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Album of the Year 2018 #1: Drake - Scorpion - HipHop

Album of the Year 2018 #1: Drake - Scorpion - HipHop

Album of the Year 2018 #1: Drake - Scorpion

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 10:00 AM PST

Artist: Drake

Album: Scorpion

Listen:

Apple Music

Google Play

Spotify

Tidal

Background

We really gonna do background for this album? FOR THIS ARTIST? Fine.

Initially announced in April, preceded by 'Nice For What' and followed roughly a month after with the less well received 'I'm Upset', I didn't really know what to expect from this album, I almost thought Nice For What wasn't even gonna be on the album until someone pointed out to me the similarities between the single artwork between it and I'm Upset. I figured God's Plan (from the Scary Hours EP released in January) would be tacked on as a sort of bonus track ala 'Hotline Bling' from Views in '16 for numbers but ultimately I didn't have any ideas or particular expectations until the billboards went up.

Explicitly stating there were 2 sides on the album immediately said to me that instead of cutting back and forth between styles like he did on Views and More Life it would be a clean split of the softer more late night drive R&B Drizzy and the puffy chested braggadocios rappity raps Drake, of course we ended with something close, if a little fuzzier than the clean-cut I hoped it would be.

There's a lot more that could be discussed as background: the slew of consistently great features across the year(only outmatched by J.Cole in my opinion), the whole El Hijo De MAGA saga, the record breaking on top of record breaking but we're not here for all that shit (at least not right now) we're here to discuss this album, so let's get to it.

Review

As previously mentioned, after the initial billboards were posted I expected a clear-cut R&B/hip-hop type double album, for whatever reason in my mind with the R&B half first, maybe it's because that's where I expected the hits to be (e.g. God's Plan, Nice For What) sprinkled throughout for maximum streams, clearly a false assumption that didn't matter but nevertheless.

The album opens with another great Drake intro, giving a general view of his life blocked by the chip on his shoulder that for whatever reason still exists mixed with your typical Drake bragging (so much for regular life humbling him) over a masterfully crafted beat by No I.D. & 40, weaving these delicate almost playful synths (from Claude Larson's 'Telex') into your super low super rumbly bass that increases its presence as the song goes.

This is the part where this shit goes off. A lot of people are less than captivated with Tay Keith's beats and his rise to fame, but he does exactly what he does incredibly, almost akin to videogame soundtracks of old in that the main loop has to keep you drawn in and focused without distracting from the main draw, this blended with Drake's (literal) mumbling ad libs makes for one of my favourite songs of the year, I really can't tell you how many times I've played this song (as of writing this it's 73) without thinking yeah maybe I should go listen to this shit again.

Of course, this isn't the only ~banger~ of the rap side of the album with cuts like 'Can't Take A Joke' that has Drake skating all over the beat and 'Mob Ties' doing his alleged best impression of Young Thug, much to the chagrin of many bootygoons around the world, talking about how it's "too late for all that lovey dovey shit" presumably in relation to Lift Yourself, dug into more with '8 Out of 10' replying almost directly to shots off Ye's 'No Mistakes' from the jump with the "Too rich for who? Y'all just got rich again, who grips the mic and likes to kill their friends?" and alluding to how Kim and pretty much everyone around Kanye is gonna be playing this shit, but luckily for him Drake is now the good guy (really?) and this is as bad as it's gonna get for him. Another outstanding beat, this time helmed by Boi-1da, very simple with a big heavy bass, almost celebratory in sound. It's a shame this song is finished by the Plies skit clearly aimed at Pusha T, something I found hilarious at first quickly became incredibly tiresome on relisten which could perhaps be the point for the targets at hand but as a fan and frequent listener it's an unnecessary annoyance.

Then you've got cuts like the incredible 'Emotionless' with one of my favourite samples maybe ever? I think that's a little hyperbolic but it's great and completely contrasts how drained and exhausted Drake sounds with life on this record, discussing the fraudulency of the world due to the effects & expectations of social media, how he still doesn't feel like he gets the love he deserves while simultaneously breaking all the records in the world and the lack of spark existing in his music career as his idols become his peers and eventually become less than that as they expose themselves to be anything but Drake's idealization of them. This contrasted with 'Talk Up' with Jay Z & DJ Paul & 'Sandra's Rose' with DJ Premier, the former with DJ Paul throwing it back to Drake's roots in Memphis with this super menacing beat & Jay actually coming through with a decent verse (we still remember Pound Cake) talking about the cornball in office and how the streets have let him down, the latter with what I think can easily be agreed as Drake's best rapping on this record over a classic Primo beat, shows that not all is fraught in Drake's world view of hip-hop as he steadily cements his place amongst true legends.

This half of the record finally ends with 'Is There More', an almost ethereal haunting beat bookended with an Aaliyah interpolation by the incredibly talented Nai Palm, this track laments of Drake's place in the world as both an artist and a human being and almost touches on something sincerely genuine and meaningful before hurriedly transitioning to Side B for some of the most bitter music we've heard from him yet.

Just to get this shit out the way cause I'm not gonna talk about it outside of this I think Summer Games really might be the most offensively bad thing Drake has done maybe ever? This shit sounds like the damn Hunger Games soundtrack it is NOT GOOD and should be abolished from all streaming services and physical copies of the album. Ratchet Happy Birthday on the other hand is an eternal classic and some of the funniest shit I've ever heard.

Anyway, this side opens up with Peak and shortly follows that with Jaded, two of the most vitriolic and bitter songs I've ever heard from Drake, he's ALWAYS in his feelings about women and he always has these relationship issues but god damn son you can't be making stuff like this at 32, it's not a good look! Especially to then go from these types of songs to something like 'Nice For What' which is almost a celebration of these powerful independent women that so starkly contrasts his distaste for the impolite leads on the previous tracks.

Nice For What was a fantastic single and I'm so happy it made the album, that New Orleans bounce vibe on it is a refreshing new twist on the Drake Formula™ (as mastered on Views) and it's so easy to see why that and 'In My Feelings', another take on that sound, became huge hits, they're infectiously catchy without ever feeling tired and the beats seem to work perfectly with Drake's laid back lazy flow and his singing at the same time.

I think while overall I believe this half to be the weaker side, there are better collaborations on this half of the record, with songs like 'Blue Tint' with Future, which sonically would perhaps fit the first half more thematically sits in nicely with tracks like 'Finesse' and 'That's How You Feel' with an extension on that opening bitterness & distrust of women causing all of his relationship issues with the ice getting thin and the relationship being either sink or swim. Then there's 'After Dark', an alluring throwback with Static Major vocals from beyond the grave mixed beautifully with Ty Dolla Sign, I'm really surprised this song didn't take off, maybe the verses are just a little too long, maybe it's a little too horny for radio (although nowhere near as horny as 'Final Fantasy' Jesus fucking Christ) either way it's a damn shame. None of these collabs quite match up to the strength and significance of a Michael Jackson feature, an insane feat that was allegedly up in the air due to the death of Joe Jackson, something that was sort of underwhelming due to the processing and more fitting the song around it than having it add on to the song (as is the issue with most posthumous material it feels like) still unimaginable that it even happened and to be real I still thoroughly enjoy the song.

Finally we come to March 14, the thing that set it all off, the end of a partnership with one of the other biggest activewear companies in the world (and an alleged end to a campaign exclusively to show off his son which is a whole mess honestly) only to end up going back to the one he just left, the end of any hope of a collaboration between one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time (which isn't necessarily a bad thing cause Glow was horrendous) and the opening of new doors to old friends, but more importantly than any of that hopefully the beginning of a better Drake, at least as a man and maybe (hopefully) reflected in his art.

Favourite Lyrics

You niggas pop mollies, my Malis pop niggas

House on both coasts, but I live on the charts

I have tea with the stars, and I swim with sharks

and I see in the dark, wasn't this cold at the start

  • Survival

Back and forth to Italy, my comment section killing me

I swear I get so passionate, y'all do not know the half of it

I grew up with the Reps Up boys, we crashin it and splashin it

And when I say they crashin it I do not mean a accident

  • Can't Take A Joke

Niggas scared to come toward us, gotta run from us

Louisville hush money for my young gunners

Rick Pitino, I take em to strip clubs and casinos

Stack of c-notes, get all of you niggas scratched like Primo

Worms, I just opened up a can of those

My mother had a flower shop but I was Sandra's rose

Two girls that I rope like Indiana Jones

I make them hoes walk together like I'm Amber Rose

  • Sandra's Rose

Your shorty was bent, she wanted to vent, I promise it fell in my lap

My money is young, my problems are old, I promise I'm bridging the gap

You know what I'm sayin

  • Talk Up

Still I rise, Maya Angelou vibes

When life coming at you from all angles and sides

And they don't wanna see that you smiling from inside

It really boils down to how you plan to survive

Houston women I wine & dine and take to the house

My moral compass is janky, it breaks in the South

  • Is There More

I used to challenge my parents on every album

Now I'm embarrassed to tell em I'm a co-parent

Always promised a family unit

I wanted it to be different because I've been through it

But this is the harsh truth now

And fairy tales are saved for the bedtime stories I tell you now

I promise if I'm not dead then I'm dedicated

This the first positive DNA we ever celebrated

I can't forget the looks on their faces

October baby for irony's sake, of course

I got this 11 tatted on me for somebody now it's yours

And believe me, I can't wait to get a hundred more

Sorry I'm venting, tryna cover ground

They said that in two weeks you're supposed to come in town

Hopefully by the time you hear this me and your mother will have come around

Instead of always cutting each other down

God willing

I got a good feeling you got a good spirit

We'll talk more when you hear this

  • March 14

Talking Points

  • I feel like asking where do you want Drake to go is moot at this point, but with this new deal do you expect the album rollouts/content to be different? If yes, how so?

  • With the firm cementation of his crossover superstardom with this record (as if it wasn't already) would you accept Drake having the help of writers (provided he credits them ala Kanye or Beyonce) for the potential of better music?

  • Do you think Drake knows how condoms work?

  • One of the most interesting aspects of this album is how out of his regular bag he went with producers, with some incredible pulls like Oogiemane and DJ Premier, what's your dream production team for the next inevitable Drake hit?

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Daily Discussion Thread 12/01/2018

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 02:55 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, 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:

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Meek Mill goes on CNN to talk about new album ‘Champions’ and criminal justice reform

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 01:35 PM PST

Mark Kozelek sees $uicideboy$ poster for ‘I Want To Die In New Orleans,’ retitles his LP ‘I Also Want To Die In New Orleans’

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 06:39 AM PST

Police Think 6ix9ine Implicated Himself in NYC Chief Keef Shooting

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 05:28 PM PST

Pras from The Fugees named in $4.5 billion money laundering scheme.

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 03:26 PM PST

$ILKMONEY posts tracklist to upcoming project “I Hate My Life And I Really Wish People Would Stop Telling Me Not To”

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 06:43 PM PST

Screenshot Link to Tweet

The project is slated for release this month

submitted by /u/tollivermvp
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[FRESH] Logic - Freestyle Friday's Vol. 5 (Prod by Mac Demarco)

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 11:43 AM PST

Eminem audition on American Idol

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 11:12 PM PST

Ski Mask the Slump God - Faucet Failure

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 07:30 PM PST

Rhythm Roulette: 9th Wonder

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 01:31 PM PST

J.Cole - Change

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 02:55 PM PST

A$AP Rocky - Phantogram Freestyle

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 09:57 AM PST

The Dream will be releasing three projects on December 21st (Sextape Vol. 1-3), totalling 37 tracks overall

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 10:45 AM PST

[FRESH] The Alchemist - Bread EP (Short Film)

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 08:39 AM PST

Dave x AJ Tracey - Thiago Silva

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 05:30 PM PST

Divine Council - Decemba (Remix) ft. $ilk Money, André 3000

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 11:07 AM PST

[FRESH DOCUMENTARY] WELCOME TO HELL: The History and Influence of MEMPHIS RAP

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 10:57 AM PST

[First Impressions] The Alchemist - Bread EP

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 11:31 AM PST

it's been 24 hours

what y'all think of it?

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PSA : If you guys see someone fall in a pit pick them up

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 11:43 PM PST

in recent news after what happened in a bring me the horizon show(even though they are metal, same applies to hip hop) please help people who you see struggling in the pit, I've fallen my self and it's a very helpless feeling. Don't let it not be your problem act on it

https://twitter.com/bmthofficial/status/1069012289746030593?s=21

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Awful Days: A Documentary about Awful Records

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 07:56 PM PST

Anderson .Paak - Tints ft. Kendrick Lamar (SNL)

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 10:39 PM PST

Cee Lo Green - Fuck You

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 03:40 PM PST

PM Dawn - Set Adrift on Memory Bliss

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 09:07 PM PST

Drake Wins Lawsuit Over Woman Claiming He Raped & Impregnated Her

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 11:06 PM PST
at

Daily Discussion Thread 11/30/2018 - HipHop

Daily Discussion Thread 11/30/2018 - HipHop

Daily Discussion Thread 11/30/2018

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 08:27 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, 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:

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New Music Friday: November 30th, 2018

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 09:28 AM PST

Albums

JID - Dicaprio 2

6ix9ine - DUMMY BOY

Meek Mill - Champions

Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs

Ski Mask The Slump God - STOKELEY

Lil Baby - Street Gossip

Skizzy Mars x Prelow - I Can't Take Me Anywhere

Smoke Dawg - Struggle Before Glory

Peewee Longway - State Of The Art

Daboii - Neva Lookin Back

Larry June - Very Peaceful

Tommy Cash - ¥€$

Victor Oladipo - V.O.

Problem - S2

Illa J - John Yancey

Snövit - DEMON

EPs

Black Thought & Salaam Remi - Streams of Thought Vol. 2

Big K.R.I.T. - Double Down

KAYTRANADA - NOTHIN LIKE U / CHANCES

The Alchemist - BREAD EP

KEY & Kenny Beats - 777 Deluxe

Singles

Mac Miller - Spotify Singles (Dunno, Nothing From Nothing)

Chance the Rapper - The Man Who Has Everything/My Own Thing (feat. Joey Purp)

Travis Scott - SICKO MODE (Skrillex Remix)

Saba - Excited

Jay Rock - Shit Real (Feat. Tee Grizzley)

Gesaffelstein - Reset

Bladee - I Chose to Be This Way (prod. 16yrold & Lil Skys) (maybe not on streaming)

Offset - Red Room

A$AP Ant - Testarossa ft. Hoodrich Pablo & Offset (prod. Murda Beatz x Cassius Jay) (maybe not on streaming)

Tory Lanez - Talk To Me (Remix) [Feat. Lil Wayne, Rich The Kid & DJ Stevie J]

Blood Orange & Yves Tumor - Smoke [feat. Ian Isaiah] (Remix)

Gucci Mane - BiPolar (Feat. Quavo)

Stwo - You, World, or Myself (feat. Roy Woods)

Gunna - My Slime (feat Billionaire Burke)

Armani White - Onederful

Loosie

Mysonne - Joyner Lucas Diss - " Litty/ zeze " Freestyle

MIKE - 2. grabba

LUCKI - WHO YOU REALLY KIDDING?

Ras Kass - Smoke Break (Joyner Lucas Diss)

Stormzy - Line

Lil Skies - Opps Want Me Dead

KOTA The Friend - Camp

Hilltop Hoods - Leave Me Lonely

submitted by /u/TheRoyalGodfrey
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[FRESH] EMINEM - KICK OFF FREESTYLE

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 06:27 PM PST

[FRESH VIDEO] Travis Scott - YOSEMITE

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 12:03 PM PST

J.I.D - DiCaprio 2 ALBUM REVIEW

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 07:26 PM PST

[FRESH VIDEO] A$AP ROCKY - GUNZ N BUTTER

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 09:02 AM PST

[First Impressions] Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 05:21 PM PST

  1. Shattered Dreams

  2. Red Water

  3. Cold Summers

  4. Nowhere2go

  5. December 24

  6. Ontheway! Ft. Standing On The Corner

  7. The Mint Ft Navy Blue

  8. The Bends

  9. Loosie

  10. Azucar

  11. Eclipse

  12. Veins

  13. Playing Possum Ft. Cheryl Harris and Keorapetse Kgositsile

  14. Peanut

  15. Riot!

Thoughts? Favorite songs?

Personally, Mint is the standout for me. I really like the cohesiveness of this album.

submitted by /u/H20isLean
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Jay Z goes to Twitter to clear up any rumors that he and Kanye are feuding

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 10:03 AM PST

[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] Ski Mask The Slump God - Stokeley

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 05:57 PM PST

What did you guys think?

submitted by /u/hulksreddit
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A Round Up of Some Less Talked About 2018 Hip Hop Projects

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 06:58 AM PST

This is a round up of 25 lesser known hip hop/hip hop adjacent projects from 2018 that I think are most worthy of highlighting, as well as a host of other projects that deserve recognition but didn't quite manage to rank among my favourites, similar to this post I made in 2016. I realise that "lesser known" is a broad and murky designation, with everybody thinking their favourite rapper is "slept on" or "criminally underrated" (ahem, Isaiah Rashad, JID, Denzel Curry...). So I've tried to skirt around that by using an objective qualifier - I've only included projects whose initial release (if it was posted at all) received fewer than 100 upvotes here, at the time of my writing this. So that excludes a lot of great artists that still very much fall under the underground label - Busdriver, Milo, Ka, Roc Marciano, Armand Hammer... - but I think it does a good job of keeping the selections/discussion fresh, and avoiding collective masturbation over the same few "approved" underground projects. Furthermore, I've made sure only to include one project per artist, for a lot of the same reasons. Another important note - I've tried to include a bit of variety, so in the case of 2 albums where I don't really have a preference I've usually included the one that I think adds a bit more of a new dimension to the list. The decrease from 50 to 25 is partly because of my laziness, partly because of the new restrictions, and partly because I wanted to feel comfortable writing about/recommending everything here. If possible, I've included a Bandcamp link to each of the projects - it's a great platform that facilitates music discovery and helps create an audience for smaller artists, and in my opinion gives artists the most control over their music and how it's presented. It's possible to stream everything I've linked for free, without even having to sign up (though that's also free), and if you're purchasing this is the best way to give the artist the greatest share of the profits. Otherwise, everything here should be available on the normal streaming services or at least soundcloud/youtube, so you know, use your search bar like a semi-capable human being. For each project, I've included one track that I think is the best/best representation. And finally - there is no order whatsoever to the list.

ANKHLEJOHN - KNOWLEDGE ANKHLEJOHN has been one of 2018's breakout stars, star of course meaning small cult following and incompatible with any mainstream recognition. Project after project of some of the grimiest hip hop there is, sounding like a the natural successor to people like Mobb Deep and Onyx while still pushing himself forward and avoiding revivalist cliches. But out of all that output, where he's jumped from car theft to Van Gogh, nothing has stuck with me as much as KNOWLEDGE. Drawing from 5 Percenter and Nation of Islam ideas, it's a dense 15 minute onslaught that never lets up.

Tutankhamun

Blackfist - Strapped 4 Survival

Blackfist is a duo out of LA consisting of VIK and YUNGMORPHEUS, both of whom rap and produce, and who sacrifice zero creative control, by releasing music on their own label "RAWSH_T". In a lot of ways, Strapped 4 Survival can be seen as the embodiment of "lofi hip hop", while still moving the scene forward in a meaningful way. This album is hazy, gritty, and sounds like a weird cross between early 90s Memphis hip hop and a Madlib beat tape, with effortlessly political lyrics. It works as a slow burn stoner tape, something nostalgic, and a potent discussion of some important ideas, but what's most impressive is how all of this is done in such a casual, fluid way.

Hate Run Deep

lojii - lofeye

lojii exploded onto my radar last year with DUE RENT, his collaboration with producer Swarvy. It sounded like an incredible merging of Ka and Knxwledge, just as much grit running through it as there was off kilter alt. hip hop. So considering lofeye shares almost no sonic similarity with that album, my initial reaction was one of disappointment. Everything about this is colder, harsher, more calculated, even uglier... that laid back working class quality is nearly all gone. But fortunately, it's been replaced with some of the sharpest, cleverest, and most efficient lyricism of the year. lojii has gone from a great rapper, to one of the best alive - he chronicles street life and social issues, always full of an incredible wit. The sparser production plays into the desolate world he's created, and while this will never be as 'fun' a listen as DUE RENT, it's a much more ambitious creation.

colour

Cavalier - Private Stock

Cavalier is from Brooklyn, resides and records in New Orleans, and is integrated with Detroit's experimental hip hop scene, and all that culminates in the wise nomad-like figure at the centre of Private Stock. Cavalier ruminates on race, wealth, police brutality, and spirituality, accompanied by Iman Omari's lush, "full" sounding production. The territory spans from the dark to the nostalgic to the joyous, and throughout Cavalier comes across measured and in control of everything around him. At surface level it's a pleasant, relaxing listen, but with a little more unpacking you encounter one of the most compelling, intelligent MCs around.

Watch Me (feat. Quelle Chris & Iman Omari)

Knife Knights - 1 Time Mirage

The latest project from Ishmael Butler (Digable Planets, Shabazz Palaces, Cherrywine) - this time joined by Seattle music veteran Erik Blood, sees yet another evolution from an artist whose career has been characterised by adventure and unpredictability. This is perhaps the lushest and most freeform Butler's music has ever been, with a lot of the production here having more in common with shoegaze or dream pop than with what you'd expect on a hip hop album. The album is in equal parts abstract, even futuristic, and a commentary on current events. It's relaxing and 'pretty', but there's always a sinister undertone running through the album. Most of all, it's another case for Ishmael Butler being one of the best musicians ever to grace hip hop.

My Dreams Never Sleep

Cities Aviv - "Raised For A Better View"

Cities Aviv has been a less picked up on but nevertheless important part of "internet rap" during the current decade, and has shown over multiple albums his ability to experiment tastefully and intelligently, making forward thinking music that doesn't rely on being abrasive or deliberately inaccessible. After being mostly inactive since 2015's Your Discretion is Trust, he returns with what is possibly his finest achievement yet. The music here is a lot sparser, less busy than his previous work, and that leads to something a lot subtler, that rewards repeated listens. A good deal of the album is instrumental, and when he chooses to add vocals, they carry extra weight, each of his words sounding purposeful and powerful, the depth of his voice adding a kind of ominous quality to everything. It's not an album that goes out of its way to assert itself and make a spectacle, it fades in and fades out and once you're through it you're compelled to keep diving in.

Highly Favored (spirited set)

Kenny Segal - happy little trees

Kenny Segal has been a go-to producer in art rap circles for a while now, and through his work with guys like Armand Hammer, Open Mike Eagle, Busdriver, Milo etc, as well as through a vast collection of beat tapes, he's cemented himself as one of the most talented beatmakers out there. But in spite of that, this is his first 'real album', the first time that he's taken his ability and directed it into one unified, ambitious piece of music. Lots of instrumental projects drop every year. Some good, some bad, most fairly pleasant without really asserting themselves. But Kenny Segal managed to make a cohesive, consistent 'instrumental album', that exists in its own right and not as hypothetical background to someone else's stories.

cole's final

Sterling Hayes - SideFX

Sterling Hayes is an oft-neglected part of the Savemoney collective, who hasn't yet managed to cement himself at the forefront of the burgeoning Chicago hip hop scene of the last few years. But during that time, he's occupied a space distinct from his peers - foregoing the playfulness, optimism, the mellower stuff. Instead, his music is frantic, gritty, and occasionally even ugly. He touches on fairly common topics in modern hip hop - mental health, addiction - but does it in a very real, well rounded way. It's not the mindless wallowing of emo rap, it's not an inspiring tale of overcoming struggle, and it's not even some cerebral examination of these issues. It's a visceral unrestrained portrait of desperation that never loses its grounding or realism. Vocals are yelped out, production is bass heavy with hints of soul, the tempo is constantly changing, and nothing is held back - overall an excellent album with a unique identity running through it.

Anxiety

Mckinley Dixon - The Importance Of Self Belief

This is the kind of title I might initially dismiss as trite and corny, too close to self help book territory. But Mckinley Dixon has succeeded in creating a consistently engaging, genuinely moving album, which excels in the area where so many rappers struggle - making use of unique song structures that shirk the played out 'verse chorus verse chorus' template that runs through so much hip hop. Certain tracks here feature no rapping at all - there are instrumentals, poems, prayers.... And most importantly, getting through this album feels like undergoing progression - Dixon builds towards a optimistic conclusion rather than obnoxiously throwing it in your face from track one (____ The Rapper). He's backed by a live band who merge hip hop with neighbouring Black genres like jazz and soul, and throughout he acts more as a guide amplifying the music than as its main point of focus. It's like a modernised, expanded version of what Native Tongues were doing in the late 80s/early 90s, without every sounding tired or unoriginal.

Black Boy Flies

Medhane - Ba Suba, Ak Jamm

In recent years underground hip hop has been infested by guys in their teens/early 20s making pseudo-poetry out of their bedrooms, where poor mixing is supposed to be some grand artistic statement. With that in mind, it would be easy to dismiss Medhane at first glance. But he distances himself from the crowd with bolder production choices, and most importantly lyricism that goes into more abstract places, as well as an approach that foregoes self-aggrandisement, and is outward-focused enough to make him acutely aware of his place amongst things. He's not a tortured soul, but he's not lacking vulnerability either. The end result is very much 'everyday' hip hop, characterised by its balance and measured grasp of the issues that spring up around us,

AiteDen

Pink Siifu - ensley

It seems a lot of the discourse this year has been around the disconnect between overly long albums, and short 20 minute projects meant not to have any frill (despite, you know, EPs being around forever). Given that, it's always refreshing to hear an album that's not aimlessly filled to the brim, but is instead intentionally sprawling, and that's exactly what ensley does. 25 tracks, all of which bleed into each other without any set up or transitions, most representing vastly different ideas both musically and lyrically, but it all comes together into this beautifully eclectic creation. Political, introspective, soulful, witty, always charismatic... Pink Siifu has already accrued in an impossibly vast and difficult to track down discography (including a great punk EP from earlier this year, fuck demo), but this is him at his most complete and confident, and it really pays off into a compelling piece of music.

pray everyday (feat. awhlee & liv.e)

Jeremiah Jae - DAFFI

Jeremiah Jae, although originally from Chicago (he's the son of Miles Davis collaborator Robert Irving), has been one of the anchors of the LA experimental hip hop/beat scene of the last decade, working closely with people like Jonwayne, Zeroh, Flying Lotus, Koreatown Oddity, Mndsgn... But that scene has lost some of its strength and cohesion in the last couple years, and during that time it seems Jae's music has taken a more casual, even wayward direction. Still putting out good stuff, but nothing defining came after 2015's collaboration with L'Orange. Fortunately that looks to have changed with DAFFI, which excluding the excellent Raw Money Raps might be his most focused and consistent solo work yet, and it's also the most vulnerable and directly introspective he's ever been. The production, all done by Jae himself, hops between griminess and making your head nod, desolation and majesty.

Rise

Jerry Quickley - (american) FOOL

Jerry Quickley might be the most interesting person on this list - journalist, filmmaker, and poet, who's spent a lot of time working in Iraq as a war correspondent. And perhaps more importantly, this album's creation was preceded by 3 suicides of those close to him, all within the space of 3 months. That background manifests in one of the strangest, most unsettling, yet consistently compelling albums of the year. Quickley's urgent spoken word is soundtracked by underground icon Busdriver, whose glitchy production is eerily matched to the eccentric, near disturbing atmosphere.

Unicorn: Anais

Bambu - Exrcising A Demon | Article I | A Few Left

Compared to most people here, Bambu is a grizzled veteran. A Filipino who grew up in Los Angeles, he's been putting out intelligent, overtly political music for 15 years now, dealing not just with social issues within the US but with broader problems surrounding things like colonialism, authority, child labour, and the immigrant experience. On Exrcising A Demon, he grapples with LA gang culture, particularly the way it relates to immigrants. Obviously gang culture is not a novel topic in hip hop, and even more nuanced portraits are fairly common. But I've never encountered an album which tackles the subject with such detail and grounding, that gives a thorough examination of the tragedies involved and the social factors responsible for this climate. A significant portion of the album involves real people simply telling their stories, and through that as well as Bambu relating his own experiences in rap form, the content is consistently gripping.

Polite [Bambu]

Coops - Life In The Flesh

Over the last few years Coops has established himself at the forefront of the English jazz rap scene, with his projects God Complex and Lost Soul especially acting as evidence of his measured, introspective style. But since then he's taken a bit of a dip, and his other 2018 project, No Brainer sounds like someone who got fed up with a lack of commercial appeal turning to the lowest common denominator. But only a few months later, he's put out his most ambitious, developed work yet. The concept here is fairly easy to grasp - Coops takes you through one man's life, from birth to death and touching everything in between. It's nothing revolutionary - Undun among others - but it takes a lot of talent to dance with this ambition at all, let alone at the level Coops does. The production is reminiscent of a smoky room, Coops sounds angry and resigned at times here - it's a very bleak album, and that lack of melodrama makes his message all the more powerful.

Life in the Flesh

navy blue - yvan wen

navy blue is another product of the blossoming underground scene populated by people like MIKE, Medhane, sixpress among others, and recently gained some traction after guesting on Earl Sweatshirt's "The Mint". Generally speaking, it's easy to say that if you're into that sound you'll enjoy navy blue's stuff. But what distinguishes him is the heart his music carries, he's not just impressive lyrically, his content comes across as genuinely endearing. All of that is on full display throughout yvan wen, which even at 10 minutes manages to feel like a substantial, fully formed piece of music.

give em hell...

Low Leaf - PRiMiTiVA

Low Leaf has always been on the peripheries of hip hop - working with people like Jonwayne and Zeroh - and this EP might be her hypnotic, lush sound at its most refined, equal parts live instrumentation and electronics. In a relatively short time, PRiMiTiVA completely envelopes you. There's this grandiose orchestral sound throughout the EP, every sound is clear, the production is full of subtle adjustments here and there, and Low Leaf's voice has an otherworldly quality. One of the most 'beautiful' releases of the year.

Journey to GiGA GAiA

Lorde Fredd33 - NORF: The Legend of Hotboy Ronald

In many ways, Lorde Fredd33 sounds like hip hop's future - a weird melding of the art rap world and mainstream sensibilities, mixing off kilter trap beats with off the wall flows and esoteric lyricism, jumping from sheer ridiculousness to something poignant at a moment's notice. If I had to pick the most well rounded, versatile album of the year, I'd probably go with this one - it's aggressive, funny, relaxing, insightful, jazzy... His delivery sounds like an evolution of people like Pharoahe Monch and Busdriver (with whom he works) - relentless, unpredictable, hitting you from all angles. There really isn't anything this album doesn't accomplish.

NORF

Illingsworth - You're No Fun

Another excellent addition to the vast Mello Music Group catalogue, Detroit's Illingsworth exists in the same space as people like Quelle Chris, Open Mike Eagle and Denmark Vessey (the latter 2 guesting here) - getting through grave messages about mental health in a deceptively lighthearted way. Most of the album is made up of off kilter alternative hip hop instrumentals, with vocals coming from Illingsworth and the guests breaking through every now and then to anchor the project down. That loose structure allows him to explore things like self esteem and insecurity with adulthood in a way that never weighs down on you. It's always exciting when an album can succeed wholeheartedly on more than one level, and that's exactly what You're No Fun does.

Wind (No Clues)

Lando Chill - Black Ego

This is the 3rd of Lando's 2018 collaborations with producer The Lasso, and of the 3 it's the most fitting successor to last year's The Boy Who Spoke to the Wind. It mixes the scope and spirituality of that album with the intimacy of his debut For Mark, Your Son, and the result is one of 2018's warmest, most textured, 'musical' hip hop albums. A lot of the mainstream is marked by artists who employ 'melody' alongside their rapping, and in that field very few can compete with Lando - his delivery is rich and soulful, he frantically jumps between flows and displays a near-unmatched flexibility. He grapples with themes of Blackness in America - both in how that relates to individual mental health as well as in the way it reflects in society at large - and because of the aforementioned musicality Lando comes across just as much as a successor to Stevie Wonder or Marvin Gaye than as a piece in contemporary hip hop.

Peso (feat. Quelle Chris & Rey)

The Outfit, TX - Little World

Trap music has dominated 2018, whether it's established acts exploding to a new level of success, the indistinguishable sea of new acts popping up, "veteran" acts aping the style in order to regain some desperately craved attention, or even genres of music totally disconnected from hip hop seeking to cash in on what's trending in the mainstream. With that level of saturation and blind commercialism, it's easy to become disillusioned with the scene as a whole. But occasionally something comes along which feels like a genuine progression within the sound, and in 2018 that's The Outfit, TX. It takes a lot of trap tropes and pushes them to their extremes past the point of tedium. The 'darkness' sounds almost demonic at points, the bass heavy production takes on hints of industrial music... It's loud and outlandish, but there's this grounded quality throughout that gives it more depth than its peers.

Money Truck (feat. 03 Greedo)

Caleb Giles - There Will Be Rain

Caleb Giles plays saxophone in New York trip hop/neo soul/quite a lot else group Standing on the Corner, and that versatility comes through on There Will Be Rain. At its base level, the album can be seen as another entry in the ever-growing New York "lofi" hip hop scene, but both because of the added musicality as well as the fairly difficult questions posed in the lyrics, it takes on a 'grand' quality that its peers lack. It's not a perfect release - Giles is still young and its clear that there are areas he can improve. But its rare to see something which hits these powerful notes with such ease and regularity, and that bit of imperfection only adds to the charisma and odd charm shown here.

Wondering (feat. Standing on the Corner)

Nocando - Coyote

Nocando has spent a fruitful career split between the LA underground "art rap" scene and the battling circuit, being as much an entrepreneur (Low End Theory, Hellfyre Club) as he is a rapper. During that time his music hasn't always been at the level of some of his collaborators (for instance his other 2018 release, MOTH, is one of the worst things I've heard this year). But on Coyote you can hear all his potential fully realised into a set of jazzy, vivid, and emotionally resonant songs, that deal with everything from fatherhood to the suffocation of poverty, all done with incredible maturity and thought. You hear the control of someone who's been rapping for so long and in so many different environments, everything sounds intentional and important.

She Went to War

AKAI SOLO 無限 力力 - CRUSH EVERYTHING

The last few years has seen some depressing trends explode throughout the world - a resurgence of nationalism and right wing thinking, the rise of anti-intellectualism, mass attacks on journalism, and perhaps most worryingly, l o f i hip hop radio 24/7 - chill study/relax/gaming beats. Given the cover of CRUSH EVERYTHING, as well as the name "AKAI SOLO 無限 力力", this project strays frighteningly close to that territory. But what you get instead, is one of New York's wisest, most unique voices. Akai Solo is close to that 'hip hop shaman' Jay Electronica mould, but without the pretension and delusions of grandeur. The defining feature here is composure, control - whether he's grappling with everyday problems or something loftier, there's always a level of balance here. He's captivating without trying too hard, and he makes the array of jazzy instrumentals here sound like they're under his command.

Getsuga

Four Fists - 6666

Four Fists are the underground 'Cole and Kendrick' - endlessly teased collab album, but this time it's finally come out. POS and Astronautalis have been putting out some of the most ambitious hip hop of the 21st century, both accomplishing the very rare feet of making rock influenced hip hop in a way that doesn't sound like a trailer park, and this collaboration is the culmination of that - both are older, not as energetic as they once were, but that's replaced by a new level of maturity and world weariness. Both have gone through personal difficulties - notably POS's kidney failure - and on this record you hear a special chemistry that could only have been built up through time. It's the rare album that is both uncomfortably and acutely personal, while keeping hold of a larger scope. Basically, it's a good version of Kids See Ghosts.

Fjortis (feat. Sims)

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ASAP Bari Arrested on Felony Drug Charges

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 08:56 AM PST

Travis Scott is coming to speak at Harvard this Sunday

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 07:00 PM PST

Racist old tweet from Fat Nick surfaces, told girl to "go climb back up to the mountains of colombia you facking dirty monkey"

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 04:04 PM PST

[FRESH] Tabby - SEQUEL! (Official Music Video)

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 12:06 PM PST

[FRESH] Earl Sweatshirt - Azucar (Prod. by Sage Elsesser)

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 04:57 PM PST

50 Cent says he wouldn't mind if his estranged son 'got hit by a bus'

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 07:45 PM PST

[First Impressions] Meek Mill - Championships

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 04:39 PM PST

Been nearly 24 hours. Whats everyone's thoughts on this?

submitted by /u/bure11
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Meek Mill is currently doing a Twitter AMA

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 03:46 PM PST

https://twitter.com/MeekMill, hashtag is #AskMeek. Surprised this hadn't been posted yet

EDIT: It's done, hope at least one of you somehow managed to get an answer to your questions

submitted by /u/hulksreddit
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Ice Cube announces tracklist for upcoming project

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 12:06 PM PST

[FRESH ALBUM] Victor Oladipo - V.O.

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 07:04 AM PST

Ski Mask's Crew, 'Members Only', Trunks & Ski Sound Off On Each Other On Live After Ski Took A Member Off Of Slump God's Debut Album!

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 06:20 PM PST

[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] Meek Mill – Championships

Posted: 30 Nov 2018 09:13 PM PST

It's been 24 hours since it dropped. What are your thoughts on the Philadelphia rapper's fourth full-length studio album?

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