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IsThisIt_basic

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#1 IsThisIt_basic
Member since 2002 • 27130 Posts
^^^ That said, tomorrow one of the albums could end up being my AOTY. That's why I haven't said much on how I feel on the albums. I still have no idea.
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#2 IsThisIt_basic
Member since 2002 • 27130 Posts

^what'd you think of E-40's Block Brochure? I haven't listened to it yet, kinda intimidated by it being a triple disc lol. Should I check out the E-40/Too Short album first?

Orlando_Magic
Honestly, I still don't know what to say. I really don't know what to say about anything he's released since he's jumped to EMI. There's just something that doesn't quite work for me about his output since being on EMI, and I've had the hardest time figuring out what it is. My first reaction is always to blame it on the beats ... he has GOT to stop working with this Droop-E sound (I'm not blaming Droop-E himself; lots of the other producers on the albums bring almost the EXACT same sound). Pitched 808's, claps, some piece of percussion, and that's about it for the beat ... it just ain't cutting it for me. But at the same time, E-40 has always been the rare rapper that I would be willing to listen to over crappy beats because he's just so entertaining to listen to. Maybe it's the hooks ... repeating one word over and over for a hook isn't exactly intriguing. I don't know ... 40 is putting out better albums than just about anyone these days, but I still feel like they aren't as good as they could be. As for the two album series in question, let's put it this way - Block Brochure is definitely better. Far better beats, much better guests, and more fleshed out concepts. If you're a fan of any era of 40's career you will find something to love ... if you like early 40 you'll dig "The Other Day Ago", "Hittin' a Lick", etc. There are plenty of Rick Rock bangers for fans of his late-Jive days. And of course there's plenty of Droop-E-type stuff for newer fans of his. Practically anyone he's ever worked with shows up here ... from Kokane to Kaveo, from Rankin Skroo to Celly Cel. Of course, only people who love his entire career will really be able to enjoy the whole thing, and since most people only really like one style of E-40, this album got panned perhaps a bit unfairly. On the other hand, the History albums are by far the laziest albums I've ever seen 40 put out. The beats on the Function album sound cheap as hell and while the mob music album consists almost entirely of elements E-40 fans love, it's all stuff we've heard before. That said, for whatever reason, the Function music album is one of my most listened to releases 40 has done on EMI. I really can't explain it. They really seemed to just record it and throw it out there. I almost think 40 has been trying so hard lately to figure out what made his old records great that he's just trying to hard these days ... they aren't trying at all on this Function album; they're just having fun and it ends up being fun. The Pitchfork review of the album ends up getting it surprisingly correct - it's an immature record by the two most veteran rappers still having success in the game. And it's all the better for it. That said, if you still have any catching up to do on 40's older material, just spend your time on that instead. I don't think E-40 knows if he wants to make music for his die-hard fans or to get new fans these days, but the die-hards are the only ones that are gonna get something out of it.
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#3 IsThisIt_basic
Member since 2002 • 27130 Posts
[QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"]I'll maybe try to go back and flesh this into an actual list at some point. Just a few things off top: Album of the Year: 1. Mouse On tha Track/Killa Kyleon, "Welcome 2 The Fish Fry" .Colt45fool
I asked Paul about this tape not too long ago, and he said it was okay. Sounds like I need to cop it. fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Going back and listening to this, and listening to all the other albums on my list, I'm not so sure I got the order exactly right. I think I put this at #1 because it was the first solid release of the year and it's stayed in rotation the whole time. At the same time, I've probably listened to Too $hort's album more, the Far East Movement album is probably more consistent, etc. I dunno; my #1 pick could probably change from day to day ... bottom line is it's still definetely worth your time. The best stuff on there is stuff I'll be listening to in the years to come - Oil Spill, Pitiful, Dick Look, Pocahontas, etc.
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#4 IsThisIt_basic
Member since 2002 • 27130 Posts
Yeah, I felt the same way about that Team mixtape. This Carson mixtape is okay ... and I mean just that - it's about as average as you can get. Not bad by any means, but I also have no desire to listen to it again whatsoever. I think a large part of it may just be that Clyde really can't hang as a solo rapper; he's just not that interesting. He's got a good voice and brings something as a guest, but he's pretty limited on his own. Besides that I'd say Sho Nuff's production leaves a little to be desired. I really don't know what it is with all of these producers that were making amazing music five years ago releasing really skeletal boring **** that doesn't impress at all (everyone from Rick Rock to Mr. Lee has been guilty of this on at least one occassion in the past year or two). I can't really imagine that it's because the budgets in the rap game have dried up. In the case of this particular mixtape, though, I can imagine it might simply be because Sho Nuff was trying to capitalize on the more minimal sound of that Ratchet craze going on right now. Either way, I like his three tracks on the E-40/Too $hort albums better than anything on here.
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#5 IsThisIt_basic
Member since 2002 • 27130 Posts
lol I don't think anybody is checking for The Jacka or DJ Fresh these days man.
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#6 IsThisIt_basic
Member since 2002 • 27130 Posts
I'll maybe try to go back and flesh this into an actual list at some point. Just a few things off top: Album of the Year: 1. Mouse On tha Track/Killa Kyleon, "Welcome 2 The Fish Fry" 2. J Stalin, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" 3. 4. Too $hort, "No Trespassing" 5. Far East Movement, "Dirty Bass" 6. 7. Keak Da Sneak, "CheddarCheeseISay" (definetely the best album title of the year. Yeah, some of the stuff on here is 7 years old at this point. Yes this is nowhere near Keak at his best. That said, I've listened to this a LOT. I just appreciate someone really doing their own thing at the risk of fading into obscurity in 2012). Song of the Year: 1. Too $hort feat 50 Cent, Twista, & Devin The Dude, "I'm a Stop" Far and away the best work any of these guys have done since their respective heydays, and frankly the best I've heard out of 50, period. Creativity, rappers actually having fun ... this is what rap should be all about. And you know if he was still alive Pimp C would've had a verse on here. Man, what a beat, what a hook, what a song. This track has held down this spot basically the entire year. 2. Too $hort feat Rico The Kidd & DJ Upgrade, "Kush Cologne" Why is Too $hort doing new-jack swing in 2012? After this, all I can hope is that he does it again in 2013. AWESOME track. 3. Mouse on Tha Track & Killa Kyleon, "Freddy Krueger" So many great songs on this record, but this one found both of them outside of their comfort zone in the best way possible. I love hearing rappers who still care about challenging themselves and having fun on top of it. 4. Too $hort feat Martin Luther, "I Got Caught (Making Love to Another Man's Woman)" Classic Too $hort story-telling. Granted, this is waaaaaaaaaaaay toned down from "Freaky Tales" fare, but I think it speaks volumes about just how enjoyable it is to listen to $hort tell a story about anything that this is so great. Great work from Martin Luther too; he went in on this one. 5. J Stalin, "Ball Hard" Yeah, the chorus is kinda forgettable, but holy **** that is a mobbing-*** beat! They just don't make them like this no more[-ah]. 6. E-40 feat Celly Cel, Spice 1, & Stress-Matic, "The Other Day Ago" This song pretty much ****s on everything else everybody else has/will list in this thread. This is what music should be. Also - if Celly Cel is apparently still as talented as he was 15 years ago, why is he not releasing more music?! 7. Mouse On Tha Track & Killa Kyleon, "Pitiful" Man oh man, what a track. I can't even fathom how anyone couldn't like that beat, and you know Mouse wishes Pimp C could've done the hook on this joint. In lieu of Chad, Mouse knocks it pretty far out of the park. Another track that really reminds me of why I love rap music. 8. Keak Da Sneak, "They Call Me Keak" I really have my doubts that this was produced by Mike Mosely; that sitar HAS to be Mozart ... I also kinda hear some Rick Rock in there, but regardless this is exactly why I love Keak's music. This basically sounds like nothing else that was released this year and is EXACTLY why the hyphy movement was enjoyable. 9. Flo Rida, "I Cry" He had a lot of great singles this year ("Whistle" aside), but this one is probably my favorite. 10. Mouse On tha Track, "Like Ya Momma Showed Ya" I love how this moves back and forth between Nolia bounce and that off-kilter bassline. Great stuff. 11. Keak Da Sneak, "Cut They Own Throat" WOW ... what a menacing, mobbing-*** beat ... I love it. You'd really have to be a fan of Keak to enjoy his rapping on this beat, but it's fantastic. Love that bass. 12. J Stalin feat Da Thrill & Fishscale Mackn, "Silent War" GREAT beat, GREAT rapping, & GREAT GREAT GREAT hook ... Juvenile's "U Understand" will always be an underrated single in Cash Money's history, and the fact that Livewire have interpolated it at least twice now shows they feel the same way. Line of the Year: "Rest in peace Dale Earnhardt" - from Keak Da Sneak, "All Rights" Honorable mention: (in regards to his strict preference of women of a caucasian persuasion) "I don't want nothing black but an Xbox" - from J Stalin feat Philthy Rich, "White Girls Gone Wild" Most Improved Rapper: Lil Wayne - After over a decade with the label, Lil Wayne is finally the best rapper on Cash Money Records. Okay, I realize there really isn't much competition, so let's put it this way - this is the first time he's making enjoyable music that doesn't owe the entirety of it's enjoyable-ness to Mannie Fresh or members of The Hot Boyz. Alright, in all honesty, I'm basing this purely off of the singles he's been releasing lately, and admittedly none of it is even going to drive me to so much as download one of his free mixtapes, but I can actually enjoy a Lil Wayne song when it comes on, and that's saying something. Honorable Mention: Jeremih. No idea what he's doing rapping (?!) on a Rick Rock beat alongside E-40, Too $hort, & Turf Talk, but after this, he should probably do it a little more often. Worst Verse of the Year: Kendrick Lamar on "Catch a Fade" (E-40 feat Kendrick & Droop-E). I'm not entirely faulting Kendrick here; this is probably the worst thing E-40 has ever pressed to a disc, but there's really no two ways around the fact that Kendrick's verse here is AWFUL. Not quite Andre 3000 "Player's Anthem" bad ... but not too far from it. Best Trend of the Year: E-40 & Too $hort getting their "Will Smith" on. These guys have possibly the two longest rap careers still going strong, and perhaps part of that is due to the fact that they've (almost unwaveringly - especially in $hort's case) stayed true to what made them successful in the very first place. But at the same time, they are in their 40's, so perhaps it really shouldn't be surprising that they are starting to show signs of being grown-ups in their songs finally. "Be You" was the most outright example of this, but Too $hort also used not one but TWO tracks on the "History: Function Music" album to warn against driving under the influence. In all honesty, they've already produced the best rap music anyone has ever made in their 20's and 30's, and nobody has really made decent rap music for grown-ups (though Jay-Z made a commendable stab at it on his unfairly panned "Kingdom Come" album (which he immediately dropped in favor of talking about Gucci and Louie with Kanye once critics didn't know what to make of him doing something "different")), so I guess I'm all for these guys giving it a stab. Honorable mention: LA's "ratchet music" scene. Admittedly I don't care enough to really dig that deep into this scene. but I've heard some cool tunes from it. Cheers for at least trying something, I guess. --------------------------------------- 2011 was far, FAR and away the worst year for rap music in all the years I've been a rap fan; I'm not really sure if 2012 was better, worse, or the same (I'm thinking probably the latter), but at this point it's kinda just like "who gives a **** anymore?" My list (and the lack of effort put into it) is kinda reflective of that. Plus, I haven't been on GS in a while; did they do away with the HTML editor altogether? I can't link stuff or italicize text or anything ...
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#7 IsThisIt_basic
Member since 2002 • 27130 Posts
Usher's last album had a few real gems on it: "Looking 4 Myself" feat Luke Steele - GREAT GREAT GREAT. Definetely one of my favorites of this year. For really no any discernable reason whatsever Usher channels Hall & Oates PERFECTLY. In an era where there are really no surprises in mainstream music anymore, this is great. More of this please. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2Hpr2fd4I8 "Twisted" feat Pharrell - some early 70's funk ****; fantastic. I usually don't like when people try their hand at classic vibes like this, because so few people understand what made the classics WORK. This jam really gets it ... really makes you wish Usher would really pull out all the stops for an entire album; he has so much untapped talent. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-T4cSWi0Aw&feature=related "Euphoria" feat Swedish House Mafia - I was really interested to hear this track as SHM are responsible to a large degree to the current club sound that mainstream artists are making big money off of, so it'd be interesting to hear what they do with their biggest break this far. They definetely killed it ... that breakdown is sick as ****. Really a fantastic track and one of the best mainstream electro songs yet. "Can't Stop Won't Stop" feat Will.I.Am - great club track. Will and Usher work really well together. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F9rf5S_Tag&feature=relmfu
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#8 IsThisIt_basic
Member since 2002 • 27130 Posts

[QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"][QUOTE="rubbersouI"]

rap died a couple years ago. we only still come back here because we love each other. maybe we should talk about something else.

rubbersouI

Hey man have you listened to Killa Kyleon & Mouse On tha Track's new mixtape "Welcome To The Fish Fry"? http://www.livemixtapes.com/mixtapes/16898/killa_kyleon_mouse_on_tha_track_welcome_to_the_fish_fry.html I don't really like Kyleon as a solo rapper, and it's not going down as a classic or anything, but it's still probably the best release so far this year. Oil Spill, Pitiful, Dick Look, Pocohontas, Freddy Krueger ... lots of jams on there.



ya i've heard it. i like mouse and i like kyleon but i wasn't really feelin it. i'm just over rap, nothing sounds fresh to me anymore. i'm listening to young l's new mixtape, i think he's the closest thing to what the bay was doing couple years ago.

Yeah I know man, that was an amazing time, with so much creativity. I'd love to see that all over again, but at this point I'm willing to settle just for good music, but even that's practically impossible to find these days. I'll have to check out that Young L tape; I usually only like L when he's making slaps, and not that new age crap, which is what I heard this tape was. The other record that I'd say might currently be my AOTY is J Stalin's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". There's a little something for every Stalin fan on that record, and I like almost all of it.
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#9 IsThisIt_basic
Member since 2002 • 27130 Posts

rap died a couple years ago. we only still come back here because we love each other. maybe we should talk about something else.

rubbersouI
Hey man have you listened to Killa Kyleon & Mouse On tha Track's new mixtape "Welcome To The Fish Fry"? http://www.livemixtapes.com/mixtapes/16898/killa_kyleon_mouse_on_tha_track_welcome_to_the_fish_fry.html I don't really like Kyleon as a solo rapper, and it's not going down as a classic or anything, but it's still probably the best release so far this year. Oil Spill, Pitiful, Dick Look, Pocohontas, Freddy Krueger ... lots of jams on there.
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#10 IsThisIt_basic
Member since 2002 • 27130 Posts
While I think most of the reasons given for this union dying are accurate, I think easily as important (if not more important) of a reason for lack of activity is just a lack of quality music to discuss. I think Orlando really got it right a few months back when he called this current generation of rap not internet rap or blog rap but rather Tumblr rap. It's pretty appropriate because, really, what is there to do about, say, a Big Sean or Future song but say a couple words and move on to the next thing? You could write a book about the **** that was coming out even just a few years ago. I'm not trying to be that old dude just complaining about how music isn't as good as it used to be; frankly it's probably for the best given where I'm at in my life right now. Frankly, I couldn't afford it if as much great music was coming out as it was just even two or three years ago, and I don't really have the time to write about it all either. Rather than be bitter about it, though, I've been taking all that time I would've spent checking out every new record and I've been spending it on trying to get more serious about making beats. I figure, if people aren't going to be making music that makes me excited about music anymore (the Studio Ton's, the Rick Rock's, the Pimp C's, the Mr Lee's, the Mouse On the Track's, etc), I might as well try to do it myself. Granted, I'll likely never reach that point, but hey, it's better than sitting around complaining about it, or worse, listening to bad music. I'll likely still check this place out until it dies. It's a wonderful tight-knit community and even if I don't care about most of the stuff being discussed here, it's still just nice to see people caring about rap in this day and age. Part of me never thought the genre would die at all, but at the very least, I never thought I'd see it become so irrellevant so fast. It's kinda crazy how huge a part of my youth rap music was, and now kids are growing up being exposed to about 4 rappers total.