Thoughts On: I Don't Like Sh*t, I Don't Go Outside

Recommended tracks: Grief, DNA

Welcome back to Thoughts On, where I am still recovering from one of the most hype months of Hip-Hop music I have ever seen. Less than a week after the masterful Kendrick album we got a new single and a new album by Earl Sweat shirt seemingly out of nowhere. Much in contrast to various other albums coming out however, Earl's new joint is a minimalist project that is meant to focus on his personal depression and life status. Since the start of Earls young career (the man is only 21) he has seemed to only get darker and darker in terms of his music and honestly as someone who deals with depression I am glad that there is an artist who isn't afraid to just be honest?

So who is Earl Sweatshirt and why is his name so weird? Well Thebe Neruda Kgositsile (good luck pronouncing that) is a west coast rapper who first came into the public light with his mixtape 'Earl' that was made with the help of Tyler, The Creator. The mixtape was critically acclaimed and in typical Odd Future fashion touched on some pretty violent topics. Earl was 16 at that point in time and shortly after he was shipped off to boarding school by his single-mother who did not appreciate his violent music. The young member of Odd Future become a bit of a legend after that, with the internet wondering where he had disappeared to and collectively trying to find ways to bring him back. Well after his return in 2013 he dropped his first official album 'Doris,' one of most acclaimed albums of the year. At that point Earl become a bit of a star in the Hip-Hop world. Known for his fluid rhythmic patterns that often convey messages of sadness or loss mixed with his ability to make fun of situations and himself Earl serves as one of the darker sides of the next generation of rap music. In contrast to artists like Joey Bada$$ and Chance the Rapper, Earl's introverted tendencies show in his music and with his latest project we get to understand a little bit more about where that inspiration comes from. While the other members of Odd Future base there music around youth and the concept of growing up (or lack thereof), Earl's music has matured to the next of life which is “where do I go from here?”

So what does the album sound like? Well it starts off with 'Huey', a song composed of organs that sound like they are playing some sort of carnival game theme and Earl giving us lines that set up the setting and tone for the rest of the album. He talks about how these days he stays inside more, posted up with weed and liquor. He has to write things down faster because he can't seem to focus on things for too long anymore. He also speaks of drinking to his late grandmother, which a theme that we see emerge throughout the album. After a verse the song goes into a smooth instrumental breakdown that reminds of BBNG's signature style of Jazz Hip-Hop fusion. This makes sense considering: 1.) BBNG has worked with Earl before and even covered his songs and 2.) Earl produced this whole LP so naturally he may make sound that is reminiscent of the style he surrounds himself with. This flows into the next track 'Mantra', an angry track powered a combination of synthesizer chords and echoing drum hits that set the stage for Earl to rap about his experiences with his past relationship and how rumors were spread about him after his rise to fame. Specifically how lies got in the way of trust and even mistakes that Earl made were only made worse. The song then ends on another instrumental breakdown before 'Faucet' starts. This song touches on Earl's estranged relationship with his mother, again with simple kick snare beat, chords, and an occasional melodic set of eighth notes thrown in to give this a very chill sound. In this song he talks about how he hasn't been home in some time, probably since he was sent away after his debut mixtape. Since the release of his album it has changed his ambition and he has grown tired of being home. This contradicts the albums title and theme but it makes for a great concept. With such a sudden burst of fame you would want to keep the train rolling but your own depression is stopping you from pushing forward too much, you want to wash off the sadness but there is nothing you can do. All this is my own speculation but you can feel the twisted messages that Earl is putting out here. Next we have the single and my favorite track, 'Grief'. This track contains a floaty production and a snare that hits a bit too loud but stands to make the listener a bit uncomfortable, which may be the point. Hear we have the main selling point of this album, since it is hear that Earl talks specifically about the aftermath of his success and the resulting fake friendships, addictions, and fleeting encounters with women. The music video released for this song is shot entirely with negatives, which may mean that this song is a metaphor for finding out the true nature of those around you. The song also has drum fueled breakdown at the end. I really appreciate Earl's decision to let a lot of these beats just rock. The album is a reflection his thoughts and the constant continuation of beats just resembles the way thoughts hang in the air and don't get resolved. Next we have 'Off Top', a look into how Earl feels about him self. He raps about how he has been a burden since he was in the stroller, an angry child who missed his father. Funny enough this piano chord driven instrumental is the only song on the album not produced. The most reflective song on the project was musically handled by someone else. Maybe Earl wanted to just focus on telling his story and did not feel he could musically support his verse on this track. Skipping ahead to the last two tracks leads us to 'DNA', where in this dark tense song Earl raps about what he is made up of. A stubborn brain, stomach full of drugs, and a lack of bitch in his system. This is a confidence in Earl that very seldom comes out. His voice is usually monotone but even then you can pick up on the hints of emotions he is trying to convey. Featured on this track is Na'kel who gives this very off meter and kind of clumsy verse about his brother passing. While the delivery is not the best the picture that he paints of his brother and how he reacted to news of him moving up. It is brutally harsh depiction of grief and as the verse goes on he talks about how he plains to make him proud and live in a way that he could be happy about. Lastly the album finishes with the song 'Wool' featuring Vince Staples, a close friend and frequent collaborator of Earl. After an album of dark reflection we get this track that sounds like two friends doing their best to go in on a song rather than worry about the world around them. This may be a sign the Earl is feeling slightly better or at the very least is more comfortable in his skin. But after Earl's this no hook song just ends and the album is over.

I really like this album, while its short length and abrupt ending leave me wanting more, I cannot help but think this is only a stepping stone for Earl's next project. Granted he is not confirmed to be working on anything right now but this album may very well have been an experiment into his own ability as a solo artist (doing the majority of the production) and dealing with his demons. Granted things like depression don't just go away over night and it seems like Earl has some major things to work through and come to terms with but at the very least he has found a way to continue working at the same time. On a personal level the concept of this album is fantastic, an honest look into the minds of one of raps most prominent young MC's after being labeled a major success. We get to see the aftermath of what he does to himself both in celebration and penance of his actions, all the while he never stops delivering bars. Rap is such an odd genre, while none of these songs are radio hits in any way, the album as a whole speaks on themes that more people need to hear. Through the music we get see a young artist coping with things that a big chunk of people worldwide deal with as well. It is important for people to know that ever celebrities are still human and that some artists will go out of their way to make something this is a bit dark and uncomfortable for the sake of integrity or making a point. This may not be Earl's best work, but it has the most meaning behind it. From dealing with his mom, his grandma passing, depression leading to lethargy, and his past relationships Earl is putting himself out there. This is how you grow as a person and as artist, you have to come to terms with your past and put your best foot forward to be successful in the future. Only time will tell if Earl has gotten to the point where he wants to be. I recommended that you all: LISTEN SOON to this album, unless you are sensitive to depressing material in which case this is probably not for you.

Thank you all for reading, in the coming weeks I will be writing about Action Bronson and Fashawn's new albums and then taking a break from hip-hop to talk about the album 'Ibeyi'. Maybe even some Death Cab for Cutie, who knows? Stay tuned.

Thoughts On: To Pimp A Butterfly

Welcome back to Thoughts On, where I will be trying to prove that a 7 day-old album outshines the modern classic that came before it. This week we will be talking about To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar. Now this album was supposed to drop on the 23^rd, but due to a mix-up (which may or may not have been planned to celebrate the 20^th year of a Tupac album) the album came out early and the world exploded because of it. This was one of the most anticipated projects of the year, not only because of the rapper making it but also because of the speculation surrounding the album. With an album like good kid, m.A.A.d city, or GKMC for the sake of my carpal tunnel syndrome, it was impossible to fathom where Kendrick could go next. Often cited as a true underdog of Hip-Hop, this artist has been making a huge impact on the game since his rise to the public eye a few years back. Luckily, with this new album he managed to stay true to himself while also creating what may possibly be one of the greatest albums I have ever heard.

So who is Kendrick Lamar? K-dot is a rapper from Compton, California who is steadily carrying on the legacy started by other West Coast rappers. Considering NWA and Tupac are both huge influences for him, it is easy to understand the kind narrative that Kendrick builds through his music and personal philosophy. First reaching widespread attention in his Overly Dedicated mixtape Kendrick demonstrated his knack for rhyming ability and smooth song crafting. A year later he released Section.80, a dark album setting up the narrative of broken neighborhoods and moral ambiguity. This album was incredibly well-received and it was at this point that Kendrick became more widely known as an underdog of Hip-Hop. Even among his TDE label mates (Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, and Isaiah Rashad, almost all of whom were members of their own group Black Hippy before getting signed), this quiet, little rapper was making solid hits and demonstrated a level of rhyming proficiency that could only come from years of practice and hard work. Then, in 2012, he released GKMC, which has since been deemed as a modern classic in most circles and a high point of this decade’s Hip-Hop music. This brought Kendrick into the public eye more than ever before, all without having to rely on hits, despite this being the trend nowadays. Even his songs that became radio and mainstream hits reflected his pure style and contained dark subject matter. Then, in 2013, Kendrick had one of the most controversial and exciting verses of the last few years on Big Sean's song 'Control', in which he calls out rappers by name, claims himself King of both rival Hip-Hop coasts, and brought back the sense of competition to the rap game. A lot of famous rappers responded with their own verses and, while Kendrick never responded to them, it was around this time that he became known as 'King Kendrick'. This man had gone from the underground to many top 5 MC lists in a matter of years and, with no 2013 or 2014 release, many wondered where his music would go.

Compared to an artist like Kanye, who is a better producer than wordsmith, Kendrick is a lyricist through and through. After GKMC and his 'Control' verse, the expectation was that he would drop more poetic songs that would somehow come together and make something that paralleled his classic. The first taste that we were able to get of the album was the single 'i', an upbeat song about loving oneself even in the roughest of situations that sampled 'Who's That Lady' by The Isley Brothers. The response to this song was incredibly mixed; while I personally loved it for the fusion of soul and positivity, others took it as a sign of Kendrick “selling out” and trying to make more pop-like music that would sell better. While his live performances on SNL and the Colbert Report more or less showed people he was staying true to his roots, people started to doubt Kendrick's sound. Then, just a month before the album’s release, he put out the single 'The Blacker the Berry', a heavy song about racial profiling, oppression, and hypocrisy in the black community. With these two singles out, it became clear that no one would be able to properly decipher where this album would be going. However, many predicted that it would be stellar, regardless of its direction. Kendrick’s interviews prior to the album’s release revealed that this was going to be a hard-hitting and honest piece of work, with several musical features that would tonally outclass GKMC. When it finally released, we received an album that fused all major elements of black music that also told a story of depression, racism, selling out, and finding peace within oneself. Somehow Kendrick had succeeded in making another fantastic album.

So what does the album sound like? Well it starts out with 'Wesleys Theory',which starts out with the chorus from the 1973 soul anthem 'Every Nigger is a Star' by Boris Gardiner. This song sets the tone for one of the main themes of this album before changing into a funky breakdown fueled by basslines and classic funk wah wah's reminiscent of Soul Train. You hear instrumentals from Flying Lotus (a huge inspiration behind this album) and Bassist Thundercat all over this intro and it makes for a fantastic opener. This song turns out to be about the pimping of black artists in the music industry who get signed and then lose themselves in the money or fame. After tasting fame, Kendrick may be aware of what people expect to happen to him or what he may have experienced himself. Next we have the interlude 'For Free?' (the two interludes on this album honestly function well as proper songs within their own context); here you’re presented with a female giving someone a hard time, verbally abusing them until Kendrick comes in to respond with the prominent line, “This dick ain't free”. After this hilarious but oddly provoking line Kendrick goes off on a rant about how much he works for the money he strives to earn, all over a straight standard Jazz bass line drum riff playing in the background, as if this rant was happening in some jazzy nightclub. Some have speculated that this builds off the metaphor of the previous song, but to me this short interlude highlights the time-old black struggle of looking for our 40 acres and a mule; how we work so hard for others gain and never get anything ourselves. This idea will come back in the future. Next is 'King Kunta', another song that starts with a funky bass and evolves over the course of the song. This song, playing off the character Kunta Kinte from the classic novel/Tv series “Roots” describes his personal rise from “a peasant to a king.” Not only is this a funky song that fuses Kendrick's confidence and storytelling with an amazing musical backing, but it is also at the tail end of this song that we hear the first part of a poem that is constructed throughout this album.

Kendrick delivers the line, “I remember you was conflicted” in order to sum up the aforementioned rags to riches concept and set up the next song,'Institutionalized'. In this song, which features a simple keyboard-focused intro before musically shifting to the smoother chord and snare powered main song, Kendrick speaks on the woes of relying on material means and systematic oppression that he and many others suffer from. At the same time he states that nothing will change unless you change it, a light of hope in a dark tale of being powerless. Snoop Dogg is featured in this song with a bedtime story-like reminder of where Kendrick is from and claiming that Compton is a “divine city.” This may be in order to support the idea that Kendrick is a prophet and savior of the rap game, not by choice mind you, but by our own perceptions. In the following song, 'These Walls', we hear more of the poem at the start and immediately hear pained moaning wails and someone slamming the keyboard of a piano before the main instrumentals kicks in; additionally, this track features vocals by Bilal and Anna wise. This is one of my personal favorite songs on the album based on production alone, but when the lyrics start up this becomes a complex song that juxtaposes vaginal walls with the walls that we as people feel trapped behind. Using the old phrase “if these walls could talk”, he goes back and forth talking about sex and prison sentences, showing both the most pleasurable and painful of human experiences. His poem snippet about feeling conflicted could highlight the real meaning behind the song. We are all trapped in the never ending battle between pleasure and pain, and, as a popular artist, temptation to stay in one for fear of being swallowed by the other seems to always be on the rapper’s mind. Next we have the darkest song on the album, 'u'. Here we hear more wailing, another bass riff, and a wicked saxophone solo by Terrace Martin (who is also all over this album). This song is the polar opposite of the song 'i' and encompasses all of the rapper’s doubt and guilt. This is a tale of self-loathing that culminates in a heartbreaking verse from a drunken Kendrick in a hotel room, bad-mouthing what seems to be himself while audibly taking swings of a hard drink. This is a low point in the rappers life that he was able to honestly demonstrate in such a way that you can almost personally feel.

About halfway through the album we get the 'For Sale?', another interlude in which the character of Lucy is properly introduced as an antagonist. As this song progresses, again another melodic joy with Terrace Martin taking up production, we hear of Lucy (short for Lucifer) and how she has tempted other rappers in the past and is now going after Kendrick. This interlude actually gives major insight into how the god-fearing rapper must feel about others who lose themselves to temptation. It is not simply bad choices but physical temptation that sends some off the deep end. In the transition to 'Momma', which starts with Kendrick declaring he has gone home, we get to see the rapper’s take on his own personal growth and how he has done his best to fight Lucy's temptations. Kendrick extends the metaphor of a mother having an opinion of a girl that you bring home to show that he needed some sense of self that could only be given to him at the place where he started his journey. As he states, “I know everything, I know Compton, I know street shit, I know shit that's conscious, I know Compton”. Being hailed as the king of conscious rap, it is good to see Kendrick having some sort of pride in his ability. It is at this point where the album makes its transition into a ballad of change. Skipping ahead to the song 'Complexion (A Zulu Love)', we get a song about the importance of loving yourself regardless of your complexion. We hear a tale of a slave devoted to a person he has a romantic affair with, as well as how little this complexion affects his devotion. The bassline with an occasionally horn-driven instrumental eventually gets chilling vocals that add a beautiful tone to this powerful message that Kendrick is trying to put out. Female rapper Rhapsody makes an appearance and is the only person to have a lyrical verse on the album besides K-dot. Her bars are well used, to say the least. While not as poetic as her peer, her raw, truth-telling verse pushes forward the important of loving yourself, that reds and blues don't matter, and that maybe one day the media will reflect the love for us that we need to show for ourselves. 

Going ahead a bit to 'i', this song takes a totally different meaning when put in the context of this album. It also sounds different than its single variant. It sounds like it takes place live in a club, with Kendrick being introduced before the song starts. He then stops the song halfway through to speak to his less than receptive audience about the importance of loving life. They were rowdy at the start of the song but as he speaks you can hear the crowd quiet down a bit and proceed to listen. He then goes into a short spoken word piece about the word “Negus” and how it was twisted and used to control instead of carrying its original meaning of royalty and black excellence. This once polarizing song, in its true context, becomes one of the most prominent positive messages that a rapper has dared to put out in several years. Finishing up this album we have the 12 minute 'Mortal Man', in which Kendrick asks his listeners if they would still be a fan if he was accused of getting into some sort of scandal. He criticizes the faith of listeners who doubt some of the most influential artists and thinkers of our time and write off their achievements for potential blemishes on their character. After the song ends we finally get to hear the whole poem that Kendrick has been using to guide us through the album, and it turns out that he had been reciting the poem to his hero Tupac the entire time. After this he asks Pac a question and the two engage in a sort of back and forth that is a result of some of the most clever audio editing I have heard on an album. We get to hear Pac speak on issues that are still relevant to this day, showing how timeless some of his ideals were. On the flip side, we get hear his more radical beliefs and the contrast is just astonishing. The audio is from a 1994 interview and the way the man talks it seems like he could tell the future. Afterward Kendrick recites a final poem about a caterpillar and the potential it hold relative to the butterfly, which people love more for its appearance. He asks his idol’s opinion one last time but gets no response. Then the album is over.

To put it lightly this is the best album to have been released in 2015 thus far. To give more weight to it, I think this album carries more importance, symbolism, and overall cultural value than GKMC. Aside from the fact that the music on this project is stellar all across the board, with some of the most talented musicians on the West Coast leaving their marks all over the album, this album came at the perfect time. With recent racial tensions and black power experiencing a resurgence, we need music like this - music that reminds of where we came from by blending Funk, Soul, Jazz, and Hip-Hop all with spoken word and a flowing narrative to paint a picture of the black struggle and black pride. It was extremely hard to choose what tracks to talk about because this whole album is a continuous story that feels incomplete if you leave anything out. What Kendrick has given us is not just an album, but a statement. This album has been getting unreal reviews, and rightfully so; this is the kind of album that defines a shift in style, the beginning of a new musical subgenre, or even a new era. In interviews, Kendrick often talked about the depression that GKMC sent him through and how kids would tell him that he was the reason they were still alive. Being hailed as the new Tupac or savior of Hip-Hop is not easy for a man who simply enjoys his work and loves music. You can feel it in his songs that Kendrick’s lyrical ability and choice of narratives are on par with none. Described as being able to rap and adjust “like a horn player” by Terrace Martin, this man has given music a wake-up call. This is what artists should strive to do: create good music that also has a meaning that extends past the present. That is what makes music so special, its ability to transcend time and impact our lives years from now. Just as Tupac influenced him, Kendrick has taken up the mantle and continues to wow and influence us. If you don't get it by now I highly recommend you: LISTEN NOW. This album is incredible and me simply talking about it does not do it justice.

Thoughts On: Sour Soul

Recommended Listening: Sour Soul, Six Degrees, Ray Gun.

Welcome back to Thoughts On, where I talk about music and ignore all outside opinions. Hot off of spring break we just got hit with a new Kendrick Lamar album and the jazzy hip-hop blend of music continues. That however is a beast I will attempt to tackle next week after I have had time to cool down. This week we are talking about 'Sour Soul', a collaborative album between Wu-Tang legend Ghostface Killah and fairly new Jazz trio called BADBADNOTGOOD (BBNG). To be honest at the start of the year I had no interest in this project but after I looked in the mirror and accessed my life I realized that I had to hear it. As I have mentioned before there has been a trend of collaborative albums coming out recently but I maintain that this is one of the most unique. With such a new group working with essentially a hip-hop legend one could only imagine the kind of project they would put together. Luckily for us it is pretty good.

For a it a background BBNG is a Jazz trio from Toronto, Canada. Made up of friends who met each other via a college Jazz program and bonded over a love of Hip-Hop music. They then made covers of famous Hip-Hop songs which got the attention of rapper Tyler, The Creator who helped them get well deserved recognition. Since then the group has put out three albums, performed all over the world, and now produced for major rappers. I heard about them when I saw a review for their newest collab album and I decided to just binge everything they have put out. Almost instantly I was hooked and they are now one of my favorite bands. They have a great way of fusing Jazz with Hip-Hop and laying out elaborate road maps with their music that creates this great visual imagery and makes their tiny band seem massive and experienced. On the flip side of BBNG we have Ghostface who is a member of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan and one of the best lyrical story tellers the genre has seen. With his albums often taking heavy narrative themes like murder, revenge, and of course ghosts. He has seen an abundance of success both with his group and as a solo act, but how does he fare when paired with such a Jazzy band? It turns out that their ability to create visual imagery sets them up for a brief, but grand walk into a dreamlike fusion of old school and new. This is actually going to be an incredibly hard album to talk about because it is so heavily based in music that what I say may not translate well.

So what does the album sound like? Well to put it simply it sounds like a dream, with wavy production and a vibe that reminds me of beaches and Hotline Miami. Opening with 'Mono' this instrumental starts off a simple bass pattern with little explosions of chords by keyboards and hi-hats every few measures. It is slow buildup that does an excellent job at setting up the pace of the album. This project is not fast nor is it very heavy, rather it is meant to hit lightly and stay in your mind just like an old Jazz tune might do. The title that follows, 'Sour Soul', is where we first hear Ghostface come in and lyrically drop bars about how he feels about the government. This is the first hint we have that this album could be politically charged as he takes about being chipped and monitored his major distaste of government authoritative establishments, and seeing UFOs fly out of the back of a truck. The instrumental to this song is a slow and steady with more chordal bursts thrown in through out. The bursts come in the form of nice triplets that form a nice framework for the idea that Ghostface is living the life of a sour soul in a land of the free. Next we have 'Six Degrees' which reminds me of a Snoop Dogg kind of beat, which is not by any means a bad thing but it has an air of west coast that I just love. It is collection of musical Wahs that hit every few beats and then a snare comes in to fill in for the empty space. Lyrically this song is Ghostface talking his hard persona and street personality. It has an awesome feature by Danny Brown, whose comedic themes and unique delivery help push forward the idea that there are six degrees of separation between us and the artists. While this albums short length makes it hard to cement any sort of consistent theme, the next song 'Gunshowers' seems to carry themes of revolution, again referring back to the same ideas as 'Sour Soul' and calling people to action. This violent tale of gun showers and rebellion highlights Ghostface's signature style backed by a wild guitar and smooth drums. Skipping ahead a bit we have my favorite song on the album, 'Ray Gun' which features another rap legend, MF Doom. This song filled superhero and comic book imagery has probably the bright production with music that sounds out of an old martial arts move then transitions into an old spy theme by the end. The whole album blends together well and has an interesting way of carrying you through time and sounding like what Ghostface may have listening to growing up. In 'Nuggets of Wisdom' we get a short verse about what it means to be righteous and Ghostface references the Qu'ran and it actually makes for an interesting change of pace tonally. As much as Ghostface loves to talk about danger it seems like at the end of the day he is still using his words as a vehicle to inspire. On the last lyrical track 'Food' we get a beautiful chord progression that feels like it is making a statement just as Ghostface comes at us with a tale of how he used to to be a villain but now he makes food for thought, so choosing to use his newly cleansed soul to try and and help others get clean. This track is meant to stick with you as Ghostface's last words before the project ends with 'Experience' which starts as the intro does but expands on it musically and closes the album on a strong note.

This album is great but it feels too short. There is not enough time for Ghostface to lyrically get all his themes across and it seems like he just wanted the music to take priority, which is fine but I was just left wanting more. BBNG has more than held there own and not once did it seem like they could not keep up with one of the greats. The production is fantastic, the lyricism perfectly suits it, but I can't help but feel like it is the precursor to something. As far as collaborations though what we have here is a seamless blending of two unique styles that if given more time or a more expansive idea could easily reliever a modern classic. Projects like this need to be made so artists can see the potential of what you can do with your music. Here in this album the instrumentals do not just sit in the background they play a vital role in how you understand the tone of every song. The way it blends tells one how story and the different songs highlight points across the journey. I want more. I recommend that you: Listen Soon to this album because it opens the door for more and more things like this to exist. We already have artists like Terrace Martin and Flying Lotus bridging the gap between genres and now with Kendrick Lamar's new album we see an even more pronounced fusion of styles. With all this amazing crossover that is shaking the foundation and re-defining how certain music is perceived it certainly is a good time to be a Hip-Hop fan.

Thoughts On: Tetsuo & Youth

Recommended Listening: Mural, Prisoner 1 & 2, Adoration of the Magi

Welcome back to another installment of Thoughts On, where I feign musical knowledge in such a way to trick my readers into thinking I can write legit reviews. Just a warning now this will be one of the most bias things I ever write because this week we are talked about Lupe Fiasco's 'Tetsuo & Youth'. Now Lupe is one of my favorite rappers whom I have been following for years and I was anxiously waiting this release back in January. I would like to say that I spent the almost two months between release and this write up deeply analyzing the album but honestly I just got caught up in a bunch more music. That being said I think this work is phenomenal and I am going to try my best to fairly explain my point of view. It should also be noted that this may be the last album from Lupe for a while, as he split with his current label and wants to disappear from the mainstream eye after promotion of his album is done.

I remember being a junior in high school and catching wind of this rapper by the name of Lupe Fiasco. Curious I do what I always do, download multiple albums and try and access whether or not I like this artist. These albums I got of course being 'Food & Liquor' and 'The Cool', which now stand as classics of the 00's era of hip-hop music. But who was this Lupe character? Well he is a rapper from Chicago (one of the biggest breeding grounds of major rappers) who was probably first notably heard on a guest verse on Kanye West's song 'Touch the sky', where his clever wordplay and nerdy overtones gathered attention. Later that year his solo album (Food and Liquor) dropped and the rest is history. Now Lupe is an interesting rapper in his own right, he is lyrically one of the most complex rappers I have ever heard (matched only really by Kendrick and Eminem) but his real power is how he is able to paint such complex narratives within his music that is so vivid it is almost tangible. He talks a lot of video games, anime, and early on how he used to hate hip-hop music. At the time I resonated more so with him than any other rapper (Except Gambino) and I was amazed that one could be so outwardly nerdy and still be a respected rapper. His first two albums were chock full of allusions that took months to fully decipher and Lupe become the new face of Conscious Rap. To anyone who doesn't know, Conscious Rap is simply a pet name given to a sub-genre of hip-hop that focuses on either pressing external issues or puts emphasis on intelligent lyricism. As years went on however Lupe became entangled with his Atlantic music label and put out the less than stellar album 'Lasers', which has an odd mix of positive energy and anti establishment views. It was a high polarizing album' with most Lupe fans not liking the direction his music was taking. Later on in 2012 he released 'Food and Liquor part II' and while it was much better than Lasers it still did not live up to the legacy of his earlier work. At lot of this was apparently caused by what the label did and didn't want Lupe to put on his albums, and Tetsuo & Youth was shaping up to be an entirely different album before he took a bit more control and changed the whole project. There were a good 3 singles released to promote the album and none of them made it on. The only single the album has is Deliver, which is a result of the project changing so much in its life cycle.

So what does the album sound like? Well T&Y has a bit of a short track list, a 16 piece album made up of 12 tracks and 4 interludes based on the 4 seasons, but it does not lack in length or depth. The album starts with the interlude 'Summer' in which a bright violin plays while you can hear the sounds of children splashing in water in the background. From the jump it seems like Lupe is going with a more artist approach, and while some may see this as pretentious I see it as purposeful. He wants this album to be a reflection of his artistry and not just a collection of singles. After Summer we get 'Mural', a fantastic 9 minute song with no hook that is just Lupe doing what he does best. It samples the song 'Chanson d'Un Jour d'Hive' by Cortex and has probably one of the best sounding openings to a hip-hop song I have ever heard. The original song is a beautiful piece of work and Mural uses it well to not just open up the album lyrically but make a statement. The are so many great lines in this song it is hard to know where to start but as a Lupe fan I cant tell you this is one of his best songs, period. With references to old cartoons that then play into metaphors for food, nods to the video games and comic characters of his childhood, and social commentary this dense song only let me know the the Lupe I loved was back. Now spoiler for the rest of the review, since Lupe's lyrics usually take on a sort of mysticism the following interpretations of mine may be completely different from the actually meaning of the song or just plain wrong. In 'Dots & Lines' which opens with this incredibly impressive banjo solo that plays before the beat kicks in (which must have been do in-house because it is not listed as being sampled), which is a hard snare pattern supported by what sounds like a harmonica. It reminded me of Stevie Wonder in terms the amount of the soul approach it is taking and it as a super simply and catchy about sacred geometry and lines. Now one interpretation of this song is just how we all fall into specific patterns and follow certain rules that we didn't even know existed, as shower by Lupe's line “I walk as my father walk, master builder is what I thought”. But according to Rap Genius (which again I have to look about because Lupe is literally everywhere lyrically) they see this song as Lupe's desire to be free of Atlantic records, as shown by the very title of Dots & lines meaning contracts.

After this we have another interlude, this time 'Fall'. And while you can still hear the children laughing but this time we hear the crunch of leaves instead of water. And the violin is now joined by a a bass playing jazz professions and a high hat being hit in the background. The first song in this section is 'Prisoner 1 & 2' another 8 minute song about the incarceration system and the hypocritical nature of it. One of Lupe's close friends Chilly Chill is currently imprisoned (something that Lupe has addressed multiple times on his other works) so it is not hard to see how Lupe could paint such a view picture of experiences inside a correctional facility. Again following tradition of this album the instrumental is composed of a Violin, this time with a piano and snare making up this somber beat that is meant to make you reflect. About halfway through the song however the mood changes and you can hear a standard collect call message from a prison play (it also played at the beginning but here its meant to show a shift) and the instrumental gets the added of musical force of Lupe's vocal's and the sounds of prison cell bars closing that sends shivers down your spine. He then transitions into what seems like a correctional officers perspective of the system and how we are still slaves even when in a position of power. This whole song shows two types of prisoners and is again one of the better songs of Lupe's career, full of fantastic imagery and a haunting message. Next we have 'Little Death' and this song is a beautiful tale of religious perspective told from the view point of multiple major religions. It is already well known that Lupe is major supporter of third world countries and their right to practice religion freely (coming from a complicated religious background himself it makes sense). And the reason I chose this song to talk about is just how amazing it sounds musically. There is a live performance of this and honestly it does well to blend perception of modern rap music. I think all rappers should have live bands playing with them, and with a combination of horns, Nikki Jeans amazing voice, and a smooth bass this sound just shows what hip-hop can be.

The Next Interlude is winter and the Violin now sounds harsh and urgent. No longer are there children laughing but only the sounds of winter winds blowing in the background. It sounds barren and hollow. Next is 'Chopper' which to be is the “worst” song on the album to me, but the story behind the song is interesting. This 9 minute song has the most out of place sounding instrumental, it hits the ear more like a club banger which no other song on this album does. There are still great musical elements but on the whole it stands out as being different. Now a friend of mine who listened to this song and is not a Lupe fan hated this song for its obscene length, which is understandable, but on a Radio interview Lupe said that he also hated how long the song was. This song was a result of Lupe getting some of the realest rappers he knew, people from the harsh streets, and putting them on a track. The song kept getting longer and longer because the rappers had so much to say, and Lupe didn't want to cut them off so what you get is an extended piece that does what most club bangers do while also remaining aware. Next we have the single off this album, 'Deliver'. This is the most straight forward song in terms of what it is trying to say, but how it says it is still full of complex word play and a catchy hook. The song is about how pizza delivery's don't usually come to certain parts of the ghetto because of how dangerous they are. Lyrics recited over a heavy bass and chorus of singers that come in to sing the hook, “pizza man don't come here no more” tell a sad story broken projects and the self perpetuating mindset of the ghetto. The last song I want to talk about is “Adoration of the Magi”, which starts off with this amazing jazzy horn section, a steady collection of snaps and nice bass progression. Lyrically this song has Lupe seeming encouraging us to make mistakes and not get too lost in the control the world has over us because as the chorus states we are all just babies in the grand scheme of things. We have so much yet to see and do that it seems pointless to fret the little things. Also this has one of the best Lupe Verses in terms of how it is rhythmically orated. The third verse is full such a smoother recitation of words that all play off the the previous syllables of the last line that you really have to hear to full comprehend. The album ends with the interlude 'Spring', in which the bright violin of summer returns along with the laughing children and sounds of birds chirping. Overall a beautiful way to end an album.

There are tons of interpretations of what this album is supposed to mean. I think it is artistic statement of what Lupe can do that is full of his desire to break free of his label chains and make music the way he wants to. This album is like a novel that will give you a different feeling every time you listen to it. I think this is project is a masterpiece, and unless something unexpected happens in the world it will defiantly be in my top ten of 2015. Although it is March now this album set the bar for all of 2015 when it dropped in January. I love the musical motifs and unreal imagery that Lupe has shown us that has not lost the inspiration to provide. I recommended you: Listen Soon to this album and prepare yourself for one of the best albums from one of the best rappers out in the public eye. Thank you all for reading and next week I will be reviewing 'Soul Soul' By Ghostface Killah and one of my new favorite bands BADBADNOTGOOD.

Thoughts On: Dark Sky Paradise

Recommended Listening: All your fault, Paradise, Research

Welcome back to Thoughts On, this week I will be talking about Big Seans 'Dark Sky Paradise'. The next few weeks are going to be crazy, with spring break next week, so many albums coming out this month, and me needing to catch up on certain albums (Tetsuo and Youth for example) things are going to be a tad bit busy. But after a month or so of doing this I can honestly say I have never been more excited to be a music fan and share my opinions with the world. I also want to take this week and pose a question. What is the stereotypical rapper like in your eyes? When you think of mainstream rap who do you picture? Are you more Drake or Kendrick? The reason I ask is because I personally think Big Sean is the one of the most stereotypical rappers out their right now and this album only served to push that point.

Much like Drake I am not much of a Big Sean fan. He has had some hits like 'Clique' and 'Beware' that I really enjoy but I just never took the time to sit down and listen to him. I actually had no intention of doing a review on the album but it caught my interest more than I thought it would. Sean is a Detroit rapper (much like Eminem and Danny Brown) who has a boisterous honest rapping style and spares no punchlines and sounds confident no matter what the song. Sean has been rapping since his teens, meeting Kanye in his youth and dropping a few bars was able to get signed to G.O.O.D music and later Def Jam. However it took a few years for him to get into the public eye. Unfourtunatly Sean suffers from the people he has gotten entangled with. Having dated his high school girlfriend for 6 or so years, then moving onto Naya Rivera (a Glee Star) and things having gone sour a lot of people only Sean as “that guy who broke up with Naya”. Now the man is good in his own right but he just never gets his chance to shine it seems. In a recent interview with power 106.1 The Breakfast Club, Sean stated that even Lil Wayne recognizes is lack of good publicity and made sure to point that out on a verse on a song he is feature in on DSP. Now he has a bunch of other mixtapes and albums you can listen too because he is not by any means a new artists, however I think this album represents a change in his career which is why I am writing about it. Sean represents the typical rapper, where hard work leads to a payoff and then become thrown into a lavish lifestyle. He has spoken at great lengths about this lifestyle but has always seemed very reserved about how he feels about it. To me at least this represents the paradox of modern day rappers who are actually decent people. How do aspire to this type of life without it ruining your personality? I think that is what this album represents and darker production and moody tone only serves to emphasize my point.

So whats it sound like? Well it opens with 'Dark Sky( Skyscrapers)' in which Sean tells of how he has come from his basement all the way to the top of skyscrapers. Typical rap cliches but the striking thing is the epic production that the lyrics are paired with. The first half sounds like a movie title theme. It feels like it is moving and has purpose, with vocals, church bells, and no real hip-hop snare or drop to be found. Half way through a snare kicks but quickly pulls out. The instrumental evolves as Seans story unfolds. He has a very fast lyrical style so the way the music stays calm as he is going crazy with his rhymes just makes for a good contrast and a great introduction. As you all may know I LOVE good intros to albums, just like an overture of a musical it is important that the intro gives a good road map of where the project is going. Whether musically, tonally, or lyrically, I think intros are important. Right in the first song we are given a taste the darker mood that Sean is going for and it continues through the whole album. He also has an interesting line where he says “funny how it took four years to become an overnight success” referring to the stigma about him being a new rapper out of nowhere, much like I said before he has been at it for a decade and is finally getting to show a more wholesome sound. The next song is one of the singles, 'Blessings' Featuring Drake and it talks of how lucky Sean is to have gotten to where he is, a humble moment for the artist that is given more punch from Drakes feature. The only way to describe the instrumental for this song is haunting. It is not meant to jump to it is meant to linger. It echoes and dark chords and the snare often plays background and stops to make room for the more thematically relevant parts. Sean also talks of his recently deceased Grandmother (whom I learned played a large role in his raising) and how he is now the man of the house and cannot afford to slow down now. Moving on we have 'All your fault' With Kanye and Travis $cott. This is one of the best songs on the album. With a beat that reminds you of older kanye and lyrical features that allude to Eric Garner and recent protests it is hard not to love this song. There is a part later in the song where Kanye and Sean rap back in forth in such a way that they are finishing each others lyrics and honestly I was so shocked how little I have of this kind of rap pairing before. It shows that these two may have indeed personally worked on this song together rather than just sending a beat back and forth (which makes sense with Sean being good friends with Kanye and being a part of his label and such). I wont touch on every piece but there is a big gripe I have with this album that rears itself right in the next song: DJ Mustard. I am not a big fan of DJ Mustard, in fact whenever I hear his ad lib thrown into all his beats (which all use similar professions and tonal enhancements) I just kind of hang my head and sigh. Sean has two Mustard beats on this album, and that to me is two too many. Not a tone of rappers use Mustard's beats and have made largely popular hits with them (Rack City, Loyal, Don't Tell em, etc.) and that is fine but all those songs lack any sort of interesting message or artistic integrity. Mustard makes radio/club hits and that is about it. The start 'I don't fuck with you' has this great soulful intro that is then ruined by a typical Mustard sound and lyrics that are more catchy then anything else. This is not really a bad song it just breaks the flow of the album for me. The soulfulness returns at the end of the song along with another verse and I wish that had been the whole song. In my eyes if Sean wants to be a well respected rapper he needs to make sure his music can be taken seriously and Mustard is not serious.

Halfway through the album the song 'Paradise' comes on and it feels like a great interlude in which Sean talks about how he is in a kind of paradise. However the way that the beat kicks in, which is more aggressive and meant to match Seans lyrics instead of accompany them, and Sean's actual tone make this a very dark song. He is in a way talking about his addiction to money and the lifestyle he has always dreamed of. Getting into that kind of position can taint a lot of people and I think Sean is experiencing that first hand and coming to terms with his morals and desires. Skipping ahead we have the most inspiration track on the album 'One man can change the world' with Kanye and John Legend. This is not something I would expect on a Big Sean album. It is a piano driven ballad in which Sean talks about his dreamer days. How he can from a drug filled environment and dreamed of success. He compares himself to the stars in how they both shine. The song is about loving yourself and using that as motivation. Now here is where things get odd. He has an outro that ends with stormy weather sounds much like his album began, but the bonus version continues the darker theme. His song 'Research' with his girlfriend Ariana Grande (another favorite song of mine) has this great R&B vocal loop that sets the slow pace that Grande eventually sings to for the hook. This is about the concept of groupies researching who is the most successful artist to follow and checking out certain people before you mess with them, which I am sure Big Sean has experience with. Then album ends with 'Platinum and Wood' which serves as a better outro than the alleged outro. It sums up the theme of dealing with fame and struggling to be relevant in your own way whilst storms sound off in the background and it eventually loops back to the same exact sound clip that playing in the intro. I love the concept of bonus tracks keeping in line with the rest of the album and I want more artists to do this.

This is a solid piece of work, it does not make me feel like I need to go back and listen to Seans earlier work but I can appreciate this album for dark tale it tells of a man fighting for his art. However in spite of what this album does well is I recommend you: Save this for a stormy day, in which your mood needs this kind of music. Sean is a good rapper whose honesty and heart have carried him a long way, despite his views on just working hard for the money it seems he is finally getting into the mindset of being great for greatness sake. But none of this saves him for just not making a splash when compared to most other mainstream rappers. Next week I will be reviewing 'Tetsuo and Youth' By one of my favorite rappers Lupe Fiasco so get ready to read me geeking out over how great I think the album is.