The Lil Wayne Retrospective Part 3: Lil Wayne-Tha Block is Hot

There's a great daily blog post on Noisey right now, written by Kyle Kramer, called A Year of Lil Wayne. Every day he talks about a new subject, relating to a different song or guest spot. It's a really rewarding and passionate read and I think it's existence made up my decision of whether I was going to cover every Lil Wayne feature. The bottom line is it's just too much, and I feel like it's not necessary to what I'm trying to do, which is chart Lil Wayne's growth and see how his whole discography measures up. If one wants the best of Lil Wayne, definitely check out that blog. Alright, after some time away, let's listen to Tha Block is Hot.

Lil Wayne-Tha Block is Hot (1999)

(Intro) Yeah, if you're gonna have a minute and a half of Mannie and Birdman talking about how dope Wayne is and how we aren't ready, its a good thing its over an instrumental this fucking good.

(Tha Block is Hot) This is Wayne's first single. It's impressive. The beat has some breakbeat drums and about 50 other sounds going on. The grunt sample is pretty dated but most of the crispness in production is there. I like how Wayne was once again told by his mom not to cuss but the violent imagery in the third verse pretty much proves that it was basically futile.

(Loud Pipes) I think my hopes of this being a true solo effort/breakthrough is going to prove false. This track may has well have been on a Hot Boys mixtape. You don't even hear Wayne until the last verse. Looking over the track list it doesn't seem like there will be very much of him shining solo. Track is good but probably the cheesiest, most dated beat so far.

(Watcha Wanna Do) Eh. Not very memorable. He went back to that one raised-inflection vocal delivery I got sick of last project.

(Kisha) I like a good story track. This song is basically about this girl named Kisha and how the Hot Boys pass her around like a relay race and everyone fucks her by the end. I mean it's not high art but it kept the concept the whole time. Really digging how Wayne's verse had every bar rhyme with Kisha (or the ee ah sounds) and even threw in some internal rhyme. Beat is less dated but not too memorable. Sort of just meanders in the background, uneventfully.

(High Beamin) Man, a lot of these tracks are pretty forgettable. They just sort of come and go. Maybe I've been burnt out on Mannie Fresh's sometimes dated beats. I zoned out on this one. The hook started to sound like "Me and my dick be sizzlin"

(Lights Off) Ok wow yeah just completely shatter my perception and drowsy mood, why don't you? This beat is killer, and really unexpected. This is why I want more solo Wayne tracks on this. The guitar loop and those clusters of piano chords are scratching my itch right now. The juxtaposition of Wayne's flow and this beat are working for me. Sure the beat is pretty adult contemporary R&B but it still works. Shout out to this couplet and it's impressive alliterative sonics.

"I'm highly intoxicated mixing krystelle and vodka
Somebody call the doctor cause my chopper done went blocka, knocka"

(Fuck Tha World) Two great songs back to back, and they're 2 of 4 tracks that are actually solo tracks on this album. I like this one even more though. This is getting closer and closer to the Wayne we know and love. Deeply introspective track about how everybody perceives him as a fuck-up and a gangbanger. He also talks about how his friends and family are being killed and how he now has a daughter. The sentiment of the track is well understood given those circumstances. It's positively jarring to hear Wayne refer to himself as a "young thug" given the modern rap climate and who's dominating it. Kind of neat thing you'd only notice now and was obviously unintentional. Another piano-based beat too. We'll definitely talk about how great I think Wayne goes over a piano at least by IANAHB II. 

(Remember Me) It's an energetic track but overall it's too simple for me to get anything out of it. The beat doesn't even sound particularly mastered.

(Respect Us) The best songs on here are always the most unique. This beat is almost too silly to take serious. Very salsa-esque. The opening to this track is very Young Thug. I could even see a post-Jeffery Thugga pull off going over top of a remake of this beat. It's a fun track, and unexpected. 

(Drop it Like it's Hot) There's a novelty to seeing a song called this before 2004. We get a glimpse of Lil Wayne working on some verse concepts. His first verse has every bar end in "girl", and his second verse has every bar end in "boy". Pretty dope. Can't stand the robot vocoder voice on the hook. Also it feels like the track wanders aimlessly at the end. I don't think these tracks needed to be as long as they are all the time.

(Young Playa) Loving the more conversational tone of Wayne's verses on this one. He sort of slides off the beat in a really satisfying manner. It portrays a more natural feel to the flow. The beat could soundtrack a 70's blaxploitation film, just with a few more cheesy drum sounds. This is especially evident with the Shaft-like voice over at the end. Again this song goes on for about 30 seconds too long.

(Enemy Turf) Mannie Fresh really does get an automatic win when he uses those acoustic guitar loops in his beats. These ones always sound the least dated. It's energetic to say the least. 

(Not Like Me) Pretty good flexin' track. This Paparue guy shows up again and I'm digging the hook. Mannie's line, "we use ta kick it like Tai Bo" will be pretty much taken word for word by Akon on "Smack That". Where is Akon nowadays? I think mostly providing money for electricity in Africa. Good shit.

(Come On) Holy shit this beat. Lots of forward momentum, and Weezy sounds hungry on this track. More of this would have been great, instead of tracks that may as well have been Hot Boys tracks, especially early on.

(Up to Me) It's worth noting how difficult it must be to not have a father figure in your biological dad,  and then to have your step dad be taken away from you, someone Wayne considered like his actual dad. And with recent times, the father figure in Birdman proved to be broken by greed and dishonesty. Now Wayne doesn't really have a father figure, and has been let down. This track is pretty relevant given Wayne's current situation. It really is up to him and him alone to keep it real. Sonically the track is nice if not noteworthy.

(You Want War) A hookless track, but the beat isn't interesting enough to carry it with intensity. Still, a promise of Wayne's finest moments.

Closing Thoughts: I think I appreciate and recognize Mannie Fresh and his production more than I actually like it, especially in this day and age. It's really dated, but it shines when he tries something new. Wayne, on the other hand, probably could have carried this project by himself but he's still not quite there. He's getting close to mastering unique, creative flows and excellent wordplay, but it's still not present wholly on here. 

Work Ethic and Longevity in 2016

Took a break from the Lil Wayne retrospective but here's something else real quick. Yesterday, Grimes dropped 7 new music videos, 4 of which were for songs off of last year's Art Angels. This sort of inspired me to take a look at how artists are finding ways to keep at their art that continue their inherent relevancy. Especially this year, there have been some great examples of this consistent work ethic. It's unsurprising, given the model for which music is distributed, and how that is constantly changing.

I'll start with Grimes. Claire Boucher is perhaps one of the hardest working people in the industry, especially in the span between the release of Art Angels and now. 3 music videos trickled out between October and  May, and these are most representative of Claire's skills as a director. Most of the dead giveaways of her artistic touch include multiple sets with a variety of costumes, well choreographed segments, and some quirky story that is only abstractly presented in the video. Kill V. Maim is the best example of her auteurist ambitions. The video is drenched in neon, and Claire utilizes her keen attention to detail to deck out her various co-stars with costumes that recall cyberpunk and anime especially. The pacing is frenetic, exciting, and endlessly re-watchable. 8 months in it remains this writer's favorite music video of the year. Also included in this more spread out batch of videos is California, which included a reworking of the beat itself, removing some of the more country-tinged sonics.

It's clear how impressive Claire's work is when given time, but it's just as impressive that while she was touring Europe she created 7 more videos. Videos made on tour are nothing new, but most of them are mainly about incorporating live performance footage in a stylized manner. This isn't really the case here. Instead, Claire manages to continue representing a visual language that is a staple of her work. There's no story in any of them, and they are minor works in the grand scheme of the whole Grimes project, but it's still noteworthy that there is a unique feel to all of these. They are undeniably more freeform and less planned out, but maintain the ethereal slow-mo feel and melding of costume design and excellent location scouting. The fact that she did all this while also non-stop touring from the release of her album to now is incredible, especially considering how she persevered when she got sick for a bit and apparently suffered a situation that left her shaken, one most likely personal. It's one month out from Art Angels being out for an entire year and Grimes has still managed to maintain supreme relevancy the entire time. She also managed to fit in a perfume campaign with Stella McCartney, a song on the Suicide Squad soundtrack, and curated the NBA 2k17 soundtrack somehow. Also she has crazy hair game.

I'd also like to talk about Gucci Mane, because he's notorious for his constant grind. It's markedly more impressive, however, considering he was released from jail on May 26th of this year. From then to now, in a span of 4 months, he released one studio album and has another on the way later in October. Gucci Mane found a way to instantly jump back into the rap game in a notable way, fulfilling the same role he did before he was put in jail but with rejuvenated energy. One day after his release, he had already found time to record 1st Day Out Tha Feds, a vivid and sobering description of the thoughts going through his head about being in prison, whether he deserved it, and how he's using freedom as a second chance. The fact that Gucci Mane jumped right into booth and wrote such a focused piece of work is a testament to his skills.

The album Everybody Looking came out on July 22nd, and boasts 8 singles, practically all of which have music videos Gucci Mane filmed while on house arrest. These videos paint a unique picture of his new position in life, more about having fun and relishing in the wealth he accrued whilst in jail. He also pokes fun at the clone narrative that arose once it was revealed that Gucci was way more well-built, healthy, and of clearer mindset post-prison time. Many consider Gucci Mane a relic of Southern Trap, but one thing he's shown is a willingness to stay relevant and connected with the youth. He's said in multiple recent interviews that he practically forces himself to like the music that the young rappers (some directly inspired by him) are creating. He's also amassed over a dozen feature spots since his release.His persistence to stay in the zeitgeist has led to him being at the top of the conversation at a height not reached since probably the release of The State vs. Radric Davis in 2009, and the song Lemonade, probably one of the greatest hip-hop singles of the 2000's.

Trap in general this year isn't the best example of the constant work mindset yielding great results, with one notable exception. Future, for instance, had an outstanding year in 2015, with dropping Beast Mode, 56 Nights, DS2, and the collaborative mixtape What a Time to Be Alive with Drake. All of these projects range from solid to great, and it was without a doubt Future's reigning year. Unfortunately, he kept up the grind without any innovation, which led to Purple Reign, a forgettable mixtape with 1 or 2 Future classics. Then came EVOL, which is a solid project but feels slight for what is supposed to be his 4th studio album. Finally there was Project E.T.  Suffice it to say, I don't know anyone who actually even bothered to give it more than one or two listens. After one year of a driving, forward-momentum work ethic, Future is showing that he actually needs to slow his pace or risk stagnation of sound. Lil Uzi Vert is the same way. He's only released 3 projects since late 2015 but his sound isn't going anywhere either at his speedy pace. Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World had some of his biggest songs but The Perfect Luv Tape lessens it's impact when it sounds like they all came from the same sessions. He's not been around long enough for stagnation to come this quickly. However, his positive showings on this year's XXL Freshman Class bode well.

Meanwhile, Young Thug has figured out exactly what will yield excellent results, showing restraint in addition to a never-ending need to grind. If anything, this might be Young Thug's best year. Last year's trilogy of Barter 6, and the first two editions of Slime Season were somewhat drowned out by the emergence of Lil Wayne and Birdman's beef, with Young Thug's involvement. Seeing as he was Birdman's new protege, and Young Thug initially sounds like a Lil Wayne biter to the average listener, it didn't help that both Slime Season mixtapes were both nearly 20 songs long. That's a substantial amount of content to hold someone's attention, and it also didn't help that they were essentially barely curated compilations of unreleased tracks, leaked tracks, and loosies. They were still solid, but not the artful and composed work he would later release. In terms of quantity, Young Thug's output is actually substantially less in amount of songs, but the same number of mixtapes. This is where he shifts his work ethic to where it will gain him the amount of longevity he's held for practically the whole year.

I'm Up is a decent work, with a stone-cold classic song in Fuck Cancer (Boosie), an absolute banger that has very little to do with either cancer or Lil Boosie. Interestingly it only has 9 tracks, running just under 40 minutes. Slime Season 3 is even better, and even shorter, coming in at 28 minutes. Short projects like these lead to strong replayability. It wasn't uncommon to hear any song from these playing whilst just walking around either a college campus or a city. For comparison, only about 5 from all of Future's mixtapes this year met the same level of rotation. Of course, the crowning achievement for Young Thug's reinvention was Jeffery. The build up to this release revealed a subtle artistry not always present in both his personality and his music. His sentiment about not wanting to go by Thug anymore because he doesn't want his kids to have a negative perception of him is touching and vulnerable. In addition, his unflinching dedication to androgynous fashion is boldly progressive for a popular hip-hop artist to put out there. The mixtape itself is positively insane. The versatility and willingness for experimentation Young Thug showcases on the project is unparalleled in trap. The pure uniqueness of his style has permeated the hip-hop landscape, as it is positively captivating to audiences. Hopefully he can keep up the restraint and execution that got him where he is this year, so he can continue to break new ground next year.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Death Grips and their unwavering dedication to a steady stream of art. Though for some reason the major journalism outlets have sort of left Death Grips by the wayside, that hasn't stopped the trio. That sort of attention has never been the goal anyway for them. They're always more than happy with messing with their dedicated fan base, which has a longevity to uphold of it's own. Their persistence in creating new and challenging art isn't always obvious, especially because they exist in their own world, with no intent to market themselves putting up tour posters/announcements and at least making a Facebook post letting people know that something new is out. This kind of work ethic can only work if you have a dedicated fanbase, and Death Grips have one of the most die-hard and obsessive of any underground group I've seen. Their output is substantially more impressive considering they "broke up" in 2014. They've sort of settled into a pattern since last year. It goes like this; instrumental EP of frantic and abrasive Intelligent Dance Music-esque beats, the full-length album furthering their sonic journey, and finally a new record from the Zach Hill-Andy Morin duo The ILYs, who make Bowie-esque garage rock with a lot of the same electronic abrasiveness that Death Grips has. That's 3 releases over 1 year at a steady pace, not to mention any loosies they might drop. The one this year is most surprising, with a feature by Les Claypool.

It might also be said that Death Grips almost try their hardest to make newcomers second guess themselves. For the past 4 albums, the "single" they release is the most wild, freeform, and avant-garde they could have chosen. It's almost like a rite of passage every fan has to go through again, to see if they are still willing to follow the band wherever they go. In addition, they always find new forms by which to challenge their fans. This year, the instrumental EP was released as a video entitled Interview 2016, which is 30 minutes of grainy, piss-green footage of a man in a suit watching their performance and interviewing each member. Death Grips' seclusion and secrecy is very important to them, so they decided to make the video silent and replace all audio with the beats. If there is one thing fans have been dying for, it's something like this: for the band to let their guard down and open they project up for all to understand. There is literally one video-documented case of Stefan, the frontman, talking in a soothing, introverted voice. Knowing the band, they will never release that audio. Any reasonable, sane fan could take any number of things Death Grips has done as the final straw, but it just doesn't happen. They are simply too bewildering. They've also resumed their role of workmanlike live act that they had pre-2013. Clearly their manner of presentation is enough, considering their name popped up on more festival lineups than ever. This more than ensures they remain a staple of music discussion as a whole, with no signs of letting up their productivity.

That about sums up my point. I think it's important that being great at your art wasn't really a prerequisite for this. I mean, people I didn't include are people like Kanye West, Travis Scott, The Avalanches, American Football, and Frank Ocean. There is definitely something to be said about releasing something 15 years after your last project and how crazy it is that anyone cares (because people definitely care), but there's nothing amazing about work ethic if you kept lying about when your album is gonna come out. (Yeah Frank, Blonde is really good but I didn't want to watch that empty room for one more second after that live stream)

The Lil Wayne Discography Retrospective Part 2: Hot Boys-Guerilla Warfare

So I'm looking through Lil Wayne's RYM page, which is where I'm keeping track of the releases to listen to, and I'm realizing how daunting this task is. I'll say right now I'm not doing DJ mixes and mostly only official mixtape releases, except ones canonized and filled with fresh material. Also, there's no way I'm gonna be able to do features. My dude has upwards of 700 features. I'm not trying to spend a decade on this. The downside is I'll be missing out on those key verses that he did to help solidify Drake's place of recognition, so that's a bummer. Maybe I'll fit them in somehow. Anyway, back to the segment.

Hot Boys-Guerilla Warfare (1999)

(Intro/Hot and Spicy) Ha ha what is this intro? No rapping here, just Mannie Fresh thanking a bunch of people and preparing the listeners for the Hot Boys. Those trumpets on this beat are super corny. Better start overall to the mixtape though.

(We On Fire) This beat is some straight SNES lava level video game music. And already, Wayne sounds like a slightly higher pitched version of the Wayne we know and love. Don't like this version of We on Fire as much as the one on the first mixtape, mainly because of the beat, but at least they got all 4 members spitting this time.

(Respect My Mind) Juvenile bodies this track. He comes through with a story verse about growing up with his dad living a life of crime. Easily the best verse on the track. So far not feeling Mannie Fresh's beats as much here as I was on the last project.

(Help) First solo cut of the tape and holy fuck do I fuck with Mannie Fresh's production on this track. I can't even name all the layers he's got on this beat. One standout is the percussive use of a chopped-up police siren sample. That's a nice touch. B.G. is good on this. Dig the first verse where he rides an ay-ah rhyme scheme the whole time. (meaning every bar ends in something like "paid that, hate that, or take that.")

(Ridin) Damn, what is this beat chord progression also in? It sounds so familiar. Not much else I have to say about the track. They all did their thing. I retract my ambivalence towards Turk though. He's pretty dope too.

(Off the Porch Skit) What the fuck are they on about a shirt in this skit? I like the image it sets up though, with just some dudes chilling on the porch listening to music and talking to the passers-by, Friday-style. Would love to find out what the track is you can faintly hear bumping in the background

(Get Out Tha Way) I feel like the gold Mannie Fresh beats are more few and far between on this project but when he brings it, he really fucking brings it. The beat on here is so dense and dynamic, especially with the bass line towards the end. Lil Wayne fucking bodied this track. Here's an example:
"You get got, flip-flopped tossed and tumbled
I'm running wit your life in my hands, oops I fumbled"
If that isn't a classic Weezy set-up/pay-off, I don't know what is.

(Clear Tha Set) Wayne's solo cut off the tape. You can really hear how much more confident and present he is on this tape compared to the last. Starting to nail down his personality too.

(I Feel) That's two Wayne verses I almost want to rewind and play again. Destroys it. He even subverts and transcends the "I feel like x" pattern everyone was rolling with, essentially molding it's basics into a more free-form, better written version. Mannie Fresh on some G-funk shit with this, especially that cheese-ass robot voice. (Side-note: I'm not the biggest fan of Pac's California Love for this same reason. Sorry.)

(Boys at War) I just feel like Weezy is very obviously taking more creative chances with his flows already. I can't wait to see how Block is Hot from 1999 goes over. B.G. did his thing too on this track, though, definitely.

(You Dig) Juvenile's solo track. Decent. Not much I can think to say. I'm pretty sure those drums were sampled from that Long Red song, the one everyone uses, particularly in Kanye's camp, to get that guy yelling, "Yeah!" You know it when you hear it.

(I Need a Hot Girl) Mannie, you're killing me with this beat. That's like the same progression as that piece that plays at the beginning of Judge Judy episodes. Also Birdman was actually alright in this.

(Tuesday and Thursday) Why does Lil Wayne keep killing it? It really does feel like he knew what was up and that he was about to be popping off as a solo act. Also I had no idea it wasn't a good idea to sell drugs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I appreciate the lesson there.

(Bout Whatever) Yeah this is a much better solo track for Turk than on last project. Lil Wayne on the hook and ad-libs.

(Sick Uncle Skit) What the fuck is going on? I guess the guy who wanted or was giving out Hot Boys t-shirts and got hit by a car in the last skit is like...sitting in the corner of this other dude's house with his family watching TV and speaking through this robotic modulator because I guess his vocal cords got damaged in the accident? Alright then. These dudes were high as fuck coming up with this shit. I know I'd have to be.

(Shoot 1st) Really digging the reggae-tinged hook by Papa Reu, whoever that may be, on this shit. The beat isn't really reggae but that probably would have really dated the track even more if it did, so it's solid. B.G. has the best verse on this one. Version I have cut off at the last two lines in Juveniles verse so that kind of sucks.

(Too Hot) This sounds like some definitive Hot Boys shit. This beat is big as fuck. Everyone comes through with a sick verse. The ending is kind of a cool call back to the first track on the previous mixtape. B.G. on some straight fucked up mob shit with his verse.

Closing Thoughts: I feel like the improvements in recording, Wayne's major flow improvements, and the fact that Mannie Fresh's best beats on here are better than his best beats on the last mixtape might edge this one over. The only problem is this one is kind of a slog. That might just be me burning out on Hot Boys. I can say that I'm getting a little sick of the Southern harmony flow practically everybody in Hot Boys uses at least 50% of the time. I know Wayne gets away from that flow eventually but I hope he stops doing it as soon as this next project from the same year. I'll listen again but it's not my favorite.

The Lil Wayne Discography Retrospective Part 1 (Hot Boys-Get It How You Live!!!)

So this is the start of my journey throughout Lil Wayne’s entire career. In light of his “retirement” announcement, I felt that whether or not he actually retires, it seemed appropriate to chart his journey and see where he started and how he got to where he is now, ultra famous and pretty much fucked over by the company he helped obtain notoriety in the first place. This idea also comes from me not feeling like I’ve ever really dug deep enough into his catalog. I think I’m going to collect my instant thoughts first and then wrap them up and provide them context and polish. I’ll probably publish these a bit at a time and infrequently. We’ll see how this goes.

Hot Boys-Get It How You Live (1997)

(Intro) Yeah I really have no real interest in hearing Birdman rap, except to dog on him. Same with Mannie Fresh. Beat isn’t that great either. Extremely dated. Outro is also weird as fuck.

(We on Fire) We On Fire is a crazy introduction to Hot Boys. The set up of the song leads to a showcase of all 3 rappers one after the other, which is kind of ingenious for the first song. Lil Wayne already sounds crazy good. Not as complicated as his flows would get later though.

(50 Shots Set it Off) Ha ha ha! Weezy lowkey sounds like Hurricane Chris on this song. You guys remember Hurricane Chris? He’s not really on this track a whole lot but they all use a sort of rise-fall-rise flow. He and a whole bunch of the Southern rap scene use this around this but I don’t know where that comes from, if not from here.

(On Tha Porch Part 1) I fucking love mixtape skits.

(Block Burner) Oh shit I guess this is pretty much Wayne’s first solo track. Still sounds like Hurricane Chris. Noticing that he’s doing some pretty crazy rhyme schemes for a fucking 15 year old. Using a lot of rhymes taking advantage of the Southern drawl, as well as some rhythmic quick internal rhymes within the same bar. Not super complex but definitely leagues about your average lunch table middle school/early high school raps. Also this beat is fucking fire.

(Neighborhood Superstar) Perhaps unfairly, I’ve been ignoring the other guys in Hot Boys, but I’m noticing that Juvenile isn’t slacking. Makes me wonder where these listening projects could go. Should I tackle a whole bunch of Southern hip-hop, or will that be too much? Not really digging Birdman and Mannie Fresh on this track but Mannie Fresh’s production has been on point this whole time.

(Take It Off Your Shoulder) Wow Juvenile snapped. On some Southern 2Pac shit. I’m just thinking of all the people I’m going to be exposed to with this. You could make a “6 degrees of Lil Wayne” thing and reach a fuckton of people.

(Dirty World) Interesting fact: Lil Wayne tried to limit his profanity on his early work as much as possible because his mom asked. Of course, he couldn’t really do much about the other guys he works with. I’ve also noticed Weezy is often relegated to hook duties on each song. It works, of course, but it’s curious nonetheless.

(I’m a Hot Boy) I’m learning that B.G. got sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2012.  Gun possession apparently. At the time of writing this, Bobby Shmurda just got sentenced to 7 years. There’s no parallel there. I’m just making associations. I fuck with B.G. I don’t think I’m that into Turk. They all have solo tracks on the mixtape so I’ll revisit that in a couple songs.

(Get it How U Live!!!) This is probably the most modern sounding song on here so far. Mannie does his thing. I feel like a slightly updated version of this beat with more high quality production could have easily landed on a Tha Carter album. It shares a lot of the same sonic ideas that are definitely explored later on in the 2000’s. Also, Wayne sounds the most like his older self here.

(On Tha Porch Part 2) Still love mixtape skits. Pffft, this is lowkey racist though.

(I’m Comin) Bun B bodied this track. I really need to listen to more Southern Hip-Hop.

(Infrared Dot) Of course Young Turk gets practically the best beat to rhyme over. I don’t know, something isn’t clicking with Turk. I feel like that they have the younger guy thing covered with Wayne. Very interested to see how this group grows over their other two tapes though.

(Blood Thicker) Ok I just find it really funny that Birdman says, “Guess what Cash Money Records stick together like blood and furl” on this track.

(Spittin Game) I really want to point out that this quatrain and a half of bars (Am I counting those right?)

“Slugs hummin' chopper gunning catch the vapor from the laser

Infrared fled big bread money maker

Pop a slug barrell shaker for big paper

Big ballin' life taker for big caker

Ben Franklin, bank televancin' big bankin

Buster gankin', left stankin' ship sankin'”

is really quite impressive for a 15 year old, but it is also Wayne we’re talking about.

Alright it’s 4 AM and I’ve really been digging this mixtape. I’m going to let it marinate in my head and relisten to it before I write closing thoughts.

Closing Thoughts: Yeah I mess with this. Of course it sounds dated but even still, Mannie Fresh brings it with these beats. They’re deceiving because they initially sound really simple but there’s actually lots of depth. Nearly every beat has a wavy bassline that ebbs and flows in different ways. Of course, you can tell a lot of the presets used were old, so that’s where the dated sound comes from. Regarding the Hot Boys besides Wayne, Juvenile really brings it, enough to where I’m tempted to check out his solo material. His voice is very deep and powerful. It wasn’t surprising to find out he was the oldest, leading all the other members by 5-6 years. B. G. is good too, but I’m still not all that into Turk. We’ll see if my perspective changes on future Hot Boys releases. 

As for Wayne, I cannot believe he was 15 when this dropped. Nothing next level here, but as the tape goes along you can hear Wayne mold his style, so much that the final track, Spittin Game, really sounds like the first “Lil Wayne” verse, with a semi-complex internal rhyme scheme and some alliteration. It’s going to be great seeing where he goes from here, because I’ve never really went in to the material before Tha Carter 2. I’d bump this tape again. I can see it entering an infrequent rotation.

A Final Word on the Mess of Kanye's Album Release and its Result

Until this past weekend, I was pretty convinced that the best example of completely out-of-wack marketing for music was Drake's embrace of meme culture that led Hotline Bling from being a pretty good Drake song to the defining Drake song of 2015, a fairly prolific year for him. Either that or (insert Death Grips release here). At this point, however, after being an active participant in the hot mess that was Kanye's release of his 7th studio album, my answer has changed. Make no mistake; last weekend was a clusterfuck. However, part of me thinks it's exactly what Kanye West wanted with the album rollout.

First you had all the name changes. Over the course of 3 years, the album went from So Help Me God, to Swish, to Waves, and finally settling on The Life of Pablo. I'm not sure what the significance of naming had to be that led it to be such a back and forth battle, but suffice it to say late nights shitposting on Reddit's HipHopHeads subreddit would have been really boring if Kanye had kept the album title at Waves.

Also was all the info we did know about the album. All of a sudden, within a short span of time, we knew the tracks that were gonna be on it and had some idea of who would be featured on it. Also, leave it to Kanye to draw even more attention by going on rants on twitter, mostly aimless, and sometimes wild enough to offend people.

As we desperately waited on the album to finally drop on Thursday, we noticed that the Madison Square Garden Yeezy Season 3 show came and went, showing off a couple of the tracks off of the, at the time, 11 track album. It still seemed pretty standard at that point. If it didn't release then, maybe it would release on Friday, as albums are now wont to do. Sure enough on Friday, the album was said to  drop that day, and the track list was extended to 17 tracks now, adding some tracks many were sure wouldn't be on the album, like a lot of the GOOD Friday tracks. Then, it still didn't drop. Apparently it was Chance the Rapper's fault.

It's pretty surreal to see Kanye pointing the blame at Chance on twitter, using an album generator to recreate the album art for The Life of Pablo. It's just utterly memetic, you just don't expect to see it. But it was true; Chance was fighting for one more song to be put on the album, called Waves. People were pissed, naturally. That entire night, and Saturday as well, leading up to the album release, people were going nuts. Some were renouncing either Kanye or Chance because of it. I recall one moment when a bunch of people went to some random Twitch streamer's channel while he was playing Farming Simulator, spamming jokes about Pablo. The poor dude had no clue. Again, thank Yeezus for the album name change.

The final straw for many was seeing what happened with Kanye on Saturday Night Live, which meant people had to actually watch it. Also Martin Shkreli was scaring the shit out of people by claiming he had bought Kanye's album for 15 million and nobody was going to get to hear it. At the time I shared in people's seething rage, but he's become popular hip-hop's resident troll, so now I can laugh at how he too entered the conversation. It's going to be interesting to see him enter hip hop history because of the shit he's pulling. Eventually, Kanye started spazzing out on stage, saying that the album was out. People were freaking out, especially since Tidal didn't update their servers for another hour and a half, so the album wasn't showing up. Eventually it did, however. But even then, Kanye took a television appearance and made it all part of his marketing tool for those who were paying attention.


So what do I think of the album? I think it's analogous to Radiohead's Amnesiac. There you had an album that was more of a collection of ideas than a well sequenced album. Some people didn't give it a fair shot, but really it's a hidden gem and another masterpiece in the bands discography. That's what this is too. If I were to choose an album that perfectly displayed Kanye's mental tangents, it would be The Life of Pablo. It's scatterbrained, sonically all over the place, and exhibits bouts of childish late-period Kanye lyrics, auto tuned singing, harmonious passages, and occasionally straight bars. This is an album that takes the best aspects of 808s and Heartbreak, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and Yeezus and throws everything it has into little under an hour. Because of this, this will really only appeal to people who still like late-period Kanye. It feels like a greatest hits album for albums that don't actually exist. My biggest worry was that the way music had changed in the past 3 years would negatively affect Kanye and he would release something boring and too poppy. This came from me not really loving All Day or Only One, neither of which land on this album. I'm convinced there was an album that was all that but it was scrapped, for the better. I also would hesitate to call this a hip-hop album. My favorite part of listening to a Kanye album is the collaborative process he has with all the artists he brings on board. This is the best example of this process. Really everyone else shines more than Kanye. I think this was the intention. I feel like the recording sessions were all one huge party. Every song feels like a sketch of sorts, scribbled with intensity so as to pack as many ideas into the piece as possible in a short amount of time. If I had to criticize anything, it would be sometimes the songs could have benefitted from another minute. Another Kanye album staple is moments, which this album has plenty of. These are the kinds of things that you'd be in awe of in discussion with friends, like "Remember when Rihanna sang that hook from that Nina Simone song?" or "Remember when Chance the Rapper had the first actual verse on the album and it remains the absolute best single verse on the whole album?" Another strength that sets it apart is this bipolar attitude the album takes. The high moments are almost of pure ecstasy, just completely bombastic and large. The low moments are similar to musical passages on 808s and Heartbreak but on a different scale. The melancholy displayed here isn't of longing or despair, but of complacency. Already I get nostalgic emotions listening to it because the music plays to those aspects of feeling. This is the album's most mature quality to it. Also, the sample flips are of supreme style. The moment on Famous when Swizz Beatz starts ad-libbing over top of a Sister Nancy dancehall track is a top 10 career highlight. Allegedly there's also a sample of a track from Mica Levi's Under the Skin soundtrack, which I have yet to pinpoint but if it's true thats amazing. One final sample that blows me away is the avant grade artist Arthur Russell sample on 30 Hours. This is probably one of Kanye's best sample flips of his career, utilizing an old J Dilla technique of using a sample as a hook by making it sound like it's saying something it's not, which Kanye has done before with Through the Wire. Actually, if I had to make one final comparison to another work, it would be that this is Kanye West's Donuts. Like the J Dilla album, it's loose, a short collection of ideas, and it feels alive. I have no doubt in my mind that Kanye was running up the clock to the very last minute making this album. At times it feels like he's mixing tracks right as you're listening. I wish more works were that organic.