Fuck Future: Feeling In Music Is Not Gone Yet (My Review on the Current State Of Hip Hop)

I know too many people that speak about their issues with no real human emotion. Too many times I've seen cases where people "cut you off" because of a minor disagreement, or a small fight that means nothing in the grand scheme of things. People grow up, they lose friends, they may no longer speak to family members because of a fight, and don't really care if they do or don't speak to people who have been in their lives for the entirety of it. What that says about these certain people is no matter, but I've always believed that the people in your life who truly mean something will always find a way to stay in it, and these people always hold relevance in your life.

The same exact thing can be said about music. It's amazing how people forget the power that music holds over one's life, it's a known fact that music changes people's perception of the world, and perception is everything. Allow me to say that again; perception is EVERYTHING!  How you perceive something is how you see it, and if something allows you to change your perception on something you see, then that can mean an array of different things (though we won't get into that). Perception is how you see something that scares the living shit out of you, how you see someone you've loved your entire life, how you see your goals and your future, or it can be something as simple as what a song means to you.

This past Wednesday, Joe Budden's very much anticipated album All Love Lost leaked, and if you were a fan scrolling through one of your favorite hip hop blogs looking for new releases, you could have scrolled right by the album stream and thought nothing of it, but I've always taken a liking to Budden's music and his ability to rap (beats on ALL are crazy, though some people will argue that Budden talks about depression/past relationships too much). I pressed play on the "All Love Lost Intro" and was immediately sucked into the world of Joe Budden, but the song that truly made me feel was "Immortal."

On "Immortal", Budden talks of his past drug addiction and getting through it, and if you know about Joe Budden, you know he's abused drugs for almost his entire career. Things like pills (from what Budden mentions is many, many types of pills including Percocet, and he even mentions some heroin use at points in his career) are things Budden abused constantly. But there is a line that makes you think in the song, and though hearing the line itself doesn't hit the ear right, Budden sounds so sure in a line leading up to the hook; "you can't kill something that's ready to die." This line is heavy in it's own right, but that line is followed up by a steroid-like strength hook (probably the wrong expression to use in this case, but oh well); "they say I'm in my own way, own way, and that's fine, I'm just living my own way, own way, like I can't die, they can remove my heart, my soul, might take it's toll, the air I breathe and the ground below, but no way, no way, let 'em all try, that's how it feels to be immortal, immortal, that's how it feels to be immortal, immortal, and that's how it feels to be immortal."

There's too much I have to say about that particular song, but Budden's entire album (All Love Lost) is something that hits you "right in the feels" as the kids say these days. Now what does the rest of hip hop have to combat that with?  Listen to this.

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

Hmm... I don't uhm... Fuck up some... commas?  Excuse me for not being as hip as I'm supposed to be (and granted I don't listen to any Future on the regular, and for good reason), but how does one "fuck up some commas"?  I'm curious, really, more than anything. What is the attraction to this?  Fuck up some commas that most hip hop listeners do not have to "fuck up." "Trap niggas" is definitely a title that people wish to attain; right?  It's so relatable to people to listen to "blow a bag" nowadays, huh?  I believe people have forgotten what quality hip hop music sounds like (something that you're able to listen to timelessly, and able to relate to forever).

So... what do I think?  I think the hottest rappers in the game right now should not be the hottest rappers in the game right now. Do you see yourself listening to Future's Dirty Sprite 2, 56 Nights, or even his Drake collaboration What A Time To Be Alive next year?  How about 10 years from now?  Do any of those projects still hold weight?  The incredible flood of hip hop music that has taken over this millennium needs to stop, and now (and not just Future, a lot of one hit wonders are killing hip hop, that goes for Rae Sremmurd, Bobby Shmurda, Migos, and almost the entire sub genre of "trap music"). I find it amazing that "Slim Jesus" is one of the most talked about acts in hip hop right now. What meaning does music have if you don't see yourself listening to it in the future (no pun intended, though I believe he chose the wrong name)?  Fix rap by putting out quality music, and not by putting out loads and loads of albums and mix tapes that will mean nothing in a year. Fix it by competing with the best, not because you want to make your money, but because you want to be BETTER than the best. If you're not rapping to become the best, then what are you doing it for?  Those are my thoughts on the current state of hip hop.           

         




   

 







      

Juicy J Blue Dream And Lean 2 Review (also Announces New Album)

I been workin hard!  Every day!  To give the people the posts they deserve (sorry I'm a tad loopy after listening to this Juicy tape)!  Juicy has been working very hard as of late with the release of his newest mix tape Blue Dream & Lean 2, and now the Three 6 Mafia OG has plans for a new album to be released this July!  But Juicy's album is not the focal point right now, because right now I want to talk about his latest mix tape release Blue Dream & Lean 2.

Juicy starts out the tape on a very high (no pun intended) note with "Stoners Night."  If you drink a lot and enjoy blazing some of that green that Wiz Khalifa (whom is sampled on the hook) and Juicy J himself are so fond of, then "Stoners Night" is probably a stand out track on this tape to you. It's low, down, dirty, and it's bass heavy. You get similar feels from tracks like "Smoked Out Dabbed Out" and the Wiz Khalifa assisted "Whole Thang".

  
Juicy keeps the party vibes going as usual all throughout Blue Dream And Lean 2, but also changes up the party sound a bit and substitutes it with a bit of venting on "I'm Sicka". This Mike Will Made It produced track details Juicy expressing his hate towards dudes that pretend to be ballers and pretend to be rich (even has a line in the hook that sounds like it could ultimately be aimed at label-mate Wiz Khalifa; "pussy buying ass nigga, lying ass nigga, you married a hoe and you a side nigga." It's very unlikely that this line was aimed at Wiz, but listening to the line you certainly would think it was when you put 2 and 2 together.

Juicy vents a bit more on "Throw Dem Racks", a track where Juicy basically tries to prove the point that men and women are all alike in the fact that the money changes them, and the hook is no silent jab; "throw them racks, watch how they react, watch them break their back, throw that ass back, they act a fool for them damn racks."  "Already" is another slick turn up track featuring the currently hot Rae Sremmurd that has laser like vibes when the melody first hits and of course features some hard hitting drums that would knock in the car.

One of the stand out tracks on the tape (though not because of the track itself) is "Don't Trust", the reason being that Juicy announces his next solo LP in the intro of the track, THC: The Hustle Continues. He goes on to say that the album drops in July, but he could get really high and drop it sooner?  This, ladies and gentlemen, is the beauty of free music (and apparently weed, thank you Blue Dream strand). A new Juicy J album is indeed in the works and is apparently coming out in July or sooner!

Juicy is continuing his reign of southern party music with his newest release, and is showing no signs of letting up any time soon. Is there anything better than an old rap OG not only STILL putting out music, but STILL having the ability to put out dope music as well?  You almost have to think Juicy's music would be nothing short of dope considering how much dope he has been smoking (I personally can't tell if it's Wiz's influence on him or if Juicy is still partying hard, though it's probably a mix of both). This tape is simply a warm up for Juicy's newest release THC: The Hustle Continues, set to drop in July and will be no shortage of dopeness for sure.