Murrr

Great new records from Lupe Fiasco, Sean Leon, Two-9, and Migos already this year. The Migos record was particularly surprising to me: they started life as a goofy novelty act, but they've really refined their sound over the years. Still a few crude moments, but they've perfected their trademark rapping style and the beats are smooth and chill. Shaping up to be a tremendous year.

Woods put me onto the new Code Orange and it definitely makes me want to punch things without thinking of the consequences. 4/5, would punch again.

This is a great album. Ghostface is constantly jostling with Nas for the celebrated and prestigious honour of "Murrr's favourite rapper," and one of the main reasons I feel he's an under-the-radar G.O.A.T. candidate is his consistency. 20+ years after 36 Chambers and he's still churning out good records. Mental. 12 Reasons is a lot less manic than Ghost's usual output, but he makes up for it with the story's goofiness. The thing that surprised me most, however, was Adrian Younge's production: I usually find his take on soul music quite flat and colourless, but he kept it dusty and grimy without sacrificing the album's cinematic feel. The Apollo Brown remix of this album, "The Brown Tape," is strong too. The sequel is decent, but not quite on the same level. Somehow, I own four different versions of 12 Reasons (standard, instrumental, Brown Tape, brown tape instrumental) and I don't even buy physical media anymore. Wild.

My God, this RTJ3. Who the hell drops a serious AOTY contender on Christmas Day? Helluva record.

Merry Christmas to me.

I've grown to really appreciate Roy Keane in recent years, which is a shame, because I hated him when he was a player. My perception on football's villains has really changed in recent years and I just don't think it's worth getting worked-up by these guys. Instead, I view them in the same light as a classic wrestling heel, a Ric Flair or Ted DiBiase: they might be terrible cunts at heart, but I'm pretty sure most of them are playing a role to a certain degree. Might as well enjoy the show because it doesn't do me any harm, and it's tremendously entertaining to watch these guys bend other players out of shape with rampant fuckery. With Keane, I love how grumpy and contrarian he is when doing punditry. He just disagrees for the sake of disagreeing and never backs down from it, which makes his cornball, media-trained colleagues incredibly uncomfortable. Still, my favourite Keane moment remains the time Alan Shearer played him at his own game and goaded him into throwing a punch after asking if he wanted an autograph. Grade A trolling from Shearer, or "The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived." There are exceptions to the rule, of course. Pepe is a rampant arsehole who only ever seems to succeed in winding himself up, and of course he beat the shit out of that Getafe player that one time. A coward through and through. Dani Osvaldo was one of my favourites. I'm not sure what he's doing at the moment, but I was majorly into Italian football when he was at Roma, and that man is just a perfect footballer. Bags of flair and technique, but super inconsistent, and my god was he an angry bastard. I remember when he smacked Erik Lamela for daring to shoot instead of passing to him. Dude was just as likely to curl a 30-yarder into the top corner as he was suplex an opponent into the advertising boards.

Doing my annual tour of "genres that don't involve rapping" and this is fucking great. Gives me the same kind of vibes I get from Deafheaven, who I love. Did any really great punk records come out this year? Preferably not of the poppy/garagey variety.

I love cunty characters like Tevez, TBH. They make the sport interesting. Generic media-trained good guys are dull.

Tough for me to narrow it down, but he's the 10 I (probably) loved the most. No order:- Neurosis - "Fires Within Fires" Dillinger Escape Plan - "Dissociation" Conan - "Revengeance" Kemba - "Negus" A Tribe Called Quest - "We Got It From Here..." Azizi Gibson - "A New Life" Isaiah Rashad - "The Sun's Tirade" Danny Brown "Atrocity Exhibition" Lushlife - "Ritualize" Schoolboy Q - "Blank Face LP"

I remember him being absolutely banging in a game of Championship Manager. I can't remember the year, but I think he was like 17 years old and playing for Brighton or somebody. You could get him in for £1 million and he'd be one of the game's stop boys within a few seasons. Sign him, plus Etherington and Davies from Peterborough and you'd be fuckin' smashing it.

Cloud Cool Thinker The Mastrick Tandoori guy JFTSPWD40whateverthefuck The grumpy one from My Mind's Weapon They're all still active in my heart.

I used to really look down my nose at trap. For a while, I was dead set on the idea that hip-hop had to be based-on top-level lyricism and dusty, sample-based beats. Trap's sloppier lyricism, lazier flows, and often ignorant themes just didn't click with me at all, and I became an elitist in a genre largely free of elitism. It's hard to pinpoint when my perspective changed exactly, but I think it started with the beats. Some of the instrumentals that these producers come-out with just sounds incredible to me. I like dark, foreboding basslines, cloudy atmospheres, and booming 808s. Once I developed an addiction for that, the MCs started making a lot more sense to me. I became more forgiving of the rappers' technical deficiencies and started focusing on their voices as part of the instrumentation, if that makes sense. I think that when you're listening to fast, rappity-rap, the joy comes from paying close attention to their flows, rhyming patterns, and intricate wordplay. Do that with your average track record and the rapper's gonna sound like an amateur. The point I'm trying to make is that I almost had to re-train the way I was digesting these records. It's the same as when I was just getting into hip-hop, and I had to re-condition myself not to listen for melodies and hooks, but rhythm. Anyway, I think Freddie Gibbs is a good transitional artist, specifically his latest album: "Shadow of a Doubt." He's an incredibly versatile MC who sounds incredible over a wide variety of production, but that album isn't strictly trap. There are a bunch of more traditional sounding beats on there too, and Freddie's just a great, ballsy rapper. This makes him the perfect guy for any trap newcomer, IMO. If you like songs like "Rearview" on that album, move to some of his other projects: "Cold Day In Hell," "Baby Face Killa," and "ESGN" are much trappier. The Underachievers' "Evermore - The Art of Duality" is great too. Lyrically, they're very focused on some really mind-bending stuff, but it's all positive in the end. The first half of this record is quite light, and the second turns it up with some rattling bass and snappy snares. One of the MCs is a typical New York gruff/street-sounding guy too. T.I. and Young Jeezy are usually credited with building the genre, but I think that Three 6 Mafia's influence is much more noticeable in the modern sound. Their debut album, "Mystic Stylez," is crude at times, but dark and raw as hell. An essential listen for understanding the full breadth of modern hip-hop, IMO.

Well shit, here's a few more for you then:- Epidemic - "4 Dimensions on a Paper": Should've been on my big list, TBH. Jazzier. Nolan the Ninja - "He(art)": Shoutier. Villain Park - "Same Ol' Shit EP": Funner. Beneficence - "Basement Chemistry": Dustier. If you like Beneficence and Epidemic, get on their respective back catalogues. Some really good stuff in there. Have you heard of Clear Soul Forces before? They're my "go to" group for this kind of rap. Just four guys rapping their asses of over straightforward production. Pretty great.

Comparing Kanye and Tyler's respective voyages into fashion is a little more nuanced than that, IMO. Tyler created a bright streetwear range, which, realistically, anyone on this forum could do with a little startup money. Kanye sought entry into the high fashion market, and because he's a grown baby, kicked and screamed until he got his way. This ultimately worked, and I'd go as far as saying that hip-hop has never had such a successful crossover in that particular industry (his "Yeezy Season" premieres are huge events, and the sneakers are absurdly popular). Not that I give a single shit about fashion, but I'm a Kanye stan. Tyler does seem like a really cool dude though, and Yonkers is 90% incredible. I have complete and utter respect for him for building the Odd Future/Golf Wang brand from the ground up, and I think he deserves everything that comes his way. I just don't like his tunes. This is the best thing he's ever done tho:-

Oh absolutely. I feel like he took similar themes to those expressed on To Pimp A Butterfly, but stripped much of that album's denseness away and wrapped everything up in a bunch of catchy songs. Common's new record is probably worth exploring if you're into that subject matter: I wasn't particularly fond of it, but other people loved it.

You're welcome, gents. I threw those little mini-reviews down so you can decide which to check out, and which might not be to your tastes.

The first half of the year was pretty gash, but things really turned around in the second. I've been really into the following releases:- Schoolboy Q - "Blank Face LP": Huge step up from his last record. Really dark and filthy sounding. Lushlife - "Ritualize": Lots of borderline-psychedelic indie rock sounds paired with a robust, authoritative MC. Azizi Gibson - "A New Life": A basic and often crude lyricist, but his delivery is incredible and the slow trap beats at tailor-made to my current tastes. De La Soul - "... and the Anonymous Nobody": They came back from a long absence with one of the most creative and diverse records of their career. A Tribe Called Quest - "We got it from here...": Picked-up exactly where they left off. Chilled, playful music that comes with a message but never gets preachy. If you're as big a Tribe fan as me, listening to Phife's last few verses is kinda tough. Kemba - "Negus": Formerly YC the Cynic. If you liked his old stuff, you'll like this. Social consciousness turned-up to 10 with a stronger hook game than before. Ka - "Honour Killed The Samurai": I love this. So slow it's almost spoken word. Deep, booming delivery. Sparse, skin-crawling beats. Stripped back, bare, and raw. Isaiah Rashad - "The Sun's Tirade": Overlong, but one of the best TDE releases. Super chill & laid-back, but laced with inner turmoil. YG - "Still Brazy": Hated his first album, loved this. Fun, dumb, bouncy West Coast music. He took a timeless sound and made it his own. Danny Brown - "Atrocity Exhibition": If you can stomach Danny's wilder impulses, you'll love it. Dead End Hip-Hop called this hip-hop equivalent of a really crazy jazz album, and I love that description. Czarface - "atitleMurrrcan'tremember": Banging, old-school East coast shit. Head-nod music. Mick Jenkins - "The Healing Component": I feel there's an awesome new wave of smart, conscious rappers who can spit like crazy, but also craft these warm, catchy songs. Mick Jenkins is at the front of that pack and this album is surprisingly melodic. Saba - "Bucket List Project": Uplifting positivity from Chance's Chicago stable. Better than Chance, IMO. Title track is a banger. Flatbush Zombies - "3001: A Laced Odyssey": They turned the craziness down a notch and produced a trippy, spaced-out ride. Awesome production. Denzel Curry - "Imperial": Banging southern trap. Needs to develop stronger control of his cadence and inflections, but his flow is bananas. Skepta - "Konnichiwa": I don't even listen to grime, but this is legitimately one of the best UK hip-hop albums I've ever heard. Beats are incredible, and Skepta's on-point. Night Lovell - "Red Teenage Melody": Thick, murky trap with an MC whose voice is so deep it'll send rumbles through yer floorboards. The Kendrick project was cool, but I'm a little fatigued with him after investing so much time into To Pimp A Butterfly (which I adored). Chance's album was fun, but he lost a lot of his character and spent most tracks impersonating his guests. I liked the Kanye album, but it felt like a shabby mixtape at times. Aesop Rock & Open Mike Eagle also released good projects if you like the backpack shit. Gucci Mane's "Everybody Looking" is fun as hell if you buy into his goofy persona. People loved the Royce da 5'9" and Elzhi records too: not really my bag anymore, but with your time if you like the fast-flowing rappity-rap stuff. Shit lads, I still have a lot of quality stuff from Jay IDK, Swet Shop Boys, Death Grips, $uicideboy$, and a bunch of others to get lost in. I think I have a problem. Fuck, I accidentally wrote a gigantic post again. Sorry lads.

Been meaning to check The Internet out actually. I'm into that smooth, spacey vibe.

Cup final was bleh. Two excellent finishes from Forrest and Rogic, but Aberdeen's defenders were pretty woeful (Logan aside). O'Connor made some horrendous decisions, and Considine was having kittens out on the left. I lost track of the number of times Celtic's right-winger (Roberts) had his way with him. Disappointing to see such a capitulation, but Celtic will always be the favourites in matches like this and their array of attacking talents is impressive.

I can't stand Tyler at all. To me, the guy just reeks of trying way too hard to be SHOCKING and CONTROVERSIAL. IMO, a crude, vulgar lyricist who masks a lack of genuine wit and lyrical intelligence with overbearing tastelessness. The hip-hop Donny Tourettes (or whatever that Towers of London dude's name was). I'm not the biggest Odd Future fan, honestly. Earl Sweatshirt's last few projects were incredibly well-received and absolutely worth a look if you're into deep-voiced rappers, but I find him a little too morose and depressing for my tastes. He's a skilled rapper, though. The MellowHype, Domo Gensis, and Hodgy Beats projects that I heard were completely uninteresting to me. I guess Frank Ocean is probably the collective's most successful member now, but he's an R&B artist. This year's "Blonde" was an excellent album though. Vince Staples was affiliated with Odd Future at one point, though he was never an official "member." He's one of the most exciting young rappers in the world at the moment, IMO. Last year's "Summertime '06" was one of my favourite projects, and well worth a look for anyone seeking some bleak, rueful gangsta rap from a charismatic MC with an elastic voice.

Ghostface regularly trades places with Nas at the top of the oh-so-prestigious "Murrr's favourite rappers" list. I think he's one of the all-time greats: his manic delivery is iconic, his patterns are crazy, and his lyrics are completely off-the-wall batshit. Rae next, then probably Meth, who's not a better rapper than GZA or Deck, but his charisma is absolutely nuts. Deck's "Triumph" verse alone probably slots him in at number four for me, then GZA, and Masta Killa/Cappadonna are relatively interchangeable after that. I understand why people don't like ODB, but I love the guy. A pretty stinking rapper, but his persona's wildly entertaining. I need to be in a specific mood to listen to that nonsense though. U-God always struck me as a "jobs for the boys" kinda guy. He's quite awful, and the other guys probably recognise that, but maybe they don't have the heart to tell their mate he stinks. RZA, for me, is one of the best producers of all-time, but an absolute atrocious rapper who wrecks almost everything he spits on. Cool.

First goal for me like. Foot like a traction engine.

Yeah, I love Czarface. They're the thrash metal of rap: their sound is deeply rooted in tradition, but it's fun, scruffy, and doesn't take itself too seriously (insane number of wrestling references on their new record). Great album, and I'm impressed with their longevity. Would've been easy for a group like that to fall off after the first album, but nah. Deck is underrated. Wu obviously have a strong stable of MCs, but he's head and shoulders above U-God, Cappadonna, and especially RZA. He just never found a way to harness his skill outside of the group's albums, so I'm happy he's found a winning team with 7L & Esoteric.

Anyone listen to any great raps this year? Here are some of my TOP PICKS:- Really great year for the genre, IMO. The new De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest records are surprisingly wonderful too.

There's definitely one in the Trinity Centre. It's along the exit onto Bridge Street.