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Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2019 10:41 am
by Galou
No hyperbole. NaS just dropped a classic with Lost Tapes 2 yo

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2019 11:59 am
by E-Balla
Lost Tapes 2 is good. Solid 8.5/10 and a return to form. The production talent is crazy. If he had Primo and Large Pro it'd be perfect.

Only 9 tracks in but this Maxo tape is a classic. Each of the first 9 tracks are 9 or 10/10 songs. The rare second album that stepped it up.

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2019 12:23 pm
by E-Balla
Just finished the Maxo tape. Instant classic, it's just hard beats and bars for the whole thing with no drop in quality, no skips, no songs that are mediocre. Man we got some amazing projects this year.

Plugs I Met
Bandana
Diaspora
Lost Tapes 2
Brandon Banks
CASE STUDY 01 (didn't get to talk about this but Cyanide is song of the year)
Slimerre
When I Get Home
IGOR
Apollo XXI
The Last Party

And we still got tons of stuff coming out. Didn't even include the Krit tape that came out today which is a good candidate to be on here but I haven't heard it yet. Or even Mr. Mutha****in eXquire's tape that came out today and might be 10/10.

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2019 12:59 pm
by King of Canada
King of Canada wrote:
Jeff Van Gully wrote:
King of Canada wrote:
Do you know Classified at all? If not I'll take you down a rabbit hole. Really nice guy and worked his ass off to make a career out of this. One of my best friends has been in his inner circle of artists since the 90s, so I've seen him really come up.


i know the name, but haven't ever heard any content. i have extensive BC hip-hop knowledge. know some guys from saskatchewan and alberta. knew the ontario guys before drake. never got up on the nova scotians. i would see classified's name thrown around on the nerd hop sites back in the day, but never got plugged in.

def all swordsmen there. respect.


I’ll post some stuff that’s worth a listen


Classified has always produced his own stuff, and is more of the "Producer who raps". Here's a few of his bigger tracks. Just a self made pro.


Watch on YouTube



Watch on YouTube



Watch on YouTube



Watch on YouTube



Watch on YouTube



Watch on YouTube

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2019 1:51 pm
by King of Canada
E-Balla wrote:Lost Tapes 2 is good. Solid 8.5/10 and a return to form. The production talent is crazy. If he had Primo and Large Pro it'd be perfect.

Only 9 tracks in but this Maxo tape is a classic. Each of the first 9 tracks are 9 or 10/10 songs. The rare second album that stepped it up.


I've tried to get into Nas probably 100 times in the last 25 years,and it's an unpopular opinion, but I think he has the personality of a piece of unbuttered toast (his earlier stuff is better). I don't know what it is! I just can't get into it. :lol: He makes Guru sound like he was over enthusiastic.

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2019 1:14 pm
by Jeff Van Gully
King of Canada wrote:
E-Balla wrote:Lost Tapes 2 is good. Solid 8.5/10 and a return to form. The production talent is crazy. If he had Primo and Large Pro it'd be perfect.

Only 9 tracks in but this Maxo tape is a classic. Each of the first 9 tracks are 9 or 10/10 songs. The rare second album that stepped it up.


I've tried to get into Nas probably 100 times in the last 25 years,and it's an unpopular opinion, but I think he has the personality of a piece of unbuttered toast (his earlier stuff is better). I don't know what it is! I just can't get into it. :lol: He makes Guru sound like he was over enthusiastic.


wow. he is definitely an understated personality, but wow.

even when illmatic came out it didn't do anything for you?

while we're confessing things, i have a similar problem with j. cole. he has some songs i really love. i recognize how dope and necessary he is. the dreamville project is excellent. but cole bores me to tears often, despite my desire to root for him. always supporting dude. i feel like i'm SUPPOSED to like him more.

i'll also say kendrick's albums offer me little replay value. i listen to them all straight through as great overall experiences and lyrical barrages. but aside from good kid maad city, i don't find myself coming back except for select tracks.

ok. i got it off my chest.

my guilty pleasures list is long, and another conversation entirely.

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2019 3:21 pm
by Phish Tank
Lost Tapes 2 is not bad, although I did listen to a bunch of these songs a long time ago. Makes me wonder how many other songs are there in the vault.

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2019 3:24 pm
by Phish Tank
Jeff Van Gully wrote:
King of Canada wrote:
E-Balla wrote:Lost Tapes 2 is good. Solid 8.5/10 and a return to form. The production talent is crazy. If he had Primo and Large Pro it'd be perfect.

Only 9 tracks in but this Maxo tape is a classic. Each of the first 9 tracks are 9 or 10/10 songs. The rare second album that stepped it up.


I've tried to get into Nas probably 100 times in the last 25 years,and it's an unpopular opinion, but I think he has the personality of a piece of unbuttered toast (his earlier stuff is better). I don't know what it is! I just can't get into it. :lol: He makes Guru sound like he was over enthusiastic.


wow. he is definitely an understated personality, but wow.

even when illmatic came out it didn't do anything for you?

while we're confessing things, i have a similar problem with j. cole. he has some songs i really love. i recognize how dope and necessary he is. the dreamville project is excellent. but cole bores me to tears often, despite my desire to root for him. always supporting dude. i feel like i'm SUPPOSED to like him more.

i'll also say kendrick's albums offer me little replay value. i listen to them all straight through as great overall experiences and lyrical barrages. but aside from good kid maad city, i don't find myself coming back except for select tracks.

ok. i got it off my chest.

my guilty pleasures list is long, and another conversation entirely.


do Lil Nas X and Migos count as guilty pleasures :lol: ?

I do understand the sentiments around Cole & Kendrick. Both are polarizing in that way.

I actually had no plans on listening to MadGibbs or Benny The Butcher until I saw both get damn good reviews on here and on some other hip-hop sites.


Also - not sure if we count him in Hip-Hop, but Saint Jhn's the ****.

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2019 3:56 pm
by Jeff Van Gully
Phish Tank wrote:
Jeff Van Gully wrote:
King of Canada wrote:
I've tried to get into Nas probably 100 times in the last 25 years,and it's an unpopular opinion, but I think he has the personality of a piece of unbuttered toast (his earlier stuff is better). I don't know what it is! I just can't get into it. :lol: He makes Guru sound like he was over enthusiastic.


wow. he is definitely an understated personality, but wow.

even when illmatic came out it didn't do anything for you?

while we're confessing things, i have a similar problem with j. cole. he has some songs i really love. i recognize how dope and necessary he is. the dreamville project is excellent. but cole bores me to tears often, despite my desire to root for him. always supporting dude. i feel like i'm SUPPOSED to like him more.

i'll also say kendrick's albums offer me little replay value. i listen to them all straight through as great overall experiences and lyrical barrages. but aside from good kid maad city, i don't find myself coming back except for select tracks.

ok. i got it off my chest.

my guilty pleasures list is long, and another conversation entirely.


do Lil Nas X and Migos count as guilty pleasures :lol: ?

I do understand the sentiments around Cole & Kendrick. Both are polarizing in that way.

I actually had no plans on listening to MadGibbs or Benny The Butcher until I saw both get damn good reviews on here and on some other hip-hop sites.


Also - not sure if we count him in Hip-Hop, but Saint Jhn's the ****.


i think saint jhn is dope. doesn't get talked about in "pure" hip-hop circles, but i'd count him. the beauty of hip-hop is that it has taken over popular music, so it's got offshoots and subgenres the way rock does.

guilty pleasure is in the eye of the beholder. :lol:

some migos music definitely fits that category for me. i think migos has some really good, well made stuff even if it isn't always my cup of tea. but they also got some mindless **** that feels like they put no effort or thought into it. i've got no guilt in my enjoyment of lil nas x. :)

for me, guilty pleasures usually take the form of songs from artists i'd generally pan because i find them low quality or thoughtless. lacking in craft. vapid. base. banal.

best recent example of a guilty pleasure for me would be "gucci gang." song so dumb, but it slaps and i like the feel of it. i'd never be a lil pump fan, but he got me on that one.

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 11:52 am
by Mecca
Maxo tape is fire. Love the intro and the Q track. Stallion can rap lowkey.

Eminem ruined the Conway track.

Still bumping the WSG tape daily.

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 4:42 pm
by kej718
Nas Lost Tapes 2
4.5/5
Dude got so many unrealeased gems. He said he has enough material for 2 more of these albums.

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 5:52 pm
by SelbyCobra
Jeff Van Gully wrote:
King of Canada wrote:
E-Balla wrote:Lost Tapes 2 is good. Solid 8.5/10 and a return to form. The production talent is crazy. If he had Primo and Large Pro it'd be perfect.

Only 9 tracks in but this Maxo tape is a classic. Each of the first 9 tracks are 9 or 10/10 songs. The rare second album that stepped it up.


I've tried to get into Nas probably 100 times in the last 25 years,and it's an unpopular opinion, but I think he has the personality of a piece of unbuttered toast (his earlier stuff is better). I don't know what it is! I just can't get into it. :lol: He makes Guru sound like he was over enthusiastic.


wow. he is definitely an understated personality, but wow.

even when illmatic came out it didn't do anything for you?

while we're confessing things, i have a similar problem with j. cole. he has some songs i really love. i recognize how dope and necessary he is. the dreamville project is excellent. but cole bores me to tears often, despite my desire to root for him. always supporting dude. i feel like i'm SUPPOSED to like him more.

i'll also say kendrick's albums offer me little replay value. i listen to them all straight through as great overall experiences and lyrical barrages. but aside from good kid maad city, i don't find myself coming back except for select tracks.

ok. i got it off my chest.

my guilty pleasures list is long, and another conversation entirely.


Your Cole take is nowhere near KOC's Nas take. :lol: KOC is on an island with that, while yours is actually one I've seen fairly often.

Shea Serrano, author of the Rap Yearbook, historically destroys Cole over this very issue (and is hilarious when doing so - you can see the summation of it all in larger font at the end of this debate he had with a Cole fan - I've included his responses only):

https://www.theringer.com/2016/12/9/16039126/the-great-j-cole-debate-31eb37c2a094

I. Personality
Serrano: This is an important one. We’re not talking about, "Is J. Cole a nice person?" because he is absolutely that. What we’re talking about here is the convergence of the HUMAN PERSONALITY with the RAP PERSONALITY. We’re talking about the point where the former informs the latter.

The best rappers — Tupac, Kendrick, Nas, Missy, André, Biggie, as just a few examples — take that point and, even when the two sides might seem to be at odds with one another, are able to align them ideologically. Tupac is probably the easiest example. He was this fiery, emotional, very smart, occasionally contradictory person — there was the mayhem, of course, but also he had a profound understanding of, among other things, the workings of inner city communities and all of the ways they were kept separate from more affluent ones. His music was always all of those things, all at the same time, all at once, and it always felt sincere. The pieces always matched up. That’s super important.

If you’re looking for a more current example, then Kendrick is the best one. It’s very clear that the only reason his music exists is because it HAS to exist. There is no pretense. That’s what the best rappers do, and they do it in a way that, even if it isn’t effortless, looks and feels effortless. Good rappers do the same thing, just not as well, or not as cohesively. And the less-than-good rappers, they’re generally not able to do that. And that’s where J. Cole falls.

He doesn’t push those things together fluidly often enough. I think the easiest way to think on it is: Play a rapper’s album. If, while listening to it, it feels like the rapper said to himself, "Hmmm, you know what I should do here? I should do a song about how hard it can be growing up in a bad part of town," or, "I should do a song about how good I am at rapping," or, "I should do a song about the first time I had sex" — if you can see those seams, if you can feel that happening, if you can feel the rapper making the songs just to check a box, then that’s how you know that rapper is not a good rapper. And that’s how each of J. Cole’s albums has felt.

So if we’re grading this on a scale of 0–20, I feel comfortable saying he’s at a firm 4/20 in this category. ("I be sh*ttin’ on n*ggas / And my dough be farting." — J. Cole, "The One")


II. Relatability
Serrano: Do you know what the Barnum effect is? I learned, like, maybe five things in college that stuck with me after I graduated. The Barnum effect is one of them. The general definition of it is: "The observation that individuals will give high accuracy ratings to descriptions of their personality that supposedly are tailored specifically for them but are, in fact, vague and general enough to apply to a wide range of people." It’s the reason that things like horoscopes work. You read the horoscope, and it’s like, "Don’t ever cross a Gemini because it’s very hard to earn a Gemini’s trust back once you’ve broken it," and all the people who are Geminis are like, "Yup. That’s exactly right. That’s so me." It feels specific, but it’s mostly applicable to anyone. That is exactly what J. Cole is, and what he does. Take the J. Cole song "January 28th" as an example. He says: "If you ain’t aim too high / Then you aim too low." When you hear it while he’s rapping it, you’re like, "OK." But then you think about it for, like, five seconds, and it’s like, "Wait … what the f*ck?" I don’t think he’s actually relatable. I think he’s a familiar version of relatable, which people confuse with the real thing. 5/20. ("You the sh*t only ’cause I digested you n*ggas" — J. Cole, "See It to Believe It")


III. Distinction
Serrano: There are, generally speaking, two ways that a rapper can prove himself or herself as being a good/great/transcendent rapper. He or she can either (a) invent some new style of rapping (like what Rakim did in 1987) or (b) take what others have done already, and are doing, and just be way, way better at it than everyone else (like what Biggie and Nas did in 1994).

We can eliminate the first option here because that’s just not who J. Cole is or what he does or even what he wants to do. That means he’s just left with the second option. He has to take what others have done already, and are doing, and just be way, way better at it than everyone else. But he never quite gets there. His writing just isn’t sharp enough or insightful enough.

Now, that’s not to say that he has never had an admirable creative moment or two. But more often than not we end up with him saying something empty like, "Only bad thing about a star is they burn up" (!!!!!!), or corny like, "But, girl, you’re special like I met you in the slow class" (!!!!!!!!!!) or clichéd like, "We ain’t picture perfect / But we worth the picture still" (!!!!!!!!!). So, nope. His music’s not original or inventive enough to be considered new, and it’s not profound enough for him to say that he’s considerably better than anyone else who has done what he’s doing. Distinction: 6/20. ("They light a fire under my ass, n*gga, my sh*t hot / Even if you squatted over volcanoes, n*gga, your sh*t not." — J. Cole, "Water Break")


IV. Proficiency
Serrano: This is a category you and I are essentially identical on, which is a little bit strange to me because, more often than not, it’s the category where the most tension arises between those who are not fans of J. Cole and those who are fans of J. Cole.

I’ve had, on occasion, a Twitter account retweeted into my timeline that highlights the best J. Cole lines. It’s literally called Best J. Cole Lines. There are similar accounts for most every big rapper — there’s one with Nas quotes, one with Jay Z quotes, etc. I would assume that each one is run by someone who is a very big fan of that rapper, thus I would assume that the J. Cole one is run by someone who is a very big fan of J. Cole. I would assume that he or she, someone familiar with J. Cole’s music and impressed with J. Cole’s music, just hops on there every so often and tweets out a line or a bar that he or she remembers as being very good.

But somehow, some way, we end up with that person tweeting lines like, "Cole is ya phone at zero percent; going off." Like, that person heard that line in the song "Apparently" and CONSIDERED IT ONE OF HIS BEST LINES. That’s why I figured you and I would be standing on different sides of the fence for this category. I’m glad that we are not. I have the same score here as you: 4/20. ("These n*ggas thinkin’ they the sh*t / And they ain’t even farted yet." — J. Cole, "Last Call")



V. Purpose
Serrano: I went to a J. Cole concert last year. He had a stop in Houston as part of his Forest Hills Drive Tour. The whole reason I went was because, similar to what we’re doing now, I wanted to talk to a bunch of J. Cole fans about J. Cole. And you know what? The concert was really fun and really good. The between-songs banter that J. Cole did was charming and neat. But mostly it was cool because the mostly young people there were entirely energetic and frenetic. He would start a song and they would immediately start rapping it with him and at him, and it was wonderful. It was 15,000 or 16,000 or 17,000 kids and they were having a very enjoyable time.

J. Cole as a rapper is like if one of those paint-by-numbers things were a human. He’s like if a pair of Sketchers had come to life. He’s like if one of those braided leather belts became sentient. He’s like the last 30 minutes of a comedy movie where they try to get all serious but mostly just end up saying a bunch of regular-ass stuff. J. Cole does not rap in a good way, or an interesting way, or a challenging way, or a way that exists in any manner other than what it is presented as. If J. Cole wants to make a song about, say, riding a bicycle, he will call it "Bicyclez" and there will be lines in it like, "I always wanted a bike when I was a kid / Never got one / I got one now / Just rode 5 miles on it / Cole!" If J. Cole wants to make a song about the hardships of growing up in the underclass, he will call it "Hardship" and there will be lines in it like, "When you don’t have money / Life is hard / I have money now / Still can’t cover up the scars." That’s what he does. And it’s not good. BUT: I cannot deny that he puts a good feeling in a lot of people’s chests. And I cannot deny that he appears to do so sincerely. J. Cole definitely has purpose, and certainly moves with purpose. And I am absolutely OK with giving him a good score here. Let’s call it 14/20. ("You wanna know how I know I’m the sh*t? / ’Cause I keep clogging up the toilet." — J. Cole, "Disgusting")

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 6:03 pm
by King of Canada
SelbyCobra wrote:
Jeff Van Gully wrote:
King of Canada wrote:
I've tried to get into Nas probably 100 times in the last 25 years,and it's an unpopular opinion, but I think he has the personality of a piece of unbuttered toast (his earlier stuff is better). I don't know what it is! I just can't get into it. :lol: He makes Guru sound like he was over enthusiastic.


wow. he is definitely an understated personality, but wow.

even when illmatic came out it didn't do anything for you?

while we're confessing things, i have a similar problem with j. cole. he has some songs i really love. i recognize how dope and necessary he is. the dreamville project is excellent. but cole bores me to tears often, despite my desire to root for him. always supporting dude. i feel like i'm SUPPOSED to like him more.

i'll also say kendrick's albums offer me little replay value. i listen to them all straight through as great overall experiences and lyrical barrages. but aside from good kid maad city, i don't find myself coming back except for select tracks.

ok. i got it off my chest.

my guilty pleasures list is long, and another conversation entirely.


Your Cole take is nowhere near KOC's Nas take. :lol: KOC is on an island with that, while yours is actually one I've seen fairly often.

Shea Serrano, author of the Rap Yearbook, historically destroys Cole over this very issue (and is hilarious when doing so - you can see the summation of it all in larger font at the end of this debate he had with a Cole fan - I've included his responses only):

https://www.theringer.com/2016/12/9/16039126/the-great-j-cole-debate-31eb37c2a094

I. Personality
Serrano: This is an important one. We’re not talking about, "Is J. Cole a nice person?" because he is absolutely that. What we’re talking about here is the convergence of the HUMAN PERSONALITY with the RAP PERSONALITY. We’re talking about the point where the former informs the latter.

The best rappers — Tupac, Kendrick, Nas, Missy, André, Biggie, as just a few examples — take that point and, even when the two sides might seem to be at odds with one another, are able to align them ideologically. Tupac is probably the easiest example. He was this fiery, emotional, very smart, occasionally contradictory person — there was the mayhem, of course, but also he had a profound understanding of, among other things, the workings of inner city communities and all of the ways they were kept separate from more affluent ones. His music was always all of those things, all at the same time, all at once, and it always felt sincere. The pieces always matched up. That’s super important.

If you’re looking for a more current example, then Kendrick is the best one. It’s very clear that the only reason his music exists is because it HAS to exist. There is no pretense. That’s what the best rappers do, and they do it in a way that, even if it isn’t effortless, looks and feels effortless. Good rappers do the same thing, just not as well, or not as cohesively. And the less-than-good rappers, they’re generally not able to do that. And that’s where J. Cole falls.

He doesn’t push those things together fluidly often enough. I think the easiest way to think on it is: Play a rapper’s album. If, while listening to it, it feels like the rapper said to himself, "Hmmm, you know what I should do here? I should do a song about how hard it can be growing up in a bad part of town," or, "I should do a song about how good I am at rapping," or, "I should do a song about the first time I had sex" — if you can see those seams, if you can feel that happening, if you can feel the rapper making the songs just to check a box, then that’s how you know that rapper is not a good rapper. And that’s how each of J. Cole’s albums has felt.

So if we’re grading this on a scale of 0–20, I feel comfortable saying he’s at a firm 4/20 in this category. ("I be sh*ttin’ on n*ggas / And my dough be farting." — J. Cole, "The One")


II. Relatability
Serrano: Do you know what the Barnum effect is? I learned, like, maybe five things in college that stuck with me after I graduated. The Barnum effect is one of them. The general definition of it is: "The observation that individuals will give high accuracy ratings to descriptions of their personality that supposedly are tailored specifically for them but are, in fact, vague and general enough to apply to a wide range of people." It’s the reason that things like horoscopes work. You read the horoscope, and it’s like, "Don’t ever cross a Gemini because it’s very hard to earn a Gemini’s trust back once you’ve broken it," and all the people who are Geminis are like, "Yup. That’s exactly right. That’s so me." It feels specific, but it’s mostly applicable to anyone. That is exactly what J. Cole is, and what he does. Take the J. Cole song "January 28th" as an example. He says: "If you ain’t aim too high / Then you aim too low." When you hear it while he’s rapping it, you’re like, "OK." But then you think about it for, like, five seconds, and it’s like, "Wait … what the f*ck?" I don’t think he’s actually relatable. I think he’s a familiar version of relatable, which people confuse with the real thing. 5/20. ("You the sh*t only ’cause I digested you n*ggas" — J. Cole, "See It to Believe It")


III. Distinction
Serrano: There are, generally speaking, two ways that a rapper can prove himself or herself as being a good/great/transcendent rapper. He or she can either (a) invent some new style of rapping (like what Rakim did in 1987) or (b) take what others have done already, and are doing, and just be way, way better at it than everyone else (like what Biggie and Nas did in 1994).

We can eliminate the first option here because that’s just not who J. Cole is or what he does or even what he wants to do. That means he’s just left with the second option. He has to take what others have done already, and are doing, and just be way, way better at it than everyone else. But he never quite gets there. His writing just isn’t sharp enough or insightful enough.

Now, that’s not to say that he has never had an admirable creative moment or two. But more often than not we end up with him saying something empty like, "Only bad thing about a star is they burn up" (!!!!!!), or corny like, "But, girl, you’re special like I met you in the slow class" (!!!!!!!!!!) or clichéd like, "We ain’t picture perfect / But we worth the picture still" (!!!!!!!!!). So, nope. His music’s not original or inventive enough to be considered new, and it’s not profound enough for him to say that he’s considerably better than anyone else who has done what he’s doing. Distinction: 6/20. ("They light a fire under my ass, n*gga, my sh*t hot / Even if you squatted over volcanoes, n*gga, your sh*t not." — J. Cole, "Water Break")


IV. Proficiency
Serrano: This is a category you and I are essentially identical on, which is a little bit strange to me because, more often than not, it’s the category where the most tension arises between those who are not fans of J. Cole and those who are fans of J. Cole.

I’ve had, on occasion, a Twitter account retweeted into my timeline that highlights the best J. Cole lines. It’s literally called Best J. Cole Lines. There are similar accounts for most every big rapper — there’s one with Nas quotes, one with Jay Z quotes, etc. I would assume that each one is run by someone who is a very big fan of that rapper, thus I would assume that the J. Cole one is run by someone who is a very big fan of J. Cole. I would assume that he or she, someone familiar with J. Cole’s music and impressed with J. Cole’s music, just hops on there every so often and tweets out a line or a bar that he or she remembers as being very good.

But somehow, some way, we end up with that person tweeting lines like, "Cole is ya phone at zero percent; going off." Like, that person heard that line in the song "Apparently" and CONSIDERED IT ONE OF HIS BEST LINES. That’s why I figured you and I would be standing on different sides of the fence for this category. I’m glad that we are not. I have the same score here as you: 4/20. ("These n*ggas thinkin’ they the sh*t / And they ain’t even farted yet." — J. Cole, "Last Call")



V. Purpose
Serrano: I went to a J. Cole concert last year. He had a stop in Houston as part of his Forest Hills Drive Tour. The whole reason I went was because, similar to what we’re doing now, I wanted to talk to a bunch of J. Cole fans about J. Cole. And you know what? The concert was really fun and really good. The between-songs banter that J. Cole did was charming and neat. But mostly it was cool because the mostly young people there were entirely energetic and frenetic. He would start a song and they would immediately start rapping it with him and at him, and it was wonderful. It was 15,000 or 16,000 or 17,000 kids and they were having a very enjoyable time.

J. Cole as a rapper is like if one of those paint-by-numbers things were a human. He’s like if a pair of Sketchers had come to life. He’s like if one of those braided leather belts became sentient. He’s like the last 30 minutes of a comedy movie where they try to get all serious but mostly just end up saying a bunch of regular-ass stuff. J. Cole does not rap in a good way, or an interesting way, or a challenging way, or a way that exists in any manner other than what it is presented as. If J. Cole wants to make a song about, say, riding a bicycle, he will call it "Bicyclez" and there will be lines in it like, "I always wanted a bike when I was a kid / Never got one / I got one now / Just rode 5 miles on it / Cole!" If J. Cole wants to make a song about the hardships of growing up in the underclass, he will call it "Hardship" and there will be lines in it like, "When you don’t have money / Life is hard / I have money now / Still can’t cover up the scars." That’s what he does. And it’s not good. BUT: I cannot deny that he puts a good feeling in a lot of people’s chests. And I cannot deny that he appears to do so sincerely. J. Cole definitely has purpose, and certainly moves with purpose. And I am absolutely OK with giving him a good score here. Let’s call it 14/20. ("You wanna know how I know I’m the sh*t? / ’Cause I keep clogging up the toilet." — J. Cole, "Disgusting")


I haven't been into new music much in quite a while, but I see that for Cole and KL too. Here's another one - never really bought into Jay-Z either! Part of it might have been the hot garbage "Firm" stuff they put out in the late 90s. MY hip hop collection was DEEP at the time, but for whatever reason Nas and Jay-Z just didn't do it for me,

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 8:17 pm
by E-Balla
KOC needs to go, all that agree say "I".

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2019 3:13 pm
by E-Balla
The new Key Glock and Young Dolph tape is crazy.


Watch on YouTube


The most Memphis tape possible without putting in Three Six.

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2019 3:27 pm
by King of Canada
E-Balla wrote:KOC needs to go, all that agree say "I".


:lol:

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2019 3:29 pm
by King of Canada
One of my all time favorite songs. These guys were killing it from the south before the south had a platform at all nationally. Love E-40(top 3 for me) and Mac Mall too.


Watch on YouTube

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2019 11:12 pm
by 21 Hussle
Chance fell off something serious. Rap game Tyreke Evans smh

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Thu Aug 1, 2019 3:15 am
by SelbyCobra
What's everyone's opinion on Cordae? I appreciate his whole energy.

Re: Official Rap/Hip Hop Thread V

Posted: Thu Aug 1, 2019 4:07 am
by Jscratch1200
Anybody here into producing?