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Album of the Year #6: Drake - Care Package - HipHop

Album of the Year #6: Drake - Care Package - HipHop

Album of the Year #6: Drake - Care Package

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 04:50 AM PST

Artist: Drake

Album: Care Package

Label: OVO

Release Date: August 2, 2019

Listen

Apple Music

Spotify

Background

I am definitely going to keep the background brief because presumably if you have ventured into this thread and are on this subreddit, you know who Drake is. For the inception of the project itself, it has always been a running joke amongst rap fans that if Drake compiled all of his loose tracks and put them onto one project, it would be his best work yet. Well, after years of dropping gems on his Soundcloud that never made it past his core fan base, he decided to clear the samples and put the songs on streaming services.

Review

In a recent interview with Rap Radar, Drake talks about his legacy throughout the decade and recounts some of the most memorable moments of his career. In the 2+ hour conversation, he discusses a time of when So Far Gone, his third official mixtape and the project that ultimately put him on the map, was just released and was starting to spread. In 2009 when the project was released, most people were still purchasing music through physical copies and sharing albums and songs they enjoyed via word of mouth. Music was not nearly as readily accessible as it is today. Drake describes his rise to fame as a, "who is this moment?". Essentially, this is the positive reaction from a listener when someone puts them on to new music and they want to know more. "Be present in your "who is this moment?" because you're going to be chasing that "who is this moment?" for the rest of your career trying to keep people as entertained as they were when they felt like they were one of the only people listening to you." It is hard to fault Spotify's most streamed artist of the decade for wanting to return to a time of when his audience felt like they were the only ones who had possession of this hidden gem. When you seemingly have accomplished everything, what else is there left to do? For Drake, the answer seems to lie in reflection.

As the decade comes to a close, people seem to agree that this one belonged to the 6 God. I could inundate you with numbers and accolades, but that isn't even necessary, and we both know that. 2019 seemed to represent a victory lap for Drake. An opportunity to toast to his accomplishments by himself. He re-released So Far Gone on streaming services and also released Care Package, which Drake described as, "some of our most important moments together available in one place". I know a quote like that may seem far-fetched to a lot of you, but to the guy writing this at his desk below his displayed If You're Reading This It's Too Late vinyl and a framed hand-drawn photo of Drake and Future as if they are on the cover of Time Magazine, I have to agree. This compilation of songs evokes an eerily similar level of nostalgia for me as it seems to be doing for Drake. Each one of these tracks represent distinct moments in my life that I can very clearly return back to with just the push of the play button. The individual release of many of these songs allow for them to act as their own moments in time, the same way that a full-length project would.

Sonically, this project encapsulates the full array of Drake. It represents his traditional output, with no ventures into other genres such as afro beat, dancehall or grime/U.K. drill. All in all, the project plays a lot more cohesively than one would think a compilation of songs released across a decade would sound. To a first-time listener, this could easily be mistaken as an album intended to be listened to together. From an analysis standpoint, it did not seem to make much sense to me to approach this project song by song as it is constantly shifting between different time periods and subject matters, as expected. I feel as if Care Package can be broken into two major themes – heartbreak and relationship struggles and desire for success and what it looks like once you accomplish it. These are not unfamiliar topics from Drake. In fact, his last album Scorpion was split into a Side A and Side B to represent almost this exact dichotomy between his subject matter. Drake has been an artist who was constantly refined and nearly perfected his sound over the years and Care Package gives us a look back at the rough drafts along the way.

Tracks such as "Club Paradise" give us insight into the struggle Drake faced as a result of his new-found success. As he is constantly traveling and touring, he is missing out on what is happening in Toronto and once he returns, he has trouble processing all that has changed. His old girls are with someone else, new girls do not want anything to do with him because he isn't even around and all the rappers that used to pretend to be his friend are now the same ones coming after him. Released before Take Care, this moment of time depicts a clear shift in Drake's life. He is not just another kid from Toronto anymore. He has grown into something larger than he can currently comprehend and is having trouble dealing with the repercussions. As the album progresses in the timeline, we see how Drake begins to adapt to the changes, dating more high-profile celebrities and keeping a much tighter inner circle to insulate himself from the negativity. On "How Bout Now", we hear a tale from Drake's Acura-days of dating a girl and balancing the normal struggles of a relationship – jealously, effort, pleasing their partner's family and how to pursue a dream when your supposed closest ally does not care to support. This qualm is a lot more relatable to the common listener as these problems could happen to anyone. Drake gets the last laugh in the end, sarcastically asking if the girl wants to give him a second chance now that he is a superstar and seems to have it all figured out. On "Days in the East", Drake pours out his heart to Rihanna, his former love affair. He talks about just waiting for her to hit him up to try to rekindle things. Even though things seem to be over, Drake still holds extremely strong feelings for her and believes she feels the same. He brings the listener into intimate conversations with Erykah Badu and his close friend Chubbs, talking about ideas of love and trust. We can all relate to confiding in close friends and spilling out our feelings unrestrained late at night.

What I have always enjoyed about this side of Drake's work is how unbashful he is when discussing these topics. He comes off as sensitive and vulnerable, which in turn makes him more relatable. Although people may have tough times expressing it outwardly, Drake reassures the listener that even at the top, it can get lonely too. The authenticity of this aspect of his work (insert Quentin Miller meme here) has always stood out for me. By naming real-life people and locations, you feel more in-tune what is really happening. When I came back home from college sophomore year and my high school fling was with someone else, I thought back to Rosemary and Leean Sealy (as lame as that may be lol). Something about the somber subject matter of these types of songs coupled with the ethereal production from 40 never fails to give me chills. This side of Drake is ideal "Late-Night Driving" music, as you wind down the road thinking of all that could have been with a previous significant other. Songs like "Trust Issues" and "Girls Love Beyoncé" express the cynic in Drake, doubting the intentions of women and telling himself he will never find true love. These doubts are normal for anyone, but when you are listening by yourself thinking of a certain someone, the feeling hits different.

On the other side of this project, you see the bravado and charisma of The Boy, boasting about his accomplishments and all that he has become. Even though he has been at the top for a minute, it has not always been that way. The project begins with the Jai Paul sampled "Dreams Money Can Buy". Immediately, the listener is taken back to a different time in Drake's life. A time of when major success is imminent and he yearns for it all. He is starting to treat women differently because of his new-found success. He is extremely self-aware of what is happening around him and where he is going. When Lil Wayne announces you to the world as the successor of his empire, the future must feel brighter than ever. But Drake wants it all now. We see a similar type of desire on "Paris Morton Music". Drake talks about his quest for stardom. He shares all to his former love interest and talks her through doubts that he normally would keep to himself. Drake is confident in himself, but there is still the lingering uncertainty in his head that maybe this won't finish exactly how he intends it to. A year and a half later with the release of Take Care, he solidifies his stronghold in the game and slowly begins to develop into the confident, arrogant, and dare I say, ~unruly~, force he is today.

The first and arguably best example we have of this is on "5 AM in Toronto". The perfect rebuttal to people who say he can't rap, Drake spits for 3 minutes straight, taking shot after shot at other heavyweights in the game including The Weeknd, Chris Brown (debatable heavyweight) and Common. Line after line, Drake states nothing but the facts, asserting his dominance in the game as fans await Nothing Was The Same. Over an ominous beat, Drake steadily applies pressure and lets his competition know exactly where he stands. He continues this on Jodeci Freestyle with J. Cole., where he calls out rappers for trying to copy his old style and going for his spot at the top. The confidence in his voice leaves minimal doubt in the listener's mind that Drake doesn't have it on lock. The same could be said for "4 PM in Calabasas", chock full of upper-class brags and celebrity name drops. When Drake wants to bring it, he clearly can and he has the ammunition and credibility to back it all up.

Amongst this long project (17 songs), I do not want to miss covering the impact these songs had at the time of their release. One of the biggest commonalities that I noticed from some of these loosies are the other artists that were inspired to remix the original tracks, many of which for Drake listeners may have been their first introduction to them. The Weeknd released a remix of Trust Issues before Thursday came out. Bryson Tiller started to make waves off of his remix to How Bout Now. PartyNextDoor produced "Days In The East" and released his own remix with West District. Still today, these 3 artists reign at the top of the RnB game. To what part of that can be attributed to Drake, you decide (peep my flair), but there is no questioning he played a role in helping those 3 careers take off.

The reason that Care Package makes so much sense to me is because if you look at the subject matter of a lot of these songs, it almost always involves Drake looking backwards. Very rarely is he discussing what he sees in the future. Even in the songs where he is wishing for full-blown success, there are still references scattered throughout to how he got there. To me, Drake has always been someone who has trouble letting go and likes to reflect and recount on his past endeavors. From that perspective, Care Package is almost the perfect, most meta way to summarize his past decade – with a bundle of songs reflecting all that he has been through, ultimately shaping him into the star he is today. Coupled with his summations in the Rap Radar interview and posts like this on IG, it is clear Drake has been nostalgic about the last ten years. And why shouldn't he be? He definitely did not have a decade to forget. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong and the only reason he released this was to capitalize on introducing old music to new fans while reenergizing his base with forgotten classics. After all, that is probably the reason he re-released So Far Gone. Sure, it is great to memorialize his earlier work on streaming services forever, but he is getting paid for all of this in the end! Is this even considered an album? Did I just waste several hours of my life doing this? What a time to be alive.

Things do feel different now, though. He is a father. His last official release was met with mixed reviews. His recent output has been strong, but minimal. Something is coming. As one of the most calculated artists in the game along with his team, I personally am excited to see what is next. I can confidently say that Drake played a large part of shaping the soundtrack of the past decade for me and I am sure that a lot of other similarly-aged people on HHH can agree. Drake is chasing after captivating his audience again like it was 2010, and I think I speak for the fans when I say that we are all waiting for the same.

Favorite Lyrics

It's crazy all the emotions forgot in a year

  • Club Paradise

Green, white, and red on my body 'cause I'm dipped in Ferrari

All she wanna do is get high and listen to PARTY

She complain, I tell the driver to drop her at Barneys

My summer diet is just Rosé and calamari

  • 4 PM in Calabasas

The girl that I wanna save is like a danger to my health

Try being with somebody that wanna be somebody else

I always thought she was perfect when she was being herself

Don't even know how to help, but I guess that's just the motion, yeah

She'll probably come around

Soon as I settle down, that's the motion

  • The Motion ft. Sampha

And all I care about is my city, man, I can't say it enough

I done heard things about y'all that they can't say about us

I just hold it down for my side, I just hold it down for my set

I just give everybody a piece of this and make do with what's left

  • Free Spirit ft. Rick Ross

Discussion Questions

  • Where does Care Package rank on your list of Drake's discography? Should it even count?

  • What are your thoughts on re-releasing content to streaming platforms? Would you like to see a Care Package-type project from anyone else?

  • Where does Drake go from here? Does he maintain his dominance in the new decade?

  • If you have never cried to any of the songs on Care Package, are you even qualified to read/comment about it?

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Daily Discussion Thread 01/07/2020

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 08:07 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:

submitted by /u/ModsLittleHelper
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Rae Sremmurd's Stepdad Killed, Brother in Custody as Person of Interest

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 10:22 AM PST

[FRESH VIDEO] Mick Jenkins - "Carefree" Black Boy (Official Music Video)

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 07:12 AM PST

[FRESH] IDK - Hello Freestyle Pt. 4 (Prod. by JPEGMAFIA)

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 12:05 PM PST

[FRESH] Sada Baby x Lil Yachty - SB5

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[SHOTS FIRED] Wiley - Eediyat Skengman 2 (Stormzy Send)

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 02:48 PM PST

2019 /r/HipHopHeads Awards - Winners and Nominees

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 10:18 AM PST

Welcome to the 5th annual /r/HipHopHeads Awards!

Thank you to the thousands of users who voted. Without any further ado, below are the results of your votes!

/r/HHH Awards Voting Results!

Best Beat Of The Year

Nominees:

  • Danny Brown - Combat (Prod. Q-Tip)

  • Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Crime Pays (Prod. Madlib)

  • Young Thug - Hot (ft. Gunna) (Prod. Wheezy)

  • Tyler, The Creator - NEW MAGIC WAND (Prod. Tyler, The Creator)

  • Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Palmolive (ft. Killer Mike & Pusha T) (Prod. Madlib)

Winner: Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Crime Pays (Prod. Madlib)

Best Guest Verse Of The Year

Nominees:

  • Andre 3000 - Come Home (Anderson.Paak)

  • Playboi Carti - EARFQUAKE (Tyler, The Creator)

  • Black Thought - Crowns For Kings (Benny The Butcher)

  • Pusha T - Palmolive (Freddie Gibbs & Madlib)

  • Anderson .Paak - RNP (YBN Cordae)

Winner: Pusha T - Palmolive (Freddie Gibbs & Madlib)

Best Overall Verse Of The Year

Nominees:

  • J. Cole - Middle Child (Verse 1)

  • Black Thought - Crowns For Kings (Verse 2)

  • Pusha T - Palmolive (Verse 2)

  • J. Cole - Sacrifices (Verse 4)

  • JID - Down Bad (Verse 2)

Winner: Pusha T - Palmolive (Verse 2)

Best Hook Of The Year

Nominees:

  • YBN Cordae - RNP (feat. Anderson .Paak)

  • Denzel Curry - RICKY

  • BROCKHAMPTON - Sugar

  • Dreamville - Down Bad (ft. JID, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG & Young Nudy)

  • Tyler, the Creator - EARFQUAKE (ft. Playboi Carti)

Winner: Tyler, the Creator - EARFQUAKE (ft. Playboi Carti)

Best Posse Cut (4 or more artists on one track) Of The Year

Nominees:

  • Dreamville - Down Bad (ft. JID, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG & Young Nudy)

  • Dreamville - Costa Rica (ft. Bas, JID, Guapdad 4000, Reese LAFLARE, Jace, Mez, Smokepurrp, Buddy & Ski Mask The Slump God)

  • Beast Coast - Left Hand (ft. Joey Bada$$, Flatbush Zombies, The Underachievers, Kirk Knight, Nyck Caution & CJ Fly)

  • Dreamville - Wells Fargo (ft. JID, EARTHGANG, Buddy & Guapdad 4000)

  • Dreamville - Sacrifices (ft. EARTHGANG, J, Cole, Smino & Saba)

Winner: Dreamville - Down Bad (ft. JID, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG & Young Nudy)

Best Music Video Of The Year

Nominees:

  • Kanye West - Follow God

  • A$AP Rocky - Babushka Boi

  • Tyler, The Creator - EARFQUAKE (ft. Playboi Carti)

  • Lil Nas X - Old Town Road (Remix) (ft. Billy Ray Cyrus)

  • DaBaby - BOP

Winner: A$AP Rocky - Babushka Boi

Best Song Of The Year

Nominees:

  • Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Crime Pays

  • YBN Cordae - RNP (ft. Anderson .Paak)

  • Tyler, The Creator - NEW MAGIC WAND

  • Tyler, The Creator - EARFQUAKE (ft. Playboi Carti)

  • Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Palmolive (ft. Killer Mike & Pusha T)

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Palmolive (ft. Killer Mike & Pusha T)

Best West Coast Project Of The Year

Nominees:

  • Boogie - Everything's For Sale

  • Anderson .Paak - Ventura

  • YG - 4REAL 4REAL

  • Tyler, The Creator - IGOR

  • ScHoolboy Q - CrasH Talk

Winner: Tyler, The Creator - IGOR

Best Midwest Project Of The Year

Nominees:

  • Pivot Gang - You Can't Sit With Us

  • Kanye West - JESUS IS KING

  • Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Bandana

  • Danny Brown - uknowhatimsayin¿

  • Quelle Chris - Guns

Winner: Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Bandana

Best Southern Project Of The Year

Nominees:

  • Young Thug - So Much Fun

  • Dreamville - Revenge Of The Dreamers III

  • EARTHGANG - Mirrorland

  • Denzel Curry - ZUU

  • Maxo Kream - Brandon Banks

Winner: Denzel Curry - ZUU

Best East Coast Project Of The Year

Nominees:

  • billy woods & Kenny Segal - Hiding Places

  • Griselda - WWCD

  • Westside Gunn - Hitler Wears Hermes 7

  • Beast Coast - Escape From New York

  • Benny The Butcher - The Plugs I Met

Winner: billy woods & Kenny Segal - Hiding Places

Best Project From Outside of the USA Of The Year

Nominees:

  • Skepta - Ignorance is Bliss

  • slowthai - Nothing Great About Britain

  • Dave - PSYCHODRAMA

  • Little Simz - GREY Area

  • Stormzy - Heavy Is The Head

Winner: slowthai - Nothing Great About Britain

Best R&B Project Of The Year

Nominees:

  • Daniel Caesar - CASE STUDY 01

  • Anderson .Paak - Ventura

  • James Blake - Assume Form

  • Solange - When I Get Home

  • Tyler, The Creator - IGOR

Anderson .Paak - Ventura

Best Debut Project

Nominees:

  • Pop Smoke - Meet The Woo

  • Maxo - Lil Big Man

  • Aries - WELCOME HOME

  • Polo G - Die A Legend

  • Slauson Malone - A Quiet Farwell, 2016–2018

Winner: Polo G - Die A Legend

Best Project by a Female Artist

Nominees:

  • Rapsody - Eve

  • Rico Nasty & Kenny Beats - Anger Management

  • Little Simz - GREY Area

  • Megan Thee Stallion - Fever

  • Lizzo - Cuz I Love You

Winner: Little Simz - GREY Area

Best EP Of The Year

Nominees:

  • Future - SAVE ME

  • Earl Sweatshirt - FEET OF CLAY

  • Benny The Butcher - The Plugs I Met

  • Ameer Vann - EMMANUEL

  • Lil Nas X - 7

Winner: Benny The Butcher - The Plugs I Met

Best Album Cover Of The Year

Nominees:

  • Danny Brown - uknowhatimsayin¿

  • Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Bandana

  • Tyler, The Creator - IGOR

  • Young Thug - So Much Fun

  • slowtahi - Nothing Great About Britain

Winner: Young Thug - So Much Fun

Best Project Of The Year

Top 10

  1. Tyler, The Creator - IGOR
  2. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Bandana
  3. JPEGMAFIA - All My Heroes Are Cornballs
  4. Young Thug - So Much Fun
  5. Denzel Curry - ZUU
  6. Dreamville - Revenge of the Dreamers III
  7. Little Simz - GREY Area
  8. Danny Brown - uknowwhatimsayin¿
  9. YBN Cordae - The Lost Boy
  10. BROCKHAMPTON - GINGER

Winner: Tyler, The Creator - IGOR

Best Producer

Nominees:

  • Tyler, The Creator

  • Wheezy

  • Kenny Beats

  • Madlib

  • Pi'erre Bourne

Winner: Madlib

Most Improved Artist

Nominees:

  • Young Thug

  • DaBaby

  • Tyler, The Creator

  • YBN Cordae

  • Rich Brian

Winner: YBN Cordae

MVP Artist Of 2019

Nominees:

  • J. Cole

  • Freddie Gibbs

  • DaBaby

  • Tyler, The Creator

  • Young Thug

Winner: Tyler, The Creator

submitted by /u/Chriscftb97
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[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] Denzel Curry - 13LOOD 1N + 13LOOD OUT

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 12:18 PM PST

It's been a day since ZXLTRN descended to share his "MIXX" on his YouTube channel (RIP streaming platforms). How are y'all feeling about this one?

submitted by /u/tatonka96
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Denzel Curry - SIRENS | Z1RENZ

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[FRESH] Knxwledge - Do You

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Geto Boys - Mind Playing Tricks On Me

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Blu & Exile- No Greater Love

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Chief Keef - War

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[HYPE] Chrxs Alexander - Lil Chrxs

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Yung Lean - Crystal Clear Ice

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YG ft. Nipsey Hussle - FDT (Fuck Donald Trump)

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Flatbush Zombies - Smoke Break (Interlude)

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 01:44 PM PST

Joey Bada$$ - My Yout

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 06:26 AM PST

Fort Minor - Remember The Name

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$uicideboy$ - Gorilla Warfare (w///RAMIREZ)

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 04:55 PM PST

MIKE - Sleepwalk

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 10:23 PM PST

Westside Gunn - Ric Martel (feat. Roc Marciano)

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 01:04 PM PST

[FRESH VIDEO] Summer Walker - Come Thru (with Usher)

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 08:20 AM PST

Action Bronson - It Concerns Me

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 04:13 PM PST
at

Album of the Year #5: Mereba - The Jungle Is The Only Way Out - HipHop

Album of the Year #5: Mereba - The Jungle Is The Only Way Out - HipHop

Album of the Year #5: Mereba - The Jungle Is The Only Way Out

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 09:05 AM PST

Artist: Mereba

Album: The Jungle Is The Only Way Out

Listen:

Spotify

Apple Music

Background by /u/mehlibu

Marian Mereba, known mononymously by her last name, is a 29-year-old R&B artist out of Atlanta, known primarily for her membership in its Spillage Village collective. Those following the work of fellow members like JID and EarthGang might have caught her honeyed harmonies on tracks from albums like The Never Story and Strays with Rabies. By early 2018, alongside racking up Spillage Village features, she'd released two EPs, 2013's Room For Living and 2017's Kotton House Vol. 1. From these appearances, you could grant that she was a nice vocalist, but nothing she'd done had indicated serious potential as a solo act — her early material is mostly generic R&B, maybe pleasant for a playlist but without great songwriting or composition to back it up.

A few songs, however, hinted at the direction she'd take later. First, on 2017's "Radio Flyer", Mereba integrated her lush guitar playing behind those vocals to produce a track that, while still pretty simplistic compared to her future work, demonstrated the expansive, cinematic flair she would grow into during the next few years. Meanwhile, "September" was a saucier track where she ramped up her romantic confidence ("you must've forgot I'm a queen"), emboldened the guitars, and added some interesting synth touches as well.

Mereba had originally moved to Atlanta and enrolled at Spelman's College to find herself, wanting to participate and be absorbed in what she saw as the center of black culture in America. After joining Spillage Village in 2014 and steadily putting out buzz-worthy music, this work finally paid off with her 2018 signing to Interscope, placing her alongside her Spillage Village collaborators on the label. The two singles she released last year after being signed marked a left turn from her previous work: "Planet U", an ode to a unique lover, sounds huge and complex, with enveloping bass and synths, layered folk harmonies, and extended rap passages, while "Black Truck" turns a digital beat from 9th Wonder(!) into a reflection on the long road she's taken to follow her dreams.

Both tracks ended up on The Jungle is the Only Way Out this past February as part of Mereba's commercial debut. This album is naturally her biggest effort yet, drawing on spoken word, hip hop, folk, blues, and more, as well as her family, her Ethiopian heritage, and choice features from crewmates JID and 6LACK. Since then, she's made major appearances on the chart-topping Revenge of the Dreamers III compilation album, a recent Tiny Desk performance, and the soundtrack to acclaimed drama Queen and Slim, showing that her star will only keep rising from here on out.

Review by /u/mehlibu

I'll be honest: whenever I hear about a new artist who 'seamlessly blends genres', is 'boundary-pushing' or 'defies labels', I kind of roll my eyes a little, because in my experience, that usually means they make generic pop music with weird chords. (Read some Spotify bios and see what I mean — it's an epidemic.) These days, I rarely see such fusions of disparate genres that don't feel forced or overwrought, which makes it all the more admirable that The Jungle Is The Only Way Out is so mature and thorough in its sound and style.

If you ever get the chance to see Mereba live, she'll put on an impressive show, singing, rapping and playing guitar all while maintaining the conversational stage-to-audience intimacy that's prized by artists in her lane. This album pulls off the same balancing act. The Jungle Is The Only Way Out begins with "more", one of three spoken-word/poetry interludes on the project, where Mereba's hushed harmonies leave space for some useful affirmations ("clean the mess more \ bless my set more"). Next, "Kinfolk" introduces us to the style that makes Mereba special: it's a gorgeous, anthemic R&B cut about Mereba finding peace, liberation and "hidden treasures" in the family she builds around her, but it's also a showcase for her dramatic guitar work, propelled on the chorus by a badass blues riff that sounds straight out of a car commercial, but much more captivating.

Performing the poet, the neo-soul vocalist, the folksy singer-songwriter, the conscious rapper, and everything else in between might come across as corny or lack cohesiveness in a different musician's hands. Mereba, though, feels like a complete artist who deals in her own inspirations and themes. The Jungle Is The Only Way Out, largely produced by Mereba herself, keeps an earthy, inky atmosphere that conjures up vast landscapes in nature, with distant synth touches rippling behind her lush vocals and guitar. Some of her evocative harmonies on this album almost remind me of chamber-folk acts like Fleet Foxes; as someone who prefers a lot of his R&B gritty, groovy and subterranean, I can't say I was always satisfied with The Jungle Is The Only Way Out's clean style and mixing, but the blend of sounds here is lush and effective. On the album's extended version of "Black Truck", 9th Wonder's propulsive boom-bap drums and repetitive keyboard line make for one of the album's most vivid beats, underpinning a story of struggling towards success that feels universal once Mereba's harmonies hit their gorgeous high notes ("Stay sick cause I follow my gut \ They say I was pushing my luck \ Imma push me a matte, all black truck").

A lot of Mereba's songwriting cleanly captures ambitious concepts that I rarely hear handled similarly in R&B and neo-soul. "Heatwave", featuring 6LACK, treats cycles of police violence like primal forces of nature: "long summer, it's gon' be a heatwave [...] you'd better run." The idea is an old one (think Chance the Rapper on "Paranoia", or any street rapper going for something abstract). But Mereba's singular voice imbues the theme with new significance, especially when paired with one of the album's many artfully-shot companion videos. Meanwhile, with its uplifting call-and-response structure, the interlude "Get Free" almost sounds like a modern take on a spiritual or a gospel song, its pining for liberation driven by massive layers of vocals and a crescendo of synths and strings. Regardless of what genres they comprise, I look at these tracks like 2019 versions of authentic folk songs. They're grounded in today's sounds and issues, but timeless in how they approach them.

There are other tracks on The Jungle Is The Only Way Out I haven't mentioned — the more typical cutting-off-a-toxic-relationship ballad "Highway 10", or "My One", a song about Mereba finding solace in her lover with a grating hook — but the album's strongest songs are its final four. "Planet U" stands as Mereba's most structurally-interesting song, one where she appreciates her man's unique qualities by beginning with an eye-catching rap verse and building over booming bass to an outro with some of her most cathartic singing yet. The theme here — that Mereba's lover is so one-of-a-kind, he must be from his own planet — is fun and well-executed, and the witty lyrics expand on that conceit ("maybe the moon was your womb and Spock was your doc \ your pops a vacuum filled up with the dust of trillions of stars \ that dim next to you") in an impressively rapid-fire, JID-esque flow and cadence. "Stay Tru", which Mereba performed on COLORS last year, offers a tried-and-true plea for fidelity with a beautiful, playful chorus that pulls at your heartstrings ("donʼt play me like a fiddle \ Keep another love with me up in the middle"). In general, the hooks on this album are incredible, and anchor the loose, interlude-filled tracklist really well.

Mereba has the makings of an amazing songwriter — her pained R&B relationship ballads captivate you and sketch her out as a woman with a unique perspective, while her forays into other styles work wonders just as well. The final two tracks exemplify these different modes as perhaps the best songs she's ever written, and some of the best songs of the year overall. "Sandstorm", a sophisticated duet with JID, has the highest streaming numbers of any song on The Jungle Is The Only Way Out, and it's easy to see why; when they harmonize as star-crossed lovers over those jet-black snatches of piano, they make pure ear candy. In keeping with the naturalistic imagery of the album, the "sandstorm" here is the two lovers' toxic relationship — as much as they try to reconcile, they're too destructive to be together. "Sandstorm" is one of the most entrancing love songs I've heard this year, but "Souvenir" is something else entirely, a luminous lullaby of a folk song that recounts an LSD trip Mereba had shortly before writing it. Its cryptic references to different colors defy interpretation; she crafts pearls like "grey is the color I wear when it's cold \ I don't mind shaking, it keeps me awake". But as her guitar and voice softly guide you into her world, you feel, as with the best songs on The Jungle Is The Only Way Out, like she's tapped into something deeper.

Favorite Lyrics by /u/mehlibu

As for the Devil, show it. No ruler can size you

No ruler should rule you, but the one that never binds you

Realize too, all that will try you is designed to unwind you, define you

but you do get to decide if this tide will capsize you.

The devil's been lied to.

The devil could die, too.

"dodging the devil"

A gun goes off and I'm burning up the track

Gimme my space, swear you so intergalac-

-tic, like Bic, you be turnin' me to wax

Bitches ain't shit, still throwing you the cat

"Planet U"

Red is the color I wear when it's late

And my door's knocked on 'round 8

Grey is the color I wear when it's cold

I don't mind shaking, it keeps me awake

"Souvenir"

But then I remember that you got a temper, and I got no filter

So it's like a sandstorm, when we get to blows

Can we please take it easy?

Let's just act like adults

JID and Mereba on "Sandstorm"

Discussion Questions by u/mehlibu

  • Had you heard of Mereba before this album? If so, how does it compare to her early work?

  • How does this album stack up against the broader alternative R&B scene? Against the rest of Spillage Village?

  • Does The Jungle Is the Only Way Out actually sound as interesting as I say it does, or is it just a bland folk-soul hybrid?

  • What do you think of the spoken-word passages on the album?

  • A common opinion I've heard is that while the last few tracks are well-written songs, the rest are mostly forgettable. Do you agree?

submitted by /u/mehlibu
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Daily Discussion Thread 01/06/2020

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 02:04 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:

submitted by /u/ModsLittleHelper
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[FRESH VIDEO] Lil Uzi Vert - Futsal Shuffle 2020

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 03:31 PM PST

[FRESH] Denzel Curry - 13LOOD 1N + 13LOOD OUT

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 12:05 PM PST

Kanye West's 'Yeezus' Was Originally Titled 'Thank God For Drugs' Reveals Designer Joe Perez

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 06:35 AM PST

Mac Miller - New Faces v2 (Feat. Earl Sweatshirt & Da$h).

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 06:18 PM PST

[FRESH] Stormy - Disappointed

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 06:30 AM PST

Drake announces "Life Is Good" music video with Future via IG story

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 09:49 AM PST

IG Story, also posted on Future's IG story.

Original Thread

Snippet

According to /u/16ringsupinmycocina, it's a single for the Prince Family compilation album and the guy who posted that snippet said he heard 3 songs off that project and he's pretty reliable since he's really affiliated with J Prince

submitted by /u/HHHRobot
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Dr. Dre - Deep Water (ft. Kendrick Lamar & Justus)

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 10:27 AM PST

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Deep

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 08:03 PM PST

Eminem - ‘Till I Collapse ft. Nate Dogg

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 01:51 PM PST

[LEAK] Juice Wrld, Don Toliver, and Swae Lee - Untitled EP

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 09:53 PM PST

Cole Bennett (Lyrical Lemonade) shot a video for Soulja Boy back in the day, but it's gone unnoticed. Here's the video. Yes, it's real.

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 11:17 AM PST

Do you guys think that Tupac’s activist potential was hindered by Suge and Death Row?

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 11:01 AM PST

I feel like when Tupac signed to Death Row, he was going backwards with his potential. He always had an interest in helping the black community and the inner cities, but the people he surrounded himself with weren't mentally on the same level as him. And it's the drama that he got caught up in. I just feel like his overall iq and values were different front Suge. Tupac wanted change in the community, Suge wanted money. And Suge is a terrible person, but Pac maybe felt like he owed Suge loyalty for bailing him out.

submitted by /u/throw2045
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Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 07:06 AM PST

Rap Radar: A Griselda New Year (Westside Gunn, Conway & Benny interview)

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 01:35 PM PST

[FRESH] 2 Chainz - Virgil Discount

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 09:32 PM PST

Pitchfork give's ECCO2K's debut album 'e' a 7.4

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 01:01 PM PST

Bushwick Bill - Ever So Clear

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 05:25 PM PST

Skepta and JME freestyle

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 01:21 PM PST

Big Krit - Country Shit Remix feat. Ludacris & Bun B

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 02:29 PM PST

Young Thug ~ Big Racks (Intro By Lil Uzi Vert)

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 08:21 PM PST

A Tribe Called Quest - Mind Power

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 10:38 AM PST

Nappy Roots - Awnaw

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 02:30 PM PST

KAYTRANADA - Vex Oh ft. GoldLink, Ari PenSmith & Eight9Fly

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 03:40 PM PST

[FRESH VIDEO] BONES - ArentYouASightForSoreEyes

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 10:57 AM PST

Captain Murphy - DUΔLITY

Posted: 06 Jan 2020 07:07 PM PST
at
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