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Top Ten Tuesday: RZA - HipHop

Top Ten Tuesday: RZA - HipHop

Top Ten Tuesday: RZA

Posted: 07 Sep 2021 12:27 AM PDT

Here's how this works:

• One song per comment.

• The thread will be put into contest mode (randomized comment order).

• Upvote the songs you like.

• Please don't downvote!

• Artist must be main credited artist in the song(No features)

• Search/use ctrl+f to see if anyone posted the song already.

• Try to limit yourself to posting one or two songs.

• Please post a link with your song.

• The 10 songs with the most upvotes will be HHH Top Ten.

• Have fun!

Here is is our spreadsheet with all past results, made by /u/elektrikg33k.

Our upcoming schedule:

09/14/21 - C-Bo

09/21/21 - Arrested Development

09/28/21 - Ace Hood

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/RZA_discography

please take 5 seconds to ctrl+f the thread to see your song has already been posted

and as always pm me if you want to see a certain artist here

submitted by /u/CaptainGordan
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Drake - ‘Certified Lover Boy’ Review Thread

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 10:36 PM PDT

The Ringer: The hollow prestige of 'Certified Lover Boy'. Drake can still operate on a level that few other artists can, but on his new album, it feels like he's stuck in place

Fantano Score: Light 3

Pitchfork: Drake's sixth album sounds good but feels labored. Melancholic and often incisive, it becomes an overlong and very familiar journey through the life, mind, and heart of Drake. Score: 6.6/10

NME: A boring, bloated disappointment. On his sixth studio album, Drizzy sounds jaded and dull, treading water while he once again whines about women and fame. Score: 2 stars

The Independent: Album's greatest crime is how bland and boring it is. There's very little here that Drake has not done better or more emphatically elsewhere; his album is deprived of any kind of experimentation or insight Score: 2 stars

Variety: Drake Offers a Risk-Free Playlist of His Greatest Tropes in 'Certified Lover Boy

Consequence of Sound: The pain and pleasure of Drake's Certified Lover Boy. Drizzy addresses love, lust and some personal affairs on a fairly great sixth studio album

The Guardian: Drizzness as usual. Has hip-hop's most self-pitying superstar finally grown up? The answer delivered by another album of toasts, boasts and dubious love songs is clear: you bet he hasn't Score: 3 stars

LA Times: 'Donda' was pure psychodrama; Drake's 'Certified Lover Boy' is irresistible even at its bleakest.

The community also wonders why the mods (or a mod) was so aggressive in deleting Fantano and Pitchfork reviews as single threads. The new rule was to consolidate extra reviews for big albums but never to push Fantano and Pitchfork here as well. Y'all got pin power so let us know, shit like this kills the community fr

submitted by /u/CelDev
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Michael K. Williams (RIP) explains how Tupac helped him land his first film role

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 03:11 PM PDT

Baby Keem's album "The Melodic Blue" out this friday

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 06:12 AM PDT

Mac Miller - Fight The Feeling (ft. Kendrick Lamar)

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 09:59 AM PDT

Westside Gunn - Omar's Coming Ft. Conway And Roc Marciano (RIP Michael K Williams)

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 02:17 PM PDT

Blu has announced on Twitter his new LP “THE COLOR BLU(E)” is dropping on September 24th, produced by Exile, Sirplus & J57

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 04:44 PM PDT

[FRESH VIDEO] Baby Keem - the melodic blue (Album Trailer)

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 06:57 AM PDT

Kanye West - Donda Album Review | DEHH

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 12:12 PM PDT

Michael K Williams as ODB - Brooklyn Zoo

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 04:39 PM PDT

Kendrick Lamar - The Jig Is Up (Dumpin)

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 05:07 PM PDT

Playboi Carti, The Onomatopoeia Rapper; "Carti doesn’t focus on his lyrics as much as he hones in on the sound and energy."

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 07:45 AM PDT

Jay-Z & Linkin Park - Dirt off Your Shoulder / Lying from You

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 12:57 PM PDT

[FRESH] 4 tracks on Rico Nasty’s SoundCloud

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 11:15 AM PDT

Black Star - Respiration (ft. Common)

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 09:52 PM PDT

DJ Nate claims G Herbo did not give royalties nor pay for uncleared cold world sample

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 08:41 PM PDT

Elzhi - The World Is Yours

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 10:31 PM PDT

[FRESH] Rich Brian, EARTHGANG - Act Up

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 05:45 AM PDT

Daily Discussion Thread 09/06/2021

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 09:24 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

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.

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 these out:

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

Wiley charged with assault and burglary of kickboxer friend

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 07:04 AM PDT

Thirsty Fish (Open Mike Eagle, Dumbfoundead, and Psychosiz) - Grind it Out feat. Busdriver [Produced by TOKiMONSTA]

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 06:13 PM PDT

Czarface & MF DOOM - Captain Crunch [Prog Hip-Hop/Alt Rap]

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 11:10 AM PDT

Tinashe - Bouncin [Official Music Video]

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 04:23 PM PDT

TWEETMACK - LEAVE IT UP

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 10:21 PM PDT

Three 6 Mafia - Where’s Da Bud

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 12:56 PM PDT

Sir Michael Rocks- Brite

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 09:38 PM PDT
at

[DISCUSSION] Kanye West - Donda (One Week Later) - HipHop

[DISCUSSION] Kanye West - Donda (One Week Later) - HipHop

[DISCUSSION] Kanye West - Donda (One Week Later)

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 08:40 AM PDT

Now that you've had a week to listen to the album how do you feel about it?

submitted by /u/Talking_Eyes98
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[DISCUSSION] Do you we really want artists to evolve?

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 03:05 PM PDT

CLB dropped and the sentiment of Drake sounding the same popped up yet again. However, thoughts like that have been circulating this sub for awhile.

Dababy is constantly called out for sounding exactly the same, Polo G comes under fire for it and I even see Lil Baby getting called out for it time to time.

One of my favorite artists, Rico Nasty, faces this criticism as well, and I just wanted to explore it more.

What do you expect from an artist's new releases? The same general sound just a bit better? While there maybe some objective measures like wordplay complexity and layers of beats, "improvement" is subjective and becomes even harder to identify when wanting more of the same but better.

So is it a new sound direction completely? Are any of us really looking back and are grateful that Wayne gave us Rebirth? It does have some songs I enjoy but it's definitely the black sheep of his discography and I don't think the points he got for branching out was worth it in the long run. Something even more experimental than that and you got to ask, "What makes you believe this artist wants to and is capable of pulling off such a feat?".

So is it about recapturing a certain sound? This criticism has been levied against Wayne, Drake, Rico, and many many more artists. But then that's not really evolution then is it? That's just kind of hoping an artist makes your favorite songs from them over and over again. Which is actually something sometimes I basically want too, if I'm honest with myself.

Just curious about people's thoughts on this. Maybe (over)saturation plays a big role too.

Edit: Just want to say I'm glad this post picked up some steam. It's really cool seeing people's thoughts on this!

Edit 2: Just saw my typo in the title. My bad.

submitted by /u/In_Dux
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Masego - Navajo

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 06:24 AM PDT

[LEAK] Kanye West - New Again [OG] (Scrapped Chris Brown Verse)

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 07:40 PM PDT

[DISCUSSION] What Are Some Songs That Address "The State of Hip Hop?"

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 07:10 AM PDT

I'm trying to find different songs that critique the state of hip hop or the culture as a whole at various points in time to see how much of the common criticisms have remained the same. This is all I've been able to come up with so far:

  • Common- Used to Love H.E.R
  • GZA- Labels
  • De La Soul- Stakes is High
  • Nas- Hip Hop is Dead
  • Jay Z- D.O.A (Death of Autotune)

What are you guys' favorite one's? If you could try and mention the context of the song.

submitted by /u/BlackClaude
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Sunday General Discussion Thread - September 5th, 2021

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 09:28 AM PDT

Happy Labour Day weekend to all the new moms out there 🙏

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

Action Bronson - Through The Eyes Of A G (Ft. Ab-Soul)

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 08:41 AM PDT

[FRESH] Knxwledge - bettrsayno (Kodak Black - Senseless remix)

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 04:05 PM PDT

A$AP Twelvyy - Diamonds (feat. A$AP Rocky)

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 09:42 AM PDT

8-Ball & MJG (feat. The Notorious B.I.G & Project Pat) - Relax And Take Notes (2007)

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 02:41 PM PDT

The Alchemist - White Lines (Danny Brown instrumental)

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 02:08 PM PDT

Kembe X - Caged Bird ft. Isaiah Rashad

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 08:42 PM PDT

Mobb Deep - Bloodsport

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 07:12 AM PDT

Ja Rule - New York (Feat Fat Joe & Jadakiss)

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 09:12 AM PDT

Skinnyman -- Council Estate of Mind

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 03:29 PM PDT

Tha Dogg Pound - Get Out My Way

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 09:36 PM PDT

Clover Hope Revists Erykah Badu's Debut Album: Baduizm | Pitchfork

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 08:47 AM PDT

Lupe Fiasco & Gemini/Gem Stones - We On (2007)

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 01:42 PM PDT

[DISCUSSION] 6ix9ine- TattleTales (One Year Later)

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 10:05 AM PDT

There is a TLDR at the end.

A year ago on September 4th 2020 69 dropped his follow up to his studio debut (Dummy Boy) titled TattleTales. 69 is no stranger to controversy but received his most after turning state's witness and testifying in court against the 9 trey bloods. This angered many people that cosplay as gangsters on the internet and many thought 69 would be finished.

About a year later 69 on is released on house arrest and goes on insta live and sets the record at 2 million watchers (has since been broken). He then goes on to make the "house arrest trilogy" releasing videos for 3 songs GOOBA, TROLLZ, and YAYA (PUNANI was released when he was free). Contrary to what others thought, not only was 69 still here, he was still rapping about the same old gang stuff and embraced being a snitch. And his songs were very popular, even securing a #1 spot and forcing Billboard to change its merch bundle rules. Things seemed to look good for 69, until TattleTales came out and sold 56k copies first week, well under its 150k projection charting at #4 on the Billboard 200.

TattleTales has a half hour run time across 15 tracks. It has less features than "Dummy Boy" due to a black ball on 69, much to the project's detriment. 69 also employs a much more subdued rap style on most of the project. I'll go track by track rating it and giving my thoughts.

1) LOCKED UP Pt. 2(ft. Akon)

Akon got a lot of heat for putting 69 on his classic song "Locked Up". 69 is introspective here reflecting on how he got in his predicament. It is interesting to hear his side, but his vocals are grating at points and Akon is the best part of the song. - 4/10

2) TUTU

No feature listed but it sounds like there is someone else hitting high notes. Personally this person hurts the song. The song is basically a "I have a lot of money and you're all my sons" song. It isn't that bad and is a good example of the more subdued 69 rap style employed on the album. - 5/10

3) GOOBA

The first single from the project, this song is a normal 69 song having him yell and threaten you. He also embraces being a snitch and calls out people clout chasing him. 6/10

4) WAIT

Another example of the subdued rap style 69 tries to employ on this project, I think it is pretty solid and it definitely helps that the song is under 2 min. - 7/10

5) CHARLIE (Ft. SMILEZ)

This song features SMILEZ, one of the biggest goober nerd ass jocks in the world. And he's 100% an industry plant. His verse isn't terrible here but his music is generally horrid. 69 saying "Ray Charles, I ain't never seen a bitch I need" is so dumb I love it. - 6/10

6) TROLLZ (Ft. Nicki Minaj)

The biggest song off the project and probably the best, I like the subdued style 69 uses and later jumping into his older yelling style. Minaj is also great on the song roasting Usher, Meek, and Cardi. - 8.5/10

7) NINI (Ft. Leftside)

A dancehall song that I actually like, Leftside is good on this and the beat sounds like something that would get played in 2016 when this music saw a US revival. - 7.5/10

8) PUNANI

This song is fucking terrible, it doesn't help that there is a leaked version with Tory Lanez that is better. But he took his feature off because it would not be a good look to be on the album. Then he shot Meg.- 3/10

9) YAYA

The Spanish banger on the project, you can't help but compare it to BEBE and MALA from Dummy Boy which were better, but this isn't terrible - 5.5/10

10) LEAH (Ft. Akon)

Akon interpolates Bryan Adam's "Heaven" for the chorus (although this sub may know it from DJ Sammy's version from the early 2000s) which is good, someone needs to sample this. 69 has a couple of good lines (She wants to take ecstasy pills) but overall it is whatever. 69 kind of ruins Akon on this. - 4/10

11) GATA (Ft. Lil AK)

That clown Academics is on this. And he's the best part of the song. The beat is ass and 69 repeats like 10 things over a 2 minute song. - 3/10

12) GTL

The beginning reminds me of Prisoner 1 & 2 by Lupe so that is already an L for 69 since that song is 8 min of fire. This sounds like a first draft of his "Locked Up" verse and it is done through a prison phone. I get that it is meant to be more emotional, but I really just don't care. - 3.5/10

13) AVA

Showing 69's new subdued style on a more toned down beat it isn't terrible, just not the 69 people know - 5.5/10

14) R.E.D. (Ft. Sleiman)

This is dogshit. This is also a diss to A Boogie, if you didn't know that then that is how effective it was.- 1/10

15) TROLLZ - Alternate Version (Ft. Nicki Minaj)

This was most likely made to take advantage of the Billboard rule on remixes/other editions that LNX took advantage of. It cuts the song down while giving both a slightly different verse. - 8/10

Overall Tattletales suffers from 69 being generally blackballed and his features largely not clearing verses. Dummy Boy was solid largely because of the features (7/10 album imho). This album also sees a big departure from 69's scream rap that his fans like with many songs being more subdued. I do think it is a better project than most people do, but it isn't as good as his last work. Now I have to listen to Late Registration to scrub my ears.

Song Score (Average of all song scores) = 5.2/10

Project Score (How much I enjoyed the project) = 5/10

Overall Score = 5.1

​

TLDR: TattleTales is a departure from the feature heavy "Dummy Boy" and the scream rap associated with 69. Some of the songs are still good. TROLLZ, WAIT,CHARLIE, and NINI made my main playlist (1307 songs at about 78 hours of music) but it isn't as hype as his earlier stuff sans TROLLZ. I know most people can't have a legitimate conversation about 69 on this sub, but consider the project or the much better "Dummy Boy". I know someone will ratio this post by saying snitch9 or something.

Score - 5.1

submitted by /u/Timbishop123
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[FRESH] Sideshow - interchangeable feat. MAVI + Na-Kel Smith.

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 01:05 PM PDT

Da$H - Grain of Salt

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 05:30 AM PDT

Dro Kenji - "KILL CUPID" featuring $NOT (Official Music Video)

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 09:29 PM PDT
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Recommended If You Like thread - September 04, 2021 - HipHop

Recommended If You Like thread - September 04, 2021 - HipHop

Recommended If You Like thread - September 04, 2021

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 08:00 AM PDT

If you're looking for a recommendation give a description/music link/artist so that other people will know what you want.

Example: "I want to hear an artist that sounds like old Kanye production" (you can get more specific but usually enough). And then someone will respond with recommendations X, Y, and Z.

You can also leave a top level comment recommending an artist/project/scene that you think others might like if they like X, Y, and Z.

Example: "You guys should check out DJ Mustard's mixtape Ketchup RIYL (recommended if you like) post-hyphy and minimalistic west coast beats"

Remember, the point of this thread is to share music, try not to post stuff that's already really popular unless it answers someone's question.

The more descriptive you guys are with your posts, the easier it is to help you find what you want. Just stating an artist's name isn't that helpful since you might only like one specific aspect of that artist's music.

​

Previous RIYL posts

submitted by /u/HHHRobot
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Andre 3000 has issued a statement after Drake leaked Kanye West's DONDA throwaway "Life Of The Party".

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 01:19 PM PDT

[FRESH] Consequence - Party Time

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 06:09 PM PDT

Danny Brown is currently livestreaming at a University of Texas football tailgate with Twitch streamer Esfand.

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 12:50 PM PDT

Clipse - Mr. Me Too

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 09:32 AM PDT

Eminem- When I'm Gone

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 05:22 PM PDT

James Blake reveals that the release of "Friends That Break Your Heart" has been delayed to October 8th as a result of vinyl factory delays

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 06:47 AM PDT

50 Cent shoots his shot with Vivica A Fox - (03) BET Awards

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 06:51 PM PDT

Lil Ugly Mane - Throw Dem Gunz

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 09:27 AM PDT

Royce Da 5’9 (Feat Eminem) - Scary Movies (Live at The Whiskey A-Go Go)

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 06:14 PM PDT

Three 6 Mafia - Poppin' My Collar (feat. Project Pat)

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 08:02 PM PDT

Future - Trap Niggas

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 09:25 AM PDT

[DISCUSSION] What makes an album rollout good? What are your favorite album rollouts?

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 05:45 AM PDT

We have just experienced the, hopefully, end of the rollouts for two major artists out right now. Drake & Kanye with albums Certified Lover Boy & DONDA, respectively. So with these wrapping up, there's been a lot of discourse about if their rollouts were good or bad. So what makes an album rollout good? In this case we saw both sides of the spectrum. A very minimal rollout on Drake's part, an extremely extravagant rollout from Kanye.

This being said, I do not want this to be a Drake vs. Kanye thread. The focus of this thread should be what you want out of an album rollout. There have been many album rollouts over the years, always upping the stakes. So what are the best album rollouts?

submitted by /u/darkfar
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Pitchfork Reviews Little Simz “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert”

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 05:58 PM PDT

[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] Soulja Boy Tell 'Em - Swag 4

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 11:41 AM PDT

So everybody has obviously heard this album multiple times at this point. What do yall think about it?

submitted by /u/simam123
[link] [comments]

Daily Discussion Thread 09/04/2021

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 10:38 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

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.

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 these out:

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

Three 6 Mafia - Anyone Out There

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 05:48 PM PDT

People Under The Stairs - The Sound of a Memory

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 03:33 PM PDT

[FRESH EP] Papoose - August

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 09:06 PM PDT

Bold, Brave and Beautiful is the only way to describe Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 12:20 PM PDT

Little Simz sometimes might be an introvert but she is far from shy. Despite the archetypal image of an introvert being quiet and meek, Simz grabs you by your ears for an hour straight, screaming and yelling "This is who I am, faults, beauty and all." There is no shame in what she sings about, it is raw in an ambitious album that is cinematic, it is emotional, it grows, at no point does she filter herself for the listener and hold your hand. The album treats you like a real person who does not want the simple dumbed down version but instead all the emotion.

Kendrick has said that Simz is "the illest doing it right now" and it is easy to see how. The UK rap scene is flourishing with international recognition following the growth of artists such as Dave, Stormzy and Slowthai. After the success of 'Grey Area' releasing in 2019 the spotlight has been cast, and Simz has taken it to show the industry why she is deserving to be the Queen. Despite boasting a strong 19 tracks the richness and scope of the album is not lost out at any point as it keeps you engaged through an adventure of genres and themes. From the fanfares, orchestral grandness and imposing strings of 'Introvert' to electronic beats with minimalist production on "Rollin' Stone" to taking on us on a run down memory-lane to her roots from Nigeria and Caribbean-infused cowbells and drums on tracks like "Point and Kill" featuring Nigerian artist Obongjayar. The variety in motifs, expressions and emotions throughout the album shows Simz ability as an artist and her impressive technical proficiency.

We begin the album at "Introvert". Despite the title, the song is far from quiet. Marching band snares grab your attention and tell you "Hey buddy, the music is starting now - you should quiet down and listen." Fanfare horns dominate the production, with vocals harmonising in the background, it's maximising and full and the least introverted thing you have ever heard. She delivers power lyrics discussing politics and the black experience alongside her passion and love for music whilst Cleo Sol performs charming soul vocals. This is one of the most powerful openers I have ever heard and reminds me of the opener to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

In the following tracks "Woman" "Two Worlds Apart" and "I love you, I hate you" explores feminist narratives, Love, relationships and her childhood - specifically growing up without a Dad. You cannot help to notice how slick the production is, the beats spin and bounce around you, incredible vocals from Cleo Sol which contrast with Simz strong delivery, "Two Worlds Apart" samples Smoke Robinson, texturing the song with soul, it sounds incredible - I have no adjectives, no metaphors, it just sounds plain incredible. "I love you, I hate you" sings the title throughout the song at the end of each line, it is catchy and after the first verse you will catch yourself singing along 'I hate you' and 'I love you'. The track also features my favourite line on the album "Never thought my parent would give me my first heartbreak." It's raw, intimate and honest. Simz does a fantastic job of provoking your empathy and connecting emotionally.

We are then hit by "Little Q, Pt 1&2" with "Gems - Interlude." Usually, interludes are not worth discussing, they tend to extend playtime beyond what is necessary and take away from the experience. Simz however flips that and makes the interludes necessary and crucial, giving breathing moments to the album so that you can process the emotions. "Little Q" whilst a low moment of the album, is simply beautiful. Light beat, which is drum driven, and a smooth flow telling us the story of her cousin's experience and her reflection on how different it was. "Gems - Interlude" sounds like something straight from a Disney film, amazing.

"Speed" "Standing Ovation" and "I See You" is a 3-track production-adventure experience. "Speed" has thumping drums that dominate your ears with echo-y vocals from Simz, "Standing Ovation" returns to the fanfare motif explored before, light on the drums but strong on the trumpets and strings whilst "I See You" deviates from anything heard so far, it features an acoustic guitar riff with live drums that sounds warm and intimate. Simz vocal performance really shines on this track. Its soulful, pure and intimate, close to the heart wrapping you up in a warm blanket.

"Rollin Stone" following an interlude marks the second half of the album. It's fast and sounds like "Venom". It is the weakest track on the album that cuts the aesthetic in an unpleasant way, however the electronic drums beat switch create an almost "hip-hop/house hybrid" that is interesting but, ultimately, does not redeem the track. "Protect my energy" keeps following the idea that "this album will feature lots of genres and variety!", funk bassline with 80s synths that pop, it is high energy and makes you want to get up and move. The chorus is catchy and hooks you in with the beautiful "That's why I-I, Love bein' alone"

"Never Make Promises - Interlude" is orchestral Disney. Nothing else to say. Simz then decided to make a track leaning on her culture and Nigerian heritage, leading us to the tracks "Point and Kill" and "Fear No Man". The first of which features an incredibly catchy chorus performed by 'Obongjayar', I love how both artists let their accents come through in this track and gives you a real Afrobeat feel. "Fear No Man" sounds like a song you would hear at a carnival with one of the most impressive sound choruses I have ever heard - I do not know if it is sampled or how it was recorded but it is bold.

We are then met with the closing tracks of "The Garden - Interlude", "How Did You Get Here" and "Miss Understood". British actress Emma Corrin features on the interlude over the same whimsical Disney instrumentals heard before. "How Did You Get Here" has beautiful choir singing that as a Kanye stan I love, the instrumentals and almost spoken-word delivery reminds me of Gang Signs & Prayers. It is a soul heavy track that is intimate and crucial, it should have been the closing track. "Miss Understood" has a catchy bridge and a cute piano but does not offer anything new to the album that we cannot find in other tracks.

A musical exploration of: genres, resentment, growth, politics, struggle, introversion, culture, heritage and identity. The scope is enormous and unfortunately at times it does feel like Simz has bitten off more than she can chew. "Standing Ovation" fanfare motif feels overused by the 9th track, "Rollin Stone" whilst interesting, does not suit the experience and "Miss Understood" should have been reserved for the deluxe edition. With almost ten minutes of interludes delivering cliche hyper-positive messages, it wears thin. Despite the weaknesses, the production is one of a kind and is complimented by Simz opening up in a way that many artists do not. 9/10. Video.

submitted by /u/RoyalPrerogative432
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slowthai - 45 SMOKE

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 06:36 AM PDT

[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] Nelly - Heartland

Posted: 04 Sep 2021 08:54 AM PDT

Heartland is the newest Nelly project, a country rap fusion EP clocking in at around 26 minutes with 8 tracks. Nelly works with various country acts sitting at many different popularity levels. Heartland sold about 14k first week. Here I'll rate each song and the project and give my final thoughts at the end.

1) Lil bit (ft. Florida Georgia Line) - 80 million spotify streams

This song was a single leading into the project and I wouldn't be surprised if it carried the project to 14k first week sales since it is easily the most popular song on the project being certified platinum by the RIAA. This is the type of song that would play at a stadium or homecoming or something, especially in more rural areas. - 8/10

2) High Horse (ft. BRELAND and Blanco Brown) - 2.9 million spotify streams

The chorus is hit or miss and makes a bit of a quirky song. Nelly comes with a good flow that definitely saves the song in my opinion. BRELAND has a good verse as well. - 6/10

3) Grits & Glamour (ft. Kane Brown) - I can't see it, prob under 1 million

This is a smooth track that is basically a generic "this girl hot and I am hot" track. It sounds solid, may look into Kane more.- 6.5/10

4) Ms. Drive Me Crazy (ft. Darius Rucker and City Spud) - 125,201 spotify streams

This is a good song, I like the chorus and the verses are smooth as well. I feel like this shouldn't work but it does I really recommend the song as I didn't even like it first listen but enjoyed it on the second listen - 8.5/10

5) Country Boy Do (ft. Tyler Hubbard) - 915,981 spotify streams

I think the chorus is annoying here (the country boy do part) but the verses aren't too bad. - 5.5/10

6) Someone Somewhere (ft. George Birge) - 114,362

A generic "I miss you/nostalgia" song. It isn't bad, just kinda generic, no real depth. - 5.5/10

7) 5 Drinks Ago - I can't see the number here, probably under 500k

Just Nelly on this, it's another "I miss you/nostalgia" song. I don't care for this song. Don't really see a reason for this song when the last song had a similar vibe but better, especially when this is the longest song here. Also 5 drinks is lightweight territory smh - 4/10

8) Follow Me (ft. Chris Brandi) - 115,389 spotify streams

This chorus isn't it, it's pretty much what I expected when someone said Nelly is making a country EP. Actually this song in general feels too close to country to really enjoy. - 3/10

9) Good Times Roll (Jimmie Allen is given first billing as this song is his and from 2020) - 18.3 million spotify streams

This song is super country which makes sense since it isn't Nelly's song and is a country song by Allen from 2020. With such high streams I assume this was added to boost sales, especially with the low streams on other songs. - 4/10

Overall the project isn't as bad as I thought it would be but I'm sure a lot of people won't give it a chance because it's country. Which is sad because pre-judging stuff is stupid. Out of the project 3 songs (lil bit, High Horse, and Ms. Drive Me Crazy) made my driving playlist (currently 1304 songs, 78 hours). The project falls apart around "5 drinks" (song 7) and the last 3 songs show a drop in quality. But the songs overall aren't egregious, at worst it's background music.

Song score: 5.6/10 (average of per song score)

Overall score: 5.75/10 (how much I enjoyed the project)

TLDR: 5.75/10

Country isn't the devil but brevity is the soul of wit and if the project was longer I would score it less.

submitted by /u/Timbishop123
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