Category: Reviews
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Big Sean made a statement this past weekend with the release of What You Expect alongside producer/rapper Hit-Boy: my new beginnings. So as he asks us, What You Expect? – we sit back pondering about what he wants to say – it isn’t like the reflexive nature behind Detroit 2, and more braggadocio and bold…
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Ever since I’ve heard the two rap bars: “Oh my god, Peggy, Peggy, you’re so good/Fuck whoever said you up to no good”: each JPEGMAFIA record has come and gone as an ethereal experience – some fans begin to reflect the absurdist humor within his rhymes, like dropping at the moment to one Peggy’s many…
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Before his foray into his new venture with Maybach Music Group, Wale cemented a path that distinguished him from his peers in the DC Metro area. He is a linguistic juggernaut, capable of making wit, pop culture, and hip-hop have great moments of unison like mixtapes containing Seinfeld samples and others produced by legendary name-stays,…
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Lana Del Rey is an artist that barely wets the whistle after the traction of excellent singles that lead into any new release. Very few times did it translate, and when it did with Chemtrails Over The Country Club, the slight excitement boiled over me as Lana seemed to have found a better footing since…
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Making comparisons can wane any influence someone can have on an artist before exploring their music. To put it mildly — a comparison hit me when I first played Joy Crookes. It was the feeling from listening to the Amy Winehouse album Frank for the first time. And as little as this comparison weighs, on…
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Charm is a quality that is sometimes missing from the soundscapes of artists, and it primarily comes from lacking humility. BLACKSTARKIDS are a rare breath of fresh air with an identity that equates to a bunch of friends basking in emotional connectivity they have as musicians. From the beginning, BLACKSTARKIDS have kept my attention stirring…
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Few artists have had a complete 180 from where they debuted and the subsequent sophomore project, but Kacy Hill has continued to grow into her own — even as she releases her third album, Simple, Sweet, and Smiling. And continuing the work she has done with Jim-E Stacks on Is It Selfish If We Talk…
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Over the past month, hip-hop has remained predominantly dry — there have been two great albums and others that teeter between good and dull. Unfortunately, a lot of the dryness has come from big-name artists who delivered mediocrity since the end of August. From Drake’s Certified Lover Boy to Meek Mill’s Expensive Pain, the onslaught…
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Sometimes, it can be hard to define the feeling you get when listening to an instrumental jazz album — when I review them, I leave them ambiguous enough for the reader to interpret for themselves. For years, it has been a topic of conversation with myself — about how I can recommend music of this…
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After the release of The Colour of Anything, one thing flowed through my mind, can James Blake be as complex and ethereal as this album? The short answer — somewhat. From Assume Form to his mini-project released last year, he has been on a steady path of consistent okay-ness. Unfortunately, it continues on his new…
