2020 - HipHop

Daily Discussion Thread 01/29/2020
Album of the Year #22: Slauson Malone - A Quiet Farwell, 2016-2018
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[FRESH VIDEO] CJ Fly - Show You (prod. Statik Selektah)

Daily Discussion Thread 01/29/2020

Posted: 29 Jan 2020 08:52 AM PST

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Album of the Year #22: Slauson Malone - A Quiet Farwell, 2016-2018

Posted: 29 Jan 2020 09:20 AM PST

Artist: Slauson Malone

Album: A Quiet Farwell, Twenty Sixteen to Twenty Eighteen

Label: Grand Closing

Release Date: April 18, 2019

LISTEN:

Background:

Even though Slauson would disagree, we must talk about the past that shaped this album to be what it is. Jasper Marsalis, otherwise known as Slauson Malone, is the son of renowned Grammy and Pulitzer prize winning musician Wynton Marsalis, of the famous Marsalis family. Due to his father's intense criticism of hip hop as an artform and his own creative pursuits, Slauson collaborated with fellow New York natives Gio Escobar, Caleb Giles, Lila Ramani of the indie rock band Crumb, and many others to form the group Standing on the Corner, whose genre presents itself as undefined. Slauson found the group to be freeing in the way he can experiment with different genres of music , so he and Gio were left disappointed by critics when their debut self-titled project was labeled as a hip-hop record. Due to personal and ideological reasons, Slauson left the group and began with the creation of a solo record when the production of his next collaborative effort with fellow New York artist Medhane slowed down. Thus, in collaboration with several rappers, singers, and instrumentalists who will be named when appropriate, A Quiet Farwell, 2016-2018 was released in April of 2019 in order to chronicle the experiences of the black diaspora in America through his personal lens; summarizing his thoughts between 2016 and 2018. While begrudgingly self labeled as hip-hop, the sounds on the project find itself rooted in the sound collage, blending hip-hop, jazz, and soul spaces occupied by black voices throughout the country. The content of this project can be cryptic on the initial experience but heavy and traumatic as one peels the layers of Slauson's fractured mindstate.

Disclaimer I am attempting to write this as a critical review of the album instead of an analysis like I did with my last write up. I will only touch on the themes briefly and will focus on if the way they are conveyed helps the album or takes away from it. If you would like to see an analysis of its themes let me know and I'll do one in a Daily Discussion or as a self post if that's allowed. I am also using the track titles as they appear on Bandcamp instead of their different versions that appear on streaming sites as the Bandcamp titles are purposeful to the content of the album despite how obnoxious they may seem.

Review

This is definitely an album that asks to be consumed as a whole rather than as individual pieces, but does that automatically make it a good project? Even when looking at the placement of songs, the lyrics, and transitions, A Quiet Farwell does not appear to be arranged in a coherent fashion. Sure, some transition seem purposeful, like the abrupt ending to the "180° Pole Shift Hypothesis" transitioning into "The Flying Africans board mothership Zong! To colonize the new nubian planet called X 'The World laughs as it turns another degree, hotter'". However, "02/26/12, Smile #2" (Feat. Maxo) is found before its predecessor on the tracklist, the same goes for the final two entries in the Smile series and the two THE MESSAGE tracks. "Fred Hampton's Door, Farewell Sassy- ...na" finds its lyrical themes in the previous track "I can make you feel freedom, Katri…" (feat. Pearl De Luna). Six tracks have dates attached to them, and not a single one is dated within the time frame the album was conceived in. All of these things have a purpose of course, but that is not made apparent to the listener and can hamper one's enjoyment of the project. Considering enjoyment, if you are someone who feels that other artists in the scene Slauson is in are not the most enjoyable, A Quiet Farwell will not do anything to change your mind. Sirens are abound; there is yelling everywhere; songs cut out unexpectedly; verses are distorted, muffled, cut short; vocal samples will break through a verse then retreat as suddenly as they appeared. There is even a jump scare. Even the most normal or traditional cuts off the album like "Smile 2", "Smile 1", and "Off Me! "The Wake" Pt. 1 & 2" (feat. Pink Siifu) have their own idiosyncrasies to them. And let's not forget the song titles: tracks 12 and 13 are full on sentences and what even is a "Ttrabul"? These elements are distracting to some listeners and like stated before, can hamper enjoyment of the project if the person believes that a project should not rely on external context to enjoy it. At its core, it's apparent that Slauson believes more in crafting a dense, cryptic novella on the black experience in America rather than creating a more palatable scape of those same issues ala To Pimp A Butterfly or Black on Both Sides. As Katherine Hoppe of Passion of the Weiss puts it, "The project, as a whole, is more concerned with thematic purpose rather than being easily digestible". But it is ALL of these things, and many more, that makes this album so intriguing and enjoyable to me. Yes, this album is not just a garbled mess of instruments and samples.

First, the sounds of the album. Live instrumentation is everywhere. Almost every bass, cello, piano is played courtesy of Slauson Malone, Nicky Wetherell, Maya Balkaran, and others who I have failed to mention. The use of such a tight knit group of musicians and lack of samples helps not only retain instrumental consistency, keeps the production sounding fresh and unique over the course of twenty tracks. While I cannot find any confirmation for this, the songs that do feature instrumental samples seem to employ a technique similar to what the Alchemist, Swarvy, and Liv.e did on Earl Sweatshirt's "MTOMB", where the original song is reconstructed into a cover, removing any trace of the original song. Unlike Swarvy reconstructing the beat by the Alchemist, Slauson seems to have reconstructed the original sample itself and incorporated those elements into the beat. "King Sisyphus of the Atlantic" (feat. Taphari) is one of the best samples I've heard in years, flipping "There's Nothing I Can Do About It" by Mike & the Censations. A song in three parts, the first third and the last share the same four second sample: the first third chopped, distorted, infused with sirens and horns here and there, and pitched high and low while only using about a second of the four total. The last third frees up the range of the sample by using all four seconds, and generally proceeds less abrasive than the first third. The beat on the last third adds breaks and delays before ending chopped and screwed. The middle third contains the most recognizable portion of the sample: a fading in, low pitched version of the song's chorus. Other sources of great production on the album include the cascading piano on "08/09/14, Smile #1" (feat. Caleb Giles), groovy bass on "WON'T BLEED ME: The Sequel", grandiose horns and progressive guitars and chanting tambourines on "Off Me! "The Wake" Pt. 1 & 2" (feat. Pink Siifu), and the instrument-like vocal modulation on "I can make you feel freedom, Katri…" (feat. Pearl De Luna).

For what is designated as a hip-hop album and not a beat tape, A Quiet Farwell is nearly barren of 16 bar traditional rap verses. Yet even though he is mainly a producer, Slauson's verses are some of the most powerful and emotionally poignant I heard last year. His bars are very short but each word is used to further deliver the projects message and themes. In fact one of this album's greatest strengths is that it he does not allow the vocal features to convey his points better than he does even though there are more features than he drops an actual verse. Going back to "King Sisyphus," the futility of the punished kings task is applied to his own life and the task of seeking recognition and fame for his craft:

Mama say, "go in"

Papa say, "boy stays"

No change, shit

All the same shit

No pay, like every day

Who to blame, who stay

Who not, or who got it

The brakes toward the end the production intend to place more emphasis on the lyrics that proceed them. In other tracks on this album, you can find other forms of interruptions that disrupt the flow of his verse, like the loud "FUCK" on "01/01/09, My feet's hurt "I was a fugitive but then I realized there was nowhere I could run to", or the "Waves" sample on the closer "Two Thousand Eighteen, Bye". While these additions can add to the feelings of anxiety and paranoia that the album exudes, they can be seen as negatives to the listener because it is not clearly explained why Slauson feels these emotions. It is like he adheres to the opposite end of the "Show, don't tell" doctrine, showing too much with the music rather than telling at least somewhat. The feature rap verses sometimes suffer a similar fate, as Medhane's verse is almost completely drowned under the repetition of the word "trouble." The intentionality shows though, as Slauson makes the most important parts of the verse creep through the music.

And I'm really tryna find a way,

There's nowhere for me to go and nowhere for me to run.

Yeah, debt tryna drown me.

These phrases all connect to the themes of future tracks on the album, the first to "I can make you feel freedom, Katri…", the second to "My feet's hurt," and the third to "King Sisyphus of the Atlantic." Slauson keeps thematic consistency in the feature verses, but it makes one wonder what the point of having an entire verse there when most of it is inaudible. Maxo's contributions on "Smile #2" and Standing on the Corner's saxophonist and solo artist Caleb Giles' verse on "08/09/14, Smile #1" are the most clear rap contributions to the project, not obscured and about as clear as you will get from a verse by one of these young New York cats. The line that starts out these verses "smile at the past when I see it" is a recurring motif in these two songs and the backbone of the entire album, so it is great that Slauson allowed these verses to shine. Then "Smile #4" says "Can't smile at the past when I see it", reaffirming his confliction and disdain for the past. Yet the sequencing of the album again damages its presentation, as the original phrase is said on "11/22/14 "I can't see", Smile #3", which is sequenced after "Smile #4", adding to the confusion in interpreting the themes. Pink Siifu's contribution on "Off Me!" parts 1 and 2 is an amalgamation of all of these things to bring about an overall positive, presenting one of the most unique meldings of lyrics and instrumental of the last decade. Seriously, just listen to the song, love it or not, you won't come away feeling disappointed.

Unlike the Medhane feature, none of the non-rap features come off as unpurposeful. On "I can make you feel freedom, Katri…", Pearl De Luna exhibits the freedom of death. On "180° Pole Shift Hypothesis", Billie Alexopoulus tells an apocalyptic story relating to the pervasive theme of the end of the world that is found all over this album and Standing on the Corner's "Red Burns." On "Uchromia", asks the listener to think as a black person and experience the contradictions we face from the perspectives of white America courtesy of his mother Victoria Rowell.

They mistake my silence as sadness

My mind is madness

My blackness is badness (My blackness is bad)

My smile is malice

Opinions invalid but exceptional talent

The world's a phallus

Cause I'm always gettin' pissed off

Lila Ramani of Crumb is all over this project, not overstaying her welcome and assisting Slauson for several of his singing performances. Overall, I do not have any complaints on that side.

No matter what your opinion is, you probably came away from A Quiet Farwell thinking at least it was one of the most interesting and intoxicating listens you have had. Whether its uniqueness damaged or highlighted your experience is up to you and how much you are willing to invest yourself in Slauson's perspective and ideas. Attempting to remove my bias from it and looking from an outside perspective, I would give the album a 7/10. From what I took away from the project, how I view its themes and production decisions, and the unlimited enjoyment I received, I give it a 9.5/10.

Favorite Songs

"Two Thousand Twelve, Outro"

"11/28/55, Ttrabul" (feat. Medhane)

"I can make you feel freedom, Katri…" (feat. Pearl De Luna)

"King Sisyphus of the Atlantic" (feat. Taphari)

"Treachery of Memories"

"01/01/09, My feet's hurt "I was a fugitive but then I realized there was nowhere I could run to"

"Off Me! "The Wake" Pt. 1 & 2" (feat. Pink Siifu)

"THE MESSAGE 2"

"Two Thousand Eighteen, Bye"

Favorite Lyrics (That I can actually understand)

Hopin' that the reaper don't get me

Bring me down like six feet

Thoughts of suicide, watch the time pass by

Life ain't been the same since acid died

-"Fred Hampton's Door, Farewell Sassy - ...na"

Mama says, "go in"

Papa says, "boy stays"

No change, shit

All the same shit

No pay, like every day

Who to blame, who stay

Who not, or who got it

Don't think about it cuz doubt it yeah I'm about

Ain't stoppin'

Still countin'

Live life while I'm drownin'

Take a bath in the fountain

Got my heart and I'm drownin'

Applause, noise, debt, loss, damn

This is what they mean

Applause, noise, debt, loss, damn

This is what they mean what it cost, damn

Hopin' that these fans cool me off, damn

Or this world

-"King Sisyphus of the Atlantic" (feat. Taphari)

I was on the roof fam

Contemplating truth and

Saw my self burnin'

And now I ain't runnin'

Whole life bad luck

They ain't trust us

Ain't the type to go and build trust

Stuck without us

Make a new dance about us

We drownin'

Make the pain go away, rain go away

Silly kind of sorrow

'Till I can't tell tomorrow

This time borrowed

This time borrowed

Imagine light without darkness

Or a mind without solace

This what mama promised

This what mama promised

-"01/01/09, My feet's hurt 'I was a fugitive but then I realized there was nowhere I could run to'"

Dead nigga in the street

Slave nigga industry

Mirror got me lookin' batshit

Mirror clear when I tap, lookin' back its a trap

Being with the kin, hit me back

Bring a wall up in my land

Are we front or goin' back?

Missin' where we goin'

Every bad tryna last, pain in my eyes

Payin' tax, getting back under fire

Stay alive when you're safe

Hit me back, when you're safe

Hit me back, I'll wait till you're there

-wait till you're there

-wait till you're there, called it way back

Blood like the water from the sky drip

-Pink Siifu, "Off Me! "The Wake" Pt. 1 & 2"

Throw you in the water

(Fallin,' slowly)

Turn your life to a martyr

(Standin')

Starin' at red and blue eyes

Blood purple skies

In the west, in the wake

Learn to swim, learn to sink

(Fallin')

Scream out

Reach out to be held

To be loved

When your cries turn to rain

-Slauson Malone, "Off Me! "The Wake" Pt. 1 & 2"

No matter how hard I try

Nothing seems to work

World still turns

But I tried, I tried

And nothing seems to work

World still burn

-"THE MESSAGE 2"

I feel tomorrow like I felt today

Cause all my days just been the same

Swear I ain't felt the sae

Swear I ain't the one to blame

I felt tomorrow like it's yesterday

Because the sun don't set it just go away

-"Two Thousand Eighteen, Bye"

Discussion Questions

-Favorite tracks? Least favorite?

-What were your first impressions? How do you feel now several months after release?

-What is your take away from this albums themes and what Slauson was trying to convey?

-Do you think Slauson was able to deliver the album's purpose well? How does the experimentation add or take away from its delivery?

-Most interesting parts of the album?

-If you've listened to them, how would you compare this project to Standing on the Corner's works?

-Where would you like to see Slauson go from here?

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Gorillaz reveal "Song Machine", an episodic series following the creation of brand new songs with new collaborators. This week's song "Momentary Bliss" will feature rapper slowthai and SLAVES. In direct opposition to the usual traditional release cycle, with spontaneous episodes throughout the year.

Posted: 29 Jan 2020 10:10 AM PST

submitted by /u/IGuessIRanOutOfChara
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[SHOTS FIRED] Pastor Troy goes off on a tangent about Lil Nas X, homosexuality, the Grammys, and Applebees. Lil Nas X responds.

Posted: 29 Jan 2020 01:25 PM PST

Pastor Troy: "Welp, Guess I won't be winning a GRAMMY...If this what I gotta wear. They love to push this shit on Our Kids!! The other day @applebees had some punks kissing and laughing eating mozzarella sticks. First Thing My 14 yr old Son said was, "F**** Applebee's" And It Brought Joy to My Heart!! He sees it...their agenda to take the masculinity from Men, Black Men Especially. Some may say, "He Making Money!!" Rupaul do too, but I ain't bumping his CD!!! Integrity is Priceless. Y'all Better open that 3rd Eye and let your Sons Know What Is Real...Or They Ass Gone Be Headed Down That Old Town Road Foreal!!~P.T. #TheyGoneRiiiiiiddddeeeTil theycantnomore #BlackOwnedandIndependent #NotMySons #ItAintWorthIt #Taketheroadlesstraveled #Youwillstillgetthere #DSGB #Wontbeonmypagelong

https://www.instagram.com/p/B759M19Ff0G/

Lil Nas X: damn i look good in that pic on god

https://twitter.com/LilNasX/status/1222571894483931136

Lil Nas X: thank u but the way i dress isn't for everyone. some people like it, some people don't. i have the upmost respect for myself. i wouldn't do anything i wasn't comfortable with.

https://twitter.com/LilNasX/status/1222584009374535682

Lil Nas X: pastor troy when he saw 2 n****s eating mozerella sticks

https://twitter.com/LilNasX/status/1222615376850235392

Pastor Troy: It worked. It worked perfectly! Because now all these f*****s on my page wanna fight me. See, that's that male aggression coming back out. See, you've just gotta let it hang out. Now you wanna fight. That's what I'm talking about. Be a man. Get the fuck off my page. I'm gonna take that shit down but I just had to let y'all know how I feel about it. If you wanna stop following me, good. But I ain't playing about mine and how I feel. You know about me, I was 20 years young and I don't be playing. There's a war going on, y'all better get to fightin. Amen.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B76Iz-3lYuM/

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[FRESH REVIEW] Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial ALBUM REVIEW

Posted: 29 Jan 2020 07:12 PM PST

submitted by /u/farquad_AMA
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[FRESH VIDEO] Maxo Kream - Drizzy Draco

Posted: 29 Jan 2020 09:22 AM PST

submitted by /u/Ofsy
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ASAP ROCKY - Pretty Flacko (Prod. by SPACEGHOSTPURRP)

Posted: 29 Jan 2020 06:14 PM PST

submitted by /u/ChrisTweten
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PARTYNEXTDOOR reveals the cover art for "PARTYMOBILE"