Album of the Year 2018 #32: BROCKHAMPTON - iridescence - HipHop |
- Album of the Year 2018 #32: BROCKHAMPTON - iridescence
- Daily Discussion Thread 01/02/2019
- ASAP Bari to Stand Trial for Sexual Assault in the U.K.
- The Mac Miller Circles Fund Has Raised 700k Since His Death
- Amazon accidentally leaks info regarding James Blake’s new album (spoilers within)
- Coachella Lineup Announced for 2019
- Young Thug visits gallery to see 'Young Thug as Paintings' collection
- Lil Pump announces in new instagram post new single “Butterfly Doors” dropping Friday.
- Nujabes - World's End Rhapsody
- Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein ALBUM REVIEW
- DJ Whoo Kidd Talks About Eminem Shooting Up His Hotel Room While Touring With G-Unit
- Airplanes Pt.2- B.o.B ft Eminem and Hayley Williams
- Conway details his Shady Records Debut Album. Says its 100% done and has “Big Names” on it.
- Boogie - Self Destruction [Official Music Video]
- Milo - mid answer trying to remember what the question is
- Comethazine releases Bawskee 2 tracklist, dropping 1/11/19
- Andre Nickatina - Conversation With A Devil
- Rap Radar: GRISELDA - Westside Gunn, Conway & Benny
- Pitchfork Gives Bad Bunny's X 100PRE an 8.2
- Action Bronson & The Alchemist - Rare Chandeliers
- [FRESH] Ramirez x Boobie Lootaveli - Van Glock (Prod. Zane)
- T.I. - Memories Back Then ft. B.o.B., Kendrick Lamar (Official Music Video)
- Freeway - What We Do ft. Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel
- [Fresh] SMOKEASAC - i dont wanna hate mysef (EP)
- I remade the beat J Cole did on his Tour Bus
Album of the Year 2018 #32: BROCKHAMPTON - iridescence Posted: 02 Jan 2019 11:26 AM PST Artist: BROCKHAMPTON Album: Tracklist: Wikipedia Released: September 21, 2018 Listen: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Best Boy Band Since One Direction8 years ago, a user under the name of "harry styles" opened a thread on a Kanye West discussion forum with one simple question. "Anybody wannna make a band?" Many replies later, over 30 people ended up agreeing and formed a group consisting of not only rappers and producers, but engineers, designers, and videographers. They called themselves Alive Since Forever and released only one project, a self-titled EP on Bandcamp. Some members of the group decided to rebrand, some left, and some new members were added. On January 27, 2015, BROCKHAMPTON released their first official single, a 6 minute track called BET I. BROCKHAMPTON released two more singles that year, HERO and DIRT, with the latter winning a contest that gave them their first professionally shot music video. On March 24, 2016, BROCKHAMPTON released their first project, a mixtape entitled ALL-AMERICAN TRASH. At this point, BROCKHAMPTON consisted of 16 members, with 13 of these members still remaining in the group today. I won't list them all (here's a list of the current members), but the main players are Kevin Abstract, Matt Champion, Merlyn Wood, Dom McLennon, Joba, Bearface, and Romil Hemnani. The group derived their name from [the name of a street in Corpus Christi, Texas,] on which Kevin used to live. The group garnered a decent amount of attention at this point, and after the release of Kevin Abstract's second studio album in November 2016, American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story, more music sites started to become aware of the group and its eclectic, indie-influenced approach to hip hop. In January 2017, the group released a standalone single named CANNON. It was apparent at this point they were on the path to refining their sound, experimenting, and finding themselves. However, what wasn't apparent is that they were about to kick off what would become one 2017's biggest success stories, a carefully executed rapid-fire punch of albums that would launch the group into public consciousness and earn them one of hip hop's most dedicated fanbases. On May 6, 2017, BROCKHAMPTON released FACE, the first single off of their debut album, SATURATION. Between then and the album's release, they dropped 3 other singles, the fiery and harsh HEAT, the irrefutably catchy GOLD, and the infinitely quotable STAR. Around the time STAR was released, the sub caught on and the group gained tons of new fans overnight. However, shortly after SATURATION released on June 9, 2017, the internet's busiest music nerd, Anthony Fantano, uploaded a review of SATURATION on his channel, awarding the album the high praise of a 9/10. This helped the group attain even more awareness, propelling their prospects to new heights. Now, any artist hot off of a release that garnered them tons of exposure would celebrate this success, release another single or two off the album, and plan their next release. BROCKHAMPTON did not do this. In fact, the group released a single, LAMB, two days before the album's release that was rumored to be off a completely different album. The song ended up not making the cut, but BROCKHAMPTON did announce SATURATION II less than a month after the release of the first one. SATURATION II was predated by four singles, GUMMY, SWAMP, JUNKY, and SWEET. SATURATION II released on August 25, 2017, and even managed to debut at #57 on the Billboard 200. Surely, the group would take a break at this point, right? Wrong. Alongside SWEET, they surprised fans releasing yet another loose single, FOLLOW and an announcement that their third and final album would be released before the year's end. SATURATION III only had two singles, the bombastic fan favorite, BOOGIE and the somber, atmospheric STAINS. However, the group also released videos for RENTAL and ZIPPER, released one day before and a month after the album, respectfully. They also released a short film, BILLY STAR a few days before the album which featured a few songs that would end up on the record. SATURATION III debuted at #15 on the Billboard 200, selling 36,418 album-equivalent units. And with that ended the Saturation Trilogy. However, just before the album's release, once again BROCKHAMPTON teased the future, announcing that they weren't ready to call it quits yet (big surprise) and announced their fourth album, TEAM EFFORT, which would be released in 2018. BROCKHAMPTON were riding a continuous high that spanned the latter half of 2017, and things were just about to get started. In March 2018, they announced that they were shelving TEAM EFFORT to work on a summery record, tentatively titled PUPPY. A week afterwards, a PSA delivered by Jaden Smith was posted to their YouTube stating that BROCKHAMPTON signed with RCA. They announced a new tour that had them performing huge sets at festivals like Governor's Ball and Coachella that would surely increase their fanbase substantially. 2018 looked like the year where BROCKHAMPTON would make it big, and with two albums slated for release, it appeared as if 2018 would be even bigger than 2017. And it was. But not the way they wanted. The Best Years Of Our LivesAmeer Vann was the face of all three SATURATION covers, and was on almost every single song the band has ever recorded. After performing a shaky Boston Calling set on May 26, 2018 without Ameer, the group decided to cancel their summer tour. The next day, it was announced that Ameer Vann was no longer a part of BROCKHAMPTON. The group maintained all but radio silence until appearing on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon less than a month later, where they debuted TONYA, the reflective lead single of a record called The Best Years of Our Lives. A few months later, they announced their Beats 1 Radio show, Things We Lost in the Fire, and debuted 3 new singles over the course of July: 1999 Wildfire, 1998 Truman, and 1997 Diana. The three singles referenced various films and pop culture moments during the 1990s, and fans speculated that Tonya Harding's controversy in 1994 meant that these tracks were all part of their forthcoming album. However, that forthcoming album never came. On August 26, 2018, BROCKHAMPTON announced that their fourth studio album, iridescence, would be releasing in September. BROCKHAMPTON's iridescence was recorded primarily at Abbey Road Studios and Kevin stated that the record was inspired by Radiohead's Kid A, which meant no singles. This led to wild speculation. What would the album sound like? Were any of the singles on the album? Would the group address losing a member? A few weeks later, the cover and tracklist were revealed, and the only previously released song on the album was TONYA. Fans waited for a long long week until the album's release, and many wondered if the group would lose fans with multiple scrapped albums and zero singles. BROCKHAMPTON released one video shortly before the album's release in America, a violent and hectic video for a track called J'OUVERT. On September 21, iridescence was released. Thanks to some cleverly-placed merch bundles, it went on to sell a staggering 101,000 album-equivalent units and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. They went on to support their biggest tour yet, selling out mid-range venues like Terminal 5 or The Observatory for multiple nights. iridescence is the first album in a trilogy titled The Best Years of Our Lives, and the other two parts are yet to be announced. The only thing that is confirmed is that we are all in for another wild ride in the future. Take It All Or Leave ItFrom the opening moments of iridescence, it's clear the record is a radical departure from their past work. BROCKHAMPTON trades their monstrous hooks and unorthodox hip hop production for industrial-inspired experimentations rife with sparse piano, dissonant percussion, and some of the harshest synths they've given us yet. NEW ORLEANS kicks off things pretty harshly, seguing from Matt Champion's "perfectly fine" quip to a hurried Dom verse over a pervasive whine and pulsing, distorted bass. They waste no time throwing you into the thick of it, and while this level of energy isn't sustained throughout the album, iridescence's more inaccessible tracks end up being some of the most realized. Take something like the near-solo Merlyn track WHERE THE CASH AT, where this pulsating synth returns to accompany sporadic drums and shutter sounds, making for one of the greatest displays of dissonance on the record. DISTRICT is another highlight, a song that starts off with a pitch-shifted chorus over a bittersweet string quartet before synths crash and multiple hooks unravel. The aforementioned J'OUVERT is potentially the hardest track on the album, with a drudgingly heavy instrumental and some anxiety-inducing synths that set up the stage for Joba's no-holds-barred monster of a verse, easily one of the strongest on the album. That isn't to say that iridescence is a complete departure from BROCKHAMPTON's brand of indie-esque rap – the album still has some cuts that would make the most esteemed BROCKHAMPTON fan remniscent. However, instead of simply rehashing older tracks, they take some of their earlier ideas and refine, retune, and reimagine them. SAN MARCOS is comparable to early SATURATION tracks such as SWIM and SUNNY, two very summery guitar-laden and introspective tracks. However, it doesn't start that way, instead opening with a raspy, static-filled Matt Champion verse. You expect the rash and disorienting instrumental to appear at any second, but instead, you're greeted with a shockingly mellow guitar. Bearface sings the chorus as various members question the security and genuineness of the people around them. It's a tender moment of respite that follows a flurry of fierceness, and when the song's outro kicks in and The London Community Gospel Choir arrives (the same choir on multiple tracks on the new 1975 album), it's easy to get lost in the sheer unbridled optimism and sense of euphoria unleashed in the song's final moments. However, it is really moments where things get wacky that help justify some of the choice to experiment on this record. HONEY feels like a glee-filled fever trip in terms of production, sampling not only Beyoncé's Dance For You, but also sampling BROCKHAMPTON's own song BUMP. The two push and pull over police sirens and autotuned vocals and it's a climax that feels so very BROCKHAMPTON yet would never be dreamt of occuring on an earlier release. THUG LIFE is another surprising moment on the album, as it directly follows the opening track, NEW ORLEANS, seguing from the aggressive synths to a calm and uplifting piano. Perhaps the wildest and farthest departure from complacency is the album's closer, FABRIC. Kevin Abstract and Dom deliver self-reflective verses that don't sound too off-kilter, but Joba gives an Eminem-like performance on his brief verse. The instrumental all but lacks percussion for the first half, instead littered with the odd vocal sample. After Bearface gives a muffled and imperceptible verse, the song marches on with a chant. "You don't understand why I can't get up and shout," Kevin proclaims over a yearnful instrumental that eventually deconstructs into an inescapable droning of drums. Admittedly, the album does skip a beat in the way of the group's dynamic – it's understandable why, as the dynamic was abruptly disrupted, but it's noticeable. That said, the album does feature some notable verses and it's easy to find lyrics up to the par of the SATURATION trilogy. The obvious standout verse on the entire record is Kevin's raw and intimate verse WEIGHT. He admits the feeling of succumbing to pressure with lines such as "They split my world into pieces, I ain't heard from my nieces/I been feeling defeated, like I'm the worst in the boyband" and "And every time she took her bra off my dick would get soft/I thought I had a problem, kept my head inside a pillow screaming." Joba, like the rest of the group, deals with some demons on iridescence, and on songs like TAPE he reflects on his past experiences of drinking and driving to escape suicidal episodes with lines like "And between the tick-tocks, speeding down the one-way/Fuck these signs, fuck these lights, put my life on the line," tackling heavy thoughts with a lack of tact, laying everything out. He continues this momentum with the honesty on J'OUVERT, where he delivers quips such as "Misunderstood since birth/Fuck what you think, and fuck what you heard" and "Should have known better, wish that I was better/At dealing with the fame and you fake motherfuckers." In fact, the entire album is filled with quotable lines, from Bearface's "Baby boy, why you lookin grimy as shit?" on BERLIN to Matt Champion's "¿Cómo se dice? Don't touch on me with them dedos" on VIVID to Joba's "Praise God! Hallelujah! I'm still depressed!" on DISTRICT. Times like this are where BROCKHAMPTON shine the most, when they deliver lines that stick with listeners far after the album's release. Above all, iridescence is about the struggle to stay afloat after attaining fame. Between SATURATION III and iridescence, BROCKHAMPTON went on a tour, and on that tour, they sold a hoodie that just had a phrase printed that said:
Now, this isn't a piece of merch for iridescence, but it's a phrase that seems especially suited for the prevalent themes of dealing with a meteoric rise in popularity in such a short span of time. The group tackles this throughout the entire album, from the short interlude lifted from a Cam'ron interview about knowingly being exploited in an attempt to make it big on LOOPHOLE to the especially biting testimonies from each group member on TONYA. Kevin laments a life different from the one he has, admitting "I deleted Facebook, I'll trade fame any day/For a quiet Texas place and a barbecue plate." Dom also expresses his desire for simpler times, admitting "I fantasize about a time when everything was simple/My shelter sheltered me from things I needed to commit to." Merlyn reveals his insecurities about succeeding in the music industry, admitting his "Daddy said 'Study or get that cash'/Mommy said 'Your career ain't gon last.'" That's not to say the album is all bleak – there's moments like the Kevin's cute tribute to his boyfriend, Jaden Walker, on SOMETHING ABOUT HIM, but at the end of the day, it's not a happy album. Kevin states it best on the album's closer, FABRIC:
In many ways, iridescence is a breakup record. It's a farewell to the SATURATION trilogy and the days of making music in a small home with a single couch, doing nothing but making music and being in the company of those who care about you. It's an honest acknowledgement that they can't return to their old life, that they must say goodbye to some freedom from omnipresent scrutiny. It's a reflection on what it means to part ways with a group member, but most importantly, a friend. A friend that many of them knew since high school. A friend who lied and hurt you and others. It was a tough decision, but one that needed to be made. They're no longer the high schoolers who met online and decided to start a band. Things change. What the fuck do you even do if you go from accumulating thousands of views on YouTube to a $15 million record deal and a #1 album in the span of a year? You write music about it. Perfectly FineHere are some of my favorite lyrics on the album that weren't already mentioned. NEW ORLEANS
THUG LIFE
WEIGHT
SAN MARCOS
TONYA
I Feel YouHere are some questions to consider.
Let's Get MarriedThank you for reading this whole writeup if you were able to get this far. I wanted to talk about my own relation with the group and why their music is so special to me, so here is some context about why this album was one of the most anticipated records of the year for me. Four years ago, before popheads was even born, I stumbled upon this comment in a daily discussion thread recommending a little record called MTV1987 for people who liked Kid Cudi and Childish Gambino. You can even see my dumb replies on other comments in the thread if don't believe me, but there's nothing special there honestly. Anyway, I decided to download this mixtape on a whim, which is not something I normally do. I went in completely blind and was blown away. As someone who grew up on this hellscape we call the internet, there weren't any artists outside of Childish Gambino writing music about being an awkward, lonely kid who spent their time online. However, one song completely floored me, and it was the 7 minute behemoth known as Drugs. The song switched back and forth from aggressive electronic rap verses to this vulnerable, catchy pop chorus. And it wasn't over then, the song then transforms into a sultry, pensive R&B cover of Cassie's Me & U. I was stunned. And I was hooked. I became obsessed with Kevin's music, eagerly awaiting what was next. He released ECHO in late 2015, a single that I absolutely overplayed. Nearly a full year later he released a full length record, American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story. I immediately picked up tickets to see him because I wasn't missing that, and I saw Kevin Abstract at the now-closed Webster Hall in New York City on March 20, 2017 (that's not my footage, sadly). The venue held 400 screaming teens and it was glorious. I still have the poster from this tour in my room. Kevin performed a few BROCKHAMPTON songs, but for the most part, he was trying to further his own solo career. At the time, I definitely preferred his work to BROCKHAMPTON's output, although I did really enjoy All-American Trash. However, things changed when he announced the SATURATION trilogy (shameless plug). I spent a lot of Summer 2017 just waiting for SATURATION and SATURATION II to come out, and when it was announced that BROCKHAMPTON would go on tour, I bought those tickets immediately. I saw them on 9/11/17 at Highline Ballroom, a 700 person venue. It was one of their first concerts and they played STAR 6 times. I spent much of that semester begging all my friends to listen, and a good amount of them actually did listen, and a few of my friends have now seen them live over 10 times. On October 21, 2018, I saw BROCKHAMPTON with the same group of friends who I mercilessly forced to listen, and this was at Terminal 5, a 3,000 person venue. The show sold out way faster than their first tour. I met a lot of fans waiting in line and we talked about our favorite songs, the merch we were all decked out in, and how the line extended far past the reaches of human sight. It's stupid and cheesy, but despite being only a few months younger than Kevin, I look up to him. I'm proud of the fact that I watched the boys' monthly Spotify plays soar from 3,000 to 3,000,000. It feels really weird for the little internet group I obsess over to have a #1 album and a swarm of fans, but I'm glad this has happened. I'm glad that I get to share my enthusiasm for this group with the world. Isn't that what this whole thing is about? [link] [comments] |
Daily Discussion Thread 01/02/2019 Posted: 02 Jan 2019 04:02 PM PST Welcome to the /r/hiphopheads daily discussion thread! This thread is for:
Thread Guidelines
Weekly/Monthly Threads Other ways to interact There are a number of other ways to interact with other members of HHH:
New to /r/hiphopheads or hip-hop in general? Check out these: [link] [comments] |
ASAP Bari to Stand Trial for Sexual Assault in the U.K. Posted: 02 Jan 2019 05:28 PM PST |
The Mac Miller Circles Fund Has Raised 700k Since His Death Posted: 02 Jan 2019 07:31 AM PST TMZ Article: The Mac Miller Circles Fund Has Raised 700k Since His Death Donate to "The Mac Miller Circles Fund"
Purchase Mac Merch: All proceeds go towards The Mac Miller Circles Fund [link] [comments] |
Amazon accidentally leaks info regarding James Blake’s new album (spoilers within) Posted: 02 Jan 2019 07:37 PM PST https://www.amazon.fr/Assume-Form-James-Blake/dp/B07LGN93WM/ https://www.hmv.co.jp/artist_James-Blake_000000000430854/item_Assume-Form_9484936 Title: Assume Form Releases January 18,2019 (AZ France says Jan25 but multiple other sites contradict this) FEATURES: Andre 3000 Travis Scott Moses Sumney Rosalia Metro Boomin TRACKLIST: 1. Assume Form 2. Mile High 3. Tell Them 4. Into the Red 5. Barefoot in the Park 6. Can't Believe the Way We Flow 7. Are You in Love? 8. Where's the Catch? 9. I'll Come Too 10. Power On 11. Don't Miss It 12. Lullaby for My Insomniac Thank you to SashaBolts of KTT for the info [link] [comments] |
Coachella Lineup Announced for 2019 Posted: 02 Jan 2019 08:39 PM PST The headliners are Childish Gambino, Tame Impala, and Ariana Grande. Other notable acts include: [link] [comments] |
Young Thug visits gallery to see 'Young Thug as Paintings' collection Posted: 02 Jan 2019 10:52 AM PST |
Lil Pump announces in new instagram post new single “Butterfly Doors” dropping Friday. Posted: 02 Jan 2019 01:07 PM PST |
Nujabes - World's End Rhapsody Posted: 02 Jan 2019 07:44 PM PST |
Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein ALBUM REVIEW Posted: 02 Jan 2019 06:42 PM PST |
DJ Whoo Kidd Talks About Eminem Shooting Up His Hotel Room While Touring With G-Unit Posted: 02 Jan 2019 07:45 PM PST |
Airplanes Pt.2- B.o.B ft Eminem and Hayley Williams Posted: 02 Jan 2019 10:33 PM PST |
Conway details his Shady Records Debut Album. Says its 100% done and has “Big Names” on it. Posted: 02 Jan 2019 05:37 AM PST |
Boogie - Self Destruction [Official Music Video] Posted: 02 Jan 2019 11:18 AM PST |
Milo - mid answer trying to remember what the question is Posted: 02 Jan 2019 12:19 PM PST |
Comethazine releases Bawskee 2 tracklist, dropping 1/11/19 Posted: 02 Jan 2019 01:00 PM PST |
Andre Nickatina - Conversation With A Devil Posted: 02 Jan 2019 10:34 AM PST |
Rap Radar: GRISELDA - Westside Gunn, Conway & Benny Posted: 02 Jan 2019 11:50 AM PST |
Pitchfork Gives Bad Bunny's X 100PRE an 8.2 Posted: 02 Jan 2019 10:18 PM PST |
Action Bronson & The Alchemist - Rare Chandeliers Posted: 02 Jan 2019 10:05 AM PST |
[FRESH] Ramirez x Boobie Lootaveli - Van Glock (Prod. Zane) Posted: 02 Jan 2019 06:14 PM PST |
T.I. - Memories Back Then ft. B.o.B., Kendrick Lamar (Official Music Video) Posted: 02 Jan 2019 09:57 PM PST |
Freeway - What We Do ft. Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel Posted: 02 Jan 2019 11:13 AM PST |
[Fresh] SMOKEASAC - i dont wanna hate mysef (EP) Posted: 02 Jan 2019 10:06 PM PST |
I remade the beat J Cole did on his Tour Bus Posted: 02 Jan 2019 01:57 AM PST So basically I loved this beat so much that it was one of the things that inspired me to take up music production. In some of the previous posts on the same link I saw that many of you have asked whether it was ever going to get released by Cole (guess the answer is probably no), so I decided to recreate the beat. You can hear it over on the link below, I added one of his acapellas on top for the sake of it, but if you guys want to hear it without, feel free to let me know. Link here: Hope you enjoy it :) EDIT: Some of you have asked for the version without the acapella, and the reason i didn't post that in the first place is because it isn't complete yet. There is also the piano part which i tried to play out at the end and replicate but it obviously fails pretty hard. Either way, here is that version, and it extends out a little bit. If you are going to lay some verses against this please please let me hear the outcome!! [link] [comments] |
You are subscribed to email updates from /r/HipHopHeads on Reddit. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States |