Continue reading “SZA is her bubbly, vindictive self on “I Hate U””
Tag: kendrick lamar
Vince Staples: “Vince Staples”
Vince Staples burst onto the scene with Summertime ’06. Ever since, he’s been a critical and fan darling, helped in no small amount to a personality not far-removed from a Black Jerry Seinfeld. He suffers from sky-high expectations on his eponymous album, Vince Staples. It felt like we were ready for something big. It had been a while. But this album simmers along, technically superb but never attention-grabbing. It’s a great piece of work. It can’t help but feel like he’s holding back, though.
Continue reading “Vince Staples: “Vince Staples””
Eminem: “Kamikaze” (Review)
There’s a telling skit on Eminem’s new album Kamikaze. It’s his manager, Paul Rosenberg, warning him not to go through with an LP basically full of scathing disses. You can hear it in Rosenberg’s voice – he’s dead serious about it being a bad idea. And he’s right. The aggro-rap Kamikaze proves two things we already knew about late-career Eminem. One: he can rap. Two: he cannot write an actual rap song. This is an exhausting, borderline-embarrassing album. Should’ve listened to Paul, Em.
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.
G Herbo/Southside: “Swervo” (Review)
— 03 Aug 2018 —
Written by Cyrus Bennett
G Herbo (once Lil Herb) has become something of a Chicago rap stalwart in recent years. He burst onto the scene in 2014 with the cold, assaulting mixtape Welcome To Fazoland. That tape introduced a rough-nosed, frosty rapper with an understated storytelling ability. Little has changed in the years since. Swervo, his latest joint-effort with 808 Mafia producer Southside, draws upon that same unrelenting energy and talent. It’s a satisfying if unambitious affair, and it might leave you wondering whether Herb could do with a bit more creative focus.
THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL 