Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch the Throne (2011)

Favorite tracks:

. That's My Bitch - Great sample, great beat, excellent hook by Elly Jackson. Justin Vernon's cameo is disturbingly cool.

"How can somethin’ so gangsta be so pretty in pictures? With jeans and a blazer and some Louboutin slippers"

. Otis - Exactly what I expect from Kanye & Jay. The two of them riding a soul sample trying to one-up each other, while complimenting each other in the process. Jay's opening verse and Kanye's second verse in particular are quite captivating.
"Luxury rap, the Hermes of verses,sophisticated ignorance, write my curses in cursive; I get it custom, you a customer, you ain’t ‘customed to going through Customs, you ain’t been nowhere, huh?"

. Murder to Excellence - Not sure what to say about this one, it's just a really solid track with a nice beat change in the middle. More of Kanye & Jay complimenting each other's style.

"Black excellence, opulence, decadence; Tuxes next to the president, I'm present"

. Why I Love You - The grandiose production really works on this one. Mr Hudson's hook is arguably the most memorable of the year. Kanye plays second fiddle quite nicely.

"Fuck you squares, The circle got smaller; The castle got bigger, The walls got taller"

. Illest Motherfucker Alive - Not really one of my favorites, but there are some killer one-liners on this one.

"Fuck your awards like Eddie Murphy’s couch; The Roc is in the building we should have stayed in the house"

"Know when to leave when the heat is coming, I learned that; This is where DiNero would be if he ain’t turn back"

. Primetime - No I.D continues his amazing year with another terrific beat.

"Well, Adam gave up a rib so mine better be prime; Niggas gon kill me, I swear they better be lying; I never live in fear, I’m too out of my mind"

The Joy - Originally a G.O.O.D. Friday track, it works nicely as a bonus track. Pete Rock really brings out the soul with the Curtis Mayfield sample in this one. And Jay's flow is great, one of the best he'd had in a while.

"Give all glory to Gloria; They said you raised that boy too fast, but you was raising a warrior"

Though lacking consistency and initially a bit underwhelming, Watch the Throne has some great high points and lasting replay value. As with any Kanye project, the production is the highlight of the album. Though both Jay and Kanye had some great moments and chemistry, they failed to meet the standards that their past collaborations have set. Most of the guest features fit into their retrospective tracks well, with Elly Jackson and Mr Hudson being the standouts. It probably won't get my pick for album of the year, but I certainly won't have forgotten about it by December.

wiki

Lil B - I'm Gay (2011)

When I reviewed Lil B's Illusions of Grandeur mixtape earlier in the year, my aim was to open people's eyes and ears to the other side of Lil B as an artist. By now, most hip-hop heads and most music fans who know how to use the internet are familiar with the Based God and his antics, which involve the consumption of Wonton Soup in conjunction with having his way with your bitch. If this was Lil B's ploy to make a name for himself then it certainly worked. However, it also resulted in his more serious projects being overshadowed. There's nothing wrong with a bit of infamy, but when your best work is often overlooked then you have to re-think your strategy, which is exactly what Lil B did with I'm Gay.

I won't go into detail about the album title, because this is a review about the music. But needless to say, Lil B was adequately aware that naming his album I'm Gay would attract plenty of attention, which would result in listeners, which would ultimately result in word getting around that the based god really is a serious artist. Lil B's aim as an artist has always been to let listeners hear the real him, how he feels about the world, how he thinks and how he acts, which is why he and many of his fans often refer to him as 'The realest person doing it'. And in just 44 minutes, Lil B sounds more convincingly real than he ever has before.

Opening track 'Trapped in Prison' does what every opening track on a good album should do- set the tone and feel of the album. A song about dealing with racism, Lil B's confidence in himself is evident from the opening minute. "It’s more than Martin Luther King fighting for a dream; Watch me go against everything you believe". Punchlines are not lost on him either. "I'm nicer than grandma with a cup of iced tea; You see me I got ice like Ice T". Where Lil B really shines the most is when he's talking positive. On 'Gon Be Okay' he says "I'mma ask how you doing today; we gonna win somehow, someway". On 'I Hate Myself', a story about his struggles growing up and wanting to let go of the past in order to be happy, Lil B closes the song by saying "Don't think too hard, free your mind" after reflecting on some of the things he's seen growing up in the hood and how it made him feel. While that may seem like a tired subject in the realm of rap, it works when told in such a direct, no-nonsense manner.

The highlight of I'm Gay is without question the production. The album album sounds raw yet soulful, with a wide variety of well-executed samples, including Slowdive on 'Open Thunder Eternal Slumber', Goo Goo Dolls on 'I Hate Myself', and my personal favorite, a simply terrific sample of Gerard McMann's 'Cry Little Sister' on 'Unchain Me'.

I'm Gay has no guest features, it's just based god on all 12 tracks and no one else. Production-wise this is not an issue. As far as Lil B's rapping is concerned, this can be a major issue for some listeners. Firstly, Lil B can rap when he wants to. I'm Gay is not exactly the prime showcase of his rapping abilities. His style is notable for his unconventional (and sometimes non-existent) rhyme schemes, coupled with a slow flow that is often inconsistent and lazy sounding. Understandably this can be an issue for listeners, especially ones who aren't used to Lil B and his style. I tend to enjoy his style simply because of how convincing he is as a storyteller. The lyrics on this album are great and while he may not spit them in the most appealing way, he still tells his stories well, which is what really sells it for me. And while I wouldn't mind hearing these stories in a more conventional manner, something about the way that they're delivered in Lil B's uniquely odd style makes them all the more real.

Buy it

Wiki

Unreleased Earl: Dat Ass (2009)

Possibly his best verse yet. Sick beat too.

Free download

Lil B - Illusions of Grandeur (2011)

Yes, this is the very same Lil B who promotes the violation of bitches. And yes, I am doing a serious analytical write-up on his music. Illusions of Grandeur, the latest mixtape installment from the based one, doesn't bring a whole lot new to the table. arrogance and first-hand knowledge of the ghetto lifestyle is nothing new in the realm of rap, and Lil B knows that. But that doesn't stop him from telling it his own way, in his own words, from the perspective of his own life. While he doesn't have the smoothest flow or choice of rhymes, Lil B has enough charisma alone to make you want to listen to his words. So whether he's spitting verses over some Toto, Kanye or dazzling 9th Wonder production, Lil B is out to prove a point, that he loves hip-hop, he loves music and he wants people to hear his stories.

Download

New Tyler, the Creator track: Yonkers

Just a couple days after dropping his beautifully weird remix of Lykke Li's I Follow Rivers, here's the first single from his new album Goblin (to be released in April), titled Yonkers.

View here (NSFW)

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All: A discography, or an attempt to make one (part 1)

By now, you've probably heard of them despite the fact that they don't do very many interviews and they've only done a few widely-attended live shows, most of them in the Los Angeles-area they're based in.

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, also known as OFWGKTA, Odd Future Wolf Gang, or just Odd Future to most music sites, is a ten-deep hip-hop group (collective, if we must) that's released three mixtapes and seven albums in a little over two years.

This isn't your average rap group, though. None of the members are over 20 years old and one of the cornerstones of Odd Future, Earl Sweatshirt, is only 16. To top it off, the lyrics mostly consist of references to rape, drugs, highly offensive views of women (to some of you, anyway), and more. We're pretty sure that this isn't for kids, especially considering that the major offender of this is Earl Sweatshirt himself.

However, the lyrics shouldn't take away anything from the incredible beats they're laid over. Plus, when you realize just how unique these lyrics are and that outside of terrible horrorcore groups you won't find them anywhere else, you'll appreciate them even more. These guys (and girl) clearly know what they're doing.

The best thing about these ten releases? Every single one is free and available for download at their site, OddFuture.com.

Over the next couple of days, I'll be analyzing what makes this group so captivating to listeners. Part 1 is obviously being posted tonight with Part 2 on Monday and Part 3 (hopefully!) on Tuesday. This post is, essentially, an introduction to the group with coverage on the group-wide releases and Tyler, the Creator. With that, let's look at what the members of the group have released to this point.

In terms of group-wide releases, there's only been two, but they're both strong - The Odd Future Tape, released in 2008, which is basically a rough draft of what OF really was and is. Only four current OF members appear on the tape - Tyler, the Creator, Hodgy Beats, Left Brain, and the Super 3 (three separate members combined in one group). Casey Veggies, a former member and current associate of OF, appears on the tape as well.



The superior of the two tapes is the Radical mixtape, which was released in 2010. The tape includes nearly every member of the group save for the Super 3. As mentioned in the post, this tape features the members rapping over beats that aren't their own. It works pretty well, too - I don't think Liars is going to be offended by Tyler rapping over a song of theirs.



Speaking of Tyler, we're onto easily the most prominent member of the group and maybe the best. Tyler, the Creator, also known as Wolf Haley, Ace the Creator, and (from what I know, this is his birth name) Tyler Haley, is 19 years old and keeps the youth movement in OF going strong. He has rapped on/produced for nearly every OF release.



As for releases of his own, he has only one to his name currently, the 2009 release Bastard. The album may be the most complete OF release out there, as the lyrical work on the album is unmatched. The beats are pretty nice as well when you listen to it intently.

There's an underlying theme on the album that's interesting to keep track of as the album rolls along. At 19 years old, Tyler has never met his father, as he left his mother before his birth. It's a sad story as it is with any family when one parent has to play two roles for their children.

However, Tyler doesn't miss his father at all - he hates him more than I hate game shows on FOX. Several songs are directly to or about his father, specifically the title track and "Inglorious". Many of the songs have references to him and they aren't exactly welcoming.

That's what makes the album so fascinating and repeatedly listenable, though. I know I'm not the only listener who can feel some relation with Tyler as I didn't even know my actual father's name until I was 15. The album is so incredibly human that it's impossible to forget.

From top to bottom, Tyler is maybe the best rapper in the group. That doesn't mean you can ignore the rest.

With that, I'll stop here for now. I'll pick back up on this on Monday with Part 2, which should include profiles on the other prominent members in the group. Part 3 will take a look at what's in store for OF as they move on in 2011.

Big K.R.I.T. - K.R.I.T. Wuz Here

I'll make this short since someone is waiting on this. Recently I've been falling out of love with Hip-Hop. Other than artists like J. Cole and Curren$y, I've just been uninterested with the genre entirely. And then I heard this. I liked a Hip-Hop album this much since Below The Heavens. It's just gritty yet well polished debut, and K.R.I.T. is a pseudo Pimp C in the fact that he produces and raps (Not to mention his voice sort of reminds me of his), but unlike Pimp C, I find him a lot more enjoyable at rapping than him. K.R.I.T. is really capable of making some great music, something that I really needed to hear.

Download (Free) | Myspace | Last.fm

iLLy Mays - Pen Stripes (2010)

It's not often we get the chance to promote one of IGN's own, but I'm glad to present the debut mixtape from maybe the most popular IGN rapper, iLLy Mays, who goes by catitude on the boards.

I wasn't expecting much when I downloaded it because IGN's hip-hop board isn't exactly known for pushing their own good stuff. I was pretty surprised to find some gems here such as "Who Dat", "A Bone I Gotta Pick...", and my personal favorite, "Light Up". If you want to hop on the hype train before it leaves you in the dust, jump on now. catitude looks to have a bright future.

(This post wouldn't be complete without a milk tits reference, so there you go.)

Try it
Last.fm

Childish Gambino - Culdesac (2010)

On July 2nd, the artist known as Childish Gambino put out his new CD Culdesac. If you aren’t familiar with Childish Gambino, it is the rap name for Comic/Actor/Rapper Donald Glover from Derrick Comedy (The Youtube Comedy Group... Also the Makers of Bro Rape) and Community. He also wrote for Tina Fey on 30 Rock. Glover also put out a few mixtapes in 2010, but Culdesac is in essence his first “album” release.

Although Glover is known for being a comic and actor, make no mistake, Culdesac shows that he is not joking around when it comes to his rap career. This album is incredibly solid. You can really see Glover’s enthusiasm and attitude come through in his songs. Glover has a really great flow going on, and his song lyrics are very well thought out and clever. The album is loaded with clever lyrics such as “I’m coming harder than these chicks that you would swear were pissing” and “NBC isn’t the only thing I’m coming on tonight”. Culdesac addresses a number of different topics, from Girls, Donald Glover’s early life and troubles, and how Glover has struggled with being “different”. This album really shed’s Glover’s “comedian” persona and is a solid piece of work. Culdesac is one of my favorite albums of the year because of its originality and cleverness. My favorite song on the album is “Hero” but the rest of the songs are almost equally as good.

Childish Gambino's Website
Free Album Download Here