Kanye West Is Making Songs With A Fucking Beatle

I once read a twitter user say "Kanye is so amazing because I've listened to every Kanye album from College Dropout to Yeezus, and I still don't know what a Kanye song sounds like."  Which now that I think about it, couldn't be more true. I haven't always favored Kanye's music (or anything Kanye for that matter, his attitude on things is always entertaining though), but I have had phases in my life where I just "can't get this damn Kanye song out of my head."  In 2007 when "Stronger" came out I was 13 going on 14 years old (I say this because if there is any Kanye song that resonates with me so much it's "Stronger", or "Heartless" for that matter, both stick out to me and I have memories of). These songs stick out to me obviously because I grew up with them and I was sensitive to what I heard around me, I may not have actually liked them, but I heard them a lot and got used to them. I never thought of Kanye West as a rap giant, and never really thought he would turn into what he has today, so I brushed these songs off. Kanye West may not be making the music that everybody wishes he would make, and he may have lost a few fans along the way, but there is no doubt that Kanye is doing something that no rapper has ever done before.

Admittedly, when I heard about this Kanye West and Paul McCartney collaboration I certainly scratched my head. I thought I was reading another one of those web sites that just made headlines for hits on their site, a "TMZ" if you will, one of those sites that isn't even about giving people the truth, more so some exciting bullshit that probably has a very little amount of truth to it and just wants to make you click. When the song came out I kind of ignored it at first (not only because I thought you had to buy to listen, just seemed like more of a publicity stunt than music), but then one day I decided "what the hell, it's Kanye West and Paul McCartney, let's see what the buzz is about."

 Can you honestly say you got what you expected?  I have mixed feelings about this one. It might be better to not put this song in context to all of Kanye's other music because it sounds completely different, but if you're a Kanye fan who has listened to every album you might expect this to sound a tad different (or not, going back to the "I still don't know what a Kanye song sounds like" argument). It's not a terrible song and it has a decent message, but my question is what is Paul McCartney's incentive to do this?

In case you haven't heard a quarter of the Beatles (Paul McCartney) is executive producing Kanye's entire next album, which leaves many scratching their heads. The old heads wonder why Paul is doing this seeing as he's a fucking Beatle, he has literally done it all and could die right now as one of the top 10 most influential figures in music history. Kanye could gain a ton of respect from other fans and have a completely different type of audience opened up to his music, but what is it (if anything) that Paul gains from doing this?  Is Paul looking for a way back into the limelight?  Does Paul want to cross the genres in a way that no one has ever done before?  Or is Paul just broke and looking for money?  The questions become more and more bleak with every detail being revealed about Kanye's next album (set to drop later this year, though no release date has been given).

It's too hard to tell so early what these 2 are planning to accomplish, but apparently they want to change the way people see music, or at least that's what you hope for with these latest releases. There's not much to say about Paul McCartney that isn't already common knowledge at this point, if you don't know anything about the Beatles or what they've done I'd say that you are too sheltered to understand the magnitude of what Kanye is attempting to do. The funny thing about it is that Kanye and Paul not only have this "Only One" song out, but they also have another collaboration that includes Rihanna that was released not too long after "Only One" came out, and you can check that one out below. Be sure to let me know your thoughts on Kanye's plans with Paul fucking McCartney below or on Google+.

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

Artist To Look Out For: Cyhi The Prynce

So how many people have heard of the gawd (don't judge me, I'm on this saying now, I feel hip saying it) Cyhi The Prynce?  Nobody?  A lot of people?  Well he is just so awesome sauce that you almost want to dip beats in him and let him flow like water. He's all natural baby. I know all of these food references are pretty corny but you get the picture. Anyways, if you haven't heard of Cyhi you're about to get a nice introduction. Cyhi The Prynce is the best emcee you've never given the light of day. Being signed to Kanye's GOOD Music label, it's pretty easy to get outshined by names like Kanye, Big Sean, Pusha T, 2 Chainz, and others to name, but if you're Cyhi the Prynce, you're going in the right direction for sure, and let me tell you why.

Cyhi The Prynce, born Cydel Young in Stone Mountain, Georgia, is a conscious rapping, thought provoking sleeper pick for one of the hottest up and comers in rap right now. If you haven't heard about him, he's certainly done good things with tracks on his mix tapes, such good things in fact that Kanye felt the need to sign him to his GOOD Music label, and he has featured on a multitude of GOOD Music artists' projects, such as Kanye's highly acclaimed My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album and even made some appearances on GOOD Music's compilation album Cruel Summer. I didn't know this until I did some research, but a funny story about Cyhi is that Beyoncé herself actually recommended Cyhi to Kanye to sign him to his label. That's quite a cosign and certainly puts pressure on Cyhi to be great, but if anyone can handle pressure (besides Logic, get it? Never mind) it's Cyhi.

Cyhi's solo projects have been practically albums, and his Ivy League mix tape series has proven to be some of his best work as an up and comer. Ivy League Club and Ivy League Kick Back are arguably Cyhi's best projects as a whole, with some exciting features like Big K.R.I.T, Big Sean, Chris Brown, Schoolboy Q, Yelawolf and more. His flow and lyricism is one of a kind, his clever bars are matched by very few in the game today, but his ability to make great songs of all kinds is what gets the people's attention the most. Check out his song "Bachelor" below.

Cyhi is certainly dope and he makes great music, but the most interesting thing about him is that he hasn't yet put out a debut album, and being under Kanye's GOOD Music label you'd expect him to get some creative control. Cyhi has a lot of fans that are dying for his next project, whether it be another mix tape or an album, though an album is what fans have been waiting for from him for quite some time. It's hard to think that people will get bored with him before he starts to really build a buzz (that is if he already hasn't), but his lack of putting out music as of late isn't helping the case. Check out Cyhi and his mix tapes if you get a chance, and you can find his latest release "Credit 'i' Deserve" below.

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





        

Ranking J. Cole's Albums Worst To Best

Cole World!  If you're a rap fan you've heard a Cole song, and if you're a Cole fan you've DEFINITELY heard at least a whole Cole project before, whether it be one of his fantastic albums or one of his critically acclaimed mix tapes. I find it funny that people honestly compare the two and say that his albums are better than his mix tapes, or his mix tapes are better than his albums (which is the more common argument) when in reality you're almost getting 2 completely different Coles entirely. The creative energy, hype, and hunger as an artist changes entirely when you compare your debut mix tape to your debut album, although unfortunately if your a Cole mix tape fan, you'd be disappointed when I say that we are not here to discuss his mix tapes. This post is strictly for albums: Cole has had 3 major label efforts, each one sounding more different and experimental than the next. Now if you could rank them from worst to best, how would that order go exactly?  That's what we're here to find out. Below, ranked worst to best, along with (arguably) the best song from each album, are J. Cole's 3 albums, ranked.

Cole World:  The Sideline Story

Cole World: The Sideline Story is J. Cole's confusing, yet promising burst onto the music scene. Mix tape Cole fans fell in love with an honest, lyrical, story-telling poet that showed more promise than any emcee that anyone had heard in quite awhile, yet The Sideline Story left a lot to be desired for die hard Cole fans. The Sideline Story is an album that shows every side of Cole that you love to see; the shit talking, the gritty talk of the hood and growing up and becoming a man, along with love and handling pregnancy at a young age. Cole is clearly still hyped at this time because of the recent Roc Nation signing and the bragging rights that come along with saying he's got a Jay-Z cosign, yet the industry's contribution to this album is clear with singles like the Kanye-sampled "Work Out", (which ended up disappointed Nas as Cole talks about later, but we'll get to that in time hip hop nerds).

Born Sinner

Cole's second effort Born Sinner showed a much hungrier, yet experimental Cole than anybody was used to seeing. Cole's rhymes are at the absolute top of his game with his lyrical, compacted flows and clever punch lines, though the song making ability wasn't quite there yet. You can tell that Cole is destined for greatness with this effort, if The Sideline Story didn't do it for you than Born Sinner certainly gives you a good Cole fix in terms of bars, and his respect for the greats is shown on an entire song dedicated to Nas titled "Let Nas Down". Nas even jumped on a remix to the song later to show how much respect he had for Cole and what he was doing for the game. If that's not being given the green light, than what is?  No seriously, I'll wait. Regardless of legendary features, Cole's sophomore effort was good, but you could certainly tell there was something missing, and that there was a part of Cole that fans weren't getting.

2014 Forest Hills Drive

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

Here it goes:  prepare yourselves for this one. 2014 Forest Hills Drive is the best Cole album to date. If I personally could dream up a Cole album myself with all creative control in terms of production, lyricism, flow, writing skills, song topics, etc., this would be the album I'd choose for Cole to make. This is Cole's Illmatic. I can't even believe I just said that. Now many hip hop heads will get uptight about mentioning any Cole projects with Illmatic, or any projects at all for that matter, but in all seriousness, Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive is the best rap album to hit since Good Kid Maad City. It is at least the most complete rap album since then. 2014 Forest Hills Drive has everything a rap fan wants, everything a Cole fan wants, and even more. The emotion emitted in tracks mixed with the controversy and thought it provokes is an absolute perfect blend and it embodies everything you envision a perfect story to be, and the music itself hasn't gotten nearly the recognition it deserves, the only reason being Cole has put out no singles for it. Cole has already been certified Gold by the RIAA, but the recognition is not in the numbers, it shows up in the appreciation for his fans and his conscience voice towards violence in America. Cole has showed up to random fans' houses to sign memorabilia and hang out with them, tweeted people about surprise concerts (and obviously showed up to venues to perform), and he even used his supposed "promo" for the album on Letterman to perform his song dedicated to the victims of Ferguson, Missouri, "Be Free."  Is Cole the new Tupac?  Actions speak louder than words, and Cole's words speak volumes, yet somehow his actions remain greater. Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive not only is the best rap album since Good Kid Maad City, not only was it the absolute best of 2014, but it embodies everything Cole represents as not only an artist, but as a person. 2014 Forest Hills Drive allowed me to appreciate music properly again.

Being a J. Cole fan obviously you get a mixed bag between projects (the difference being albums and mix tapes, though I don't truly believe this, I am going off of what the masses believe), but in terms of Cole's albums you truly can't ask for better progression. If the process of growing and becoming a better artist is evident in any rapper, it's J. Cole. The creative process has never been one to give Cole problems, because when you're a real person with real problems and show it through your music, you grow even more. The emotional connection Cole has gained with his fans grew times a thousand with the release of 2014 Forest Hills Drive, and that's after they already had a strong enough bond to love  everything he does. It'd be criminal to ask what Cole has planned next after a momentous release like 2014 Forest Hills Drive, but if you're a fan you can't help yourself. It's always exciting to see what Cole has in store for his fans, and if there is a peak moment in Cole's career, it is now. The fans appreciate everything he does because he gives to them, and they give back to him by showing loyalty. Once Cole gives, it is your opportunity and privilege to appreciate what he gives to you. Truly Yours.                



   











   



   

Who's On Your Rap Label? (A Point System Game)

I have a dream... well, I constantly have daydreams of what my perfect rap label would be like (if you were expecting some inspirational MLK shit there, sorry if I disappointed). There are literally so many rappers with so many different types of skills that it's insane to think about what they could all do together (or with different collaborators, you remember my "who are your dream collaborations" article awhile back? this is almost of the same vein). Too many times have I thought about how limited some of my favorite rappers are because of their label, or because of whose in their circle, or even because of who they frequently collaborate with. You never know what could have happened with some artists if their career paths may have went differently, or if they do in the near future (butterfly effects aside). This post is for those like me that think (probably waaay too much) about how things could be if they were different. All I want to know is this:  who's on your rap label?

Now before we start the game I have to lay down some guidelines:  first up is the point system. I tried to make it as simple as possible in terms of what rankings each rapper got, the best rappers get a 5 point ranking while the worst get a 1, and so on. A 5 point ranked rapper is what you would want to lead your label:  in terms of selling records and being the fan favorite, this is your go to artist. A 1 point artist isn't necessarily just a label filler, they could be whatever you want them to be, it is YOUR label after all, although to make it challenging I have given each label a 12 point limit per label, though there is no limit to how many rappers/artists are on your label.

Next up are the label tags (or in NFL terms, the "franchise" tags). These tags basically define what each rapper is and how the public sees them (or at least how I see them, you may see them differently, all I ask is that you follow the guidelines). Some rappers/artists will get tags that others won't because it is all based on how unique that rapper/artist is musically, but these tags include; Chart Topper (CT), Lyrical Miracle (LM), Fan Favorite (FF), New Artist (NA), Party Music (PM), Thought Provoking (TP), Story Teller (ST) and Original Gangsta (OG). The only guidelines I have for the tags is that every label have at least 1 Chart Topper (CT), 1 New Artist (NA), and one Original Gangsta (OG). Every other artist is up to you, there is no limit to how many of each.

The last rule is that there are to be no label heads involved on your label, obviously because you would be taking their place. So this means Eminem, Jay Z, Nas, Diddy, Lil Wayne, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, T.I., Rick Ross and Birdman will not make the list. The rest of the rappers, however, are all fair game. I only define label heads as the MAJOR labels (Shady Records, Young Money, Cash Money, GOOD Music, Roc Nation, Mass Appeal, Grand Hustle, Bad Boy, Maybach Music Group), so labels like Drake's OVO and B.o.B's No Genre would not make this list. Whatever you believe the guidelines should be, they have been set and to play the game you must follow them (it's supposed to be a fun challenge as well, I hope to readers follow the guidelines and play the game fairly). Anyways, below is a list of most every rapper that qualifies to make the list, along with their tags and point totals next to them.

5 Points                                                                                                     4 Points
Kendrick Lamar (ST)(CT)(LM)(TP)                                          Logic (ST)(FF)(TP)(LM)(NA)
J. Cole (ST)(CT)(LM)(TP)                                                         Lupe Fiasco (TP)(LM)(FF)
Mac Miller (FF)(TP)(PM)(LM)                                                  Big Sean (PM)(LM)
Tyler The Creator (LM)(PM)(FF)                                              Meek Mill (PM)(LM)
Drake (ST)(PM)(FF)(CT)                                                           Young Jeezy (OG)(ST)(CT)(PM)
Nicki Minaj (LM)(FF)(CT)                                                         Fabolous (OG)(FF)(PM)(TP)
Big K.R.I.T (FF)(PM)(TP)                                                         A$AP Rocky (FF)(PM)
Slaughterhouse (LM)(FF)                                                           Schoolboy Q (PM)(FF)
                                                                                                     Ab-Soul (FF)(TP)(LM)
                                                                                                     Common (OG)(ST)(TP)
                                                                                                     50 Cent (OG)(PM)(FF)(CT)
                                                                                                     Pusha T (LM)(PM)(TP)

3 Points                                                                                                   2 Points                        
Andre 3000 (OG)(ST)(LM)(FF)(TP)                                          Joe Budden (ST)(FF)(LM)(TP) 
Big Boi (OG)(PM)(FF)                                                               Crooked I (LM)(TP)(FF)            
Bun B (OG)(PM)(LM)                                                                Royce Da 5'9 (LM)(TP)(FF)
Dizzy Wright (NA)(PM)                                                             Joell Ortiz (LM)(TP)(FF)
Yelawolf (ST)(LM)(TP)(PM)                                                     Nipsey Hussle (PM)
Tech N9ne (LM)(FF)                                                                  2 Chainz (PM)(FF)
Ludacris (OG)(PM)(FF)                                                              Rittz (ST)(TP)(LM)(PM)(FF)
Earl Sweatshirt (LM)(PM)(FF)                                                   Cyhi The Prynce (TP)(LM)(NA)
Wiz Khalifa (PM)                                                                        Mick Jenkins (NA)(PM)(TP)
B.o.B (LM)(PM)(TP)                                                                  MGK (PM)(LM)
Juicy J (OG)(PM)(FF)                                                                 Ty Dolla $ign (PM)
Game (OG)(ST)(PM)(TP)                                                           Young Thug (PM)
Curren$y (PM)(FF)(TP)                                                              Rich Homie Quan (PM)
Nelly (OG)(PM)(FF)                                                                   DMX (OG)(PM)(FF)
Wale (PM)(TP)                                                                            Trinidad James (PM)(NA)
A$AP Ferg (PM)                                                                          Lil John (OG)(PM)(FF)
Asher Roth (LM)(PM)(TP)                                                          Kirko Bangz (HS)(PM)
Jay Rock (NA)(ST)(PM)(TP)                                                      Usher (HS)(FF)(PM)
French Montana (PM)                                                                  Omarion (HS)(PM)
Kid Cudi (TP)(FF)(PM)                                                               Tyga (PM)
Joey Bada$$ (ST)(NA)(TP)(LM)(PM)                                     Snow Tha Product (NA)(LM)(PM)(TP)Childish Gambino (PM)(TP)(FF)                                                 Rihanna (HS)(CT)(PM)
Jay Electronica (NA)(ST)(LM)(TP)                                             King Chip (PM)(TP)
Chance The Rapper (PM)(TP)(NA)                                             Skyler Grey (HS)
Freddie Gibbs (FF)(PM)                                                               Jeremih (HS)
Action Bronson (PM)(TP)(LM)                                                   T-Pain (HS)
Twista (OG)(FF)(LM)                                                                  Trey Songz (CT)(HS)
Talib Kweli (OG)(ST)(TP)(LM)(FF)                                           Chris Brown (HS)(CT)                       
Mos Def (OG)(ST)(TP)(LM)(FF)                                                 Riff Raff (PM)(HS)                           
YG (PM)                                                                                        Mick Jenkins (PM)(TP)                     
Future (HS)(PM)                                                                           Lil Flip (PM)                                      
Project Pat (OG)(FF)(PM)                                                            Chingy (PM)                                       
Anthony Hamilton (HS)                                                                Akon (HS)                                          
Kevin Gates (PM)(TP)(NA)(IDGT)(SMH)                                  Kurupt (OG)(LM)(PM)                      
Iggy Azalea (CT)(HS)(PM)(FF)                                                   Bow Wow (PM)(FF)                          
Jhene Aiko (HS)(ST)(TP)(PM)                                                     Paul Wall (PM)(FF)                           
Lil Kim (OG)(LM)(PM)                                                                Chevy Woods (LM)(PM)
Busta Rhymes (OG)(LM)(PM)                                                      Obie Trice (OG)(LM)(TP)
Jadakiss (OG)(LM)(TP)                                                                 Tuki Carter (PM)(NA)                    
Trae The Truth (PM)(LM)

Now with the absolutely humongoid, gigantic, mammoth, Andre The Giant-esque list I just gave you (with the exception of a few, let me know if I left any names off or if there are any others that you would include in your label), you should definitely have fun putting together your label. Now I want to see what the people come up with!  Honestly I can't even tell you who I'd put on my label with the point limit at the moment, it may even take me a couple days before I can come up with my list. But just remember the guidelines/rules, and just have fun with it, it's all about the discussion!  We can talk over who you put on your label and why on Twitter (@SuperNovaRover) or Google+ when you make your decisions, you important label heads you. Now go and do big things with your artists.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  








 

























     

Jay Z Talks Of The Race Relations In Hip Hop

Too often in hip hop it seems that race is brought into the picture, even today. Has hip hop not advanced past a point where the love of it can be shared with people of all colors, sizes and shapes?  It's deeper than color and the people that don't realize it right now will never realize it (I feel like I've said a lot of this before, but it's a big enough point to be reiterated). The great thing about hip hop is that it starts a conversation that many people are afraid to touch, because rappers just do that stuff. Like, every day. Whether it be through song lyrics, documentaries, or just plain old interviews, nobody can really stir the pot or create a conversation like a rapper can. Which is fucking awesome because who else would have the balls?  Jay Z probably has the most credibility out of anyone to say what he chooses or how he feels about what hip hop has done, because come on now, look what it has done for him (and what he has done for it). It's like listening to Bill Gates tell you how to be a billionaire, you can't say you wouldn't at least listen to what he has to say.

Recently, multi millionaire Shawn Carter had a sit down conversation with Oprah's OWN network and discussed the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and he had quite the opinion on what hip hop and it's spokespeople have done for many different cultures of people since it's inception. Check out what he says below.

If I were to ride a unicorn over a rainbow leading to a sea of gold one day, then today would be the day I belly flopped in some gold water. I never thought I'd ever agree with Jay Z on anything at all, seeing as we have nothing in common about pretty much anything, but his views on hip hop definitely have to bring up an interest you saw in him when you first heard him (if you're an old head who loves classic Jay Z). His comparing rap and it's "creating a common bond in people of all colors" type of talk is something a hip hop head just loves to listen to, especially from someone of Jay Z's stature because he normally doesn't bring that type of attitude into interviews anymore. Can you honestly say that you think great music and hip hop culture when you think of Jay Z anymore?  He's way too focused on the Brooklyn Nets, phone company deals, and conquering the world to even give this the light of day, which is why it makes this interview ten times more awesome to listen to. You can't forget where you came from, and Jay Z definitely hasn't (at least not yet). Let me know what you think of Jay's comments on Google+ or Twitter (@SuperNovaRover).










     

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.