Reflection Eternal - Train of Thought

Released: October 17, 2000

In 1998, Brooklyn rappers Mos Def and Talib Kweli came together to form a duo named Black Star, dropping their self-titled album on September 29. Competing with bigger names such as Jay-Z, OutKast and A Tribe Called Quest that day, the album was released to critical acclaim; and 20 years later, is known as a classic hip-hop album. The following year, Mos Def released his anticipated debut, Black on Both Sides; an album that remains such a timeless piece of art to me. With Mos dropping quickly after Black Star's success, making a name for himself with smooth cuts like "Ms. Fat Booty" and head bangers like "Mathematics", where was Talib with his own work???

Well, Talib Kweli also had another duo he contributed to: Reflection Eternal. This time around, he was primarily on vocals while Cincinnati producer Hi-Tek was behind the boards. Talib & Hi-Tek first met back in 1997, and their first appearance together was on a song called "Industry Lies" on Cincinnati group Mood's album Doom, released the same year (Talib also made a few other appearances on that album). A full-length project from the two of them has been teased for a while now, even before Black Star officially managed to get their name out there. One of the duo's first songs, "Fortified Live" was released in '97, with a guest appearance from Mos Def and Mr. Man; being such a highlight on their Rawkus label compilation Soundbombing. Fast forward 3 years later, and a year after Black on Both Sides, the long-awaited effort from Reflection Eternal was finally released.

Train of Thought has been an album I've been wanting to review since I started this blog four years ago, I remember reviewing both Black Star and Black on Both Sides at the start of 2015, but dealing with school and other albums on my mind instead had me leaving this off my review schedule for some time. Anyway, featuring 20 tracks all produced by Hi-Tek, Train of Thought works just like the title suggests, taking us through a journey in Talib Kweli's mind. It serves as a very introspective and reflective body of work from the duo, touching heavily on social and political issues while sprinkling in a couple hard ass tunes to bang ya head to. It's clear to see Talib has a lot of things to say, coming across as a very expressive rapper with his social commentary, and when this meshes together over smooth Hi-Tek production, it's so damn refreshing to hear.

The album starts off with a bang, with the intro "Experience Dedication" featuring a opening skit from comedian Dave Chappelle, as Talib Kweli thank his fans for following the Reflection Eternal journey since '97, while setting the mood for what to expect on the album. "Move Somethin'" is such a great song, Hi-Tek's beat always gets me nodding my head a lot. Talib delivers on both two verses, and the video even complements it pretty well. "The Blast" is definitely the best song on the album for me, and will never get old. Vinia Mojica provides background vocals on the hook, and Hi-Tek's production takes me to another level on that song. Hell, even he provides a verse on the song, and it was pretty good. To make things even better, the video comes through too, with a extra little verse that the album version lacks. "This Means You" has Talib linking up with Mos Def for another dope ass tune, and it doesn't disappoint.
However, by "Memories Live", Train of Thought starts to switch its focus and themes a bit, and this is where Talib Kweli gets a bit more reflective, and also providing more political content and social commentary in the songs. "Memories Live" is definitely a big standout on the album, it's a smooth and relaxing song, where Talib reminisces about his old days growing up in Brooklyn, when he was chasing his aspirations to become a rapper. "Africa Dream" sees Talib reflect on his connection to his ancestors back in Africa, feeling honoured to achieve something that would've been impossible for a black person decades ago. Train of Thought also takes a soulful turn, with one of the standouts "Love Language" being a journey through the different interpretations of love. "Touch You" is another one of the more feel-good songs on the album, and the beat is something real funky, as Talib and Piakhan both provide some solid raps. The outro "Four Women" serves as a re-imagined cover of the Nina Simone classic, and is probably one of the more interesting cuts on the album, compared to some of the other tracks. Here, just like the original song, Talib tells the story of four African women who represent individual African stereotypes in society.

Hi-Tek's production throughout Train of Thought is actually something really solid most of the time. Some of the beats do tend to be a bit boring, but the stronger beats on the album definitely do be hitting HARD! The beat on "Move Somethin'" knocks so hard, and it's so difficult to stop nodding your head to it as soon as it kicks in. And Talib does his thing on that song too. "The Blast" is a classic tune, and the beat is just beautiful to me, both Hi-Tek and Talib complement it pretty well with their verses. "Memories Live" is probably my second favourite beat on the album, something so peaceful and relaxing to my ears, while Talib sounds comfortable over it, reminiscing about the old days. "This Means You" might not be the best collab Mos & Talib have done together, but it still knocks so good; and both rappers do their thing. There are better songs than "Love Language" that share the same concept and focus, but Hi-Tek's beat is pretty smooth and laidback, and Talib kinda sounds pretty good over it, that even bars like "Love ain't nothing but a word / A chicken ain't nothing but a bird" can easily get ignored by listeners like me, ha!

The features on the album came through with some fire contributions, and at some points, even outshine Talib Kweli himself. "Down for the Count" doesn't sequence into Train of Thought pretty well (in my opinion, it could've fit just before "Too Late" and "Memories Live"), but that doesn't mean it doesn't bang. Rah Digga & Xzibit are featured on the track, and they both do their thing, especially Rah. Kool G Rap also comes through on "Ghetto Afterlife", a song which tackles the struggle of street politics in the ghetto, and how community members are looking to bring justice to the streets. Here, Kool G actually outshines Talib so much on this song, particularly with his flow and delivery. "Soul Rebels" is a funky ass song, and has actually grown to be one of my favourites on the album. De La Soul jump on this cut, with Maseo providing a lowkey catchy hook, and they definitely make this song. I really enjoyed Dave's verse a lot out of everybody, his flow was nice and he was sounding the most comfortable over Hi-Tek's beat.

With 20 tracks and a runtime of an hour and 5 minutes, Train of Thought actually works really well as a showcase of Talib Kweli mainly without his buddy Mos Def. The chemistry between the Brooklyn rapper and Hi-Tek delivers majority of the time, and while it's not the classic or the slightly flawless album that Black on Both Sides is to me, the strong moments on here do hit a lot to me, especially the two singles ("Move Somethin'" and "The Blast"), and other highlights like "Memories Live", "This Means You" and "Four Women". Overall, outside of a few boring beats, Train of Thought is a pretty solid album that is full of mainly uplifting vibes, with some real intriguing content and lyrics throughout; plus a very unique sound too, while sprinkling in a few of your average banging tracks that you can nod your head to here and there.

Recommended Tracks: "The Blast", "Memories Live", "Four Women", "Move Somethin'", "This Means You", "Soul Rebels", "Touch You", "Down for the Count", "Africa Dream"

Just My Thoughts #2: J. Cole's Feature Run in 2018 / What to expect in 2019...

2018 has been a pretty interesting year for J. Cole so far. In April, he released his fifth album KOD, which was a message against drug use and addiction. From August to October (which was just last month), he toured in support of the album, and Young Thug being a headliner wasn't something most people would have EVER expected, especially with Cole's fanbase being against most new school rappers and this whole so-called "mumble rap" shit. But we're not here to talk about all that. We're here to talk about Cole's features.

Cole has been on a great feature run so far this year, and it seems like he's not stopping... that is, probably until the year ends, of course. It's actually been so interesting to see. The North Carolina rapper started off his 2018 appearances with "Zendaya", a highlight off fellow Dreamville label mate Cozz's album Effected. But it wasn't until his guest verse on Royce da 5'9"'s "Boblo Boat" single, where more people started to catch on to how hungry Cole has been sounding lately. But then KOD dropped. While many enjoyed the album, I personally thought it was OK. While the anti-drug message was actually executed in a decent way (and not too forced and preachy), the first half was pretty forgettable, outside of "ATM", but it did manage to pick up during the second half, with songs like "Once an Addict (Interlude)" and "Window Pain (Outro)" being very strong moments on the album. Anyway, Cole still remained hungry on his features, delivering great verses on songs including "My Boy (Freestyle)" with Wale, "Tribe" with Bas and recently, "Off Deez" with his Dreamville label mate J.I.D. Even just yesterday, he had guest verses on Anderson .Paak's new album Oxnard ("Trippy") and Mike WiLL Made It's Creed II soundtrack ("Shea Butter Baby" with Ari Lennox), and both verses were great.

This year has come across a bit different for Cole right now. He's been known in the past to deliver on features way better than on his own work, on songs such as Bas' "Night Job", Drake's "Jodeci Freestyle" and Jeezy's "American Dream". Hell, even loose tracks from last year such as "Everybody Dies" and "High for Hours" shitted over his last album 4 Your Eyez Only. But this consistency does show a bit more hunger in Cole than we've seen in the past, and it's definitely more reminiscent of the Warm Up and Friday Night Lights days. For the first time in a while, Cole's consistently rapping like he got something to prove and he wants to fully come for the crown, for real this time. It's definitely the best year Cole has had so far lyrically. Not only have the features been more consistent than usual, but he has announced not one but TWO projects that will likely be set for a 2019 release date.
The Fall Off was originally revealed as Cole's upcoming sixth album during the release of KOD back in April, but with the surprise release of the "Album of the Year" freestyle in August, Cole announced another project called The Off Season, likely a prelude to the former album, and Lord knows whether it's going to be a mixtape, EP or an actual album. But one thing to notice about that "Album of the Year" freestyle is Cole's confidence and hunger. Outside of songs like "Fire Squad", and recently the title track on KOD, that showcase Cole in a more aggressive manner, majority of his music is very introspective, with a lot of social commentary. Obviously, KOD is a prime example of this, with its anti-drug content. But with that album off Cole's chest now, that album outro, "1985" (the intro to The Fall Off) and the "Album of the Year" freestyle definitely does prepare us for something way different in the future.

According to his Billboard interview back in September, J. Cole apparently plans to do less touring so that he can work on not only The Off Season and The Fall Off, but a Kill Edward project. Kill Edward was his deep voiced alter ego on the KOD album, and I don't think anybody asked for an album from that guy, but it's whatever. No matter how long Cole takes to work on those three projects, I do hope for him to keep this same energy throughout, especially on The Off Season and The Fall Off. The funny thing is that just last week, he quietly made a playlist on Spotify called "Where the f*** is The Off Season?", which showcases almost all of his recent features so far, along with the loose tracks he dropped from 2016-17. This playlist definitely does tease this idea of Cole rapping with more hunger and keeping that same guest feature energy. Furthermore, while I do like Cole's music, I always thought a problem with him was replay value. I've struggled overtime to revisit a lot of his projects, even the great ones such as 2014 Forest Hills Drive. So hopefully, I expect Cole not only to come with the bars on this project, but also maybe some more memorable tracks than usual, because both Cole World and 4 Your Eyez Only were real forgettable to me, even the first half of KOD too.

Another one of the problems I also have with Cole is that he has hardly used production from outside producers, it has mainly just Cole himself or those in his Dreamville crew including Elite and Ron Gilmore. And don't get me wrong, some of that production be hitting, especially songs like "Rise and Shine", "St. Tropez" and "Once an Addict (Interlude)", but a lot of times, it definitely does affect the replay value a bit on his projects. Cole using more external production from people like Jake One, Sounwave, Boi-1da, No ID, maybe even more obscure production from those like The Alchemist, would definitely be interesting to hear on a full-length project. I've always wanted him to work with 9th Wonder, and I'm not just talking the features like Wale's "Rather Be With You" or Rapsody's "Sojourner". Considering they're both from North Carolina, I'm surprised we've never heard something from those two (although they were meant to do a soundtrack for NBA Elite 11 back in 2010, but we never saw that soundtrack, and that game got cancelled for Xbox 360 and PS3). So that's definitely something I'd like to hear one of these days. It doesn't even have to be those producers, but it would be nice to hear more outside production on a Cole project, instead of just 95% him and his Dreamville production guys, and then the other 5% is one or two outside beats. AND CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE GET THIS GUY TO PUT FEATURES ON HIS NEXT PROJECT? Not saying he can't hold his own on albums at all, but clearly he's been on another level lately when he's paired up with other rappers, and I need that same feature energy I've been getting from him this year. Plus, the no features shtick has been getting old since you lot turned that whole "platinum with no features" shit into such an annoying meme, ha!

Anyway, enough talking about the shit that I want on these projects (Off Season in particular). I'm not the biggest Cole fan, he ain't really one of my favourite rappers, and even in his great mixtape days and even some of his recent moments, he has shown off a lot of corniness, being known for having so many bars about shit; and even making songs about folding clothes. But it's been so interesting to hear his features lately, and even revisiting projects like Friday Night Lights, that all of a sudden, I'm actually anticipating the direction he might go with The Off Season and The Fall Off. When he's in the zone (outside of the bars about shit), he can snap and really hold his own against even some of my favourite rappers, I'll admit; and hopefully, we can get some of that aggressive and confident energy on these next projects. Cole needs to improve his discography a bit, and it might be a breath of fresh air to hear him take another direction outside of introspection and social commentary on another mixtape, EP or a full-length album. That's just me though.

YGTUT - $ave It

Released: August 21 - September 27, 2018

Back in December, I reviewed YGTUT's last project Supa. It was supposed to be the follow up to his 2015 debut mixtape Preacher's Son, and was released in October on the low. But TUT unfortunately ended up removing it from iTunes and streaming services like nothing happened.

Fast forward to this August, and all of a sudden, YGTUT dropped a surprise project on us via SoundCloud. $ave It technically serves as the Chattanooga rapper's third overall project. According to YGTUT himself, the project is dubbed as a "playlist", as it was just a little prelude he decided to make for fun as he works on both his upcoming EP and full-length project. It's been a whole 3 years since we got a full and refreshing body of work, and although everybody's sick of waiting, with most probably forgetting about him these days, $ave It does work as a nice, fun project full of bangers and chill vibes, along with a bit of motivation and introspection.

The Chattanooga rapper updated this playlist a bit frequently overtime, dropping a few songs on a particular day from August 21 to September 27; and this was exactly what I was hoping. I would've been gutted if all TUT was gonna serve us was just 4 tracks, especially after a lot of fans have been waiting on way more than that. Instead, we got 9 tracks, most of which ride so smoothly. There is hardly any bad track on the $ave It playlist (apart from maybe one though), and the replay value is pretty high. While it's not the very introspective and vulnerable project that Preacher's Son was, you have to keep in mind this ain't a proper full-length project that follows up that tape; and it still serves as a very fun and comfortable listen.
You got the smooth soulful joints, such as "Do What I Do" and "Project Pat (Don't Do Drugs)", which have such banging beats behind the mellow samples. The former track still remains one of my favourite songs from the year, and I've had it on repeat since it dropped. "Cent$" is definitely the most aggressive track on the playlist, and it works so well for gym sessions. It's your usual "if it ain't about the money" type track that gets you pumping. Plus, TUT's flow is hella nice on that song. "Late" was released on the final batch of songs (produced by Ducko McFli) added to the playlist, and it's another one of the smooth joints to vibe out and smoke to like the former tracks, "Do What I Do" and "Project Pat". It's definitely one of the weaker moments to me, but I still enjoy it a bit.

However, $ave It doesn't only just work as your average fun project full of bangers, there's also a bit of reflection and life lessons sprinkled here and there, and this is definitely something that can interest those that have been fiending for more vulnerable tracks from the rapper, like on his last project Preacher's Son. "Loyalty 2 da Fam" was on the second batch of songs added to the playlist, where TUT touches on fake friends and dealing with self-love, while advising listeners to be cautious and watch out for who you hang out with. In my opinion, "Faded Again" is one of TUT's most vulnerable moments so far in his career, music wise, as he goes deep into using weed as a coping mechanism, dealing with stress & overthinking, and his grandmother not being in contact with him too much these days. It's definitely a strong moment on the playlist. The last track; "Top of the World (White Heat)" ends off the playlist nicely, TUT delivers a great one-verse, before stopping to leave the rest of the bars for his next full-length. It's definitely a solid moment on the playlist, and sets up the mood for whatever he got next in store.

With 11 tracks and an overall runtime of 34 minutes, the $ave It playlist does a nice job holding fans over until his full-length. It's been almost 4 years since his last proper project, and it's so refreshing to finally get a nice, fun little project for us to vibe out to, instead of just any new random loosies released here and there on SoundCloud, which we'll likely forget the next day. This playlist has been on rotation since it dropped, and it's definitely not a project to sleep on, especially for you lot that have been patiently waiting on new music from YGTUT. There's a song for everyone, whether it's for when you're in a smoking mood, working out in the gym or just taking time to reflect. It might not be the full-length project we've been asking for, but hey, new music is always appreciated, especially if it's actually fire!

Recommended Tracks: "Do What I Do", "Cent$", "Project Pat (Don't Do Drugs)", "Loyalty 2 da Fam", "Just Ridin'"

Just My Thoughts: Mick Jenkins' path since "The Healing Component"

Yeah... we need to talk about Mick Jenkins... and honestly, I don't know how to feel about how things have been going for him these past two years.

In 2014, Chicago rapper Mick Jenkins released his fourth mixtape The Water[s]. Although his last project, Trees & Truths, sparkled a bit of buzz for him, it was this project that gave Mick a major breakthrough, with many recognizing him as a rising artist in the game. The mixtape was heavily praised for its great lyricism and Mick's solid execution of his "water" theme; being seen as one of the top projects of what many thought was a dry year.

Fast forward four years later to the present day, and it seems Mick's name has slowly faded to irrelevancy, especially regarding his newer music. The same ones that were saying "eyyyy, I can't wait for this new water to sip" on YouTube comment sections back in 2015, I can't seem to find them like I used to. It's more about Saba, Noname and them lot, who gives a shit about a Mick Jenkins these days? While Wave[s] received mixed to positive feedback from fans the year after The Water[s] dropped, it wasn't until the release of his debut album The Healing Component, where the criticism was a lot more harsher, with fans expressing a lot of disappointment towards the long-awaited debut. Personally, I loved it during my first few listens, but overtime, it started to lack replay value and that was when the flaws started to spark out more. My main issue with that album was the fact the "love" concept wasn't executed well, like how he did with The Water[s], which made it come across a bit too preachy. Not to mention, it seemed his lyricism was lacking too in certain moments. It's sad to think about how better the album could've been, especially when considering the fact that the throwaways he put out earlier that year before the album shitted all over most of the album.
But it seems that Mick has been trying to find his foot again, and I've actually been paying attention to that lately. He's dropped two little projects, part of a series called or more, which is a showcase of ideas and concepts inspiring his next full-length project. The lyricism has improved over those two projects, in comparison to THC, but however, a few problems still happen to arise.

One of those problems is the replay value. I remember in last year's top list I did, I had or more; the anxious in my top 10. I personally felt it was a great teaser to whatever he had in store in the future, and the songs were sounding pretty nice, especially "Energies" and "Vampire in Brooklyn". However, recently, it hasn't been something I've been going back to often, not like I could with The Water[s] or even Wave[s]. But it still remains a decent project, and probably slightly better replay value than the second installment of the or more series, The Frustration.

or more... the frustration is... ok, I guess. It's not as strong as the former project, but still has its moments including "Rags" and "Go Time". I remember before the project got announced, Mick Jenkins went on a rant, expressing his frustrations with writer's block and dealing with criticism since THC. I can understand that tho, especially considering how he was hyping the album up and felt he was putting his all into it until fans said they felt disappointed when the project actually dropped. A main reason The Frustration has the least replay value out of the two is that the songs are too short. That issue never felt like a problem for me with The Anxious, and even the overall length of that tape was a few minutes shorter. Songs like "Go Time", "Walk Different" and "Same Ol'" could've worked as 3 to 4-minute banging cuts on that EP. If Mick continued to go OFF on "Walk Different", it would've been insane, but the verse faded away too early, man, I was pissed! That beat was way too hard, as well.


Which leads me to talk about Mick's newest single, "Bruce Banner". Serving as the first single from his upcoming second album Pieces of a Man, it was premiered on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show just last week, with the concept of the track to show off his hunger and lyricism. Mick said he took a lot of time last year and this year to reflect heavily on his path musically, especially after his last album. I came across a few people who were real harsh on Mick's new single, having a issue with his bold statement of how "nobody can come for him expect Kendrick", but outside of that, it was sounding pretty nice to me, mainly after a few listens. It seemed Mick was getting back in his bag, but the only problem I had was his flow and delivery. It came across too forced, and didn't really suit him. This ain't the first time he tried utilizing flows like that, he used a similar but even worse delivery on "C is for Cash Money", which continued off the same vein as one of his best songs "P's & Q's". Because of that, I tried so hard to love that song, but his delivery was so off, especially during his first verse. Had me wondering if he was trying to do some spoken word shit or something.

So yeah, Mick Jenkins' music since The Healing Component has been... something. There certainly has been a few issues that have arisen, whether it's the replay value or the lyricism, or even the production. At the moment, it feels like Mick is on very thin ice regarding his musical and lyrical directions, but he still remains a great rapper, and he was delivering hella hard from Trees & Truths to Wave[s]. The passion is still there, the pen game is still on point at the moment, but there's still something missing with his new music. If he happens to keep the same hunger from "Bruce Banner" (minus the delivery), along with some nice production on his new album dropping likely later this Autumn, I still have hopes he could impress us with a solid piece of work this year, instead of another underwhelming effort like last time. Maybe he can make most of us remember why we loved him in the first place, especially for those who have written him off recently and don't discuss him anymore...

Little Brother - ...and justus for all

Originally released: February 13, 2007
CD version release: July 1, 2008

Being a big fan of Little Brother, I'm kinda surprised that I haven't reviewed their projects in a while. I was expecting myself to have this album reviewed during the Autumn of 2016. But then again, I finally got around and listened to this album like late last year, ha.

Anyway, let's go through a quick recap. The North Carolina trio, consisting of Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh & producer 9th Wonder, released their sophomore album The Minstrel Show back in September 2005. Capitalizing off the acclaim they were receiving from the album, LB were continuing to be consistent with the new music, as they were working on their third album. March 2006 saw the release of the DJ Drama-hosted mixtape Separate but Equal, which was the last project from the duo/trio that I reviewed. However, just after the tape, LB turned from a trio from a duo, with 9th Wonder leaving to fully pursue his solo career.

In February 2007, Little Brother released what was basically their first project as a duo, ...and justus for all. Serving as another prelude to their then-upcoming third album Getback, the mixtape was hosted by DJ Mick Boogie, featuring a compilation of original tracks, freestyles, remixes and songs both Phonte & Rapper Big Pooh featured on individually and together. This was also the first project with no production from 9th at all, outside of the "Cross That Line" and "Let It Go" remixes. In July 2008, almost a year after Getback, the no DJ version was released to retailers, omitting the skits, freestyles and all that; also featuring two tracks that were released during the Getback promo run. I preferred to go with this version, rather than the original mixtape version, obviously giving a better first listen than if I were to go with the original. And you know what... it's actually pretty decent.

...and justus for all is one of the projects I'd rank almost at the bottom of Little Brother's discography, which says a lot because the mixtape is actually a bit decent, there are just a few more flaws. The lack of 9th Wonder production is definitely something that can put a lot of fans off, especially if they're going into Little Brother's later projects post-Minstrel Show. But the duo sure do hold their own over various production from those including Khrysis, Nottz, Oddisee, Focus... and DJ Spinna. Just like their last tape Separate but Equal, the mixtape is more strictly rapping, with no proper concept like their first two albums. "Can't Stop Us" is the opening track, which gets us straight into the point of the whole project's mood. Chaundon is a feature on this song, and he delivers pretty hard, while the instrumental from Young Cee is something real hardhitting but smooth. "Delusional" features both a guest appearance and production from Oddisee, and is more of a smooth radio-friendly groove, which sees all 3 rap about how mesmerized they feel towards the girls they're eyeing. Phonte brings out his vocals for the catchy ass hook, and he does his thing real smooth on that.

The bad moments are pretty much forgettable as hell, and these include the solo Pooh joints, "Lose It" and "Stylin", but damn, do the good moments hit real hard!! "Life of the Party" originally appeared on the Hall of Justus compilation album back in '06, but it's still such a banger on this tape as well. The song is remixed with a verse from underground rapper Skillz and he does his thing on it. Other than that, it's just a song you can easily groove to, thanks to the hard ass Nottz beat. "Cool as a Fan" and "The Pressure" are both two of my favourite songs on the mixtape, with production from the one and only Khrysis. both sees the duo touching on their new-found success since The Minstrel Show, especially Phonte's verses. "Never Leave" has actually grown on me a bit, and I enjoy it a lot more than I did the first few times hearing it. Both Pooh and 'Te were spitting hard on that song too. Phonte & Tanya Morgan member Von Pea link up for "A Word from Our Sponsors", which is a solid showcase of the two doing what they do best. Von Pea's verse was nice, but as usual, 'Te stole the show with his bars. "Do It to Death" is another highlight, which features Supastition & Rhymefest, and it bangs so hard at the gym too. All four rappers deliver pretty well, especially Rhymefest; and the beat is so mesmerizing, it's crazy! By track 11 of the tape, it does fall real flat though, with weaker moments such as "Fan Mail", "Lose It" and "Stylin'". The remix of "Cross That Line" with Kardinal Offishall wasn't necessary for me, and the original was one of my favourites off Separate but Equal as well. The last track, "Time of Your Life" was lowkey hitting though.

In conclusion, ...and justus for all fully marks the start of Little Brother's career as a duo, and makes for a decent prelude to their next album. The production was hitting most of the time (from track 1 to 10 though), the chemistry between Pooh & Phonte was still on point, and 'Te especially was definitely delivering some hot fire in his verses, just like he's been doing since the group's debut. However, unlike their past projects like The Chittlin' Circuit and even Separate but Equal, there are a few more weaker and forgettable moments, which does affect the project's replay value. Don't worry though, the actual album Getback is way better than this, but I do appreciate this mixtape being something for fans at that time to hold them over until Getback dropped. I'd rank this at the bottom tho, not only is it the weakest mixtape they've done, it's even their weakest project overall. But hey, it is what it is...

Recommended Tracks: "Cool as a Fan", "The Pressure", "Delusional", "Can't Stop Us", "Do It to Death", "Never Leave", "Life of the Party", "Too Late for Us", "Time of Your Life", "Best Kept Secret"

Mac Miller - Watching Movies with the Sound Off

Released: June 18, 2013

This week marks a whole 5 years since artist Mac Miller released his sophomore album. How does it still hold up in 2018?

June 18, 2013. It was a pretty packed day for hip-hop 5 years ago. Kanye West was planning to release his sixth album Yeezus on that day. J. Cole decided to push his release date for Born Sinner forward from June 25 to the 18th. And Mac Miller dropped his second album on that day as well. Quasimoto & Statik Selektah happened to have some overlooked releases, and while their projects were amazing, we can save that talk for another time.

When the Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller broke out in 2010, his music was known to be very laidback and chill. To me, it sounded like white college boy music and I didn't enjoy most of his work from then, apart from "Of the Soul" and "Nikes on My Feet". Other than that, it just didn't appeal to me. It was in 2012, after the release of his debut album, when Mac's sound took a slight turn with his mixtape Macadelic, featuring a more psychedelic and spacey vibe. Mac started to deal with depression and drug addiction, after criticism regarding his debut and struggling with fame. This helped to influence the sound of his next few projects. Watching Movies with the Sound Off was one of them.

Watching Movies with the Sound Off came out at a very dark time in Mac's career, ending up being his most introspective, serious and personal effort in his discography, along with his 2014 mixtape Faces. The 16-track effort showed a major shift in sound compared to the turn in Macadelic, tackling with issues such as depression, drug use and lost friends & relatives, incorporating psychedelic and alternative music elements, and even singing a little more in a few tracks on the album (Mac would later release The Divine Feminine in 2016, featuring slightly more singing than rapping throughout the album). In my opinion, I thought this album was the best out of the bunch released on that day. Born Sinner is decent, Yeezus was trash; however, Quasimoto delivered with his album and Statik Selektah's album was a great compilation of amazing talent. But this just took the cake with the sound and vibes throughout the album.

Mac Miller sounds a lot more mature on Watching Movies with the Sound Off, stepping up his game lyrically and sonically. The album starts off with "The Star Room", which sets up the depressing and psychedelic mood throughout the project. With Earl Sweatshirt providing production (under the alias randomblackdude), Mac happens to take us on a journey through his life, touching on his current state of mind and dealing with criticism. A new alter ego from Mac was also introduced as a feature on this song, named Delusional Thomas, who has a more dark tone in comparison to Mac himself, having a big horrorcore influence in his content. Mac uses this ego more as a subconscious on this cut, digging deep into how he feels; starting off with “Hallelujah, thank God I have a future/Praying I don’t waste it gettin’ faded /Cause I’m smoking [bleep], till I’m coughing up tar.” Mac also brings out his production side Larry Fisherman on a few tracks on the album. "Avian" is one of my favourite songs on the album, with Mac himself handling the ambient production. Its name deriving from his love for nature and wildlife documentaries, Mac kills his verses with a nice monotone but intriguing flow and impressive wordplay.

Some of the best songs on this album are the ambient, serious ones where Mac gets a little introspective and personal on us. "I Am Who Am (Killin' Time)" is the best song on the album, hands down! With a beautiful beat provided by AdotheGod, Mac touches on his struggles with drugs and depression, and mentions the criticism he has received overtime; while Niki Randa delivers vocals for a nice hook. "Objects in the Mirror" is primarily singing, where, over some excellent Pharrell production, Mac uses an extended love imagery of a female to personify his addictions such as drugs and music. "Somebody Like You" is another one of the memorable moments on the album, embodying juxtaposed messages, such as death, being motivated, reflecting on his career and drug addiction.

The features and production are something so immaculate. The line up for features are small but they still do their thing. Action Bronson murdered his verse over "Red Dot Music", which also is my favourite beat on the album, thanks to the one and only Alchemist. Earl Sweatshirt provides a little hook for "I'm Not Real", which features an ambient and alternative vibe with the instrumental. "S.D.S" and "Watching Movies" are some of the more upbeat songs, with "S.D.S." featuring some wavey production from Flying Lotus. "Watching Movies" is one of those songs you can easily bang in the whip, and shoutout SAP on the beat. Ab-Soul jumps on "Matches", where both he & Mac share verses over a banging beat. Soul spins the hell outta Mac on this song, but Mac still did a decent job with his verse. "Gees" features ScHoolboy Q, and is another upbeat cut, with Chuck Inglish on the boards providing a nice beat. Mac did his thing but Q absolutely killed it, with his bars and delivery. Can't forget Jay Electronica, who delivers an uncredited verse on "Suplexes Inside of Complexes and Duplexes", he came through on that, plus the beat is pretty interesting.

With 16 tracks and a great lineup of features and production, Watching Movies with the Sound Off features Mac Miller at his best musically, going very personal and introspective on listeners as he deals with drug use and depression. And five years later, it still remains the best album of the bunch released on June 18, with good replay value and hardly any filler. Mac is my favourite white rapper and shit like this is the main reason why, improving musically with every new project.

Recommended Tracks: "I Am What Am (Killin' Time)", "Avian", "Red Dot Music", "Objects in the Mirror", "The Star Room", "Matches", "S.D.S.", "Someone Like You", "Gees", "Suplexes Inside of Complexes and Duplexes", "Watching Movies"

Discography Review #2: Pete Rock & CL Smooth

Back in the early 90s, record label Elektra were apparently on a journey to sign more hip-hop acts to the label (as they were known for managing folk and rock acts at the time). They ended up stumbling upon a producer/MC duo under the name of Pete Rock & CL Smooth. Straight outta Mount Vernon, New York, the duo had been making music professionally since around 1989. Producer/DJ Pete Rock got a little kickstart that same year, producing tracks for his late cousin Heavy D (& the Boyz) on the album Big Tyme.
In 1991, Pete Rock & CL Smooth released their debut EP All Souled Out, featuring the single "The Creator" (which, unlike the rest of the project, featured Pete Rock primarily on vocals and CL managing the turntables). The next year, their debut full-length album was finally released: Mecca and the Soul Brother, which is regarded as a classic today. After releasing their second album The Main Ingredient in '94, the duo started to go through some creative differences, breaking up in 1996 after the release of the Searching remix 12". Although they later collaborated on each other's solo projects every now and then and even went on a little reunion tour, their relationship with each other was really complicated, taking jabs at each other during individual interviews. It wasn't until 2010 when they sorted out their differences and announced they had a new album in the works, touring for the 25th anniversary of All Souled Out in 2016.

Although unfortunately breaking up too soon (in my opinion), Pete Rock & CL Smooth eventually left a legacy on the hip-hop culture, with their 1992 single "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" being regarded as one of the best hip-hop songs of all time. Pete Rock went on to produce for a number of legendary artists, making a mark on the culture with songs like Nas' "The World is Yours" and AZ's "Gimme Yours", and influencing the one and only J Dilla.

So I thought it was only right to continue my series of discography reviews, going through Pete Rock & CL Smooth's catalog. Also, Season 2 of Luke Cage is releasing this Friday (June 22) on Netflix, with its episodes being named after the duo's songs. Let's get it!

All Souled Out

Released: June 25, 1991

Released around the Summer of '91, All Souled Out served as the duo's first project, featuring five tracks and a remix. Pete Rock & CL Smooth manage to take us through a majestic musical trip in under 30 minutes, with Pete Rock using both well-known and obscure samples on his SP-1200 and flipping them so well, while CL Smooth delivering his solid rhymes with a smooth and relaxing delivery.
"Good Life", the intro, builds from a scattered breakbeat to such a dense arrangement, consisting of funky basslines and catchy trumpet samples, as CL give us a gripping analysis of life's luxuries. "Mecca and the Soul Brother" (which would later be the title of their debut album) is my favourite song off the EP, with a runtime of 6 minutes; and CL was spitting HARD! "Go with the Flow" is a catchy and funky tune as Pete Rock laced the beat with a nice flute sample and the "Funky Drummer" drums, while CL floats effortlessly.
Pete takes over vocal duties with "The Creator", a main highlight on the album, where Pete, with his monotone, laidback delivery, raps about his skills on the boards and his expertise with the ladies. Yeah, he ain't the most skilled rapper and most of the time, he doesn't say much in his rhymes. But the delivery is a key aspect for him and he flows pretty well over the funky horn-driven beat. The title track was nothing special, and the Group Home Mix of "Good Life" is aight.
Overall, All Souled Out is an amazing introduction into the sound of Pete Rock & CL Smooth, which would improve so well overtime for the next three years.

Recommended Tracks: "Mecca and the Soul Brother", "The Creator", "Go with the Flow", "Good Life"

Mecca and the Soul Brother

Released: June 9, 1992

Now, this was the album that changed everything for Pete Rock & CL Smooth. Mecca and the Soul Brother was their long-awaited full-length debut, featuring 16 tracks with guest appearances from Heavy D, Grap Luva, Deda, Rob O & Grand Puba. A critically-acclaimed classic, the album features a large number of standouts, and it'd be hella long to go through each and every one.
"For Pete's Sake" is one of the first few songs to get us in the album very well, as both Pete & CL kick some dope rhymes over a funky rhythm, the scratches are tight and Pete Rock came through with the sample flips. "Lots of Lovin'" is such a relaxing joint, especially for Summer days, as CL raps an ode to his partner. "Straighten It Out" is a classic which sees CL touch on bootleggers and dealing with sample clearances.
"It's Like That" and "Can't Front on Me" are some absolute bangers and CL's delivery is immaculate on those songs while Pete kills it with the fire production and scratches. "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" is one of my favourite songs of all time, a touching dedication to one of the duo's close friends Trouble T-Roy (who sadly passed away around that time) and the beat is just beautiful. Pete Rock's rapping performances have improved a lot from All Souled Out, delivering solid verses on "For Pete's Sake", "Skinz" and "The Basement", and the latter is an amazing posse cut, with Heavy D, Grap Luva, CL & Deda coming through with exceptional contributions.
Mecca and the Soul Brother overall continues where they left off with their 1991 EP and improves on that, with more memorable moments: better verses and elite production which make for some wonderful songs. A classic album that everybody should listen to.

Recommended Tracks: "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)", "The Basement", "For Pete's Sake", "Straighten It Out", "Lots of Lovin'", "It's Like That", "Can't Front on Me", "Return of the Mecca"

The Main Ingredient

Released: November 8, 1994

The Main Ingredient comes just two years after the release of the duo's classic debut Mecca and the Soul Brother, but would also end up being their final album together (although it's been confirmed they've been working on a new project recently, but who knows if that'd really drop). Another 16 track effort which was overlooked overtime, the album saw a more improved and polished sound in comparison to their debut album, especially production wise. CL Smooth's wordplay was still nice and all, but the beats definitely take the cake more than it did on M&TSB. Maybe that's the reason why I enjoy The Main Ingredient slightly more than the former. There's certainly a larger number of standouts, and again, it'd be long to talk about.
"Carmel City" is one of those smooth nighttime joints to vibe out to, as CL attempts to take us on a journey to the city of Carmel, where the most beautiful ladies reside. "I Get Physical" is a banger, and CL's verses deliver hard while Pete Rock comes through with the production & scratches. "I Got a Love" continues the "ladies-man" persona of CL from Carmel City and Lots of Lovin', as he attempts to get down with a lady and make some love.
"Escape" is a Pete Rock solo, and is one of my favourites on the album, the beat is just on another level, and Pete does his thing over the instrumental. "All the Places" is the most beautiful beat on the album, every time I hear the song, it's like I've been taken to another place. "Searching" is one of Pete's best beats, and the vibe is just amazing on that song, with CL rapping about how he has finally found his one girl who he wants to sex with. "In the Flesh" is another solid posse cut, continuing the vibe of M&TSB standout "The Basement", and Pete, CL, Rob-O & Deda spit some hot 16s over a chill beat. I still haven't decided on who had the better verse, but Deda & Pete Rock killed their verses.
The Main Ingredient is definitely an amazing follow-up in the small discography, and definitely deserves a lot more credit to this day. It is actually the one album in their discography I happen to really enjoy the most. The beats from Pete Rock are banging hard as usual, the wordplay is still intact, the smooth vibes are in full effect too. Too bad it ended up being their final body of work, as it ends up being an album that makes you wish they didn't break up too soon...

Recommended Tracks: "Escape", "All the Places", "In the Flesh", "Searching", "I Get Physical", "Carmel City", "I Got a Love", "Take You There", "Worldwide"

Buy the album here!