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Tag: Hip-Hop
Blood Orange: “Negro Swan” (Review)
Blood Orange treads the same scattered, misty, non-linear paths as To Pimp A Butterfly-era Kendrick Lamar or latter-day D’Angelo on Negro Swan. Tracks lean and dart at weird angles. Sometimes it feels vexing and distant and you wish the focus narrowed. But most of the time, it’s beautiful kaleidoscopic chaos. It’s an album that feels refreshingly ambitious and unrestrained.
Blood Orange’s “Jewelry” Is Kaleidoscopic, Cryptic, And The Best Thing You’ll Hear Today [Click to Listen]
Chicagoans The O’My’s and Saba Combine For A Psych-Soul Gem With “Puddles” [Click To Listen]
Joey Purp’s “Bag Talk” Is Disappointingly Unambitious [Click To Listen]
Young Thug: “Slime Language” (Review)
There’s a line on Slime Language that sums up Young Thug’s appeal better than any music nerd essay ever could. On the heavenly “Oh Yeah”, the track floats like a cloud while Thugga buries deep in his verse, his voice rising slightly higher with each bar. And then he squeals, somehow both elegantly and desperately, “send me nudes when I’m on the rooooad”. It’s absurd, douchy, slightly embarrassing and weirdly, weirdly romantic. If you hated him before, you’ll still hate him. But if you love the rapper who once said he would change his name to ‘SEX’, you get a bunch of these gloriously oddball moments.
Aminé: “OnePointFive” (Review)
Aminé’s debut album Good For You was surprising only for how great it was last year. In a rap world full of rage, despair and mystery, he was surprisingly cheery and honest. His new album/mixtape/EP OnePointFive proves it wasn’t a fluke. It’s full of all that goofy energy that made him interesting in the first place, and a couple moments that show he’ll probably be a star sooner rather than later.
Nicki Minaj: “Queen” (Review)
— 16 Aug 2018 —
Written by Mia Rodriguez
Despite feeling like she is fucking everywhere, it’s been four years since we’ve received an actual album from Nicki Minaj. It’s crazy to write this… but in that time she’s sat and watched former reality star/stripper Cardi B become the biggest female rapper in the world. In response, she brings all the artillery on Queen. It’s a monster of an album, showcasing Minaj’s well-known versatility as a rapper and singer. And that’s largely a good thing, because most of what she tries on this project comes naturally to her. But will it take the throne back from fellow New Yorkian Cardi B? Probably not.
Trippie Redd: “Life’s A Trip” (Review)
Trippie Redd sounds every bit the derivative of his elders, Lil Uzi Vert and the late XXXTentacion, on his debut album Life’s A Trip. Where those two are bursting with personality and star-quality, Redd feels like he’s still desperately clinging to the Soundcloud-rap wave. The creative, interesting production on this LP feels wasted on him as an MC. You’ll just wish it went into other rappers’ hands.
Travi$ Scott: “Astroworld” (Review)
It’s not hard to see why Travi$ Scott has very quickly become a big deal in hip-hop. Much like his sonic father, Kid Cudi, his songs hover like glowing magnets – you don’t quite know how they work but you can’t look away. It’s why, ten years after Cudi’s debut mixtape, the Lonely Stoner still has a fervent following.
But just like Cudi, Scott isn’t as good as everyone wants him to be. Astroworld is nothing if not fascinating. Its title is actually remarkably accurate; this project sounds like it could soundtrack a stroll through a half-abandoned carnival at midnight on LSD. Scott gives it everything he’s got, stacking a truly gobsmacking amount of talent together across 17 tracks. When it’s great, it’s really fucking impressive. But a lot of the time it just feels like a tease.
THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL 