Song of the Day #6, July 3

Ecco2k: Calcium

It's so hard to find but so easy to find 

(Lost my shine, I star and cross my eyes)

And my heart is blind, I star and cross my eyes

(Lost my shine, I star and cross my eyes)

Art Pop/Cloud Rap/R&B

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfx106XZsN0&pp=ygUOY2FsY2l1bSBlY2NvMms%3D

Kanye West: Donda (2021) (Hip-hop)

 

Kanye West's tenth album is a dark aprehensive expression of personal faith and struggle. Many forward ideas ( Jail's fusion of gospel, rap and industrial rock God Breathed's industrial voice sampling instrumental, Come to Life's cathartic ethereal instrumental progression)  and standout performances by guests (JayZ: Jail; Fivio Foreign: Off the Grid; The Weeknd: Hurrican; Roddy Rich: Pure Souls. The biggest flawes are how bloated and empty the album can feel. Many almost excellent songs are marred by poor choices (Baby Keem's out of place verse on Praise God; Lack of progression on God Breathed). Donda is easily Kanye's darkest album most easily comparible to a Yeezus and Gospel album marriage with the bloated chaos of The Life of Pablo.

C

Playboi Carti: Whole Lotta Red (2020) (Hip-hop,Trap)

It's not metal and barely punk, Whole Lotta Red is an unfinished, aesthetically dirty, collection trap scraps. Like his previous album, his writing is often impressionist, with embellishing ad-libs and some versatile inflexions and flows but not as capable as a Young Thug. Carti has a unique lane, it's too bad he does not commit to developing his ad-libs and repeated mantras throughout the song, they just exist to assume space. M3tamorphosis is good and parts of New N3on, and King Vamp have promising instrumentals and flows but are burdened but nonessential ad-libs and under committment

Hip-hop/Trap

C-

Savage Mode II: 21 Savage, Metro Boomin, 2020 (Hip-hop,Trap)

21 Savage is much more versatile much more amiable and occasionally humorous. Metro Boomin keeps up his consistent production with wide dark beats with little shimmers and sparkles. Retro Homage is present as shown on Steppin on Niggas an NWA nod. Savages attempts at softer more sensual trap are largely effective on Mr. Right Now and Said N Done while the tough songs (Glock in My Lap and Brand New Draco) reminding us that this is still a Savage tape. One of the better trap albums of the year.

Hip-hop/Trap

Run the Jewels:RTJ4 (Hip-hop) (2020)

Hard bars, digitized boom-bap production, and some monster flows. From the start Killer Mike and El-P hit you with high octane and politically charged verses that demand attention, crafting an enticing album for hip-hop listeners. The oldheads win on this one, one of the best hip-hop albums of the year.

Boom-bap/ Concious Hip-hop/ Hardcore Hip-hop

Bladee: Gluee (2014) (Hip-hop,Pop)

In icy fashion, this tight album is a hazy collection of tunes rapped in a dejected occasionally monotone fashion, but in a drugginess that is intoxicating and beats that glisten and can't help giving a feeling of bliss and euphoria, allowing for a fruitful merger of art-pop and cloud rap. A very similar album to Yung Lean's Unknown Memory released in the same year, but an all-round more concise and stronger finished product. Favourites include Ebay, Shadowface, Everlasting Flames and Unreal.






Art-pop/Alternative R&B/Cloud Rap/Trap

Bladee: 333 (2020) (Hip-hop,Pop)

With excellent production helmed by Whitearmor, Bladee continues his trend of art-pop, rap fusions. Some poppier tracks that surely borrow from older trends such as Don't Worry, Mean Girls and It Girl. With ballads such as Wings in Motion and Only One mixed in, 333 has a range of productions and Bladee's singing and vocals have improved, largely due to a more effective use of autotune. The brevity of the songs does lead to a disjointed listening experience but many of the minuscule songs are refreshing enough both in performance and production. Such as Hero of My Story 3style3 where Bladee alternates between flows and vocal effects over a very ascending ethereal instrumental and the quirky Reality Surf with Bladee's subtle delivery and vocal samples.



Art-pop/Experimental Hip-hop/Trap

Juice WRLD: Legends Never Die (2020) (Hip-hop,Pop,Trap)

Juice WRLD was one of the many prominent figures in the trend of angsty emo-rap who died much too early. On Legends Never Die, Juice WRLD follows this aesthetic but includes some of his most commercial songs like the EDM tune Come & Go, this may be due to his recent passing and likely may not have been completely part of the artistic planning. But Juice WRLD always threaded close to pop and though that may be present in this album more than ever he still expresses a relatively versatile selection of songs all ranging from EDM, pop to trap with occasions of punk. The trap drums can occasionally get a bit stale, but the aesthetic changes that occur later in album keep things interesting. Juice show's himself to be a competent songwriter and rapper as shown in highlights Conversations, Righteous, Wishing Well, Up Up And Away. 




Emo Rap/Pop/Trap

Bladee: Exeter (2020) (Hip-hop,Pop)

"Spring is never far" Bladee sings which is a good descriptor for EXETER, a mini album at on 18 minutes in length vaguely bright quirky and blissful. Not as overtly sombre as previous works, there is a stronger sense of playfulness on EXTER, though often leaving much to be wanted in terms of a fully fleshed-out song, the intriguing aesthetics of Draingang remain, crossing trap, art-pop and electronic music but never truly realized. Bladee's performances remain for the most part expressionless chants and autocroning. Highlights include RAIN3OW STAR (LOVE IS ALL), DNA RAIN, LOVESTORY

Art-Pop/Electronic/Experimental Rap

Jay Electronica: A Written Testimony (2020) (Hip-hop)

Rarely as epic or profound as it may believe to be. Production is largely unrefined but occasionally decent with interesting choices that touch on industrial. Much of the album is full of vignettes of religious allusions with little worth than to show that they read some parts of the Quran and the Bible and are truly woke such as the likes of Louis Farrakhan, however never nearly as outrageous or offensive as him. By they I mean Jay#1 and Jay#2 (Jay Electronica and Jay-Z) as they are both equally featured on the album leading to free but almost indistinct mixtape like feel. It quickly becomes apparent which Jay is the more compelling one... A few decent production choices and compelling verses and highlights include The Blinding and Universal Soldier. 





Conscious Hip-hop/Islamic Hip-hop

Freddie Gibbs, The Alchemist: Alfredo (2020) (Hip-hop)

Drugs, crime, God and the Streetz are lyrically found throughout Alfredo wrapped with The Alchemist's jazzy beats making an enjoyable but not particularly novel album. Though lyrically dark for the most part the album is breezy and easy going with the occasional upbeat, high tempo song (Frank Lucas, Baby $hit, All Glass),  Freddie manages to employ compelling flows and lyricism cementing himself even more in the gangsta rap cadre. Highlights include God is Perfect, Frank Lucas, Something to Rap About, Baby $hit.

Jazz Rap/Gangsta Rap

billy woods, Kenny Segal: Hiding Places (2019) (Hip-hop)

Grimy vagabond rhymes with his usual cryptic lyrics and quotable punchlines. Beats are disorienting dark canvases for his esoteric ramblings which often start subtly only to add instrumental complexity. Woods is a captivating rapper even if his bars may need more attention than warranted, his flows are captivating and versatile, the nihilism and despondency of his bars reaks of booze. 

Best Tracks: Spongebob*, Steak Knives, Checkpoints, Spider Hole*, A Day in a Week in a Year, Crawlspace*

Abstract Hip-hop

Clams Casino: Instrumentals (2011) (Electronic,Hip-hop,Instrumental)

Icy beats, that helped solidify cloud rap as a genre. Surreal warped vocals and spacy samples allow for not only a fruitful, ethereal background listen but a cerebral sound that grows on listeners. It is repetitive enough that the loops get stuck in your head but intricate enough to be worthwhile. A benchmark in the genre.

Best Tracks: Motivation, Real Shit, Realist Alive*, Numb, What You Doin', The World Needs Change, Illest Alive




Cloud Rap/Electronic/ Instrumental Hip-hop/ Witch-house

Future: DS2 (2015) (Hip-hop,Trap)

A nicely bottled album that embodies the luxe, hedonism and druggy nature that Future and much of trap music has been known for. For the most part very cohesive, but occasionally a bit redundant.






Best Tracks: Thought It Was a Drought, I Serve the Base, Where Ya At, Groupies, Lil One, Freak Hoe, Blood On the Money


B


Southern Hip-hop/Trap

Ka: Descendants Of Cain (2020) (Hip-hop)

Largely the same abstract atmospheric style he is known for, this time with a larger thematic emphasis on Christianity and it's relation to Ka's life in somewhat of a noir biographical style. There are times where the vocals could have been more pronounced (My Brother's Keeper, Eye Of A Needle) and some instrumentals are too attention-grabbing yet lack diversity. The dark and punchy verses remain, in a good abstract hip-hop project.

Best Tracks: Every Now And Then, Unto Dust*, Solitude Of Enoch, Land of Nod, I Love (Mimi, Moms, Kev)

B

Abstract Hip-hop/Christian Rap/Conscious Rap/Experimental Rap


Buy Here

Yung Lean: Stranger (2017) (Hip-hop/R&B)

In a cleaner more polished formula than usual, Lean crafts a cloud rap album filled with a mix of introspective ballads and catchy cuts. Lean's rapping and lyricism is occasionally captivating and in association with the crisp and clear production of Gud, Yung Sherman, and Whitearmor he does effectively write songs that embody a sentiment of melancholy and bliss. Like much of his work, there are moments with underwritten, unstructured songs, marinating in instrumental vapor, but that being said, Stranger may be his most accessible album and also one of his strongest.


Best Tracks: Muddy Sea*, Red Bottom Sky, Skimask, Hunting My Own Skin, Iceman, Agony*, Yellowman

B



Alternative R&B/Ambient Pop/Cloud Rap/Emo Rap

Yung Lean: Starz (2020) (Hip-hop/R&B)

A mixed bag of personal melancholic R&B and cloud rap, packaged in an aesthetic that is a bit rougher than Stranger but still more serious than most of his work. Performances are varied, and instrumentals are typical blissful cloud rap with occasional abrasive witch house. Some good songs but there are also barren songs with not enough focus or structure (Acid at 7/11, Butterfly Paralyzed), leading some songs to feel like filler. Still many blissful and interesting sounds are found like the lo-fi childlike Dogboy or witch house inspired downer banger Boylife in EU.

Best Tracks: Yayo, Boylife in EU*, Violence, Starz, Dogboy, Iceheart

C+

Alternative R&B/Ambient Pop/Cloud Rap/Emo Rap/Witch house

Clipse: Hell Hath No Fury (2006) (Hip-hop)

With a dose of bling era synths and bells, and the consistent involvement of fellow Virginia artist Pharrell, a poppier, more contemporary sheen is provided, allowing for memorable hooks and instrumentals, but not in consequence to the grimy raps and maintenance of the Southern hip-hop aesthetic. Clipse show that they can maintain the hard dark cocaine rhymes of their previous album in a more succinct and poppy and fashion crafting a benchmark album in coke rap.

Best Tracks: We Got It For Cheap (Intro)*, Momma I'm So Sorry*, Mr. Me Too*, Wamp Wamp (What It Do), Hello New World*, Keys Open Doors*, Trill, Chinese New Year, Nightmares

A

Gangsta Rap/ Hardcore Hip-hop/ Pop Rap/ Southern Hip-hop

Travis Scott: ASTROWORLD (2018) (Hip-hop,Trap)

A chaotic jumble of songs much like his previous album, but this time it's more serious, and there is an emphasis on creating multiphased songs with more interesting production choices. Even if the instrumental transitions don't always feel smooth and some songs rely too much on these shifts, , much of the production choices are successful and captivating. I don't feel as though Travis is an especially spectacular lyricist and many times his performances hinge too much on the "vibe" or energy he gives off, but most of the appeal in ASTROWORLD lies in the psychedelic vibe he and the army of producers and guests craft, which range from chill (STOP TRYING TO BE GOD, YOSEMITE) to frenzied (CAROUSEL, NO BYSTANDERS) allowing for a disorganized but occasionally intriguing listen with a range of different performances. Nice Stevie Wonder harmonica solo on STOP TRYING TO BE GOD.

Best Tracks: STARGAZING*, CAROUSEL, SICKO MODE, STOP TRYING TO BE GOD*, NO BYSTANDERS, YOSEMITE, WHO? WHAT!, 

B

Experimental Hip-hop/Pop Rap/Psychadelic Hip-hop/Trap

Clipse: Lord Willin' (2002) (Hip-hop)

The debut album from Virginia Beach duo Clipse has them painted as sinister, drug-pushing hustlers of the bling era. The production, handled totally by The Neptunes has flashes of soul and electronic sounds, more organic sounds, horns and synths. Malice and Pusha T cook up clever rhymes but what remains most attractive them are their menacing deliveries. The album does lose its bite as it goes on and some songs could be trimmed off, but an overall, good hip-hop project.

Best Tracks: Intro, Young Boy, Virginia*, Grindin'*, Cot Damn, FamLay Freestyle, When the Last Time, I'm Not You

B


Gangsta Rap/ Hardcore Hip-hop/ Southern Hip-hop