Best Songs Of 2016

Another year blows by, and more "best of" lists are bound to happen. 2016 brought the people a lot of laughs, a lot of tears, and a lot of good music (but mostly a lot of tears, see Prince fans).  A lot of top tier rappers proved why they are top tier rappers (unless you're a Drake fan), and a lot of not-so-top-tier rappers made their case as to why they should be considered top tier.  Now if you're coming to the site thinking the list is going to include the Lil Yachty's, the D.R.A.M's and the Young Thug's, then you've come to the wrong place.  For those that know me, I'm about more than just the hot-for-the-minute artists who do it without any certain goal or message to get across.  I'm all about a good time and some hot beats (it seems I haven't had any time to acknowledge that Rae Sremmurd were practically knighted by Sir Paul McCartney himself with his Mannequin Challenge earlier this year) but this list is more than that.  Now before I get slammed for any of the songs included in my list, I'm going to start by saying this is MY list, and nobody's views but my own.  With that being said, here are my picks for the best single songs of 2016.

Big Gigantic - All Of Me (ft. Logic & Rozes)

If there is one song that I had simply played nonstop since it's release about 4 months ago, it has to be electronic production group Big Gigantic's "All Of Me" featuring Maryland spitter Logic and Philadelphia bred singer Rozes (who has collaborated with the Chainsmokers and also had an EP come out in February of 2016 by the name of Burn Wild), and appeared on Gigantic's Brighter Future album which released in late August of 2016.  The beat sounds like something you would play to get that much needed musical pump up boost right before your game (or like most kids my age, right before that final exam you need to knock out of the park). The drums thump and pound so hard that if you had anything less than subs or some beats headphones, you wouldn't be doing this song justice. In fact, if you listened to this in your Wal-Mart ass Sony knock off headphones, then shame on you. I expect better from musical connoisseurs such as yourselves. Only kidding of course to the fans out there (I only do it because I love you).

Royce Da 5'9 - Tabernacle



Another emcee that really pushed the agenda this year lyrically, visually, and of course musically was one half of Bad Meets Evil, Royce Da 5'9.  His entire Layers album (which was released in April of 2016) has made a case to be the best roll out and promo run of the year, and for good reason; it was a great album with no drama surrounding the music, or the man making it. "Tabernacle" proved to be one of the most unique and entertaining songs of the year, especially if you're a lyrical head and like the picture to be painted, such as myself.  "Tabernacle" details the most important day in Royce's life, which includes his grandmother dying, his son being born, and also meeting Eminem for the first time, in vivid detail. Truly written like a writer, and rapped like an emcee, and who better to detail such a story than Royce Da 5'9.

Bas - Methylone



Though it came out in February, Bas' Too High To Riot still holds a strong case to be the best album of the year (I posted about J. Cole's protégé shortly after the album came out here).  Lots of drug talk does not drown out the substance (HA) of the album, and a Cole feature on "Night Job" and an Ab-Soul-featured remix of "Housewives" kept this album buzzing for awhile, but "Methylone" is the song that makes Too High To Riot appealing to practically every type of hip hop fan.  The bouncy drums and catchy hook draw you in, and even if you wouldn't know the verses, you'd damn sure be reciting the hook as soon as you learned it.  "Methylone" gets my vote for most underrated party cut.

Kenneth Whalum ft. Big K.R.I.T - Might Not Be Ok



In what is undoubtedly the most powerful song of 2016, Big K.R.I.T poured his heart and soul out in a verse on Kenneth Whalum's soulful message, "Might Not Be Okay".  Shining light on police brutality and wrongful deaths that have occurred over the last couple of years, K.R.I.T turns a truly remorseful verse start into a fiery, angry protest to the point of view of a police officer.  "Mommas' been cryin' and they gone keep cryin', black folk been dyin' and they gone keep dyin', police been firin' and they gone keep firin', the government been lyin and they gone keep lyin'" is only the start to this incredibly powerful realization. This song isn't necessarily a favorite song of the year for me simply due to the circumstances of which it had been released (K.R.I.T discussed with Genius that he and Whalum had a discussion after the death of Alton Sterling), but the power of the song still holds weight and holds true, and I could never deny music with a message, or an attempt at peace.

Joe Budden - Idols



Now if you've heard the song then you know why "Idols" appears here on my list, if you get stuck on the fact that Joe Budden appears on the list, however, then you probably can't get past his Twitter antics enough to give his music a chance.  Budden put out one of the more solid projects of 2016 in Rage & The Machine with his producer counterpart (who would be The Machine) AraabMuzik, and it shows a nice maturation process of Budden (which if you know Budden then you know maturing isn't exactly number one on his to-do list).  Though it's hard to see Budden maturing, Rage & The Machine more so depicts Budden being his immature, yet reflective self as usual, and finally coming to terms with it.  Now for the song itself; "Idols" sees Budden following the "Let Nas Down" narrative that J. Cole creates on his song in the beginning with paying homage to the many emcees that have brought Budden up (he even gives props to Jay-Z for TIDAL's launch and accomplishments), but in the second half of the song, he flips that on it's ear; Budden goes from being a student of the game to the teacher.  Over spiritual "I've-found-Jesus" types of production and phenomenal sampling by AraabMuzik, Budden explains why he could never be an idol; or could he?  If Budden ever had one, this would be his swan song; something to ride out in the sunset to while people finally realize what he really meant; in his lyrics, and what he's meant to hip hop.

Now there's a butt-ton of songs that I clearly could have featured and might have forgotten, but as I said earlier, this is MY personal list and strictly my picks. With that being said, I'd love to hear what the people think!  Comment below, on my Google+ page, my Twitter, or on my Facebook page what songs you think I left out that could have made the best of the year list (I only included 5 to keep it short).  A small point to this article was to stray away from the every day droll you hear in hip hop. The difference is... the different.  Sometimes that may be trying something completely new, it could be staying with something that works, or it could be going all the way back to square 1 and starting from scratch.  As a self proclaimed hip hop enthusiast, at this point I almost would rather hear something that sounded a little nostalgic as opposed to what's being put out now.  Not because I don't like what's out now, but because sometimes taking a risk is okay. Here's to hoping 2017 brings out the big guns, and by guns I mean good, competitive rappers trying to make the best possible music.               





             
        
          










           

Kendrick Drops Gems In GQ Interview With Rick Rubin

With it being over a year and a half since Kendrick had dropped his critically acclaimed masterpiece of an album To Pimp A Butterfly, and today being another very special day in Kendrick's catalog (the 4 year anniversary of the release of Kendrick's major label debut Good Kid M.a.a.d City) producer Rick Rubin sat down to have an in depth conversation with the Compton emcee, discussing an array of things varying from his upbringing and musical influences, to his current process of making music and his inspirations. Although there are countless gems to extract from this interview, I discuss some of the highlights below.

Kendrick had the beat for "Alright" for 6 months before he wrote to it (24:18)

Wait, WHAT?!  Kendrick had the beat for "Alright" for 6 months before he even did the song?!  Apparently Kendrick had held onto the Pharrell-produced instrumental for awhile before doing anything with it; "I was sitting on that record for I think 6 months. Between my guy Sam Taylor and Pharrell, (they asked) 'when you gone do it?  when you gone do it?  when you gone do it?' They was on me. I knew it was a great record, I was just trying to find the spacing and (how) to approach it. It sounds fun, but it's something else put inside of them chords that Pharrell laid down that makes it more of a statement." This statement not only proves why Kendrick is one of the most thought provoking emcees, but also that he cares about the music that he makes and the message that he is sending.

Rick Rubin commenting on To Pimp A Butterfly and Kendrick's music making process; It sounds like the connection your talking about is your connection to it more than other people's connection to it, but I think the thing that is infectious about it is that people feel your connection to it, and it's not even necessarily their connection to it, like a lot of people who heard your last record (To Pimp A Butterfly) might not have even been into jazz, but they hear your connection to it and then it inspires them to open up themselves to new music they might not have heard." (12:02)

Hearing these 2 talk about music this intricately and intimately are just more examples as to why they are the best of the best. To explore the realms of other genres inside of your own music in your comfort zone (as Rubin does with hip hop when he is primarily known as a rock producer and Kendrick with the jazz influence on TPAB) is incredible to see and truly shows the testament of longevity that both of these guys possess. Not many have the balls to take a complete "left turn" from one project to another, let alone have it be as successful as To Pimp A Butterfly was and is. Kendrick and Rick Rubin seem to see music as exploration of self just as much as they wish to make great music, and that's amazing to see and hear in conversations like this.

Kendrick has written full songs, and then made beats around the LYRICS, as opposed to lyrics being written after the beat has been made (19:56)

"A few times I've written full songs, and had to find the actual instrumentation to match it. That's fun because it not only gives me, but the producer the freedom to build around the lyrics, and certain words that get tossed out, a sound just might crack over top of that, and you know, the cadence." Here's a question for you up and coming rappers; How talented are you really?  Can you write lyrics to your song first, then help the producer make the beat AROUND your lyrics, or even do it yourself?  If you can do that, then your probably deserve to be in that chair right where Kendrick is sitting. More intricacies of music and song making discussed by some of the best to do it. If you make music and you're reading this, take notes ladies and gentlemen.

Kendrick did not plan for "Maad City" to be one of the biggest songs off of Good Kid Maad City (21:40)

"My first album Good Kid Maad City, this is me being fresh in the game, in my head I had songs that I knew would be big records, radio single, I'm playing the game. I'm creating these songs for the radio, just ear candy for people to enjoy, and in my mind I'm thinking that these are going to be the biggest records on the album, but it turns out that a song called 'Maad City' where I'm just rapping for maybe 40 bars or 30 bars turned out the be the biggest song on that project. And that threw me for a loop, but it also gave me insight clear enough to know that sometimes it's not about what you think is gonna happen or what you feel. People connect to things in strange ways, and at the end of the day you have to go with that feeling." A personal thing about that song ("Maad City") for me; when the album first dropped in 2012 and I was dissecting it, playing it back to back to back, top to bottom, "Maad City" was a clear stand out on the album. Not only because of the energy that the instrumental provides and the infectious hook, but because of the connection I knew that Kendrick had made with Dr. Dre, I thought 100% that Dre had produced the second part of that beat (where MC Eiht comes in), even though it turned out that frequent Kendrick and TDE collaborator producer Sounwave had produced the song along with THC and (another frequent Kendrick collaborator) Terrace Martin!  Dre's sound was all over GKMC, and he didn't have 1 beat on the album, although he was executive producer.

Amazing interview with many jewels dropped, lessons learned, and light shed. Check out the whole interview below. Hip Hop Unlimited is not yet back in full swing, I just came across this amazing piece and had to give some thoughts on it. Stay tuned for the future though, because though HHU is at a slower halt, it does not mean I am stopped. More coming.


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



    












   

Attention Hip Hop Unlimited Readers: A Message From Yours Truly

It's been a pretty crazy 2 years here at HHU, and it's even crazier to think that it's been that long. From album reviews to insane conspiracy theories, I like to think I'm not afraid to tackle any subject having to do with hip hop, or anything having to do with any one person or group of people involved in it. I love this here, it's what I do, and it's what I'm going to do, but sometimes to realize what needs to be done you have to take a step back and get some other things done before you can conquer the world of hip hop writing.

I can't thank my loyal readers enough for the support they've given me, through every crappy article and every decent one that I could only hope gets people conversing, you guys are my rock through everything, and know that I wouldn't be anything without you guys, literally. With every time you guys read or share something I've done, know that you've lifted me up in a very important way that not many other things I do can do for me anymore.

With all of this being said, I will be taking a short intermission from Hip Hop Unlimited, and will not be posting for an amount of time that I am unsure of at the moment. Life happens to all of us, and a couple of things have come up that I have to deal with. But not to worry, because life is just one big checklist of tackling obstacles, and this is just another obstacle that I'll conquer in time. And once time passes, I'll be back, because time waits for no man.

This is Geoffrey Guy signing out, but only for now. Don't get used to me being gone too quickly.

Born Sinner Dropped 3 Years Ago Today

"Imma drop the album same day as Kanye, just to show the boys the man now like Wanya."

Yep, that's right, Born Sinner, arguably the album that put J. Cole on America's (and probably the world's) radar as one of the most competitive emcee's out dropped 3 years ago today. When Cole announced that he'd be dropping Born Sinner the same day that elite hip hop artist Kanye West would be dropping his album Yeezus, he put the hip hop world on notice, because that kind of confidence was something hip hop was missing at the time (and though Cole is confident in his rhymes, you wouldn't get that cocky vibe just from listening to the man talk in every day conversation). Anyways, Born Sinner was a solid effort that got mixed reviews from critics after it's release, but we're not here to focus on that. Here, I'd like to focus on some highlights of the album that make it so great, and maybe even drop some jewels that you might not have known.

Villuminati


"It's way darker this time" was the perfect sentence to start off this album, and "Villuminati" was not only a perfect way to continue Cole's 'Ville influenced song series, but also the perfect song to start off the much darker Born Sinner album. On "Villuminati" Cole was coming for the game's throat, and though he didn't mention anyone in particular (in terms of dissing), he certainly showcased why he deserves to be at the top with his superior punchlines, flow, and conscience mind.

Let NaS Down

    
One of Born Sinner's most stand out tracks is the venting track "Let NaS Down", where Cole explains being let down by himself in making a song that didn't impress his idol, Nas. You can tell just by the way he talks in explaining the song in the interview above that Cole worshipped Nas as a young aspiring emcee, and he was devastated by Nas' critiquing of his first single off of his first major label debut, (Cole World: The Sideline Story) "Work Out". Cole would not give up because of this though, and went on to add "Let NaS Down" onto Born Sinner, and even eventually earned Nas' approval by getting the legendary emcee to feature on a remix of the song.


Also, here are some exclusive facts about the album that maybe you didn't know before, credit goes to @OnlyHipHopFacts on Twitter.

        

        

       










 
Happy Birthday Born Sinner!

To Buy Into The Memes, Or Not? (SchoolBoy Q's New Album Cover Says "Buy In")

Sigh. I'm not even sure what to say at this point. I think the memes have gotten the best of us, people. I mean using the crying face Jordan as a joke here and there, okay, but as a fucking album cover for your next project?  To define your next album by putting the picture above as your album cover?  It makes no sense to me.

If this is your first time seeing the above picture, then get used to seeing it, because this is the album cover for Schoolboy Q's forthcoming album Blank Face, which is due out on July 8th. Blank Face is preceded by it's first 2 singles, "Groovy Tony" and "THat Part" featuring Kanye West. I must say taking advantage of a meme that has taken over the entire internet can either be something that REALLYY hurts you, or REALLYY helps you, let's hope for Q's sake that it's the latter. Use the crying face Jordan for good Q, maybe something useful will come out of it. If only. Check out the music videos for Schoolboy's first 2 singles below.




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

*Update*

Turns out Schoolboy Q was just trolling people with the announcement of the crying Jordan cover. You can see the real cover below.

  

Talib Kweli Talks About Meeting Kanye West For the First Time

Every now and then a legend will come through a leading podcast (seemingly more and more now as podcasts it seems are where the gems are hidden these days) and drop a few jewels that fans and fellow hip hop nerds have never heard before, and on The Drink Champs podcast, Talib Kweli came through and did just that.

Kweli stopped in to The Drink Champs podcast to talk about a few things, most notably first meeting Kanye West. "Kanye come through the door, I never seen this nigga, I never heard of this nigga. He said 'I'm here to meet Mos Def.' I said 'well guess what, he might not show up. But who are you?' He said 'Mos Def told me to meet him here, I got some beats.' I said 'play me the beats. I'm working on an album.'" And as you know, the rest is history. Check out the rest of the story in the interview below. It gets a tad annoying with N.O.R.E constantly interrupting Talib's story, but is mostly entertaining.


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

Overlooked Audio Of The Past Week(s)

Yes, it's about that time for another edition of "Overlooked Audio". As you know (or may not, given the fact that I have to cover some of it), there is SOOO MUCH great hip hop out there for you to listen to, so much so that not every release gets it's proper shine or attention. But that's why you have me; the towering beacon that so surely and swiftly seeks out the best (and obviously most overlooked) rap songs that the internet has to offer, and below, I'll be listing the most overlooked songs that have released in the past 2 weeks.

Asher Roth ft. Michael Christmas & Larry June - Laundry


It's weird that Asher Roth is normally quite the hip hop hermit, because whenever he does drop something it seems to fly much further under the radar than it should have. On this Chuck Inglish-produced cut Asher Roth enlists Boston emcee Michael Christmas and Larry June to compare the freshness of ones self to, you guessed it; laundry.

Bishop Nehru - Love What You Do


If you've been paying attention to Hip Hop Unlimited for the past month or so, you would have noticed that Bishop Nehru has found his way onto my radar of up and comers that deserve your attention. His new song "Love What You Do" comes shortly after the release of his new mixtape Magic:19, which came out approximately 2 days ago, June 3rd, Hip Hop DX reports, although Bishop's SoundCloud says the tape has been out for 2 months. Either way, Bishop shows his range as a heartfelt emcee on "Love What You Do", and Magic:19 is definitely worth a listen for fans who enjoy lyricism and some banging beats.

De La Soul Ft. Snoop Dogg - Pain


In case you haven't heard, De La Soul is eyeing a comeback with their newest album and the Anonymous Nobody... set for release August 26th, and has released the first single featuring the one and only Snoop D-O-Double G!  If you can't groove to this then there probably aren't many songs you can groove to; this song has "SOUL" written all over it, but not without the "De La" put in front of it.

Joey Purp - iiiDrops album

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

Another hot up and comer that has caught my eye the past month or so has been Chicago emcee Joey Purp. His iiiDrops album has been in constant rotation in the past week, and his clever lyricism and in your face cadence is definitely one to catch your attention. He starts off his banging iiiDrops album with some "MORNING SEX" (above), and (in case you didn't think it got any better than morning sex) the album only gets better from there. iiiDrops boasts features from Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, Mick Jenkins and more, and will keep you banging your heads with some hip-hop-to-the-core instrumentals.

Joey Bada$$ - Devastated


Another song that's been released the past 2 weeks that I absolutely cannot stop playing is Joey Bada$$' new single, "Devastated". There's no word whether "Devastated" will live on an upcoming Joey LP or EP, though the iTunes link is given in the description under the song on YouTube. "Devastated" is great not just because it's a great song with an amazingly wavy beat, but because it's so far outside of Joey's normal lane that you can only wonder what Joey has in store for his next project with this song. Will he be straying away from the 90's nostalgic rap that he became known for?  It seems like we might get to find out here in the near future.      

So there's a few dope songs, and even a couple of projects that you might have overlooked in the past couple of weeks that are definitely worth a listen or two. As long as the unlimited hip hop keeps coming, I'll keep talking about it, unlimitedly!              
         



  






      

David Banner Is Suddenly A Political Activist... Did I Miss Something?

 

This video; a powerful representation of African Americans showing deep anger and hurt with the events that have unfolded in America since the new millennium, since the 50s, since slavery, since; ever. I have to show respect to someone who is willing to put themselves out there in a world where political opinions can kill relationships, can shatter peoples' images, and (in extreme cases) can cost people their lives. But, me being the man who tries to understand both sides of the story, I have to ask; when the FUCK did David Banner become a political activist?

David Banner is known in the hip hop world as many things, but with the events that unfold in this video and the way he shows himself along with the other members of what seem to be a secret society he runs with in the video, he might be using more of his anger than his logic in this scenario.

The video for Banner's new "Black Fist" song violently depicts a group of black males alongside Banner punishing, torturing, and eventually killing a white police officer, which is dragged out for roughly 3 minutes. Now as I said before, I like to be the guy who tries his hardest to understand both sides of a story, and assuming Banner is angry about what has been eating at (not just black lives) different civilians and races all around the country for the past few years, then he wouldn't put himself in such a position to be picked apart by talk show hosts and bloggers everywhere that think their opinions matter in the slightest (wait a minute...).

I also watched a Vlad TV interview with Mr. Banner dating back to July 7th, 2015 (or so it's dated on YouTube). I couldn't help but laugh at what this man was saying, and passing off as "open-mindedness". Banner got to discussing how white people "own everything on this Earth" and how you "can't go anywhere to escape white supremacy". This quote got me especially riled up; "if you look at most hip hop blogs and most things that deal with hip hop, they're now used to crush the hip hop artists." HA. These so called "points" coming from a man (who also believes that labels are objectifying hip hop artists to use the derogatory details of their lives to exploit them) that made THIS.



Are you going to blame this song on the label David?  Hmm?  Did the label write/make you write this song?  I'll first say that if you're not writing your own songs then you lose a lot of credibility in ANY part of the music industry, and probably deserve to be strung around like a puppet, and that goes for artists of ANY race, and also taking into account how many successful indie artists there are out there nowadays. But secondly, if you are writing your own songs, then later on complain about what the label is making you do (again, if you're going to complain about a label, then go indie), but have this song appear on an album of your "Greatest Hits" collection, then you should probably stay in your lane as an artist. If you aren't making the music that YOU want to make, then set the example, and make a change. Check out Banner's interview with Vlad TV below.


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


      

            

    





     

#TB To That Time J. Cole Explicitly Mentioned The Mowry Sisters On A Song

We all know J. Cole to be the guy you hate to hate and love to love, and why wouldn't you?  He's a competitive emcee, he makes amazing music with a strong message, he works to better his community (and ultimately the world), and most of all, he says what's on his mind. In one instance, the last example turned some heads, and it turned out to be quite the entertaining occurrence.

(The line I'm talking about starts at the 3:15 part, and explains Cole's tweet below)
J. Cole - Cole Summer

So how did Tia and Tamera react?  Check out the tweets going back and forth from Cole to Tia and Tamera both below, it gets better.

And then they hear the song. Tamera's reaction can be seen below.

Talk about a childhood crush turned into reality. How awesome would that be to have one of the Mowry sisters flirting with you on Twitter?  Or to have Nia Long say that you're not too young for her?  Cole is a product of another generation, and people of every age, era, and ethnicity accept him. Now somebody tell him to hit me with Tia or Tamera's number!











































    

Joey Purp Announces "iiiDrops" Album, Shares Release Date & Tracklist

Another emcee I've had my eye on since his last couple of releases is Joey Purp. Purp caught my attention with a few bangers he's put out in the last couple of weeks ("Corner Store", "Photo Booth", and "Girls @" featuring Chance The Rapper), and now it looks like the Chicago emcee has a release date for his debut solo album.

The album, titled iiiDrops, features 11 tracks (including the 3 listed above), and will feature Mick Jenkins, Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, and more, and also will include production from Thelonious Martin, Knox Fortune, Smoko Ono, Ducko McFli, and more. You can check out the track list below.

iiiDrops track list:
1. "Morning Sex" (Prod. OddCouple)

2. "Girls @" feat. Chance the Rapper (Prod. Knox Fortune) 

3. "Money & Bitches" feat. Mick Jenkins (Prod. Ducko McFli)

4. "When I’m Gone" (Prod. The Gift)

5. "Photobooth" (Prod. Garren)

6. "Cornerstore" feat. Saba & theMIND (Prod. Thelonious Martin)

7. "Say You Do" (Prod. Knox Fortune)

8. "Godbody" (Prod. Thelonious Martin)

9. "Kids" (Prod. Knox Fortune)

10. "Winners Circle" feat. Vic Mensa (Prod. Thelonious Martin and Smoko Ono)

11. "Escape" (Prod. The Gift)

iiiDrops arrives next Friday, May 27th! Are you excited?   

       

   

T.I. x Dr. Dre Stay "Dope" With Their Newest Collab

Who forgot about Dre? The more relevant question here might be, who forgot about T.I.?  In Tip's newest release he samples Aaliyah, features Marsha Ambrosius on the hook and Dre on the boards: sounds like a hell of a track to me.

"Dope" is supposedly the first single off of Tip's long awaited 10th studio album, The Dime Trap, which has no set release date as of yet. If you've been paying attention to Tip for the last year and news on his latest album, you'd know that the album had 2 previous titles before Tip settled on The Dime Trap; Trap's Open, and Paperwork; The Return. "This next one's going to be unapologetically gangsta," Tip told HipHopSince1987.com in early 2015.  Whose excited to see what T.I.'s returning with?   

You can listen to "Dope" below!



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

I Signed A Petition To Allow Free Music At The Grammy's, You Should Too

With the release of Chance The Rapper's much anticipated 3rd album Chance 3, Chance put out another surprise album (or mix tape, free album, whatever, by the name of Coloring Book) to, oh, I don't know... say thank you to fans?  Now fans have 2 new projects to judge strictly off of 1 full listen, instead of just one (I'm still angry that people do this, in case you can't tell). But this is not the focus of this post; Chance's music has been hailed all over the underground rap scene for a minute now, and has been ever since his 2nd album (which many hail as a classic, and probably the best tape of 2013) Acid Rap. Now that Chance is back on the scene, people are already saying his newest projects might even be Grammy worthy. Yes, I said GRAMMY worthy. Slow down guys. Anyways, this is also not the point of this post. Read below a quote from Change.org.

"Ridiculously talented artists who are releasing free mixtapes and projects are not getting the recognition they truly deserve because the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences insists that to be eligible for a prestigious Grammy Award that the music must be "commercially released in general distribution in the United States, i.e. sales by label to a branch or recognized independent distributor, via the Internet, or mail order/retail sales for a nationally marketed product. Recordings must be available for sale from any date within the eligibility period through at least the date of the current year’s voting deadline (final ballot)." This means that artists like Chance the Rapper, who are now getting national recognition and performing on national platforms (just this past week Chance performed on the Jimmy Fallon show) are being punished for making their music available to everyone, rich or poor, by releasing their music for free.  It's obvious that these artists are making their music more accessible to people who deserve it even if they can't afford it, as well as decreasing pirating and illegally downloading music. Not all artists should be forced to release their music for free, but the ones who do should not be punished for doing so."

This person has a point. Some of the best music of the last 15 years (obviously and especially in hip hop) has been free off of mix tapes/free albums. The magnitude of the mix tape (or free album) almost doesn't resonate in any other genre besides hip hop, I mean when was the last time you saw the Foo Fighters put out an entire project for free?  It's just not going to happen. Regardless of this, hip hop is known to be the most popular genre in the world (or at least in 2015 it was). Isn't it safe to say that hip hop holds a teeny tiny little bit of weight in the music industry now?  It's 2016, let's get off the jaded hate of hip hop and just start dancing to stupid songs like OT Genasis' "Cut It".

So let's make this happen. I just signed the petition to allow free music to be eligible for Grammy nomination, and you should too. Now we the less important people (based on musical judgment or whatever, you know what I mean) can make a difference to our favorite rappers and projects!  The time for free hip hop music to get global recognition is now!  Wouldn't it be fun to be able to throw together a list of your favorite free projects of the year and debate which one deserves that coveted Grammy trophy?  Now somebody like Curren$y would be a shoe in for a nomination; but that's neither here nor there. But anyways, in the mumbled, repetitive words of Future; "They gon' think I won a Grammy." You'll find the link to sign the petition below!

https://www.change.org/p/national-academy-of-recording-arts-and-sciences-allow-free-music-to-be-eligible-for-grammy-nomination?recruiter=14235962&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition

Netflix Must Watch; The Art Of Organized Noize

Scrolling through Netflix's "Recommended For You" category is a lot like life, and in that sense, it can anger me a little bit. I come across an old war hero documentary, then the next title is an old action movie with B list actors, then the next thing actually happens to be a pretty big animated movie that just got out of theaters; but I didn't go and see it for a reason. Dammit Netflix, YOU THINK YOU KNOW ME?!?!  The time I spend wandering aimlessly through Netflix's endless list of fuckery is time I could spend being more productive elsewhere, but who wants to do that?  Well this time, Netflix is actually inspiring me to be productive (cue flying pigs). The Art Of Organized Noize is the latest must watch documentary that I absolutely must discuss.

So in case you haven't heard of them, Organized Noize are a production group based out of southwest Atlanta, and they have worked with mega stars like Outkast, Future, Ludacris, Goodie Mob (Big Gipp, Cee-Lo Green, etc.), TLC, and more, and the documentary actually includes interviews from some of these artists discussing their come up and the influence that Organized Noize had on them.


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

Many claim that Organized Noize had such an impact on hip hop today that they're responsible for the sound and how it has evolved today, especially in Atlanta. Their use of live instruments in their music transcended the average hip hop sound and how it was perceived, and ultimately has pushed other artists to keep that true aspect of instrumentation in their music, even today.

So if you know your Southern hip hop or you want to get to brush up on your Southern hip hop history, The Art Of Organized Noize is for you. The come up of one of the greatest production groups of all time (arguably) is discussed, and they even get a little bit into the come up of who many people hail as the greatest hip hop duo of all time in Outkast. There are plenty of all star appearances and interviews to entertain you (including an interview with Diddy), and the archived footage shown would put even the biggest Outkast, Goodie Mob, or Organized Noize fans in awe. So if you're a southern hip hop rap nerd, you need to watch The Art Of Organized Noize, out on Netflix right now!                  














     

Drake's Views Are Changing

  (*No, I did not make this amazing cover, and I wish I could shout out the artist*)                                

I'm going to be completely and utterly 100% honest, lately (always) I haven't been feeling like anyone understands my views on hip hop. Not too many people go THIS in depth with hip hop, or anything having to do with it. Not many people can do what I do, not many people even want to do what I do, but I do it because at the end of the day, there are unanswered questions that need to be asked (plus I fuckin love what I do, so why else would I do it?).  I digress; Views is clearly taking over anything and everything hip hop, the culture is in a threshold of it's throat by this kid turned man from Toronto, because no matter how much you call him soft, no matter how many memes are made of him to look ridiculous, at the end of the day, people STOP EVERYTHING THEY'RE DOING to see the newest thing Drake has put out. That's just the fact of the matter. If you grew up in the blogging internet hip hop era (and even if you didn't, which is a point that will be made later), you understand the magnitude of Drake's career; what it has been, what it is, and what it will be. (*Note, I have not listened to Views minus the Future assisted "Grammy", so my opinions are solely expressed given the current state of Drake's career and based off of what people are saying about Views)

If you tune in to Joe Budden's I'll Name This Podcast Later podcast series and you've listened to the latest episode, then you'll understand the points I'm about to make. Joe and I share a lot of the same views on hip hop; while we aren't as tight as you'd believe (he rarely answers my tweets), I've always respected the real and the "that's my opinion and if you don't like it then fuck off" attitude that Joe gives, because who would have ever guessed that pushing the agenda would be so frowned upon nowadays?  Let's throw it back to 2009, because hindsight is a beautiful thing.



And with that, here comes Drake; the freshest thing to hit (and the biggest thing to hit the web possibly ever, a point could be made that the "blogging hip hop era" was started with Drake, and look what it's turned into now, with artists starting their careers off of this method) since Will Smith. Drake's level of shwag (I'm still on a mission to kill "swag", since people like conforming so much) was unprecedented. At this point in time, we had seen nobody in hip hop like Drake; he was a new kind of cool, a voice in hip hop that made everything he said sound like the new "wave", he was like that really cool guy in high school that everybody liked and everybody wanted to be like. Drake had such an influence on this generation of teens and high school kids that if he said he threw Subway sandwiches at homeless people for fun and called it "Subway-ing" in one of his songs, then you'd have seen a spike in Subway's sales right around the time this song had dropped (probably that same day, knowing this generation).

Joe Budden in his latest podcast, episode 64 of his I'll Name This Podcast Later series; "Drake, Cole, Kendrick... those 3 move the needle. Those 3 transcend music. Those are 3 people that my grandparents, my parents, and my child would ask me about. That's a unique set."

Look at the change in what matters now. What matters in hip hop is not where it was 10 years ago when 50 Cent was moving records with G-Unit and Eminem along his side, though they all did their own thing. That era has ended. Like most good things, it had to come to an end sometime. But this ending spelled a new beginning for hip hop and the newer, (hopefully) "hungry" artists wanting to eat. It's 2016 and Drake has still remained relevant to hip hop, which is amazing considering his career, dating all the way back to 2009 when Drake dropped his now classic (debatable to those who look at what it did, but not debatable to many others) So Far Gone mix tape back in 2009. To many, this shows his work ethic and his drive to be the best, and there should be a major asterisk when looking at the details of this era (aptly named the "microwave era") based on how fast things are born and how much faster they die out.



The memes have become a part of Drake's career, it's sad to think that when people look back at what an illustrious career Drake has had, that they're also going to be thinking about the ruthless memes that have been made about Drake and how much of a running joke he has become, although he has now become part of the joke and running with it only shows his maturity... for the most part. After projects like If You're Reading This, It's Too Late and What A Time To Be Alive dropped, it seemed like part of Drake had been lost. The bad came with the good, (which it always does), but the bad seemed to have shifted Drake's focus dramatically. There's probably only so many times you can get on the internet and see someone you don't even know posting and laughing at a meme that jokes about how soft you supposedly are, which turns you into this heartless, seemingly emotionless robot that is so stoic that it makes you feel like you wouldn't even cry if your mother died (which is... yeah, still pretty bad. Have you ever heard the saying, "I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all"?).


(*I do not own these videos, pictures, podcasts, or the rights to them*)

You're probably waiting for a point to what I'm saying, and if you're still reading, then it's not too late. I'm proud of you for sticking with it so far. The attitude has changed in hip hop. What has made it so great up to now is that there were always artists that pushed the agenda. While there were artists that were amazing at what they did well, there were always the artists that pushed the agenda to make hip hop competitive, and force the other artists to make a calculated move as to what they would do next. When you think of hip hops leaders, right now, everyone pales in comparison to what Drake does. Every move he makes is put under a microscope, and every album and song he does is studied by fans who believe that they work for NASA and that they can use these "skills" to diagnose Drake's newest record, and determine whether or not he has a classic album (based on Twitter's reactions of Views, he still doesn't). I'm going to be a hypocrite here because I have to make a judgment call on my "Views" of Drake; I believe that Drake has lost himself.  Drake is too easily distracted by the wave of what everyone else is doing (and ultimately let people get to him with their judgments), and has forgotten about his status in hip hop and where he stands. Drake has stayed true to himself through all of the bullshit, all of the waves, and all of the memes, and the craziest part of it all; he used to be relatable. Drake is a giant, and as a giant, you're supposed to set the precedent for what hip hop should sound like, and though Drake did this early on in his career, it seems he's too far gone to be able to recognize what he's doing. So if I'm making this an open letter to Drake, not just as a hip hop writer, but as a fan who cares about his direction, and his place in this game we call hip hop, then I'll say this; Drake, we miss the old you. I hope we tempt you.

Check out the podcast that sent me off into this thought piece spiral below, Joe Budden's I'll Name This Podcast Later, episode 64.

https://soundcloud.com/joebuddenpodcast/ill-name-this-podcast-later-episode-64          

           


           







              

Wave Chapelle's "W" Gives Summer Vibes, Doesn't Have A Song Worth Skipping

At first I was offended. This man "Wave Chapelle" is just going to act like it's cool to make a play on words (names) with the name of the greatest comedian (and one of the greatest people) of all time?! Blasphemous!  And what's the deal with the whole "waves" trend ("wave") anyway?  First it was Kanye's indecisive ass, and now this guy Wave Chapelle wants to be known as a "wave"?  When I think of a wave the first thing I'm going to think of is a "trend", and while there are 2 different ways to identify someone who makes "wavy" music (at least in my head), Wave Chapelle is definitely the latter. The Milwaukee emcee's latest mix tape W is cool, smooth, and indeed the waviest thing you'll hear all week.

Drake vibes are present throughout the entire project, which, given the past uhm... 10 YEARS of total domination that Drake has done, clearly the people will love this. Chapelle's singing voice is made evident on multiple tracks on the project, most significantly the "On The Road Interlude" where you can hear Wave talking about his responsibilities, his refusal to sell his soul, and the idea that hard work does pay off. Wave also hits us with a nice singing sound (although pretty noticeably auto-tuned) on "Time", which includes some speaker shattering drums that you'd likely hear on a Drake track.



To sum it up, Wave has anything and everything you need to turn up on a night out on the town with the "Home Team", and the track by the same name is the most hypnotizing of all of the tracks on the tape. The beat gives vibes of an echoing ghost ritual, but obviously this ghost knows how to party!  Wave can get deep and introspective as well, and he shows it on tracks like "Page Three", and he can even make songs for you to hang out and vibe to with your significant other ("OMW"). Wave has the sound of the summer of with W, and though I'm still kind of offended by his name, he's certainly not a biter, because he's doing his own things, and he's working for his own "W's" along the way.


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


   














     

The "Beats & Rhymes" Tour (A Dream)

Sixteen years ago this year, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg brought along some friends to form arguably the most iconic hip hop tour of all time. The "Up In Smoke Tour" of 2000 went six times platinum in the U.S. (which I didn't even know tours could do), and not to mention seven times platinum in Australia and two times platinum in France. The tour also featured hip hop giants like Eminem, Ice Cube, Xzibit, and Nate Dogg, and was so widely successful that DVDs were made of the July 20th show of the tour, shot at The Centrum in Worchester, Massachusetts (which is filled with incredible bits of backstage footage along with the actual concert performances). History was made with this tour, and as amazing as it was, for a second there, there were talks of a "second coming" of the tour earlier this year. So my question is.... WHAT IN GOD'S NAME DO WE NAME IT?!

"This is one of the things that I've dreamed about doing. I want to call it 'Beats & Rhymes'. I want it to be me and Snoop. I want it to be Eminem. I want it to be Kendrick Lamar," Dre said. "Take our full stage over there and show Europe the same amount of love that they been showing me throughout my entire career. So, that's my dream. Hopefully we can make that happen." Snoop Dogg suggested an alternate tour name: Hoodstock, since the lineup "sounds like Woodstock on steroids."  (Via Pitchfork)

Obviously my first choice would have been something to do with the "smoke" theme of the tour given Dre and Snoop's history (maybe something like "The 2 High Tour", etc.), but given Eminem's sobriety and Kendrick's known "laced blunt" escapades (as detailed on Good Kid Maad City), maybe a "Detox" theme wouldn't be so far fetched (or wouldn't take 16 years to come together). Either way it'd be a dream concert experience, just imagine that concert intro!


(The intro to Dre & Snoop's set on the "Up In Smoke" tour, which if you haven't seen, is very much NSFW)

Not to mention all of the new music to catch up on (and they'd have to include the West's new king, if you don't know him he goes by the name of Kendrick Lamar Duckworth). It's been 16 long years since this legendary tour took place, and in that span Eminem has released 5 solo studio LPs, Snoop Dogg has released 9, Ice Cube 3, Xzibit 4, Dre finally put out another album in Compton: A Soundtrack, and Nate Dogg unfortunately passed, but not before putting out another 3 solo albums himself (how dope would it be to see a Nate Dogg tribute, possibly a hologram?) What better time than now to do this?!?!

This tour could be the summing up of everything. Dr. Dre's illustrious career of music and producing fused together with the massive careers of Eminem, Snoop, Kendrick Lamar, Nate Dogg and more. How does an NWA reunion sound? It could be done. Dedications to Tupac, Nate Dogg, and Eazy-E?  Why the hell not?  The possibilities lie not only in the careers of the headliners, but in the careers of who the headliners have brought with them along the way. Kendrick bringing out TDE, Eminem bringing out Slaughterhouse, Bad Meets Evil, or D12 could be an actual thing. The idea of this tour is so great, it'd be impossible to disappoint (unless Dr. Dre says the tour would only come to Europe, then of course all of these dreams get shattered like pre-burned Detox CDs). At least we can still occasionally enjoy a leaked Dre track every now and then. Well, if you have Apple Music and listen to The Pharmacy Beats 1 Radio, that is.

Enjoy the reminiscing of old clips on Dre's "I Need A Doctor" extended music video below, and if you have a creative name of your own for Dre's alleged tour, comment it below, or on any of my social media pages (my Twitter, my Facebook, or my Google+ page!).


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

       




    









 



              

Hip Hop Reacts To The Passing Of Prince (R.I.P)



 

It's a sad day in music history, as the one and only Prince has unfortunately passed. The singing icon was found unresponsive in an elevator at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota. He was 57 years old. This massive news of course stirred up many in the social media world, including some of hip hop's biggest acts. Here's how a few of them reacted.

Charlamagne Tha God

BJ The Chicago Kid

 

Big Sean

Joe Budden



Joe Budden honored Prince by changing his Twitter avi to a picture of the "Purple Rain" singer.

Scarface

Bow Wow

 

 

R.I.P. Prince.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay Bishop Nehru, You Have My Attention

If there's any one artist I've been on the lookout for new music from lately, it'd have to be Bishop Nehru. I've heard a decent amount of buzz surrounding the Nanuet, New York rapper, because Nas and MF DOOM collaborations and cosigns just do that sort of thing for you. The 19 year old has put out 2 pretty amazing tracks the last couple weeks that just need to be heard.

The first release immediately caught my attention, the Pacific Ocean level wavy release "$acred Visions". Nehru produced this track himself, which also garners some attention; an emcee spitting lines like "wanted cake, but they ain't help make batter" also produces the tracks that he later destroys?  This one will have you moving your head back and forth during the verses and turning up during the hook. Great verses, a catchy hook, and a hypnotic beat; "$acred Visions" has it all (maybe even "first single" potential). Check it out below.



The second of Nehru's recent releases is just as much a banger, and twice as much a flow-flexing show of skill. Nehru released "It's Whateva" about 4 days ago, and this time with an accompanying visual, so it seems Nehru is prepping release for his upcoming mix tape MAGIC:19, which is set for release on June 3rd. It'll certainly be exciting to see what Nehru's bringing with his new tape, because it definitely sounds like Nehru could be one to challenge the standards of hip hop, and maybe even change them with his clever wordplay, and dope music. Check out the video for "It's Whateva" below.


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







       

Holy F*ck, You Need To Hear DJ Shadow & Run The Jewels' "Nobody Speak" Right Now

So while fans eagerly await on Run The Jewels 3 it seems they'll be teasing fans in the mean time. I just came across this song and, well... you know when you listen to a song and you immediately know you're going to be playing it forever and ever within the first 10 seconds of listening to it?  DJ Shadow and Run The Jewels' "Nobody Speak" is one of those songs.

The highly anticipated collaboration is the first leak off of DJ Shadow's The Mountain Will Fall album, set for release June 24th on Mass Appeal. The song will also be featured as a download code accompanying Run The Jewels' record store day release, which is a pair of cardboard glasses called "VRTJ" which can be used to watch the music video to their Run The Jewels 2 cut, "Crown". Listen to the wild western sounding release below!


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







  

Best Tracks Of April (So Far)

It's been quite a week for hip hop (in which it usually is, but there's so much to hear that I normally don't catch every hot release), and I've caught a decent amount of new tracks from artists I don't even really pay attention to (whether it be based on a feature from someone I like or not, that's not the point). In this post, I'd like to highlight the hottest tracks that have been released in April so far!

Babeo Baggins ft. Drake - Things I Forgot To Do
https://soundcloud.com/ovo-sound-radio-858382383/babeo-baggins-things-i-forgot-to-do-feat-drake-new-song

Drake has been putting out track after track to roll out the release of his highly anticipated upcoming 4th studio album Views From The 6, and this Babeo Baggins feature has a nice feel to it. It's more on the lighter love song side which is right up Drake's alley, and the song is actually a cover of Nico's 1967 song "These Days" (which I mentioned in the last Drake article, which you can find here). Something about that fluttery (guitar?  I think it's a guitar, who knows) instrument in the background hits you right in the feels with it's instruments alone, not to mention Babeo's beautiful voice.

Phife Dawg - Nutshell


Phife Dawg's unfortunate passing is nothing less than an absolute tragedy for the hip hop world, but the silver lining is that we might not be hearing the last of him. News broke shortly after Phife's passing that we would be getting a posthumous album from the 5-foot assassin. The album is supposedly named Give Thanks, and Phife had been working on it for some time before his passing, though there is no set release date for the album. This new Phife release certainly has it's fair share of bounce (and you knew it would, being produced by J. Dilla)!

Black Thought ft. Styles P - Making Of A Murderer


If you ever wondered what microphone murder actually sounded like... then who better to show you than Black Thought?!  But seriously... Black Thought and Styles P were PISSED writing these verses... they had to be. Why else would they slay this beat and everyfuckingbody else who raps for 4 and a half straight minutes?  Not to mention that beat... 9th Wonder did it again. This song is a 5/5 in terms of true HIP HOP. Yeah, the real heads got a treat with this one.

Blu, MED & eLZhi - Caddy Music


On the same day hip hop heads got Black Thought and Styles P lyrically beating a track to death, they also got a smoothly sampled, Bombay-produced cut featuring MED and eLZhi, "Caddy Music". This one features all 3 going ham on the track as you'd expect, with a couple of beat switch ups along the way to keep you on your toes. Yes, this track certainly flew under the radar.

And these are just a few of the crazy new tracks that have hit the web as of April, and we're only 10 days in!  You know I'll keep you posted if anything else crazy comes out (even though now everybody is probably focused on Drake's Views release at the end of the month on the 29th, I'm sure he'll be putting out another crazy track or 2 leading up to the album). Be sure to follow my Google+ account if you have one, seeing as that's the place where I post the most direct links to tracks.    



  

  








    

New J. Dilla For Your Ears (Also Other Great News For Your Blessed Day)

If you're a Dilla die hard, then this news is going to make your day. Obviously you know about the Nas/Mass Appeal backed upcoming posthumous Dilla project The Diary that is coming on April 15th (and if you didn't, then hey, now you do), but now news has broke that Dilla's mother, Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey and Dilla's estate "Dillatronic" are going to officially re-release an earlier posthumous project, Jay Love Japan in full (an official CD of the project was released in 2008 but quickly went out of print). Jay Love Japan will feature both instrumentals and vocal versions of a total of 11 tracks, and is set for release on May 6th.

Jay Love Japan will also feature tracks that were previously released as bootlegs, only now as official releases!  And the best part of it all, you can stream 2 new Dilla joints below, the first being a song by the name of "Sun In My Face" featuring Blu, and a singer who was known back then by the name of Miguel Jontel (sounds familiar, hm?). The second cut is an instrumental that was released earlier this week, "The Look". Listen to both below.

Sun In My Face (ft. Blu & Miguel)
https://soundcloud.com/dillatronic/j-dilla-sun-in-my-face

The Look (Instrumental)
https://soundcloud.com/dillatronic/j-dilla-the-look







               

#TB: Did Drake Know LeBron Was Coming To Miami In 2009-2010?

Now it's been known that Drake and LeBron have been friends for quite some time, we've seen pictures of the 2 in the studio, and even partying after one of LeBron's championships in Miami (although there is a hilarious video of Drake being shut down by security and being told he can't go celebrate with the team, you can see that here). But listening to an old Drake loose track titled "You Know You Know" almost insinuates that Drake knew that LeBron was going to leave Cleveland to go and play with the Miami Heat.

Now I always mix the years up, but supposedly back in the 09-10 NBA playoffs when LeBron was struggling to lead a one dimensional Cavaliers team to the finals, LeBron and his team had been eliminated in the 2nd round by the Boston Celtics (who would eventually go on to play in the Finals ad lose to the Los Angeles Lakers). During this series, however, (supposedly) Drake had released that infamous song "You Know You Know" (which was supposedly a loose track leading up to the release of Drake's debut album, Thank Me Later).


(*Pretty sure this is the official audio, but pay attention to lines at 1:00-1:05 and 2:11-2:16. Also, I do not own these songs, or the rights to them*)

Did you hear that?  Did you hear what that man Young Sweet Jones said?  And this supposedly dates back to that fateful playoff series where LeBron and his Cavs had an early playoff exit (again), wouldn't it only make sense that LeBron had been friends with Dwayne Wade for awhile, and had maybe partied with Wade and Drake before and had these discussions of forming this super team?  Forget Wade, but how good of friends could Drake and LeBron had been before his taking his talents to South Beach?  How would Drake have known? Oh you know, you know.

 
The above picture is Genius' annotation of Drake's famed lyrics. So did Drake know that LeBron was going to Miami?  He had to of. I mean it's all been practically laid out right in front of your eyes to see!  The funny thing abut this song is that I was going through some old tracks in my own music library and completely forgot about these references. This track just goes to show you Drake's influence, I mean he was practically being a recruiter for the Heat in the summer of 2010 if you really think about it. And the "tell your girl I can pull some budget strings, so we're courtside when LeBron get a fuckin' ring" line only rings true to this day because guess where Drake was?  Courtside, when LeBron got his fuckin' ring. You have to respect that type of "watch me do it" attitude, since, well,  Drake can do it all, right?