I'm not a big Future fan, but I enjoy Ty Dolla $ign's Auto-Tune ballads. Chief Keef doesn't really do it for me, but I can certainly mess with King Louie and his brand of Chicago gangsta rap. I think Migos is just alright, but I think I love Young Thug.
Let me clarify why I just listed all those inconsistencies within my music taste.
I've listened to Black Portland a lot over the last few days. In fact, I can't stop listening to it. I've probably listened to this mixtape more over the past year than any artist not named Chance the Rapper or Vic Mensa. And it's not necessarily because it's good. It's just...so different.
Young Thug is an Atlanta native who's been receiving a lot of hype as artists like Migos and Future have been rising out of the Hotlanta scene. He was just recently signed to Future's Freebandz label if that gives you any idea how big this kid is.
But he's not like the banger-producing Migos or the Auto-Tune-heavy Future. You might be able to convince me he's somewhere in between the two, but it'd be hard because Young Thug isn't much like any rapper. His stature is a mix of 2 Chainz and Wiz Khalifa, he's got a septum piercing and his facial tattoos would make Lil Wayne look clean-cut. But above all that, he sounds different.
Before I go any further, let me just comment on Bloody Jay really quickly. Bloody Jay is a fine rapper. In fact, he's probably a better rapper than Young Thug, since he follows the rules of conventional rap. But he's not skilled enough that he makes up for not being as eccentric as Thug.
Okay, now back to the reason this album is relevant at all: Young Thug. As I mentioned, he doesn't really follow conventional rap wisdom. And by that I don't mean he uses weird samples or anything like that. He literally just takes the typical hip-hop formula and throws it away. Verses to him are like prolonged choruses--another way to garner the attention of the listener. And when Bloody Jay is spitting a verse, there's Young Thug hooping and hollering in the background.
It's these random ad-libs, Thugger's yells seem to bring Black Portland to a whole new level. I've been finding myself mumbling "Fluda wuta" (from "Florida Water") to myself throughout the day. Or shouting, "I'm foreva bladdy!" from "4Ever Bloody." It sounds insane and it probably is. But here I am, a hip-hop blogger from Ohio, raving over this Atlanta rapper for what he's shouting.
There's clear influences from early Lil Wayne, which is kind of what makes him good. And the production, while not drifting too far from the Southern norm, does a good job of fitting to Thugger. But the real reason Black Portland is not just worth a listen, but actually pretty damn good, is because of Young Thug's eccentric, over-the-top, goofy-ass style.
Trev Rich - Heights 3
Hot damn was this a slow week. There were a couple major releases (if you even want to consider them major), but most of them were in the awkward zone between alright and bad. I actually had to search for Trev Rich's mixtape because nothing else did it for me.
But I'm glad I did find Rich's Heights 3, which, as the title makes obvious, is the third installment of his Heights series. I don't love Heights 3 but it's certainly a good listen.
The best part of Heights 3 is easily the production, headed by Brinky Beats. The wide range of beats on Heights 3 range from simplistic piano-based ballads to futuristic bass bumpers.
A solid example of the brilliant production on this mixtape is "Prayer," which also showcases one of the few features on the album in Leonna Harper. The piano-like synths and the bassy undertones show a Kanye West influence. This influence can especially be seen when Rich paraphrases Yeezy himself, rapping, "I had a dream I could buy my way to heaven / Then I woke up in this hell without a necklace."
There's also the incredibly complex "Go Get It" beat that uses insanely heavy synths and the occasional guitar to create the most hype-worthy beat on the album.
And while Rich is far from the best lyricist, he easily makes up for it in content.
50 ain't nothing but a P-I-M-P
"50 Told Me" might be the best song on the mixtape. Over a simple piano-based beat, Rich goes against the norm and paints pimping as an evil profession. Feminism aside, pimping is usually revered in the hip-hop community (see: Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent). However, Rich looks at it from all sides, as he highlights, "Either
you're pimping or you're getting pimped."
Overall, Rich does just enough to make him stand out from the rest of the hip-hop community without doing so much as to propel him to the next level. This makes Heights 3 an entertaining listen, but doesn't make it as memorable as it could be.
If I had to be honest, I loved "Bugatti." Easily one of my favorite party tracks in 2013. The only thing more surprising than Future's damn catchy hook was the fact that it belonged to Ace Hood.
I kind of forgot about Ace Hood up until that point. I mean, the last time I really listened to an Ace Hood song pre-"Bugatti" was "Top of the World," but that's just because it was in an NBA 2K game. But that game also featured LeBron James in a Cavs jersey, so that should give you an idea of just how long ago that was.
But now, with "Bugatti" in the books, I guess Ace Hood is once again relevant. After Starvation 3, though, I'd be surprised if that lasted much longer.
Khaled's just sad he's not the best anymore
Ace Hood just feels so old now. I mean, he's signed to Cash Money and DJ Khaled's We The Best labels. If that doesn't scream late aughties, I don't know what else could. He's just a holdover from the last generation of hip-hop. And he wasn't even that successful then!
I mean, listen to "Everyday." The Auto-Tune-heavy "banger" sounds like it could have easily been a T-Pain beat.
Hell, "Home Invasion" was even produced by Cool & Dre. The former hotshot producers produced only four--count 'em, four--commercially released songs in 2013. I mean, don't get me wrong, I used to love the duo. But there's a reason for their drop in production.
The song starts off nice, sounding like a Barry White track. And then it all of a sudden shifts into a hood beat that sounds like just about everything else Ace Hood does. No wonder Cool & Dre aren't around anymore.
I mean, there are a couple of decent songs. "Hip-hop" gets a soulful sample to make it interesting and "Buss Guns" gets a good sample from Mavado to give it a heavy reggae feel. But at the end of the day, Ace Hood's just stuck in the past. Which leads to this question for Ace Hood:
Oh. My. God. I forgot how much I loved writing this part of Stack That Cheese over the past month. But thanks to Bobo Norco, I can love again!
Everything about Bobo Norco feels like it's fake. His Auto-Tune-heavy, bubbly techno sound brings back memories of nineties boy bands. His album cover makes him look like a Macy's mannequin trying to appeal to the "urban youth." Even his name, Bobo Norco, sounds like an Italian clown. I honestly love it. I can't stop typing it. Bobo Norco. It's so great!
Now, let's give a listen to the Backstreet Boys reject's mixtape, Keep It XO, a mixtape described as "visually stunning."
If you look closely, you can see Bobo in the back.
The Bay area "rapper" is definitely on the poppy side of hip-hop. But I'd hardly associate Kevin Federline Jr. with the genre.
K-Fed is proud of his illegitimate son
"NLNF" is a good example of this confusion in Bobo's head. See, he seems to think just because he's not singing 100% of the time (it's more like 49%) that he's rap. He sprinkles in some typical rap topics like expensive clothes, guns and women, but it comes off as more hearsay than experience. Hell, the featured rapper (who's not mentioned) raps circles around Bobo and he sucks in his own way. It's not a hard task, though, when Bobo has a rhyme scheme of twelve-twelve-shells-twelve-shells.
"NLNF," by the way, is an acronym for No Lovers, No Friends which will be the name of his debut album out on March 3, which I will happily wait the next month and a half for.
And every song sounds like "NLNF" to a horribly scary degree. I mean, there's "You," which includes Bobo doing a disgusting Pharrell impression. Or "Funk Sweat Dope" where Bobo moves from 'N Sync to Black Eyed Peas, so that's improvement, I guess? But you'd be hard-pressed to find a good track on Keep It XO. That being said, I loved Keep It XO and I cannot wait for his album in March. Bring on the re-dic-yu-lus!
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.
"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.
