Common - WAR

COMMON - WAR (Prod. No I.D.)

First single off the No I.D. produced album Nobody's Smiling.

Download under the stream.

Album Review: Kanye West - YEEZUS

Album Review:

Kanye West

YEEZUS

1. On Sight - Heavy synths in the beginnging of the track make you believe that this isn’t even a hip-hop album.  The synths sound scratchy and unfinished but thats the beauty of it; the first track is supposed to be raw!  Its supposed to set the the tone for the rest of the album, a glimpse of what to expect.  Key themes are electro beats with masoginistic lyrics.

2. Black Skinhead - This entire track sounds like an anthem, a revolution of sorts transpiring from beginning to end.  I feel the message here is totally ant-um...everything.  Ye talks race, establishment, religion, and ultimately revolution.  Looking at the credits... it’s no wonder that Lupe Fiasco is credited on the track.

3. I am a God (Featuring God) - “HURRY UP WITH MY DAMN CROISSANT!” This is Kanye at his best, the egoist spitting heavy braggidacio.  The track starts off with heavy drums and crashing synths.  The track samples Capelton’s “Forward Inna Dem Clothes” and the whole track sounds like something you would listen to riding on a Ducati weaving in and out of traffic at night on 95 (not in VA though, its hot out there).   Another track co-produced by Daft Punk and their electro feel has become a mainstay already on track 3 of the album.  I feel like this track is the cornerstone of the album.  He shows so much emotion talking about, well himself. The lyrics switch between first and second person and Ye gives you a better look at how he views his life and the people in it.

4.  New Slaves (Feat. Frank Ocean) - So many issues brought up in this song.  I’m going to list the major ones: Jim Crow, Ye and fashion, rich and poor stereotypes, civil rights movement, label issues, exploitation of black preformers (think old jazz and soul artists and even NWA), paparazi, and the private prison system in America.  The beat is pretty simplistic compared to the rest of the production on the album but still a noteworthy track nonetheless.

5. Hold My Liquor (Feat. Chief Keef, Justin Vernon) - So this track means and embodies what the title means.  What does liquor do to the body?  Leads to car wrecks, one night stands, anger, and alcoholism.  You may also throw up as well.  But yes this track is kinda lazy.  Not my favorite on the album.  I see how he’s trying big up his ChiRaq homies though, just keep Keef out of trouble.

6.  Im in it (Feat. Travi$ Scott) -  This song is just dirty.  And I love it.  I would love to see a music video for this one... Probably the most traditional hip-hop song on the album, and one most people will lean towards when listening to the album.  The song actually has two different themes when you look at it as well, on one hand you see the debauchery and sex, but on the other hand you see how he’s dealing with the life of a rock star as a future father.  The Jamaican theme seems to be a prevalent on throughout the whole G.O.O.D. Music camp as of late but I love the samples.  

7.  Blood on the Leaves - My personally favorite track on the album that features the sample “Strange Fruit” by Nina Simone.  I love horns, and this track has an abundance.  This is also the auto-tune Kanye as well, while I can do without him fake singing, the bass and horns take the track by the neck and suffocate you throughout.  The track is mainly about a wild night with a woman on the side that cost Ye (or whoever is being referenced) a lot more than he bargained for.

8.  Guilt Trip (Feat. Kid CuDi) - I’m glad to see both of them back on a track together, but this one could’ve used a little work.  Its a one verse track about a girl he lost in auto-tune. Not saying its a skip but...

9. Send It Up (Feat. King L) - When Beenie Man starts your track off, you know its gonna be hype.  Another Daft Punk produced banger that sounds grungy and dirty.  King Louie starts it off and gives some dope bars (Last night my bitches came in two’s/and they both suck like they came to lose).  This is probably the radio hit on the album.  It really has no premise and it just a party song, and should be enjoyed as such.

10.  Bound 2 - This is basically a Ponderosa Twins Plus One remix with Kanye West and Uncle Charlie Wilson.  Nevertheless a great song to end the Opus.  Its a ode to his baby boo Kimmy K and their bundle of Joy.  Also, taking it back to the old Ye, he references Martin.  Jeromey Rome is in the house!

I think it's a damn good album actually that pushes the limits of what hip hop is... But hip hop can be interpreted in so many different ways, this is Kanye's. The subject matter is darker. The production is more acid rock and electro. The features, while limited, fit the scheme of the album. Everyone expects college dropout 'Ye. Niggas want my old shit, buy my old albums. This album is forward thinking, both simplistic and overzealous, and above all to the point. Kanye is making it his mission to change hip hop traditional views and I think he's doing a good ass job.

Beats: 9

Rhymes: 9

Life: 9

Pusha T - Wrath of Caine Review

Intro – The track sets the stage for the entire album.  The Jamaican woman in the beginning is basically saying ‘no one in the rap game can mess with Pusha T.’ Some shots at Wayne are thrown in the beginning as well, (Ima lean till they crown me king of New Orleans) but the energy is the most important aspect.  The tone is set, lets go.

Millions (Feat. Rick Ross) – I like this track because basically both of these guys are really good at being arrogant on the mic.    Yeah I know they did the I’m Good Remix.  Yeah I know they collab’d on I Still Wanna (btw Ab-Liva out rapped both them dudes on that track).  But this seems right up their alley.  The loud horns, booming bass and catchy hook only add value to this already demanding track by giving it the ability to bump in the trunk and be appreciated by all.

Doesn’t Matter (Feat. French Montana) – I’m sorry but the autotune falsetto craze that Future started needs to go away…yesterday.  Anyway back to the track.  He starts off the track with brash comparisons to some of history’s most dominant beings just to put you in your place; ‘Peasants aint sitting with the Kings, Goliath and worried bout your sling, and Cassius aint bothered by your swings.’  The entire track is basically a display of confidence and hierarchy.  Listen to the amount of grammar used, alliteration, assonance, slant rhyme, similes and metaphors.  For all those saying that all this dude talks about is drugs, actually listen to the words and see how skilled of a lyricist he really is.

Blocka – Back to the Jamaican theme with this one, with Young Chop on the beat (Chief Keef’s go to producer). The beat is simple but effective, allowing Pusha to show his rhyming prowess without being overshadowed.  You can tell in his voice that Push is hungry on this track, keeping it short and sticking to his coke rap roots: ‘no soundscan for a brick layer, square nigga you a brick hater.’

Road Runner (Feat Troy Ave) –Harry Fraud comes through with some smooth NYC lax music.  To be honest, it would have made more sense to have French Montana on this track. Push comes through with a lazy coke flow with imagery that would make BIG smile down.

Revolution – Everytime the Clipse and The Neptunes get together, classics are made.  The signature horns and synths allow for Young Thornton to come an map out his career with a syllable heavy flow.  Gives me hope that there will be more collaboration in the future.

Only You Can Tell It (Feat Wale) – This track has some 2004 Dipset roots with the chipmunk voice and heavy drums.  To be honest, I wouldn’t have even thought this collaboration possible before Wale joined MMG, it just wasn’t his lane.  But It seems every day he seems to adapt more and more into this new persona and it shows his versatility.  It’s a good look to have two major artist from the DMV connect on a track together.  The track follows in suit to the two previous tracks, giving us more mellow sounding tracks and some deeper flows.

Trust You (Feat. Kevin Gates) – As stated before, this autotune falsetto stuff is wack… But this guy actually has some decent bars.  This is the track for the ladies.  Nuff said.

Take My Life (Feat Andrea Martin) – We had back to Kingston with this one and bring the guitar and the keys (pun intended) with us.  This track reminds me of Nightmares from When the Casket Drops with an eerie feeling of death around the corner.  Push seems more cautious than paranoid on this track though.

Liva – RE-UP GANG MOTIVATION – R.E.U.P.G.A.N.G. LIVA DON comes through and blesses the tape with a much appreciate feature.  To be honest his flow has always been the one that impressed me out of the 4.  The way he can effortlessly ride a beat and carry the same rhyme over 8-12 bars is nothing short of impressive and the visuals that his paints and the metaphors that he uses makes him one of the most slept on rappers in the game. Go get his I-Can tapes.  If they would’ve gone back and forth on this joint… that would’ve taken me back to 2006.

I am Forgiven – The final track brings a sense of self-realization;  a sense of actual closure.  ‘I ask forgiveness Lord, in hopes of getting more, then beg forgiveness for the same thing he forgave me for’; if that line doesn’t describe life itself.  We know we do wrong but sometimes we can’t help ourselves to be trapped in the same sin again.  He gives us a glimpse of how he perceives his own reality and states that you can’t go through all that he has, and not be forgiven.  I couldn’t think of a better way to end The Wrath of Caine.