Wrote a bit about TDE. Featured on ifeellikemika.com
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Quincy’s ability to merge gangster rap and party music is like the peanut butter and jelly of hip-hop. ScHoolboy’s ability to inflict hostility and sheer grit into his voice, while simultaneously flowing greater than a lie detector has deservingly put him into most top 10 lists in our current generation. ScHoolboy Q can flow on literally anything. Put some Quincy over some Mozart or Sebastian Bach, and he’ll find a way to flow as wavy as Max B on it.
ScHoolboy Q’s “Blank Face LP” Released July 8tH, 2016
In terms of sheer rapping ability and matching rhyme schemes, you can make the case that Q is the best in hip-hop right now. Even in provoking emotion, ‘Gangster in Design’ or ‘What they Want’ are like a double shot espresso for me in the morning. As Schoolboy’s album has just released this week, we hear the evolution of the Blank-Faced Crip.
“Torch” guides us into the windows of ScHoolboy’s soul, gaining imagery of Q’s vision, over an Anderson .Paak cameo. As the project’s introduction, I’m immediately intrigued by the evolution of Q. The track had a much more jazzy feeling than anything in Q’s catalog. His story telling painted the picture of ScHoolboy’s unheralded ambition to reach success.
ScHoolboy Q and Anderson .Paak live on Jimmy Kimmel, performing “Am I Wrong”
This track alone sums up my love for Q’s music. He’s the shot of HGH in your arm that instantly re-inspires you. His gritty voice, and fiery flow stimulates my mind.
“Lord Have Mercy” continues Quincy’s evolution, with a sharp pen game, Q reminisces over his past foolishness as a gangster, and how his determination catapulted him into success. Swizz Beats’ production on the track puts goosebumps on your back. Q performs admirably with tales from the hood.
“THat Part” Transitions into a much more melodic ScHoolboy. The harmonized flows and catchy hook forces me to start dancing whenever it’s comes on shuffle.
In the LP’s 5th track, we hear “Kno Ya Wrong” with a cameo appearance from Lance Skiiiwalker. This is Lance’s first feature as a signed artist to Top Dawg, and we begin to familiarize ourselves with his value to the label. In a raspy, baritone voice, a cold hearted Lance expresses his lusty infatuation for a woman in his past. ScHoolboy’s remained reminiscent in his first verse, until transitioning into sharing the same lust Lance shared for a woman. ScHoolboy, now enjoying the luxuries of life, wants to share it with a woman in his past. This track is a blueprint of ScHoolboy’s evolution as an artist, displaying the ability to rhyme over a more sensual jazzy track, with the assistance of Lance Skiiiwalker. Part of me believes that Lance’s an integral piece to Top Dawg because of his ability to be musically inclined. I can’t help but think Lance brought the best out of Q in a jazzy, sexual song.
I’m sorry, I had to skip right to “Ride Out,” as it’s gone Usain Bolt running away with the summer anthem gold medal. ScHoolboy and Vince should be illegal. Nah, that ****’s a drug. “I’M FROM THE BOTTOM, THAT’S THE TOP OF THE TOWN.” Sorry, had it in rotation and lost control. The crip-duo gave cryptic verses filled with anguish and animosity. This combo better than Curry and Durant.
“Whateva U Want” and “Overtime” will perform admirably as singles. Both songs have extreme potential in clubs and on radio.
“Blank Face” gives us an overview of what ‘Blank Face’ symbolizes. The Blank Face represents how Quincy has seen so much horror in his life, that he is unfazed by struggles. He’s overcome so many obstacles – from being forced to sell drugs to stay out of poverty, to seeing his friends die, that he’s become Blank Faced towards society.
The last song I’ll highlight is “JoHn Muir”. JoHn Muir takes us on a cruise through the streets of Figueroa. The eccentric sound to the track begins with Q, gritty as ever, telling tales growing up as a crip in the streets of California. This song reminds me why I love good gansta-rap so much. Visualizing Quincy “Running from the crash unit like I’m state farm” motivates me internally.
I admire the ambition Quincy had. You hear the honesty in his voice. His road was tougher than mine, and I have the utmost respect for it. You hear his hustle. His flawless ambition. His ability to make the best out of a bad situation from a young age. I admire it. As hip-hop has switched from drug dealing to drug taking, it’s certainly refreshing to hear Q speak about his struggles. How he survived, and catapulted himself into being one of the most beloved artists in hip-hop is rare, and it’s how I kinda view artists as superheroes.
All in all, this project familiarized myself with who Blank Face Quincy is more so now than ever.
