Another semester has come and gone. We've had some good times here at Stack That Cheese. We've heard some great mixtapes and some not so great mixtapes. And then there's the downright re-dic-yu-lus. We are gathered here tonight to recognize those mixtapes that graced our ears and this blog the past few months. So put your headphones in, sit back and enjoy the ride.
The Best:
Vic Mensa - Innanetape
This one was not a hard award to hand out. Vic Mensa went above and beyond what is to be expected of a mixtape.This could have been released as a legitimate album and it still would have surpassed any possible expectations.
Chicago's already a hotbed for great hip-hop, but thanks to Mensa and frequent collaborator Chance the Rapper, the Windy City became the leader for rap at the moment.
Innanetape's vast range of influences and featured artists made the tape not only one of the best mixtapes of the year, but one of the best releases of 2013 period.
Best Supporting Rapper:
Ab-Soul on Innanetape
I told you that Innanetape had a lot of great featured artists and I wasn't kidding. This included Chance the Rapper, Rockie Fresh and even Thundercat. But Solo's verse and hook on the heart-wrenching "Holy Holy" was above and beyond the best guest verse on the mixtape.
In his verse, Ab-Soul raps about the loss of his girlfriend Alori Joh, who committed suicide back in 2012. With lyrics like "She live through me until I die, this is what love sounds like / I'm her baby boy, she my rib. I'm always by her side," it's hard not to feel for the Black Hippy member.
Big K.R.I.T. was a close second in this category thanks to his verse on Big Sant's "Fire Water II," but nothing can beat Solo's story.
Best Missed Mixtape:
Action Bronson - Blue Chips 2
This category is almost too easy. Bronson quickly become one of my favorite rappers and I was looking forward to Blue Chips 2 for a while. Sadly, though, I wasn't able to review it due to the fact that I was psyched for Kanye's concert in Columbus. I regretted the omission a little at the time, but after Kanye canceled on me (wipes tear from face) I was even more upset about my decision.
Bronson delivers as usual thanks to his badass-meets-teddy-bear flow. But the thing that really put Blue Chips 2 over the top was the production by Party Supplies, who made Blue Chips 2 one of the best produced mixtapes of the year.
Best Female Lead:
Mary Gold - Sex Hormone'd Druggie
Considering she was the only female to crack Stack That Cheese so far this year, Mary Gold is a no-brainer. But that doesn't mean she's any less impressive.
Gold is the newest signee to Curren$y's Jet Life label and boy did she prove her worth. On Druggie, Gold took stoner rap to a whole new, more experimental level. The only problem with Curren$y inking a deal with Gold is that she might soon surpass Spitta himself as the best of Jet Life.
Most Re-dic-yu-lus:
Pyes - Pyes & Pounds
This is probably the hardest category to decide. There's so many horrible mixtapes to choose from. There's Gucci Mane's Diary of a Trap God. Or how about Young Sam's disgrace to stoner rap on Wake & Bake? And of course there's Waka Flocka's latest escapade.
But worse than all of the rest is Pyes. Yes, he has such a re-dic-yu-lusname and that certainly doesn't hurt his credibility, But Pyes' true re-dic-yu-lus-ness comes from his Seussian rhyme scheme, horrible beats and, of course, spelling errors. He opened up Season 2 and boy did he open it up right.
Most Based:
Sigh. This is the saddest part of Season 2 thus far. This category usually has plenty of competion due to the fact that Lil B releases mixtapes constantly. But over the past few months, Based God has been quiet.
I could give this award to Soulja Boy, but he doesn't deserve this. No one deserves this. Until Lil B comes back, this category shall remain empty as a tribute to the Based God in hopes that he descends from Based Heaven and fucks all our bitches. Amen, Lil B. Amen.
I barely went into Tone Oliver a few weeks ago when I reviewed Mann's The Expansion Tape, a mixtape that I didn't like all that much. To make matters even crazier, Oliver is actually operating with Mann's #PeaceLife movement. And yet, despite working closely with a rapper I wasn't so hot on, Oliver manages to be quite good.
If you remember, my biggest gripe with Mann was his lyrics, or lack thereof. Mann had a pretty good mixtape in just about every other way, though. Especially in terms of production.
Oliver is a much better lyricist and raps over beats similar to those off The Expansion Tape. This makes Tone basically just a good version of Mann. But I'm not complaining.
As I mentioned, beats are very important to the likes of Oliver and Mann. Oliver shows this straight from the get-go. "Dream Last Night," the first non-intro song on Live and Let Die, is a soulful piano-backed song. As soon as the beat hits, so does Oliver, rapping, "I look in the mirror and see a miracle / As my mind travels to new worlds, Americo / There I go again on the the merry-go-round." Paired with Oliver's slick flow, these lyrics come to life.
The title track is another quality beat, sampling Red Hot Chili Pepper's "Under the Bridge." I don't know about you, but there's something about rap sampling the Peppers that just gets my heart racing ("Otherside" by Macklemore, anyone?), so I love this beat as soon as the guitar starts strumming. The song also features a fantastic verse from enimaL, as he spits clever lines like, "And they need their money like ASAP / So it's safe
RHCP make everything better.
to say I have a 'Fucking Problem.'"
Oliver can take on more than just a chill beat. "Drive" features some banging drums and "Fish Tank" gets rowdy towards the end.
Plus, the song "Love is Back" from Mann's mixtape is on Live and Let Die, too. While I don't like hearing a song on two different tapes, this song is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.
Tone Oliver proves just how far working on lyrics can take you. Sure, beats are fun, but lyrics are ultimately what tie everything together.
Okay, so this is only a six-track mixtape and I usually try to stick to full-lengths, but I just had to cover it. This is a big release and it deserves attention. Plus, how many times can I bust out some violent Chris Brown jokes? Hopefully they hit you in your funny bone.
What's black and read all over? The newspaper the morning after another Chris Brown attack!
buh-duh-chh
How many Chris Browns does it take to screw in a light bulb? None, because Chris Brown would prefer the room to be blacked out!
buh-duh-chh
Why does Chris Brown always leave early for meetings? So he can beat traffic!
buh-duh-chh
Thank you! Thank you! I'm here all week!
Now onto X Files. It's not very good. I guess you knew that at this point. Considering, you know, it's in the bad category.
The problem with X Files is that Chris Brown tries to sound like modern R&B (think Weeknd or Miguel), but waters it down with his pop charm.
C. Breezy looks kind of sinister with Big Red behind him. Just saying.
Look no further than "Sweet Caroline." He takes pages straight out of The Weeknd's book. Like the falsetto as a climax of the song. Or the heavy vocal synthesizers for emphasis. But it still sounds like "Doublemint Gum," "Forever" Chris Brown. The Weeknd's sound works because it's dark all the way through. Chris Brown just can't pull that off. Luckily, Busta Rhymes comes in for a guest verse and makes the song somewhat tolerable, but it's still far from good.
"Waiting" has more of a Miguel feel, with the hot guitar licks and the overall rock-meets-R&B feel. But there's still that corny pop Chris Brown lurking underneath. And lyrics like, "Baby, look what you do to me / Girl, I've gone crazy / And you just got me waiting" don't help in the slightest.
There are a couple extra features from big names like Ludacris and Kid Ink, but the verses they provide just seem mailed in. Especially when Luda starts his verse with "I wanna li-li-li-lick you from your head to your toes." Sound familiar?
It has to be nice for Chris to know he's not the only one running out of material. At least he's not blatantly ripping bars from past verses. But X Files isn't too much above that.
Honestly, the best part is probably Kid Ink's verse on "Main Chick" when he raps, "KO shawty when I hit her with a punch...line." Whether that irony was intentional or not, I don't care. I still love it. Thank you, Kid Ink. Thank you so goddamn much.
One of my favorite things about Datpiff is that artists can provide their own description of their mixtape. Low Debiase doesn't do anything worse than any other rappers when it comes to descriptions, but I just felt like sharing it.
"It's finally HERE "Boss Life City" By Low DeBiase .Including Exclusive Boss Freestyles such as Bossed Up Hustla, Keep It G , Make A Flip Off The Rift & Many More"
Yes! It's finally here! I've been waiting forever for this mixtape named after a made up city! And there's even exclusive boss freestyles. I don't know how they're exclusive or even what they are, but I'm still so stoked for this! #BossLife
Maybe that's a little harsh on this little boss, but it doesn't seem so hard anymore once you start listening to the mixtape.
"Grinding" features a generic trap beat with a lot of hype rapping. Plus, Debiase proves he can spell by making a hook with only the letters of the song's title.
In fact, most of the songs follow this pattern. Low Debiase is just so generic. I've heard his flow hundreds of times. His beats, too. And don't get me started on all the "skurr"s. Even his topic seem like they're literally jacked from another rapper. Like the song "100," which is almost exactly like a song I covered last week.
Plus, these "exclusive boss freestyles" he promised aren't even exclusive. Or special. Or a sign of his never-ending love for me. They're exactly the same as the rest of his music. There's only one legitimate freestyle on the whole album and that only lasts a minute and a half (close to a minute after the intro) and is basically a shittier version of all his other songs.
You know what, Low Debiase? You're not a boss. You're not even an employee. You're just a big, fat phony!
Mary Gold is the latest signee to Jet Life, Curren$y's record label. Curren$y is a damn good rapper and probably has one of the best musical palates of any stoner rapper in the game right now. And the signing of Gold just proves this opinion even more.
One would assume Gold would be yet another laid-back smoker rapping over chill jazz-inspired beats. And while this is half-true, she takes stoner rap to a whole new level.
Curren$y said of his signing, Spitta said, "I can't describe Mary Gold to you, I have to show you Mary Gold." And if the Jet Life founder says so, I should probably do the same thing. Here's her music video for "Prayer," featuring Curren$y himself. Now, this is a rap blog. The idea itself is NSFW (not suited for work), but this puts a whole new meaning to that. Just a heads up.
Did you hear that? It's so hypnotic and tempting. I'm under her spell. And her voice, holy shit. She's like Lily Allen meets Lil Kim. It's too bad the commenters on "Prayer" don't appreciate the beauty of it all. Many people are going to see this as porn, but this is just a talented rapper expressing herself. "Praise the Lord for what you're gonna receive," she says about her body. Her body and, more importantly, her music are gifts that you should be thankful for.
"I like the way you twerk, girl."
And it doesn't stop at "Prayer." "Miley Cyrus" links her a little closer to Curren$y's style, with the stand-up bass and hi-hats commonly heard in jazz. But she quickly distances herself again. Her raspy voice crawls over the drum-heavy beat as she sings about Miley Cyrus and getting "fucked up tonight." Yes, her lyrics are very much like those of other stoner rappers, but the way they're laid out is completely unique to her.
And "Grand Theft" features some deep, deep horns and some heavily synthesized vocals to make the beat one of the biggest stand outs from Sex Hormone'd Druggie as her singsong gently leads the listener down the rabbit hole she's carved out.
It's clear that Mary Gold is something special. She brings just the right amount of druggie influences to pair with her distinct style to make her both approachable and listenable. Kudos to Curren$y for signing her. Even more kudos to Mary Gold for creating something so special.
I love how much I hate this. Like this is fantastic. Everything from the DJ's water mark (a girl shouting "Charismaaaa!") to the fact that he sounds like he's still in puberty. This is just beautiful.
Reem Riches sounds like most rappers out right now, but higher-pitched and less grounded. You ask, "How does one sound less grounded than rappers spending money left and right?" Well, when you rap lines like "I just smoked a hundred blunts / Bout to smoke a hundred sluts," it's hard to sound like you even remotely understand how the world works.
Riches sounds like what a disapproving suburban mom thinks all rap sounds like. He raps about money, drugs and sex and his beats are just too loud.
That song about a hundred blunts is called, you guessed it, "100." The beat is alright, but it's not used properly. It's just there to make Riches sound tough and intimidating. And I don't even get the lyrics. Why is he so obsessed with the number 100? On the bright side, "I don't give a hundred fucks" is my new catch phrase.
DJ Crikk-It dropping a beat
And what the hell is he doing on "Good Feeling?" No, I'm not talking about his excessive use of Auto-Tune, which is really annoying. Nor am I talking about lyrics like "Are you wit it? / Are you wit it? / I'ma hit it / I'ma hit it," which are incredibly dumb. I'm talking about this ridiculously infuriating high-pitched sample that is penetrating my ear drums the entire song! What is that? A cricket? Sleigh bells? Lucifer's mating call? Stop it! I beg of you!
Now let's play a fun game of "Are These Really Song Titles?" First is "Hoes Got Hoes." If you guessed yes, you'd be super correct! Here's a tricky one: "Fuckshit." What's that? Yes? Oh my good golly gosh you are good at this! Now here's a stumper: "Diamonds & Hoes." You're going to say "no" on this one? Yes, I know, this is just too stupid to be true. But it is! These are all Reem Riches' songs!
I might actually download this mixtape just because it's almost too ign'ant to not love. I probably won't, but I totally could.
OMG! I almost dropped Reem Riches down a level, but I'm so glad I didn't because now I get to listen to this.
Capo is part of GBE, a.k.a. Cheif Keef's music group. So this guy is basically Chief Keef without the fame. Meaning, this mixtape is so, so bad.
Sure, I'm a little upset that this has more views on datpiff than Mary Gold's mixtape, but I can't be that mad when this mixtape is this horrible.
I honestly can't tell the difference between Capo and Chief Keef. Neither of them are comprehensible. They sound just about the same. And all of the beats are the essence of ratchet.
G.L.O.N.L. opens with "G.L.O.N.L. Part 2" and it features Sosa himself. A shit ton of Auto-Tune is applied to Capo...I think. And it makes him even more muddled than before. I mostly can just hear them shout the title over again. Other than that, it's complete mush.
Why would anyone think these are shoes?
I feel like Capo can't even understand himself, because on the third track, he tries saying "not yours," but
instead titles the song "Nachos." Which brings a whole new sense of humor to the song. Suddenly it sounds like he's saying, "You acting like they're your shoes / But I know they're nachos."
Or how about "Thotty Party?" Even I know he's shouting/rapping "Let's start a party." But apparently in the editing room, it sounded like "Let's thotty party." What even is a thotty party and why have I never been invited to one?
Now, we joke about how hard it is to understand Capo. But I swear "Hate Me," the second song to feature the Chief, Capo tries his best to create a good chorus. But holy crap, does he fail. I'm going to type exactly what I think I hear, word for word, no exaggeration.
"I know why you niggas hate me / I seen them bitchesbabbityboobabebop hate me."
Can I go back in time and make this my senior quote? Kthx.
I don't understand Capo, but what I really can't understand is why anyone would possibly like this. Why in the world is this more popular than Mary Gold? Why does this even exist? Why am I even questioning this when I know there's nothing I can do to prevent the GBE world takeover? For now, I hate this. But in 15 years when "I Hate Being Sober" is the world's anthem, I'll love this and our new overlords.
So, I'm going to do something a little different this week. Okay, a lot different. I'm going to see Kanye West live on Friday. I've waited the majority of my life for this moment. So, needless to say, I'm pretty freaking excited. So excited that I'm even willing to sound like a fangirl by dedicating a whole blog post to him.
So, instead of doing the classic "Good, Bad and Re-dic-yu-lus" format of Stack That Cheese, I'm going to rank Kanye West's six solo albums from worst to best. It's too bad Kanye had to come up this week because I was pretty stoked to review Action Bronson's new mixtape, Blue Chips 2. But this is something I've always wanted to do and if I have a platform and reason to do so, I might as well.
6.808s & Heartbreak
This is probably the easiest decision on the whole list. While I admittedly like this album more than most, it's still clearly the worst thing Kanye's ever put out.
808s & Heartbreak was the album that Kanye put out that's famous (or infamous) for its use of Auto-Tune. The popular vocal synthesizer was just coming down from its peak in popularity. While most Auto-Tune (ab)users tended to use it as just a fun toy to fool around with, Kanye used it as a way to express his emotion. This meant that 808s was not only Kanye's worst album, but saddest, too. Some might even say "sappy."
However, 808s still had its moments of intrigue. "Welcome to Heartbreak" basically helped start Kid Cudi's mainstream career. And when Kanye opens the song with the line "My friend showed me pictures of his kids / And all I could show him was pictures of my cribs," the song instantly became one of the best "first world problems" type songs, which some may hate, but I feel for 'Ye.
And the first two singles, "Love Lockdown" and "Heartless," are among the most memorable Kanye West songs among the masses.
Plus, "RoboCop" is one of the funniest Kanye songs ever, as he compares the female subject of the song to someone from a Stephen King novel.
Above all else is the fact that Kanye really helped spearhead a new movement in the hip-hop community. Drake is still making music reminiscent of 808s. However, no matter how good anyone may think 808s & Heartbreak is, it's hard to argue for the album to be any higher than last among the rest of Kanye's discography.
5.Late Registration
This placement is one of the hardest on the list. I've spent plenty of time considering whether this album or the next was better. After much consideration, I decided to put Late Registration at five because I'm not as well versed in it as I am the rest of Kanye's discography.
I'm aware that's a really weak reason. But whether Late Registration came in at four or five, it would still be astounding that it isn't even in the top half of Kanye's creations. Because this is a good album. This might even be a great album. This might even be a timeless album. But there are still three to four albums better made by the same guy.
There are some songs that are nothing short of brilliant on here. "Roses" is widely regarded as one of the most personable songs that Kanye has ever made and "Hey Mama" is probably one of the only songs that could top that.
"Diamonds from Sierra Leone" has to be one of the best beats Kanye's ever produced and rapped over. "Heard Em Say" is probably the best thing that Adam Levine of Maroon 5 has ever done. "Touch the Sky" put Lupe Fiasco on a golden platter for the public to enjoy him on.
And then there's the ultimate Kanye West hit: "Gold Digger." While there are other songs put out by Kanye that made it big, there are none more a staple of pop culture than "Gold Digger."
And this isn't even one of Kanye's best. Bravo, Mr. West. Bravo.
4. Graduation
If we're ranking these albums by how critically-acclaimed each album is, Graduation would have been Kanye's second worst. Whereas Late Registration got five-star reviews and a 9.5 from Pitchfork, Graduation merely managed four-and-a-half stars and an 8.7 from Pitchfork. Come on, 'Ye, you're better than that.
But for me, Graduation is one of Kanye's most exciting albums. At the time it was released, Graduation felt like it was just a bit too far from typical Kanye to really compete with Late Registration and College Dropout. But over the years, the experimenting that took place on Graduation seems like child's play compared to what he's done on the likes of Yeezus and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Kanye's later experimentation made Graduation seem more like "normal Kanye" and less like "experimental Kanye." And as it shifted to more of the middle, it seemed to become a little better. At least to me, that is.
Whereas College Dropout and Late Registration took a more Tribe Called Quest path, Graduation felt a little funkier and a little lighter, too.
You can tell Kanye was in a little better mood just from some of the song titles. "Champion." "Good Life." "Stronger." Clearly Kanye had a much better mindset. And that made it a little more fun, which made it stand out a bit among the pretty dark discography of Kanye.
"Homecoming," featuring Coldplay's Chris Martin, was among the highlights of Graduation, as Kanye sang a ballad dedicated to his hometown of Chicago.
And singles "Stronger," "Good Life," and "Flashing Lights" were perfect choices to represent the album.
And yet, there are still three albums better. Kanye's the best.
3. Yeezus
I'm going to keep this light because I went into over 600 words about Kanye's latest here. But I will go into it a bit.
I'm not really sure how Yeezus will stand the test of time. There's been just about as much hate as there has been praise. And I get some of the complaints.
Yes, lyrically this is probably Kanye's worst. And yes, the style he adopted isn't all his own (see: Death Grips). But what really made me fall in love with Yeezus is how introspective it is on Kanye's part.
Kanye uses each song to reflect a different part of his life, from his early days of being an activist-turned-rapper to the current egotistical 'Ye. If you know much about Kanye, it's not easy for him to admit he's wrong. Ever. But on Yeezus, he looked into every era of his lifetime and critiqued it. And that says a lot.
2. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
The inner debate between MBDTF and Yeezus was intense. There was blood drawn. Deaths tallied. Tears shed. It got messy, to say the least.
Ultimately, I decided on MBDTF because I am a hipster. And this is the Kanye album for hipsters.
While Yeezus is the most outwardly experimental album of Kanye's career, MBDTF is the real most experimental Kanye.
This is due to the crazy orchestration. You don't need to look any further for this than "All of the Lights." Basically every major musician appeared on the track. From Rihanna to Elton John to Kid Cudi to Alicia Keys. This track was stacked. And it was all so beautifully layered.
And "Runaway." That simple piano slowly getting an even simpler drum kit added to it. And Pusha T basically coming out as a solo artist.
And the fact this was the first time Justin Vernon teamed up with Kanye made this album even better.
Plus, he took his music videos to a whole new level, even creating a short film. It's no wonder this is the hipster album of Kanye's.
1. College Dropout
There's no question. This is the best Kanye album of all time. Hell, this might be one of the best rap albums of all time. Definitely one of the best of the aughts.
Kanye debuted with a splash after years of working as a producer and an underground rapper. It was the perfect old-school album with a new-school flare. The best album from a Chicago rapper since Common. It was no wonder that 'Ye got Jay-Z's blessing. Just listen to this shit.
Kanye left everything on the table. Need a song bashing the radio industry? "Jesus Walks." What about a sultry love ballad? "Slow Jamz." Oh, you want probably the best outro of all time? "Last Call." You know how good "Last Call" was as an outro? J. Cole took the beat and used it as his own.
I don't even know what to say about Dropout. I just want to write the title of every single song and say, "this song is awesome." But I'm not going to do this. I'm just going to let you listen to the perfect Kanye album.
The Kid Daytona was born in Atlanta, from a Carribean background and raised in the Bronx. His style takes a lot of influence from many different styles and genres. He's a rapper with R&B beats and a smooth jazz feel. He's been around since 2002 and continues to grow.
Savoir Faire is a well-produced mixtape from an experienced rapper. While Daytona can deliver a good line here and there, it's his vast array of influences that really make the album good. Almost scary good. (Get it? Because it's Halloween? Gosh, I'm good.)
The Jack-yo-swag-o-lantern
One of the songs that best showcases Daytona's ability to tie so many styles together is "Damier Suitcases." Thanks to some guitar and bass, along with a few synths, the song is able to sound like Daytona went back in time when old-school rhythm and blues reigned supreme. This is thanks to producer 1up World.
Plus, former Clansman (the Wu-Tang kind) Raekwon shows up, as Daytona and him trade off verses. The rappers are on the same page the entire song, making the song into more of a collaboration than just a track with a guest feature. At the end of the first verse pairings, Daytona raps, "Rookie playing like Magic / No looks to Kareem" right before Raekwon comes in and raps, "In the ball room with Jordan / About to do unlimited kicks." Getting Raekwon on a track is an accomplishment in and of itself, but keeping up with him on said track is a whole new level.
1up World isn't the only quality producer on Savoir Faire. Gizzle Beatz produces just about every song on the album not produced by 1up. The ninth and tenth tracks are both produced by Gizzle and they both bring something new to the table for Daytona to work with.
"Dat Wave" combines old-school rap, thanks to the kids on the street samples that every rap aficionado should be used to by now, with some high-pitched synths. And "The Trinity" is easily the hardest hitting track on all of Savoir Faire. The bass bumps hard from the beginning, but by the end "The Trinity" is so ign'ant it's almost not fair.
Savoir Faire has something for everyone, but all of the styles are somehow tied together thanks to Daytona's ability to be a swiss army knife of rap. Daytona does a great job of hand-picking these tracks and producers, and he can easily play off any flow he wants, making for a plenty good mixtape.
The Bad:
Kid Red - REDemption
Who does this guy think he is? Making puns in the rap game is something only lowly bloggers like me can do. Is he trying to encroach on my territory? This is worse than when West-side rapper Kendrick Lamar claimed he was king of New York. (Yes, I just compared a bad pun to Kendrick's verse on "Control." Who gon' stop me, huh?)
I'll be honest, I've never heard of Kid Red, and based on his 25,000 Twitter followers, he's not a huge deal. But you wouldn't be able to tell based on REDemption. First, it's a partnership between Red and LA Leakers. If you're going to get anyone to host your mixtape in hopes of making a splash, the Leakers are the way to go.
And then there's the guests on this mixtape. They range from big shots who fell off to current big shots who always have been and always will be big shots. How Red got these guys is a mystery to me.
I just really like this picture
"Ready to Ride" features Sean Kingston. Yeah, I'm surprised he's still making music, too. Kingston actually sounds pretty good here, with less of the Jamaican gimmick that got him big and more suited for singing hooks. However, nothing really stands out here. Kingston sounds like almost any other hook singer, Red fails to really impress as a rapper and the beat is too bland.
And then Red, as average as they come, manages to get a hip-hop legend in Snoop Dogg/Snoop Lion/Snoopzilla on "My Money." this is probably one of the more interesting beats on the album, with some claps and heavy bass. But Red's flow sounds like it belongs on Nick Cannon's show Wild 'N Out instead of a track with Snoop Giraffe or whatever. And Snoop Kitten doesn't even deliver. I know he's not the same as he used to be, but he can do better than listing types of cars for a couple bars.
I'm convinced Kid Red had this coming to him for stepping on my turf. You want to see a real pun, Red. Oh, I'll give you a pun alright.
The RED-dic-yu-lus:
Redman - Remixxes
That's right. This mixtape isn't re-dic-yu-lus. It's RED-dic-yu-lus. Because Redman is dropping something more entartaining than any re-dic-yu-lus mixtape ever could be. Pun: achieved.
Honestly, I can't tell how good or bad this is. As a critic, I shouldn't admit that. But my bias is raging hardcore because FUCKING REDMAN JUST RELEASED A MIXTAPE!And if just hearing Redman's voice isn't enough, hearing it over a Dead Prez track or a Jay-Z & Kanye beat should make you jump for joy.
Anyone else remember this show too well?
Honestly, I'm not a fan of remix releases. There's nothing lazier than taking beats made famous by other people and making them their own. But when you're half of one of the most famous hip-hop duos of all time, you can do whatever the hell you want.
Plus, this isn't just the hot tracks for the moment. There's no "Bugatti" or "Power Trip," like an amateur rapper might cover. These are some legitimate classics. These are the tracks Redman's probably always wanted to be on, and now he gets the chance. And frankly, I'm not going to try to stop him.
I went over the Dead Prez remix. Of course, that's gotta be "It's Bigger Than the Hip-Hop." You know the song. The classic song with one of the most distinguishable bass lines of all time that taught us all "the thing 'bout music / When it hit you feel no pain." Honestly, even the great Redman couldn't live up to the precedents on this song. Considering Dead Prez was talking about how crucial hip-hop was to the culture that followed it and Redman's talking about keeping his weed in a Zip Lock, it's not hard to see where the two differ. But Redman brings his own style and flow to the track and it works.
Nick Cannon's a lucky man.
Oh, is that too old-school for you? Do you need Redman to prove he can fuck with something a little more recent? What about Busta Rhymes' "I Know What You Want." Once again, my bias is all over the place. "I Know What You Want" is one of the first rap songs I remember. Mariah Carey's performance in that song is what fueled my awkward teenage years. So just hearing this all-too-familiar beat is enough for me to love it instantly.
Redman's booming voice and brilliant flow fits right in. Plus, Red can still spit, as he proves with the line, "Drop verbs and nouns / My suburban bourbon brown / Hitting your suburban town."
Oh, but that's still too old for you? And too much familiar territory for a rapper like Redman? What'll prove Redman's greatness to you? What if he raps over a song made famous by a former boy band member? Will that be good enough for you?
I certainly hope so, because on "Smoke Wit Me," Redman raps over Justin Timberlake's "Rock Your Body." Not only does he rap over the for 'N Sync star's beat, but he also shows off his pipes, singing his own hook. This is just proof of how entertaining this mixtape is.
Remixxes isn't supposed to be Redman's real stuff, though, as it was really just released to set the stage for his upcoming mixtape. But I'm not going to complain, because it's as entertaining as anything any new rapper can produce. Long live Redman.
Before I get started, I just want to say congratulations to Kanye West and Kim Kardashian on their recent engagement. Hopefully, the next time Kanye googles himself, he comes across this and knows that the hip-hop blog community loves him and wishes him luck. Or he just notices me. That'd be pretty awesome.
Big Sant is a Mississippi rapper who definitely represents the Southern feel. I mean, his Facebook page says he's "0% bitch!" If that's not Southern rap, then I don't know what is.
The Great American Mattress Sale is noticeably different from a lot of the rap out there straight from the get-go. It has a handful of goofy skits that sound like commercials for, you guessed it, a mattress sale. This gives the mixtape a fun vibe to it.
If only Sant had an actual gospel choir.
But this playful attitude follows into the songs. Sant has a lot of fun with the beats. There's some pretty big funk and gospel influences on here and Sant's not afraid to unleash a few freestyles.
Normally, I'm not a big fan of freestyles on mixtapes and albums. These should be treated as a platform for an artist's best work that they spent countless hours putting together. But Big Sant manages to put together some pretty good bars over some well-thought out beats.
"Numbers" is a freestyle that is actually one of Big Sant's best performance on the album. The fact that lines like "She looking for a trick / It ain't under my sleeve, darling" came off the top of his head just makes it more impressive. Plus, the beat is a banger thanks to its bass and creative use of percussion.
"Full Time Hustler" is one of his more Southern songs. The beat is composed of some funky bass slapping and a tambourine with a chorus sung by Sant himself. Plus, the idea of being a hustler is something that a Mississippi rapper almost has to embrace.
And if we're talking Mississippi rap, it's hard not to bring up names like Big K.R.I.T., David Banner and Tito Lopez. Luckily for the listener, all these soulful Southerners appear on one track, "Fire Water II."
This has to be the mixtape's stand out song. The beat, produced by David...David...David Banner, is one of those beats that needs to be blasted in a car going 15 in a 25, driver nodding his head and clutching the steering wheel with only one hand. And Sant, Lopez and K.R.I.T. all deliver in their performances. K.R.I.T. especially comes through. Even among other talents, K.R.I.T. still seems like a rap god with his freaky fast flow.
Big Sant puts together a really good mixtape with The Great American Mattress Sale that should put him into any conversation about modern Southern rap, and manages to have fun while doing it.
The only thing that bothers me more than bad rap is bad rap that could be good with just a little extra effort. That's really just the best summary of The Expansion Tape that I can give, honestly.
Where The Expansion Tape falters is Mann's lyrics. He has an alright flow--a bit like Big Sean. But his rhymes just don't live up to the potential that his mixtape has.
Any semblance of potential comes from the beats that he gets for The Expansion Tape. Most mixtapes have one or two main producers with maybe a couple extra sprinkled into the mix. Mann decides to go a totally different route, managing to get some production from multiple sources and most of it is pretty good.
"Barbie Girl" meets rap on "Hooked on Phonics."
"Hooked on Phonics" is produced by Laze & Royal. They give the track an early 2000s electronic pop feel thanks to a sample of a bubbly female vocalist. Paired with some hip-hop drums and synths, this sample becomes a legitimate beat. But Mann makes the song less listenable with his lyrics, where he rhymes words like "bull shit," "took it" and "crooked." His flow makes up for it a bit, but not enough to salvage the track.
"Rather Dream," produced by Sounds (dumb name for a good producer) is a slow jam that gets gradually more "bumping," as the kids say, thanks to some interesting toned-down synths. But once again, Mann stays with an overly simplistic rhyme scheme and it lowers the entertainment value yet again.
"Love is Back" is one of the more interesting beats I've heard as of late, sampling little kids singing and pairing it with a simple piano riff. Plus, tone Oliver shows up to provide a decent verse, especially compared to Mann. I'd even go so far to say that not even Mann could ruin this song.
With just a little extra effort on his lyrics, Mann could've made a good mixtape. He managed to get some borderline great production, but he's just not ready to live up to that same level. Mann's definitely worth keeping an eye on, because if he improves even a little, he could be extremely entertaining. But for now, he's still got some improving to do.
I originally had him as just bad. But I had to downgrade him. This shit stank!
Imagine being there for the conversation that led to his name.
"Hey dude, what should my name be?"
"It should probably reflect who you are as a person. Let's see, your name is Sam. You're still pretty young. You..."
"Wait. I got it! Young Sam!"
"Brilliant!"
Or what about the idea of this mixtape?
I'm not positive, but I think Young Sam smokes this.
"Ok, now with this mixtape, I want to get across the idea that I smoke weed."
"How do you expect to do that?"
"I was thinking naming it after a common stoner phrase."
"Good idea, but what if it's not obvious enough?"
"Then the cover will show me smoking weed with a massive bag of dank to my side."
"You did it again, Sam!"
I'm exaggerating a bit, but after listening to Wake & Bake, I don't think I'm too far off.
Based on the comments on this mixtape, it's clear I have the same idea as a lot of people on the internet--he's Wiz without any hint of talent.
He definitely can't rhyme. In fact, the very first line of the mixtape on the title track freestyle (see why I don't usually like freestyles on albums?) goes, "Raised in the streets where those niggas talk weak / 911 can't save nobody." I mean if he had anything that remotely sounded like flow, he might be able to make that line work. But I'd be surprised if Young Sam had rhythm, let alone flow.
Sometimes, he'll try to make up for this with Auto-Tune, like on "Pornstar." But the Auto-Tune is so obvious and obnoxious that I wouldn't be surprised if he made this track on Fruity Loops. (Normally, I would put a picture of a pornstar in PG-13 attire to get some extra views from my pervert fans, but I'm in the library writing this and that's a little low even for me.)
Drake's crying after hearing Young Sam's rendition of his track.
The worst thing about Wake & Bake is that he doesn't just stick to ruining his own amateur beats--he takes perfectly good songs and ruins them with what he calls rapping. Just check out "Wu Tang Forever" to see what I mean.
Stoner rap isn't my favorite subgenre by any means. In fact, I've gone on the record bashing the modern poster child for it. But it can be done well. Young Sam, though, does not do it justice by any definition of the word.
Hol' up! Eddie B's new mixtape is pretty great, with some top notch instrumentals and some seriously clever lyrics, but there's more important matters at hand.
Chief Keef released a mixtape on Saturday entitled Almighty So. I was going to review that no matter what today, and I still will, but today, Chief Keef did something so unbelievable even for him, I just had to write about it.
Just six hours ago from the time of writing this, Sosa himself took to Instagram and took a screenshott of a note that read, "Getting myself ready to get locked up ! Love everybody that rocks with the So & Da Glo." What?
An hour later, Keef took back to Instagram, informing his followers that he was headed to court to turn himself in.
Then he shared this beautiful picture, which had the caption, "Outside The Court House Turnin My Self In But Fuck It I Got Niggas Facing More Then That ! For Shit Like killin Police officers."
Let's not focus too much on the fact that Chief Keef has multiple friends who are in jail for killing cops or that, at 18, this is not the Chicago rapper's first trip to the big house. Instead, let's look at how he went about this "announcement" of his.
It's honestly fascinating. Keef is using the surprise social media tactics that others are using to announce new singles, mixtapes or even albums. Plus, he's being alarmingly casual about this whole thing.
It's this kind of stuff that gives rap a bad name. The glorification of misbehavior and tomfoolery (yes, I purposefully tried to sound like a stay-at-home parent) is exactly what keeps rap from reaching higher levels of brilliance.
If Chief Keef is one of the biggest rappers in the world right now and he's pulling these stunts, what does that say about hip-hop as a whole?
And yet, I can't help but walk away kind of impressed. He released a mixtape three days ago. And this was less than three months after releasing the tape Finally Rich. He didn't have to do this so soon. And yet as his jail date neared, he decided to drop a whole new collection of songs for the fans.
This can be read in multiple different ways. One, this was just a weird coincidence. Two, he dropped this tape so that interest in it would rise as soon as he went back to jail. Three, he did this all for his fans. Aside from the first option, this stunt of his makes it seems like he actually knows what he's doing.
Since then, it's been revealed that Chief Keef is going to jail for a probation violation involving marijuana and that he'll only be there for twenty days tops. This seems like a very small amount of time to get this much detail, but I find this decision of Keef's to be fascinating no matter the results. And I'm writing this blog, so I can do whatever I want. (Bang! Bang!)
Now let's get to the review.
The Bad:
Chief Keef - Almighty So
I think I can probably skip the intro about who Chief Keef is considering I just wrote multiple paragraphs on the dude, which is good because I'll probably just get carried away if I continue to do so.
Almighty So is classic Chief Keef. And by that I mean I can't really understand him and when I can, it's not really worth it.
Take the song "Ape Shit" for example. He opens up the song by saying "girl" multiple times and rhyming "house" with itself. And I'm pretty sure he spends the rest of the song with peanut butter in his mouth because it's all just noise to me. Luckily, the beat isn't too bad. It's a bit generic for the most part, but there's this sample of a voice saying vowels that's heavily distorted and used throughout the song that I kind of like.
Another pretty decent beat paired with poor lyrics is "I Kno." It's kind of got this bubbly yet epic feeling to it, using synths and strings to give it this joyful feeling. But it also provides the answer to the age old question, "Could Chief Keef get any worse?" The answer is apparently yes, through Auto-Tune.
Surprisingly, Chief Keef shows a kernel of intelligence in "Self" when he opens up saying, "They want the old Sosa / For what though? / That's a crazy low down dirty cut throat." This makes it seem that even Chief Keef is aware that some parts of his past are nothing to be proud of. However, he quickly goes back to rapping about money and lean.
I don't think Chief Keef will ever be good. He can occasionally create a true banger. In fact, I will admit that I've been known to bump to "I Hate Being Sober" from time to time. There are some songs on Almighty So that I could imagine listening to when I'm in a more ig'nant mindset, but they're still plagued with Sosa's horrible flow and lyricism.
So, I guess in conclusion, it's safe to say Almighty So is on the list of "shit I don't like." *drops mic* *jumps into crowd* *surfs crowd for an infinity and a half*
I apologize for how much I've been raving about the new East Coast movement as of late. Thanks to recent mixtapes from Flatbush Zombies and MeLo-X, along with the constant prominence of Joey Bada$$ and A$AP Rocky, the reemergence of the East Coast movement has been one of the more intriguing themes of hip-hop to date.
So, it's only fitting that East Coaster CJ Fly's mixtape be covered.
The poster child of beastcoast himself, Joey Bada$$
CJ Fly is a member of Pro Era, aka Joey Bada$$ & Co. If anyone's to be credited with bringing the beastcoast movement to the mainstream, it's these guys. Their blend of jazz and hip-hop plays like classic hip-hop despite being from a group of teenagers who weren't even coherent when this style ruled the scene.
It's honestly quite inspiring. These guys are proving the uneducated rapper stereotype wrong by being fluent in complex musical styles and history.
On Thee Way Eye See It, CJ Fly makes the case that Pro Era is more than just Joey Bada$$'s crew. And the message is heard loud and clear. (Not to mention, this is one of the coolest album covers I've ever seen.)
"Emcee" is a perfect example of just how mature he is for a youngin'. The beat features a jazz-like keyboard and a nice mixture of bass and hi-hats while his flow sounds almost Fugees-like. And the chorus sounds like a classic Biggie theme, as he raps, "They care about the fame, all I wanted was a name / Dreaming big ever since I was a shorty."
Thee Way Eye See It also brings in some big names to help CJ Fly become more than just a member of Pro Era. Ab-Soul is featured on the song "Sadderdaze," which has such amazing sound production that I almost took off my headphones because I thought the horns blaring were outside my window.
CJ Fly shows his mastery of the English language when he says, "My pros, they killing it, know that and peep the forensics / Probably I'd investigate us and my f-riends sick." And when the beat changes to some funky guitar and Ab-Soul spits out, "Heaven knows that we're living in hell / But I cherish every day that we live and inhale," you're reminded just why he's so coveted for these guest verses.
And of course, you can't have a Pro Era mixtape without Bada$$ himself. That track, entitled "Sup Preme," comes at the tail end of this mixtape, but it's worth the wait. Once again over a jazz-fueled beat, Joey Bada$$ brings a scary good verse that includes the beautifully poetic verse, "Reminisce 'til I receive / Electricity resonance / I know some evil residents under sediments / Root of all evil, dead presidents."
Rap gets a lot of criticism for being nowhere as good as its golden years, especially in the mainstream. But the reemergence of the East Coast movement makes the criticism seem unnecessary and give hope for the future of rap. CJ Fly proves on Thee Way Eye See It that he is part of that future.
And just like that, I'm a little less hopeful for rap. Granted, I actually had to go through Datpiff for this because the HotNewHipHop mixtapes were all pretty good this week, but that doesn't mean I should be less wary of the future.
Young A.C. is a Florida rapper who, according to his Facebook, draws influences from Andre 3000, Lil Wayne and CeeLo. Based on the bad tag that comes with Barchetta 166, I'll leave it to you cheeseheads to decide which one of those three artists he actually took to heart.
Barchetta 166 is classic dirty Southern rap, and I don't mean that as a compliment.
"Don't Even" is a good example of where Young A.C. comes from. Honestly, he sounds like a lot of mainstream rappers, but, once again, that's not a compliment. The beat is centered on bumping basses that show exactly what he's trying to accomplish on this song: the ability to be a mainstay in a person's ride. And his lyrics are, well, let's just say he's lucky "nigga" rhymes with itself.
Bugatti: The coolest bed you'll ever wake up in.
"No Way" has the biggest feature of the album (Ace Hood) and is a little more interesting than "Don't Even." The bass has partially been replaced by some kicks and claps, and the underlying beat has a bit of a Latin flare played on the keyboard. But A.C.'s struggle with his lyrics is made even more evident when Ace Hood of all people puts together a much better verse. I guess this is why Ace Hood wakes up in a Bugatti and A.C., well, doesn't.
A.C. can be a little fun, though. For whatever reason, I actually kind of like the song "Prove It." Its heavy Auto-Tune usage is a major turn-off, but it's got a bit of a Chingy-like feel to it. It reminds me of when I cared less about lyrics and complete originality (which is clearly not a good thing), but it still hit a soft spot inside me.
A.C. actually isn't bad for his style, but if you're a regular reader of mine, you know I am by no means a fan of this type of hip-hop. If he works on his rhymes, he could be an artist to watch.
This is honestly so exciting. I love Waka in the worst ways. He's right underneath Lil B in my list of favorite bad rappers. When I first heard he was working with Amanda Bynes, I just about reached nirvana. (Too bad she ended up in a mental hospital, because that would've been amazing.)
Even though the Amanda Bynes thing didn't work out as well as just about everyone hoped it would, Waka's new project is just as exciting as one could hope. There's love (if by "love" you mean "bitches"), action (if by "action" you mean "shit talking") and drama (if by "drama" you mean...wait, there's actually drama.)
Hey bitch. I love it when your pussy tight.
First, the love. That comes on "Heavyweight," which has a hook of "All my bitches bad / All my hoes straight." What a romantic! The beat is basically the same as any other Waka beat. You know how it goes. And overdose of bass. Random screaming in the background. Random synths just to add texture. And the lyrics are mostly just Waka rhyming one-syllable words with each other when he wants, and babbling whenever he's not rhyming.
But the love, oh, the love is real. When he raps "Fuck that pussy right / Love it when that pussy tight," I just get goosebumps, butterflies and the sudden urge to get a pint of ice cream and watch The Notebook.
The action comes in "Running Them Lips," which is really just Waka repeating "bitches running their lips" for most of the song. I guess if you're into hearing only four words for most of a song, this would be a pretty exciting find. But that just doesn't interest me much.
Why must good things come to an end?
And the drama, that actually comes from by far the most important track on the mixtape, "Ice Cream Cone," which is a diss track directed towards Gucci Mane. For those who don't know, the Waka-Gucci beef has been one of the biggest feuds in recent years. Gucci and Waka used to be frequent collaborators, but have fallen out since then and their beef is often in the public eye (usually on Twitter).
"Ice Cream Cone" is Waka's first Gucci diss track, despite the latter taking plenty of shots at the former over the years. Waka makes up for lost time, saying, "When I met Gucci, I thought I met a real nigga / Until he crossed the line, then he became a fuck nigga" and "Used to be my nigga, now you're jealous. Where the love at? / No loyalty, you put money over all that," plus so much more.
It's definitely entertaining to see these two subpar rappers take shots at each other, but it's worth noting that this feud is one of the more interesting in recent memory, and for that, we thank you.
I don't really have to sum up Waka's horribleness. So, I won't. Just know that's he's really bad, but he's also really entertaining.
"I'm Cap'n Crunch. I ain't no average skipper / 'Cause I go more serial than Jack the Ripper."
That was part of a rap Xavier Veccia once wrote. Thankfully, he doesn't do that anymore. Instead, he lets the professionals do it while he just sits back and listens.
He covers the mixtapes that some of rap's greatest and not-so-great release every week, looking at how they came to be and how they turned out.
The Best:
Best Supporting Rapper:
Best Missed Mixtape:
Best Female Lead:
Most Re-dic-yu-lus:
