Tag: hip hop writing

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J. Cole Embraces the New Era of Hip Hop and Goes Back to Rapping for Sport On The Off-Season

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Despite the open-minded new direction Cole takes, make no mistake: he shows zero mercy on The Off-Season. He hasn’t sounded this hungry since his mixtape days, when the young simba was rapping for sport, lyrically terrorizing other rappers and threatening anybody in his path, punchline by punchline. On his new album, he returns to his rap-first think-later instincts that defined his early mixtapes. Continue reading J. Cole Embraces the New Era of Hip Hop and Goes Back to Rapping for Sport On The Off-Season

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In the Era of Unlimited Access to Music, Yasiin Bey’s Negus Exhibit is the Antithesis to Streaming Consumption

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Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, is re-imagining what it means for fans to experience music. His new album Negus is exclusively available during ticketed listening sessions taking place at the Brooklyn Museum. The listening sessions will run through January 2020, and the album component will not be released on streaming services or hard copy – not any time soon at least. Continue reading In the Era of Unlimited Access to Music, Yasiin Bey’s Negus Exhibit is the Antithesis to Streaming Consumption

Album Reviews, Hip Hop, Writing

REVIEW: Danny Brown – uknowhatimsayin¿

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At no point during Danny Brown’s critically acclaimed Atrocity Exhibition could he reasonably ask: uknowwhatimsayin? That’s because, frankly, very few people (if any) could relate to the disturbing drug-filled and deranged sex-obsessed trip he shared via his last album. What might be reality for Danny Brown is merely vicarious fantasy for the vast majority of his listeners. Atrocity Exhibition was a cringeworthy wild ride that was simultaneously jarring and thrilling; it was like the musical equivalent of a haunted house. And that’s why people loved it.  Continue reading REVIEW: Danny Brown – uknowhatimsayin¿

Writing

ALBUM REVIEW: Chance the Rapper’s The Big Day is full of ecstasy, but lacks in consistency

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Chance’s three mixtapes leading up to his debut album were impressive and impressionistic. Acid Rap introduced a trippy free spirited talent and Coloring Book found him refining his sound, and bringing gospel hip hop to the mainstream. With The Big Day, Chance further expands and experiments to make the ultimate musical toast to his newly wedded wife. While The Big Day’s toast finds beauty and bliss in alternative hip hop territories, it gets unpleasantly interrupted too frequently by bland and random moments. Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Chance the Rapper’s The Big Day is full of ecstasy, but lacks in consistency

Hip Hop, Writing

The Artist’s Revolution: The Significance Behind Chance’s ‘The Big Day’ Release

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Chance the Rapper’s hugely anticipated debut ‘owbum’, The Big Day, is coming out this Friday. His earlier projects 10 Day, Acid Rap, and Coloring Book were all mixtapes that were available for free online on sites like Soundcloud and DatPiff, technically making them different from official … Continue reading The Artist’s Revolution: The Significance Behind Chance’s ‘The Big Day’ Release

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REVIEW: In a year dominated by hip hop, Noname’s Telefone emerges as one of the best

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REVIEW Telefone is a profoundly optimistic album filled with organic rhythms and cohesive storytelling. Noname, formerly known as Noname Gypsy, delivers her music through a monotonous but silky smooth voice that is unequivocally confident. On Telefone, She describes her universe with … Continue reading REVIEW: In a year dominated by hip hop, Noname’s Telefone emerges as one of the best

R&B / Soul

REVIEW: Frank Ocean’s Blonde is a Subdued Search for Reconciliation with his Past

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REVIEW After a 4-year hiatus since his debut album, Channel Orange, hip hop crooner Frank Ocean has released his sophomore effort entitled Blonde. The album can be streamed on Apple music right now; meanwhile everyone else will have to buy it on iTunes … Continue reading REVIEW: Frank Ocean’s Blonde is a Subdued Search for Reconciliation with his Past