Watching Movies With The Moon Man: My Infatuation With "Weird" Hip Hop

I put quotes around the word "weird' in the title because many people's definition of the word is not always self explanatory. A person's definition of weird is only explainable when you truly don't understand what the fuck they are talking about. Weird can be defined by something you don't understand, weird can be defined by something you don't find okay to talk about normally, or it can be defined simply by opposing the norm; the abnormal. Other synonyms include uncanny, eerie, unnatural, supernatural, unearthly, otherworldly, ghostly, mysterious, strange, or unusual. So what is weird to you?  Probably a lot of different things; some people don't like insects, others don't understand the thought of supernatural beings (see "weird" synonyms) such as aliens, and then when it comes to music, you probably wouldn't be surprised how many people are afraid to exit the comfort zone that they call "my playlist."  I've been one of these people for so long, I've become a robot where the only music that is visual to me is from my favorite artists, whether I feel they're going in the right direction or not (see B.o.B or Slaughterhouse, shaking my head at both for different reasons). But when someone puts out a project that draws a lot of criticism for how "weird" it sounds, you truly need to ask yourself why you call it weird; is it because the music, or because you're not used to what they're saying?  Is it because the artist has changed, or is it because you're not ready for this certain artist's transcendence as a human being?  It's time for music fans to understand the differences.

We are all human. Every human being on this planet is from a different city or state (for the most part), born on a different date, at a different time, in a different country, in a different hospital, we're all different. Artists are human beings that go through rough patches, different time periods, people, places, and things just as you and me go through, and some people forget that. Some people (such as myself, the angry rap nerd that I am) criticize their favorite artists constantly because one project doesn't sound like the last, or one song isn't as catchy as the last, or because their favorite artist isn't talking about the same things that he/she did on the last project. People create memories with certain music which could be a huge reason why they get so defensive and angry about the "new" music, but these people don't take into account that their favorite musicians have to move on, and tackle the next obstacle... whether that be the next allegation, the next interview, or the next instrumental.

                                           (*The real conversation starts at the 1:09 mark*)

Here's a test (watch the video above on Kid Cudi's comments); what do you think about this?  Are Cudi's comments, is his topic of conversation "weird" to you?  Forget that Cudi has made a staple in this game and has been one of the most influential "rappers" (parenthesis because he truly is an artist, in every sense of the word) of this generation. Forget about Cudi's music and pretend it doesn't exist for a second; if Jay-Z, Lil Wayne or even 50 Cent were to make these exact same comments, would you still think of them as the hard kings of "the rap lifestyle"?  Would they still be as influential to you?  Do you view your favorite rapper as a person, or a persona?

(You'd have to be on drugs to understand some things Mac says in this song, then again he says some not-so-crazy things in his verses as well. *I do not own these videos or the rights to them*)

 

 Mac Miller (as I've posted about a few days prior and whom has been the biggest inspiration for this post) has become one of the most different rap artists out there. Is that good, or is that bad?  I've been listening to Watching Movies With The Sound Off a lot lately, another project I slept on during the time of its release, and I couldn't help but connect to Mac, no matter how drugged up, drugged out, high, low, or drunk he was. Mac talks about doing literally every drug in the book if you've seen some of his recent interviews, and most of it seems to be the inspiration for projects like Watching Movies With The Sound Off and his 2014 mix tape Faces (because who could write or rap like this sober?). Why I connect with this Mac Miller (is not because I'm on drugs) is because he's making himself vulnerable. He needed drugs to do it, but would it be bad to say that drugs have made Mac Miller relatable, or even great?  The music is insane on WMWTSO, but the album got rave reviews from fans, and commercially has been Mac's most successful album, (debuting at #3 on the Billboard 200 and selling 101k copies first week). Forget the album sales and the Billboard charting... Did Mac not make himself more relatable to you when you listened to WMWTSO?  Mac (like Kid Cudi) is his own, fantastic form of WEIRD, and I love it. Weird works in music, and it's not because 100,000 people out there think that it's weird, but because 10,000 people out there connected to it, and it has somehow changed their lives. This is how albums, music, and artists become unforgettable.

 

Weird can be the type of person that annoys you, it can be when you don't understand someone's thoughts or actions, weird can be when you don't have a clue what the fuck someone is talking about, or weird can be defined by opposing the norm; doing, saying, or being something that is not seen or heard every day. But a lot of "weird" things happen every day, a lot of not so normal things occur on the daily, and people say and do things every day that are not set to the "politically correct" standards that society holds. So does that really make it all weird at the end of the day?  Weird is awesome, weird is a change of pace from the same crap you hear from the same people.Weird is not always going to make an appearance at the interviewer's table, but weird is another weird way of saying that you exist. Weird is not so bad after all, because weird is genuine. We need more weird people in the world, let alone weird artists.              

 

                     

          






        

          

Alexander; Hip Hop... Play?! (Video)

If you tuned into Sunday Morning on CBS news this past Sunday, March 8th (which I don't expect you to, but do as you will), you probably saw something a little out of the ordinary when they reported about Alexander. You wouldn't be wrong in the assumption that this was about the historic president of the U.S. in the late 1700s, but this certain Broadway play has a different spin on it. See the news coverage on it below.

 (Even if you're not a history buff [besides hip hop] you can't deny this isn't interesting. I do not own this video nor the rights to it.)

This is amazing. Histories collide (not so much hip hop history in terms of actual rappers or certain eras, but actual rapping that takes place with great writing) in Lin Manuel Miranda's take on Alexander Hamilton in his soon-to-be-coming-to-Broadway play Alexander. Miranda (a 2008 Tony Award winner for his musical "In The Heights") was quoted in his interview with CBS news as saying "The hip hop narrative is writing your way out of your circumstance," which could not be more true. That is unless, you grow up in a hood and to this day still rap about guns and drug running (more power to you then, please don't hurt me). But my question to you is this; would you ever (besides the writing aspect, maybe not so much Alexander, but this era more than any, almost) in your wildest dreams associate Alexander Hamilton with hip hop?!

That's why this is so amazing. Visionaries such as Miranda and many like him find ways to use hip hop for good, and to grab your attention positively instead of shunning it. Miranda is opening up eyes to a completely different audience of people (fans of theater and fans of rap alike) and he's even teaching you about Alexander Hamilton during all of this!  Miranda is attacking theater on 2 different fronts and whether or not you watch it, you have to have respect for the guy for having the balls to go there. Miranda doing this = taking hip hop to new heights. This is what Hip Hop Unlimited is about!   













     

B.o.B's No Genre 2: Is this the B.o.B people want?

B.o.B started his career with incredible promise. Bringing in a sound like no one had heard before, the talent of a real musician and the writing skills to rap and hang with the best of them. His first album, the Adventures of Bobby Ray, brought in a lot of publicity for its music alone, but pulling an Eminem verse on your first album isn't exactly a bad thing either. Transitioning to his mix tapes, many would argue they are miles ahead of his album material. His albums have left a lot to be desired to this point, at least to fans of the the Adventures of Bobby Ray or the "Generation Lost" B.o.B. His mix tapes usually seem to contain a lot more of those fire verses and beats, as we know Bob is no slouch on the production side of things either. No Genre was arguably the best of all of his mix tapes. It's a bold move to follow it up, but No Genre 2 certainly brought us a new, yet familiar sounding B.o.B.

Now we've always known Bobby Ray to be that guy to sort of go against the grain, speaking out on issues of people, the world, and the people of the world rather comfortably. Songs like "Mission Statement" and "Many Rivers" are nice reminders of the old B.o.B, the one that spoke out against something he didn't like or something that wasn't right. This B.o.B I believe is the one people were looking for for quite some time, and you can definitely tell that even with the issues he's speaking on, he seems to be having fun making music.

The thing I find so interesting with Bob is his range. You can have fun listening to any of his songs, no matter the topic or the theme behind the song. The problem with his last mix tape, Fuck Em We Ball, seemed to be a surplus of party songs, but not many real thought provoking tracks. No Genre 2 certainly has a great mix of both. B.o.B shows us he still can make a banger or a nice party track when he wants to with songs like "Get Right,"  "Lambo," and "Drunk AF."  The guitar being played throughout "Lambo" shows that he appreciates real musical instruments as he always has, as opposed to just the normal bass and synth heavy instrumental.

Bob's production really does shine throughout the tape as well. With great sampling on "Many Rivers," he puts nice 808s and drums behind a real jazzy sounding tune. My personal favorite track on the tape is "Swing My Way" featuring the beautiful R&B vocals of Sevyn Streeter. I haven't heard much of Sevyn before this song, but she certainly drew my attention with her smooth, dare I say Aaliyah like voice. Certainly catchy, just as much as his also self-produced "Follow Me," which also features more smooth guitar as B.o.B talks about more of the struggles, a lot of lying awake and getting no sleep, but learning to take things one day at a time. He certainly does encourage you to "follow" him down a path of what some call crazy, and others call greatness; but you can form your own opinion about it.

B.o.B's features can usually be a hit or miss on tracks it seems, on both his mix tapes and his albums. Sevyn Streeter provides a great hook for "Swing My Way,"  Mila J's vocals are used on "So What," while Victoria Monet's talents are used on "Lean On Me" and "The Nation." A great woman who can sing a nice hook has always been a weak spot for me, so maybe that's why I like these songs so much. As far as rap and feature verses go, Jake Lambo gives a couple of decent verses on the songs "The Nation" and "Lambo." Of course he had to be featured on "Lambo!" Would he really be Jake Lambo if he wasn't featured on a song called "Lambo?"  This is another unanswered rap question I suppose. Anyways, seeing as its B.o.B, you know he had to pull a T.I. verse somewhere on this tape. "Chosen" is another great song and T.I. does exactly what Tip does on this one (wait, which is which?). The bottom line is that "Chosen" is a real nice trunk music type banger that puts B.o.B on a really catchy hook.

So are you not entertained?  Is B.o.B finally doing right by his die hard fans?  Being a fan of him since the "the Adventures of Bobby Ray" days, I'd like to believe that he is. Bob has always been arguably one of the most versatile rappers out there. With talk of rock albums, a history of singing, but also an ability to kill your favorite rapper on his own song, it seems B.o.B is doing whatever he chooses at this point in his career. You would be hard pressed to compare one B.o.B project to another, and this includes both his mix tapes and his albums. Too many people like to say that he "changed," or that he "sold out," and I used to be one of these people, but this project certainly turned me on to the perfect mix of the old B.o.B with the new. Is his music experimental?  Some may call it that. I couldn't argue that it wasn't. Is B.o.B a musician trying to pose as a rapper?  Of course not. B.o.B's roots come from rapping, but having the talent to play a nice piano or guitar riff doesn't hurt your range either. Does anybody really know what to call B.o.B anymore?  They will call him what they will. But if you're being realistic about it all, all you can really say about him is that his artistry does not have a genre. No Genre, to be exact.                  









  





               

 

Unreleased Music: Importance and Intrigue

So imagine this hip hop heads...you get online to do your daily music updates. Songs are in a debatable word "ehh".  You got your soulja boy here, your kevin gates there, oh lil b just came out with his 5th mixtape in 4 months? No disrespect to loyal lil b fans of course, but, well, you see a guy like me finds no interest in that. So you scroll and scroll until you believe you've lost all hope in the day until just then; BAM!  Herpes (No I'm kidding of course, Family Guy reference, sorry). But anyways, BAM!  A new (technically old) Eminem video of him at age 25 surfaces on the web and you get more excited than Royce Da 5'9 when he touches his rifle's butt.

So what brings this excitement you ask?  Well that my friends is what we are here to discuss. I can't be the only one when I say I absolutely love unreleased music, and with respect to all genres of different sizes and shapes of artists. It seems hip-hop takes the crown when we discuss unreleased material. A big reason for this possibly being the case could be the passing of arguably the 2 biggest and best to ever do it, Tupac Shakur and the literally big in his own right Notorious B.I.G. While the work ethic of both is seen differently; for example, an interview with Dr. Dre says being in the studio with Tupac is like making a whole album in one night (at least that's how I picture it, see Dre interview below starting at 3:55). Where as something new (old) from Notorious is definitely not as expected at this point, but from other's perspective might be something way more special.

Change happens in music. Sometimes its for the better and sometimes for the worse!  But nonetheless it happens. For example, the old, insane Eminem that could give the Joker a run for his money. Many people would find this Eminem more descriptive, more lyrical, and funnier in what he says (depending upon your taste in humor). Now, when we talk about the new post-Recovery Eminem, it almost seems like a different person (not saying I'm a conspiracy theorist who believes the real slim shady died many years ago and they replaced him with a clone. No really...look it up. Isn't it crazy what people can come up with?). Recovery was a good album of course, but not what fans were expecting. The opera heavy lead single "Not Afraid" to me sounds like him walking up to a church pastor on a sunday morning, snatching the mic from him, handing the church choir lyrics sheets, and just letting it all out (cue "AMEN" from the crowd).

A breath of fresh air to an old school Eminem fan could possibly be something like stumbling across a 20 year old freestyle, or an interview, enjoying the old blonde Slim Shady we all grew to know and love. These hip hop artifacts if you will, are very key pieces to seeing the growth of an artist, the struggles they go through, and who they were before they really became "somebody" as they say. The process of becoming a name in the music industry is just that; a process.

So enjoy who your favorites artists may be now, enjoy what they're currently doing, and understand that no matter how big they may get to be, they probably do deserve their come up because they worked for it, and paid their dues. Everybody loves a throwback Thursday though, and who knows what the next big release may be, or even when it drops. So, be on the look out for new Tupac 2015!!