Daily Discussion Thread 03/12/2020 - HipHop | HipHop Channel

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Daily Discussion Thread 03/12/2020 - HipHop

Daily Discussion Thread 03/12/2020 - HipHop


Daily Discussion Thread 03/12/2020

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 08:58 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, as stated in the guidelines.

  • Please be helpful and friendly.

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

Weekly/Monthly Threads

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New to /r/hiphopheads or hip-hop in general?

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Hype Thursday: Post songs by artists that haven't gotten more than 50 upvotes on HHH

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 09:05 AM PDT

Rules

Artists qualify if they're never gotten 50 or more upvotes on /r/HipHopHeads (counting features)

Formatting:

Artist - Title

Description: no character minimum but some things that might be good to include: where the rapper is from, what subgenres they might fall into, have cosigns they might have, what their influences are/who they sound like.

Example:

Aaron May - Let Go

17 year old Houston Rapper, biggest influences are J Cole and Nas.


Best of Last Week (Spotify)

WE$TDAKOTA & DrakegribbxCrisp - IDC

IDC

idk if im allowed to put my own shit on here so remove this if thats the case but this is a song me and some friends just dropped. purely for fun we know it isnt the best but for it being our first collab we were really happy with how it turned out. Im from Chattanooga TN and theyre from Dallas. lmk what you think!

waldo - changes
michigan rapper, has a really flow and dope bars overall. he dropped a tape that was produced fully by sango and savon, it was excellent IMO. if you're just looking for some dope bars over fire production make sure you check it out (only 40 minutes long, goes by fast). he actually just dropped a new music video for god nem off it a couple minutes ago

Ciscero - Rio (feat. Jay Prince & FoggieRaw)

DMV Rapper that's collab'd with GoldLink and April George before, usually has upbeat soulful instrumentals and super nice flow.
Function feat. goldlink & april george and Kids Wear Crowns by him are also hella good. if you like isaiah rashad, mick jenkins, acid rap, goldlink, kanye, etc. give him a shot. good to know feat. masego has relatively blown up since it came out (mostly for masego im guessing) but it's also a super smooth song

ELHAE - Something

He's from Atlanta and has had features from Ty Dolla Sign, Wale, Kehlani, Big Krit and OT Genasis. He's one of the artists that mixes RnB and rap, like Tory Lanez, 6LACK, Arin Ray, dvsn, etc. Definitely check him out if you like that style, wish he'd blown up by now

Recently I've linked up on ig with some guys from the Raleigh area that I think more people should hear.

Marco Luka - Paradise
This is Marco's biggest song with 2.6m plays on Spotify but the rest of his stuff flies under the radar for the most part. He's my favorite on this list and I've already racked up around 1000 plays of his music just in the past few months. I can't really think of a song of his that I dislike. Highly recommend it all.

Jaxson Free - Over
I see him called a Post Malone clone a bunch but this dude is the real deal. He produces a lot of his own stuff and is constantly putting out new music. Recently he was featured on Raleighwood Hills which was on Obama's end of 2019 favorite songs list. I also highly suggest Bread and Baguettes which I've been playing heavily this week.

Kevin Powers - New Drip (ft YSB Tril and YSB Eli)
If Kevin was a bigger artist, this song would be such a hit. I could easily see this blowing up on TikTok. He's also got a good singing voice

Maasho & Weston Estate - Fresh Air
Maasho is a frequent collaborator of the other artists I mentioned, and Weston Estate is a band/group that Marco is a part of. Fresh Air is probably my favorite song that I've listened to this year. It's an absolute vibe that I could play on repeat all day. If you are interested in Maasho's solo work, I'd check out Rewind which is my personal favorite of his

Paulo Leon - Gorl (soulful)

Jay Whiss - Welcome to the Life (introspective trap)

Cartal Madras - Goonda Gold (just some hype shit)


Heavily recommended: If you post a song, listen to another song and comment on it. Otherwise it doesn't rly work that well.

Feel free to add any feedback on what could make these threads better.

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[FRESH ALBUM] Don Toliver - Heaven Or Hell

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 09:00 PM PDT

[FRESH ALBUM] Jay Electronica - A Written Testimony

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 09:30 PM PDT

Lil Uzi Confirms the deluxe edition will feature 14 tracks

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 12:12 PM PDT

Jay Electronica 'A Written Testimony' Album Livestream

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 07:55 PM PDT

[FRESH] YNW Melly - Suicidal (Remix) [feat. Juice WRLD]

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 09:03 PM PDT

[FRESH] Don Toliver - Euphoria (feat. Travis Scott & Kaash Paige)

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 09:03 PM PDT

[FRESH ALBUM] Jack Harlow - Sweet Action

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 09:02 PM PDT

Kodak Black pleads guilty to gun charges, faces 2-7 years in prison

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 02:23 PM PDT

Complex article

Complex:

"Kodak Black has pleaded guilty to a gun charge in Niagara County court, and he's facing between two to seven years behind bars. ABC 7 WKBW Buffalo reports that the rapper pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The time he's facing will be served concurrent to his federal gun possession sentence, for which he received 46 months behind bars.

If he is to receive a five-year sentence for the new charge, he would finish the four years he's currently doing and then one year in prison in Niagara County. He entered the guilty plea on Thursday, and he is currently set to be sentenced on Mar. 24. If he doesn't do more time than he's currently sentenced to, he will be released in or around August 2022."

submitted by /u/heroinfunerxl
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[FRESH ALBUM] Rich The Kid - BOSS MAN

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 09:00 PM PDT

Apple Music

Spotify

Featuring: Post Malone, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Lil Baby, Da Baby, Lil Tjay, Nicki Minaj, Quavo & London On Da Track

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[FRESH] Blueface - Find The Beat

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 09:02 PM PDT

[FRESH] Guapdad 4000 - Greedy

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 09:10 PM PDT

[FRESH] Don Toliver - Cardigan

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 09:04 PM PDT

[FRESH] Lil Tecca - All Star

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 09:02 PM PDT

Tidal x Jay Electronica Listening Party Cancelled

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 01:27 PM PDT

Ice Cube - No Vaseline

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 05:23 AM PDT

[FRESH] Jay Electronica - The Neverending Story (ft. Jay Z) (Prod. The Alchemist)

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 10:20 PM PDT

[FRESH] Jazz Cartier - Itchin’ For A Lick

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 09:04 PM PDT

[FRESH] Don Toliver - After Party

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 09:01 PM PDT

Jay Electronica performing Eternal Sunshine live w/ BADBADNOTGOOD.

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 03:23 PM PDT

[FRESH] JAY ELECTRONICA X JAY-Z - The Blinding (feat. Travis Scott$

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 10:23 PM PDT

[FRESH] Octavian and Skepta - Papi Chulo

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 04:40 PM PDT

[FRESH ALBUM] Curren$y & Fendi P - Smokin’ Potnas

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 09:14 PM PDT

Throwback Write-up #1: OutKast - ATLiens

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 09:00 AM PDT

Artist: OutKast

Album: ATLiens


Listen:

Youtube

Apple Music

Spotify


Background

In 1994, OutKast released their debut album, Southernplayalisticadlillacmuzik, which was recorded when members Big Boi and Andre 3000 were eighteen years old. This record established OutKast as prominent figures in the Southern hip hop scene. The album was very successful, as it was certified platinum and peaked at 20 on the US Billboard 200. Even with the success of the album, it wasn't without its detractors. At the 1995 Source awards (hosted in New York), OutKast was awarded the Best New Artist award. The audience showered both Andre 3000 and Big Boi with a wave of boos. Undeterred, Andre got up there and spewed the infamous line "The South got something to say." Taken aback by the backlash they received that night, Andre and Big Boi channeled their frustration in the studio to improve upon their debut.

Due to the success of the Southernplayalisticadlillacmuzik, LaFace Records gave OutKast more creative control and advanced money for their follow-up album, ATLiens. The duo took the opportunity to recreate their image. On a trip to Jamaica, the two decided to abandon their cornrow hairstyles in favor of a more natural aesthetic, vowing to stop combing their hair. The members of the duo each also underwent changes in their personal lives. Big Boi's girlfriend had given birth to their first child, and Andre significantly changed his lifestyle. He adapted a more eccentric fashion sense, became a vegetarian, and stopped smoking marijuana. Andre also returned to high school to earn his diploma during the recording of ATLiens. The two shortly acquired their own recording studio, and started working on new material. They also assimilated themselves with music recording and studio equipment, as they sought to become less dependent on other producers. Together, they produced a third of ATLiens, including the lead single "Elevators (Me & You)." They also refrained from sampling on the album, with Big Boi explaining "I feel like you cheat the listener when you sample. If it's an old school jam, leave it to the old. We wanna have our own school of music." Lyrically, Andre and Big Boi abandon the playa characters of their debut album in favor of more spacey, funky, and futuristic personas on ATLiens.

Also can we take a second to acknowledge how amazing the artwork for this album is?

Ok, let's get into the album. I'm going to go track by track, then end with some closing remarks.


Review

You May Die (Intro)

The album opens with a Catholic Portuguese prayer best translated as "Nothing new comes from the Sun, all that is new comes from our lord, life is a continuation, it is our lord who gives life, amen." It makes sense that they start the album off with a line this religious/spiritual, as a lot of religious concepts are dabbled with later in the album. You could also say their are religious / spiritual undertones throughout the entire album. The track was produced by Organized Noize. Organized Noize is an American production team, from you guessed it, Atlanta, Georgia. Organized Noize consists of Rico Wade, Ray Murray, and Sleepy Brown. The track definitely makes it apparent that this album is going to be completely different from their previous work, and definitely sets the spacey tone for the rest of the album.

Two Dope Boyz

You hear "Greetings, earthlings" (which is a sample from D.E.E.P. off their last album) and then the instrumental slaps you in the fucking face. Big Boi starts off the track with a smooth verse, which features one of my favorite lines from the album:

Everytime I rhyme for y'all, I'm looking to prove a point

Then the hook comes, and it's amazing. The words

But in the middle we stay calm, we just drop bombs

will be engrained in my head forever. All the verses are quality, and I love the back and forth. They really flow great together. My favorite verse here though has to be Big Boi's first verse. The song ends with the hook again, yet it goes "We just drop.." followed by an explosion sound. This leads us right into ATLiens

ATLiens

The end of Two Dope Boyz leads perfectly into this, and the instrumental is groovy and makes ya wanna dance. The drums on this song are also amazing, and it was produced by the duo themselves. The hook is great, one of the best on the album, and it fits the song and album perfectly. Shit's just groovy man. Andre's verse at the end is insane, and my favorite lines from it are:

Softly as if I played piano in the dark

Found a way to channel my anger now to embark

The world's a stage and everybody's got to play their part

Wheelz of Steel

This is where Andre and Big Boi really start showing off their rapping skills. Technically, this is one of the best showcases of their skill throughout the album. I love this song. Conceptually, the song is about their lives before they were rappers. This song was also produced by the duo themselves. This song deviates from their pattern of doing their verses independently and in succession, and instead they go back and forth in each verse, which comes together amazingly. My favorite part of the song is when Andre comes in aggressively on the second verse with the lines

Yeah, we take no shit, like, ummm, stopped up commodes

Gotta collect call, they done locked up my folks

Low blow, hit me in the left ventricle

We won't be able to ride out till two thousand four

It also ends with a nice instrumental break, I really enjoy the turntable scratching sounds they got going on there.

Jazzy Belle

I love the instrumental on this song, and the background singing is amazing. It continues the spacey theme that the rest of the album has. Conceptually, the song is about comparing today's women to Jezebel from the Bible to comment on how the modern woman's promiscuity will harm future generations. While I don't exactly agree with the concepts behind the song, I have to admit it sounds really good. My favorite lines off the song are

I want to earl, 'cause most of the girls

That we was liking in high school, now they dyking

I don't know why, but that lyric cracks me up every time I hear it. My favorite part of the song is Andre's first verse, though.

Elevators (Me & You)

If there is one word I could use to describe this song, it would be smooth. This song was produced by the duo, and the instrumental is calm. Conceptually, the song is about the duo's humble beginnings and the status that they received from their debut album. The song starts off on a high note with the line

One for the money, yes, sir, two for the show

The hook just sounds so good, there is something so groovy about the way they say these lines

Rolling down the strip on Vogues

Coming up, slamming Cadillac doors

The standout part of the song is Andre's verse at the end, which is a true showcase of skill. Easily the best verse of the song.

Ova Da Wudz

I LOVE THIS SONG. Easily my favorite song on the album. It was produced by the duo, and the instrumental has a nice bouncy feeling. This song bangs. Big Boi raps his fucking ass off here. The way he starts the song off with this line is perfect:

Undercover, over the hills and through the woods I go

The hook also gives it that spacey feeling that the rest of the album has, and it continues the high energy that is present everywhere else in the song. The hook was done by Witchdoctor, an established member of the Dungeon Family. This song features my favorite line off the entire album

Back in the days when I was broke I'd snatch your fucking necklace

You ol' pus-ass nigga... yeah

While I love this line (from the final Big Boi verse), the best verse on this song has to be the first Big Boi verse. The way Big Boi enunciates his words on this song just makes every line hit so much harder. I don't know exactly how to explain it, but it's amazing. It often feels like Big Boi is overlooked a bit compared to Andre when looking at the group as a whole, but there are plenty of songs like these where Big Boi outshines Andre.

Babylon

This is an interesting one. This song is pretty Andre-heavy, and also is pretty conceptual. The song itself reflects on religious attitudes towards sex and illustrated Andre's upbringing and his forbidden attractions throughout childhood. It appears that Andre views America as a modern-day version of the Biblical "Babylon" which embodies greed, lust, and evil. Andre talks about his mom/upbringing in the first verse, and its pretty heavy.

I came into this world high as a bird

From second hand cocaine powder

I know it sounds absurd

I never tooted but it's in my veins

Big Boi also gets pretty deep in his verse, talking about loved ones that have passed away, and also speaking on the media attitude regarding hip-hop

But they be making it seem

That my music and crime are a team

But I'm speaking the truth not dreams

So what in the fuck they mean

My lyrics ain't clean

All in all, there is a lot going on conceptually in this song but it works.

Wailin'

This song is short, but both Big Boi and Andre spit great verses. The verses don't come off aggressive, but rather confident. The instrumental is nice, and follows the theme well. The Andre verse here is pretty outstanding, and I really like the lines

Long as you happy, then I'm happy

Even if you just hate my fucking guts, go 'head and dap me

'Cause I'm gon' dap you anyway

And then go home and pray for your ass later

It says a lot about Andre and his character/persona at this time.

Mainstream

This song features two members of Goodie Mob: T-Mo and Khujo. This is the first time we've heard any Goodie Mob in this album, and it's a nice touch. Conceptually, the song touches on the struggle to survive in the hood, and how some try to live honestly but are brought down by those seeking money and power through crime. The song also likens hustling and dealing to mainstream culture, as both are used only for material gains rather than meaningful and productive societal changes, and they ultimately encourage greed and corruption. All the verses are great here, and the concept is deep, but to be honest it's not one of my favorite tracks off the album.

Decatur Psalm

This song features Big Gipp of Goodie Mob and Cool Breeze of Dungeon Family. The song is essentially them dedicating their version of a Biblical psalm to the ATL neighborhood of Decatur. Good song with good verses, but again, just not one of my favorites off the album.

Millennium

This is where the album picks back up, at least for me. Andre and Big Boi are on their game here, spitting some top tier verses. The song definitely feels spacey, and I think the hook contributes greatly to that feel. The instrumental is also good, and has a bit of a calming effect. There are multiple references to Outer Space / Planets throughout the song which also helps it maintain the atmosphere of the album.

E.T. (Extraterrestrial)

This is probably my favorite instrumental off the album, and the hook just sounds really grand, and has quite an eerie feeling. It almost feels like it's being spoken through an echo-chamber.

Out of this world

Are you alien?

Conceptually, Big Boi talks about the tragic nature of the sins committed by the youth, and Andre talks about seizing opportunities in the present.

Right now I'm smiling, taking advantage of this moment

Cause there might not be another soon

My favorite verse in this song is the Andre verse. There are a lot of deep and meaningful verses spit by both members of the duo throughout this song, but this one left the biggest impact on me. It's very relatable. The hook comes at the end and leads perfectly into the final song.

13th Floor / Growing Old

The song starts off with a great spoken word verse by Big Rube, and it touches on spirituality / religion. It feels like the perfect complement to the quote from the opening track, and it's a great way to lead into the duo's last verses on the album. The instrumental comes in, and it's slow and feels very peaceful. The verses are great, but not my favorite of the album. Debra Killings sings the hook, and she does an amazing job. Fits the song perfectly. It's a thoughtful and tranquil end to an amazing album.

I'm going to leave out Elevators - ONP 86 Mix because it's essentially the same thing as Elevators. It is a nice mix, though.


Closing Remarks

There are two main reasons why ATLiens is my favorite OutKast album. The first is because it feels like the perfect example of a concise and cohesive album. It doesn't overstay its welcome, but it also feels long enough. It also has a great mix of everything you would want from a traditional Hip Hop album. It has hard ass songs (Ova Da Wudz / Two Dope Boyz), chill songs (Jazzy Belle / Elevators), meaningful songs (Babylon / Mainstream), and songs that just show off their absurd ability to rap (Wheelz of Steel / Wailin'). Most of the songs could fit in more than one of those categories, though. The second reason is because of how well they are able to keep an atmosphere / theme on every single track here. The entire album feels spacey and futuristic and every instrumental plays perfectly into that. ATLiens is a perfect name for this album because it feels like Alien music, just, out of this world. I can't think of an album that does a better job of keeping a theme / atmosphere than ATLiens. The tracks flow perfectly into each other, and it creates a perfect album listening experience. You are doing yourself a dishonor if you have never listened to this album front to back, as it really is an experience.

It's crazy to comprehend that this was only their second album, as it is literally one of the greatest Hip Hop albums of all time. The juxtaposition between this and their debut album really shows how much they were able to mature personally and artistically in such a short period of time. Southernplayalisticadlillacmuzik is a great album, but ATLiens is just something different, man. It's an incredibly easy listen, and something about the album just feels so peaceful. While I may be alone on this, I find the album very calming. If you smoke weed, this is also a good album to listen to while high.

On a final note, I think Andre and Big Boi both held their weight on this album, and I really don't think one outperformed the other. There are a lot of tracks where Big Boi shines the most, and vice versa. I think this album contains some of the best rapping of their career for both of them.


Talking Points

  • Where does this rank for you guys in OutKast's discography?
  • What is your favorite song on this album?
  • Do you think either Andre or Big Boi carried this album?
  • Thoughts on the artwork?
  • What do you think about the experimentation on this album?
  • Thoughts on the production of this album?

If you made it this far, thanks for reading the review. While I don't write a lot, hence their may be a good amount of grammar mistakes here, I wanted to talk about how I feel about the album because I love it so much, and I feel that it gets overlooked far too often when talking about OutKast.

Edit - Wow, was not expecting this much love! Thanks everyone for the kind words - maybe I'll try my hand at this write-up thing again in the future

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Joey Bada$$ covers Prince - "When Thugs Cry"

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 07:18 PM PDT

Big Sean - Control f. Kendrick Lamar & Jay Electronica

Posted: 12 Mar 2020 01:43 PM PDT