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The Hip Hop Thread


Lemonade

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The album is a good listen by the way.

 

Yeah, I'm with it. Sounds great on my headphones. I'd heard them on The Rap Monument and had meant to give them a try, so I'm glad you pointed me back towards them. 

 

Been listening to a lot of ATL hip-hop lately. This guy's a standout. Music that can be enjoyed on the shallowest level if you just wanna enjoy the beats and hooks, but with plenty of hidden depths:-

 

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He looks like Tyson Chandler and Chris Rock had a baby. Nice track that. WIll check him out.

 

Have you been watching the ATL Trap scene video series on Vice? Can't get into that stuff at all but it's a good watch.

 

The series with Thomas Morton? Yeah, it's been great. That guys is such a bad motherfucker: skinny little white dude just casually strolling through some of the worst neighbourhoods in the USA, talking to some of the scariest men alive. I really love the episode with the ATL Twins -- not because of the ATL Twins, because they're insane, but the scenes with "The Devil" and Trouble's crew. It's really fascinating, like a window into another world, and it adds another layer to the music, I think.

 

Don't get me wrong, I can't stand a lot of the artists they're covering, but if I hear Trouble doing a guest verse on a track, for example, I can now contextualize what he's saying because I know he's coming from a "real" place. 

 

Migos are completely fucking absurd, and the series only reaffirmed that, and the 2Chainz episode was pretty boring, but I've enjoyed just about everything else. They're missing a serious trick if they don't talk to Killer Mike though: for my money, there's not a more important rapper alive today.

 

They did a similar series on Chicago last year which you might have seen. The stories were just as interesting, but I find the characters in the ATL scene far more interesting. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

THIS, DICK, AIN'T, FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

 

This guy injects so much character and humour into heavy subject matter, it's ridiculous.

 

Still at a point where I'm not really able to articulate much more than "I LOVE THIS ALBUM," but holy fuck I love this album.

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I, too, am enjoying this Kendrick album.

EDIT:

WHY DO I LIKE IT?!

It just strives to be timeless. It'd be so easy to go for trappy textures, as is fashionable, but the production is lush. I will decide how much I like this and then I might say more.

How exciting.

Edited by waltz
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Listened to it this morning. Not really my cup of tea. Half of it sounds like interstitial music from the Cosby Show. I really wish I understood what it is that's making people fall over themselves with this album. King Kunta is a good track, didn't get anything out of it apart from that one.

 

I take it back, How Much A Dollar Cost is really great too.

Edited by ca_gere
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Listened to it this morning. Not really my cup of tea. Half of it sounds like interstitial music from the Cosby Show. I really wish I understood what it is that's making people fall over themselves with this album. King Kunta is a good track, didn't get anything out of it apart from that one.

 

I take it back, How Much A Dollar Cost is really great too.

 

That's pretty interesting, because I think King Kunta is probably my least favourite jam on the album.

 

It's his message, the skill with which it's delivered, and the way it meshes with the gorgeous musical backdrop. I've enjoyed the album from the first listen, but it really came together after giving it 4-5 plays, focusing on nothing else but the music. It transcends beats and rhymes. Like, it doesn't even matter that he is already one of the best rappers alive (imo). He's created this towering, novel-like experience that honesty leaves me with chills every time I get through it. It's how I felt watching the final episode of The Wire, or hitting the last page of The Great Gatsby. And the beats! By God, those beats. Calling them "beats" is insulting. These aren't just looped samples and scratches: they're gorgeous, fully-formed jazz and funk tracks.

 

This motherfucker had a conversation with Tupac on his album and it sounded natural, not corny or contrived. How is that even possible?

 

I dunno. I'm pretty bad at articulating why I like something, I think. I'm not trying to convince you, I just feel that this is a transcendent album, and one of the best I've ever heard.

 

... that being said, I've been jamming the hell out of the new Action Bronson album today. It's a lot of fun. So nice to just drift into his carefree, fun vibes after spending the last week rooting through Kendrick's density. 

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I think the mish-mash of jazz/funk elements didn't grab me. I think I was so focussed on that aspect (i.e. the fact I wasn't really into the music on most of the tracks) that the lyrics didn't stand out. I'll give it another few listens I think because I'm genuinely keen to get into it. 

 

I think a lot of Hip Hop I like is pretty straight forward. This is maybe too complex for my tastes. I like simple production and verses that you hang onto every word because you have no other choice. With this, there's a lot going on that diverts my attention. Take 'Institutionalized' for example... the verses are great but there's so many other elements going on (the group chorus at the beginning, the switching up of the beats a couple mins in, the panning) that by the end i'm not quite sure what i've listened to. That's probably why I like the tracks I do - they're the most straight forward. The Blacker the Berry is another great track.

 

I'll be listening to Action Bronson today. I watched that Coming to America video yesterday, didn't think it was very good so hope the album is better.

 

What else should I be listening to?

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I think the mish-mash of jazz/funk elements didn't grab me. I think I was so focussed on that aspect (i.e. the fact I wasn't really into the music on most of the tracks) that the lyrics didn't stand out. I'll give it another few listens I think because I'm genuinely keen to get into it. 

 

I think a lot of Hip Hop I like is pretty straight forward. This is maybe too complex for my tastes. I like simple production and verses that you hang onto every word because you have no other choice. With this, there's a lot going on that diverts my attention. Take 'Institutionalized' for example... the verses are great but there's so many other elements going on (the group chorus at the beginning, the switching up of the beats a couple mins in, the panning) that by the end i'm not quite sure what i've listened to. That's probably why I like the tracks I do - they're the most straight forward. The Blacker the Berry is another great track.

 

I'll be listening to Action Bronson today. I watched that Coming to America video yesterday, didn't think it was very good so hope the album is better.

 

What else should I be listening to?

 

That's cool man -- totally appreciate your stance. I'd say about 95% (maybe more) of the music I listen to is hip-hop, so I guess I have more time to invest into digging into things like the new Kendrick album. I love straightforward bangers as well though. Who can't throw on an Action Bronson record and just have fun with it? A person I don't like, that's who.

 

2015 has been an incredible year for hip-hop so far. Check out Fashawn's "The Ecology" album if you haven't -- really varied and well-rounded album, mostly produced by Exile. TUT's "Preacher's Son" mixtape has some great smoothed-out, soulful vibes and kinda reminds of Isaiah Rashad and Mick Jenkins. I'd be checking out Mello Music Group's "Persona" compilation too: that stable of artists is just ridiculously talented, and the album should point you towards each of their solo discogs. I've heard the new Earl Sweatshirt album is a big step forward, though I've not listened to it yet. 

 

So much heat, and we're not even out of the first quarter yet. It seems like an amazing project is dropping every couple of days at the moment. 

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