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Childish Gambino “Bando Stone And The New World” Album Review

July 24, 2024 by newhiphopnews

In November 2011, co-star of NBC’s Community Donald Glover sat down to interview his alter ego, fledgling rapper Childish Gambino in a segment for Rolling Stone. Gambino was just over a week away from releasing his debut album, Camp. The interview goes well until Glover asks Gambino “why he raps like sh*t.” Gambino responds by saying that his voice is annoying, but also that he’s read comparisons of himself to Lil Wayne and Kanye West. On its face, it sounds like Gambino is poking fun at himself. To an extent, he is. But, those comparisons also lend themselves to a greater idea: Donald Glover thinks very highly of himself. More accurately, Donald Glover thinks very highly of his artistry.

It’s easy to look back on something from 2011 and say it didn’t age well through a 2024 lens. Much of Camp aged poorly as soon as it hit iTunes. The charm of his earlier work, namely 2010’s Culdesac, was gone, and in its place was “corny.” The punchlines were clunky. The bars about women became bars about Asian women that were misguided at best and racist at worst. The album went over even worse than a wet fart, a failure on all fronts. Even when Gambino released Because The Internet in 2013, a surprisingly introspective follow-up to his disastrous debut, he couldn’t shake two ways that people viewed him. One, that he was the guy from Community trying to start a serious music career. And, even more damning, that he was the guy who made that album.

Donald Glover Fully Rebrands Himself

Donald Glover spent the rest of the 2010s trying to convince people that he was a capital-A Artist. It worked. He released “Awaken, My Love!” in 2016, shaking the stigma that came with being Childish Gambino. Glover also reworked his public persona. Gone were the eye-roll-inducing punchlines. In was a man who believed his own hype. He shrouded himself in mystery and released an honest-to-God commercial funk album in the 2010s. In 2018, he released “This Is America,” the controversial multi-platinum single. It became his first song to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Somehow, after years of ridicule, Glover had the last laugh.

“Awaken, My Love!” was a sharp turn from hip-hop that led to 3.15.20 nearly four years later. 3.15.20 was an ambitious surprise release. Gambino experimented greatly and pushed hip-hop to its limit. And now, on Bando Stone And The New World, Donald Glover’s last album as Childish Gambino and the soundtrack to his upcoming film of the same name, he nearly fully realizes his musical vision. It’s a sprawling work that often threatens to buckle under the weight of Gambino’s ego. The back half nearly does. The early quality gives way to tepid pop-punk and tepid pop-pop when he begins to make his exit. Despite that, the highs are undeniable. Pop, R&B, and trap sensibilities produced primarily by Glover himself, make up much of Bando Stone. It is an eclectic soundscape that results in some of the most dynamic music of his career.

Childish Gambino Is A Dynamic Artist On Bando Stone

The dynamism is apparent early. “Lithonia,” the second track on the album, is a pop-rock ballad that tells the story of Cody LaRae, Bando Stone’s main character, learning that the world “doesn’t give a f*ck” about him. The next two tracks, “Survive” and “Steps Beach,” lean more towards R&B. “Steps Beach” in particular sounds a lot like the type of atmospheric tracks that Frank Ocean specializes in. “In The Night,” with Jorja Smith and Amaarae, is a catchy, lustful track with Smith delivering an especially great vocal performance. She sounds like someone Gambino should have collaborated with a lot earlier.

The album’s mission statement arrives about halfway through, on the song “Yoshinoya.” Gambino raps in the triplet flow in the first half over a beat reminiscent of Migos’ “Deadz.” Appropriately, he pays tribute to the city that raised him, Atlanta, by rapping in the most popular to come from that scene. One that has often been falsely attributed to a certain Canadian child actor-turned-pop music dynasty. The same dynasty whom he may have sneak dissed later in the track. “This is a code red for old heads / who never liked my short shorts and Pro-KEDs,” he raps to open the second verse. After hip-hop rejected him early, he’s coming back around to show off a bit, mainly because he has a lot more to show off now. The Amaarae and Flo Milli-assisted “Talk My Sh*t” is a similarly flex-heavy song. Gambino raps over a bass-heavy trap beat, showing that he’s added new wrinkles to his game over the years.

Bando Stone Nearly Slips At The Finish Line

The album begins to lose steam by the end, but Gambino does stick the landing. “We Are God” is a level of self-indulgence on par with some of the worst that Yeezus has to offer. The pop-punk of “Running Around” (featuring Fousheé) evokes the same empty feeling one gets from listening to MGK’s attempts at the sound. The Khruangbin-featuring “Happy Survival” is an instrumental that, while pleasant, feels out of place after the preceding fifteen tracks. Luckily, “Dadvocate” is a sweet, albeit brief, meditation on fatherhood and the idea of being a man. The album closes with “A Place Where Love Goes,” a track co-produced by pop titan Max Martin, that deftly blends hip-hop and electronic music. It may even find its way into some DJ mixes in the near future.

Bando Stone And The New World is a good album. It’s hard to call it great, let alone one of the best albums of the year, considering its uneven ending. But, the scope of its ambition makes it a worthwhile listen and a very worthy farewell to the Childish Gambino moniker. Donald Glover’s musical growth has been painstakingly documented at every turn. Now, he’s actually good enough to earn the praise he believes he should’ve received all those years ago. Regardless of what’s next for Glover musically, he has earned enough cache for people to want to listen to what he has to say. Until then, listen to this one.

[Via]

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Eminem “The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)” Album Review

July 16, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Like “Head Honcho” with Shady Records signee Ez Mil posits, “canceled” isn’t the word to describe Eminem. That concept drives The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) and is as painfully ancient and obvious as it is subversive. While Marshall Mathers has arguably tried to “kill” Slim Shady since 1999, this new project is unique in how explicitly he connects his biggest demons while showcasing his best long-form quality control in over a decade.

However, that quality control is still bizarre since Eminem throws stuff at the wall and doesn’t focus much thematically on most individual tracks, an odd trait for a “concept album.” It’s a missed opportunity for breakdowns of the rapper’s personas and beliefs. Still, the things that make this album great and irate are in Em’s whole discography to varying degrees… all that changes is the specific names, like Diddy and Megan Thee Stallion mentions on The Death Of Slim Shady. Slim Shady’s “death” here is more of an exorcism of his immortality and is generally an entrancing spell.

What Works On The Death Of Slim Shady?

As for Eminem, his own “immortality” in hip-hop has his technically gifted pen to thank, not his other half. Some Dr. Dre production all over The Death Of Slim Shady (plus Dem Jointz, Em himself, and more) certainly helps, too. But his colorful and zany artistry always stretches thin with vivid, albeit cartoonish approaches. Comically crude, wildly impressive, and deep moments emerge, such as the Amber Heard bar on “Lucifer,” the rhyme schemes on “Antichrist,” and recollections of Em’s daughter Hailie playing guitar on “Somebody Save Me.” Then, it’s stale shock value, eye-roll wordplay, and melodrama: animal cruelty on “Evil” that went nowhere, that terrible sock puppet bar on “Bad One,” and forcedly aggressive cadences on the otherwise soft “Temporary.”

Instrumentally, things are much more consistently enjoyable than past efforts like Revival or Kamikaze. The peppy and gritty beat on “Renaissance” and the percussive speed-up on “Habits” are particular highlights. There’s an orchestral sense of drama throughout these beats with fitting drum tones, and progressive embellishments make the instrumentals more dynamic. Alas, lyrically and musically, The Death Of Slim Shady‘s repetition is its kryptonite. Tracks like “Houdini,” “Brand New Dance,” and the family tribute tracks from the perspective of a dying or deceased Marshall are not-so-subtle retreads of “Without Me,” “Just Lose It,” and “When I’m Gone,” respectively.

Eminem’s Artistic Addictions

There are also way too many Caitlyn Jenner, little people, and Gen Z jokes peppered all throughout the album’s first leg. Eminem — or Slim Shady, rather — tries so hard to offend that it comes off just as performative as how he characterizes the “cancelation” he rallies against. Regardless of how much anyone tries to reiterate that “that’s the point,” this causes even more whiplash between his typical toilet humor and linguistic creativity. Still, The Death Of Slim Shady‘s saving grace, “Guilty Conscience 2,” contextualizes these aspects compellingly and paints Slim Shady as an addict to controversy due to his upbringing. With his “death” at the end of the song, subsequent tracks suggest what Marshall actually has smoke for, whether Candace Owens’ hypocrisy or the state of hip-hop through tracks like “Tobey.”

That’s not to say that Slim Shady is the problem with The Death Of Slim Shady: “Fuel” is still the best song on this album thanks to two killer verses from Eminem and JID. But these songs present really strange vocal mixing choices ( i.e. “Road Rage”) that don’t clarify when one personality is talking and when the other retorts. To be fair, it’s arguably Em’s most ambitious full-length since The Eminem Show, but only one or two moments here really tackle killing Slim rather than parading him around just to suppress him later. Sadly, it doesn’t fully translate as growth or evolution.

Will Slim Shady Ever Truly Die?

Above all, The Death Of Slim Shady champions all of our assumptions about Eminem and his alter-ego as explicitly as possible. Very few new topics enter, but a heightened musical consistency makes these repetitions well-flowing and easier to appreciate. His addictions to substances and controversy have never been more intertwined, and neither have these struggles so directly explained his shortcomings as a family man. Yet Mr. Mathers is always passionately committed to his loved ones. In many ways, this “coup de grâce” (in other words, a merciful kill shot) feels like the album that he has tried to make for the past fifteen or so years.

Even with this album’s concept of beating a dead horse back to life, we doubt Eminem and Slim Shady are separate. While blasting “cancelations” of either Colin Kaepernick or Dave Chappelle, Em/Slim’s biggest issue seems to be how people always need to apologize and criticize rather than tolerate opposing views. That’s been a mission statement of his throughout his whole career, and it’s ironic that he seemingly can’t tolerate that it’s a nauseating one. Then again, isn’t this the most “Eminem” album perhaps ever, with all his best and worst feats and flaws delivered with a middle finger and a wink? Maybe Slim’s addictive controversies are what died in a blaze of glory. But that combative fire will always fuel Marshall Mathers.

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Megan Thee Stallion “Megan” Review

July 2, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Megan Thee Stallion is a prime example of an artist propelled quickly into mainstream consciousness. For years, she gained a reputation for her formidable lyricism through freestyles that helped her develop a cult-like following in a post-Cardi B era of rap music. 2018’s Tina Snow and 2019’s Fever confirmed what all her day-one fans knew from the jump: she’s a star. However, her approach to mainstream success felt contrived, especially after the release of “Hot Girl Summer.” The charm of Houston’s Southern belle seemed watered down to appeal to a broader audience.

The whirlwind journey she experienced in the past few years has raised questions about the sustainability of her career. Despite becoming a critical darling, Good News and Traumazine, were easily overlooked. In many ways, they showcased Megan’s strengths, but external factors, including her legal battle with 1501 Certified Entertainment and the Tory Lanez trial, eclipsed her accomplishments to the point where her music became secondary. Her presence felt more prominent in corporate sponsorships than as an MC, as seen in her collaborations with Nike and Planet Fitness.

Megan Thee Stallion Returns With Vengeance

This brings us to Megan, her third studio album and, more importantly, her first as an independent artist. For the first time, it doesn’t feel like there’s any added weight on Megan outside of finding her own comfort as an artist. In fact, this feels like Megan’s most realized vision on wax. She’s unapologetic, confrontational, sexy, and dominant all at once, even during a few missteps on the project.

“HISS” encapsulates her attitude in its brief intro. The diss song itself undoubtedly set the tone for the resurgence of rap beef in 2024. “I just want to kick this shit off by saying, Fuck y’all! I ain’t gotta clear my name on a motherfuckin’ thang,” she declares. “I’m finna get this shit off my chest and lay it to rest.” While everyone from Drake and Nicki Minaj to Tory Lanez and Akademiks catch strays (as well as her ex Pardison Fontaine), she persists on subsequent records like “Rattle” and “Figueroa” (“I’m a mothaf*ckin’ Brat, not a Barbie”). It’s on these three songs that Megan sounds the most invigorated as an MC – her refined flows and electrifying deliveries immediately command attention, but that momentum quickly dies down in subsequent efforts.

“Where Them Girls At,” equipped with trunk-rattling bass and a Memphis-esque vocal sample on the hook, is anthemic and likely to dominate the summer (perhaps with a TikTok push, it could crack the top 10 on the Hot 100). However, it sounds like something Megan’s done more effectively in the past. The tracklist suffers a bit of a decline from this point onward.

The Versatility Of Megan

Songs like “Broke His Heart,” produced by Tay Keith, take on a sample of Jeezy’s “I Luv It” but fail to do the original justice, largely because it popifies a trap classic. Though it’s one of the several efforts that affirm the message of women’s empowerment, especially in the context of her highly publicized break-up, it fails to penetrate similarly to the tracks leading up to that song. Unfortunately, the use of classic samples across this album doesn’t seem to have any point outside of familiarity. “BOA” suffers the same fate with its sample of Gwen Stefani’s “What You Waiting For?” This issue isn’t limited to Megan Thee Stallion or her album; it’s prevalent in the music industry. At a time when it’s easy to distinguish a hit record from a TikTok record, these sorts of samples seem aimed at feeding into algorithms more than the people’s wants.

The consistency Megan initially kicks off starts to fall flat in exchange for a flagrant showing of versatility. Songs like “Otaku Hot Girl” and “Mamushi” ft. Yuki Chiba are compelling leaps into her anime fandom and attempts to help her crossover to international markets. It’s effective for what it’s worth, but without maintaining cohesion across all 18 tracks, it deviates from the essence of what she started with this project. Yuki Chiba and Megan share fantastic chemistry on “Mamushi,” which even sees the Houston star rapping in Japanese. However, it feels oddly placed in the tracklist.

Waving The Flag For The South: GloRilla, UGK, Big K.R.I.T & More

The middle chunk of the album feels like filler, especially once the back half of the project hits. Megan’s strongest points accentuate her identity as the leading lady of the South. The production, especially Juicy J’s contributions (“Paper Together” ft. UGK, alongside Go Grizzly & “Moody Girl” alongside Hitkidd), is smooth, soulful, and slightly smoky, providing equal measures of grit and seduction. These peaks on the project feel like full-circle moments for Megan, especially the UGK feature and a posthumous verse from Pimp C – Meg’s favorite rapper and the inspiration behind the Tina Snow persona. However, it’s the inclusion of UGK, GloRilla (“Accent”), Big K.R.I.T., and Buddha Bless (“Miami Blue”) that breed a comfort zone for Meg without complacency. It’s a clear display of her musical lineage, embracing peers like GloRilla while properly honoring the legends that preceded her.

Throughout the hardships Megan has faced over the years, her resilience has remained one of her most inspiring qualities. On Megan, it takes center stage in its brightest form. Despite the string of hate she faced as a shooting victim, her struggles to get out of her contract, and witnessing the tables turn against her among those who once embraced her, Megan Thee Stallion rises above the adversity and delivers an album that encompasses self-love in the face of overt — and often misguided — criticism. Sure, the tracklist could have been more succinct, and a few filler tracks could have been easily removed. But overall, Megan delivers a body of work that truly showcases her capabilities as an artist and shows some interesting signs of where she might head next.

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Don Toliver “HARDSTONE PSYCHO” Album Review

June 18, 2024 by newhiphopnews

An artist who gets to play a show the day that their album comes out might feel like a superstar athlete entering their first game of the season. There’s been a lot of build-up beforehand, there’s a lot of pressure to deliver, and you get to give fans a taste of what’s to come in the following weeks and months. When Don Toliver joined the rest of Cactus Jack for their Summer Smash set this past weekend, it became immediately clear that his new album, HARDSTONE PSYCHO, is a picture-perfect crowd-pleaser in the live setting. Bolstered by fiery singles like “BANDIT” and more vibe-inclined teasers, the project made impact as his most comprehensive, versatile, and well-rounded artistic picture up to this point. The live guitar for the Chicago festival represents just one of the various elements that make this record a pretty gratifying experience.

Whether you’re a longtime Don Toliver fan or a skeptical newcomer, HARDSTONE PSYCHO is well aware of the expectation to engage, captivate, and entrance on a sonic level. The production is almost always layered and balanced, the Houston native’s performances are as sticky as ever, and it’s all brought together by an aesthetic consistency that’s never appeared on a Don album to this level. It feels like a true sequel to the regal grittiness 2021’s LIFE OF A DON following the more sweet, soothing, and sluggish Love Sick in 2023. However, some empty spaces in the songwriting, plus slightly hollow lyrical and melodic retreads, threaten to take away from H.P.‘s cohesion. Luckily, no bump in the road fully stops this roaring Harley from throttling forward.

HARDSTONE PSYCHO Roars Behind The Board

From the very first track “KRYPTONITE,” motors rev and a whistling synth lingers wistfully before the trap beat comes in with airy but distorted electric guitar chords. This, plus a longing plea for love and weakness in the face of chaotic and high-speed vices, set the stage for what Don Toliver does most successfully and consistently on HARDSTONE PSYCHO. The production is consistently layered, and main producers like 206Derek plus big names like BNYX make sure to give these instrumentals a lot of detail and make them atmospheric yet vivid enough to feel like a motorcycle ride. “TORE UP” is a hard-rocking adrenaline rush of boisterous riffs and chants, the lush strings breathe unexpected life into the drill chiller “GLOCK,” and “HARDSTONE NATIONAL ANTHEM,” with its stadium-inspired drums and rising synthesizers make for a dramatic closing response to the album’s opener. Overall, it’s always some potent ear candy.

Nevertheless, the comparison game between some of Don Toliver’s similar ideas does drag down the tracklist flow on repeat listens. Despite the creative drill flip of Pharrell’s hook on Snoop Dogg’s “Beautiful” and earworms on “ATTITUDE,” short appearances from Cash Cobain and Charlie Wilson aren’t enough to flesh out the minimal soundscape into something more wholly present rather than a mood-setter. Meanwhile, “LAST LAUGH” loses its soul-sampling luster by the midway point.

As far as the presentation from a beat-making standpoint, there are very few lowlights here that will disengage you from the push-and-pull of the 30-year-old’s contrasting talents, regardless of a few missteps. Still, there are more compromised and melancholy moments here than scorching ones, and the tracklist could’ve benefitted from a more energetic cut toward the end.

Don Toliver Shines Bright

What keeps the energy up all the way through is Don Toliver himself, whose mastery of his idiosyncratic vocal tone, infectious flow switches, and catchy hooks pushes his ceiling further up. “4X4” is a standout performance here thanks to his dynamic delivery and being the last true-blue banger moment on HARDSTONE PSYCHO. He and Kodak Black flow like volatile but relentless gas leaks on “BROTHER STONE,” and his control of both clubby choruses and chopped-and-screwed-adjacent Southern rap on “NEW DROP” offers inescapable refrains. There’s also some great vocal chemistry with Future on the Metro-produced and psych-driven “PURPLE RAIN,” and even “DEEP IN THE WATER” has some addictive tones despite it being the most measured and tranquil performance on the album. Toliver’s most important growth here, as far as what this represents in his career, is his vocal experimentation and evolution of different “voices.”

Yet the lyrical content can be summed up with just two lines: “Lifestyle full of sin, but you heaven-sent,” and “Turn those tears into wine.” Don Toliver keeps the emphasis on the dreaminess and enjoyability of the listening experience, but there’s not much expansive food for thought when it comes to light themes of lust, hedonism, trust, and adventure. There’s a similar repetitiveness to some of the melodies here, such as a “Cardigan”-resembling “5 TO 10” hook, that empty spaces in verses, bridges, and songwriting certainly don’t help. Some more unexpected sounds and invitees could’ve mitigated this, such as an expansion of the charismatic and personality-filled Teezo Touchdown feature on “BACKSTREETS” and leaving Travis Scott’s “INSIDE” croons alone in place of doubling down with a more meager “ICE AGE” guest slot.

What’s Left On The Highway

Despite moments when HARDSTONE PSYCHO spins its wheels in the mud, it definitely triumphs in taking you on this sonic ride alongside Don Toliver and boasts plenty of highlights for the rest of your 2024 journey. While he built this new era with few new elements, his rock focus and vocal innovations pave a path forward for his artistry and hint at what’s to come. For the kind of album that the “Flocky Flocky” creative tends to make, this is likely his most skillful LP to date and the best display of his toolbox, even with its shortcomings. Fans found that the tendency to box artists into a specific niche became an easy challenge when it came to Don. Fortunately, this album left wiggle room to sustain himself and capitalize on the changes in his life and career.

Furthermore, the new father perhaps chose to split HARDSTONE PSYCHO into four evenly distributed discs for that very reason. It doesn’t work out to its fullest potential, since the album falls ever-so-slightly short of providing a seamless flow to distract from these sections’ overlap. But the strategy does lend itself to an explicit and, for the most part, fully realized vision to mark a distinct change from his earlier sounds and leanings. After all, one of the cuts on here features a vocal outro reportedly from Don Toliver’s late uncle Carl, who supported him heavily and inspired the motorcycle homages on this project. Don’s influences fall more clearly into place here, developing a unique identity despite years of opportunities for complacency. While there’s still a long road ahead in this regard, he’s keeping his foot on the gas to get there.

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Hunxho “Before The Album” Review

June 12, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Hunxho first rose to prominence in 2021 by releasing tracks such as “Let’s Get It.” Since then, the young up-and-comer has been steadily dropping albums, mixtapes, and singles to further his buzz. His latest effort, Before the Album, serves as a brief EP to tide over his fans until his next full-length project. This brief release touts nine tracks that play out over the course of 23 minutes, offering some deep insight into the state of Hunxo’s current musical trajectory. Let’s examine the tracklist and material and see what the Atlanta native has in store.

The Project Has Some Serious Vocal Mixing Issues

Despite Hunxho’s talented lyric-writing abilities, Before the Album is a tough listen. The beats range from solid to exceptional, the lyrics are intriguing and autobiographical, and the pacing is varied, but every single track on this project is mixed with a billion layers of poorly-mixed autotune, buried under a mountain of reverb. As a result, Before the Album sounds like it’s being played from an iPhone speaker on the other side of an empty gymnasium, even when listening with high-quality speakers.

This vocal mixing is evident across every track and is most jarring on the intro record “Ups & Downs.” If you can get past the thick layer of unlistenable autotune, the song delivers on its title by examining some of the major highs and lows that Hunxho has experienced in recent years. This includes crashing out in his romantic relationships, losing friends to street violence, and struggling to feed his kids while his rap career hits monumental highs.

Hunxho Gets Introspective

Once you get past the massive barrier of entry, which is atrocious vocal engineering, Hunxho gets pretty deep into Before the Album. Tracks such as “Do This For Me” offer a man-in-the-mirror moment, with the Atlanta rapper examining his own actions and the trauma he has experienced while meditating on forgiveness and the prospect of healing. Likewise, “Can’t Fall Off” sees Hunxo pondering on his contemporaries who lack his hustling mindset while arguing that falling off musically would be akin to taking food off his children’s plates. The spacey, soul-chopped instrumental on “Can’t Fall Off” is the best on the project.

“Y’all Get It” should be an emotional high point for the EP, as Hunxho croons about losing his loved ones, missing his children, and experiencing feelings of loneliness. Unfortunately, the track opens with some Kid Cudi-inspired humming that sounds positively comical under the layers of grating autotune. It feels disrespectful to catch your breath from laughter while Hunxho waxes poetic about his friends dying in the streets, but that’s the cost of admission on a song mixed this poorly.

Some Songs Manage To Rise Above The Mix

Foul mixing positively ruins a few records on Before the Album, while others just barely manage to overcome this significant obstacle. “Closer To Over” is handily the best-mixed track on the entire project, which makes sense as it’s far and away the most popular song present. The Genius lyric page counts over 20K pageviews for this track alone, proving that Hunxho’s fans are tuning in far and wide. The song is an anthem about betrayal and taking the high road, and it shows Hunxho refusing to backstab people even after they show their true colors. A few well-placed glockenspiel bells and bumping bass notes make this track an easy winner. The song almost sounds like it could score a scene from a mob movie.

“How It Feel” is another highlight, which contains an ultra-hard gospel sample that bolsters the themes of counting your blessings and following your grind. Still, the structure of this track is incredibly bizarre, as it touts a single incredibly short verse sandwiched between an extra-long hook. It’s a bite-sized joint, but it’s effective in delivering its message. The final track, aptly titled “Last Song,” touts some emotional piano melodies, which give way to bars about Hunxho’s growth and accomplishments. The song is a brief one-verse with no chorus, a track that leaves fans wanting more, and it has us primed for the upcoming album.

Not to harp too much on this point, but Hunxho desperately needs to fire his engineer on his next project. Beyond that, the fans will surely look forward to the record that follows Before the Album.

[Via]

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Tha Dogg Pound “W.A.W.G. (We All We Got)” Review

June 12, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Tha Dogg Pound is best known as the rap supergroup who made landmark appearances on such West Coast classics as Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle back in the 1990s. Kurupt and Daz Dillinger, who comprise the group, signed with Death Row Records in the early stages of their career before branching out into more independent solo work. Though Tha Dogg Pound has remained somewhat active in recent years, the duo are best known for their 1995 debut Dogg Food. Now, the pair have linked with West Coast legend Snoop Dogg, for a full-length collab album titled W.A.G.W. (We All We Got). Snoop is an early pioneer of Tha Dogg Pound’s sound and a cousin to Daz Dillinger. Now that the gang is all back together, let’s dive into the tracklist of this exciting new album and see what exactly the trio has cooked up.

The Album Contains The Rawest West Coast Sound In Years

W.A.G.W. (We All We Got) opens strong, with tracks such as “Smoke Up,” “We All We Got,” and “Imma Dog.” The Dogg Pound released “Smoke Up” ahead of time as a teaser to the album, and it still holds up after numerous listens. The track delivers on the old-school West Coast style, instantly transporting listeners back to the mid 1990s. The song is quite brief, serving as an easily-digestible opener. It also proves that Tha Dogg Pound have not missed a step in over 30 years behind the mic.

Likewise, “Imma Dog” serves as a major stand-out on the album, with a bouncing bass sample and thick, snappy synths. DJ Battlecat went absolutely haywire producing this cut, with some kooky sound effects that make you feel like you’re being abducted by an alien spacecraft that landed in Long Beach. There’s even a moment where the instrumental interpolates some hood-style circus music, which shouldn’t go hard on paper, but absolutely slaps.

There Are A Few Duds In The Mix

Despite the many prevalent highlights in the album, Tha Dogg Pound has given us a few ill-advised misses as well. One such track includes the vulgar sex jam “Inside Of Her,” which offers tactless lyrics describing the female anatomy in painstaking detail. Many old-school rappers created joints like this, but they need to leave them in the past unless these OGs can find a way to speak with more nuance. “LA Kind Of Love” is another hard skip, with a nearly unlistenable instrumental that sounds like a Katy Perry B-side from 2010. While we can certainly appreciate the Doggs for trying to diversify their sound, this is not a step in the right direction.

The Album Shows Great Artistic And Personal Growth

Despite a few minor missteps, Tha Dogg Pound mostly delivers a powerful, mature meditation on their decades-long careers on W.A.G.W. Tracks like “Grown Up” offer something of an OG anthem, with lyrics such as “I’m looking at things a little different/ I got grandchildren, self-resilient/ This is how I’m living.” These bars help to demonstrate that these OGs have moved away from the street and started diversifying their financial portfolio with safer long-term investments, to give back to their families.

The penultimate track on the record, “Always On My Mind,” opens with some positively murderous piano stabs, as Tha Dogg Pound shoutout their lost loved ones, including Nate Dogg, BadAzz, Nipsey Hussle, and others. The track also interpolates vocal rhythms from Tupac Shakur and the Outlawz’ classic track “Homeboyz.” This song brings a lot of heart and touts the best Daz Dillinger verse on the project. On “Always On My Mind,” Daz raps “They say, put it on the dead homies, it’s just an everyday hood slang/ Sleep is the cousin of death, we in our last days/ I lost my mother, lost my daddy, lost my brother/ It’s Heaven or Earth, do you know just where you’re going?“

W.A.W.G. Concludes On A High Note

With only 14 tracks spanning 47 minutes of run time, W.A.G.W. (We All We Got) manages to be incredibly concise and surprisingly versatile. The album closes out with a DJ Premier-produced posse cut titled “Who Da Hardest?” This track features vocals from DGPC affiliates RBX and The Lady of Rage. Rage opens the track with some incredibly hard lyricism, further cementing how powerful her career could and should have been when she first came out in the late 90s. This track also has Kurupt’s best verse on the album, which opens with the bars “Tyrannosaurus Rex, complex the octagon/ Eight sides to this genetic aquatic Pteranodon/ The template has been set, this when the sharks hit/ Composin’ words of wizardry cold as the artic.“

Tha Dogg Pound has proven with this record that they’re more than just a legacy act surviving on old classics. This album might not top anyone’s album of the year list, but it will certainly get heavy rotation. Especially from fans of that long-lost authentic West Coast sound.

[Via]

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KAYTRANADA “TIMELESS” Album Review

June 11, 2024 by newhiphopnews

It’s impossible to divorce music from the social, cultural, and physical spaces that it was born out of and exists in, and when it comes to musicians perfectly evoking a particular location, KAYTRANADA is one of the industry’s most accomplished magicians. His production, songwriting, and groove-driven sensibilities allow him to turn any set of headphones or festival crowd into a 5AM nightclub propelled by killer house beats and even better melodies. It’s a staple of his career that brought vivid and lively projects in 99.9%, BUBBA, and the collab album KAYTRAMINÉ. But the question is, does TIMELESS allow us to immerse into that party or are we back to checking our phones?

If you’re at all a fan of the Haitian-Canadian creative, it’s no surprise that the latter option, albeit a big risk on this new hour-long album, is practically impossible. Compared to previous work, KAYTRANADA built something a little more consistent groove-wise, a little less exploratory in its genre fusions, but even more focused on crisp production, engaging songwriting, and keeping your mellowed attention with few breaks in mood or rhythm. It doesn’t always result in a winning formula, but it’s very compelling to hear these inspirations from so many genres coalesce into some of his best pop-adjacent material yet. If nothing else, it’s proof that the “#RICHAXXHAITIAN” musician can still have tricks up his sleeve even if the goal this time around is constance.

TIMELESS Sounds… You Know

“Pressure” is a perfect preview of this, as the rubbery kicks, chopped Lupe and Hov sample, and staccato keys let listeners know that this will go down as one of the funkiest albums of 2024. TIMELESS is a very fitting title, as the album’s main strengths are the cleanliness of the production and the cohesion and catchiness that the songwriting offers, aspects that KAYTRANADA owes most deeply to classic house and disco production plus its soul and funk roots. Other instrumental moments like “Dance Dance Dance Dance,” “Seemingly,” and “Please Babe” are impressive isolations of the beat-making’s prowess, whereas cuts like “Witchy” with Childish Gambino, “More Than A Little Bit” with Tinashe, and “Video” with Ravyn Lenae showcase bubbly, buttery, and satisfying interplay between verse melodies, instrumental embellishments, soaring choruses, and tension-building bridges.

Furthermore, as far as the production quality itself, there’s a consistent sheen to TIMELESS‘ tracks that puts it somewhere in between the brightness of 99.9% and the submerged feel of much of BUBBA. It doesn’t craft a wholly unique sonic identity, but it definitely switches things up here and there to entice and excite skeptics. There’s the melancholy “Feel A Way” with Don Toliver, the frantic and buzzy “Drip Sweat” with Channel Tres, and tender Latin percussion on cuts like “Lover/Friend” with Rochelle Jordan and “Hold On” with Dawn Richard. As for classic KAYTRANADA funk and groove, look no further than the infectious guitars on “Weird” with Durand Bernarr.

KAYTRANADA’s Curation

TIMELESS is perhaps KAYTRANADA’s most stacked and well-performing guest list to date. He himself grabs the mic on “Stepped On,” which is one of the more frustrated points in the album’s constant “highs and lows” narrative about falling in love, having fun, letting go, living in the moment, and all the things that the album doesn’t have to say for you to feel through the jams. In terms of chemistry, The collaborative highlight is easily “Do 2 Me” with Anderson .Paak and SiR, with the most progressive instrumental on the record. PinkPantheress also emerges as a no-brainer recipe for collaborative greatness on “Snap My Finger,” and we hope there’s more on the way.

However, despite the fitting but imperfect transitions and the generally cohesive aesthetics and guests, there are still some bare and stretched-out elements to TIMELESS that both casual listeners and longtime fans might dismiss. While the vocal melodies are always tight, the short runtimes on “Spit It Out” with Rochelle Jordan, “Call U Up” with Lou Phelps, and “Stuntin” with Channel Tres can’t save them from feeling disengaged loops towards the end. Still, Thundercat’s comical roasting sounds gorgeous on “Wasted Words,” and Charlotte Day Wilson’s performance is heavenly on “Still,” so it’s overall not a massive blemish.

Read More: KAYTRANADA’s Essential Tracks

What’s Next For KAYTRA?

With that in mind, the 31-year-old crafts music that is as lush, fun, catchy, intoxicating, and above all loving as it’s ever been on TIMELESS. It feels like the most amorphous, watery, and meticulous genre fusion that he’s done up to this point, even if it does sacrifice the vibrance and unpredictability of previous LPs for the consistency and wide appeal of what many might call a “pop era.” But KAYTRANADA worked too hard on this tracklist flow, the production, and the quality of the songwriting to say that as a dismissive comment. It’s just another step in his evolution, one that seems to target artistic growth in the studio over a sonic change in these sessions’ results.

Frankly, TIMELESS further defines the classic KAYTRANADA bounce as a single idea rather than the multi-faceted amalgamation of shifting focuses and appeals that albums like 99.9% are so beloved for. By the time we hit the jittery and wavy “Out Of Luck” with Mariah The Scientist, some aspects of this project might feel redundant to some listeners. But it’s primarily a house, funk, and disco record, and one that tactfully succeeds in keeping the groove alive, creating sweetly addictive songs, and immersing you in the party. Here’s hoping that KAYTRA’s next moves, no matter what direction they go in, continue to champion this timeless dedication and heartfelt passion for the joy of “Think (About It)” drum breaks and the warmth of melody.

Read More: Who Is KAYTRANADA?

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Tems “Born In The Wild” Review

June 10, 2024 by newhiphopnews

After a long wait, Tems finally delivered in style with her debut album. The songstress initially gained recognition in 2019 when her song “Try Me” became a hit, and she became a ubiquitous force across the global music scene. The release of For Broken Ears in September 2020 and If Orange Was A Place in 2021 helped set the stage while her appearance on Wizkid’s “Essence” took her to new heights, earning her a Grammy nomination and a platinum plaque.

That undoubtedly jumpstarted a fruitful run, leading to her credited appearance on Future and Drake’s “Wait For U” and her first Grammy win. Then, her contributions to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack — a cover of Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry” and co-writing Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” — earned Golden Globe Award and Oscar nominations for Best Original Song — Motion Picture. Despite these and many more achievements, some considered Tems’s success a fluke due to her collaboration with WizKid. On her debut album, Born In The Wild, she proved her critics and doubters wrong and sealed her status as a global superstar.

Tems’ Debut Album Theme

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One thing to note in Tem’s debut album is that she did it on her terms. The 18-track album tells the story of personal growth and rise to stardom through impressive and emotionally driven songwriting. In the titular track, “Born In The Wild,” Tems sings, “I grew up in the wilderness/I didn’t know much about openness.” Then, on “Wickedest,” she reflects on her success in singing, “Yeah, I’m the one got the scene banging/And I go hard that’s why they keep talking/Three years and I’m only just getting started.“

Tems’ quest for true and long-lasting love is seen in the previously released “Me & U” and “Love Me Jeje.” Although she admits to longing for that kind of love, she draws a line regarding toxic relationships. We see this in “Boy O Boy,” a potential heartbreak anthem, where Tems calmly sings of her desire to hurt the man who broke her heart. Some of the lyrics include “Sometimes I want to strangle you,” “You are a pain in my brain,” and “I wonder how I love a thing like you.” Meanwhile, in “Unfortunate,” Tems belts out about detaching from a lover she can no longer trust. Born In The Wild is thus themed around mental and self-growth, love, and heartbreak. Through her vulnerability, her debut album resulted in a perfect victory in her career.

Features

Versatility was a theme throughout the 54-minute album. Tems surprised people with her collaboration with Asake on “Get It Right.” It wasn’t a collaboration many saw coming, but both artists showed they could handle any musical challenge. Tems’ vocals excelled in the Fuji-infused Amapiano sound, while Asake’s lyrics blended excellently with the song’s cool vibe.

Tems features J. Cole on “Free Fall.” The Fayetteville rapper has been maligned lately amid the Kendrick Lamar-Drake beef, but he showed he remains one of the best rappers alive with his superb wordplay on the track. Backed by Tems’ majestic vocals and a gentle beat, J. Cole belted out lyrics about the topsy-turvy nature of relationships. Born In The Wild has just two features, but they are so perfect that you could wish for more.

However, the depth of her musicality extends beyond her direct collaborators. Throughout the project, she samples classic songs; complementing the groundwork created by the artists before while innovating these sounds for a modern era. We already saw her majestic creativity when she sampled Seyi Sodimu’s “Love Me Jeje,” but there was more to come in Born In The Wild. The 28-year-old took the sampling game a notch higher on “Wickedest,” which began with Ivorian band Magic System’s “1er Gaou.” You won’t also miss Tems’ expert sampling of Diana King’s “L-L-Lies” in “Gangsta.”

Wrapping It All Up

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Tems’ Born In The Wild is not an album where she introduces herself. Instead, she climbed to new heights and solidified her status as a global superstar who is here to stay. Tems won more people to her corner with her incredulous show of versatility. The GuiltyBeatz-produced “Burning” is a soothing song that has all the powers to brighten your day. “Turn Me Up” has the makings of a summer jam. Tems outdid herself on the up-tempo banger produced by London. She infused reggae adlibs that ensure you are vibed up from the beginning to the end.

The singer showed her greatness as an R&B artist but wasn’t scared to explore, as she ventured into dancehall, amapiano, afro-pop, and some reggae. She even tested her rap skills on “T-Unit,” where she nodded to 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop.” She stayed true to her sound and never left people questioning her intentions. The album’s production is top-notch. Most of the songs were produced by Tems and her longtime collaborator, GuiltyBeatz. Sarz produced “Get It Right,” P2J produced “Free Fall,” and London produced “Turn Me Up.” Other producers who contributed to the album include Nsikak David, DameDame, and Spax.

Tems’ Born In The Wild album is a project for those who strive to win. It is for those who go against all odds to find their true selves and enjoy the success that comes with victory. Like she sings in “Hold On,” just hold on, and that which you seek will find you. Tems has found herself and showed us what more she can do, but that is not where it stops — there is so much more to come.

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Sexyy Red “In Sexyy We Trust” Review

May 29, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Sexyy Red’s incredible musical journey, from the underground to the spotlight, has been nothing short of captivating. From “Pound Town” to “SkeeYee,” she has been heavy on rotation in the past year. Her new mixtape, In Sexyy We Trust, is a bold, provocative, and unapologetic project. It’s another club-ready project, picking up from 2023’s Hood Hottest Princess. This time, however, she attempts to raise the stakes.

Released on May 24, 2024, Sexyy Red’s latest project is a 14-track invitation into a hedonistic, energetic world, where playful vulgarity meets rhythmic beats. She explores themes of self-empowerment, sexuality, and independence, creating a mixtape that celebrates femininity, freedom of expression, and breaking societal norms. Sexxy has always been known for her explicit lyrics, and the mixtape showcases a fusion of sexuality, confidence, and humorous storytelling. In summary, it’s pretty much what you would expect from her.

Production And Collaborations

The beats on In Sexyy We Trust definitely push a few boundaries. Tay Keith and Drumatized, the executive producers, create a sonic experience that oscillates between trap and Memphis rap. Tay Keith, in particular, would praise Sexyy Red’s authenticity in his April 2024 interview with Billboard. He spoke about how much their genuine sibling-like relationship fuels the creative process for their collabs, saying, “She is just raw. It’s just authentic.” This is best exemplified in “Sport,” a track that stands out with its minimalist production, allowing Sexyy Red’s vocals to shine. These beats are the mixtape’s backbone, even when they venture into uncharted territory.

In Sexyy We Trust is chock full of features. Sexyy Redd’s collaborations with artists like VonOff1700, Drake, and Lil Baby add depth and diversity to the album. Moreover, they amplify the album’s musicality and appeal including Southern influences, like Project Pat, Juicy J, and Gucci Mane. But this doesn’t always work out as planned.

Drake’s appearance on “U My Everything” raises eyebrows. His verse is a complete antithesis to Sexxy Red’s mild attempts. To top it off, the abrupt switch from the captivating beat to his “BBL Drizzy” portion disrupts the song’s cohesion. In this one instance, Sexyy Red’s allure as an upcoming solo act has no need for a superstar featured hit bait. Nonetheless, they have evidently accepted their roles as Hip Hop’s latest pairing.

Sexyy Red Is At Her Most Lethal

The mixtape starts with three distinct songs. There’s “Tim Talking,” a bold energetic intro, which leads into “She’s Back,” a track that vibrates with inexplicable intensity, and “Boss Me Up,” where Tay Keith’s piano melodies amp up Sexyy Redd’s assertive verses. Sexuality is a prominent theme throughout the album, with tracks like “Lick Me” and “Boss Me Up” embracing provocative and explicit language. These songs also challenge traditional gender roles and stereotypes, portraying a sense of sexual liberation and agency.

A standout from the entire EP is “Outside,” which features a melodic fusion of vibraphones and hi-hats, courtesy of Mike WiLL Made-It. A boundary-pushing track, “Outside,” distinguishes itself with its innovative vocal edits. These are undoubtedly reminiscent of M.I.A’s dynamic style. The song is further enhanced by unexpected vocal interjections that surprisingly yet brilliantly set the stage for an electrifying beat drop. This sensual narrative also continues with “Sport,” a defiant anthem that precedes the swagger-filled “TTG (Go).”

It’s Not Always Easy To Trust Sexyy

Normally, Sexyy Red’s unique inflections usually set her apart. However, on this mixtape, they occasionally falter. Her disjointed delivery in certain tracks disrupts the flow altogether. While this could be a stylistic choice, it doesn’t always stick to the landing. For example, In Sexyy We Trust seems to suffer from repetition sickness. Some tracks blend into one another, leaving listeners yearning for more variety. The mixtape sometimes feels half-baked, like a rushed creation. With more time and focus, Sexyy Red could have elevated it beyond its current sporadic state. However, capitalizing on her increasing popularity is a notable accomplishment, especially since the EP undoubtedly has its high moments.

An Undeniable, Infectious Energy

When it’s all said and done, In Sexxy We Trust is inarguably a bold and unapologetic album that pushes boundaries, challenges norms, and celebrates individuality. The album’s overarching themes of confidence, sexuality, and resilience make it a standout piece in the contemporary rap scene. This in turn solidifies Sexyy Red as a rising gem in the music industry. Nobody can deny the infectious nature of her work, which will find its way to the depths of most clubs in the country. Her brash delivery and boastful lyrics echo the crunk era, evoking memories of sweaty club nights and bass-heavy speakers.

[via]

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Vince Staples “Dark Times” Album Review

May 28, 2024 by newhiphopnews

“It’s not that deep” might be one of Vince Staples’ favorite sentiments, whether in his recent Apple Music interview or when responding to overzealous fans online. The West Coast native has a beloved reputation for his upfront, earnest, and unfiltered perspective on hip-hop, commercialization, and the Black experience that is often perceived more comically than it should. What he says is not for shock value or nihilistic validation, but just a clear-cut explanation of why he views the world more cynically and skeptically than most. Vince always crystallizes reasons for this approach into his music, especially on his new album Dark Times.

This LP also serves as a bit of a sonic, emotive, and structural continuation of the ideas he championed in his last two solo studio albums. Vince Staples’ self-titled record was a moody deconstruction of his personal woes, beliefs, and demeanor whereas Ramona Park Broke My Heart nostalgically reflected on how the blessings and stresses of his upbringing in Long Beach shaped him. With Dark Times, he combines those two narratives to craft a more holistic, complete, and broad statement on history, temptation, and struggle as stormy clouds that are hard to strike light through in his life. Despite the sheer weight of this approach, the 30-year-old engages with it calmly and compellingly across a gorgeous sonic pallet that says much more in 35 minutes than most rap projects do in 70.

Dark Times‘ Production Lives Up To Its Title

Brevity and tightness are a staple of Vince’s recent catalog, and while Dark Times is not the most extreme example of this, it’s the most fully realized. Thanks to seamless song transitions, consistently watery and soulful instrumentals with wondrous sample selection, and a very consistent emotional temperature, this album feels carefully constructed and assembled in a no-frills, minimal way that makes it clear that this deliberation is the result of a focused mindset at the moment, not meticulous and over-explanatory planning. As far as the sound, even the “Liars” interlude holds some dreamy woodwinds and tender piano, a beauty which other moments like the subtle bass on “Shame On The Devil” reinforce. Even if the album can sound ominous, the guitar licks and peppy percussion on cuts like “Children’s Song” embody the blue skies in Ramona Park.

There are guest vocalists on here like Baby Rose, María Real, Maddy Davis, and Kilo Kish that add more color, harmony, and ethereal vibes to already pristine productions. As far as the personnel behind the board, LeKen Taylor and Tyler Page take over most of the beats, with Cardo, Jay Versace, Michael Uzowuru, and more also being big players. Yet the extensive production roster doesn’t dampen the cohesive flow of Dark Times, nor does it render its warm, cavernous sound redundant. Songs such as “Étouffée” give the album a welcome bounce to keep the energies afloat, while the pots-and-pans drums and wintery keys on “Nothing Matters” bring us back to concrete. In fact, even sparse, staccato notes on “Black&Blue” combine with organs to really make bare elements sound all the more lush, and the dreary but lyrically triumphant “Freeman” solidifies this “less is more” belief.

Vince Staples’ Lyricism

Over these beats, Vince Staples delivers sharp, relatable, blunt, and sometimes brutal bars on all the topics his catalog tackles. The lyrical matter (in this case, not directly from his pen) comments on systemic paradoxes and conflicting experiences, such as the short intro’s breezy wind chimes leading into lynching imagery: “To live is to be, like the n***a in the tree.” But it also invokes vast pop culture knowledge and boasts cheeky lines like, “I don’t need your flowers, I’m living / First time I seen a million dollars, I squinted.” Vince also flexes some storytelling muscles through the disillusionment of cheating on “Justin” and a conversation with an incarcerated friend on “Government Cheese.” The ode to music’s apologetic power on “‘Radio’” and the more positive and hopeful “Little Homies” flesh out the overall character portrait through specific periods of growth.

All in all, Vince Staples talks a lot about duality and misleading behaviors in Dark Times. Whether it’s his commentary on how disposable people treat romantic partnerships, or his thoughts on the cyclical violence and combative frame of mind that white institutions exploit, his skepticism is overt. Most interestingly, though, the “SAMO” spitter seems to flip the idea of “making it out” on its head. Whereas this would be a grateful escape for someone of his background, he actually can’t fathom how his fame wouldn’t make him more sensitive and hyper-aware of his hardships. But it’s also not as hopeless of a conclusion as you might expect. Rather than use the light to forget the dark times, this album appreciates and savors those sunny days while acknowledging there is always something murky and much more real and urgent underneath.

A Stellar Career In Sum

Empathy is a dangerous quality in Dark Times. It can falsely equate rich people’s problems to prison time, blind one to insincere romantic advances, and serve as a crutch for guilt, separation, and evolution. Vince Staples faces these contradictions with his head held high and an unflinching gaze. Still, through deepening that empathy and understanding of the less green grass he came from, someone of his stature and lived experience can characterize it. Much like the grounded selflessness and removal of ego that this comes from, the lyricism and sonic pallet here are easy to comprehend, but difficult to fully reckon with if you don’t share that 20/20 hindsight. Most importantly, they portray a man who “longs for loving and affection,” but chooses to value simplicity and familiarity in the face of once again placing misguided trust in justice, love, or safety.

Dark Times as an album is fulfilling despite its short runtime, and the somber but occasionally bright production and well-paced, measured writing go a long way to impress and evoke. But it’s also somewhat of a summary and acknowledgment of everything Vince Staples has waxed poetically about since his Def Jam debut over a decade ago. The “Blue Suede” synth returns here, and the closing bird chirps and background noise on the Santigold-assisted outro, “Why Won’t The Sun Come Out?,” bleeds perfectly back into the project’s opener, “Close Your Eyes And Swing.” This thematic distinction and journey is not a loop that Vince feels stuck in: it’s one that he’s just been patient with unpacking. It resulted in an amazing artistic run that, while “not that deep,” speaks volumes to the need to understand our world for ourselves, and ourselves alone.

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