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r/hiphopheads Essential Album of the Week #75: Bloods & Crips - Bangin' On Wax - HipHop

r/hiphopheads Essential Album of the Week #75: Bloods & Crips - Bangin' On Wax - HipHop

r/hiphopheads Essential Album of the Week #75: Bloods & Crips - Bangin' On Wax

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 08:53 AM PST

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: 2Pac - Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.

This Week: Bloods & Crips - Bangin' On Wax

Stream/Purchase

Spotify

iTunes

Google Play

Songs/Singles

Shuda Beena B-Dog

Piru Love

Steady Dippin'

Background/Description (courtesy of concretemag615.com)

March 1993…a weekend trip to Detroit turned into the day I discovered 'Bangin' On Wax', the debut album from a group called Bloods & Crips – who were actual Bloods and Crips hailing from multiple gang sets organized by O.Y.G RedRum781 and Tweedy Bird Loc.

The album begins with the intro "Gangsta Talk" there's a heated discussion over making an album together to prove they were able to come together and do something positive at a time it was unheard of.

After the intro they get right into things with a duet titled "Bangin On Wax". They go back and forth killing each other to a head-nodding sample of Zapp & Roger's "More Bounce To The Ounce" that was Co-Produced by west coast legend DJ Battlecat.

"Piru Love", one of the singles from the album that samples Zapp & Roger's "Computer Love", features Bloody Mary aka Nini X (who tragically passed away in 2006), and gives us two of the most memorable verses from a female emcee in hip-hop history!

During the first verse she turns names of various Blood sets into a rhyme you will never forget. O.Y.G RedRum781 joins her with a real life vision of how much he despises Crips; Fo' Clips (who also passed away) was actually a Crip, and sings the hook on "Piru Love"! This proved they could keep the beef on wax.

"Steady Dippin", another single, features the Crips' artist C-Note – another female emcee, Do or Die, and Genuine Draft (who later became Domino) riding over a smooth g-funk beat painting a visual of daily Crip life. Other standout songs on this classic are "C-Sick", "C-K Ride", "Mackin to Slob Bitches", and "Crip, Crip,Crip".

'Bangin' On Wax' was, and still is, one of the most influential and overlooked albums when it comes to hip-hop history. A portion of its profits were donated to their community. If you haven't heard this classic or haven't listened to it in a while, I suggest you give it a listen now!

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 Mac Mall - Illegal Business

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Album of the Year 2016 #4: Drake - Views

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 12:23 PM PST

Artist: Drake

Album: Views

Listen:

Apple Music

Spotify

Tidal

Google Play

Background

2014 seems like forever ago writing this, this was when we first got a whiff of a post Nothing Was The Same project. He alludes to dropping in Spring 2015 on "0-100/The Catch Up" and not long after the original title of the album "Views From The 6" is released along with a track under the same title leaking. A few songs later and he surprises everyone by dropping "If You're Reading This It's Too Late" coined as a mixtape and thought by many to be a middle finger to Birdman/Cash Money as an out of his contract. This ultimately solidified the "6" nickname for Toronto (initially conceived by Jimmy Johnson, a local rapper) while keeping up the momentum from Nothing Was The Same.

Spring comes and goes with Views nowhere to be found but with the success of If You're Reading This there isn't any impatience, just wonder as to what exactly is going on with the project, with a collaboration with Beyoncé being reported as one of many rumours. Drake announces a partnership with Apple and their new music service, alone with a radio show, OVO Sound Radio, this leads many to believe that Views would be an exclusive to that service.

Shortly after Meek Mill releases "Dreams Worth More Than Money" featuring a track titled R.I.C.O. featuring Drake. A spark is ignited in Meek when Drake does not tweet out a link to his album upon release (yes really) and Meek sends out a tweet claiming he found out Drake does not write his own raps and that Drake didn't write his verse on R.I.C.O and had he had known the verse would not have made the album. After a lot of public fighting between a whole host of people (OG Maco, Boi-1da, Chris Brown, to name a few) Funkmaster Flex claims to have a reference track for the song "10 Bands" off If You're Reading This, sent to him by someone in Drake's OVO camp.

On July 25th Drake releases "Charged Up" on his OVO Sound Radio show, a diss record clearly aimed directly towards Meek, causing Meek to instantly react by tweeting about it and Funkmaster Flex chiming in again to say he will premiere a Meek Mill diss. This does not happen. Drake then drops "Back To Back", I'm not gonna lie this shit still gets me amped up, this made Charged Up seem like a joke. Meek stopped tweeting while Drake threatened a threepeat that never materialized. Finally, Funkmaster Flex airs the Meek diss titled "Wanna Know" along with more reference tracks of varying similarity, this record was ultimately thought of a weak shot back, for some the nail in the coffin of this beef, causing ridicule of the Philadelphia native.

With the release of the (somewhat) surprise collaborative venture with Future "What A Time To Be Alive" it seemed that Drake was past it, Meek released two 4 song Eps (titled "4/4" & "4/4 Part Two") with some good disses (One of which had lines reacting to the single "Summer Sixteen" mere minutes after, proving that someone in Drake's camp was leaking his records) on them but ultimately the internet, for the most part, had decided it was already over, too little too late.

Back to the album Drake has a fantastic interview with Fader that goes into detail about the album, how 40 has been more hands on than ever and how it sounds like Toronto, how it's a return to formula and that when it is done it will be done. "Can I" the distantly rumoured Beyoncé collab is finally released with no information on Views otherwise.

2015 comes to a close and billboards start popping up around Toronto, Drake throws up a snippet of what comes to be known as "Feel No Ways" on Vine, a trailer for the now seemingly titled "Views" is leaked, it appears that the album will finally be releasing soon with a lot of speculation looking towards January. A lot of hype building happens until finally in March Drake drops an Instagram post with a picture of one of the noted Views billboards simply captioned with the release month, April.

April 2016 begins and we finally get (what seem to be) two singles from Drake, Pop Style featuring The Throne (Kanye West & Jay Z) and One Dance featuring Wizkid & Kyla (via sample) and within days of this we finally get a firm release date, Views will be dropping April 29th, along with this information we also get a trailer for the album.

Before long Drake and his team are noticeably active, the yearly OVO Fest lineup is revealed, a tour with Future and an interview with Zane Lowe have been announced to air before the (delayed) OVO Sound Radio episode, we get a track list, Drake finally gets the number one he's been chasing for so long with One Dance and the interview gets delayed. About half way through the interview the album was available on iTunes/Apple Music which on the plus side meant we didn't have to listen to a censored version on his radio show but for me I think it ruined the interview a little bit due to me just wanting to listen to the record, but it was finally out.

Review

There isn't much to say about this record that hasn't already been said. For what it is it has become this incredibly polarizing piece of art that shows the duality of hip-hop fans, authenticity will always be a cornerstone of hip-hop and nothing is going to change that and those people who hold that ideology close to their hearts were never going to like this record because of who Drake is, this seems incredibly defensive, but when you consider the nature of Drake's music, how it takes very personal, or seemingly very personal experiences and mixes it with this incredibly delicately woven, yet also noticeably manufactured sound it can be difficult for some to swallow. Herein lies the problem with many for Drake, it does not matter how real he gets, he always has that smooth feeling of being radio ready or industry built, it is viewed as a problem or a weakness of him and his art, I think for this record he has seamlessly blended them to bring us his most distilled self yet. The album opens with a blatant wintery feel, and an ode to all of the people, so called friends as it were, that he's lost along his journey. It's Drake 101, the instrumentation is lush and it sounds like the opening of a musical number, Maneesh a Toronto native did a masterful job with this beat, slowly building until the emotion of loss and disappointment in people boils over and the drums & horns kick in, the passion brought out from the betrayal is overwhelming, the lack of raw emotion in his voice, the calm voice, it's almost disappointing, but the instrumental does the work needed to convey what's going on and it seems retrospective, as such that initial uncontrollable emotion is gone, it's a memory now.

Following this is back to basics Drake & 40, a low rumbly bass, rattling hi-hats (sorry) and sample usage that slots in perfectly with the song. The sample at hand (Dying by Mavado) is the first hint of that fresh Jamaican twist in the Drake formula that we see throughout this record, although the sample itself isn't used in such a way that makes it that almost dancehall vibe the others hit. As far as content goes, this is a song for his crew and an ode to his city (though that applies to most of this album) his city. In case it wasn't already clear, and it should be, Toronto is his. I still can't get over how goofy the chorus is, turning the 6 upside down was so obvious when the track list was revealed that surely he wasn't going to say that and at the same time it's the corny, goofy Drake that's always been around, it's surprising even though it shouldn't be.

Drake got a DMX sample. DMX hates Drake, or hated at the very least, and Drake still got a DMX sample (thanks NORE) which just goes to show his pull in the hip-hop community, he is undoubtedly the man. It starts off a phone calling sound, staple Drake and then hits you with the line "On some DMX shit, I group DM my exes" and I get it, DMX/DM my X, it's funny but it's nonsensical, you know DMX damn sure doesn't DM an ex, let alone a group of them, but Drake will Drake. Using one of the hardest, most animalistic, aggressive, rappers in a soppy not quite love song to the point where he even jacks the hook DMX's "How's It Going Down" is incredible, admittedly one of the few softer DMX cuts but it doesn't go without merit. Typical Drake pining over women, needing emotional security, it's a common theme of this review but as I said, this is absolutely his "Drakiest" record. This also transitions into the leaked "Views From A 6" track with an incredibly smooth beat change which is again, sorry to say, a signature Drake & 40 move.

This part of the album is where I really noticed how well it transitions, not only from the previous song's two halves but from the end of U With Me? Into Feel No Ways. There was a snippet of this song floating around that Drake himself put up on Vine and from that clip alone I was hooked on this beat. It's unlike anything on here while also seeming so familiar, Jordan of Majid Jordan produced this and it's one of my favourite beats of the year, it feels like a throwback while at the same time being incredibly fresh. The song is almost entirely hook and bridge aside from an opening verse, which I think further pushes that "radio ready" feeling but the beat is so well thought out and catchy that it doesn't really matter.

If 9 didn't scratch the itch for machismo Drake then Hype definitely should, with heavy booming bass over floaty vocals while Drake raps about how he's the man, how these other rappers aren't shit, a few subliminals sprinkled throughout, it (no pun intended) hypes you up, it makes you feel how he feels, it's his own personal victory lap with some silly good flow (the opening lines of the first verse" I pull up in Lexus like it's 07/I just hit a lick I gotta hit the next one" is buttery) over some fantastic production brought to the table by Boi-1da. Perhaps not as well thought out as some of his other "bar heavy" songs (If You're Reading This It's Too Late comes to mind) but that doesn't matter, if you're a Drake fan you come for catchy music that hooks under your skin and gets into your feelings with the best production and if you get more than one or two good lines a song that's a blessing, it comes back to being "radio ready", they'll play new Drake while he's on top regardless but he can cater to that much larger audience while still appealing to his core with songs in similar vein to Hype.

Weston Road Flows is mass reminiscing by Drake, a throwback sample thanks to Mary J. Blige talking about his past life in Canada, and the stark contrast between then and the star he is now, a positive look behind to keep himself focused while remaining humbled almost, right after comparing himself to Michael Jackson, naturally. I don't have a whole lot to say about this song other than it is incredibly Toronto, in case you couldn't tell by the title, and it's the most rap heavy record on the album, it's incredibly dense due to being deep in his thoughts. Perhaps not so relatable as many other personal Drake songs, this is another song more so for him than anyone in particular.

If you wanted to listen to Take Care, but you only had time for one song, Redemption would be it. This is my favourite "form" of Drake, sad, emotionally driven, melodically rapping bordering on singing, it is his bread and butter to me. Incredibly minimal beat with sparse drums and an expert sampling of Ray J's "One Wish", the samples 40 selects aren't just chosen because they fit in well, they mean a lot with regards to the content of the song, One Wish and Redemption, both longing songs, they need their women that they perhaps didn't treat exactly how they should and need them to be more understanding than they deserve. The tonal shift before the last verse also matches the tone of the content, going from treating them poorly to understanding that at the end of the day these are wrongs that cannot be correct and he must live with the burden of them.

There is an overarching theme of Winter to Summer throughout this album and the end of Redemption transitioning into With You is, as far as I'm concerned, the beginning of the "summer" segment of the album if you will, I am not the biggest PND fan but I thought he was perfect over this bouncy island-esque beat. While the season shifted, and with that the tone of the music, this still feels like leftover emotion from Redemption, but unlike Redemption an attempt to change behaviour before it's too late.

I love Pimp C, RIP, and Drake has always been a big Southern guy, this is not news to anyone who's a fan, but I think the use of verse here is abysmal, it doesn't fit the song at all, unlike the Amber Rose sample, it's a flip of Redemption, in that now he has his act together she's far too busy, women chasing is as Drake as it gets but it's so prevalent on these tracks that I think it's worth noting. Another problem with this song I have is that the DVSN verse adds unnecessary length (he says about a 19 track album) to a song that already feels like it might've overstayed its welcome due to being so similar, subject wise, to the last 2 songs. After time and thought this is probably my least favourite song on the album.

A few paragraphs I mentioned how Hype felt like his own personal victory lap and this is a continuation of that, it's boastful Drake on a calmer note, it's a celebration for him and his team being at the top of the game right now, everyone with him is family forever and anyone else are footnotes about to be left in the dust. For me, while I still enjoy this song a lot, aside from the small breakdown which shows sparks of something much more interesting, this feels like a watered down and almost unnecessary version of Hype, but it's arguable he's done so much and Hype was bragging and disrespect, this is just bragging that it's allowable.

The newest weapon in Drake's armoury, the dancehall/reggaetón twist on his usual formula is fully flexed on Controlla, it is undeniably catchy and a continuation of the attempt at commitment. A leaked version with Popcaan exists but Drake took him off the record, I personally get why, the intro is very jarring vs the Beenie Man sample used in the final version of the song, but I still think it's a shame Drake couldn't work Popcaan onto this track somehow, intro aside the verse from Popcaan I think fits nicely but it has to be trimmed into being the catchy radio hit it is and I think that retracts from the catchiness of the record overall.

While one is dancehall and one is more house/Afrobeat inspired putting two similar(ish) attempts at radio smashes is a bad look, it's a lot like Still Here/Hype in that they both have their place and they're good songs, but without that space to breathe it causes one detract from the other and for me Controlla does that to One Dance. Both incredibly catchy songs, One Dance comes off as just a little flat against its much livelier cousin.

I do not like Future. I don't. This song does not change my mind, he does nothing for me, I respect that he carved out his own lane but I just don't vibe with him at all. On the plus side, this means another "tough" Drake track but it's so short without the Future verse. I think a problem with Future on this for me, and it's a lot like Lil Uzi Vert on "Bad & Boujee" is that the start of his part is so bad and reduces from the song so hard that because it's at the end I have no problem skipping it entirely, his actual verse is good, it's run of the mill Future and fits the song perfectly, but I'd rather get back to Drake rapping about Big Pimpin' and yachts than listen to him talk about Actavis and xans again. The shout out to Shirt Off Shawty brings back the Toronto vibes and braggadocious Drake is always fantastic.

Child's Play is peak misogynistic Drake, he has trust issues and is gonna give you clothes to fuck, that's it, and if you're not down you can jog on. I'm not going to talk about how problematic it is for some people, it's not surprising I'd say, as far as music from Drake is concerned, he has an incredibly sharp relationship with women, as evident by this album and previous efforts (most notably Take Care) but throughout all of that the song ultimately ends with Drake being Drake, he just wants to be secure.

This lo fi, haunting, beat on Pop Style was overlooked by the controversy caused by the removal of The Throne. It doesn't matter why Jay (and Kanye) were removed but I think it made for a better song, the sub 10 seconds of Jay Z was worthless and while Kanye's verse was decent (especially compared to his recent output) the second verse Drake added to this version of the song is one of my favourite on the record, a weird contrast to the Chaining Tatum starter verse which isn't bad but feels like a no effort input verse versus the second verse where he dominates the beat.

I was weary of Too Good, I wasn't a fan of the title track on Take Care also featuring Rihanna and I'm not particularly a fan, I think Anti is her best work yet and I'm still not that heavily invested, but I was blown away by this song. Maneesh came through again, this time with a bouncy almost end of summer-esque late night on a beach beat while Drake and Rihanna go back and forth about how they love each other more and don't feel and equal return. I'm surprised this wasn't a bigger hit, it's stupid catchy and with two of the biggest names in music period I don't know how this wasn't everywhere.

Summers Over Interlude, entirely performed by Majid from Majid Jordan is, as the title obviously states, the end of the "summer" segment of the album. I find it peculiar summer ends just as the album is wrapping up rather than ending on the end of summer and restarting in winter. I think Majid did a fantastic job with this track, a nice break from all the trust issues and the bragging and subliminals to just appreciate the change of scenery and tonal shift.

Fire & Desire might be the corniest song title of all time and it opens with a sample of Ray J's sister Brandy, Drake dedicating this song to his woman, it's the closest thing to a love song you'll get from Drake and feels like a fitting end to the running theme of Drake and his loves. The beat is fantastic, I'm not usually one for "squirrel pitched" samples but it's so subtle on this I barely even notice and the beat feels like a warm night inside by the fire while it's snowing outside. Perhaps I'm just considering the seasonal aspect too much but that's really how I feel about it.

I gotta start this off, the final track, the title track, Views, by saying The Winans sample here is PERFECT, something to hook you in before Drake unleashes what feels like an AM in Location type track. More retrospection, but from the view of things the beginning of it. Drake will never leave, hip-hop, Toronto, his family. He acknowledges he is at the peak of his game right now, boasting not only on accomplishments but work rate (validly so) no one can do what he does and he can't leave, even if he wanted to, no one else can do what he does.

I didn't include Hotline Bling because while I understand it was put on to make more numbers (which is dumb and I think for Drake unnecessary) it's just lazily thrown on at the end, clearly by not fitting the winter/summer theme and being almost entirely unrelated to the rest of the album. It's not on my own personal version of the album but if you wish to discuss it we can.

Afterthoughts

Ultimately, I believe this is, as I said at the beginning, Drake's best and most distilled version of himself. It's a sample platter that's been perfected, it's a greatest hits collection, but they're all new. This is a culmination of all of his work from Room For Improvement till this moment and it pays off. If you are a Drake fan, and if you took the time to read this you must be, there is something here for you, maybe you don't like it all and that's okay, this is an effort to please everyone while remaining true to himself while also trying to make hits, this lead to him learning the timeless lesson that you can't please everyone, especially with multiple efforts of the same type of song.

With that being said, here I am championing this album. It's long, it's repetitive to an extent, it's made to conform to expectations and label needs and yet it is everything I wanted it to be, as a huge Drake fan having multiple aspects (vs just the sad r&b dude on Take Care or the rap heavy angry Torontonian on If You're Reading This) means I just get variation and that's a big win for me. I think this is a perfection of all his styles, besides the reggaetón/dancehall type but solid first (and hopefully not last, Drake on tropical beats is great) and from here we need a vastly different Drake. Will we get it? By the looks of those sales and currently released content from More Life (admittedly not an album a "playlist" whatever that means) I doubt it, and it's understandable as to why, but I think if he continues down this path even for the most diehard of Drake stans he runs the risk of getting stale, something that can happen to anyone, even the greats.

Favourite lyrics

I got it right now so I'm everybody's friend

If I ever lose I bet we never speak again

  • 9

Last year I know you learned your lesson

I could GPS you if you need addressing

  • Hype

You number one and I'm Eddie Murphy we trading places

Look in the mirror I'm closer than I really appear

Creeping like Chilli without the tender love and care

  • Weston Road Flows

I gave your nickname to someone else

…

Really gon spend the winter with this other nigga?

Act like he's really the one to get through it with ya

…

Master bedroom where we get it poppin just ignore all the skeletons in my closet

I'm a walking come up I'm a bank deposit

Sell my secrets and get top dollar

Sell my secrets for a Range Rover

Opportunity and temptation

They would sell my secrets for a tropical vacation

Sell my secrets back to me if I was paying

Who's gonna save me when I need saving

Since Take Care, I've been caretaking

But second chances, that ain't how you living

Redemption on your mind, I'll never be forgiven

  • Redemption

Girls all in my bed and they don't trip off first impressions

Girls all in your bed and they just ask a hundred questions

I can't fuck with you no more cause you be actin' extra

Do your favourite rapper like my son, like my son, though

Nothing mutual about my funds, bout my funds, though

All you niggas fighting over crumbs, where the bread at

How they feel about you, where you're from, where your bed at

I don't need no pill to speak my mind, I don't need that

I make people pay me for my time, yeah I need that

And I see your girl like all the time, all the time, though

I can't tell you if she's yours or mine, but I do know

  • Still Here

I pull up in yachts so big that they try to hit me with boat fines

Hype Williams, Big Pimpin', yeah just like the old times

…

Doing plat, plat only, boys better back off me

Hall of fame, hall of fame, like I'm shirt off, like I'm shirt off

Like I'm shirt off shorty, whole city going crazy

Whole city going crazy, top 5 no debating

Top 5 Top 5 Top 5

  • Grammys

MVP MVP 09 all the way to 16 Even next season looking like a breeze

Lot of y'all ain't built for the league

Trade you off the team while you in your sleep

  • Pop Style

Thoughts too deep to go work em out with a therapist

I get a blank page when I try to draw a comparison

I'm getting straight to the point with it

Need y'all to know that I never needed none of y'all niggas

Fuck being all buddy buddy with the opposition

It's like the front of the plane, nigga, it's all business

But I haven't flown with y'all boys in a minute

…

Running through the 6, thumbing through the contracts

I'm possessed, you can see it under the contacts

They think I had the silver spoon but they'll get it soon

I still got something left to prove since you left me room

…

If I was you I wouldn't like me either

  • Views

Discussion Points

1) How do you feel about the placement of Hotline Bling? Do you think it adds anything in the context of the album or was it just for the numbers boost?

2) What's your favourite "form" of Drake? Did you get that on this album? Did you get enough of it on this album? Do you feel, if it was represented on this album, that you got the best of that form?

3) Where would you like to see Drake go from here?

4) I know length is a problem for a lot of people, if you had to trim it down, how would you? Would you lose a "season" or "form" of Drake?

5) When do you think he'll stop being at the top of the mountain? (Or if you think he's off already, why, what happened, who's up there for you)

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Chance The Rapper, Wu-Tang Clan, Danny Brown and more performing at Gov Ball 2017

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 06:27 AM PST

Curren$y announces potential Freddie Gibbs collab EP!!!

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 12:29 PM PST

https://www.instagram.com/p/BO2vQf0jPnM/

Called my homie Gibbs and told him it's time lets put the EP together... Homie hit the slopes and sent me this hahaha clearly its a green light haha.... "fetti" the EP coming in 17" .... Spitta and Gibbs that pistol to ya ribs ..... Peep how cold he is on the skis tho haha that's commendable @freddiegibbs

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I wrote a verse about growing up with a stutter. Let me know what you think!

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 08:33 PM PST

[FRESH VIDEO] Big Sean - Moves

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 12:00 PM PST

Floyd Mayweather is Promoting the Chris Brown vs. Soulja Boy Boxing Match

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 08:17 PM PST

BIGQUINT Top 10 Albums of 2016

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 12:13 PM PST

Soulja Boy apologizes and squashes beef with Chris Brown, Quavo and Yachty

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 08:56 AM PST

https://twitter.com/souljaboy/status/816681493883826180

Can't help but feel he's going to be back at it in the near future though.

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Daily Discussion Thread 01/04/2017

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 05:39 PM PST

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:

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Freddie Gibbs - Fuckin Up The Count (prod. Boi-1da)

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 12:35 PM PST

2 Chainz Shares the Title of His New Album

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 02:33 PM PST

TM88 says he just did 6 songs with Gucci Mane; Juicy J retweeted it as well

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 08:59 AM PST

Drake - Draft Day

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:33 AM PST

[FRESH VIDEO] Migos - Call Casting

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 10:55 AM PST

Young Thug - Kanye West (feat. Wyclef Jean)

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 04:49 PM PST

[FRESH VIDEO] Troy Ave - Sex Tape (literally porn)

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 09:15 AM PST

SOHH.com | Too Short Blows Off Anti-Gay Rapper Stance: "We Should Not Ridicule Anyone Who Comes Out" – SOHH.com

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:37 AM PST

Statik Selektah - Carry On (ft. Joey Bada$$ & Freddie Gibbs)

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:46 AM PST

How I was able to produce "4 your eyez only" for J cole at 17

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:51 PM PST

what up, this is my first time on this /r but I felt like many people would like to hear this story and also s/o to Kendall Miles for suggesting it. I am the lead producer for the track "4 your eyez only" on J Cole's latest album. Here is basically the story of how it came to be and steps I took. My stage name is "BLVK." and I started making beats my sophmore year of high school. I'm in my first year of college now and in my junior year I came across an old japanese funk mix on youtube. I was not taking music as serious at the time as i am now and just chopped a few things from the mix and threw them onto my soundcloud. A few weeks later I get an email from J Cole's management inquiring about one of the beats on my soundcloud. It was weird since I only had about 700 soundcloud followers at the time and was basically invisible in the large community of soundcloud producers. it turned out that J cole had found my track randomly through soundcloud which is insane because the odds of that happening are nearly astronomical. I sent the management the beat and stems back in may of 2016. the next 2 months were spent searching for the sample because the mix that i had sampled from had no tracklist. I eventually found the sample which was Yuji Ohno's "To The Oasis" after this, the sample was cleared and I had officially produced on a feature hip hop album at the age of 17. Even today it still blows my mind and makes me want to share this story to my fellow soundcloud producers who are trying to make it and let them know to always but your best forward cause you never know who's listening. Would love to answer any questions or hear your own stories of success, until later. peace.

submitted by /u/blvknight
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Album of the Year 2016 #3: Kevin Abstract - American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story - HipHop

Album of the Year 2016 #3: Kevin Abstract - American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story - HipHop

Album of the Year 2016 #3: Kevin Abstract - American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story

Posted: 03 Jan 2017 11:25 AM PST

Artist: Kevin Abstract

Album: American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story

Listen:

Youtube

Spotify

Apple Music

Google Play

Album Background by /u/Cohtoh

Texas-born singer/songwriter/rapper/producer Kevin Abstract (real name Ian Simpson) dropped his long awaited sophomore effort in November of 2016, about two and a half years after his debut, MTV1987. MTV showed immense amounts of potential, potential that became fully realized on his new album American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story.

Kevin was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, but has bounced around the U.S map, having lived in Atlanta, New York, Florida, San Marcos and now L.A, where he currently resides. In an interview with Fader , Kevin mentions how much he loved highschool, and this love for highschool and the feeling of youth has a strong presence on his new album.

Kevin announced his album at the start of 2015, though at the time, it was to be titled Death of a Supermodel (this name ended up being used as the name of his tour). Later in the year, it was revealed that DOASM was being scrapped in favour of a new album titled They Shoot Horses. Near the end of 2015, Kevin dropped the first single for They Shoot Horses, titled "Echo". About 6 months later, Kevin finally made up his mind on the album's title and announced that he was changing the name to American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story. Between this announcement and the release of the album, he released three more singles titled "Empty", "Yellow" and "Miserable America". "Echo" remained on the album, though a re-worked version appeared on the final cut. Boyfriend was released on November 18th, 2016.

In 2016, hip hop artists tend to feel considerable pressure to release music rapidly—taking too long between projects can result in said artist losing relevance. Taking two and a half years between your first and second project can mean the end of your career if your second album isn't up to snuff. Kevin has done just that, and has come back with an album even better than his last, which has garnered him much deserved buzz in the industry. In just a couple short years, Kevin Abstract has gone from a nameless face on Tumblr, to performing at his idols festival this year when he showed up on Tyler, the Creators Camp Flog Gnaw Festival's set list. If Kevin has made this much progress in just two years, his ceiling in the industry could potentially be enormous.

Review by /u/Cohtoh

On American Boyfriend, Kevin Abstract takes his influences and melds them into something beautiful and new sounding. Pulling from artists like Frank Ocean, Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Childish Gambino, Kurt Cobain and more, Kevin was able to create an album that is impossible to pin down to one genre. American Boyfriend amalgamates genres such as hip hop, indie pop, indie rock and RnB into one heavy hearted project that only further demonstrates Kevin's immense talent and artistic vision. Perhaps the most important influence on American Boyfriend is Frank Ocean. I think it's safe to say that without Frank, this album doesn't exist. Or at the very least, it wouldn't sound anything like it does. When Frank revealed his sexuality to the world in 2012, he changed the lives of many fans, one of which was Kevin. The biggest topic of Boyfriend is Kevin's sexuality and him coming to terms with it, as well as his family and friends response and feelings towards it. Kevin goes into Frank Oceans influence on him in the aforementioned Fader interview:

"I remember exactly where I was when I read it," the 20-year-old told me during a recent visit to Brooklyn. It was a gray day, and we were huddled in a cramped doorway of an office building to escape some rain, sitting on the cement floor. His hair, dyed green, stood up in polyps like a soft coral reef. "I had just had my first experience with a dude," he remembered. Abstract was around 16 at the time, and though he wouldn't openly discuss his sexuality for another couple years, Ocean's honesty changed his trajectory forever. "It was just like, Thank you. It saved me."

Frank coming out allowed for Kevin to do the same of sorts with this album. Though he had mentioned his sexuality before in various social media posts, Boyfriend was the first time Kevin had ever addressed it so directly and emotively in his music.

As mentioned earlier, lyrically, this album focuses almost entirely on Kevin's struggle with his sexuality and the emotions that have risen from that struggle. The lyrics on this album exemplify the mixed feelings he has about his sexuality and the issues it has caused in his personal life. For example, he claims his mother his homophobic and doesn't have much love for him, yet he still loves her. His sexuality, and perhaps his decision to become a musician has had obvious strain on his home life, as he details them in the second verse of "Tattoo":

"My dad tried to tell me that I'm not functional,

I gotta bunch of homies but not a bunch of homes.

Said come back home to an empty home,

I gotta different home my home is fake."

Kevin's "coming out" on this album feels exactly the way it should at his age. Confusing, bittersweet, difficult and havoc causing. Occasionally it feels as though he has accepted himself and his lifestyle, while at other moments it feels as though he still contains a sense of shame and sadness about himself, as he even goes as far as to wishing he was straight on "Papercut". He seems confident in singing about his lack of regret for accepting his sexuality on "Seventeen" and claims he "takes everything for what it is and never tries to change it" on "Papercut, yet then speaks on how claustrophobic he feels, and how he doesn't feel accepted in America because of his sexuality on "Miserable America". American Boyfriend does a fantastic job of showing us both sides of the spectrum of emotions that are consequential to accepting yourself, and striving for others to accept you as well. Kevin is exceedingly honest and leaves nothing hidden from the listeners, which in my opinion, strengthens the album immensely.

The last track on the album, "I Do (End Credits)" is particularly interesting, as it seems to be making a statement as to what he wishes hip hop was, or what he envisions hip hop to be in the future. All the bars in this track are pitched up, and feature perhaps the most "traditional hip hop" sound in terms of their delivery. The lyrics seem to be emulating certain rap tropes "westsiiiide!, piling up money, robbing people", topics that Kevin has never addressed in his music before, but amongst the "rap trope" lyrics, are aspects of acceptance and confidence in his homosexuality. The opening line: "Who the fuck is you, talkin shit about my husband?" exemplify this perfectly. Kevin envisions a world where homosexuality is just as accepted as heterosexuality in hip hop, and one in which you can make a song with "classic hip hop tropes" while still pridefully maintaining your sexual identity.

Production wise, this album is all over the grid. There are sounds of alternative rock and indie pop on tracks like "American Boyfriend", "June 29th" and "Yellow", some messy jazz elements on "Blink" and more synthetic, electronic elements on tracks like "Runner" and "Suburbian Born". For some, this may be unfavorable as it seems to bounce between genres but it's one of my favorite aspects about this album. When he raps over this production, it doesn't feel like a rap verse tacked onto a different genre, it feels seamless and smooth, like that rapping was meant to be on the track. The instrumentation is accessible to the average listener, but still maintains a sense of experimentalism when paired with Kevin's vocals.

Boyfriend also features some interesting variance in song structure. While it's still got the typical verse-chorus-verse structure in many songs, it also features a handful of songs like "Suburbia Born", "Friendship", "June 29th" and "Kin" that are either a single verse, or a mere snippet. "Kin" actually did end up getting a full release later. Unlike a project like New English by Desiigner, these brief tracks don't feel like a slew of rushed, half-baked ideas, they seem to have a bit more artistic integrity to them, perhaps signifying brief moments in Kevin's life. On the fully formed songs, the album features some great, catchy choruses on songs like "Yellow" "American Boyfriend" and "Empty", with the latter being one of my favorite hooks of the year, really one that sounds like it would sound fantastic being screamed out in a crowd at a show. Kevin manages to pull off these catchy choruses while still maintaining meaning in them, which is always something to be commended for. My favorite track on the album, "Runner" features some of the most experimental vocals from Kevin and perhaps the catchiest hook from Roy Mabie over synthy production that creates a certain aura to it as it builds up to a climax with the hook. The track somehow manages to sound extremely dark and moody, yet still upbeat and enjoyable with bouncy guitar riffs and brief, hard hitting drums before ending with a few Kanye-esque horns.

One of my favorite characteristics of American Boyfriend is its length. I've always been a fan of short albums, as they tend to contain less filler and are easy to sit down and listen to front to back with no breaks in between. At 37 minutes, this album is the perfect length. Not a single minute is wasted, a multitude of different genres and sounds are explored, and every track adds more and more insight into Kevin's emotions and insecurities as he struggles through a sensitive portion of his life. Kevin's passion, honesty and diversity is what has made American Boyfriend my album of the year, and I can't wait to see what else he has in store for us.

Favorite lyrics by /u/Cohtoh:

"Feel like jumping off the building,

Feel like saying "Fuck your parents"

Son don't feel 'em and I know they never will

They love gays but they hate niggas

What else are we to do rather than talk and paint a picture

I told that nigga before I even tried to tell myself

I wish you thought of me the way you thought about yourself

Hella help, wish 'em well"

  • Miserable America

"Known you for some time but it feels brand new

Try and go forget but we did that too

And I won't ever let you go

Ay dog got some problems we could runaway from

Search for a tree that you could hang on, stay down

Watch myself, watch myself watching you you"

  • Seventeen

"My parents wanna kill me, let them kill me

I'll finally be on TV"

  • American Boyfriend

Discussion Points:

Favorite tracks?

How does this album compare to MTV1987 for you? How about compared to BrockHamptons's debut this year?

Where would you like Kevin to go from here?

Kevin isn't the type of artist to impress you with rhyme schemes or double entendres, instead he focuses on honesty and emotional strength. Does this bother you? Would you prefer a more bar-heavy project from him or do you think this style is the most appropriate for him?

Will Kevin have to change his subject matter up from struggling with his sexuality in order to make another great album, or are you okay with hearing more about it?

Do you prefer the original Echo or the album version?

Thanks for taking the time to read my write up! I'll post the schedule in the comments.

submitted by /u/Cohtoh
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Frank Ocean's mom asked him to "crop" a singers vocals off of Godspeed after the singer made homophobic comments

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New Migos album CULTURE dropping Jan. 27

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Posted: 03 Jan 2017 03:46 PM PST

Story developing..

Got word from Erica G. (Nate Dogg's God Sister) that this just happened.

  • 55 mins ago: "________ they said some dudes tried to jump him right at the casket." ~ Erica

  • 39 mins ago: "It's so stupid that me and my family had to sit and watch this foolishness at the end of a wonderful service. This incident destroyed the last moment we had to cherish with Ricky and right in front or his body and his mother!

PISSED OFF!!!" ~ W.S.

Edit: FOOTAGE

Edit 2: I posted this from mobile. Fucking autocorrect

submitted by /u/ObieUno
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Amazon is taking over the world so I made a song about it

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Daily Discussion Thread 01/03/2017

Posted: 03 Jan 2017 11:55 AM PST

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:

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