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If I didn't know better and I just heard Allan Kingdom's last two projects together, I would assume that 'Peanut Butter Prince' was the one that came earlier in his career; it's that much of a step back.
Andre 3000 stated that he was "too old to rap," and that led to many people strongly disagreeing with that sentiment, including LL Cool J and Lil Wayne.
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Apollo Brown definitely coasted on this one and it showed. It'll still make the catalog because I still love a good Apollo Brown beat but 'No Question' is one of his weakest efforts yet.
The Easy Truth is hip-hop in it's purest form with Apollo Brown taking us through a master class of producing and sampling, and Skyzoo taking each track through a lyrical exercise. It's a beautiful, refreshing album that shows exactly why Apollo Brown is one of my all-time favorites.
Rebel Against Society was another big step forward for Axcess as he continues to find his groove and his voice. I only hope that he doesn't pull any punches next go around when it comes to speaking what's on his mind. He along with artists like Chance the Rapper are making me more of a believer in positivity in hip-hop.
Renewed conversation has sparked some new insights into exactly why bands are dead (or dying) in the modern music industry.
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He seems content only playing to his core audience (and I'm one of them), but for a project that was widely touted as going to be his 'coming out party', things were played a bit too safe for my liking. It's another solid Bas project that won't do much to change people's opinions one way or another.
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Big Boi tries hard to balance his usual funk filled sound with more modern fare on Boomiverse but it doesn't always work. There aren't many duds here but it often left me feeling like I was listening to anything but a Big Boi album. However, him and Killer Mike together is gold as always.
'TDT' is more of a continuation of Big K.R.I.T.'s last album than a major step forward, but it's a solid offering that shows he's continuing to expand his range as an artist.
Our thoughts, opinions, and live reaction to the latest album from Big Sean, Better Me Than You. Will this album do anything to change general opinion about him?
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I consider Black Milk to be one of the torchbearers of the pure essence of hip-hop and the way he melds in jazz and neo-soul influences is unlike anyone else out there. His use of live instrumentation really makes his sound stand out; there's just a soul and intimacy to his production that a machine could never replicate. He may just be a serviceable lyricist but he's earnest with it and when paired with his strong production, it makes it more than worth a listen or 2 or 3.
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There's not much more that can be said about the tape other than if you love bars and you love the true essence of hip-hop which came from the heart and truly having something to say, then there's no reason you shouldn't be listening to this project as we speak. Black Thought & 9th Wonder are hip-hop to their core and the Vol. 1 implies that he's only just begun coming for his respect.
Anderson .Paak is an undeniably talented artist but he doesn't always deliver on that potential. 'Oxnard' is a definite step up from his debut but it still can't fully shake that feeling of missing 'something.'
The latest joint project from Apollo Brown featuring Joell Ortiz is a respectable effort in essential East coast hip-hop although it stays strictly within the lines.
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Artists are continuing to line up to work with Apollo Brown and for good reason. His sampling is on another level and his lush, soulful production is exceptional as always. Anchovies isn't my favorite project of his but I'll take as much Apollo Brown production as I can get.
Friend of LLF and frequent collaborator, Axcess just released his very dope latest project Rebel Against Society, and to celebrate it's release he put on quite the show at the Reverb Lounge in Omaha, Nebraska. The whole affair was hosted by Doc Beatbox with DJ K-Dub on the boards, and featured guest appearances from Trevor Scott, Houdini, Meraki Skies, Greco, and K3rtis Montano. And we've got some great shots from the night.
Axcess is an up and coming rapper out of the midwest and he sits down to talk with us about juggling teaching, coaching, and music; whether he'd take a state championship or a sold out concert, and bringing positivity to hip-hop through his music. He also discusses the current state of hip-hop, his influences growing up, and his upcoming mixtape, Rebel Against Society.
Bari creates some enjoyable, albeit superficial, chill trap vibes on MSTRGLSS that'll have you bopping along to it, as long as you are capable of just turning off and turning up.
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Sonically 'Everything Is Love' is as good as you'd expect from Beyoncé & Jay-Z but I don't think there's anything here that's mind-blowing or different than what we've heard from them before (mostly like throwaways from the 'Lemonade' and '4:44' sessions). 'Everything Is Love' doesn't push either one of them artistically but it answers a lot of questions and lives up to their high musical standards.
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4eva Is a Mighty Long Time is Big K.R.I.T.'s most ambitious project yet, and while it doesn't answer all of the criticisms people have of him, it is him at his absolute best and it's his most listenable, yet still deep, album yet. If this doesn't prove that he belongs in the conversation with the Kendricks and J. Coles of the world, then nothing will.
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Big name collaborations are supposed to elevate each other's craft and this falls well short of doing that. Just another project that'll get lost in the current. I thinks it's time we start rethinking this whole 'collaboration' thing and only reserve it for truly special moments (Kendrick, J. Cole I'm looking at y'all).
Big Sean may not get the full respect he deserves from people, myself included, but he has proved yet again that he's one of hip-hop's most solid, consistent artists out there today. While I Decided. is more of a half-step forward for Sean than a giant leap ahead, it shows why it's time he gets mentioned among hip-hop's elite.
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Black Panther The Album's greatest strength is that it can both stand on it's own and work in the context of the movie it's connected to, and much like Black Panther will undoubtedly change the movie scene I expect this to do the same for soundtracks.
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BlocBoy JB's album is a safe project that triples down on everything that's gotten him to this point, but it still remains to be seen if he has what it takes to outlast his own dance craze.
