"And it don't stop..." OFFICIAL Hip-Hop Discussion Thread

"And it don't stop..." OFFICIAL Hip-Hop Discussion Thread

At first I was unsure about Gambino too, but he's grown on me. I'm glad he's gotten over that 'I am just a rapper' bit. Is his stuff kind of campy still? Sure, but he's only getting better so I'd say he's worth following.

Anyone else listen to Mac Miller's 'Blue Slide Park' yet?

 

I think I posted my thoughts here after Culdesac, but I will say this: CG is at least improving. His lyrics are still a little try-hard at times, but he's a decent rapper.

Is he better than any other run of the mill up and comer? Probably not overall, but he's not worse either, which is a worthwhile accomplishment. It's going to bug me when all the inevitable articles come out talking about how different he is, when really he's not, but w/e. My Donald Glover beef aside, that's not really his fault.

 

Also, put me down in the *shrug* column re: Cole World. The album is ok, don't get me wrong. But nothing stands out as an excellent track. If a friend were to approach me and say, "I've been hearing a lot about J. Cole, what's a good starter track to become acquainted with him?" Nothing in this album stands out as "This will show you why everyone is excited" material.

There are some tracks I like: "Mr. Nice Watch," "In the Morning," "Can't Get Enough," and "Lost Ones" are probably my favorite tracks on the actual album (I like "Who Dat" but its both old news and a bonus track), but I'm unsure whether I'll be playing any of these songs a year from now. The lead single ("Work Out") doesn't do much for me.

I also think J. Cole puts a little too much faith in his production abilities. The beats are largely forgettable, and I think he could have benefited from more outside help in the studio. The many-hats thing is impressive, but I think it's holding him back a bit. Note that amongst the tracks I listed, half aren't produced by J. Cole and "Work Out" is, even though he produced the overwhelming majority of the album.

He's still lyrically quick and funny, but the album overall is in forgettable, solid-B territory. Right now his talent and guest spots far outstrip his solo output (which is a problem Nicki Minaj also has, although not necessarily for the same reasons).

 

How do y'all feel about XV? I realize he isn't the most unique, but I've been loving his mixtapes, Zero Heroes specifically is fantastic. He's gotten some solid production behind him and I mean, he's from Wichita for god's sake. I'm pretty optimistic about The Kid with the Green Backpack to drop next year. His lyrical content is a bit different and his beat selection is diverse.

 

He's probably dropped the best one-liners since Wayne was on lean.

"A New York nine's an everywhere-else six
Timewise, the opposite goes for chicks"

That's filthy

I'm a huge Gambino fan so my .02 is biased, but he's so versatile it's ridiculous. A lot of people will just dismiss 'Freaks and Geeks' and 'Bonfire' as Gambino trying to hard to just go out of his way to make witty one-liners, but when you listen to 'Difference' or 'Not Going Back' you see the kid's got depth.

Bought both Camp and Take Care.

Camp - 8.5/10
Take Care - 9/10

40>Production.

 

I've been listening to Camp almost non-stop and I'm in love with this album. He managed to tone down his all-over-the-place tendencies and make a thematically cohesive album. I have to agree with the comparisons to College Dropout era Kanye in terms of feel and themes. And yes, some of the lines are filthy clever. For instance, "I got a heart but the art-o'-choke is the only things girls want when you in that smokin light."

There was only one track that was a miss ("You See Me"). My one complaint is that the bipolar swings between boasts and insecurities (a very Kanye thing, for what it's worth) and no-one-respects-my-blackness themes get overdone when it's nearly every track, especially since it's the focus of so much of his pre-Camp work too. It's not that he isn't intelligent/insightful/funny about those themes, it's just a volume thing.

 

I need to get around to checking out Childish Gambino. Haven't been listened to much new hip hop lately, but I'm getting back to some albums that have accumulated.

Really feeling this dude A$AP Rocky. He's from New York apparently, but doesn't sound even remotely New York. The best analogy that comes to mind is this is what Odd Future and Curren$y were combined into one rapper. It's the same sort of "swag rap" style where the only thing that matters is how pretty they are. In fact he has a line "The only thing bigger than my ego is my mirror" which sums it up nicely. Here's my favorite track of his as of now:

 

I've listened to several tracks off of Gambino's Camp, and I think it's safe to say this guy is for real. I was unsure after hearing "Heartbeat" when he performed on Conan...thought it was a little too dance club sounding but it's growing on me, and "Bonfire" is just plain sick.

 

This kid went to high school real close to where I grew up and is sort of starting to blow up. He's toured with Bone Thugs and opened for BoB (they went to the same high school), among others, and is fucking awesome. Mixtape came out a few months ago, I think it's sponsored on DatPiff... Check it out cuz it's good.




edited to add:

 

Check this shit out. Dude calls himself Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire.

This is the album cover:

 

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Speaking of beef, how do we feel about the Common vs. Drake beef? This article outlines it pretty well.

 

Well Common ain't wrong.

 

A buddy of mine is starting to get some recognition in the SF Bay Area and his mixtape dropped today. He's a youngin, but they all started somewhere.

<a class="postlink" href="http://k-i-d.bandcamp.com/album/cerrito" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://k-i-d.bandcamp.com/album/cerrito</a>

If you like the little guy who brings back the old-school, this is definitely worth a look.

 

And good god he MURDERED him on that track. There were 4 or 5 standout lines. I don't know what Drake's next move is, but I wouldn't battle with Common cause his crooning and hashtag punchlines will get him embarrassed.

 

Folks have forgotten about Common. From back in the day:

 

Fools. Like Water for Chocolate is probably in my top 10 rap albums of all time.

 

I know we already talked about Gambino, but fuck me this show looked amazing.

 

I already posted it in the Drunk Thread, but this song is a jam.

 

I know Im late on this, but I just recently started listening to Take Care. It's not what I expected at all, but Im really enjoying it except for the lil wayne songs. WHY is he on it so much? That man and his cringeworthy voice just ruins songs for me.