Was an epic few weeks for the boards to have been missing... in the last few weeks alone we had surprise Chance and Drake releases + Ybn Cordae (really enjoying that one), Your Old Droog, Black Milk, BJ the Chicago Kid, Murs & 9th, Lost Tapes 2, and more than a few others --- and that's just hip hop. Saul Williams, Bruce Springsteen, Thom Yorke, Black Keys, Donavon, Quantic, the list goes on, all dropped while or near when the boards went dark.

So let's catch up. What's surprised you? Disappointed you? What's on repeat and what did you throw against the wall in anger (if any of you say that Chance record, I swear...).

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

I was literally in the barbershop the day the album apparently came out (I found that out later) and they were listening to some Sirius hip-hop station; and they were interviewing Cardae and kept playing clips of the tracks from the album. My head was bobbing to each track haha so I tried Shazam'ing but the album was obviously brand new so it wasn't picking anything up. Then I just happened to come across his name later elsewhere and heard one of the same tracks I heard at the 'shop and checked out the album immediately.

Shit is really, really good. I love the production, it's soulful but modern at the same time. And the kid can spit. I feel like he has room for growth in terms of flows and rhyme schemes (got a little repetitive as the album went on) but other than that he's got a lot of skill and potential to build on it. He's got good presence on the mic too.

As for Chance I really like his album as well, though not as much (at least right now) as Coloring Book. It's a little long. But has some great moments. And I just love Chance's whole general aesthetic. Dude is just beaming w/positivity and you can feel it as you listen to his music. This album isn't groundbreaking by any means but w/Chance I don't feel like I'm even really looking for that. He's just enjoyable to listen to and consistent.

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"Fuck aliens." © WarriorPoet415

> Then I just happened to come across his
>name later elsewhere and heard one of the same tracks I heard
>at the 'shop and checked out the album immediately.

Yeah - I'd heard his name once or twice but had no idea what to expect, saw the Chance and A.Paak features so pressed play on a whim. Really solid album, surprisingly little filler and he's rapping his ass off for a good portion of it. Reminded me of how I felt when I first heard Joey Badass - he's got a similar cadence, similar respect for past production styles and emcees, and brings it all together in a way that feels really fresh.


>As for Chance I really like his album as well, though not as
>much (at least right now) as Coloring Book. It's a little
>long. But has some great moments. And I just love Chance's
>whole general presence. Dude is just beaming w/positivity and
>you can feel it as you listen to his music.

I think some of the hate I've seen has been excessive, but I have to admit I'm kind of disappointed with it -- I actually think the length of the album really worked against him, as there's some really great material but you have to sit through a fair amount of filler to get there. And since the album doesn't have a real cohesive or identifiable sound (like Coloring Book did), it feels like more of a mixtape than his mixtapes did. I need to give it a bit more time though... a few tracks (like Eternal) have already received a lot of repeats in the car and I have a feeling other tracks might do the same.


-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

Also agree re: Chance's album. As soon as I saw it had 22 tracks I was prepared to be a bit disappointed. But again, I liked a good chunk of it, but it certainly could've been 15 or 16 tracks and been even better. I have to listen again but after 2 listens I already knew which tracks I'd have cut.


>Yeah - I'd heard his name once or twice but had no idea what
>to expect, saw the Chance and A.Paak features so pressed play
>on a whim. Really solid album, surprisingly little filler and
>he's rapping his ass off for a good portion of it. Reminded me
>of how I felt when I first heard Joey Badass - he's got a
>similar cadence, similar respect for past production styles
>and emcees, and brings it all together in a way that feels
>really fresh.
>
>
>I think some of the hate I've seen has been excessive, but I
>have to admit I'm kind of disappointed with it -- I actually
>think the length of the album really worked against him, as
>there's some really great material but you have to sit through
>a fair amount of filler to get there. And since the album
>doesn't have a real cohesive or identifiable sound (like
>Coloring Book did), it feels like more of a mixtape than his
>mixtapes did. I need to give it a bit more time though... a
>few tracks (like Eternal) have already received a lot of
>repeats in the car and I have a feeling other tracks might do
>the same.

----------------------------------------

"Fuck aliens." © WarriorPoet415

I had never even heard of him, but the album is pretty good.

“So back we go to these questions — friendship, character… ethics.”

https://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=5&topic_id=3017493&mesg_id=3017493&page=

Didn't mean to jump the gun!


-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

in the past couple weeks been listening to the new ones from:

-KRIT
-Chance
-Cordae
-C Plus
-Maxo Kream
-Drake

I actually liked the Krit. I'm a big fan & his highs are very high, but sometimes his projects can feel monotonous. I think some of his attempts at mainstream sounds missed the mark before for trying TOO hard...here, they just sounded a bit more natural (ex. the saweetie/wayne track). I enjoyed it.

The chance album - i'm surprised at how bad it is. not necessarily the fact that it's a dud, but the WAY it's a dud. sloppy. cheesy. and to top it off, the worst writing/rapping of his since before 10day.

cordae - good debut album. clearly listens to a lot of cole & chance. reminds me of LE$' newer stuff.

C Plus - Fahrenheit isn't his most cohesive project (All City), but there's some really good joints on here. 2 Left & Changed Man are in steady rotation.

Maxo Kream - he's 2 for 2 with me. really enjoyed this. has that gibbs feel to it.

Drake - a B Sides type concert from Drake would be wild.

___________________________
He has the confidence of Vernon Maxwell on a yayo binge.

http://www.2amDonuts.bandcamp.com

I think the Chance album is better than people are saying. I guess expectations were super high. It's definitely a bit bloated at 20+ tracks, but there are at least 12 good-to-great songs on here. I think the criticism is a little unfair and honestly a bit puzzling. It's a fun summertime listen.

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What would be your 12?

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

I think if you pulled all the skits, hot shower, the big day, let’s go on the run, get a bag, found a good one, and town on a hill the album would have been a lot better. Still a little sappy, but a fun listen and a lot less indulgent. He needed an editor on this one.

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Agreed on most of these.
- The skits are unnecessary and boring.
- Hot Shower should've been a goofy mid-album-campaign b-side with a goofy video.
- Get a Bag is just plain boring even though I kind of like the beat itself.
- Found a Good One is similar - honestly, take Chance's verses (if we can call them that) and the "I ain't single no more" refrain off, just leave the beat and the sung "found a good one" hook, and I'd be down.

I would also remove:
Slide Around
Handsome
Roo
Big Fish - the better of the trappish tracks (imo) but still feels really out of place and overall pretty boring

I'm mixed on these tracks:
- Let's go on the run: I hate the chorus but I actually like the track overall, his half sung verses are kind of fun, and the quiet spoken verse over the drums on the outro is cool to me.
- The Big Day - This has been in my head since I first listened to the album and I've really come around no it except for the screaming section at the end.
- Town on a Hill - I think this is one of the better executed moments of the album - it's got a sense of that fragility that feels authentic.
- 5 Year Plan - I really want to like it, I get it, but it feels like a really good example of the rapping rut he's in - it is surprisingly predictable in cadence, in feel, etc.

Honestly, the ideal out of this would look something like (without adjusting for sequencing):
All Day Long
Do You Remember
Eternal
We Go High
I Got You
The Big Day
Ballin Flossin (honestly, one of my fav tracks on the record aside from the chorus)
5 Year Plan (maybe - I could take it or leave it)
Sun Come Down
Town on a Hill
Zanies and Fools


-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

That's a solid tracklist. He may have prompted all this vitriol by trying to do too much.

I actually had a more positive initial feeling about this album than Coloring Book. I wasn't ready for the abrupt shift from druggie Chance to gospel Chance. Acid Rap is still his best IMO.

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However, I will still take the opportunity to say how much I love Chance's album.

one example of why: 'Big Fish' i love the line about how record execs are largely family men, but the product they sell preaches the antithesis of family life. I'm not getting that type of commentary anywhere else. I love this album because the perspective is unique.

If there are more rappers out with type of content please let me know and put me on.

www.anwarmorse.com
https://www.instagram.com/thereal_anwarmorse99/