MF DOOM & Bishop Nehru- NehruvianDOOM ALBUM REVIEW

Today, I am bringing you the incredibly late review of the collaboration album from Bishop Nehru and MF DOOM, NehruvianDOOM. Bishop Nehru is a very young New York rapper that I have barely heard of before. I have heard a few songs, and I honestly think he's pretty forgettable as an MC. The whole reason I am reviewing this is because its a collaboration with MF DOOM. DOOM is a legend in my eyes, and he has created some extremely creative, interesting, and stellar albums over the years. He is one of the gods of underground hip hop, and one of my favorites of all time. How will the unproven Bishop Nehru fare rapping with DOOM?

All the production on this album is handled by DOOM, and you can tell this project was made not only to show Bishop Nehru's rapping ability, but DOOM's production ability. DOOM crafted some pretty classic sounding beats on this album, and NehruvianDOOM didn't differ away from this guy's usual style. The beats here were sometimes fun, sometimes dark, and for the most part, pretty abstract. The best instrumental, in my opinion, came on the track Om. This one sounded dark, ominous, and I enjoyed it overall. It had a classic DOOM sound. There were other dark instrumentals on this album, including Coming for You, Caskets, and Disastrous. The latter was a pretty interesting beat. It featured an odd sample of kids singing as the main beat, but DOOM mixed it with some dark drums to give the beat an off-kilter sound. It was a cool blend, and I liked the instrumental. Other beats on this project, though, had a happier, more fun sound. I liked the instrumental on the track Darkness, which ironically wasn't very dark at all. The song had some grand horns making up the most of the beat, and the song just sounded very positive and enlightening. It was a good sound for the subject matter of the track. Other beats on this album though, were just boring.They had the old-school DOOM sound, but they were not memorable at all, and I even felt some beats here sounded like others, which is something that shouldn't happen on an eight song album. I liked the production overall on NehruvianDOOM, and some of these beats were actually very good. Unfortunately, the album suffers from mediocrity, as these beats were not bad, just very forgettable.

I called the beats on this album forgettable and mediocre, but those are not even close to as mediocre as Bishop Nehru. This guy is the definition of average, in my opinion. He did nothing on this album to really open my eyes and make me realize that he is a great MC. At the same time, he didn't do anything to make me think he is trash, or a bad rapper. He was pretty normal throughout this project. He raps in a monotone voice, and his lyrics don't consist of anything mind-blowing. They also do not consist of anything cringe-worthy. My main problem with Nehru is how middle of the road he is. He's never great and never bad with his rapping. Just mediocre. While his bars were very average, Nehru's hooks were another story. These hooks were all over the place. He supplied a very fun and catchy hook on the song Mean the Most, which was one of my favorites on the album. He sang this, and he sang it well. It was melodic and I enjoyed it a lot. Other hooks on this album were bad, though, starting with So Alone. This singing was awful, and the hook had no passion behind it. Darkness was okay, but this hook was too simple and repetitive. He gets back on track with a solid hook on Coming for You, but ends the album badly with the lame hook on Great Things. The one hook that MF DOOM performed, Om, sounded great. This was a really good track overall, with the killer hook and decent verses from Nehru. Where this album really fails is its usage of MF DOOM. DOOM only spits actual verses on three songs. This was incredibly disappointing, especially when I listen to these tracks and realize how much better the album would have been if DOOM spit more. The best song on this whole project is Caskets, where DOOM kills it, spitting an awesome verse full of great lines. it may have rubbed off on Nehru, as his verse on this track was pretty good too. Overall with NehruvianDOOM, it was a real mixed bag, and an odd listen throughout. It was weird how Nehru was so monotone on the verses, but was  willing to actually sing on these hooks. It worked well on one track, but was pretty much a disaster on others. DOOM shined whenever he hopped on a track, but this just didn't happen enough. I wish MF DOOM had played a more prominent role with the rapping here, as it would've been so much better.

NEHRUVIANDOOM WRAP UP
+Classic DOOM sounding production
+A few very well executed tracks
+MF DOOM raps very well in his verses
+A few catchy hooks
-Bishop Nehru is very average, not memorable at all
-DOOM wasn't on enough songs
-Some actually cringe-worthy hooks

Best: Om, Mean the Most, Caskets

Worst- So Alone

MF DOOM & Bishop Nehru- NehruvianDOOM
6.9/10

Vince Staples- Hell Can Wait ALBUM REVIEW

Today, after a long, unfortunate hiatus, I am returning with a review of Vince Staples' debut EP, Hell Can Wait. I have been a fan of Vince for a while now, and I truly feel like this guy is one of the top young rappers in the entire game right now. Vince's projects have been very consistent, and he seems to kill every one of his guest verses. This is Vince's first major label release, at a time when he is getting more buzz than ever. Can Vince capitalize with a great new project?

The beats on Hell Can Wait were definitely one of its major highlights. Like on Vince's last project, Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2, No I.D. handles much of the production here. That is pretty much a guarantee that the EP's beats will be good, and it's no different on Hell Can Wait. I was very impressed by the variety that this production had. The first song, Fire, was as dark and violent as it gets. This beat hit really hard, and will definitely bang in some good speakers. The next song, 65 Hunnid, is the opposite. This instrumental was relaxed, and melodic. It featured a soft piano pattern that gave the song a bit of playfulness. The next two songs, Screen Door and Hands Up, go for some more darkness, as these both feature hard drums and sound pretty nocturnal. The best instrumental on this EP is without a doubt Blue Suede. This beat is stellar in every possible way, with the huge, banging drums, large bass, and wailing synth in the background. It is absolutely fantastic. After that though, the last two songs on the EP were not that memorable. They were not bad, but they were very different from the rest of the album, sounding more bright and happy. I wasn't really feeling these last two instrumentals, but I appreciate the variety. Hell Can Wait brought a mixed bag of beats, but the bag featured a few gems that I will remember for a while.

Vince Staples is as brilliant as ever on Hell Can Wait, and I actually feel that he was at his best on this project. Vince raps with a certain attitude and confidence that makes him very fun to listen to. One problem that he has had in the past was that he raps in a monotone, boring delivery. I can happily say that there was none of that on this EP. Vince sounds hungry, and he delivers all of his lyrics this way. The intro, Fire, is a short song, but it is a perfect way to start the mixtape. Vince goes really hard here, even with his voice muffled a bit by the instrumental. I don't even mind this, as the song is still great and you can tell Vince's flow is still on point. Vince proves on 65 Hunnid that he can put together a killer hook, crafting one here that was stuck in my head for a while. Although the song Screen Door was a little long, making it one of my least favorites on the EP, Vince still raps very well and I liked many of his lines on this track. Vince comes back hard, though, with the track Hands Up. This song was fantastic, with Vince attacking the topic of police brutality. He sounds focused, and his flow was absolutely perfect over the beat. Blue Suede follows, and while the instrumental dominates the song, Vince flows nicely on the track and I liked this hook. Vince brings on singer Teyana Taylor, the only feature on the tape to sing the hook on Limos, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. This was a pretty good track. I do think, though, that Feelin the Love, the outro was the weakest song on Hell Can Wait. Vince didn't sound as good here, and it sounded lazy compared to the awesome tracks the EP already had. Overall, Hell Can Wait was Vince proving that he can carry a project all by himself. He crafted some excellent songs on this tape, and even the tracks I did not enjoy as much were stillvery listenable. Vince did a great job on this EP, and I think he's an artist to keep your eye on has his debut album approaches.

HELL CAN WAIT WRAP UP
+Vince carries this EP by himself, rapping consistently well
+Vince can be very lyrical
+He flows very well, showing he picked the perfect instrumentals for him
+Great variety with the production
-Some songs paled in comparison to the others

Best: Fire, Hands Up, Blue Suede

Worst: Feelin the Love

Vince Staples- Hell Can Wait
9.1/10