Common- Nobody's Smiling ALBUM REVIEW

 

Today, I will be reviewing Common's new album, Nobody's Smiling. Common is someone who has really made a long term impact on the rap game, someone who must be respected by everyone. This guy has dropped some classic albums, and has always been known as a socially conscious and smart lyricist. Now, at 42 years old, Common is back with a new project, and this one seems like one of his most serious ever. How will Nobody's Smiling sound?

Much like previous albums, Common works with famed producer No I.D. for the entirety of this project. I don't have a problem with this at all. as No I.D, is definitely one of my favorite producers and him and Common have an undeniable chemistry. Common always sounds comfortable rapping over a No I.D. instrumental. On this album in particular, I really enjoyed the production. It was nice and varied, in classic No I.D. fashion. A word that really defines this production is moody. This is an emotional album, and the beats really help bring feeling to the album. The instrumental on the first track, The Neighborhood, was atmospheric and calm, but also brought some energy with all the different instruments playing in the background. Not every beat here was complex, though. No I.D. put together a lot of minimalistic, simple beats on Nobody's Smiling. The song Speak My Piece only makes use of some interesting percussion and a classic Biggie sample that is chopped up awesomely. Hustle Harder is another song that only had some simple drums, but i loved the boom effect of these drums, and the song came off eerie and quiet, in a very cool way. My favorite beat on this whole album, though, is the song Kingdom. This song really threw it back to some old school Chicago rap. I loved the soul sample going through the beat. It sounded inspiring, uplifting, and fantastic. This was another beat that was pretty simplistic, but still epic. While there were some forgettable beats on this album, I still liked the majority of them. I can also safely admit there was not a bad instrumental on this project. No I.D. did a great job setting the mood for the album, even with beats that were not very complex.

The rapping performance by Common on this album was excellent. Common's best asset has always been his lyricism, and he really brings that on Nobody's Smiling. A lot of the album sees Common, one of Chicago's greatest rappers ever, shedding light on the city's terrible gun violence. Common is speaking a lot of truth on this album, and you really have to focus on everything he says. This guy's lyricism is obviously the main focus here, and that gave the album a very serious tone that I liked a lot. Right from the first song, The Neighborhood, you can tell Common means business. On this track, Common drops a lot of smart lines about the state Chicago is in right now. He even gets some help from another Chitown MC, Lil Herb. The young rapper spits an aggressive, ear-grabbing verse that I loved. This was definitely a standout song for me. Another great track was the title track, which came off very dark and shady. I enjoyed this song, once again, because of what Common was saying. Common shows a soft side on the track Real, a song I felt was absolutely beautiful. On the last song, Rewind That, Common reminisces about his passed friend, J. Dilla. He brings up a lot of memories he had with him on this song, and it was a fantastic way to end the album. While I liked these tracks a lot, there were a few too many forgettable songs here for such a short album. No Fear, Diamonds, and Blak Majik were all just okay to me, as was the song Hustle Harder. The song Diamonds in particular was just completely ruined by Big Sean. This guy further proved why he's one of the worst rappers in mainstream right now. I would have liked this song had he not been there. The single for this album, Kingdom, is a really good song overall. It featured passionate verses from Common, great production, and a show-stealing verse from one of my favorite rappers, Vince Staples. The only problem with this track was its length. At six minutes, this song goes a little too long to be all that enjoyable. Overall though, Common brought out his usual lyrical fire on Nobody's Smiling, and the features were solid, for the most part. This was a good album, but it was hindered by a few very forgettable tracks.

NOBODY'S SMILING WRAP UP
+Common is an incredible lyricist
+Album flows very well
+Pretty solid features
+Simplistic, but very good production
-Some corny songs
-A few beats didn't sound as polished as others

Best: The Neighborhood, Kingdom, Rewind That

Worst: Hustle Harder

Common- Nobody's Smiling
7.7/10

MellowHype- I Need Some Answers ALBUM REVIEW

My review today is on MellowHype's new album, titled I Need Some Answers. While I don't currently have the insane, unreasonable respect for them that I used to have, I really do love Odd Future. This collective has produced some extraordinary talent, and I have loved their output over the past few years. I am huge fans of Tyler, the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, Domo Genesis, and even Mike G. I can safely say I have never felt this way about Hodgy Beats and Left Brain, who make music together as the group MellowHype.Their 2010 album, Blackenedwhite, is their only work that I like, with their other two albums being mediocre, in my opinion. As Odd Future's first release of 2014, how will MellowHype's new project, I Need Some Answers, go over with me?

Starting with the production, Left Brain has always been such an inconsistent producer to me. He seems to just rely on wacky sounds and heavy synthesizers. Unlike Khris P, a producer I love who has this same strategy, Left Brain's beats just end up sounding messy or boring most of the time. Don't get me wrong, this guy had made some pretty good beats, but they come around way too little. The majority of Left Brain's instrumentals do nothing for me. Unfortunately, that does not change on this new album. A lot of these beats sounded really similar in sound, which wasn't good, because the sound was just such a bad one. Very heavy synthesizers, no rhythm, and nothing to really bop my head to. Some of these instrumentals had some trap influence, but they still had no pop or energy to them. There were only a couple beats here that I thought were tolerable, like I am A. This track was a huge change of pace, instrumentally. Left Brain actually flipped a sample and repeated it throughout the song. Mixed with some eerie piano, this was the only good beat on the whole album. Some beats, like the songs The Daze and Belly, went for an atmospheric vibe, but these didn't hit me either. The beats on the tracks Gang, Nowadays, Cold World 2,  and DLX were just way too similar to one another to be effective. One beat, though, that was just absolutely horrendous, was the song FiFaFoFum. This song repeated a very annoying synth line throughout the whole track, and it was paired with this awful mixture of another high-pitched synth noise and some annoying drum sounds. It was just a mess, and it sounded terrible. Overall with the production on I Need Some Answers, I did not like it. These beats were repetitive, boring, and they did not have any energy to them, even when they were trying to. I have heard Left Brain make better beats before. This production sounded so lazy to me.

Now its time to talk about Hodgy Beats. He is an MC who, like Left Brain, is inconsistent. I have heard this guy spit some solid verses, but he has a lot of forgettable ones too. I would say he's the most boring rapper in Odd Future. Something about Hodgy, though, is that he feeds off of his production. If the beat is great, Hodgy will usually rap well. If the beat is mediocre, Hodgy's bars will usually not do anything for me. This is why the only Mellowhype album I like, BlackenedWhite, is so good. Left Brain's production was awesome, Hodgy fed off of it and rapped extremely well. With this album, the exact opposite happens. These beats were not good, and Hodgy came off very average to me. My main gripe with Hodgy Beats on this project is that he sounds exactly the same on every single song. His inflection never changed, and he really had the same flow throughout the album. It got very boring very fast. He also has an annoyingly high voice on this project, which is a problem I have never had with him before. I think this project would have benefited from some features too. Hearing no one rapping but Hodgy for eleven songs, I very nearly fell asleep. Just one Earl verse, or just one Domo Genesis verse, would have improved this project greatly. Hodgy Beats took a step back on I Need Some Answers. I used to think he was a decent spitter, but with this, he's gone down a notch. He sounded very average and dull throughout this album.

I NEED SOME ANSWERS WRAP UP
-Lazy production from Left Brain
-Many of the instrumentals sounded the same
-Boring rap performance from Hodgy Beats
-He never changed up his flow or delivery once during the whole album
-No features

Best: I am A, 7, The Daze

Worst: FiFaFoFum

Mellowhype- I Need Some Answers
3.1/10

Lil Durk- Signed to the Streets 2 MIXTAPE REVIEW

Today, I'm reviewing the brand new mixtape from Chicago rapper Lil Durk, Signed to the Streets 2. This guy is a young, up-and-coming artist who is a big part of the new "drill music" going on in Chicago right now. This also includes guys like Chief Keef, Lil Bibby, and Lil Herb, who released a really solid tape earlier this year. Durk was a 2014 XXL Freshman, and produced a lot of hype with the first Signed to the Streets mixtape, which was pretty decent. How will his new project fare?

Lil Durk is just okay as an MC. I know this guy is still young, but he leaves some technical ability to be desired on this tape. He uses the same flow on a lot of these songs, and his rhyme scheme is pretty basic. On the other hand, Durk, much like Lil Herb, has fantastic delivery. This guy commands a lot of attention on tracks because of his pure hunger and energy. To me, Durk always spits like he has something to prove, as he just sounds angry and powerful on these verses. A huge part of this mixtape is auto-tune, which is kind of a hit or miss for Lil Durk. Sometimes the auto tune songs are really good, and one of them in particular is absolutely stellar: Don't Take It Personal. Everything about this song works, from the insanely catchy hook to Durk's energetic verses. This was by far the standout song of the whole project. Some other auto tune songs I enjoyed were War Wit Us,  Feds Listenin, and What You Do To Me. I also liked a few tracks that didn't have auto tune, like Ready For Em and Don't Know Me. Unfortunately though, there are so many forgettable songs on this tape. A lot of them are too similar in sound, with lame auto tune choruses, and generic Durk verses. Ten Four, Rumors,Party, I Made It, Gas and Mud, Perfect Picture, and Hell In My City were all so forgettable and boring, in my opinion. As far as features go, there weren't many, and I wish there were more. Lil Durk is not at that level yet where he can carry a whole project by himself. The one track that had features, Lil N***az, was another boring song that had dull verses from Migos and an awful one from Cash Out. Overall, Lil Durk showed potential on Signed to the Streets 2, but the end result was not great. A few really good songs saved this mixtape from being bad, but it still was decent at best.

With the beats on Signed to the Streets 2, there is not much to say. This mixtape is full of standard, boring drill music instrumentals. None of these beats really stand out from one another. One positive I can give to production is that it matches Lil Durk's energy. These beats are loud, and are perfect for the way Durk is spitting. It's just that the beats are not good. Some of them had little things that separated them from each other, such as some piano keys or female singing vocals, but these changes just were not strong to give this mixtape any variety. While I thought the production on this album was pretty weak, I will say that it was not surprising and that I didn't expect anything different going into this project.

SIGNED TO THE STREETS 2 WRAP UP
+Lil Durk brings lots of energy to the mic, and has some interesting flows
+A few great hooks
-Boring, weak production
-No variety

Best: War Wit Us, Don't Take It Personal, What You Do To Me

Worst: Live It Up

Lil Durk- Signed to the Streets 2
6.0/10

Ab-Soul- These Days ALBUM REVIEW

Today I'm reviewing the very anticipated new album from Ab-Soul, These Days. As with many hip hop fans, Ab-Soul is one of my favorite rappers in the game right now. The main reason for this is just how witty he is. This guy is nerdy, and it shows in his incredible vocabulary and wordplay. He has always had a lot of substance behind his songs. His 2012 album, Control System, is just amazing to me. That album really shows how smart of a rapper Ab-Soul is. Will he be able to follow it up on his new project, These Days?

Starting with the production, this album is an extremely mixed bag of beats. Every song has a very distinct, whether good or bad, sound to it. I like a good majority of the instrumentals on These Days, as some of them really impressed me. I absolutely loved the beat on Just Have Fun. It had such a cool vibe to it, and the emotions really came through on it. This album is very good at setting a mood with an instrumental. The song Closure, a very sad and mournful track, had a perfect beat for what Ab-Soul was saying. It really hit hard. I liked the rather abstract beat that J. Cole put together for the song Sapiosexual. It sounded like nothing else I've heard this year, but once again, I felt it really felt the nature of the track. The beat on the track Ride Slow, which was produced by Mac Miller, was really dark and sinister. It was almost nightmarish with how scary it sounded. I absolutely loved it. These were all great, but no beat on this comes close to Kendrick Lamar's Interlude. This one was jazzy, smooth, and it took some crazy twists and turns as the song went on. It was a complex, but very well made instrumental. A few songs on this album made use of beat changes midway through a song. On the song Tree of Life, the switch felt a little random, as the two beats were really different. I loved the second beat here though. I liked the transition a lot more on Dub Sac, where both beats were very relaxing and cool. Overall with the production on These Days, it sure had variety. While there were some beats that paled in comparison to others, such as the lame DJ Mustard rip off on Twact, this album featured a lot of instrumental highlights.

With the content on These Days, I felt a little conflicted about it. I was disappointed with this content in comparison with Control System. The thing I loved about that album was it was a real showing of Ab-Soul's unique personality, and the fact that this guy could just rap about substantial things no one else would rap about. He had a real identity as a geeky wordsmith and interesting rapper. On These Days, I didn't get much of that. I heard a lot of Ab-Soul copying some of hip-hop's current popular stereotypes. While I understand this may be the theme of this album, especially from the album title, some of these ideas just werent executed well. The song Twact was a real dud, with Soul failing on making an ignorant song. This song sounded like it should have been on YG's new album. Hunnid Stax was similar, and this track came off very boring and Ab-Soul didn't even sound like he was trying. Nevermind That, which featured Rick Ross. was another song I really didn't like at all. This song had no memorable moments. It was sloppy, and I felt there was just too much going on. I had no idea what Ab-Soul was going for there. Luckily, this album is mostly made up of great songs, whether or not they fit with the personality I loved on Control System. The first track, God's Reign, was absolutely awesome. Soulo's verses were really solid and SZA really killed the hook. She sounded amazing. I liked the song Dub Sac too, with Soul making a catchy and fun, but also deep track. Closure was an emotional track that I was blown away by. I have not heard this much emotion from him since The Book of Soul. His devastated tone really hit me on this song as he rapped about his passed girlfriend. Sapiosexual featured some very interesting lyrical content, and a fantastic singing interlude from Isaiah Rashad. Speaking of features, they really came through on the next track, Stigmata. This song had a super catchy chorus and great verses from both Action Bronson and Asaad. While I was a bit let down by Jay Rock's verse on Feelin Us, I still felt it was a decent track. My favorite song on this whole album, though, was easily Ride Slow. This song had an all-star lineup of rappers, with Ab-Soul's solid verse leading into an awesome hook delivered from Earl Sweatshirt. Danny Brown then completely murders the song with his outstanding verse. This track just gets darker and crazier as it goes on, ending with a great verse from Mac Miller, as Delusional Thomas. The last song I must talk about was Kendrick Lamar's Interlude. On this song, Kendrick and Ab-Soul unleash a lyrical attack that is just insane. Kendrick sounds angry, passionate, and hungry on his verse. This interlude from Kendrick was honestly the best part of this whole album. Overall with These Days, I was disappointed by some awful songs and the fact that Ab-Soul's personality from Control System was just not there. On the other hand, this album made up for it with some terrific songs and features.

THESE DAYS WRAP UP
+Ab-Soul is still an awesome lyricist
+Some very well-exectuted songs
+Great features
+Variety in the production
-A few lazy, uninspired sounding tracks
-Liked Ab-Soul overall a lot more on Control System

Best: Kendrick Lamar's Interlude, Stigmata, Ride Slow

Worst: Nevermind That

Ab-Soul- These Days
8.3/10