Throughout the year, it's been a lot of moments to deal with, both good and bad. The good news is that fans have been BLESSED with a lot of heat this 2018! The first few months of the year had a lot of amazing albums from the likes of Evidence, Payroll Giovanni & Cardo, Skyzoo, Black Milk, Roc Marciano and Saba. Meek Mill got out of prison back in April, and gave us a nice tease with the EP Legends of the Summer, before delivering strong with the Championships album in November. The Alchemist has been one of the more consistent producers from this year, contributing some dope production to a number of great projects, and also released some music of his own such as the Lunch Meat and Bread EPs (I even did a post on Christmas Day, writing about some of my favourite Alchemist-produced songs this year). Freddie Gibbs didn't drop Bandana with Madlib like I thought he would, but he did come through with a little self-titled tape full of bangers, and finally linked up with Curren$y & The Alchemist for the long-awaited Fetti album! And speaking of Roc Marciano, he had a pretty consistent year too. I said it in my last post, but who would've thought he'd be dropping not one, not two, but THREE albums?! RR2: The Bitter Dose, Behold a Dark Horse and KAOS with DJ Muggs. And all 3 of them were pretty damn good! He even dropped an instrumental tape at the end of November. And the funny thing was... this was coincidentally the year I finally decided to start getting into his music, after years of sleeping on him.
I can't forget Pusha T though, this was one of his more successful years in his career as he finally released the long-awaited third album DAYTONA (originally called King Push, but changed due to the sound and feeling of the project), which was entirely produced by Kanye West and was part of a weekly series of albums Kanye produced in Wyoming. The Virginia-raised rapper managed to also tense up his ongoing beef with Drake, with the two both trading diss tracks at each other. Drake fired back at Push with "Duppy Freestyle" after "Infrared", one of the songs on DAYTONA, fired shots at Drake, Birdman and Lil Wayne. Pusha came back strong, releasing "The Story of Adidon", which had the upper hand for the more effective shots at the Canadian artist and mentioned the fact he had a son that he never brought up. I could go on and on about what the two said about the beef on The Shop and The Joe Budden Podcast, or how Kanye apparently was a snake and did Drake wrong over a beat, but I can't be bothered. However though, to make Pusha's year even better, DAYTONA got nominated for Best Rap Album for next year's Grammy's and I hope he (or Mac Miller's Swimming) wins that award!
However, there have been a few unfortunate and disappointing moments here and there this year though. While many might deem Kanye West as Producer of the Year for his contributions towards Kids See Ghosts and DAYTONA, and the fact his GOOD Music label managed to release an album every week from May to June, it's been a weird year for him, especially with his support for president Donald Trump and outrageous comments such as "slavery was a choice" upsetting many fans on social media. He even started to have a beef with Drake, which fueled up after the Pusha T and Drake beef was going on, and rumors sparked up about Kanye's involvement between the two's feud. To even make matters worse, just three weeks ago, he was going all crazy on Twitter about how Drake sends purple face emojis to him and how he apparently was sending shots at Ye on a number of recent songs and guest appearances. Not to mention, Nas' new album NASIR was entirely produced by Kanye, along with some additional production from others, and what was anticipated to be such a great album ended up being the biggest disappointment of the year! Hearing my GOAT so off-beat on majority of the songs, I was so closed to calling Nas straight up washed, but then he even managed to come through with such an amazing song later that year: "Echo" with Swizz Beatz. NOW WHY DIDN'T YOU RAP LIKE THAT ON THE ALBUM, HUH?!
And unfortunately, we also lost a number of rappers and even influential figures outside of hip-hop. Rest in peace to Mac Miller, Fredo Santana, Craig Mack, XXXTentacion, DJ Ready Red, Stan Lee and Stephen Hillenburg. Out of all the deaths that unfortunately occurred this year, Mac's really hit me the most. One of my favourite rappers, and his music really got me through some bad times in certain years. Hell, I even started to get back my interest in his music this Summer after a while of not listening to him. That's the reason why I reviewed Watching Movies with the Sound Off back in June. And although Stan Lee isn't hip-hop related, he was still an absolute legend! He made a lot of our childhoods, from his contributions towards the Marvel Comics when it first started, all the way down to his appearances in the recent Marvel Cinematic Universe films. Stephen Hillenburg deserves some shine too, especially for his original work on the iconic cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants before the first movie. It was sad to hear that he passed...
But moving on, it's that time of year again, where I do my annual year-end posts and count down my top 10 favourite albums of the year. This year, it's been a bit harder to round up my top 10 albums, cos everytime it seems that I have it together, I end up forgetting some other great projects. But, here it is...
Released: November 26, 2018
Rating: 8/10
It's been a pretty solid year for the Buffalo, New York-based label Griselda Records. Fresh off their signing to Eminem's Shady Records label last year, Westside Gunn & Conway (the Machine) still came through with some heat, including Supreme Blientele and Everybody is F.O.O.D., and also provided some solid verses on The Alchemist's recent projects (I talked about one of those songs in my last blog post, which was about Alchemist). B.E.N.N.Y. the Butcher (or simply Benny), on the other hand, officially signed to Griselda last year (he was an unofficial member for a while, originally the leader of Black Soprano Family), releasing the Butcher on Steroids mixtape on his birthday. This November finally saw Benny being ready to let out a full-length debut album, Tana Talk 3, serving as a follow up to his 2005 mixtape, Tana Talk 2.
According to Benny's interview with HipHopDX, he decided to make another sequel to Tana Talk, as the 2005 follow up made a name for Benny in the streets; and he and fellow Griselda rapper Westside Gunn decided to try and recapture that same energy from the mixtape onto his album. Entirely produced by Daringer & The Alchemist (Daringer handling majority of the production, and Uncle Al having only 4 beats), Tana Talk 3 features basically everything you'd normally expect and love from Griselda projects: grimy and gritty vibes, street raps and a hard attitude from either one of the Buffalo rappers. But, this time around, the sonically consistent production from the two amazing beatsmiths Daringer & Al definitely adds onto the project more, giving such great replay value to me from start to finish.
One of the album's highlights, "'97 Hov" is a prime example of that, as both Daringer & Alchemist basically fusion dance together for such amazing beats for Benny to spit on as he compares himself to the one and only Jay-Z. The beat switch from Alchemist makes this song 10x better; and Benny rips that part! "Broken Bottles" is hands down the hardest beat on the album, thanks to Alchemist, as Benny detailing his drug dealing experiences, along with the schooling he gave his nephew about the game. "Fast Eddie" is another great moment, both lyrically and production wise. Named after the character in the 1961 classic The Hustler and the 1986 film The Color of Money, Daringer provides a sinister beat as Benny explains his experiences in the drug game while also delivering threats about being the last nigga to mess with.
While there are a lot of hard tracks on Tana Talk 3 that go through Benny's life in the coke and drug dealing game, the album also features some other introspective and reflective moments where Benny effectively shows us more snapshots of his life. "Who Are You" features a verse from Royce da 5'9" and a hook from Melanie Rutherford; and while Royce's verse wasn't that special or added too much onto the personal feeling on the album, Benny does come through with not only his street experiences, but touches on family issues such as his mother's addiction with smoking, along with his brother's unfortunate death. "Langfield" also touches on his mother's transition from selling drugs to using drugs too: "Times change, fast forward, she a smoker, ain’t adapt/To the harsh ways of the game and it’s plain as that/I don’t blame her, but that’s probably why this the way I act". The album's first single "Joe Pesci 38" is one of my favourite songs on the album, and feels so ambitious and motivating. Here, over Daringer's soulful instrumental, Benny reflects on his come up as he dedicates the song to his fans and the streets.
The features do a solid job with their guest contributions. Westside Gunn's hook on "Echo Long" was lowkey pretty funny to me, but he shines out more on the Alchemist-produced standout "Fifty One". Although WSG didn't spit a verse, Meyhem Lauren, on the other hand, did his thing on "Echo Long" though. Keisha Plum isn't an actual rapper, but her poetry contribution to the intro "Babs", does set the mood very well for Tana Talk 3 and its themes. The album ends with "All 70", with such an epic guitar sample looped by Daringer. Conway gets a guest appearance, and as usual, he kills it! Definitely sounds the most comfortable over the beat, in comparison to Benny though.
Tana Talk 3 is overall a great body of work from start to finish. The replay value is high with this one, especially with the production from Daringer and The Alchemist, and Benny delivers very well with his bars and reflective content about his past. Giving the album a few more listens these past few weeks has definitely made me enjoy it more. After a few years of delivering guest verses with Conway & Westside Gunn on their projects, B.E.N.N.Y. the Butcher definitely marks his name in Griselda Records with this album.
Recommended Tracks: "Broken Bottles", "Fast Eddie", "'97 Hov", "Joe Pesci 38", "Rubber Bands & Weight", "Fifty One", "Goodnight", "Scarface vs. Sosa, Pt. 2", "Intro: Babs"
Released: May 25, 2018
Rating: 8/10
In 2013, Virginia rapper Pusha T released his solo debut My Name is My Name. Featuring gems such as "Numbers on the Boards", "Nosetalgia" and "Hold On", the album came 3 years after the disbandment of his duo Clipse with his older brother No Malice (who, has since, been a born-again Christian). Pusha was signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music label in 2010, and from there on, he spent some time trying to establish himself as a solo artist, releasing a few mixtapes and an EP, while also contributing guest appearances on Kanye West's GOOD Fridays series and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, along with Lloyd Banks' The Hunger for More 2 and Swizz Beatz's Monster Mondays series.
Pusha's next project King Push was originally planned to be his second album, and, after the release of the unorthodox single "Lunch Money", was scheduled to drop around the spring of 2015. The album went through a bit of a pushback, in which Pusha announced and released a prelude album called Darkest Before Dawn in December 2015. The album was released to amazing feedback and was even one of my favourite albums from that year. But unfortunately, even after that album dropped, King Push was still delayed for a while... until this April when Kanye finally announced on Twitter that Push's album was going to release on May 25. However, the title wasn't gonna be King Push anymore...
The reason why DAYTONA aka King Push went through a big delay was due to Pusha scrapping a few different versions of the album as he wanted it to be perfect; and also because of Kanye's decision to entirely produce the album after the last time Pusha turned in a version of King Push. Pusha decided to change the title of the album to DAYTONA as he felt that title represented the album's overall message and content, rather than the original King Push title. Featuring a controversial album cover of the late Whitney Houston's drug-filled bathroom, the Grammy-nominated album was the first of the five "Wyoming Sessions" albums, all of which were entirely produced by Kanye (along with some additional production) in Wyoming; and only had 7 tracks. Which was the main aspect of the album that put many fans off at first: we got such a fire prelude album with Darkest Before Dawn and we waited so long for the big album just for it to be even shorter than the prelude?!!!
It's still quality over quantity though, and DAYTONA delivers exactly on that aspect. The album features your regular coke raps from Push, and they still sound refreshing, especially over some of the dark production Kanye provides throughout the album. "If You Know You Know" starts off the album very well, and is littered with references to... you know what, crack/cocaine, as Push brags about his position in the trap game. The way the song even builds up at the start amazed me at first listen, hearing that beat dropped made me love Kanye again for a split-second like it was the old days. "The Games We Play" is really one of my favourite songs this year, and Kanye's beat knocks so hard. According to Push himself, the song "harnesses the energy of the nightlife and the street-life", apparently speaking to a hustler's competitive nature; and here, Push furthers more into his drug dealing content, flaunting about his wealth and namedropping influences like Raekwon and Ghostface Killah (he compared his album to the classic Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and even put DAYTONA out as a purple cassette tape, referring to OB4CL's alternate title: The Purple Tape).
"Santeria" is probably the darkest and most personal song on the album, as Push vents his frustrations over the death of his good friend and road manager Day Day. With the title referring to an Afro-Cuban religion that uses mediums and divination to communicate to spirits, Push attempts to speak to his deceased friend's spirit, about his battles with vengeance and the heartbreak he has dealt with since Day Day passed. Production wise, Kanye goes all out with the beats, and "Santeria" is definitely a moment. The song takes a darker turn when the beat switches and 070 Shake's Spanish hook comes in. The second verse where Push speaks to his friend's spirit, willing to get vengeance on whoever killed him, is a powerful moment on the album, and the way the beat is like as Push raps his verse is fire.
There are only two features on DAYTONA and they kinda deliver. One of them is also the man behind the boards on the album: Kanye West, who appears on the banger "What Would Meek Do?". Originally titled "How Do You Respond", it was changed as he originally wanted Meek Mill, who was incarcerated at the time, on the song. Pusha's verse was dope as usual, but Kanye's contribution was funny at the start, bringing up his "poopity-scoop" lines for "Lift Yourself" before touching on how his controversial moments have everyone talking. It's one of the weaker moments on the album, but it still holds up very well on its own, even with the memes people made from Kanye's verse. "Hard Piano" features the boss Rick Ross, where they both rap about all the good and bad things that come with success. Pusha & Rozay both do their thing, especially Rozay with his usual luxury raps that are a bit more reflective and introspective. Just like "WWMD", it's another weak song in comparison to everything else on the album, especially considering the shitty hook from Tony Williams (no offense tho, you've had great and way better contributions), but on its own, it's decent. The album ends with "Infrared", featuring a dark beat from Kanye as Pusha reignites his beef with Drake, clapping back at his shots he previously sent at Push on "Two Birds, One Stone" in 2016. There's also a lot of venom sent at Drizzy's bosses Birdman & Lil Wayne too! It was damn sure a good night when this song dropped, and Drake came with "Duppy Freestyle" in under 24 hours.
DAYTONA is short, snappy and straight to the point. Your average coke raps from Pusha but over some fire Kanye West production; and it delivers so well. It's definitely an album that concerns itself with luxury and time, like Pusha explained in interviews. Was it frustrating waiting 3 years for a short ass album that was shorter than its prelude, due to Kanye's obsession with the number 7? Yes. But was it worth the wait, at the end of it all? Hell fucking yeah! Quality over quantity always, and from start to finish, DAYTONA is a comfortable listen with some real fire songs. And all that hard work certainly did pay off throughout the rest of this year, with his commercial and critical success with the album, and the Grammy nominations. Let's hope he comes out even stronger next year!
Recommended Tracks: "The Games We Play", "If You Know, You Know", "Santeria", "Infrared", "Come Back Baby"
Released: February 23, 2018
Rating: 8/10
In 2016, Detroit rapper Elzhi came back strong with his second album Lead Poison, after a 4 year hiatus and his battles with depression. The album was one of my favorite projects from that year, featuring Elzhi at his most vulnerable, as he touches on his struggles with depression, while also delivering some strong storytelling concepts. It seems like since the release of that album, the 40 year-old lyricist has been chilling and doing his thing. But then New Year's Eve 2017 came... "SEE U NEXT YEAR", 9th Wonder said on his Instagram with a post previewing new music from a newly-formed duo Jericho Jackson.
Named after the main character on the 1988 action film Action Jackson, the duo Jericho Jackson was formed at the end of 2017, consisting of Elzhi and North Carolina producer (and occasionally a rapper) Khrysis of the production team The Soul Council (and also formerly of Justus League). This wasn't the first time they met, with their earliest encounter with each other dating back to '05 when Little Brother were working on The Minstrel Show, which El was featured on ("Hiding Place"). And this certainly wasn't the first time they've worked on some music together, as El, Phonte & Talib Kweli linked up back in 2014 for "No Competition", which was... you guessed it, produced by Khrysis. Jericho Jackson's (pretty much) self-titled album was released in February, featuring 11 tracks with only one guest appearance from Amber Navran.
Throughout the years, Khrysis has provided dope in-house production for the Justus League and 9th Wonder's Jamla imprint. with songs like Median's "Rize", L.E.G.A.C.Y.'s "I'm a Star", Rapsody's "Thank You Very Much" and Little Brother's "Watch Me". He's even worked outside of those two crews, with gems such as Sean Price's "Onion Head" and Mac Miller's "She Said" (RIP to both). But linking up with Elzhi definitely made for a fine and focused moment in his career. With Khrysis on the boards with the heat, Jericho Jackson consists of a variety of soulful and jazzy vibes, mixed with Elzhi's smooth flow and deliveries, along with his wonderful lyricism. And 20 years in, El still sounds like the elite lyricist and storyteller he showcased on songs like "Boomerang Slang" and "Horny Joint". This album may be their first official collaboration between Elzhi & Khrysis, but the way their styles mesh throughout the album, you would've thought they've been making gems for years now.
After a little opening skit, the album starts off properly with "Overthinking", a reflective stream of consciousness, where Elzhi touches on his struggles with overthinking, which has been a big part of his battle with his anxiety and depression. There are a number of introspective moments like this throughout Elzhi & Khrysis are Jericho Jackson, including "F.R.I.E.N.D.S." (an abbreviation for Fake Relationships Involving Enemies Needing Disguises), in which El expresses his frustrations with fake friends, who stab you in the back and do you dirty. It's a song that lowkey grew on me, considering that I didn't enjoy it too much on my first listen, due to Khrysis' average instrumental. But it sounds so much better running the album back now. There are even other standout moments on the album like "Cuffin' Season" which touch on the young kids falling victim to the streets and police; and "To Do List" where El reflects on how he's been doing so far and what he hopes to accomplish in the future.
Outside of the reflective and introspective moments, "Seventeen" remains a sole storytelling song on Jericho Jackson, continuing off in the same vein as Lead Poison standout "Two 16s". With Khrysis sampling a recent N*E*R*D song from last year, El raps about the decisions of a young 17 year old and how it has put them in danger, compared to when they were 16.
On the other hand though, while Lead Poison was a lowkey dark album that saw El touch more on his battles with depression, Jericho Jackson is almost a return to form for Elzhi as he slowly gains back the confidence and hunger that was showcased often in his earlier work like The Preface and Witness My Growth. He shows off the most on the album's lyrical exercises. The album's first single "Self Made" features a knocking beat from Khrysis while El completely goes off with lines like "That's just how I'm blazing, nothing short of amazing/Had a brush with death and all it did was make my waves spin" and "What's in my bio is hazardous and it's vile/It's matches in gas chambers, a water gun in Ohio/An asteroid in the troposphere speeding towards a hopeless mere/Mortal, others appear normal through my ear portal". And El's delivery makes it just better. "Brequets" is an even stronger lyrical moment on the album, and there's so much to unpack in the song, with El coming with lines such as "Cause every bar is epic/As far as skeptics, it can bring an insomniac outta narcoleptic", and having such a great flow throughout too.
Khrysis provides some chill and funky production with the album's second single "Listen" and "Talkin' Bout"; and they're both amazing songs to vibe out to. "Listen" is another introspective moment on the album, featuring Elzhi wanting to discuss with his girl about their relationship and how he wants it to work as they apparently have a lot in common. It's definitely a slight departure from what listeners normally expect from the two individually, as Khrysis' beat was relaxing, and I loved Amber Navran's smooth vocals for her hook. "Talkin' Bout" is one of my favourite songs on the album, featuring a rare rapping appearance from Khrysis himself. Here, both Khrysis & El rap about keeping away from the haters and the groupies. Khrysis ain't one to rap most of the time, so his verse is pretty average (he was flowing well though), but El's verse was definitely fire as usual. The album ends with a solid ass outro, "Thank You", where El shoutouts all the people that have been a part of his life and music career, from his mum to even one of his exes. It's a mellow way to end the album, and the piano outro at the end of the song is beautiful.
With only 10 tracks and a little opening skit, Elzhi & Khrysis are Jericho Jackson is filled with a number of great tracks where El shines so well, especially lyrically. The chemistry between Elzhi and Khrysis is so great for it being their first official collaborative effort together. Elzhi comes through with his skilled lyricism, along with great storytelling and introspective raps; while Khrysis sonically plays to his strengths, providing some knocking production from start to finish. For Khrysis, this album was just another fire moment in his career, but however, for El, it also serves as a great re-establishment in his career. I personally think him going this route with Khrysis more often will actually add a lot to his career, along with any future solo projects he might have in store. I enjoyed this album a lot, and ever since it dropped, it's been on rotation throughout majority of the year. Looking forward to more Jericho Jackson music in the future.
Recommended Tracks: "Brequets", "Self Made", "To Do List", "Talkin' Bout", "Cuffin' Season", "Listen"
Released: October 26, 2018
Rating: 8/10
Earlier this year in August, I shared my thoughts on how Mick Jenkins has been doing since the release of his debut album The Healing Component. I touched on his recent "or more" projects he did last year and earlier in 2018, and how short and forgettable they kinda were, looking back. I also talked about his "Bruce Banner" single and brought up my expectations for Mick's next project Pieces of a Man, hoping for it not to be disappointing and forgettable like THC.
Since my article in August, I realised that "Bruce Banner" was just one of the warm-up singles that wasn't meant for the album. Another one of those warm-up singles was the KAYTRANADA-produced soulful cut "What Am I to Do" released a few days after my article, and I loved that song so much. It had me so excited for the album, and it was crazy that it was just a loose single instead of a proper song for the album. But we were in for a treat, come October 26!
I was worried about how Pieces of a Man would turn out, expecting it to be another THC (in the sense of "disappointing", "forgettable" and hardly any replay value), but Mick actually exceeded with my expectations, cos this was real fire from start to finish. Taking concepts loosely from and paying slight homage to the Gil Scott-Heron classic of the same name, the album features 17 tracks, with guest appearances from Mikahl Anthony, Julian Bell, Ghostface Killah & Corinne Bailey Rae. One of the main themes on the album was to deal with the aspects of what makes Mick Jenkins the man he is, along with the experiences he's had and also the lessons he's learnt throughout his life. The "Heron Flow" interludes paying homage to Gil Scott-Heron, at the start of and inbetween the album, helps Mick to execute his points well and for the album to flow well too. But outside of that, Pieces of a Man starts off very well with the Black Milk-produced tracks "Stress Fracture" and "Gwendolyn's Apprehension". The latter is one of my favourite songs, based on the late Chicago-based poet Gwendolyn Brooks' poem "We Real Cool" (the hook interpolates the poem's lines), as Mick offers an contemporary lens on what the masses see as "cool" and how he doesn't follow what they do.
Mick Jenkins touches on a number of things throughout Pieces of a Man. "Soft Porn" deals with the 'naked truth' aka pure honesty, as Mick raps about his improvement as a person, along with the criticism and advice he'd received in the past. "Ghost", one of the album's highlights, sees Mick rapping about how discreet he is with his life, either touring, working on his craft or spending time with his girlfriend. "Plain Clothes" is one of the more melodic songs on here, where Mick shows his appreciation for the expensive trendy clothes he wears when on the road, refusing to wear any plain outfits. Another one of my favourites, "Consensual Seduction" features a guest appearance from Corinne Bailey Rae and touches on consent, as Mick explains that he enjoys it when his significant other expresses her sexual desires consensually.
While Pieces of a Man has a bit of a theme, majority of the album features Mick rappity-rapping more, in comparison to The Healing Component, which tried very hard to stick with its "love" focus throughout. With that, we get highlights like the KAYTRANADA-produced "Padded Locks", featuring a guest appearance from the legendary Ghostface Killah, and they both do their thing. Mick's chemistry with KAYTRANADA is real evident on both this song and the album's first single "Understood", that I'm actually looking forward to the day they both decide to do a full-length effort together. Mick also delivers very well on "Reginald" too, and the 70s police drama-inspired music video is hilarious! More mellow and laidback songs include "U-Turn", with an instrumental that would've also fit perfectly on a Isaiah Rashad song. I was even imagining a remix of the song with Isaiah and maybe even Freddie Gibbs (considering Mick's flow on the hook). As said before, "Plain Clothes" is one of the album's more mellow and melodic tracks; and I remember anticipating it a lot after he previewed it on one of his THC tour vlogs.
The production throughout Pieces of a Man is definitely what made this album stick so much with me these past two months. The beat for "Consensual Seduction" hits me so hard at times, I end up pulling stank faces when the "uhh" adlibs drop at the start. "Plain Clothes" also has such a great instrumental, and I love the melody throughout that song. Black Milk came through with "Stress Fracture" and "Gwendolyn's Apprehension". The former track didn't hit me too much in comparison to the latter but it still remains a pretty solid song. Also, KAYTRANADA's instrumentals for "Padded Locks" and "Understood" were FUEGO, especially "Padded Locks". Even as I write this, I can't get the beat out my head, ha! The album finally ends with "Smoking Song", one of the mellow songs on the album, as BADBADNOTGOOD provide a nice jazzy backdrop for Mick to relax and reflect on his creative process, upbringing and his position in the music industry. It's a calm way to end the album, and I loved BBNG's jazzy production on it.
Overall, Pieces of a Man feels like a return to form for Mick Jenkins. After a disappointing effort with The Healing Component, Mick brings himself back on track with better executed themes and concepts about being the man he is, while also lyrically delivering some fire bars over some great, memorable production. Looking back, THC really had a few weak bars sprinkled here and there, but luckily, the 'or more' projects definitely helped him to gain his mojo back lyrically and musically too (even if those 2 mixtapes were short and slightly forgettable). Now, can you and KAYTRANADA cut the BS and actually knock out a full-length together next year, please?
Recommended Tracks: "Ghost", "Plain Clothes", "Gwendolyn's Apprehension", "Consensual Seduction", "U-Turn", "Padded Locks", "Understood", "Reginald"
Released: February 23, 2018
Rating: 8/10
In 2014, Detroit rapper/producer Black Milk released his sixth album If There's a Hell Below. It's my favourite album from Black, as the Detroit artist slightly continues with the dark sound he previously introduced with No Poison No Paradise the following year, taking us on a journey through the dark and gritty streets of Detroit, while sprinkling in a few calmer tracks.
In between the release of that album and this year, Black Milk put out a few loose tracks, including "I Guess" and the soulful "For 4Ever". He also worked on an instrumental album with his live band Nat Turner, dropping The Rebellion Sessions in 2016. Finally, in February 2018, his long-awaited seventh effort finally dropped: FEVER.
Released on the same day as Elzhi & Khrysis are Jericho Jackson (another album on the list), FEVER serves as Black Milk's first album with the legendary Nas' label Mass Appeal, and is a departure from the dark sound he previously incorporated throughout his last two albums No Poison No Paradise and If There is a Hell Below, going for a bit of a mellow and calm sound, working with a range of talented musicians that provide live instrumentation throughout. However, that doesn't mean the whole album is necessarily full of positive feel-good vibes, as Black mixes the live instrumentation from his fellow musicians with more political content, especially in an more political climate in America, dealing with Trump's presidency, along with police brutality and fake wokeness.
Outside of funky and chill songs like "Could It Be", "2 Would Try" and "Will Remain", the intro "unVEil" deals with stress and the attempts in finding happiness. The album's first single "Laugh Now, Cry Later" touches on today's social climate, including how people act on social media, police brutality and cultural appropriation. "True Lies" sees Black express his frustrations with the things mainly black people growing up were being lied to about, as a way for whites to push them back as a community. "Drown" is the main song that touches on the worries of being black in America, as Black raps about police brutality and the racism people like him deal with. "Foe Friend" is the sole storytelling cut on FEVER, as Black tells two different stories of betrayal between two best friends that end up turning into enemies.
Black Milk's incorporation of live instrumentation throughout FEVER is definitely a great moment on the album. I started to appreciate "But I Can Be" a lot more when I saw a HotNewHipHop video where Black explained how the beat was made. He really chopped that live instrumentation audio so well. I heavily enjoyed the bright and funky production on "Could It Be", it has been a few times that song had me two-stepping a bit. Not to mention, it had a pretty touching video, dedicated to a friend of Black's who unfortunately passed away. "Will Remain" is the main song that gets me vibing a lot, and its production reminds me a bit of KAYTRANADA's well-known electronic beats. Even the ending part of the song, with the hook being repeated, sounds real heavenly to my ears. "DiVE" serves as one of two instrumental interludes on the album, but it sounds so beautiful and I love it even more everytime it comes on. And "You Like to Risk It All/Things Will Never Be" ends the album off so well. Although it didn't hit me too much at first, due to the autotune on Black's hook, but it's definitely a grower, and the instrumental makes the whole song even better.
Overall, Black Milk delivered a pretty solid album with FEVER. Hardly any of the songs on the album have gotten old to me, and the replay value is A1. Black executes his political and socially aware content very well, in a way that doesn't sound forced, while also incorporating a great live-based soundscape with his fellow musicians, in comparison to the darker vibes on his last two albums. Hoping for an even better 2019 for Black!
Recommended Tracks: "2 Would Try", "Will Remain", "Could It Be", "DiVE", "True Lies", "But I Can Be", "Foe Friend"
Released on the same day as Elzhi & Khrysis are Jericho Jackson (another album on the list), FEVER serves as Black Milk's first album with the legendary Nas' label Mass Appeal, and is a departure from the dark sound he previously incorporated throughout his last two albums No Poison No Paradise and If There is a Hell Below, going for a bit of a mellow and calm sound, working with a range of talented musicians that provide live instrumentation throughout. However, that doesn't mean the whole album is necessarily full of positive feel-good vibes, as Black mixes the live instrumentation from his fellow musicians with more political content, especially in an more political climate in America, dealing with Trump's presidency, along with police brutality and fake wokeness.
Outside of funky and chill songs like "Could It Be", "2 Would Try" and "Will Remain", the intro "unVEil" deals with stress and the attempts in finding happiness. The album's first single "Laugh Now, Cry Later" touches on today's social climate, including how people act on social media, police brutality and cultural appropriation. "True Lies" sees Black express his frustrations with the things mainly black people growing up were being lied to about, as a way for whites to push them back as a community. "Drown" is the main song that touches on the worries of being black in America, as Black raps about police brutality and the racism people like him deal with. "Foe Friend" is the sole storytelling cut on FEVER, as Black tells two different stories of betrayal between two best friends that end up turning into enemies.
Black Milk's incorporation of live instrumentation throughout FEVER is definitely a great moment on the album. I started to appreciate "But I Can Be" a lot more when I saw a HotNewHipHop video where Black explained how the beat was made. He really chopped that live instrumentation audio so well. I heavily enjoyed the bright and funky production on "Could It Be", it has been a few times that song had me two-stepping a bit. Not to mention, it had a pretty touching video, dedicated to a friend of Black's who unfortunately passed away. "Will Remain" is the main song that gets me vibing a lot, and its production reminds me a bit of KAYTRANADA's well-known electronic beats. Even the ending part of the song, with the hook being repeated, sounds real heavenly to my ears. "DiVE" serves as one of two instrumental interludes on the album, but it sounds so beautiful and I love it even more everytime it comes on. And "You Like to Risk It All/Things Will Never Be" ends the album off so well. Although it didn't hit me too much at first, due to the autotune on Black's hook, but it's definitely a grower, and the instrumental makes the whole song even better.
Overall, Black Milk delivered a pretty solid album with FEVER. Hardly any of the songs on the album have gotten old to me, and the replay value is A1. Black executes his political and socially aware content very well, in a way that doesn't sound forced, while also incorporating a great live-based soundscape with his fellow musicians, in comparison to the darker vibes on his last two albums. Hoping for an even better 2019 for Black!
Recommended Tracks: "2 Would Try", "Will Remain", "Could It Be", "DiVE", "True Lies", "But I Can Be", "Foe Friend"
5. Mac Miller - Swimming
Released: August 3, 2018
Rating: 8.5/10
September 7, 2018. Over 3 months ago, Mac Miller unfortunately passed away from what was apparently an accidental drug overdose. It was a death that really teared me up to the fullest. I spent the whole Summer enjoying his music, and even writing a review for Watching Movies with the Sound Off commemorating with its 5th anniversary, just to all of a sudden hear that he died... to top it off, the fact that he left us with Swimming as his final album was so haunting to me, that I avoided listening to it at all until now.
It took me a while to finally revisit the album, but I've done it! I always loved Swimming and saw it as an AOTY contender, even before Mac's unfortunate death. But dealing with tears listening to the intro "Come Back to Earth" on the day he died made me not listen to his music the same anymore (After his death, I listened to GO:OD AM on its 3rd anniversary. That was kinda it). This time though, running the album back made me appreciate the album even more now. It's actually such a great album, and what wasn't meant to be his last, definitely does work as an unintentional farewell.
Swimming comes after the rapper's break-up with Ariana Grande, along with his DUI arrest just after that. May saw the release of 3 new songs: "Small Worlds", "Buttons" and "Programs"; one of which made the final cut for Swimming. Both his break up and the DUI arrest definitely serve as an inspiration for majority of the album's theme and structure and the "swimming" metaphor used throughout the album. Instead of "drowning" in his deep depression and struggles with addiction, he tries to find a way to "swim", having a new sense of optimism in life. The intro, "Come Back to Earth" sets the mood for what to expect with the album, touching on his self-acceptance, self-care and his challenges with his depression. J. Cole provides a great beat with "Hurt Feelings", where Mac raps about not changing himself as a way to better his career. "Perfecto" delves into his perspective on relationships, discussing the relationships he's had and how he doesn't mind the negative aspects of them too much.
Throughout the album, there's a lot of vulnerable and reflective songs, including my favourite song "Self Care" (which has such an amazing beat switch with the "Oblivion" interlude at the end), "Jet Fuel", "2009" and "Wings", the latter which sees Mac admitting he's been healed from the darkest parts of his life, looking forward to the future. It's definitely another emotional song to me, considering his unfortunate passing a month later. Hell, I didn't like "Small Worlds" that much when it first dropped with the other 2 singles in May, but it's definitely a highlight with the vulnerable moments on the album, fitting the album's theme so much. However, there are a few brighter and funky songs on the album. "What's the Use" is another one of my favourite songs on the album, with such an upbeat and feelgood vibe, courtesy of Pomo. And even Thundercat's harmonising added onto the song so much. "Ladders", also produced by Pomo, is funky as hell, and Mac uses the idea of ladders as a metaphor for life, wanting to find a way up and be positive, even if you could fall off the ladder at anytime. "Conversation, Pt. 1" is the main braggadocios banger on the album, but Mac remains mature, taking into consideration the lessons he's learnt and his assurance of his success. Swimming finally ends with "So It Goes", a melancholic but haunting outro of an album, considering it was the last thing he posted on his Instagram story, and the title being named after a phrase Kurt Vonnegut used everytime a death occurred. It's such a beautiful way to end the album, and the synths at the end of the song from Jon Brion can be best described by Mac's final (deleted) tweet: an "ascension into heaven".
Swimming works unintentionally as a farewell for Mac Miller, featuring 13 songs that deal with self care, self-acceptance and optimism, while also touching on his struggles with depression and addiction. It was hard for me to revisit it for months, but giving it a listen recently made me remember how great of an album it is,. From start to finish, it also made me appreciate the album 10x more as a honest and reflective body of work from Mac. Through his ups and downs in life, Mac tells us he still tries to be optimistic and positive, looking towards a better day. RIP to a real one...
Recommended Tracks: "Self Care", "What's the Use", "Ladders", "Jet Fuel", "Wings", "Hurt Feelings", "Come Back to Earth"
Released: August 17, 2018
Rating: 8.5/10
Rapper Tom Scott is very well known in the New Zealand rap scene, spending a lot of his career in groups and side projects such as Home Brew, @peace and Average Rap Band. His latest album comes under the name Avantdale Bowling Club, a jazz-infused hip-hop project featuring brutally honest and vulnerable raps from Tom, backed by a variety of jazz, funk and hip-hop musicians creating a soundscape for the rapper to speak his mind.
Before the release of this album, I had no idea who or what the heck a Tom Scott or Avantdale Bowling Club was. In fact, this album came to me after I found one of my Twitter mutuals sharing it on the timeline just days after release, praising it and calling it one of his favourite projects so far. Of course, that led me to actually check out the album. And boy, this was an interesting journey...
Avantdale Bowling Club has been three years in the making for Tom Scott. In his open letter to Red Bull explaining the album, he said that the album is about "growing up" and dealing with responsibilities, touching on how family life has changed him and his ambitions completely; and how he feels happy in his hometown in Avondale. The album is short, but not short. Short as in "only 8 tracks" short, but majority of those songs aim to be long, especially with its improvised jazz moments and medleys throughout the album.
Tom Scott's storytelling throughout Avantdale Bowling Club is definitely what makes this album great, complementing so well with the jazzy production. The album plays so much like a diary of Tom's life, as he reflects on his new role as a father, while negotiating the past, letting his feelings from throughout his journey out for the listeners to experience and likely relate to. The intro "Years Gone By" sets up the album's mood very effectively, as Tom takes the listener on a journey through his life, and the band did a great job with their contributions. Tom's second verse was definitely a great moment on the album, touching on his teenage and adult years from when he moved out of his mum's house; and the issues he dealt with since then. "Pocket Lint" explores Tom's struggles with trying to make a living, dealing with his pregnant girlfriend at the time, rent and trying to buy a house. "F(r)iends" is another emotional and vulnerable moment, and Tom's storytelling shines out a lot here; touching on his old friends who were addicted to drugs, and turned into fiends. The third verse hit me a bit hard though, especially with Tom bringing up the loss of his best friend. "Home" is a song that deals with Tom looking forward to going back to his Avondale home from Melbourne and reuniting with family and friends, especially after the struggles he has dealt with. However, he realises that he's lost touch with his home, considering its apparent gentrification and feeling out of place trying to get back with his old friends.
Hip-hop and jazz will always have a great connection with each other, especially with jazz music being used as samples or loops for hip-hop music. But with Tom Scott likely taking influence from albums like Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly, along with older artists like Miles Davis and John Coltrane, Avantdale Bowling Club features some amazing production, enlisting a band of talented jazz musicians to play behind him. If it wasn't for Tom's vocals contributing the most to the album, it would've worked amazing as a solid, relaxing jazz record. "Water Medley" serves as the longest song on the album, with a runtime of 9 minutes; but the production throughout that song hits HARD, especially the first part of the song. The main topic of the whole songs is water, touching on nature, water bills and drinking, but also other issues such as family life, music criticism and the friends he has lost. "Old Dogs" is my favourite song on the album, as the jazz band backing Tom Scott replays a Hiroshi Suzuki sample that I've enjoyed on many songs in the past, and Tom's reminiscing about the old days in the park, playing basketball and chilling with his friends, definitely made for a great song overall. "Quincy's March" serves as a dedication to Tom's son, Quincy, and how his birth changed his life for the better; before the album concludes with a jazzy instrumental, "Tea Break".
With only 8 tracks, Tom Scott manages to say a lot on Avantdale Bowling Club. The album is brutally honest, and a great reflection on his life, along with his ups and downs. The jazz band backs Tom up very well, as he delivers very well with his storytelling, and there's hardly a single flaw to mention from the album. I'm glad I was able to discover this album, thanks to one of my Twitter mutuals. Listening to this album was definitely a refreshing experience, and it gets better with every listen.
Recommended Tracks: "Old Dogs", "Water Medley", "Home", "F(r)iends", "Years Gone By"
3. Lupe Fiasco - DROGAS WaveReleased: September 21, 2018
Rating: 8.5/10
At the start of 2015, Lupe Fiasco released his fifth album Tetsuo & Youth. His final album with Atlantic Records (after a lot of issues between Lu and the label) and also one of my favourite projects of such a packed year, it was a lot to unpack from the album, with theories being made about its concepts and lyrics, including the infamous backwards listening theory, which had the album apparently tell a whole different story from track 16 all the way back to 1. By the end of the year though, now that he was finally independent, Lupe started to push his upcoming project DROGAS, which ended up going through a number of changes overtime. He decided to release an album called DROGAS Light, which was a terrible and atrocious album that mixed new songs with a few that have been in the vault for a while. Lupe then said he dropped that album as a 'fuck you' to Atlantic, later announcing DROGAS Wave around the same time as Light's release, which was teased to be that post-Atlantic Records album we've all been waiting for. And after a long wait, it definitely was...
Many Lupe fans managed to find different sources online which finally revealed a September 28 release date for the album after over a 2 year delay from 2015-18. However, the album leaked to the Internet over a week before the release date, and Lu had to push the date forward to the 21st. According to Lupe himself in a Billboard interview, the album is based on a myth where a group of slaves jumped off a slave ship from Africa, but they didn’t die, instead living under the sea and dedicating their existence to sinking slave ships. It's also separated into 2 parts: the first focusing on said concept and the second part focusing on subjects such as drugs (DROGAS is Spanish for 'drugs', which Lupe turned into an acronym for "Don't Ruin Us God Said", the album's overall theme), redemption and human resilience, while also delivering his usual rappity-raps. It calls for a long ass album though: 24 tracks which make for a runtime of 98 FUCKIN' MINUTES!!!
The first part of the album, Wave, starts off with two opening interludes (one of which he sings in Spanish), which help to set up not only the mood for the first part, but the overall album. "Manilla" serves as the first proper song on the album, named after the West African currency apparently used during the Atlantic Slave Trade, where Lupe attempts to connect modern day materialism with the greed that started up the slave trade in the first place. "Gold vs. The Right Things to Do" sees Lupe introduce a Jamaican character, who tells the story of his ancestors who were taken from Africa and enslaved. The Patois was definitely something I didn't expect from Lu, but it definitely a solid addition onto the way the album's concept was executed. By the end of his second verse, Lupe snaps out of his Jamaican mode, expanding on the new beginnings of the slaves who were thrown (or jumped) off the ship and became "LongChains". "WAV Files" is the main highlight on this first part of the album, with Lupe speaking from the perspective of the slaves that jumped off the ships and spinning the narrative as if they're still alive, travelling back to their home in Africa. The album's first part then ends with "Alan Forever", an emotional and powerful song dedicated to Alan Kurdi, a boy who drowned as his family attempted to flee to Europe during the immigration crisis in September 2015. Here, Lupe creates an alternate reality where Alan survives his death, succeeding as an Olympic swimmer and saving others just like him as a lifeguard, therefore, saving himself. The way Lupe twists Alan's tragic death into something beautiful hits so hard, and it can be sonically hard to progress when considering the real story.
Unlike Tetsuo & Youth, there isn't a lot of theories to get and decipher; however, there are a few Easter eggs and references to notice from listening to DROGAS Wave. One that struck me was the Lost in the Atlantic mini-project Lupe did in 2014 before the release of Tetsuo & Youth. "Haile Selassie" was one of the songs from that project that also made the final cut for DROGAS Wave; and I remember discussing with some of my Twitter mutuals about how LITA might've also been a prelude to DROGAS Wave, while also holding us over until T&Y. Also, "Jonylah Forever" is an old song from 2013, that, like "Alan Forever", digs into an alternate reality where Jonylah Watkins, the 6 month old baby (who was shot dead in Chicago), is alive and grows up to be an ambitious woman. Jonylah would later fall in the same alternate reality with Alan, becoming good friends as portrayed slightly on "Alan Forever". Also, the Atlantic Slave Trade concepts within the album were also used for Lupe to express his relationship with Atlantic Records, along with the issues that led to albums like Lasers and some of the awful material on DROGAS Light.
Anyway, moving onto to the second part of the album: DROGAS. After the "Helter Skelter" interlude, the first 3 songs of the DROGAS side touch mainly on drugs. "Stronger" is my favourite out of the three songs, especially production wise, but "XO" is definitely a great storytelling moment on the album overall. Although its production comes across slightly poppy, along with Troi's hook, it still remains a great song overall as Lupe uses a similar cadence to his past songs "The Instrumental" and "Hello Goodbye (Uncool)" to tell a story about a few people who had serious drug addictions, and were abducted by aliens for experiments. Tracks 14-22, according to Lupe, expand on the "Don't Ruin Us, God Said" thesis the album uses throughout. "Imagine" sees Lupe look back at his past, and the decisions he could've made, such as signing to a different label that would appreciate his artistic integrity. He takes a lot of shots at Atlantic, especially for Food & Liquor leaking early, and also having to give up his artistic integrity to actually release what ended up being a shit album: Lasers. And thank Anonymous for threatening Atlantic to drop Tetsuo & Youth, cos that masterpiece wouldn't have seen the light of day if it wasn't for them (either that or it would've been another mid album because of Atlantic's changes).
"Stack That Cheese" serves as an amazing sequel to the classic "Hip-Hop Saved My Life", continuing on the theme about how hip-hop can rescue people from troublesome times. "King Nas" is hands down the best song on the album, dedicated to Lupe's nephews King and Nas, as he raps about how he expects their adulthood to go when they grow up as men. While it isn't the obvious tribute to the GOAT that some of us thought it was at first, there are a few subtle references to Nas, including the drum sample of "It Ain't Hard to Tell" and Lupe's flow almost being reminiscent of Illmatic mainly around the first verse. The album finally ends with "Mural Jr.", the sequel to probably one of Lupe's signature songs at this point. It's shorter than the original and production wise, it didn't hit me like the original did, but lyrically, Lupe killed it as usual and there's still a lot to bars to unpack.
Overall, as long as it is, DROGAS Wave is such a consistent listen from start to finish. Lupe Fiasco does a fantastic job with the execution of the LongChains myth/concept, connecting the Atlantic Slave Trade themes very well with his own struggles with Atlantic Records, while also delivering some great rappity-raps. Do I wish the album wasn't 24 tracks? Yes. This was one of the reasons why I struggled to revisit it when it first dropped, and going through long albums like this can be tiring as hell for my ear; especially considering some songs that were forgettable to me. But it is still consistent most of the time? Yes, especially from track 18-24; easily some of the best songs on the album. With Lupe finally being independent and able to make the music he wants to, I'm definitely looking forward to what he got in store for the future, whether it's next year or in 2 to 3 years time.
Recommended Tracks: "King Nas", "WAV Files", "Alan Forever", "Stack That Cheese", "Cripple", "Quotations from Chairman Fred", "Mural Jr.", "Happy Timbuck2 Day", "XO", "Stronger", "Manilla", "Haile Selassie" (I didn't wanna count this song cos I already loved it on the Lost in the Atlantic project in 2014)
Released: October 31, 2018
Rating: 8.5 or 9/10
In 2011, New Orleans veteran Curren$y released Covert Coup. Entirely produced by The Alchemist, the album featured 10 tracks and had a great lineup of rappers, both new and old. One of those rappers featured was Gary rapper Freddie Gibbs, who appeared on "Scottie Pippens" and gave Spitta one hell of a washing with his verse. The two rappers continued their working relationship together, cooking up a number of gems such as "Grew Up in This" and "Tell a Friend".
By January 2017, just four months after Gibbs beat his alleged rape case, he and Curren$y announced a collab album called Fetti, which was named after one of the songs they cooked up in the past. It took a while for Gibbs & Spitta to actually get in the booth and actually start working on the album; and it wasn't until they both saw each other at a concert during the Summer and Gibbs reminded Spitta of the album. They got back to working, and knocked out the album in under 3 days; finally releasing on Halloween. We were in for a big treat!
Just like the song the album was named after, Fetti was entirely produced by The Alchemist, which was exactly what I hoped for ever since it was first announced early last year. The album features 9 tracks, 3 of which are solo joints each from Spitta & Gibbs; and while the overall listen is short and mainly straight to the point, it's so satisfying and really leaves you wanting more.
The chemistry between Curren$y & Freddie Gibbs works on the album just as great as the fire tracks they've dropped in the past. "Location Remote" sets up the atmosphere for the album very nicely, with Alchemist's nighttime atmospheric instrumental coming in so nicely as Spitta & Gibbs deliver some dope verses. Gibbs manages to have the better verses on a few songs on Fetti, including the intro (which I just mentioned), "New Thangs", the luxurious track "Tapatio" and the standout "Saturday Night Special", where Gibbs just flows like a monster, especially after that talking interlude, coming through with such confidence and hunger. Outside of the funny "Now and Later Gators" interlude, he also manages to get a solo shot with "Willie Lloyd" and hearing Gibbs rip through Alchemist's slow beat with bars such as "Young Soprano can't fade me like Thanos/I just shipped a whole damn piano up out the west" just makes you wanna hear how a proper full-length Gibbs & Alchemist project would sound like. Even Gibbs said himself he raps different over Alchemist beats, ha!
Before the release of Fetti, I lowkey expected Gibbs to wash Spitta so bad. Hell, I even made a meme about how much Gibbs had spun him on their past songs together. But this album made me notice he actually improved on his rapping alongside Gibbs since the time he got spun so bad on "Scottie Pippens". Spitta delivered better than I expected on the album, and there were a few great moments from him and songs where he actually outshined Gibbs just a little bit. "The Blow" features a solid verse from Gibbs, but Spitta definitely came in stronger this time around, especially with his flow and luxurious raps. His solo shot, "No Window Tints" continues the great chemistry that he and Alchemist have shown on both Covert Coup and The Carrollton Heist. That song hit me so hard, and the beat, along with its sample, was so beautiful that I was mad that it wasn't longer. Spitta could've easily delivered another verse over it, or, at least, a longer verse than those 14 bars. There are still a few quotables to catch from it, including "I'm outside looking at it, I didn't even sit in it yet/I can't believe that it's just how I envisioned it" and "Standing in one place won't get you paid/They fire desperation shots but I'm not fazed". The album ends with "Bundy & Sincere", featuring a beautiful, soulful instrumental from Uncle Al, where Curren$y delivers a stronger verse than his partner Gangsta Gibbs. He manages to slide in a touching shoutout to the late Mac Miller ("Make sure you touch something luxurious before you die/Light one for Mac Miller, Blue Slide Park in the sky, still in here"), while also using such a great flow throughout his verse. Definitely one hell of a way to end Fetti.
When it comes to collab albums, most of them either don't actually come to fruition or they end up being disappointing cos the two artists don't really have that said chemistry. Fetti is different from that, considering the fact they've both cooked up great gems together in the past. For an album that was completed in under 3 days, the album doesn't sound rushed at all, even with its short runtime of 23 minutes. This is what chemistry is supposed to sound like. Gibbs & Spitta sound so much at home over the beats Alchemist provided them, and their verses didn't disappoint one bit. The replay value is high, and there are hardly any flaws to mention. Definitely exceeded my expectations, and was worth the wait! Looking forward to whatever the two of them got to offer next year, individually. I still need Bandana and Back at Burnie's!
Recommended Tracks: all songs, especially "Saturday Night Special", "Bundy & Sincere", and "No Window Tints"
Released: April 5, 2018
Rating: 9/10
I didn't expect myself to love this album as much as a lot of my Twitter mutuals did, but God damn, this album hits HARD!
For a while, before the release of Care for Me, I had put Saba off my radar a lot. I was meant to dig through the Chicago artist's discography around the end of 2016, but I didn't have the time to finish his first project GETCOMFORTable, so I just left his shit for a while. But the way a lot of people on Twitter praised Care for Me, I finally decided to dig mainly through his debut album Bucket List Project, before touching on that album.
After my first listen of Care for Me, I was just like "eh, it's cool". I wasn't thinking it was amazing 'album of the year' material at first, but putting some of my Spotify playlists on shuffle made me realise how great a lot of the songs on the album were. The album serves as Saba's second album, and unlike its much brighter predecessor, it's more of a darker body of work, dedicated to his late cousin John Walt and featuring more brutally honest and vulnerable moments throughout the album.
The double track opening "Busy/Sirens" sets up the album's tone, as Saba opens up about the feelings he's been dealing with since the death of his cousins. It's the second half, "Sirens", which touch on his worries about encountering the police as a black man; along with his frustrations with those who stereotype and fear black people in the streets. "Life" continues with Saba's detailing of the struggles he dealt with after his cousin's death, bringing up his uncle's passing after coming out of jail. Production wise, the bass knocks so hard, but the content definitely brings this song up so much. On "Fighter", Saba raps about the altercations he's faced in his life, including battles with himself coping with his cousin's death.
Production wise, the album sounds so refreshing and mellow, with its beats being handled mainly by Saba himself and his Pivot Gang members Daoud and daedaePIVOT. "Broken Girls" features a nice, melancholy instrumental for Saba to reflect on his past relationships and how he goes for the wrong girls. While that's cool and all, my favourite part from the song was the ending interlude where Daoud sings "can't you care for me" for under a minute. The instrumental is so beautiful, and it always has me wishing it was a bit longer. "Fighter" has a great beat throughout most of the song, but I kinda enjoyed the slightly darker beat switch where Saba provides another little verse about him dropping out of school to chase his dreams. "Grey" is one of the more brighter sounding tracks on Care for Me, although it touches on the negatives with being an artist in the music industry, and the production hits so much, especially at the end, when the beat turns jazzy and more free-form. Around then, Saba uses a delivery similar to slam poetry, and his energy builds up so well around the instrumental for him to express his frustrations with the industry so effectively.
The album's main standout "Prom/King" features such immaculate storytelling from Saba about his troubling prom experience and also the events that unfortunately lead up to his cousin's passing, but the instrumentation throughout delivers so well, especially on the second half "King". I even let out a tear writing this as I listened to the song. "Heaven All Around Me" ends the album off wonderfully, rapping from the perspective of likely his cousin, imagining him going up to heaven with the angels "receiving" him. The production is beautiful as hell too, and it felt so amazing hearing Saba use the song as a way to dig into how his cousin Walt might feel as he leaves this Earth.
Overall, Care for Me is such a beautiful but emotional listen. The production hits so well from start to finish, but there are a lot of emotional moments throughout the album that could tear you up a bit. I enjoyed the album a bit on my first listen but I definitely didn't expect myself to love it this much. Revisiting it a lot more recently, it sounds even better than it did when it first dropped in April; and has hit me 10x harder than the rest of the albums on the list. It's been a solid 2018 for Saba, not only dropping this album, but 6 new tracks since the end of November. I'm rooting for a great 2019 for the guy!
Recommended Tracks: "PROM/KING", "GREY", "LIFE", "FIGHTER", "BROKEN GIRLS", "HEAVEN ALL AROUND ME"
Honourable Mentions:
Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs
Skyzoo - In Celebration of Us
Westside Gunn - Supreme Blientele
Phonte - No News is Good News
Evidence - Weather or Not
So that's it... my top 10 albums of 2018. It's been a great year for music this year, and a lot of albums I enjoyed throughout these last 12 months.
Now that's out of the way, this post will mark as my last post on Blogger/Blogspot, I have decided to move over to Medium and continue my reviews and articles there. I personally enjoy the layout and features a lot more over there than here on Blogger; and I feel a lot of my upcoming work would look and come out way better on there too. So... yeah, look out for my New Year's Review dropping tomorrow on Medium. Happy New Year, y'all!
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