So I know I said I was gonna review Yeezus, but everyone already has anyways, and I feel like Action Brossolino hasn't gotten enough time on here at all for how many plays he gets on my ipod. So I figued I'd start with some new shit, in the EP he just dropped with major producer Harry Fraud.
1. 72 Virgins (Feat. Big Body Bes)
This shit is super dope, as Bronson flows like water over the same kind of beat he usually does, a guitar-inspired beckground. I'm not sure what Big Body Bes is as an artist, as I'm oretty sure he doesn'y rap, so I guess he's a spoken word artist that just says "WE WILIN".
2. Triple Backflip
Deffinitely not feeling this beat. You know who else could flow over this? Beyonce. Shit work, Harry. I am feeling Bronson's work on this one though, he dropped some pretty funny lines.
3. No Time
Another beat I'm not feeling. Overall this track's just boring, and while Bronson's flow doesn't usually bother me, coupled with an overly repetitive beat it doesn't work.
4. The Rockers (Feat. King Pot Rapper)
I'm feelin this beat, and Bronson sounds awesome on it. Wiz Khalifa is also impressive on here, as he's come a long way since Black & Yellow. Overall weed-rappers seem to be getting better, even Mac Miller is putting on big boy pants on Watching Movies With The Sound Off, although I could just be saying that because of his OF ties.
5. Strictly For My Jeeps
I've heard this one before, and it's a total banger. Like this is some drive down the street waving baseball bats with nails in them through the Bronx with Raff Raff on the roof shit. Speaking of Riff, he made a cameo in the video for this. Not much more to say abouth this one, best track on the EP, I'm calling it right now.
6. Alligator
This is a really good track, almost made me eat my words about Strictly For My Jeeps. Also much longer than normal for an Action Bronson song, clocking in at about 5 minutes. Bronson goes fully in on it to, and the beat doesn;t make me wanna kill myself, so this one was good too.
7. Seven Series Triplets (Feat. Prodigy & Raekwon)
Probably one of the coolest beats on the prject, but I don;t know why guys like Prodigy and Raekwon are so hyped. In my opinion they're just not that great. I mean, they aren't bad, but Bronson is by far the highlight of the track, although Prodigy's verse is growing on me.
Rating: 7.5/10
Best Tracks: Strictly For My Jeeps, Alligator, Seven Series Triplets
Overall, a very solid EP. I could've done without some of the boring beats by Harry Fraud, but Bronsom really held his own on here, and was awesome on a couple tracks. Blue Chips is by far my favorite Bronson project, but I don't know if i'll do a review of it, we'll see.
So I haven't been working on the blog much, so I'm gonna make up for that by adding a new weekly feature I'll introduce later tonight, and having a blitz of reviews in the next week or so. I'm starting off that whole thing with an upcoming rapper from Ireland, Rejjie Snow. This shit dropped like 2 hours ago halfway across the world, and hasn't dropped here yet, so I'm blessin y'all with my early views.
1. Loveleen
Rejjie opens up with pitch-altered words reminiscent of Kendrick Lamar/A$AP Rocky, then drops a really chill verses. Frankly I wasn't expecting this kind of lyrical complexity, so I was pleasntly surprised on this track. Good start.
2. Snow (My Rap Song)
Wow, I thought this was gonna end up being a sleepy, but cool EP, but Rejjie throws a curveball on this one. The production is crazy good on here, and more energy in his raps is a great sound for Rejjie. This track was even better than Loveleen, and at track 2 of 5, there isn't much more room for him to screw this EP up if he runs with this kind of stuff.
3. USSR (Feat. Jesse James)
This beat sounds like something straight outta a Joey Bada$$ track, and I mean that in a good way. Rejjie goes back to his whisper rap style from Loveleen, but it works so that's okay. He mentions the Illuminati a few times, which always seems to be a hot topic so that's cool, and Jesse James drops a really good verse too.
4. 1992 (Feat. Loyle-Carner)
More whisper rap, more Joey Bada$$ beats. Separating these last two tracks might've been an idea, but this song acts as a solid origin story for Rejjie. Who knew his Dad introduced him to Dr. Dre. Loyle-Carner drops in for some good bars too.
5. Olga (1984)
This track really brings all of Rejjie's best assets together. He sounds like a mix of Tyler, The Creator and Earl Sweatshirt with some less electronic Flying Lotus production, and that's a pretty happy mixture. This is one of the best tracks I've heard from anyone in a long time, and I really crazy dope way to finish off the EP.
Rating: 8.5/10
Best Tracks: Olga (1984), and Snow (My Rap Song)
Overall a really good EP from Rejjie Snow, and I'm happy to see him blow up. Apparently he got an email from the subject of the next review, Kanye West to say thank you, so it's hard to think he'd be anywhere besides cloud 9 at the moment. I look forward to seeing something full length out of Rejjie.
Guess who's back, blah blah blah, Kilo Kish is a female rapper, and Childish Gambino is on this mixtape. Fuck intros.
1. K+
A shitty meaningless into with Kilo talking to Gambino about the album deadline and renovations maybe? I don't care enough to lusten again.
2. Goldmine
Kilo seriously kills this, and it's the first rap song I've listened to since January, so maybe that's why this sounds so awesome. Or maybe it's actually good.
3. Ghost (Feat. Childish Gambino)
I can pretty much stop writing the review after this, because this song is the only reason I even downloaded this, but I won't because chances are if you dug through the internet far enough to find this review, you actually care about Kilo Kish. Anyways, she sounds okay on here, but Gambeezy destroys the beat, with his good Royalty flow. His verse doesn't have the same emotion that his shit on Camp did, but I'm not sure if we'll ever hear him get back to that level. Solid showing on this one though.
4. Trappin (Feat. Vince Staples)
A little bit of Odd Future influence on here, with frequent OF collaborator Vince Staples making an ok appearance. I'm pretty sure Earl Sweatshirt produced this too, and if he did, he did a good job. An eerie hook and beat goes well with Vince's flow on here, so three straight good tracks on here.
5. IOU
The beat sounds like something Azealia Banks would rap over, which is kind of a step back on this one. Gambino makes another non-rapping appearance at the end.
6. Turquoise
The beat's pretty cool on here, but it's starting to seem like Kilo can only rap one way, which makes things boring after a while. The good beat bails her out on this one though.
7. Scones
Skimmed through this, sounded like shit. Sappy Kilo Kish bullshit.
8. Love2K (Feat. Flatbush Zombies)
Ugh, I swear I'm turning this off if I hear another Kilo Kish gay singing song...wait is this Flatbush Zombies? How the fuck did this happen? It even changes up Kilo's rapping, which is good. Best track besides Ghost.
9. Better
No, not better. This was really bad actually, with the singing at the end being the only good part of the song.
10. Creepwave (Feat. Flatbush Zombies)
This was pretty solid, with the eerie beat going well with Kilo's rap-singing. I actually really liked this, and some parts of the production sounded like everything I liked about Royalty.
Rating: 6.5/10
Best Tracks: Ghost, Trappin, Love2K, Creepwave
The tracks that were good on here were good, but everything that wasn't was terrible. I blame lack of variety for my boredom towards the end of this one. Kilo remains in the same bracket of rappers for me, the half-decent females bracket.
So, Game's always been decent...not great, not bad. Then again, I've listened to assorted singles, and The Red Album, so I'm probably a bit quick in making a judgment on him as a rapper. I should have a better grasp on him after this review of his latest release, Jesus Piece.
1. Scared Now (Feat. Meek Mill)
The beats like a less electronic "So Sophisticated", which coincidentally also has Meek Mill on it. And Game's aight on here I guess, but Meek really destroys this shit. Decent starting track.
2. Ali Bomaye (Feat. 2 Chainz & Rick Ross)
This beat is fucking EPIC. And 2 Necklaces doesn't wreck it either. And Rick Ross does his thing. So this track was fucking awesome. Also, a nice little bonus skit at the end about Game "putting 50 stacks" on a jesus piece, which was hilarious.
3. Jesus Piece (Feat. Kanye West & Common)
Deffinitely would've liked to see Kanye have a bigger role than half the hook on this one, and it's kinda annoying how Game mimics him. Common flows like water over the beat though.
4. Pray (Feat. J Cole & JMSN)
I actually really liked this track, it's the kinda thing I'd actually like to see Drake get on. Nice mellow beat, and J Cole spits a soft, but decent sounding verse. JMSN plays things out at the end nicely.
5. Church (Feat. King Chip & Trey Songz)
Lyrically this one brings NOTHING to the table, but the beat's pretty good, and it's got a catchy hook. Would've liked it much better without Trey Songz.
6. All That Lady (Feat. Lil Wayne, Big Sean, Fabolous & Jeremih)
As soon as I saw the guest list for this one, I threw my expectations for it out the window. The beat kinda sucks, Jeremih's gay, Lil Wayne sucks, Big Sean would be good with some lyrics.
7. Heavens Arms
It sounds like a shittier, less produced Theraflu/Cold, with Game. That's that shit I don't like.
8. Name Me King (Feat. Pusha T)
Pusha sounds like a better Kanye on here, and it's another really sweet beat. Game does his part too on here, but I'm getting the feeling this is just an album full of guest features and good beats with a sprinkle of Game on every track.
9. See No Evil (Feat. Kendrick Lamar & Tank)
OMGOMG KENDRICK IS ON DIS TRAK OMG FAVRIT RAPPER EVER HES SO SMART AND LYRICAL GUISE!!!!1!!! (said every blogger ever) I mean to be fair, he's much better than average, and I don't mind him. But he's not the rap messiah like a lot of people say, just a good rapper, who's coincidentally from Compton. Good track though, Game sounds good, Tank contributes, and Kendrick does his thing.
10. Can't Get It Right (Feat. K Roosevelt)
The beat on this is fucking dope, and Game kills it, easily his best performance so far on the album. It's too bad Roosevelt's shit. He doesn't COMPLETELY ruin it though.
11. Hallelujah (Feat. Jamie Foxx)
Game has his best flow so far on here, but he's not better than he was on Can't Get It Right. The beat's okay, I like how choir is used alot on this project. Jamie Foxx is Jamie Foxx on here.
12. Freedom (Feat. Elijah Blake)
This beat is fucking sweet, and the shout out to Kendrick at the beginning's pretty good too. I'm not usually a fan of vocal samples with altered pitch, but it works well on this one. Elijah Blake fills in as the singer for this one. And the skit at the end is actually pretty cool.
13. Celebration (Feat. Tyga, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne & Chris Brown)
Holy shit I was dreading this one. The hook couldn't be more gay, I hate every guest on here with a passion, and none of them impress. I would listen to the Dedication 4 5 times before listening to this piece of shit again.
14. I Remember (Feat. Young Jeezy & Future)
Young Jeezy sounds like he's retarded and shouldn't ever be on a track again. Game says he'd eat out other rapper's girls. Ugh. Not a good follow up to Celefuckyou.
15. Blood Diamonds
This is what I wanted to hear on most tracks. Dopest beat on the album, Game destroys it, good background vocals. Easily the best track on here, good finish. And boy did he need it after the last two.
Best Tracks: Blood Diamonds, Freedom, Scared Now, Ali Bomaye, Jesus Piece
Rating: 6.5/10
Wouldv'e been a ton better without tracks 13 & 14, holy shit they were terrible. Besides that, a slightly above average album, but he could've done better with guest appearances. I definitely prefer The Red Album over this one.
Now, I understand Danny's had a huge 2012, but I'm just not a fan. His lyrics can be straight up stupid a lot of the time, and his flow is almost unbearable. But still, XXX was a top album. The one track I did end up liking of XXX was "Outer Space" which was half decent, but not enough to push me to wanna listen to this. But Black Milk, one of my favorite producers of all time was.
1. Sound Check
Just an instrumental intro, not even music, just noises.
2. Wake Up
Damn, the sample at the beginning goes hard. And Danny sounds toned down and listenable on here, which is a huge difference from songs like "Monopoly". The production, and even Danny, are great on here, I hope the rest of this is the same.
3. Loosie
This track had me hooked from the first line, "Hotter than a barbeque at Satan's place". The beat's even harder than Wake Up, and Danny's flow is fire. Very impressed with this one.
4. Zap
I thought this track was a huge step back at the beginning, with the overly mellow production, but when the drums picked up it was decent. Not as good as Loosie or Wake Up but good. The accapella at the end is a nice touch.
5. Jordan VIII
This is kinda what I expected from this album, with Danny's "crackhead" flow, and beats that remind me of Outer Space. Not amazing, but the beat carries it well.
6. Dada
Danny sounds really good on this,although the beat isn't one of Black Milk's best. Danny really sounds like he's grinding every word out, which is good.
7. WTF
Just an instrumental, again not really something you could rap over or anything.
8. LOL
This track's actually really catchy, and the beat goes fucking hard, with solid samples. This is the first track that's even come close to Loosie, and might be better.
9. Dark Sunshine
Another instrumental, the best out of the three on here. I would've liked to see that end part develop into an actual beat though, that'd be cool.
10. Black And Brown
the beat on this one is differently produced than anything else on here, less of a hipster-rap feel. Black Milk spits a few bars on this one, and him and Danny really finish things off well for the EP. Probably the best track on here, sounds like a triumphant end to an impressive project.
Best Tracks: Loosie, LOL, Black And Brown
Rating: 8.5/10
I would have rated this one higher, but it wasn't legendary or anything, it was just VERY impressive. I never expect Danny Brown to come out with something like this, and he owes mad thanks to Black Milk for working with him.
So this shit was supposed to come out in late January, but I'm not complaining. The mixtape (Live.Love.A$ap) was aight, but I've got higher expectations for this. A$AP Mobb had a great year, and personally I think this is a great way to cap things off, and set Rocky up for 2013. But can he deliver?
1. Long Live A$AP
This track was fucking awesome, Rocky nails it in the verses, and even the hook was good, contrasting well with the rap. Plus the beat bangs, reminds me of Trilla a bit.
2. Goldie
The simplicity of this track combined with Rocky's flow is just awesome. I'm pretty sure it was the first single off the project, and its pretty great. If you read the Best Of 2012 post, it was a runner up for song of the year, so this shit's good.
3. PMW (Pussy Money Weed)
I like the beat on here, Rocky's acing it with the simplicity. He has some good lyrics on here too, and the flow's spot on. The only problem I have with this track is how stereotypical this song os for rappers like Rocky. I'd like to see him go above and beyond a bit.
4. LVL
Another nice simple beat ("Clams Casino nigga"), and Rocky kills it, but somehow this track isn't great. I can't put my finger on the reason.
5. Hell (Feat. Santigold)
I don't like Santigold on here, and the beat sounds exactly like LVL, except worse. Plus Rocky's flow is worse. So this track was worse. I think maybe Rocky was banking on Santigold delivering a good hook, which didn't happen.
6. Pain (Feat. Overdoz)
The beat sounds like something Odd Future would spit on, so I like that aspect, but the rapping is kinda sub-par. Like it's good, better than most shit, but not up to Rocky's potential.
7. Fuckin' Problem (Feat. 2 Chainz, Drake & Kendrick Lamar)
2 Chainz was the last person I expected to make a cameo on this shit, but he did. I guess Rocky decided that's how he's gonna get shit played in the club. But his hook was so fucking bad, especially since it was assisted by Drake, who I don't like on hooks. Drake was aight in his verse though I guess. And Kendrick wasn't as good as he could have been, but he still has the best verse. To be honest though, this was my shit when it got dropped, so I like it a lot less now.
8. Wild For The Night
WHAT THE FUCK IS SKRILLEX DOING ON HERE. Like where's Foreign Beggars at? Rocky fuckin kills the track, and it isn't bad, but I feel like Rocky just got Skrillex on here for name value. And there's not even a dubstep solo. So I'm kinda dissapointed with Skrillex's contribution, but Rocky destroys it, so this track's aight.
9. 1 Train (Feat. Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson & Big K.R.I.T)
Ill go through this one rapper by rapper.
Rocky: Decent, but he's had MUCH better verses on this shit.
Kendrick: Major improvement over his verse on Fuckin' Problem. This is the Kendrick people wanna see.
Joey: I've never made an extra effort to listen to Joey's shit, despite all the hype. And he doesn't do anything to make me want to on here, he just sounds like he has Downs Syndrome.
Yelawolf: Yelawolf was decent before he dropped Radioactive, and he drops the best verse so far on here. Makes me wonder what to expect from his next project.
Danny: Danny's usually shit, but he brings his A-game to this one, so that's good. It's still bad though.
Bronson: The highlight of this boring ass verse is Danny saying "Uhhh" in the background.
Big K.R.I.T: He fuckin kills it, even though he sounded just like E-40 on this. 2nd best verse, pushing Kendrick to third.
10. Fashion Killa
Just by the beat I can tell this shit's gonna be gay as fuck. My ears didn't like this one very much. Fuckin Rocky, makin songs for the bitches.
11. Phoenix
This shit was DOPE. In a nice subtle way. The beat sounded awesome, and had a good retro feel. And Rocky dropped some punchlines that were just sick.
12. Suddenly
This track has a perfect name, because it kinda sucks nuts till a little past the halfway mark, and Rocky pretty much goes accapella for that part, but then after that he goes ham, and sounds the best he has so far all album. And the beat's dope. But it only lasts for like 30 seconds before the beat plays him out. I don't know how I feel about this one.
13. Jodye
I like the trash-talking from Rocky on this one, and the beat's pretty dope too. Also like the subtle shout out to Kendrick Lamar, nice touch.
14. Ghetto Symphony (Feat. Gunplay & A$AP Ferg)
I can see why a lot of people are talking about this one, it's easily the dopest beat on here, maybe dopest beat of the year. It's too bad Rocky was only meh on here though, because everyone else killed it, so this could've been a REALLY good track.
15. Angels
Rocky closes things out with an aight track, just not powerful enough for me. The beat sounds a little soft, but Rock does still kill it. I would have made Ghetto Symphony the final track though.
Rating: 8/10
Best Tracks: Long Live A$AP, Goldie, 1 Train, Phoenix, Ghetto Symphony
So I definitely think this tops Live.Love.A$AP, as Rocky had better beats, and a much improved flow on here. There were a few really shit tracks, but also some of the best tracks I've heard in a while. Rocky has some good potential, it's not hard to see why there's so much buzz with him.
Consider this me making up for no posts for a month. These'll be like my end of year awards, and assuming Childish Gambino doesn't drop anything in the next week, he won't pull anything, because Royalty was kinda shit. So here we go!
Worst Rapper Of The Year: 2 Chainz
Based On A Tru Story was easily the worst non-intentionally bad album of the year, and you already know my opinion on it. Not only that, 2 Chainz's guest spots were enough to ruin most songs, so a lot of tracks that could've been good weren't.
Runners Up: Nicki Minaj, Papi Champagne, Kreayshawn
Album Of The Year: "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" By Kendrick Lamar
I feel like every other hip hop blog ever for saying that, but I'm not gonna go against the grain for the sake of going against the grain. In his debut album with a big ticket label, Kendrick kills it. But you already know doe, ya bish.
Runners Up: "Mic Tyson" By Sean Price, "No Idols" By Domo Genesis & The Alchemist, "Long.Live.A$AP" By A$AP Rocky
Producer Of The Year: The Alchemist
Between his work on "No Idols", and "Russian Roulette", The Alchemist became my favorite producer. Why? Because his shit is straight up fire, and usually the guy spitting on it destroys it. Alot of the tracks on "Mic Tyson" were a good example of that.
Runners Up: Clams Casino, El-P, Hit Boy
Song Of The Year: "Reagan" By Killer Mike
Not only does this track BANG, it's smart too. It's political, but not in a try-hard way. The video might be the video of the year too. The beat on this one could be one of the best of the year too (by El-P) but it's Mike's lyrics that shine.
Runners Up: "Goldie" By A$AP Rocky, "M.A.A.D City" By Kendrick Lamar (Feat. Mc Eiht), "Oldie" By Odd Future
Best Single: "Mercy" By Kanye West (Feat. Jay Z, Big Sean & 2 Chainz)
"Mercy" pretty much dominated rap singles this year, with the chopped and screwed sample, and some real hip-hop heavyweights. Unfortunately, 2 Chainz. I don't mind this track at all though, despite the thousands of times I've heard it.
Runners Up: "The Recipe" By Kendrick Lamar (Feat. Dr. Dre), "Hands On The Wheel" By Schoolboy Q (Feat. A$AP Rocky), "I Don't Like" By Chief Keef
Biggest Breakout Year: Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar was an inch away from being rapper of the year. He dropped "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" which is already being called a classic, killed every one of the many guest verses he had,went on tour with Drake, and established himself as a heavyweight in rap.
Runners Up: Action Bronson, Killer Mike, Joey Bada$$
Female Emcee Of The Year: Azaelia Banks
Azaelia dropped "1991" this year, and destoyed alot of tracks on it, such as "212", and "Liquorice". That's more than I can say for most female emcees, and Azaelia did it in style. Plus I'd tap that.
Runners Up: Kitty Pryde, Angel Haze, Rapsody
Rapper That Faded Off The Face Of The Earth: Tyler, The Creator
Tyler's one of my favorite rappers, so it's a shame that he ended up here, but he did. Maybe he took some time off after a HUGE 2011, but I still would've liked to see "Wolf" come out as scheduled.
Runners Up: Childish Gambino, Eminem, Tech N9ne
And without further adieu...
Rapper Of The Year: Kanye West
This probably won't be a popular choice, but hear me out: Yeezy was always in the news. He dropped "Cruel Summer" which had some of the biggest songs of the year, started dating Kim Kardashian, and was just generally interesting, as always. And for the first time in a while, the Taylor Swift incident isn't the first thing that anyone mentions when 'Ye comes up.
Runners Up: Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, A$AP Rocky
So I know I said I was gonna review Yeezus, but everyone already has anyways, and I feel like Action Brossolino hasn't gotten enough time on here at all for how many plays he gets on my ipod. So I figued I'd start with some new shit, in the EP he just dropped with major producer Harry Fraud.
