Tag Archives: hip-hop

Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

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Although not yet officially released, I’ve been able to listen and immensely enjoy Kanye West’s latest album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The man may exhibit an ego the size of a small asteroid, and he may be fluent in the art of public agitation – despite his last record being decidedly bland and dull – the one thing you can’t fault this man is his ability – when fully expressed – to create great and powerful music. And that is most certainly this record.

I don’t know where Kanye’s been over the past year – aside from his public altercations – but the man has certainly been going through a plethora of experiences. It’s impossible for a person to create music so deep, complex, and textured without the accompanying emotion and experience. Each track on this record (aside from the interludes) are wonderfully and fully developed. I haven’t listened to this record enough to be confidently conclusive, however from my initial listens I haven’t experienced one track that didn’t sound as if it was meticulously crafted, critiqued, and revised.

The sound of this record can be seen as a logical albeit large improvement from 808s & Heartbreak. The setting is dark and replete with an introspection greater than his first three albums. In comparison to 808s & Heartbreak this album is less dark and more lucid – there are no latent emotions holding back the quality of the tracks. The tracks on 808s bordered on angst and immaturity, dwelling and enjoying the pain that prompted the songs creation. What wasn’t apparent on 808s (but is now) was the turn Kanye has taken with the direction of his music. While once content to focus on poppy, radio-friendly tracks, Kanye began turning his attention to creating longer more complex tracks with 808s. On My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy we are now able to see his vision come into wonderful, beautiful, dark, and twisted clarity.

There is absolutely emotional anguish on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy however it is clear the pain and emotions have been logically considered and evaluated. Each track clearly relates to some aspect of Kanye’s life, however the presentation of his thoughts and feelings are wholly conclusive and confident. Kanye has collaborated with many great artists on this record, one most notable is Bon Iver of indie world fame. Bon Iver’s music is mostly acoustic and dwells in falsetto vocal harmonies. On the awesome track, Lost In The World, Kanye managed to combine the musical interests and talents of Bon Iver with his own to create a song that is haunting, catchy, and powerful. Incredible.

Leaving aside all Kanye-gossip, you can only come away from this record with respect and appreciation. Kanye West has once again proven to all that he is an excellent producer and artist. He has erased all doubts in my mind that he lost his ability to create great music. The man is talented, and this record is great.

Learn About Indie Rap: Sage Francis and Brother Ali

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Underground rap artists don’t get much press. It’s a shame, some of these artists are incredible, bringing new ideas and sounds to the musical soundscape unheard of before. And really the more diversity that’s out there the better it is for everyone, hearing the same type of sound over and over gets old and boring. So thank goodness for these under-promoted, highly-qualified artists.

I want to bring your attention to two new underground rap artists that I have recently come across. They both have a unique style of lyrical delivery that, in its current incarnation, I doubt would be accepted on most mainstream radio stations. I don’t think it’s impossible for them to ever achieve mainstream success however I don’t think it’s their intention. They know what they do, they do it well, and I’m looking forward to hearing more of it. Continue reading →

The Roots – How I Got Over

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As I wrote yesterday The Roots have released their new album today, How I Got Over. I’m not an old fan of The Roots: the first album I heard of theirs was The Tipping Point, which I liked but didn’t get much replay from me. Over the years I’ve heard more of their music and gotten to know who they are as a band. Especially with their latest stint as Jimmy Fallon’s band.

After listening to How I Got Over I found myself liking it about the same as their last albums. As I said before, I’m not a huge Roots fan but this album is fairly solid. The highlight is without a doubt the track that shares the album’s name, How I Got Over. With a drum beat running at a nice clip, a mellow piano played over, and accompanied by strong vocals during the chorus, it stands out as immediately catchy and deserving of repeat listens.

However there’s other tracks on the album that do the same. Most of the tracks feature a strong drum beat, solid instrumentals over it, and a strong chorus that more-or-less pulls the song together. Really, I feel as though the album is comprised of songs with strong choruses and verses that go on for longer than anticipated. The chorus’ are undoubtedly catchy, but the adjacent verses come off as bland and repetitious.

I’m impressed The Roots were able to put together a full LP while moonlighting as the resident band on Jimmy Fallon. For that I give them major kudos. However the album itself I found – while enjoyable and calm – mostly unoriginal and bland. It’s good to put on in the background but I don’t see it ever taking center stage on my stereo.

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B.o.B. – B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray

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I love when an album is released that I can’t help but listen to over, and over, and over again. The last album that had that effect on me was the debut album from Two Doors Cinema Club, whose review I posted in February.

These type of records are filled with songs that flow into one another, breathing life into the next song and cherishing the music that just passed. They work as complete albums and as stand alone tracks; songs to be played in the dead of night or to begin a new sunny day. They get my heart pumping and my spirits soaring while I bob my head along to the beat.

The debut album from twenty-one year-old Bobby Ray Simmons – aka B.o.B. – is causing my head to bob so much its giving me a stiff neck. The beats are infectious, the rhymes are tight, and the singing is strong. I don’t think I’ll grow tired of this album until it grows tired of me.

His album is named B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray and it fits. Coming off of a few mix-tapes with some successful singles, B.o.B. is relatively unknown. Yet from what I’m hearing on his album he definitely knows himself.

Continue reading →