Wale – The Gifted (2013) – Review

Review: Wale seems to reside just on the precipice of blowing up – he has the lyrical skill and flow; he just has never had a big hit. His first two albums Attention Deficit and Ambition are both good, but do not stand out either. With his third album, The Gifted, Wale seems to have both embraced his place in hip hop and desperately grasped for a breakthrough hit with a somewhat random assembling of guest features.

The Gifted is at its best when Wale is just riffing off the beats. He has such a nimble flow and he is a layered storyteller that his raps alone are enough to sustain the listener. His lyrics give a much more nuanced and realistic view of urban culture than most other artists who still speak for the streets. Wale’s verses have substance. Musically, the album is very vibrant and often the beats have more of a live band feel, which is a nice change from the constant flow of EDM influenced hip hop songs (and just every genre really). The live drums really pop.

But for all its positives, the album is just flooded with pointless features by artistes that do not fit Wale’s sound, who seemingly are only there to increases sales and draw new listeners – like: Yo Gotti, Nicki Minaj, Juicy J, Rihanna, Wiz Khalifa, Ne-Yo, and 2 Chainz. None of them bring anything to the album. Wale’s MMG mates Meek Mill and Rick Ross also show up, but again neither stand out and their styles somewhat clash with Wale’s – though, Meek Mill and Wale do have some chemistry. The Gifted would probably be a better album without all these features (as really only Cee-Lo Green and Tiara Thomas bring something worthwhile), especially when the genre’s best recent albums (good kid, m.A.A.d city, Born Sinner, and Yeezus) have all been built around a singular voice – all these random features dilute the album’s impact.

The Gifted is sure to please fans of Wale, as it is a good hip hop album. However, it is also slightly disappointing (as it is almost a great album, held back by all the features). 3/5

Essential Tracks:

1)      Golden Salvation (Jesus Piece) – Produced by Lee Major

2)      Bad – Produced by Kelson Camp and Tiara Thomas, featuring Tiara Thomas

3)      88 – Produced by Just Blaze

Available on: Digital Download

Kendick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d. city (2012) – Review

Review: Compton MC Kendrick Lamar seems to be hip hop’s latest contender for the crown of best rapper alive, and with Kendrick it does not feel like such a stretch (in fact, he probably is). Technically, he is flawless. Lyrically, he is thoughtful and a wonderful storyteller. Artistically, he weaves hip hop’s present and past together magnificently. His aesthetic is one of the best in the genre. With his major label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick has made 2012’s best hip hop album so far.

The anticipation for good kid, m.A.A.d city has been immense, both from fans that loved Section.80 (his first studio album, and one of the best of 2011) and those intrigued by his signing with Dr. Dre and his string of great singles released in 2012 (The Recipe, Swimming Pools [Drank] and Compton). A song potentially slated to be on the album leaked in early 2012 called Cartoons & Cereal setting the mood for what good kid, m.A.A.d city would be like – the song is brilliant, as is the finished album.

good kid, m.A.A.d city plays as an introspective story following Kendrick’s journey through adolescence growing up in Compton (with the dangers, influences and culture the city encompasses), detailing the choices he made. It is an enthralling story that draws the listener in. Kendrick is not just boasting or rapping about wealth and the things that come with it, he is telling his fans about something real, something important, something we can care about and not just frivolous. And yet, he is still able to touch on many of the typical genre topics. He talks about how he survived the streets, the allure and pitfalls of chasing women, making money (though, there seems to be a negative connotation to what the cost of ‘making it’ is). In many ways the album is a love letter to Compton and warning to the youth still struggling to get through the day in the city (maybe best stated in Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst).

Musically, the album is like nothing else in hip hop. It references the West Coast sound that Kendrick grew up on (including appearances by MC Eiht and Dr. Dre), while also having the raw energy and anger of one of his main influences Tupac. But, Kendrick combines this with a very modern sound. He is very cognizant of where the genre has been and where it is going, and his place in it. His TDE/Black Hippy crew makes their mark on the album too with great production from Terrace Martin, Sounwave, and THC and a bitter (but poignant) verse from Jay Rock. Kendrick also has strong production from notable producers Pharrell, Just Blaze, T-Minus and Hit-Boy, and a guest verse from Drake.

Expectations for good kid, m.A.A.d were incredibly high, and Kendrick has delivered a classic album. It is a must for fans of hip hop. 5/5

Essential Tracks:

1)      Swimming Pools (Drank) Extended Version – Produced by T-Minus

2)      m.A.A.d city – Produced by Sounwave and THC, featuring MC Eiht

3)      Backseat Freestyle – Produced Hit-Boy

Available on CD and Digital Download

Drake – Take Care (2011) – Review

Drake – Take Care

For his sophomore effort, Drake made a much more atmospheric, musically cohesive album. Thank Me Later has better standalone singles. Take Care’s singles are strong too (Marvin’s Room, Headlines and Make Me Proud), but they serve the overall tone of the album. For the most part, this feels like a (drunken or ‘faded’) confession, as Drake explores his own sadness, hurt and loneness – both in growing up and in dealing with fame. There are hip hop boasts and hometown representing (par for the course), but the album is at its best when Drake digs deeper into his personal issues. There are also great moments when Drake references the music that influenced him (songs like Underground Kings and Practice). Drake has a very good flow and his sing-song style and singing works really well. It is clear that while Drake did not produce any of the tracks (though he is a co-producer on a few) he had a specific sound in mind when crafting Take Care. He works primarily with Toronto producer 40 (and a childhood friend) and T-Minus (also from Canada) – they produce on sixteen of the eighteen tracks. This gives Take Care a feel and sound that flows throughout (which is surprisingly rare in hip hop, even though most of the best albums have a distinctive and cohesive sound). Drake also has great guests and utilizes them well. Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and Birdman from his YMCMB crew make appearances (but are probably the least interesting of the features – though Nicki Minaj gives a decent verse). The other guests include Rick Ross (on a great Just Blaze track), Rihanna, Stevie Wonder, The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar (who is wonderful on the Buried Alive Interlude), and Andre 3000 (who drops one of the best verses on the album on The Real Her) – the latter three being the standouts. A minor issue with the album is that there are probably five too many songs (aka five weaker songs) that could have been left off, but overall Take Care is a strong effort and better than Thank Me Later. Drake two albums in (three if you count his So Far Gone EP or Mixtape) is already atop the game with the likes of Kanye West, Jay-Z and (sadly) Lil Wayne (because he is not that great anymore, most of his verses are just random gibberish these days – let us be honest with ourselves, Tha Carter IV was terrible, like a 2/5 at best, terrible for someone of his stature in the industry, but seemingly everyone still bought it, so I guess we can expect more less than efforts from him in the future) – and this is the kind of album you expect from an artist of his quality and standing in the game. 4/5

Editor’s Essential Tracks:

1)      Underground Kings – Produced by T-Minus and 40

2)      Crew Love – Produced by 40, Illangelo and The Weeknd, featuring The Weeknd

3)      Lord Knows – Produced by Just Blaze, featuring Rick Ross

Available on CD and Digital Download

Maybach Music Group – Self Made, Vol. 1 (2011) – Review

Maybach Music Group – Self Made, Vol. 1

The group is made up of label head Rick Ross’s three newest high profile signings: Wale, Meek Mill and Pill. Each has had their successes and failures before Ross brought them in (for example Wale released his debut album in 2009 Attention Deficit, which was one of the best hip hop albums of the year, but did not sell very well). This album is essentially a glorified mixtape, a little more polished sonically, but lacking great production throughout (though there are a few fantastic beats on it). That being said, it does serve as a great introduction to these artists and their rhyming skills – each with their own unique sound (personally I am a big fan of Wale, but Meek Mill has caught my interest due to this album). During the first listen-through, the album just sounds like a series of street-bangers in the mold of Ross’s own Lux Luger produced hits B.M.F. and MC Hammer, and certainly Ross played a major role in shaping the sound of this album and lends his voice to most of the songs in some capacity (after all he is the biggest name in MMG). However having gone through the album many times now, it offers a few chill and laidback grooves as well (reminiscent of a number of the track off Ross’s own Deeper Than Rap) that give the album a nice break.  It does not feature too many well-known producers, but Just Blaze and Lux Leger (producing the un-Lex Luger sounding That Way) each laydown a track. It also features a good list of hip hop’s hot MCs like Curren$y, J. Cole and CyHi Da Prynce lending verses. Some complain that Ross is trying too hard to get his MCs to do songs that sound just like his, but this is an MMG album, not a Pill, Meek Mill or Wale solo album (we will have to wait for their solo releases scheduled for 2011/12 to see how much Ross has indeed influenced them sonically). However, lyrically all three MCs touch on the material they are known for. While the album lacks great songs (though an argument can be made for Tupac Back and 600 Benz), it is solid throughout with really no bad songs or moments. For fans of the MCs, it should hold them over until the solo releases drop. 3/5

Editor’s Song Picks:

1)      Tupac Back – Meek Mill featuring Rick Ross, produced by Mike Will of Eardrummers

2)      600 Benz – Wale featuring Rick Ross and Jadakiss, produced by Cardiak

3)      Rise – Pill & Wale featuring Teedra Moses, Cyhi Da Prynce & Curren$y, produced by Cardiak

Available on CD and Digital Download

XV – Zero Heroes Mixtape (2011) – Review

XV – Zero Heroes

XV’s last mixtape Vizzy Zone was a solid entry, but the Kanas MC’s latest Zero Heroes has some great material on it. XV exhibits a wonderful talent for lyrics that appeal to those immersed in pop-culture (at least the geekier side of it) with sharp and playful references to comics, movies, music and so on. XV also continues to have a very fruitful working collaborative relationship with producer Seven – their work continues to produce the strongest songs on his albums and continues to be true with this one, even with better known producers like Just Blaze and Swiff D contributing beats. When XV does drop his first studio album, hopefully Seven will have some great material for him as they work so well together. XV has a number of good features on the mixtape with Pusha T and CyHi Da Prynce standing out (and guest producer J.Cole on the song Smallville, too bad he did not lay down a verse too), but XV is certainly the main attraction and voice of the album. Having listened to a few XV mixtapes now, I can say I am very excited to hear what he has in store for his fans on his upcoming studio album, as Zero Heroes is better than most studio albums I have heard this year. 3/5

Editor’s Song Picks:

1)      Textbook Stuff – Featuring Kendrick Lamar and produced by Seven

2)      U.F.C. – Featuring Kristina Rose and produced by Seven

3)      Awesome – Featuring Pusha T and produced by Seven

Available on Digital Download