2 Chainz has really come a long way. From being known as only Ludacris's background guy to making "Duffle Bag Boy" with Playas Circle back 2007 to finally being recognized for what he does. People always try to shit on him, but I think he has talent (He killed shit in the BET Cypher this year). Maybe it's my Atlanta roots. I'm not the only person that has this thought though. T.I listed him as the artist to look out for in Atlanta. His growing buzz has led up to his new mixtape "T.R.U. REALIGION", and it's good as hell man. Everything you'd expect is here, as well as some features from Kreashawn, Big Sean, T.I, and Meek Mill. The tapes already been a worlwide trending topic on Twitter, so that has to say something. 2 CHAINZ!
I never thought we'd get into video interviews on Rap Atticts, but sometimes you've gotta seize the oportunities that are given. Me and the big homie Mayday went to see Kendrick Lamar a few weeks ago, and met him after the show (pretty cool guy I must say). A few weeks later, Kendrick came to Morhouse and performed. Being that he remembered us and we knew where we were going, Me, Mayday, & and our homie Scotty Bugatti set up and interview with Kendrick (We snuck backstage). This was some unplanned, spur of the moment shit, and for us to actually pull it off shows how dedicated we are to this profession. The Fort got to learn who Kendrick wants to work with, what he'd be if he didn't rap, and how the idea of Section 80. (Which in my eyes is still the best album of 2011 so far)came about. Shout out to Kendrick for being nice enough to rock with us, and giving us a new tagline. Tune in or get lost.......
Say what you want about Mac Miller,you can't deny that he makes good music. To celebrate gaining 1 million followers on Twitter, Mac decided to throw together a new tape. "I Love Life, Thank You" is full of killer songs and is great for the fans that are waiting for "Blue Slide Park" in November. The production is on another level of dope, and it sounds like Mac has found his niche for what he wants musically. "I Love Life, Thank You" has the previously leaked "Willie Dynamite" as well as features from Talib Kweli, Sir Michael Rocks, & Bun B.
On the real, the only part of the BET Hip-Hop awards that I look forward to each year is the cypher segments. You take that away, and I'd have no reason to even watch the show (Yeah it's usually bad). This year, the cyphers were pretty dope. You had your mix of mainstream and indie rappers, and most of them came pretty hard. Some rappers that were previously in the cypher came back (Ace Hood, Wale, Reek Da Villain, Royce Da 5'9, Joe Budden), which is a little disappointing. It would've been nice to see some other new artists come and kill shit (Danny Brown, Mac Miller, Shawn Chrystopher), but those in the cypher did damage nonetheless. DJ Premier is back this year with a brand new beat (A sample of "The Big Payback" by James Brown). Here's what you might have missed.
The opening cypher was pretty good, but not severely memorable in my opinion. K.R.I.T came through with his usual rhymes about life in the south, and Tech showed why he's so underrated. He was one of the better ones in this segment. Machine Gun Kelly was just decent. He had a few nice lines here and there, but nothing was really impressive. Kendrick bodied his portion, especially with the Oprah line. B.o.B showed that he still can rhyme his ass of even with going mainstream.
Best To Worst: Kendrick Lamar, Tech N9Ne, B.o.B, Big K.R.I.T, Machine Gun Kelly.
Uncut Cypher: Reek Da Villain, Busta Rhymes, 2Chainz, Ludacris
This cypher was actually really good. Reek Da Villain did a dope job of opening up and had alot of hot metaphors. It went the same way with 2Chainz. Busta Rhymes shined the most on this one and BODIED this segment. He also had the longest verse too. Luda closed it out and had some fire shit to end it all. Busta took this one hands down. For the other three, it's a bit of a toss up cause the verses were equally good.
Best To Worst: Busta Rhymes, The rest I honestly can't call.
Survival of The Illest Cypher: Skillz, Lady of Rage, Blind Fury, Dom Kennedy
The way I feel about the 1st cypher is how I feel about this one. It was good, but it wasn't really anything I can see myself remembering in a good week. Lady of Rage had some nice lines in there ("Inhale the ether, they can't breathe easy when I'm around, they get weezy like the son of Ceetha). Blind Fury's portion sounded like he was freestlying. That line about Notorious always coming on BET was hot. Hands down, Dom had the worst verse of every cypher. I'm not surprised though, cause he's not that lyrical. Last up was Skillz, and his bars went in, he did the best in this one. Maybe he does deserve the award for destroying the cypher "laughs" Best To Worst: Skillz, Lady of Rage, Blind Fury, Dom Kennedy
Maybach Music Cypher: Rick Ross, Wale, Pill, Stalley, Meek Mill
Maybach Music was the first group cypher of the night, and overall they did a pretty fire job. Wale and Pill were pretty neck & neck on there verses, but Stalley didn't really impress too much. Meek stole this segement with his verse and he probably gained some fans with his freestyle. Then there was Rick Ross. Rick Ross was Rick Ross. He gave you the general kind of verse that he usually gives you. Nothing to write home about
Best To Worst: Meek Mill, Tie between Wale & Pill, Stalley, Rick Ross
International Flow Cypher: Estelle, Nitty Scott, MC, Lecrae, Soprano
I'll be honest and say that the international cyphers are usually my least favorite. This year it was the total opposite. Nitty Scott, MC & Lecrae WRECKED their verses. Lecrae especially took home the title of the best with his lines about Jesus. Crazy thing is, through all the religious portions, it's still super lyrical! Soprano's flow felt so distinct despite the fact it was in French. Estelle's actual flow was up there in the fly department, but her lyrics were so-so.
Best To Worst: Lecrae, Nitty Scott, MC, Soprano, Estelle
Chris Brown & Friends Cypher: Chris Brown, Ace Hood, Kevin McCall, Tyga
It kind of felt like this was the 106 & Park cypher, but it was still okay. If I had to rank all of them, it was probably my least favorite. Ace Hood was good as the opener, but Kevin McCall did damage as MC number two. Tyga felt very boring to me. The things he said didn't really stick to my ribs. I won't even front on Chris Brown's verse. He had some really nice bars in there. That line about getting head went in.
Best To Worst: Kevin McCall, Chris Brown, Ace Hood, Tyga
Shady 2.0 Cypher: Eminem, Yelawolf, Joe Budden, Crooked I, Joell Ortiz, Royce Da 5'9
This was the absolute best cypher of the night. None of them had wack shit to say in their bars. Yelawolf came back harder this year with an even hotter freestyle, but I can't say the same about Joe Budden. His verse was definitely hot shit, but it didn't top his 09 appearance. It felt like Crooked I and Joell Ortiz were freestyling, and either way they demolished shit. Royce had the funniest line of the night (Hi Rihanna). His verse was a great set up for the last freestyle of the night, Eminem. No debating, Eminem had the hottest verse of the night and shut everyone down.
Best To Worst: Eminem, ALL THE REST WERE EQUALLY DOPE
Kendrick Lamar has done so much heavy shit in a year. Heavy touring, The Freshmen 10, a critically-acclaimed album. That doesn't stop him from making even more tracks. On "Cloud 10", he basically tells the story of a relationship. It's good shit and could've been on "Section 80." if he wanted. I don't know the full truth to it, but there are rumors that this songs going to be used for a Windows commercial. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
I love me some Common (musically that is). He's one of the few rappers from the 90's that's still pushing on and making music in double zero era. Now Common's working on his ninth project "The Dreamer, The Believer", and he dropped this yesterday. "Blue Sky" is a pretty solid song, but for some reason it doesn't hit me hard or heavy. It sounds like Common's trying to expand his sound even more than he did on his last album (Universal Mind Control). That may work for him or against him.
I can honestly say when "Finally Famous" by Big Sean originally dropped in June, "Dance (Ass)" was my second least favorite song (I only hated that track with The-Dream more). Four months later, and I love this song! It's just so catchy and danceable that it grows on you out of nowhere, and it's definitely killing the clubs in Atlanta right now.
Nicki Minaj's been thrown on the remix, and I can't front, I busted out in laughter when I heard her verse. It's just so out there. It goes from freaky to goofy and in alot of ways I can't really take it too seriously. I prefer the original more, but I know the remix will do way more numbers if it's released. Nicki is killing way too much shit for it not to.
TRAVEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! It's just something about Travis Porter that I love musically! Maybe it's the fact that it's just fun music and not meant to be taken seriously. It's somewhat harmless. Anywho, Travis Porter's back with their third installment of their "I'm A Differenter" series. When you go back and listen to the first two tapes, and then listen to the third, you realize the growth and backtracking in it. The good thing is they have better rhymes and some more hard hitting beats. They also have more high-profile features (Wale, Big Sean, Lloyd, Meek Mill, YG, Kelly Rowland). The bad thing is their music is starting to sound the same as far as content. The message of getting hoes and money may be starting to run thin for me, and now it's starting to come off a little boring. I like the tape, but I don't see me playing this on a regular basis in two months. On another note, the artwork is killer! They still are strong in that department too.
Disclaimer:Yes we've been really slacking on our review game, and its caused us to miss a bunch of albums (Jay Rock's Follow Me Home, Lil Wayne's Tha Carter IV, Danny Brown's XXX, Median's The Sender, The Game's The R.E.D Album). What can I say? Just been busy making moves man. We're trying our best to get back on our feet though.
Its been a pretty long time coming for J. Cole. Signing to Jay-Z's Roc Nation and releasing three critically acclaimed mixtapes (The Come Up, The Warm Up, Friday Night Lights) have allowed Cole to be seen as the next big thing in hip-hop. The only thing that was really holding him back was an actual album, which brings us to this review. "Cole World: The Sideline Story" is finally here.
The album's "Intro" opens the album up with Cole having a conversation about the day he was signed to Roc Nation. He then spits a few lines over a gentle piano section. It's basically just the starting point. We're then thrust into part three of the "Dollar And A Dream" series. Cole gives us some of his deep thoughts, as well as some bragging and shit talking. Long story short, this is a really good opener. The second single, "Can't Get Enough" with Trey Songz has such a beachy vibe, and I see it really blowing up. What I love about it is it's very poppy and commercial, but J. Cole doesn't compromise his artistic integrity. Despite the fact I feel like Trey Songz is good on or off the song, I still think the song is gold.
Cole decided to re-master the "Lights Please" track from his "Warm Up" mixtape, and I must say it sounds better as far as sound is concerned. Besides that, it's basically the same song, but it's a great track either way. The album takes a break, and J. Cole finishes his story about the day he was signed in the "Interlude". It turns out that he was actually arrested that night, but it was a pretty easy night in jail.The listener's almost immediately thrown into the next track, "Sideline Story". This is quite possibly my favorite song on the album. It's the tale of being the underdog that finally made it off the sideline (pun intended). He also mentions everyone's feelings on Jay not really giving him that much of a push. The album has a very smooth vibe so far, and it feels ruined by "Mr. Nice Watch". Not to say it's a bad song. cause it is hot, but it doesn't fit with the previous or future songs in regards to sound. Jay doesn't really come that hard on this one either, but I digress.
"Cole World" is kind of like your banger track. There's no subject matter or thoughts, it's just some hard rhymes and metaphors over a bouncy beat. This one will hit hard in people's ride. It's good to see a equal amount of content. The smooth style of the album is back once again on the "Friday Night Lights" song, "In The Morning". I don't blame Cole because he and the songs feature, Drake made a very sensual song about love making. It seems like the next song is like the aftermath and consequence of "In The Morning". "Lost Ones" is the tale of a couple that's pregnant. The male doesn't want to have the baby because he knows he won't be able to provide for it, while the female is adamant about giving birth and feels like the baby's father lied to her. J. Cole does a really good job at conveying both of the character's thoughts and this is definitely one of the best songs on the album. Missy Elliot comes along to sing the hook on "Nobody's Perfect". This is such a chill song, and it's a little refreshing to hear someone besides Cole do the hook. This album still hasn't had a weak track and it's on a role.
On "Never Told", the topic of cheating is touched on very well. It's tells the usual end result of what happens to people that creep on their spouse. I can honestly say J. Cole has some of the best storytelling ability in the industry right now. After three songs that made you think, "Rise And Shine" reverts back to the styles that were seen earlier on the album. An excerpt from an old Jay-Z interview is played before the song about him finding a rapper that's going to blow up on his label. As we know, J. Cole turned out to be that artist. More Heavy rhymes and thoughts are what we get on the said song. Even though I like the song, alot of it reminds me of "Before I'm Gone" from "Friday Night Lights". Maybe it's the same sample? Anyway, "God's Gift" follows and it's a little similar to its former track, I just like it a little more. Something about the song has a real determined vibe and it fits. The albums last song is pretty personal. "Breakdown" is about Cole's feelings on being a fatherless child and having a drug addicted mother. He did a good job at closing it out with substance.
The Real Deal: J. Cole has a classic album on his hands. "The Sideline Story" is a very strong piece of work, especially seeing that this is his first album. There really isn't a song that's "bad", some just don't fit well into the style and theme of the album. The other downside is a good portion of the tracks on the album have been either leaked or released, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's great material. The CD is as thought-provoking as it is mindless. This is definitely one of the best albums of the year,and it's going to be remembered in years to come. Nice work.
I assume that "Name On My Heart" is a leak from Shawn Chrystopher's new "Silent Films For The Blind" project. I hope I'm right cause I'm really feeling this one. He's got a real good ability to tell a story and it's songs like this that I look forward to when it actually drops. "Silent Films For The Blind" drops this month.
To celebrate his 900,000 followers on Twitter, Pittsburg's Mac Miller decided to leak this song for free. This song is way too cool for its own good. The killer rhymes over the smooth and jazzy beat sparked my excitement for Mac's new project, "Blue Slide Park". Is it just me, or is Mac starting to improve as a rapper and getting a deeper flow? "Blue Slide Park" drops on November 8th.
In comparison to the rest of OFWGKTA, Domo Genesis can be considered unique. While the other members of OF like Tyler, The Creater, Mellowhype, and Earl Sweatshirt are associated with violence and rape, Domo is mostly known for his vibey and chill rhymes about marijuana. "Under The Influence" is a tapefull of the Odd Future member's favorite beats, as well as some new ones. We get the typical Domo topic of weed, but he has some pretty fly and cool rhymes on his first mixtape. Some of the material has been previously released, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this is still a pretty nice project.
This just might be the single that's gonna take Wale to the top of the charts. After a pretty ignored single in "Bad Girls Club" with J. Cole (Which I wasn't really feeling honestly), he's back with the Bawse Ricky Ross and Kevin Cossum on "Best Night Ever". This track has that smooth, chill vibe, and the hook works really well with the song. The only thing I'm not feeling is it feels kinda short and almost ends when you're into the vibe of the song (maybe it's unfinished?) "Ambition" will be here on November 11th.
Comedian-turned-rapper Childish Gambino dropped the first single for his "Camp" LP, called "Bonfire". It's another song that's hot bar after hot bar after hot bar, almost,similar to Freaks and Geeks. The only difference is this track actually has a hook. Mr. Glover's "Camp" album drops on November 15th.
I won't act like K. Sparks has been on my radar for dope rappers over the past couple of years. When I dug deeper into his music I learned he's actually been around for a while. Sparks has been everywhere from MTV to BET, and he's been consistently grinding in the underground scene over the past few years. Now he's back with "Diagnosis: Success", and I must say, it's a really good tape from the Queens rapper. Hes got some nice bars, and I can really see him doing even more major stuff if he decided to get signed to a major label. Link to the tape is at the bottom.
New Tigallo New Tigallo New Tigallo. Phonte leaks another song just two weeks before"The Charity Starts At Home" is out to the public. "The Good Fight" is a song about low income in struggling to make it. Pretty buttery track I must say. Phonte & 9th Wonder have such great chemistry.
Last night, Detroit rapper, Danny Brown, put me on to this new project via Twitter. Here we have a fellow D-Town representer in Chip$. His spankin' new tape, "The Adventures Of A Couch Potato" is a project about your ignorant shit that you often find in many projects, but believe it or not, it actually has alot more depth to it than you'd think. Download this dopeness right now.
Why is all of this potentially-good music being released on September 27th? I swear I'm super geeked for that day. Anyway, 9th Wonder leaked a new track from his "Wonder Years" project. Phonte returns for part two of Band Practice, but he also brings along Median this go around. Both of them bring out some pretty strong and hot rhymes over a pretty short song. Gosh I love the ill shit. "The Wonder Years" will be here on September 27th.
I've always found Exile to be a fairly underrated producer. His work with Blu & Fashawn is oh so epic. Now he's back with a brand new mixtape called Intro To The Outro. This time around we get a few features from MF Doom, Fashawn, Co$$, & Blu. The link is at the bottom.
Ahh peep the meaning of the album title. "laughs". Cyhi The Prynce is back just two months after his "Royal Flush II" mixtape with Jack Of All Trades. Instead of making the album-formatted mixtape like his "Royal Flush" series, Cyhi decided to do some jacking for beats and rhyme over some old and new bangers. It's a pretty good listen if you just really wanted some nice bars.
