The Year In Rap: 2014

Another year goes by, another roller coaster ride of rappity rap is put in the books, and more New Years resolutions are going to be made that probably won't pan out to be followed as planned (I however am planning to listen to little to no amount of music from Rae Sremmurd, so far I've kept my promise and it's not even the new year, isn't that amazing?). From elevator fights over who knows what to the incredible rise of one of the hottest new rappers out, to rap reaching new levels of fan interaction and battle rap pummeling it's way into the mainstream, 2014 was absolutely filled with excitement. Where do we even begin?

In terms of albums being released, J. Cole has seemingly owned the year, and just within the last month of it all. Cole had only announced his 2014 Forrest Hills Drive this November and it has without a doubt been the most interesting story in rap, quite possibly in all of music this year. With little to no promotion for the actual album itself, Cole still made headlines over the incredibly humble moves he made involving his fans this year, hosting events like album listening sessions at his own house, random stops at events and performing for fans, and there was even one instance where Cole showed up to a fan's house to give out signed copies of the album, take pictures and even hang out with the fan for a little bit. To top it all off Cole's newest release has just recently been certified gold by the RIAA, and it's certainly well deserved. Other successful album releases included Nicki Minaj, Eminem, Royce Da 5'9, and Kevin Gates even charted with a specially released mix tape.

(Cole performed his song "Be Free" on Letterman to promote not the new album, but the recent Ferguson violence and Erick Sermon's death by chokehold. His sweatshirt reads "Fuck Money Spread Love" in logos. Is Cole the new Tupac?)

Another huge story that took over headlines the time it had happened was the famed Beyoncé, Jay Z and Solange Knowles elevator incident. This led to jokes, memes, interview questions, and even (alleged) song lyrics talking about the matter. The story is that supposedly Solange got very angry at Jay Z (why, nobody knows, she might have been drunk) and the surveillance video shows Solange continuously punching and kicking Jay Z while he just stood there and took it (like a man should of course). Was Solange trying to stand up for her sister?  Could Jay really have cheated on Beyoncé?  Was Solange in need of money and did Jay just tell her to go start her own label?  All of these could have been plausible questions that still nobody has any answers for. Check out the surveillance video below.

Iggy Azalea had an absolutely huge year as well, and it's hard to deny that she got massive attention even if you don't like her music, but the attention was hot one second then cold the next. Her constant beef and involvement with other rappers/celebrities on social media probably wasn't the attention she was looking for, but the saying "any press is good press" comes to mind when you think of Iggy (maybe not if you're really a fan). I'm not exactly a super fan of Iggy myself, but you have to respect what she is doing and how much of a following she's built in such a short period of time. I do know that she can rap given the chance, even though The New Classic isn't the best evidence of that claim. Her huge year was more evidence of how the Grammy's overlook other truly great music though, and in terms of rap Macklemore definitely wasn't the most deserving candidate for best rap album (he even admitted it and put out an apology to Kendrick).

Macklemore's apology to Kendrick seemed to get mixed opinions and views from people, some people said Macklemore shouldn't have apologized seeing as it takes away the competitive aspect of rap, while some others gained a newfound respect for Macklemore and saw it as him "seeing the unfairness to hip hop from the Grammys." This unfairness has been a thing for quite some time now, and it became even more of a thing when Kendrick's album, Good Kid Maad City, which some people highly consider the best hip hop album of the past 20 years or so (although the word "classic" has been thrown around many more times than it should), got snubbed at the Grammy's and lost to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' The Heist. To many people The Heist wasn't even as good as any of the other nominees, which included Drake's Nothing Was The Same, Jay Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail, and Kanye West's Yeezus.

The mix tape circuit has been almost as exciting as the album circuit this year, if not more so. There are many that stand out among the best, a few that got a bunch of attention were ones like Mick Jenkins' The Waters, Kevin Gates' By Any Means, Lil B's 05 Fuck Em, and many more, but the one that garnered my attention the most had to be Mac Miller's Faces. Being a Mac hater (admittedly) since his mix tape days of course I saw this mix tape and didn't bat an eye at it at first, but I had a friend introduce me to Faces and I have to say I was immediately impressed by not just the skill, but the musical range of Mac as well. What he can do with a song is truly amazing, his production skills are almost as good as his rapping abilities, and he know how to truly entertain someone with his abstract writing ability and topics, and Faces is the absolute pinnacle of Mac's abilities. Faces doesn't seem like a mix tape at all, it seems more like an album to me, I mean why else would it not have any DJ tags?  The rumors of his being on drugs during the entire process is certainly plausible (I mean come on, have you LISTENED to it?), and his mental state is something you'd certainly worry about if what he raps about is true, it almost seems as if Mac has entered this sort of "Slim Shady" phase where he feels like he has to do drugs to draw the influence and become great. The music is great and the fans are happy, but when it comes to Mac being healthy, you have to wonder.

                                (*I do not own any of these videos, songs, or the rights to them*)      

So with the elevator fights, the crazy amount of good music, the snubbing of rap at awards shows (as usual) and so much beef you could cut it with a knife, you have to wonder what 2015 will bring. Rumors are there will be new albums from Kendrick, Drake, Kanye, Mac Miller and too many more to name, the anticipation is always there but you never know how the year will turn out until it's actually happening (or if you're like me and you really don't think about it at all until just now). Rap is constantly on the move in terms of advancement of the culture and how people see it and how seriously they take it, and I feel like there will always be that certain audience who can't take it seriously just because of the egos involved, but if you're not confident and can't take pride in what you do, then how can you say you love it?  The competition will only get better (especially as Kendrick continues to slowly slither his way back into the music scene), the music will only be top notch, and the rhymes will be so much farther ahead of us than we even know. So to end the last post of the year, allow me to leave you with some advice:  take time to enjoy your music, the times in your life, the people in your life, and the ride of what's to come. As Weezy said:  life is like a fuckin roller coaster then it drops!  Be ready for your next hill.     
         








  

Step Into The Ring: Mainstream Rappers Who Should Battle

It seems as if a spotlight has been shined on battle rap in the past year. As popular as it has been throughout the years, it has remained underground and has produced a much different audience from the Lil Wayne, Drake or Kanye (etc.) type of rap fan base that you see and hear every day. I say this being a particularly new fan myself, and it's crazy to think about the differences in recorded rap as opposed to battle rap, they're really two different beasts completely. One side of the spectrum is made for your listening pleasure, while the other shines a much brighter light on the technical aspect of rap with competition being aplenty. It's very hard to mix the two, and if you do one and have the balls to try the other, whether you're successful at it or not, there is a respect factor given to you for even trying in the first place. There are very few mainstream rappers that have the skill to battle rap, and I thought it'd be a good idea to figure out who these guys (or girls even, remember the term "femcee"?) are. Here's a short list of mainstream rappers who could probably battle.

Ab-Soul

I'm a little new to Ab's catalog, but if there's one thing that opened up my eyes to the idea of Ab-Soul having battle bars, it's this freestyle with infamous battle rapper Daylyt (shout out to my good friend and fellow rapper Terrell Cooper for showing me this!). Ab-Soul is incredibly smart with novelist-like bars and Einstein-like wordplay, and if you were stuck in the dark like me, listening to this would enlighten your day with facts that Ab-Soul could indeed hang with some of the best battlers.

Lupe Fiasco

Another big writer-at-heart rapper is Lupe Fiasco. If you've heard Lupe (or if you even know about him) you know how smart and politically/socially conscience he is of everything going on around him. His rhymes take multiple listens to process for even his most die hard fans, and if there's anything that draws attention to a battle rapper, one of the biggest would be how smart and well thought out their rhymes are (syllables, double entendres, similes, metaphors, etc.). Lupe is such a fan of the craft that comes with rapping that he even battled his fans for a short period of time on Twitter, and has been called out by infamous battle rapper Dizaster to battle, though it never panned out for whatever reason.

King Los

                            (*I do not own any of these videos, songs, audio, or the rights to them*)

I'm not as familiar with King Los' catalog as I probably should be (I've heard from too many people that he's dope), but if I got just a mere sample of what he can do, his "Control" response (which seems to bring out the best in everyone, at least for rappers who had a response) is a good example of it. He really impressed me with the following bars: "I'm a king I'm elite, I could never dream of defeat, I could Dr. King you a speech while I'm Rodney King-in your beat." Day-umn Los! Guess I got some homework to do.

So those are a few dudes that could probably battle with some success (or so I think). There are probably many more rappers you could name who could battle and do well (I would probably say any of the other Slaughterhouse guys along with J. Cole and Kendrick), but there are many aspects of battling that some mainstream guys just don't have or don't show in their recorded song history as an emcee. A lot of guys show attitude and confidence on the mic (you almost have to, if you rap for a living it's a given), but if they have the mental stability is the real question, along with being able to successfully freestyle and truly go off the top of their head. If you know any dudes who you think could battle right now be sure to let me know on Twitter (@SuperNovaRover) or Google+ and let me know why you think they'd fair better than the rest.






 
 

Azealia Banks And The Frustration Of The Industry

It's almost too easy nowadays to differentiate the artists with a message from the ones who say things just to promote themselves. Actually, it might not be so much. Scratch that, yes it is. Getting your feelings involved in any situation adds a biased factor to what you end up saying, whether your point is good or bad. Constructive criticism, straight hate and bashing, or even simple props given to someone are all justified at some point no matter how easy it is to see their reasoning. Living life in the industry can only be spoken convincingly by someone living the life themselves (obviously), but until you know about the life yourself, can you really give an opinion anyone truly cares about?  I felt an overload of thoughts surrounding this topic, and it starts with Azealia Banks' interview with Ebro in the Morning.

If you haven't seen it, Azealia Banks gave quite the entertaining interview to Ebro in the Morning on Hot 97. If you know Ebro and his interview style, he very easily has a way to warm up his guests then transition into the problems and the gossip people want to know about, and Azealia Banks had a lot to say about her past (and present) problems with Iggy Azalea. Banks goes on to say that she sees it as more of a problem that Iggy is getting more attention than her because of her race and how the industry works and sees blacks as "slaves" more than the fact that her and Iggy have had simple beef because of what Banks' fans see as Iggy stealing her name. Both sides of this have incredibly fascinating points that cannot be ignored.

The point of mentioning the biased views of people is this:  people should be able to see both sides of the story fairly and make a judgment based on the facts (I have no intention of turning this into a court case so you don't have to prepare for jury duty, though you may see it as you place). Banks goes on to mention in her interview that she is tired of blogs and magazines like Complex, Bossip, XXL and The Source that entertain these discussions and ideas just to "get your fuckin clicks" and make headlines and money. Reasonable point right?  Living the industry lifestyle has shown that you will have to deal with constant publicity, press, pictures and videos you don't want shot of you, and even LEAKED footage and pictures that you don't even plan to be seen (no this isn't about the fappening, perverts). Banks also went on to say that these sites are "creating the bad picture."

Now comes the second side of the story:  Banks' known history for beef and problems/disputes being made public. Azealia Banks almost has a catalog of problems and beef with other artists/rappers, Iggy Azalea only being the latest on that list. She goes on to talk about some of these issues in the interview with Ebro, including one with T.I. and his wife Tiny (which I had no idea even was a thing, who knew this "beef" even existed?  And to start it with T.I., the king of maturity in rap and focusing on himself and his family, what exactly did Banks plan to accomplish with starting something with T.I.?). Who sounds like the attention seeker during this part of the interview?  Relevancy can be obtained in any way you wish (especially as an artist), whether that be the good way or the bad way, then again why would the saying "any publicity is good publicity" exist?

But my points don't stop there. Ebro goes on to mention to Banks that he believes putting the energy into social media (tweeting about her problems) wasn't the right decision in his eyes. "Putting the energy into your music" as Ebro put it, has proven time and time again for artists (Drake, Eminem, anyone who you believe vents about life in their music) to be a successful method, and even if the success doesn't show up in sales, how could it not help your own personal views and mindset?  "Putting it all on wax" is almost therapeutic, and has been known to help not only the artists going through the struggles, but even their fan bases to feel better throughout the process (although beefing with T.I. might not have been something you've done lately). So this leads to my next question:  why not preach what you say in your music in real life?  If you're rapping or singing about it, why don't you talk about it?  This isn't always the case for every artist nowadays, so I'll be more specific: WHY HASN'T AZEALIA BANKS VENTED ABOUT THIS BULL IN HER MUSIC?!

This topic of conversation has been, is, and always will be a slippery slope. You don't know about making music unless you do it, and you definitely don't know about making music in the industry unless you do it (the difference in numbers between the 2 is astounding, believe it or not, going from mix tape rapper to platinum seller is a lot harder than some make it look, though I can't speak from experience). The key seems to be finding balance. (In my opinion) Azealia Banks is too often found in the spotlight for her beef and social media rants than she is for her music, so I only see this latest rant as her craving more attention than really trying to make a point. These interviews certainly make for some entertainment if you don't get your daily fix, but the fact that this is making news might be an example of a bigger problem. Shortly after this interview made waves online Banks got into some Twitter arguments (surprise) with rapper Action Bronson, be sure to check out those tweets if you can find them, and definitely be sure to check out Banks' interview discussing all of these things with Hot 97 below (Banks' views on Iggy and her rant begin at the 8:20 mark).

                                            (*I do not own this video, or the rights to it*)







      

    

Hopsin Retiring From Rap?

News hit very early this morning that Hopsin has decided to quit the rap game for good and move to Australia. Now I don't know how many Hopsin fans there are out there, or how many rap fans are particularly disappointed about this, but this struck me as odd; why would a rapper in the prime of their career at only 29 years old (which may seem old in rap, but really it's practically the prime age) decide to just pull a Dave Chappelle and bounce? 

Hopsin's open letter read as follows: "I just wanted to take time out to say that I appreciate all of u who have supported my music for these past few years. A lot of u have told me stories about how I have changed your life. You too have changed mine in ways that u could never imagine. Unfortunately, tonight is the night that I am actually moving away to Australia. Over the past couple of years I have come to the conclusion that this profession just isn't for me, so I'm going to venture out into new areas of life. I will always be an MC at heart, but this rap stuff just isn't for me. I hope you guys can respect it. I've signed over my half of the funk volume label to my business partner, Dame. I also wished Swizzz, Dizzy Wright, and Jarren Benton good luck in their careers. Thank u all!  I'm out."

You have to respect his humble mindset he displays in this letter even if you don't know much about Hopsin or listen to his music, but is there more to this quick and seemingly out of the blue decision to quit?  There absolutely is. Hopsin has battled issues with the label for as long as anyone can remember, and proof of it shows in his tweets. The past couple of years he has tweeted about them a lot, saying things about the label holding back his album, not being able to put out a single, messing with his creative process, and much more.

So is Hopsin crazy for quitting?  To die hard fans, a rapper will never be able to justify quitting or retiring because they want your music, but I believe Hopsin is taking a proper stand and making a good decision. Why Hopsin doesn't just leave the label and look for a new one we'll never know, but I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of Hopsin, I see this just as a break for now. This is a prime example of the toll that the industry takes on artists physically and mentally, and whether you think Hopsin is the hero or the villain for it, this shows a truly human aspect of Hopsin that you really don't get with many other artists. Besides, even Chappelle made a return (not nearly soon enough if you ask me, but better late than never).    

          

Best Parody Rap Songs

I probably take a lot of stuff way too seriously. I mean it, like, seriously bro. One of these things would definitely be my music. If you start dissing my music, you better be ready to start throwing hands. One pretty cool aspect about music though is that it can bring out all sides of a person. Whether you're super happy, nervous about a particular situation, enraged and want to let off some steam, or maybe you're just down on yourself for whatever reason, music is the ultimate therapy for any and every person alike. Rap music just happens to be the bomb diggity for just about any given situation, but I thought it would be good to look at one particular type of song that stands out more than others. Without further ado, I give you the best parody rap songs (by "parody" rap songs I mean actual rap songs that may seem like a parody at this point and time, so if you're looking for Weird Al Yankovic type songs, you'll probably be disappointed). (*Disclaimer: I do not own any of these videos, songs, or the rights to them*.)

Macklemore - Thrift Shop

This dude won a Grammy for best rap album. Won a GRAMMY for BEST RAP ALBUM!! Yes, you read that correct. The guy that goes to thrift shops across the country looking for grandpa-looking strap on shoes and fluffy fur coats to go and ride on his teal colored high handle-barred bicycle. Believe in yourself kids. Anything can happen (sorry Kendrick).

Tone Loc - Funky Cold Medina

Here's a case of a short termed big time superstar that also had another big hit that you've heard of if your parents are old farts like mine, (Wild Thing) also by Tone Loc. When you're young, hip and have as good a sense for cool as it gets, this might not seem like your average everyday Drake or Wayne single, but back then this is what was in. Tone Loc was known for his mixture of rock and rap, and it's evident with the use of guitar in "Funky Cold Medina" and "Wild Thing", which are widely regarded as his 2 biggest hits.

Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-A-Lot

This list wouldn't even have been a thought if it weren't for this song. Who doesn't know this song?  I haven't heard it on the radio in quite awhile if ever, but would I be surprised if I heard it?  Absolutely not. Arguably the biggest booty anthem (and if it isn't Nicki Minaj certainly sampled it into one), you could probably put it on a list for most popular songs of all time in any genre, not just rap, this is certainly the easiest choice on this list. You could almost say this song has set the precedent for not only how people view rap, but also one of the the first songs people think of when they think of parodies.

Riff Raff - Tip Toe Wing In My Jawwdinz

If there's any dude in the rap game today that nobody takes seriously (or that I really hope you wouldn't at least), it's Riff Raff. This dude's entire career is a parody. There's no denying that he has some sort of ability to freestyle whether you respect his skills or not, and if you don't know you can check out any of his radio show freestyles (Shade 45 with Sway, etc.). The weirdest thing about Riff Raff is that he has a rare disease called synesthesia, where he is able to hear colors and smell sound (no joke, look it up if you don't know, it's actually extremely fascinating), which means he associates sounds and musical notes with different colors and smells, which could almost explain his musical voice and abilities.

Biz Markie - Just A Friend

The Biz with this jam (teehee) is pretty short and sweet. "Just A Friend" includes an incredibly catchy drum beat with an almost nursery rhyme-like piano, and Biz's voice and seemingly slurred-word rapping style just adds to the hilarity of it all. The best part is the god-awful hook Biz lays down, though. You want to say he's singing, but you almost legally can't.

You really could say that parody songs have given people a new outlook on rap. When it comes to the older jams like "Just A Friend" and "Funky Cold Medina" (or any older rap songs viewed as parodies for that matter), people may not have seen these songs as a parody at the time, but looking back they say "wow I can't believe this was big back in the day." It's certainly a growing process thinking about rap's timeline, and today is no different. The only debatable difference I see myself is that today rap is living on a much grander scale and has so much more of an influence than it did during its come up in the late 70s and 80s. You have to be able to make fun of yourself to grow properly though, and whether it seems like rap has gotten to that point yet or not, you can't argue that it's getting there. So make sure you're able to laugh and appreciate things while you can.            

  
  
      
















  

Sneakerhead Rappers

So other than my love for hip hop, I have an absolutely tremendous love for sneakers. Nikes, Jordans, Adidas', I really don't discriminate style. When it comes to shoes, I'm always looking at peoples feet when I first meet them, and everybody does it, whether they want to admit it or not!  What shoes somebody wears says a lot about their character (or maybe you'd think so). So I figured I'd put together a post of some of the biggest rap sneaker heads, and there are certainly a lot of them out there for sure. So let's get started, shall we? 

Wale

Wale is a huge sneaker head. He rocks some of the most exclusive kicks you could find anywhere, I've seen him with some never before seen stuff before (how he gets them I don't know, you have to be tight with Nike headquarters to be able to get some of these kicks). Anyways, in the pictures above Wale is seen rocking a couple of pairs of LeBron 9s.

Stalley

Stalley is an Ohioan who has just as much love for sneakers as the next rapper. He's been involved in some big sneaker sites and interviews, including nicekicks.com, where he discussed his 25 favorite sneakers. In the pictures above Stalley is seen rocking the famous Jordan Retro 3s, along with some other retro Nikes, along with some Jordan boxes and what looks like they could be Durant's in the second picture.

Rick Ross



















Rick Ross is a HUGE (literally) sneaker head and has been known to rock all types of big expensive and rare sneakers. Ross is actually a known endorser of Reebok, although there was a rumor some time ago that he lost his Reebok endorsement due to some lyrics he got in trouble for included in one of his songs "U.O.E.N.O" awhile back. In the pictures above Ross is seen rocking some cool grey Jordan retro 11 lows and some reeboks along with another big Reebok endorser, producer/hype man Swiss Beatz.

Game

 

Game is always on his "game" (corny? probably) when it comes to sneakers, and you can almost always see him rocking some special pairs of Jordans or Nikes when you catch him out. If you've seen his fight video against his usual nemesis 40 Glocc, Game actually says to his phone camera that he got some of 40 Glocc's blood on his retro sixes during the fight. Not a man you want to mess with, but discussing sneakers could be an interesting topic of conversation with Game. In the pics above Game is seen rocking some pretty exclusive LeBron 11s and some always fly looking retro 4s with the Bulls color way.

 

So these are just a few of the big rapper sneaker heads out there, and we barely even scratched the surface when it comes to rare and expensive sneaker finds, but I will have many more rapper-associated sneaker posts coming in the future. As I said above I am a huge sneaker fan and I'm always looking to cop some retros or fly Nikes when I get my chance (though they are insanely expensive and hard to find). I'll also be posting some pictures of a few of my pairs of sneaks that I have on my Google+ page, be sure to check them out if you get the chance, and definitely let me know your favorite finds and your "grails" as the sneaker heads call them. I'd love it if you tagged me in pictures of your newest pickups, and I'll be sure to do the same in other posts. So get at me on Google+ and Twitter (@SuperNovaRover) and lets talk sneakers!      

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rappers With Good Singing Voices

Sometimes when you listen to your favorite hip hop jams, you get stuck wondering if this is all there is to it (that is if you get bored with your music rather quickly). Sometimes it may seem a little one dimensional, or it may seem as if your hearing the same messages and types of songs over and over again. Luckily rap has branched out over the past 20 years, and in the mean time it has produced some great singers, whether they be R&B singers, or just multi dimensional song writers. So I got to thinking about who some of the best singing rappers of today could be, maybe you'll agree, or maybe you won't (if not, let me know your choices on Google+ or Twitter @SuperNovaRover). Anyways, here is a short list of some underrated golden voiced rappers.

Logic

I've posted a lot about Logic in the recent months, but his recent rise in the rap game is undeniable (like his mix tape, get it?). Anyways, Logic is known more for his top notch produced tracks and his lyrical miracle type of raps he never has trouble displaying, but every now and then he shows signs of a good singing voice, especially in his song "Buried Alive" off of his recent Def Jam debut album Under Pressure.

Drake

Obviously Drake is probably one of the first couple of choices you'd think of when it comes to rappers who can sing, and his track record shows, although some may argue that Drake has always sung out of key and never displays skills like a real singer would. I'm not one to argue this at all, and his most recent album Nothing Was The Same definitely shows some of his versatility and singing skills, especially on the song "Own It."

Kirko Bangz

I've never been one to count auto-tuned out rappers as ones who can sing, but it's hard to argue that he doesn't let the pipes ring on one of his biggest hits "Drank In My Cup". Even though I really don't give much credit to the guys who make a career out of putting effects on their voices to make themselves sound good (*cough *cough T-Pain).

Eminem

Okay so maybe I post a lot about "Slim Shady" (call me a Stan, sure, I don't care), but Eminem can definitely sing if he takes the chance to. He's never been one to really give it the old college try and actually attempt to sing great on any songs, he might do it jokingly here and there, but he shows a decent voice on the sappy 'Stronger Than I Was" ballad off of the Marshall Mathers LP 2.

So those are just a couple of rappers who can sing (with or without auto tune usage, although I find it to be more raw talent when it's without it, obviously). I was going to include Chris Brown or maybe Trey Songz, but I find them to be more of R&B personalities anyways, seeing as neither of them rap as much as they do sing. Make sure you hit me back with your best choices of rappers who can sing on Google+ or Twitter (@SuperNovaRover) like I said in the first paragraph.







   

Rapper You Need To Know: Dosage

A lot of times here on Hip Hop Unlimited I might discuss a rapper that already has a ton of shine, but maybe one that I hadn't really given the time of day until now. You could argue that this is one of those times, though the rapper I am about to discuss has an interesting story that doesn't include as much mainstream success. If you've ever heard a feature verse that was so incredibly dope, though you'd never heard of the rapper before once in your entire life up until that point, you might say I experienced this listening to just 2 tracks with this guy. The mystery surrounding Dosage (at least for me) is something I wish I could understand. Why don't we have some more dope music from this guy?

If you haven't heard of the Philadelphia bred rapper, Dosage is an up and coming (or was an up and coming) emcee who has tons of talent that somehow hasn't panned out into mainstream success quite yet, although he's gotten a couple of cosigns from Lupe Fiasco, and was also a guest on Lupe's 2010 "Stepping Lasers" tour which also included B.o.B. He's got a very strong, distinct voice that commands attention, and when you hear his bars you can't help but wonder what's next. And so comes my first time hearing Dosage...

                                         (Dosage's verse starts at exactly the 6 minute mark)

This song could be an attention grabber due to the amazing beat and all star cast (All City cast I suppose you should say), but the first time that 6 minute mark hit, I felt like I was listening to the next great rapper. Obviously the kid had to have proved something to be featured on a Lupe Fiasco song, not just 1 but 2 ("Friend of the People" off of Lupe's mix tape of the same name as well). "Friend of the People" is a great display of Dosage's range (and rage, perhaps) as a rapper and shows off a lot more of his personality than you hear on his "I'm Beaming (Remix)" verse. Listening to both of these songs, however, you don't get the best feel for what "Dose" (my new nickname for him) is really about. So this meant I had to do some more digging, of course.

Dose has a total of 4 mix tapes listed on DatPiff (though none are listed as official releases), one of which being a tape by the name of It, released in 2011. It certainly is what you thought it was (or not), a mix tape made up of entirely Nas instrumentals, and the intro to each track includes a snippet from the movie (hence the name "It"). Being new to Dose this tape is certainly an easy way to get into him, you hear Dosage rap over Nas classics like "Hate Me Now" and "It Ain't Hard To Tell", and it certainly is a great sign to hear up and comers paying homage to some of the greats such as Nas.

His next tape however, 3d11, is a step up from It as it includes more original material over original production. His lyrical prowess and his flow reach an all time high, and it's hard to argue that he doesn't hit his peak when you hear tracks like "Which Way", "LVLA", and the old school sounding "Notorious Remix" which features production from DJ Jazzy Jeff (yes, that DJ Jazzy Jeff). In some of his tracks you can hear a bit of a rock influence it sounds like, and this is pretty noticeable on the track "3D11", which stresses Dosage's 3 D's to live by: dream, drive, and determination.

So to sum this up, you definitely need to deed your day by dosing up a dose of Dosage's dopeness. He caught my ear listening to just 2 tracks, and now I'm wondering what I'm going to hear next from the guy. Though he doesn't go by the name "Dosage" anymore (I've found him on Twitter and Sound Cloud as "Dayne Jordan"), he certainly does give you a dope dose of emceeing (too much? Alright then) and a big portion of his tracks actually feature production from DJ Jazzy Jeff, so that's a reason to look into him. The only wonder now is what is Dosage really doing?  His last full length release dates back to 2012 (2 mix tapes that year actually), and he's only putting out songs on Sound Cloud about once every month or so. One can only hope he gets what he's trying to do right, and doesn't turn out to be the next Jay Electronica.    

Big K.R.I.T's Cadillactica Album Review

Big K.R.I.T has had expectations on him ever since his first mix tape (or album, whatever you choose to call it) K.R.I.T Wuz Here dropped way back in 2010. Mississippi born and bred, K.R.I.T has always been one to preach about how cool it is to be southern (and there's audio proof of it) and is considered a main example of why southern hip hop remains very much alive today. However, stepping out of the norm and seeing no boundaries is what a great artist does, and has done to prove greatness in the past. It's pretty safe to say that Cadillactica is K.R.I.T's way of saying, when it comes to this rap shit at least, that he is on an entirely different planet.

The album begins with the smoothest and most soothing of intros you could ask for. A better way to say it is, the intro is so "K.R.I.T". Titled "Kreation", it certainly takes no time at all to bring into K.R.I.T's world, filled with booming bass lines, huge sub woofers and pretty women. The hook sounds almost robotic, is very catchy and will almost certainly make you bob your head. The breaking point is just as good as the hook, it includes a robotic voice talking over the bass line and saying "do it like you love me" over and over. Certainly a fun introduction to the album, and I've admittedly found myself playing it over and over again. (*Note: the actual song is only 3 minutes and 20 seconds long, not sure why a YouTube user felt the need to extend the song any longer.)

You can definitely tell that K.R.I.T is aiming for a new sound on this project, though maybe not as much new as it is refreshing. The futuristic vibe is felt in the intro as well as the second track "Life", which includes a very synth heavy beat and a message that stresses that life on Cadillactica is very much evident and should get noticed.

Cadillactica is certainly a branching out for K.R.I.T from his normal heavy bass bumping music, but he shows signs of his old self on tracks like "Do You Love Me", "Mo Better Cool", "My Sub Pt. 3 (Big Bang)", and "Mind Control". "Do You Love Me" details K.R.I.T's car talking to him about loving the sub more than he does the car (which I still find hilarious, it is another planet though). "Mo Better Cool" is another very well put together track where K.R.I.T enlists frequent collaborators Bun B, Big Sant and Devin The Dude. If there's any track on the album that you can very proudly cruise to, this is it. "My Sub Pt. 3 (Big Bang)" is another great addition to the "My Sub" series, where as usual it features a head moving, house shaking type of bass line that only K.R.I.T could put together, but the second part of the song is just as moving when K.R.I.T almost adds on a couple of melodies or extra voices to his in a very good effort to sing (kind of).

"Pay Attention" of course is another fine example of an artist putting out a single that sounds very questionable at first, but then sounds great in the context of the album. There isn't much to say about "Pay Attention", but there is a lot to say about the jazz influence that K.R.I.T felt on Cadillactica. On songs like the Raphael Saadiq-assisted "Soul Food", you can feel the jazz instruments and soulful mood it creates almost effortlessly. I hadn't known much about Saadiq before Cadillactica had dropped, but from the sounds of "Soul Food", I wouldn't mind hearing more of him. Perhaps the most different, almost un-K.R.I.T like song on the album (meaning far from the normal K.R.I.T sound) has to be "Saturdays = Celebration". The hook features blues and rock musician Jamie N Commons, but on your first listen it doesn't sound like him at all, but instead reminds one of an old Eric Clapton vibe with Cream, or Mark Cohen's soulful version of  "Walking in Memphis".  Not bad comparisons at all, but you can give it a listen yourself and be the judge.

                             (*Disclaimer: I do not own any of thee songs, not the rights to them*)

One of the most notable songs on the album would have to be "King Of The South". Now there are many current rappers who could claim this title and not have anyone else argue, but nobody has really said anything about K.R.I.T's claims yet. Could this mean people see it to be true?  "Mind Control" is another bumping track, boasting features from E40 and Wiz Khalifa and focusing mostly on controlling "her mind". Yes, this is the song on the album for all of the women, and I don't want to be too brash, but I believe it's a little early to be including Wiz Khalifa on any songs talking about women (too soon?).

But before I start to ramble any more (too late), I have to say it's very clear that K.R.I.T came out on top again with his newest album. Cadillactica is the perfect example of a rapper (or artist) branching out of the comfort zone (even just a little bit) and still coming out on top and not only keeping your original fans, but building more in the process. The bumping, gripping-on-wood grain rap is what K.R.I.T's fans and southern rap fans alike are so used to hearing from him, and they got that plus a little bit more. Yes K.R.I.T's effort to prove that he is in his own lane is spectacular, and if Cadillactica is a planet, it seems that K.R.I.T is the only rapper that resides on it. 




         











     

Talib Kweli's Javotti Media Presents: The Cathedral Mixtape Review

If you don't know who Talib Kweli is, you probably don't know real hip hop. I'm totally kidding of course (who likes that type of person?), but to deny Kweli has had a huge influence in all of rap is an ignorant thing to do. His consistency as a rapper doesn't show up in records sales, it shows up in his skills as an emcee, and to say he is underrated (even today) is an understatement. It's truly fun to listen to Kweli kick skill on the mic, but his newest effort doesn't focus on just him, it focuses on the label he's pushing to become great:  Javotti Media. Is Kweli pushing Javotti in the right direction?  This remains to be seen, at least for now.

The first track, a Kweli solo spitting joint, starts with comedian Affion Crockett giving some hilarious opening banter. Crockett does this throughout the entire tape, and it surely adds a different vibe to the tape, it almost seems as if Affion is acting as the tape's DJ (just less annoying with no tags). But the track, titled "Another Day", is a smooth track that shows signs of the old school hip hop sound that Kweli is so well known for. The rhythmic drums and the steady bass line make for a good opening to warm you up for the rest of the tape.

The chill vibe is a consistent one throughout the tape, with slower paced beats that allow the rappers to differentiate and slow up flows that fit very well, an example of this being evident on "Cherry Beamer Dreaming" where rapper NIKO IS showcases his talents. The slow paced beats and vibe you can also find on tracks like "Boomerang", where "quality over quantity" is stressed, and it's hard to argue that it isn't.  Other chilled out tracks include the smoker's anthem "Roll Me Up" featuring Altitude and Cory Mo, and perhaps the stand out track of the tape, "Everywhere I Go" featuring fellow speaker bumpers Big K.R.I.T and Curren$y. K.R.I.T lays down a smooth hook that certainly makes this track one to bump in the trunk.

    
The song "Dreams" ft. singer RES and the Piano Tribute Players is a truly heartfelt, masterful performance on piano and in singing. The first time I heard this I was truly moved, and I felt the pain and honesty in RES's voice as the thought crossed my mind that I had never heard anything like this before. We need to talk about this singer RES:  I don't know where Kweli found her, but he surely is doing right if he plans to push her to be big. Her vocal talents on "Dreams" and the live version of "What's Real" are just a taste of her talents ("What's Real" makes me want to see Kweli and RES live), but she really steals the show on her very own solo singing track "For Who You Are", which resembles an old Spinners' song as its smooth jazzy sound mixed with her lovely vocals bring you back to old love songs, while at the same time presenting you with a fresh new sound that could take this girl far if she plays her cards right.

So in all, does Talib succeed with his new mix tape?  You'd be crazy to say he doesn't, the great mix of songs, which includes lyrical acrobatics and jovial jams to soulful singing singles and uplifting efforts, definitely sounds like more an album than it does a mix tape, and even though nowadays it's become second nature for artists to put out their best work for free (some of it, at least), this tape becomes only a sample of what to expect from Kweli's ever growing Javotti media brand. The mix of originality with old school fits very well as usual for Kweli, and he looks to bring up a team that deserves recognition just as much as he does. I'll end this review with my personal favorite track from the tape, "D.R.E.A.M" featuring Kweli and Pharoahe Monch.

                    (*Disclaimer: I do not own any of these songs posted, or any of the rights to them*)










     

Songs You Didn't Know Had Different Versions (Not Remixes)

The music industry is something a lot of people will never understand. While some constantly wonder about the dynamic behind it all, and how albums are narrowed down to which songs make the album, which songs are made the single, and how artists determine what songs fit and don't fit the concept of an album (or maybe that's just my crazy ass), the fans are usually stuck in the dark about the behind the scenes aspect of it. I've always been interested in how things come about in the making of an album or the recording of different songs, and a lot of that is the fact that there is so much evidence that some ideas don't pan out how rappers (or artists in general) originally planned them to. So to show my interest (and hopefully have you express yours as well) I put together a small list of songs that have other lesser known versions.

Royce Da 5'9 ft. Big Sean - My Own Planet (other version features Joe Budden, Royce's Success Is Certain album)

This version of Royce Da 5'9's "My Own Planet" you would know if you listened to his The Bar Exam 3 mix tape. The Success Is Certain album version of this song features Royce's fellow Slaughterhouse group member Joe Budden. It's hard to distinguish why Royce would choose to switch out Sean's verse with Joe's, or even why he would want to put the song on his album, but both are great mixes. Royce has made it known in the past that he doesn't appreciate Sean's getting big and forgetting to show other Detroit rappers love (though the new Shady XV leaks would say differently), but you wouldn't be able to tell from this jam.

Eminem ft. Royce Da 5'9 - Renegade (original is a Jay-Z song featured on Jay's The Blueprint album)

Bad Meets Evil fans are sure to love this one (if you don't know about it already). Eminem's Renegade verse is already hailed as one of the best guest verses ever (and one of the first and only cases of someone outshining Jay-Z on his own song), but did you know that Bad Meets Evil did the original version to the now Jay-Z claimed song?  Yep it's true, I couldn't tell you how I stumbled across this, but while Eminem keeps the same verses he had in the Jay-Z version, it's very interesting to hear Royce's approach to his first verse because he keeps almost the exact same rhyme scheme that Eminem used for his guest verse on Notorious B.I.G's "Dead Wrong", listen to them both and compare if you don't believe me!  Little facts and gems like this are what make me love what I do that much more, and they certainly display the conceptual talents of Royce and Eminem.

Drake ft. Bun B - Miss Me (original version features Lil Wayne and makes Drake's Thank Me Later album)

This is certainly a sweet mix if you're a Bun B fan (which you should be, check out my Bun B's influence article if you haven't yet), and it makes sense to include a Bun verse since he was already featured in the song, even in the Lil Wayne version (29 second mark). It's no surprise that Drake felt it was right to have a Bun B feature at some point, considering his being featured twice on Bun's Trill O.G. album, and especially considering Drake's praise of Houston and it's part in shaping him.

Knowing there are little known different versions of songs out there just makes you feel so special doesn't it?  I know it makes me feel good, shit I feel like I work for Interscope. Of course the label doesn't leak music, that's certainly the last thing they would want to happen, but still. Having access to these little known tracks is a pretty cool and special thing, and really puts that thought in your mind: "what other versions of songs have been made that haven't been put out?" The thought of it all is too much to process right now, but be sure to let me know if you know any more little known alternate versions of songs that didn't end up on albums/mixtapes on Google+ or Twitter (@SuperNovaRover).



 














 

Boosie Life After Deathrow Mixtape Review

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Suge Knight: Gangsta Til Death(Row)

If there is one person in all of hip hop that embodies the gangster aspect of hip hop entirely (and maybe a bit excessively/unhealthily), it's Marion "Suge" Knight. Death Row CEO, co-founder, and arguably the most intimidating man in hip hop, Suge built a name and an empire through money, power, fear, and (believe it or not) respect in one of the most controversial and power packed periods of rap. The ups are some of the best and most well documented in hip hop history, which include 10 plus platinum albums, including 2 diamond, and the launching of legendary careers like Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Tha Dogg Pound, and countless others. But perhaps just as talked about (if not more) are the downs of Suge's career, which far outweigh the ups. Though I'm not wanting to break down every single one of them one by one, I am interested in how these things turn a powerful man into someone not so powerful (not physically of course, it seems Suge will always be that). I wouldn't call this the rise and fall, but more so the studying of Suge's roller coaster career. Is Suge Knight really what the public eye makes him out to be?  Is Suge's reputation real?  And is Suge's reputation partly what made Death Row so successful?  I hope to find answers to these questions just as much as anybody else out there, and that's why we're addressing Suge right now (Suge, if you see this, please don't kill me).

To start this off, I had to immediately include the fact that "Suge Knight dead" is one of the first search results that pops up in Google. Does this mean anything?  Maybe so. Do people expect it?  Probably. If I didn't know who he was, this would tell me that Suge's reputation is probably not great. And if you are just learning about Suge, you would be right in that assumption. Suge has had endless legal troubles that include assault charges, drug charges, traffic violations, he's been shot at multiple times (and being hit 6 times the most recent shooting at a Chris Brown party), and the most recent occurrence being theft (for taking a paparazzi camera along with Katt Williams, though Katt isn't seen in the video. I couldn't find it to post, instead I included a video of Katt talking to TMZ about Suge's shooting).

There's just something about Katt Williams and Suge Knight being together that brings the bad out of people (no shade Katt, you're a great comedian). Obviously there have been multiple occurrences including Katt and Suge, including a fight outside of a night club in January of 2013 (which there is also a TMZ video of floating around online), but to prove that Katt is not the common denominator in the bad press, here is a video of Suge throwing some sneak disses at (what you'd think as "former", apparently there still might be some bad blood even today) rival Bad Boy label head Diddy.

  
So discussing this video (besides the conspiracy theories surrounding it and Suge fueling the 'Tupac is alive" debate), the first thing that comes to mind is Suge's very unhesitant diss of Diddy. Which leads to the question: why diss Diddy after all these years?  Seriously though:  how does dissing Diddy right now help your career out?  Back in 94-96 this certainly would have made for great press, but right now can anyone honestly say they feel this holds any sort of significance?  Piling this on top of the "Tupac is alive right now smoking a Cuban cigar" comment makes it seem more of a cry for attention than trying to make a valid point on an issue. Not to mention that Diddy is currently worth $500 million and is in the top 3 on the Forbes list of wealthiest hip hop artists. Who out of these two would you say is winning?  Success is the best revenge.

A very big conspiracy I have to address is Suge's supposed role in Tupac and Biggie's deaths. There are definitely more than enough theories in both rappers' deaths to detail in one post (or several posts for that matter, especially Tupac), whether people believe the shootings were gang-related, that one or both of the rappers are still alive, or that Suge actually orchestrated the hit on one or both of the rappers, the speculation is endless. These arguments are certainly all just rumors, but nonetheless could sway the way somebody would view Suge and what his true intentions are. Why kill off one of your own rappers?  Some might say more money for Suge, others would say that Suge was jealous of the attention Pac was getting that Suge felt he himself deserved, and some might even say that Suge woke up on the wrong side of the bed. While the last one might not be as reasonable (though it could be plausible from what we know about Suge), it seems that people wouldn't know enough about Suge personally to form an honest opinion.

When we get into talking about Suge's most recent burst back into the spotlight, this might be evidence that Suge is indeed human after all. Suge recently had a court hearing for his alleged robbery charge of a paparazzi camera and was taken into custody with bail set at $500 thousand. If Suge were to be convicted, he would be facing 30 years to life in prison (with past charges being mostly because of an assault with a deadly weapon). While all of the charges Suge has faced have been no joke, it seems that it all finally begins to pile up on him in a TMZ video that shows Suge visibly upset with the ruling, and his face wet from crying. You'd have to be a past victim of Suge's to not feel a little bit of sympathy towards him in this video.

                                (*I do not own any of the videos in this post, or the rights to them*)


So while the evidence shows that Suge may not deserve to have any sympathy thrown his way, I'd most certainly love to hear what the audience has to say!  Do you believe that deep down Suge might be a good man whose made mistakes?  Or do you think there's no excuse for so much error and he needs to pay for his wrongdoings?  The sensible person in me believes that Suge is an egotistical, power driven maniac who doesn't care about anything but money, but then the good in me thinks that if anything were to make Suge Knight cry, it's probably pretty harsh. I tried my best to include 2 sides to Suge, but his history of violence and crime charges make it barely believable that there is good in Suge. Let me know your thoughts on Suge and if he's just made a lot of mistakes in his life and you think he can correct them, or if you think that there is no changing a man who has done so much wrong (Vanilla Ice might go with the latter, though that is also just speculation as well). All I really have left to say is that Suge Knight might really be gangster until death row, whether that be his desire or not.   








    









          

This Is Hip Hop... And We're Okay With You Not Approving

I'm going to try to be as short and as to the point as possible with this one, but I felt some things needed addressing. Maybe I feel like the appreciation for hip hop isn't as high as I'd like it to be (though it never really is), maybe I feel like people still think hip hop can't invoke positivity, or maybe I'm just tired of people saying hip hop is "ignorant garbage that has no message". Though it is certainly a mix of all three of the aforementioned details above, I can honestly tell you I see at least one thing every day that reminds me why hip hop is so different and special, and here's what reminded me today.

                                              (*I do not own this video or the rights to it*)

That's right, Kendrick Lamar freestyled over Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" beat. I'm not entirely sure of what to think of this particular freestyle, or event, or whatever you choose to call it. No, that was actually a lie, I certainly know what to think of it, I believe its FUCKING BONKERS AND I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF IT. This freestyle comes with an interview from K104 Hip Hop & RnB with Dee Dee In The Morning, and while the freestyle is as dope as Kendrick Lamar gets, it's the interview I was more focused on. At about the 3:50 mark he explains the meaning behind his lead single "i", and it is impossible not to respect it.

Which leads me to my next question:  are there still people out there that are stuck in the caveman age?  Are there really still people that think hip hop can't be positive and bring people together?  I certainly hope not, but it would be pretty funny to have these people be proved wrong by a song that Kendrick specifically says "represents a whole community of people that feel like they have nothing to live for, for the people inside the walls of the penitentiary, and for the people on the outside that come to my shows, these kids that feel like they have no self worth." If you can't listen to Kendrick's "i", and be moved, or even just listen and respect the message, then "i" have nothing to say to you. Your opinion can't be changed and you shall be ignorant forever.

Kendrick's "i" isn't the only thing I wanted to touch on in this post though. His freestyle over a Taylor Swift song opened my eyes a little more wide than normal, and I couldn't help but think to myself "damn, this is hip hop." To say I had a small epiphany would be accurate (though some wouldn't call it that, have it your way though). In case you don't know how hip hop has originated, well... THIS IS IT. Flipping something into your own and making it that much more dope IS HIP HOP. That's pretty much like, the DEFINITION of hip hop. Didn't anyone see the Art Of Rap?!  This is how rap originated!  And I bring up this point because this isn't the only thing I've heard as of late that flipped the script on how people hear music.

Wu Tang's own, the legendary Raekwon just put out a mix tape titled We Wanna Thank You, and it is just as dope as you could have possibly wished. Why do I bring this up now?  Well, I'll tell you. In case you haven't given it a listen yet, Raekwon doesn't go over any original beats or production from his own camp, but rather he takes old songs and puts verses on them. I have never heard anything like this. If you listen to hip hop, you hear samples taken from past music in songs every day, but The Chef takes these old songs and just raps over them, instrumental and all!  He even includes vocals from the actual songs and includes them in his versions. Some of the remixes on the tape include "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love" by the Spinners, "The Girl Is Mine" from Michael Jackson, "You Used To Love Me" by Faith Evans, and he even goes over another hip hop classic, Ice Cube's "Today Was A Good Day" briefly. This is definitely a worthy mix tape to check out if you're a fan of Raekwon, or even if you just want a good listen from something a little different.

So I have one point to make here, one request that might sound like a demand, and it certainly is a demand to those who don't give it the chance it deserves:  stop sleeping on hip hop. If you don't approve, it is not what you think it is, and it's because you haven't given it the chance it deserves. That's precisely why!  It's not rocket science. You don't start to like new music by listening to the same stuff you always listen to. If you don't listen to it because you have given it a chance and simply don't like it, that's certainly more respectable than "I've heard it on the radio and don't like any of it." You couldn't get it any more twisted by setting the bar at radio rap. If you say rap doesn't invoke thought and positivity, I'd stop you right there and show you Kendrick's "i", hell, I might even show you a Logic interview. The thought process of hip hop is changing, and it's for the better. If you say you don't listen because rappers are ignorant and don't pay homage to the oldies and the greats, I'd show you Raekwon's newest mix tape. Stop making excuses. But, people will do what they choose, and people will listen to what they choose, which is entirely okay with me, and if you're a hip hop fan, it should be okay with you too, and I'll tell you why. It's because this is how it started originally: do you think hip hop was always approved of?  Go back and do some history research, hip hop practically lived (and STLL does) going against the grain. You can be okay with people hating for no reason, and it's because this is hip hop, and we're okay with you not approving, that's nothing new.