‬ interview speaking on the value of knowledge occupies the tail end of the track, tying the idea of finding value in life to a fitting conclusion. The beat fades into obscurity, and the curtains close.

Conclusion

And just as quickly as it starts, Bread comes to an end. And yet, it doesn't feel unfulfilling or underdeveloped. In fact, it's a pretty dense 13 minutes, assuming you don't choose to lose yourself in the instrumentals immediately after. This year has been pretty important for every artist involved in some way, shape or form. Roc Marciano dropped 3 well received albums in RR2: The Bitter Dose, Behold a Dark Horse, and Kaos. ‪Black Thought‬ began his solo career with his Streams of Thought mixtapes. Westside Gunn released the long awaited follow-up to his debut with Supreme Blientele along with the mixtapes FLYGOD is Good…All the Time and Hitler Wears Hermes 6. Conway had a string of releases peppered throughout the year with Everybody is F.O.O.D and Untitled Drums ranking among his best. And finally, Earl released his anticipated third album showing vast amounts of growth both as an artist and as a human being (though that can wait until the Some Rap Songs writeup). This combined effort acts as a nice cherry on top to cap off the monumental year these individuals had, adding to Bread's importance to me personally.

Alc has once again shown off not only his proficiency as a producer on this EP, but as a true artist. This EP isn't just 4 beats made by Alc with his friends rapping on them played in an order defined by a tracklisting. It's a fully executed vision, a mood, an idea that involved reaching out to several parties to offer their talents, and what we got was something special. While it may not be a full course meal, it's a hell of an appetizer, and I'm certainly in the mood for seconds.

Favourite Lyrics

Turn Judas for them Yeezy Season 3s

The pump's in the sleeves, don't make a nigga reach

Westside Gunn, "Ray Mysterio"

Kill a hossa, I'm realer than a river monster

Roc Marciano, "Roman Candles"

Get caught trippin' and visit the mortician

Right with the shortlist of niggas who support snitchin'

‪Black Thought‬, "Roman Candles"

You lose a part on your body when the K cut you

I say "fuck you!" nigga

I might drop you from the top of your projects, they'll have to scrape up you

Conway, "Mac 10 Wounds"

My thoughts, dreams, plots and my schemes

That's what's on my mind when I toss in my sleep

My heart like a pen when I jot and it bleed

My cart full of sin when I shop it's a spree

Earl Sweatshirt, "E. Coli"

Talking Points

How does this EP compare to Lunch Meat?
Do you find that Alc's works are better suited for smaller releases such as this as opposed to full on albums à la Russian Roulette? Do you think he could maintain the quality of his solo discography if he chose to stick to EP's in between producing for other people's projects?
It's not uncommon for producers who become popular to grow stale shortly after through over saturation. For somebody who releases so much music, both for himself and for other artists, what do you think makes Alc's production so interesting and sought after all these years despite the sheer quantity of it?
As of late Alc has produced almost exclusively for New York's current circle of underground artists. Is there another group/scene in particular you'd like to see Alc adopt and collaborate closely with in the same fashion as with New York's street scene?

There's a decent chance this writeup is longer than the actual EP so if you've made it this far shout outs to you. Thanks for taking the time to read it, I had a lot of fun writing it and am glad I was able to contribute to one of my favourite traditions of the sub.

submitted by /u/yung_hokage_stef
[link] [comments]

Mac Miller - Party On Fifth Ave

Posted: 31 Dec 2018 09:15 AM PST

submitted by /u/slippery-salamander
[link] [comments]

[FRESH] Noname - Song 31

Posted: 31 Dec 2018 09:04 PM PST

submitted by /u/NFZHunter
[link] [comments]

Snoop Dogg Says Abandoned Dog Named Snoop Can Stay With Him

Posted: 31 Dec 2018 05:39 PM PST

submitted by /u/anime_is_for_losers1
[link] [comments]

[FRESH] YBN Cordae - What's Life

Posted: 31 Dec 2018 10:14 AM PST

submitted by /u/BotizYT
[link] [comments]

Ski Mask The Slump God & Xxxtentacion - H20

Posted: 31 Dec 2018 01:42 PM PST

submitted by /u/usedtimecapsule
[link] [comments]

Death Grips Interview

Posted: 31 Dec 2018 09:50 AM PST

submitted by /u/kirashady
[link] [comments]

Mac Miller & Chiddy Bang - Heatwave

Posted: 31 Dec 2018 03:29 PM PST

submitted by /u/hawkonawalk
[link] [comments]

Young Fathers on the Influence of Chaos and Dystopia. "Maybe our next album will be prog rock."

Posted: 31 Dec 2018 10:51 AM PST

submitted by /u/kylemeredith
[link] [comments]

ASAP Twelvyy - Last Year Being Broke - HAPPY NEW YEARS

Posted: 31 Dec 2018 09:00 PM PST

submitted by /u/ushersherpes
[link] [comments]

Westside Connection - The Gangsta, The Killa, and The Dope Dealer

Posted: 31 Dec 2018 08:19 AM PST

submitted by /u/kramste
[link] [comments]

[FRESH] Yung Bans - Water Team (Ft. Sahbabii)

Posted: 31 Dec 2018 05:46 PM PST

submitted by /u/rodyhaidar
[link] [comments]

Eminem - Buffalo Bill

Posted: 31 Dec 2018 06:23 AM PST

submitted by /u/BotizYT
[link] [comments]

Pi'erre Bourne is producing a track for A$AP Rocky called "Rocket"

Posted: 31 Dec 2018 11:05 PM PST

https://imgur.com/a/8f7TQjY

This was previously posted on his story on 12/31/18. He also posted a two second snippet of the track. Solely guessing, the track would likely appear as a single or on Rocky's next project (which is rumoured to be ALL$MILES).

submitted by /u/Glaucaa
[link] [comments]

A$AP Rocky - Issues (Mastered Leak)

Posted: 31 Dec 2018 04:41 PM PST

submitted by /u/nwaaask
[link] [comments]

Layzie Bone Admits His Feelings Are Hurt “It hurts to see who haven’t supported my latest movements”

Posted: 31 Dec 2018 08:34 AM PST

https://youtu.be/4yhOcLbPTz8

submitted by /u/theelementchaplin
[link] [comments]

Bladee - Be Nice to Me

Posted: 31 Dec 2018 01:05 PM PST

submitted by /u/ElloJelloMellow
[link] [comments]

Nas (ft. The-Dream & Kanye) - Everything