Hip Hop Year In Review 2015

There is a give and take in any good relationship; relationship meaning a status you hold with someone (or in this case, someTHING) in your life. There's always going to be someone or something that gives you a different perspective on life (or anything, for that matter). Variety in life means choices, such as different types of hobbies, or different kinds of people you associate yourself with, for example; there's the guy that has to make everything a competition, that guy who you could call your brother and open up to about anything, then there's those partiers that are just too fun not to hang out with, and maybe every now and then you'll encounter that person that just makes you feel cooler than the rest of the block. Such is hip hop; introducing the year of variety.

Drake owned 2015. In fact, if we name this year like people do the Chinese new year, then 2015 was the year of the owl. Despite the (not what anyone would call setbacks at all because, domination) setbacks that Drake encountered (Meek Mill beef, ghostwriting accusations, the "contract" struggle on Cash Money, and being in the middle of the battle of Lil Wayne vs. Birdman), Drake still managed to have the biggest year in hip hop (again). If You're Reading This It's Too Late was Grammy nominated, his collaborative album with Future What A Time To Be Alive was at one point the biggest album in the world, and his annoyingly catchy "Hotline Bling" became #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 list. Oh, and ever hear of a diss track becoming Grammy nominated?  Also this year, Drake's Meek Mill diss "Back To Back" was Grammy nominated for "Best Rap Performance". October's Very Own did it again; the year of the owl.


(Because I didn't want to share a Drake and Future song. Also, this song represents what 2016 could bring. For those looking for change.)

Although the Grammy's are yet to happen (not until 2/15), hip hop heads can rejoice at the notion that this year's "Best Rap Album" nominees are (arguably, not really though) some of the most deserved. To say J. Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive has gotten all the attention it has deserved would be criminal, and the same goes for Kendrick's To Pimp A Butterfly and Dr. Dre's Compton; The Soundtrack (Dre could probably do without winning considering the movie's success as well) . Lupe Fiasco's Tetsuo & Youth might be the most slept on album of the year, while fans might also be angry that Mac Miller (GO:OD AM), Earl Sweatshirt (I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside), Big Sean (Dark Sky Paradise), The Game (The Documentary 2), A$AP Rocky (At. Long. Last. A$AP), and Future (DS2, 56 Nights, Beast Mode) didn't get the nods they thought they deserved. Also, Travis Scott, Rich Homie Quan, and Rae Sremmurd (as much as I hate to admit) all had huge years.


(Kendrick was one of the biggest contributors to bringing back the "music video with a concept")

What else did I miss that's worth talking about?  Marvel did an incredibly dope thing called "Marvel Hip Hop Variants" with their very own super heroes remaking classic album covers (you can see a gigantic list of those covers here http://hiphopgoldenage.com/list/35-marvels-hip-hop-variants/), and Stretch & Bobbito finally got their just due with Radio That Changed Lives!  If there is one piece on hip hop that needs to be seen from this year, the Stretch and Bobbito documentary is that piece. Old unreleased freestyles and interviews from the likes of legends such as Eminem, Jay Z, Nas, Fat Joe, and more surface in their documentary, and if you're one that likes "diggin' through the crates" as the old heads say, then this is your thing.



In terms of coming up, a lot of names could be put on this list. Michael Christmas, Boogie, and Mick Jenkins immediately come to mind, but it'd be wrong to say that there aren't several more artists that could blow up in 2016. Rap took a turn for hilarious, ridiculous fun when Run The Jewels put out their mega-cat-remix album Meow The Jewels made up of 90% cat sounds. The Game got into more beef and legal problems (surprise), and Grantland staff writer Shea Serrano also released his very successful book "The Rap Yearbook", which chronicled the biggest rap song of every year from 1979 to 2014, and also illustrates how hip hop is the product of multiple musical genres mixed with the poetic word expressing the oppression that blacks have faced throughout U.S. history.


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

Was 2015 the year of the wave riders (which Drake and Future so often got accused of being, although I can't say I disagree)?  It could be argued that this is the case, certainly. But I think 2015 turned out to be much more than that. Not just because there were too many dope projects that dropped and made us all jig in our own way, but because you created a sort of relationship with every rapper you heard this year. Some rappers pushed you to do big things because of their competitiveness and work ethic (Eminem, just because he works on his craft, Kevin Gates because he doesn't get tired), some rappers opened themselves up to the world and were accepted (Kendrick), some rappers made you want to party until the world ends (Future, Rich Homie Quan, Rae Sremmurd, etc.), and some rappers just made you feel like you were fresher than the rest of the block (Fabolous). The year of variety happened so fast because people were looking for the next thing instead of enjoying what they already had (which makes an argument for 2015 being "the year of the wave rider"), but here's to hoping 2016 stops that trend. A flood of music forces the listener to move onto the next thing faster than the brain can process, so why would artists want to ruin the impact of the music that they just put out?  Anyways, here's to an incredibly bumpy, roller coaster year for hip hop and hoping for a more consistent one, yet just as entertaining.              

                



 









          

Is Slaughterhouse Still Together? (Crooked I Addresses With New Song)

If there's any album I have been waiting on, (besides Detox, but Dre killed that off with Compton, luckily) it's Slaughterhouse's next LP Glass House, and while he didn't a give an update, Crooked I definitely addressed rumors about the group in a new song recently.

In Crooked I's new song "Gift Rap", he dropped some pretty eye raising bars about the entire situation with Slaughterhouse; "well they, ask me did Eminem drop Slaughterhouse? did y'all break up since Joe Budden dropped Slaughtermouse? Seen you on Peter Rosenberg and Ebro, your energy was zero, see bro, is there something y'all wanna talk about?"

Crook continues on; "and if it is, don't play the nice dude, just pull a Ice Cube if it's the right move, they ain't putting your album out? damn, these niggas got an attitude, thought we'd be your niggas for life, where's the gratitude? All these questions they're pointing 'em in my direction, like the business end of a Smith & Wesson but I ain't stressing, just came home I was in Detroit visiting Marshall's session, to be in the presence of the one of the goats is still a blessing."

These lines definitely raise some questions (to keep that final rhyme scheme flowing), but no real questions were answered, nor rumors put to rest with Crooked's new song. Check it out below, and form your own opinion. What's holding up the new album?  (Supposedly Just Blaze, but he denies it)

Crooked I - "Gift Rap"
https://soundcloud.com/treacherousrecords/kxng-crooked-gift-rap





     

J. Cole's "Road To Homecoming" Mini Doc Series Is Awesome

This is the type of material I've been waiting for from rappers... some truly behind the scenes action that gives a look into the life of a rap superstar. This time, it just happens to be J. Cole. Cole has been making his case for one of the best and most real ones out with his strong, and silent campaign for his amazing, and now Grammy nominated album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive.

In case you missed it, last week Cole put out episode 1 of his mini doc series "Road To Homecoming" on HBO, which documents the making of the album, the tour, and Cole talking about the story that went into the making of 2014 Forest Hills Drive. This is the kind of stuff I personally cannot get enough of, the behind the scenes content of my favorite rappers is stuff I live for, and in case you do too and you happened to miss both episodes, you can find both below.

Episode 1
https://vimeo.com/149018305

Episode 2
https://vimeo.com/149886205



 

 

The Lowdown On Wu Tang's "Secret" Album, and It's Buyer, Martin Shkreli

Okay so there is a butt load of confusing details surfacing about the current state of the "secret" Wu Tang album Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, so I figured it might be a decent idea to lay them out for those confused about what's going on (or report it for those that don't know, either way it's a win/win for you).

As you know (or may not know) the Wu Tang Clan announced that they would indeed be coming out with a new album (the aforementioned LP). Yaaaaay right?!  Wrong. It was reported that Wu Tang would be placing the LP in a "capsule" of sorts and not releasing it until the year 2103 (yes, 88 years from now). Now yes, it is insane that the Wu Tang decided to pull some prophecy shit and wait 88 years to release the album, but what's even weirder is that Wu Tang was reportedly going to auction off the album to the highest bidder, who turned out to be a man named Martin Shkreli, a pharmaceutical CEO who won the album for about $2 million.

Here's an update on Martin Shkreli; Shkreli got arrested on charges of fraud, but was recently released on $5 million bail as of yesterday. Here is a report from Bloomberg briefly summarizing the charges against Shkreli;

"The federal case against him has nothing to do with pharmaceutical costs, however. Prosecutors charged him with illegally taking stock from Retrophin Inc., a biotechnology firm he started in 2011, and using it pay to off debts from unrelated business dealings. He was later ousted from the company, where he’d been chief executive officer, and sued by its board."

"In the case that closely tracks that suit, federal prosecutors accused Shkreli of engaging in a complicated shell game after his defunct hedge fund, MSMB Capital Management, lost millions. He is alleged to have made secret payoffs and set up sham consulting arrangements."

It has also been reported that Shkreli had plans to bail Bobby Shmurda out of jail, though due to his recent charges, he may not be able to do so anymore. So why does this mean anything?  This guy Shkreli's got "trouble" written all over him. He reportedly raised the price of Daraprim (a life saving AIDS and Cancer drug) from $13.50 to $750 a pill because he claimed "it's a business." Douche. Apparently Wu Tang Clan also gave Bill Murray permission to steal the Wu Tang album in the contract of the Wu Tang album (it shows up in the fine print, amazingly enough), though there are no reports that Murray is going to attempt the heist (probably better off not letting people know you're about to pull off a heist anyways). The details about this album keep getting weirder and weirder, I'll keep HHU Nation informed about any further details (I just came up with that on the spot, HHU Nation, it's got a nice ring to it).      


   

      

Atlantic Records is "Suppressing" Hip Hop Artists

According to reports, Atlantic Records SUUUUUUCKS. Being an artist, obviously you should always be comfortable with who is going to be dealing around your music and how much exposure they will be trying to get you, because social media only goes so far (very incredibly immensely far nowadays, why not just stay independent anyways?). As an artist you have to be able to sell a song on the radio (have a single to push to the public), but the rest of the selling you'd think would be the label's job right?  Atlantic Records apparently does not do a very good job of giving their artists (ironically all hip hop artists, unsure if any other artists of other genres have problems) exposure. Here's 3 cases where rappers have made problems with Atlantic Records public.

Lupe Fiasco

Lupe had such issues with Atlantic Records at one point that for the release of his album Food & Liquor 2; The Great American Rap Album in 2012, Lupe used an all black album cover (above) without the stamps of the label on it to get back at Atlantic. Last year it was reported that Lupe "can't wait to get off Atlantic Records" because he "refused to sign a 360 deal." It'd be interesting to see what happens with Lupe if/when he gets off of Atlantic.

Waka Flocka

Waka Flocka has been having problems with Atlantic Records since the first half of this year, and it looks like they won't be slowing down anytime soon. Back in April, Flocka blamed Atlantic for delaying the release of his long awaited album Flockaveli 2. Reports were that Waka was getting so fed up with Atlantic that not only did he want them to buy out his contract, but Waka also sent out mass tweets telling fans to call Atlantic and demand his release from the company! Are we starting to see a trend here?

B.o.B

B.o.B is the latest rap artist to claim Atlantic Records is "suppressing" him. About a week ago (December 7th) Bob sent out some tweets ranting about Atlantic claiming that they (similar to Waka) don't attempt to get him any exposure. It makes sense seeing as B.o.B (as of late) has been talking about some conspiracy theories and using his music as a platform to question the government (normally big companies don't respond well to that kind of talk, who knows why).

So here's my question to Atlantic Records; why suppress successful artists with die hard fan bases?  How does that benefit you?  Wouldn't it make more sense to promote them more so you can make more money?  It doesn't make sense to me. If any other artists come out and boycott Atlantic, I can't say I'd be surprised at this point. Those corporate big wigs are up to some awfully fishy stuff...  


       
 

Who Should Win The Best Rap Album Grammy? (Why This Year Is Different + An In Depth Look At Each Nominee)

This has to be the most excited I have EVER been for the Grammys. Every year some bullshit rapper is nominated (and more often than not, wins) simply because they have the most exposure, they're played on the radio most, or because the "academy" feels they are fit enough to win. Just because you totally care about my opinion (actually because I felt like doing it, not necessarily the former), below I'll list each of the nominees (besides Nicki Minaj, because admittedly I haven't listened to her album, and just... no) and a case for why they have a chance to win, or not.

2014 Forest Hills Drive


Alright so if you keep in contact with me on Google+, you probably know I preach how great 2014 Forest Hills Drive is almost on the daily. But in all seriousness, FHD is Cole's best work to date. FHD really does have every type of song; the sincerity Cole showcases on FHD ("Intro", "Apparently", "Love Yourz") is only topped by his incredibly clever punch lines, his hunger to prove he's one of the best rappers out ("Fire Squad", "G.O.M.D"), and his one of a kind story telling ("Wet Dreamz", '03 Adolescence"). I hate to pick favorites, but if I had to choose, I believe next to Kendrick, Cole is the most deserving of this Grammy.

If You're Reading This It's Too Late


I have to admit that I didn't give If You're Reading This It's Too Late the real attention I initially should have. In my opinion, Drake's sudden release of an album with no given release date was a red flag (and later figuring out what the release date meant didn't help the case of the album). Drake's urge to be taken off of Cash Money due to Birdman vs. Lil Wayne forced Drake into a rough spot; making loads of music (including the not so great Future collaboration What A Time To Be Alive) to free up his contract under Birdman and Cash Money to become a free agent. It has even been said by Drake and others that this project is practically a mixtape; why else would Drake make the sign "How's my mixtape?" in order to get reception from fans?  While there are some good songs on IYRTITL, the entire project is one made up of merely party songs, and is in no way shape or form Drake's best project, let alone the "album" of the year.

To Pimp A Butterfly

       
Kendrick Lamar (besides J. Cole) might be the most deserving rapper that has yet to win a Grammy for best rap album. Let's forget that Kendrick crafted practically the anthem of 2015 (above), let's forget that Kendrick brought the jazz influence back to hip hop (George Clinton & Ronald Isley features on the album) and practically forced the rest of hip hop to do something innovative; does the message he is trying to send not hold relevance over any time period?  Were rioters not on the streets after black men and children were being shot for unjust reasons chanting Kendrick's "Alright"?  It's clear that Kendrick really doesn't care about winning that Grammy (or he probably does and is hiding it), but for once; wouldn't it be cool to see someone win that deserves to?

Compton: The Soundtrack

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

What can be said about Compton that hasn't already been deeply investigated and already said?  In terms of effort, this is the absolute best album of the year (it is the Good Doctor, after all). Dr. Dre found the best rappers, the best singers, and the best producers to collaborate with. Dre knows how to craft the perfect song, and Compton is the perfect example of him doing so. I didn't understand how someone could blatantly call an album of all original music a soundtrack, but listening to Compton, I understand. Dr. Dre doesn't just make albums, he sucks you into the world he's trying to create and doesn't let up until his story is finished. Compton not only raised the bar for rappers and pushed them to be the best rapper they could, but for musicians and pushing them to make the best music they could make. For so long Dr. Dre has had an agenda to bring hip hop into the limelight and make it respectable among other genres of music, and with Compton, Dr. Dre pushed hip hop that much further.

At the beginning of this post when I said "this has to be the most excited I have EVER been for the Grammys", that is because no matter who wins the Grammy for Best Rap Album this year, everybody wins. Hip hop wins (and hopefully Nicki doesn't win because she's not pushing the agenda as much as the aforementioned rappers). Last year hip hop became the most streamed genre of music in the world, and just about 4 days ago it was revealed by Musixmatch that hip hop is the genre with the highest vocabulary. It's unavoidable at this point hip hop haters; we're coming for that number 1 spot. Does this mean that we need to dominate the Grammy's in order for you to realize this?  Probably not, but still, keep your eyes peeled on the MOST INFLUENTIAL musical genre, and what they'll do at this year's Grammy's. Message.                          
             





     

Game's Biggest Beefs

Who in God's name would even remotely think it was a good idea to mess with Game?  I mean, don't people know at this point?  This guy Stitches is apparently living up to his name (not the giving part, mostly the getting, thanks to Game's manager according to some Instagram footage of Stitches getting knocked the FUGG OUT). I mean I suppose at this point Game's got a price on his head, it's like anybody who wants a piece and (somehow) gets one gets some sort of reward; the reward and the respect of having people not wanting to mess with you. But according to Game's history, there aren't many people who have fucked with him and succeeded. Here's 3 of Game's biggest beefs.


Stitches


I don't know if I'd say this is one of Game's biggest beefs, but it's certainly the most recent. The video above is a mash up of all the Instagram posts from rapper Stitches, who claimed that security would not let him into a club because Game said not to let him in. Stitches waited until Game came out, then walked up to Game and his crew and supposedly got knocked out by Game's manager, Wack 100. When will people learn not to mess with Game?  The only thing I have to say about this guy is that he looks like a meth'd out ICP member. If he wanted his 15 minutes of fame, they definitely started a few days ago, he better make good use of them.

40 Glocc


Game certainly has a thing for making his beefs public; the video above shows Game beating the crap out of rapper 40 Glocc. I'm not exactly sure where this beef stems from (possibly a G Unit fallout, apparently 40 Glocc is a former G Unit member), but it has been going on from 2012 all the way up to now. Game ended up losing this one ultimately though, because 40 Glocc sued Game for $4.54 million in a lawsuit and won.

Lil Durk

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

This so called "beef" is confusing; apparently it originally started out as beef between Lil Durk and Tyga (reason unknown), so Tyga PAID GAME to come out and diss Durk for him and handle his light work (of course, I mean it's Tyga, what else do you expect?). There is also video of Durk and his crew approaching Game in the club and talking something out, you can clearly hear "let's take it outside" in the video, which only leads you to believe that they fought, though Durk says that the beef was squashed.

With the reputation Game has, he's obviously not a guy you'd want to mess with, though a lot of people are saying that Game talks about a lot of things that happened that aren't true (i.e. his exaggerating beefs and the stories that go along with them). Either way Game is certainly a guy that remains in headlines, both because of his music and his making headlines due to his fights ( you'd think dude would take on Mayweather considering his confidence and the way he handles everything).





    
     








































   

3 Dope Samples On Beats

Sampling has taken over as one of the most effective forms of producing in hip hop. In fact, it might actually be safe to say that it's part of the creative process in which hip hop was created upon. Hip hop was started from producers and DJ's creating their own music from previously made music, taking older music and flipping it into a catchy drum beat that everybody can groove to in an urban form. Am I dropping knowledge now (just agree with me, it'd make me feel good)?  Anyways, I thought it'd be a good idea to go back and find 5 dope beats that include samples (which can very easily be done considering the amount of samples on beats nowadays). We'll just consider this piece "5 Dope Samples On Beats, Vol. 1".

Game ft. Kanye West - Wouldn't Get Far


I heard this song for the first time in a VERY long time last year and my God I downloaded it and played it until I couldn't anymore. The samples included in Game's 2007 hit include Creative Source's "I'd Find You Anywhere" (which makes sense considering the lyrics in the hook) and "Long Red (Live)" from Mountain. Creative Source was a big R&B group from the 70s with many funk and disco hits, so it's wouldn't be surprising to hear their samples on other big hip hop jams. In other words, you wouldn't get far without hearing them sampled by another hip hop star.

Lupe Fiasco - Mural


It's amazing the amount of songs this sample has been in, but I figured the most relevant and recent song using it would be Lupe Fiasco's near 9 minute onslaught "Mural", released from his album that came out in January of this year Tetsuo & Youth. The sample included in this song is the song "Huit Octobre 1971" by Cortex, and can be found in Wiz Khalifa's "Visions", MF DOOM's "One Beer", and many, many more.

Drake - Draft Day
https://soundcloud.com/octobersveryown/drake-draft-day
(*I do not own these videos, songs, or the rights to any of them*)

Interesting way I found out what the sample was in Drake's "Draft Day"; NBA 2K15 (and they say video games are bad for you, the nerve of old folks). Lauryn Hill's classic "Doo-Wop (That Thing)" is featured in NBA 2K15, and towards the end the familiar singing is heard that Drake puts in the beginning of "Draft Day".

So there's 3 dope samples on beats. Hip hop producers are some of the best in the world at flipping old songs into catchy or banging jams that hip hop fans love (that's probably why they do what they do). Samples can be found on nearly any and every hip hop song nowadays, it's actually harder not to hear a song that's sampled. It's definitely interesting to hear a familiar old classic in a beat, so here's Geoffrey's suggestion of the day; go out and buy some physical copies, peep the production credits and pay homage!