Pusha T – Wrath of Caine Mixtape (2013) – Review

Review: Pusha T is ready to drop his first solo LP My Name Is My Name, but first he though we might all enjoy a mixtape. And, he was right, as Wrath of Caine is quite good. Building off the success of his Fear of God mixtape and Fear of God II: Let Us Pray EP from 2012, Pusha T has certainly put himself among the top MCs right now, and probably Kanye West’s best artist on his G.O.O.D. Music label. My Name Is My Name is one of the most anticipated hip hop releases of 2013.

Wrath of Caine finds Pusha T lyrically doing his normal thing, rapping about slinging cocaine with his great and easily recognizable ab-libs and religious imagery. Sure, maybe it is a little tired, but his word play, flow, and lyrical dexterity are fantastic making his raps delightful and engaging regardless. He also has a number of strong features, including Rick Ross, Wale, and his Re-Up Gang mate Ab-Liva.

Musically, Wrath of Caine is solid, with a street and reggae feel. It does not have that much flair, but it is only a mixtape and one would imagine that Pusha T is saving the best stuff for his album. That said, Southside, The Renegades, Young Chop, The Neptunes, Boogz N Tapez, Jake-One, and Bink! all provide good beats.

Even though this is just a prelude to his upcoming album, Wrath of Caine is better than most hip hop LPs and well worth checking out. 3/5

Essential Tracks:

1)      Blocka – Produced by Young Chop, featuring Popcaan and Travis Scott

2)      Millions – Produced by Southside, featuring Rick Ross

3)      Only You Can Tell It – Produced by Boogz N Tapez, featuring Wale

Available on: Digital Download

Pusha T – Fear of God II: Let Us Pray EP (2011) – Review

Pusha T – Fear of God II: Let Us Pray

Pusha T’s first commercial release as a solo artist and member of G.O.O.D. Music is a follow-up EP to his mixtape Fear of God. The EP features seven new tracks and five off Fear of God. Of the new tracks, three or four are album quality while the rest feels like mixtape material. Trouble on My Mind featuring Tyler, The Creator and produced by The Neptunes is a standout song (and one of my favorites of the second half of the year, plus the video is great too). The production quality outside of The Neptunes is not quite as good on the new tracks as those previously released, but they have more of a street-banger feel, which probably speaks to Pusha T being in a different place musically for Let Us Pray than when he recorded Fear of God. However, lyrically and delivery wise, Pusha T still comes with great flow and composition. We all knew he was great from his previous work with his brother Malice as a member of Clipse (the album Hell Hath No Fury is brilliant), but that said he is certainly putting forth very good material as a solo act that puts him near the top of the hip hop game. To me, this sounds more like another mixtape and is being used to test the commercial waters a bit. Though, Trouble on My Mind is good enough to make just about any hip hop album released this year. The Fear of God albums feel like just a preview of what we can expect from his first solo LP, which seems like it will be fantastic given his lyrics, flow and the better class of beats he will have on it. In terms of features, again just looking at the new material, Tyler, The Creator give a great verse and a half and is the standout accompanying act on the EP. Kanye West and Young Jeezy are decent but not memorable. Meek Mill lays down a good verse too on Body Work. However, aside from Tyler, The Creator, it is Ric Flair’s wrestling promo clip at the beginning of What Dreams Are Made Of that might be the best accompanying piece, it is both a brilliant clip and works well with the narrative of the album and the persona of Pusha T. I would not say the album is a must, based on the new material, especially if you have Fear of God and Trouble on My Mind already, but it is certainly a good pick up for fans of Pusha T, and a must if you do not yet have Fear of God. 4/5

Editor’s Song Picks:

1)      Trouble on My Mind – Produced by The Neptunes, featuring Tyler, The Creator

2)      Changing of the Guards – Produced by Rico Beats, featuring Diddy

3)      Amen – Produced by Shawty Redd, featuring Kanye West and Young Jeezy

Available on CD and Digital Download

The Cool Kids – When Fish Ride Bicycles (2011) – Review

The Cool Kids – When Fish Ride Bicycles

Finally The Cool Kids drop a new album (been waiting for this ever since The Bake Sale blew me away in 2008). The duo is made up of MC Sir Michael Rocks (from Chicago) and MC/producer Chuck Inglish (from Detroit).  The album features Chuck Inglish’s typical brash bumping poppy and hard drums and great musical accompaniments. It is also fitting that The Neptunes produce the last track on the album (Summer Jam), as they are one of the group’s major sonic influences. The Cool Kids pride themselves on being up on what is hot, or even telling everyone else what the new trends are (hence the name), thus the lyrics primarily focus on clothes, cars and everything else cool. The album has some great features on it as well, most notably from Ghostfast Killah on the crazy good track Penny Hardaway (musically, this one just reminds me all over again just how much I like this group). Travis Barker, Bun B, Asher Roth, and Chip tha Ripper also lend their talents. From the first track on (Rush Hour Traffic), it is clear that this is just what the fans were waiting for (me among them). If you like pop/hipster hip hop, you should check this album out. 3/5

Editor’s Song Picks:

1)      Penny Hardaway – Featuring Ghostface Killah, produced by Chuck Inglish

2)      Rush Hour Traffic – Produced by Chuck Inglish

3)      Summer Jam – Featuring Maxine Ashley, produced by The Neptunes

Available on Digital Download

Lupe Fiasco – Lasers (2011) – Review

Lupe Fiasco – Lasers

Lupe Fiasco’s third album (and long delayed) combines electro-pop beats with socially relevant and hopeful lyrics. There is definitely a commercial sound to the music, but it does not sound like everything else – which is greatly helped by Lupe Fiasco’s thoughtful and meaningful lyrics (sadly, an oddity among most commercial hip hop artists). While the music is more poppy than straight hip hop, the lyrist exhibits his fantastic flow over the array of electro infused anthems and fun songs. The album features work from many lesser known artists and producers, which gives it a fresh feel. Among the better known featured artists and producers are Trey Songz, John Legend, Alex da Kid, Kane Beatz, and Needlz. The two bonus tracks (the previously released singles) I’m Beaming and Shining Down are produced by The Neptunes and (frequent collaborator) Soundtrakk respectively, the latter featuring Matthew Santos who was also featured on Lupe’s biggest hit (Superstar). However, it is the guest appearances by Eric Turner, MDMA and Skylar Grey (Alex da Kid’s heavily promoted artist) that shine. The album’s two singles are both solid, but I personally prefer the musical accompaniment and politically charged lyrics of Words I Never Said to the more anthem sounding The Show Goes On. Overall, Lasers has a lot to like and is good for many spins, but Lupe Fiasco has the potential and certainly the lyrical skill to put out an amazing album and this is not it. 3/5

Editor’s Song Picks:

1)      Words I Never Said – Featuring Skylar Grey, produced by Alex da Kid

2)      I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now – Featuring MDMA, produced by The Audibles

3)      Break the Chain – Featuring Eric Turner and Sway, produced by iSHi

Available on CD and Digital Download