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Hip-Hop Listening Club of the Week #250: Maxo Kream - The Persona Tape - HipHop

Hip-Hop Listening Club of the Week #250: Maxo Kream - The Persona Tape - HipHop

Hip-Hop Listening Club of the Week #250: Maxo Kream - The Persona Tape

Posted: 11 May 2018 06:22 AM PDT

Welcome to HHH Listening Club!

Today we'll be listening to The Persona Tape by Maxo Kream

This album was selected by /u/yung_hokage_stef

Background provided by /u/yung_hokage_stef

Within the past few years, trap music has become synonymous with shallow cliché lyrics, overused flows, a general lack of rapping ability, and dime a dozen beats riddled with 808's and hi-hats. On top of this, trap as a whole is viewed as inferior compared to the rest of hip-hop, a brand of music equivalent to a fast-food meal that can never truly reach the heights that the genre's other sounds have to offer. Now, we all know that isn't actually true, but in my opinion no other rappers dispels this myth as well as Maxo Kream. Within a short span of 6 years, Maxo has delivered several examples of how a trap project can stand on its own as a great piece of music given the right ingredients. Pairing his unique and versatile flows with grimey hard-hitting lyrics and a surprising knack for storytelling, plus an array of unconventional beats that stray from the usual sound trap is associated with, he has also established himself as one of hip-hop's most talented and interesting newcomers. The Persona Tape is the follow-up to Maxo's 2015 mixtape Maxo187, largely considered to be his magnum opus, and while the argument that it's his best is easily made, I believe this project is just as good.

From the opening track, "Choppas", The Persona Tape's gritty tone is set almost immediately with filtered drums that sound like something out of a Call of Duty trailer. With the bars

Still see the same niggas that I shot

Still see a couple plugs that I robbed (Scary nigga)

Have a nigga see my face get shot

The other half see my face and start to run

you get a good understanding of who Maxo is as a person, a hardened Crip member who is willing to deal with both the highs and the lows of the trap lifestyle as long as it gets him paid. This song is both an excellent introduction to Maxo's style as well as the tape itself, especially because it is very cinematic. This is a testament to Maxo's commitment to making a project that actually feels like a project, with a beginning, end, and proper pacing, another one of The Persona Tape's strengths.

From then on you're supplied with several tracks consisting of both excellent rapping and production. Maxo tackles every instrumental here with ease, maintaining sharp catchy flows that he can switch on the drop of a dime (a great example of this is in "Karo"). He has the ability to sound comfortable on any beat thrown at him, whilst also managing to craft some impressive narratives with his aforementioned story telling. This is put on its best display with the track "Hit Mane", a personal highlight where Maxo describes his daily routine working as a hitman for hire. He keeps you invested until the twist ending comes to a close and creates some striking imagery along the way with lines like

Pro drilling like a killing, don't negotiate my prices

Blood spilling like Al-Qaeda, walking crisis, one man ISIS

The last thing I'll note about this tape is how diverse its production is. Each beat on this tape has a sound that makes it stand out within the trap soundscape but also maintains what makes trap beats so alluring in the first place. They take inspiration from all types of hip-hop to give the project a very flavourful feel. "Karo" consists of a funky bassline peppered with Memphis-esque drums, whereas "Big Worm" samples Wiley's grime classic "The Morgue" to the tune of the hardest snare drums I've heard in a minute, and "G3" sounds like something out of a JRPG.

In conclusion, this mixtape is a breath of fresh air in a subgenre that many view to be stagnating. It is both an attempt at pushing the trap sound further while also harkening back to its early days (the ode to H-Town with Paul Wall on "Smash" is a nice throwback) resulting in one of the best projects of 2016. Even though many trap artists may find their footing by way of a hit single, The Persona Tape shows that putting in the time and effort to create something special really pays off.

Album: The Persona Tape

Label: Kream Clicc/TSO Music Group

Producer(s): Wlderness, Ryan ESL, Pe$o Piddy, Tommy Kruise, Chuck Inglish, Wolfe de mchis, Slug Christ

Representing: Houston, Texas

Streaming Sources:

YouTube

Soundcloud (missing the track "Talkin' Shit" for some reason)

Spotify Apple Music/iTunes

Google Music

Guidelines:

  • This is an open thread to share your thoughts on the album. Avoid vague statements of praise or criticism. This is your chance to be a critic.

  • Please keep any top level comments to 140+ characters. Why do you like this album? What are the best tracks? Did it meet your expectations? Have you listened to this tape before? What is your first impression? Explain why you like it or why you don't.

  • Remember, people who participate in the discussion in a meaningful way are entered into a drawing to select next week's album (if I don't forget to ask in time lol)

LIST OF PREVIOUS LISTENING CLUBS

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

New Music Friday: May 11th, 2018

Posted: 11 May 2018 08:44 AM PDT

Albums

Playboi Carti - Die Lit

Tee Grizzley - Activated

Ski Mask The Slump God - Beware The Book of Eli

Ty Dolla $ign - Beach House 3 (Deluxe Edition) and Beach House - 7

Junglepussy - JP3

AUGUST 08 - Father

Bladee - Red Light

Singles

John Mayer - New Light (prod. by No ID)

Rita Ora - Girls (feat. Cardi B, Bebe Rexha & Charli XCX)

Ben Khan - do it right

Elujay - Starchild

The Cool Kids - Ripple

The Internet - Roll (Burbank Funk) [KAYTRANADA REMIX]

Buddy - Trouble On Central

Skepta - Pure Water

submitted by /u/TheRoyalGodfrey
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Ameer Vann (BROCKHAMPTON) accused of having sex with underage girls, making forceful advances on women, and more.

Posted: 11 May 2018 06:01 PM PDT

Link to the accusation: https://twitter.com/GIGlNOTHADID/status/995010948338368512

Link to a story behind the accusations: https://twitter.com/GIGlNOTHADID/status/995018021394464768

Tweets from his ex-girlfriend: https://imgur.com/a/vxCHRjk

UPDATE [12:42 EST] I reached out to Taylor (Ameer's ex), and she had this to say about the situation: https://imgur.com/a/5qlECxK

NOTE: As the old saying goes, "innocent until proven guilty." No concrete proof has been released yet, but I do think this is worth keeping an eye on. If any additional information arises, I'll be sure to add it.

submitted by /u/aidenedwards
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At Rolling Loud, Young Dolph brought out the baristas who were fired for playing his song and gave them each $20,000

Posted: 11 May 2018 06:04 PM PDT

Lil Peep x Clams Casino coming May 13th

Posted: 11 May 2018 10:24 AM PDT

[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] Playboi Carti - Die Lit

Posted: 11 May 2018 07:14 PM PDT

almost been 24 hours. what are your guys thoughts on Die Lit so far?

submitted by /u/Blu_Jays
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Chief Keef - Love Sosa

Posted: 11 May 2018 10:50 AM PDT

Lil Uzi Vert leaps from 50 feet onto Rolling Loud crowd for the second straight year

Posted: 11 May 2018 08:08 PM PDT

Childish Gambino- Freaks and Geeks

Posted: 11 May 2018 08:45 AM PDT

Nav dropping his next album "Reckless" 18th May

Posted: 11 May 2018 08:59 PM PDT

Rapper Kamaiyah Arrested For Refusing to Take Off Headgear at Airport

Posted: 11 May 2018 09:16 AM PDT

Apple Music and Pandora No Longer Promoting R. Kelly

Posted: 11 May 2018 12:01 PM PDT

Kevin Gates thanks Meek Mill for speaking about his situation, explains frustration with parole

Posted: 11 May 2018 11:27 AM PDT

Kevin Gates took to Instagram to thank Meek Mill for mentioning his recent parole struggles on The Breakfast Club

Gates then goes on to explain what got him locked up, explains that he's innocent but didn't want to snitch, and that he's not upset with the charges but is upset that his parole has been "punitive" rather than rehabilitative in nature

Gates really sounds committed to making steps forward and it was really nice to hear from him

https://www.instagram.com/p/Biom2VIlNLM/

submitted by /u/MoneyConvo
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MF Doom ft. Count Bass D- Potholderz

Posted: 11 May 2018 04:31 PM PDT

[Fresh] Royce Da 5'9 Ft. Schoolboy Q - Cutthroat

Posted: 11 May 2018 08:45 PM PDT

[FRESH] Royce Da 5’9 ft. SchoolBoy Q - untitled (Spotify leak?)

Posted: 11 May 2018 08:05 AM PDT

Pitchfork's 'Beware the Book of Eli' review | 7.9

Posted: 11 May 2018 10:09 PM PDT

Daily Discussion Thread 05/11/2018

Posted: 11 May 2018 10:52 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

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:

submitted by /u/AutoModerator
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Baby ft. Clipse - What Happened To That Boy

Posted: 11 May 2018 02:20 PM PDT

Gunna - Oh Okay ft. Young Thug and Lil Baby

Posted: 11 May 2018 06:59 PM PDT

lil peep - we think too much (prod. nedarb)

Posted: 11 May 2018 02:21 PM PDT

[FRESH] Playboi Carti - Fell In Luv (feat. Bryson Tiller)

Posted: 11 May 2018 10:22 AM PDT

[FRESH ALBUM] NICKELUS F - STUCK

Posted: 11 May 2018 06:23 AM PDT

[First Impressions] Tee Grizzley - Activated

Posted: 11 May 2018 09:14 PM PDT

its been 24 hours lmk what yall think

submitted by /u/7alexbruno
[link] [comments]
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International Artist Feature #7 - PNL - HipHop

International Artist Feature #7 - PNL - HipHop

International Artist Feature #7 - PNL

Posted: 30 Apr 2018 05:27 AM PDT

PNL

You don't need to know French, or be French, to appreciate PNL's songs. You just have to know intuitively that something is wrong — and trust only your crew to have your back. - Atossa Abrahamian, The Fader, 2016

PNL, hailing from Les Tarterêts in Corbeil-Essonnes, a banlieue of Paris, France, referred to by them as 'The Zoo', consists of two brothers, Ademo and N.O.S. Despite their many millions of views and streams, it isn't easy to find a lot of information about the two brothers, as they have chosen to keep a certain secrecy about the exact details of their life. French radio DJ Olivier Cachin was quoted as saying: "We only have their lyrics to go on. The mystery around them has no previous equivalent in French rap".

PNL have a very wavey, spaced out, autotune-filled but still lyrical style. I'd call it Lil Durk meets Drake meets Cloud rap, but it could be called many things. They speak on the life of balieue drug dealers, often with some interesting themes mixed in (Zelda for example), but also animal imagery, that stems from the 'Zoo' nickname for their neighbourhood. My French isn't good enough to understand 90% of what they're saying without reading the lyrics, but as stated above, you don't need to be able to speak French to feel PNL's music.

PNL released their debut album Que La Famille (which is also the name of their 'collective', QLF) in 2015. I'm not too sure what the impact of this album was when it released, because I wasn't following them at that time. I'm just going to quote this Fader article (also basically the only article on PNL where a journalist was allowed to hang with them afaik, so a lot of this feature will be sourced from that article, give it a read) on this album:

PNL's March 2015 debut album, Que La Famille, is a perceptible prelude to Le Monde Chico, released just seven months later. The groundwork is there, but it isn't as well produced, and the brothers' vocals are far more straightforward. There are a few standout tracks, namely the slow-burning "Je Vis Je Visser" with its chorus of 'I live, I deal, I'm bored', but PNL hadn't yet perfected the ambitious effects or hooky songwriting that make their next album feel so big.

As mentioned above, 7 months after their first album they released their second album Le Monde Chico, which is around the time I discovered their music. Le Monde Chico refined the style heard on Que La Famille, with better vocal performances, beats and mixing. The most essential song on this project is definitely Le Monde Ou Rien, which has as of today racked up an astonishing 90 million views. The video was shot in the mafia owned and notoriously problematic suburb of Napoli, Scampia, featuring some very eerie 'urban hell' type of imagery. According to the Fader article, the name of the song was used as a slogan in protests around France in 2015/16, the title meaning 'The World or Nothing'. This whole project is great IMO, as it is more refined than their first project, but it's still a bit raw and unpolished at times, which gives it a little extra. Other standout tracks include: Abonné, Rebenga, Sur Paname, but I recommend giving the whole project a listen.

In 2016 they released their third album, Dans La Legende. In my eyes this is their best, most refined project to date, but it's missing a bit of the raw energy of Le Monde Chico. Standout tracks for me include Luz de Luna, J'suis QLF, Naha and Jusqu'au dernier gramme.

I want to highlight the videos they released for this project, which together form a 4 part movie that details the story of a beef between different drug dealers (from what I understand and remember at least). The videos released were as follows (in order): Naha (Part.1), Onizuka (Part.2), Bené (Part.2) and Jusqu;au dernier gramme (Part.4).

As their video game is always on point, I want to highlight some other videos as well: DA, featuring a monkey, La vie est belle, filmed in Namibia and Oh Lala, filmed in Iceland (I think).

I'm not sure what the future holds for PNL, but they have gathered an immense (and loyal) following and it's been almost two years since their last album, so I'm sure something will come soon.

submitted by /u/Sputchit
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Yo, this is Tee Grizzley AMA - ACTIVATED

Posted: 10 May 2018 06:23 AM PDT

Yo, this is Tee Grizzley Ask Me Anything

My album "ACTIVATED" drops at midnight (12AM EST). Hit the link to listen when it drops

https://ffm.to/activated

EDIT: I gotta dip! On my way to Detroit for a special album party for my city. Check out "ACTIVATED" when it drops tonight

EDIT 2: I'm back on, Let me know how y'all feel about the album

Proof:

Twitter!

Facebook!

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

[FRESH ALBUM] Playboi Carti - Die Lit

Posted: 10 May 2018 09:00 PM PDT

[FRESH] Ski Mask the Slump God - Beware the Book of Eli

Posted: 10 May 2018 09:05 PM PDT

Spotify Removes R. Kelly Music From Its Playlists As Part of New Hate Content & Hateful Conduct Policy

Posted: 10 May 2018 06:03 AM PDT

[FRESH ALBUM] Tee Grizzley - Activated

Posted: 10 May 2018 09:00 PM PDT

[Fresh Video] Travis Scott - Watch feat. Lil Uzi Vert & Kanye West (Spotify exclusive vertical video)

Posted: 10 May 2018 08:12 PM PDT

[FRESH VIDEO] Juice WRLD - Lucid Dreams (Directed by Cole Bennett)

Posted: 10 May 2018 07:06 PM PDT

[FRESH ALBUM] Bladee - Red Light

Posted: 10 May 2018 05:30 PM PDT

Childish Gambino Wanted to Make a "We Are The World" Song With Rappers on "This Is America"

Posted: 10 May 2018 07:27 AM PDT

XXXTentacion, 50 Cent, & Adam22 respond to Spotify's new policy.

Posted: 10 May 2018 01:35 PM PDT

A$AP Rocky - Pretty Flacko (Remix) ft. Pharrell, Gucci Mane & Waka Flocka

Posted: 10 May 2018 08:06 PM PDT

Chance The Rapper Cast In 'Trolls 2'

Posted: 10 May 2018 01:26 PM PDT

[FRESH] John Mayer- New Light (prod. No I.D.)

Posted: 10 May 2018 10:12 AM PDT

[FRESH] Playboi Carti - Shoota (ft. Lil Uzi Vert)

Posted: 10 May 2018 09:17 PM PDT

Tay-K latest artist to be removed from Spotify playlists

Posted: 10 May 2018 07:31 PM PDT

Daily Discussion Thread 05/10/2018

Posted: 10 May 2018 05:03 PM 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

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:

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

GoldLink talks to XXL about the moment he knew "Crew" was gonna be a hit, and talks about a collab with André 3000 that fans may never hear

Posted: 10 May 2018 03:23 PM PDT

[FRESH MIXTAPES] Chief Keef - The Glo Files Pt. 1 & 2

Posted: 10 May 2018 09:01 PM PDT

[FRESH ALBUM] Ty Dolla $ign - Beach House 3 (Deluxe)

Posted: 10 May 2018 09:02 PM PDT

@TheSlumpGod - "Nationwide Will Be Dropping As A Single"

Posted: 10 May 2018 09:37 PM PDT

Bay Area rapper G-Nut of DenGee (formerly 187 Fac) has passed away.

Posted: 10 May 2018 04:13 PM PDT

If you listened to Bay Area rap in the '90s you've probably heard of 187 Fac/DenGee (Den Fenn & G-Nut) from Hayward, they were affiliated with Spice 1 (he produced their debut album and mentioned them in "Strap On The Side") and collaborated with just about anyone who was anyone in The Bay from Mac Dre to Saafir. They also made an appearance on the 1996 America Is Dying Slowly compilation that featured Wu-Tang Clan, Goodie Mob, Eightball & MJG, Common, Organized Konfusion and De La Soul, among others.

Posts from some of those who knew him:

G Maly (G-Nut's son)

Mac Mall

B-Legit

E-A-Ski

Cellski

Nutt-so

Daddy Rich

187 Fac & DenGee Songs:

Compilation Appearances:

Features:

Undated photo of MC Hammer, Den Fenn, D-Shot, G-Nut, 2Pac & Spice 1.

submitted by /u/GaryTheJerk
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[News] Ski Mask throws away Worldwide, SKImeetsWorld & offset feature for his official album release tomorow.

Posted: 10 May 2018 07:55 AM PDT

It seems like Ski doesn't have the rights to Worldwide (prod. Timbaland), Skimeetsworld & With Vengance (feat. Offset) [prod. Timbaland] anymore which were previously released as part of his album that leaked a while back. The track Run which was also produced by Timbaland has gotten an entirely new instrumental.

It won't be on Beware of the Book of Eli's official release tomorrow as the album is already available in New Zealand & Australia and the 3 tracks are nowhere to be found.

Itunes NZ link for proof :https://itunes.apple.com/nz/album/beware-the-book-of-eli/1383001656

Screenshot of NZ itunes page : https://imgur.com/a/xohArcd

submitted by /u/BOUNTYBOOTreddit
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[FRESH TRACKLIST] Kyle - Light of Mine

Posted: 10 May 2018 06:49 PM PDT

[FRESH] KYLE - Ikuyo feat. 2 Chainz & Sophia Black [Audio]

Posted: 10 May 2018 09:30 PM PDT

Ice Cube Swept Up in Bizarre Bribery Plot Involving Steve Bannon

Posted: 10 May 2018 08:16 AM PDT

[FRESH] Lil Gnar - Drop Top Benz (Ft. Lil Skies)

Posted: 10 May 2018 06:22 PM PDT
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