a moderate request

Guess what? Hip-hop is not dead. Who woulda thunk it right?

I must be the only person that didn’t realize it. Nas might have said that hip-hop is dead, but I don’t think so. Like many diehard hip-hop fans, I’ve been feeling sort of down about the quality of hip-hop recently, especially what is being played on radio. But to put it into perspective, last summer we had the much anticipated Big Boi release. How I Got Over is one of my favorite Roots release. And Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek are still doing what they do best. This year we had a solid Raekwon release. Then there’s new up-and-coming artists such as J.Cole and Jay Electronica that haven’t released any studio albums yet.

This brings up Kendrick Lamar’s Section.80. Kendrick Lamar is a 24 year old rapper living in Compton. His style blends the meaningful lyrics reminiscent to 2pac (including chanting “thug life” and shoutouts to the late rapper) with lyrical dexterity without overly complex vocabulary similar to Jay-z. His mission is to get his voice clear for everyone to hear, not to be to too caught up into complex wordplays. Kendrick Lamar plays on themes based on what he sees without preaching.

In “No Make-Up”, Kendrick tells a story of a girl putting make-up during the morning while Kendrick is in the same room watching her. Kendrick describes the girl’s artificial beauty built on make-up but wants to see her true face without the mask. The ending of the song is made to shock the viewer as to why she wears so much make-up. Other noteworthy songs include “Kush & Corinthians” where Kendrick questions the meaning of existence. He tries to get to the point but ends up constantly getting side-tracked. “ADHD” has been a recent underground favorite, describing a party filled with videogames and drugs but also the feeling of isolation and depression.

Section.80 is a hit or miss for me. Maybe I need to listen to the album more, but I’m one of those people that prefer “conscience rap” music. Whenever rappers mentions bitches and hoes or demean women or talk about their dick too much, I start to feel uneasy about the artist. With that said Kendrick Lamar clearly is a talented rapper. The album feels out of focus at times, but Kendrick Lamar is still young and has time to mature.

The political and socially aware “Hiiipower” gives shoutouts to Martin Luther King Jr. and Marcus Garvey, but I question the depth of the song. Something seems to hold him back. Maybe it’s the fear of sounding preachy like how Dead Prez can be or too controversial like Immortal Technique. Whatever the case may be, if anybody is looking for new hip-hop artists, Kendrick Lamar is a good recommendation. You might not agree with everything he says, but there are some good songs and interesting storytelling.

Every so often there will be a pop album that I cannot resist to like. It’s that pulsating, addicting dance music mashed in with a sensual voice oozing in sex, lust, and love. That album is Talk That Talk. Rihanna sells it, and I’m sold. 

“Where Have You Been” is the real intro of the album (not the lackluser second single “You Da One”). A nice, smooth, constant beat introduces the listener to Rihanna’s world, a dance-driven four-on-the-floor pop album. Rihanna plays the sexual deviant, searching for love through the dancefloor. Queue in the heavy bass and synthesizers. “Where have you been all my life?” she asks. “You can have all you want.” 

The lead single “We Found Love” finds Rihanna trapped in a spiralling relationship filled with drugs and alcohol. Rihanna sings her heart out of optimism, using love as an avenue to escape a “hopeless place”. It’s not particularly deep nor thought-provoking but a dance single likely to be heard at every club.

Rihanna never strays away from the subject matter, but never being too tiring. The lyrical content are not overly explicit to the point of being disgusting. Make no mistake. This album was made for singles and playlists, house parties and clubs.

That’s not to say that Talk that Talk does not have its ups and downs. The lyrics in the Bangledesh-produced “Cockiness” is just pain bad. With lines like “Suck my cock-iness, lick my puss-sausion”, who needs writers? “Birthday Cake” is the perfect length running under a minute and a half long but unnecessary and uninteresting. 

“Drunk on Love” is the highlight of the album, partially because of the addicting xx sample. Rihanna is intoxicated by the idea of love. “Take me away. I wear my heart on my sleeve.” Indeed, her interpretation of love is naive. She’s a “hopeless romantic…can’t help falling in love” maybe from listening to too much of the xx.

There are a few softer songs on the album, but to be honest they’re not particularly interesting. The soft songs are there for those that enjoy them and though Rihanna’s voice is perfectly well suited, I just don’t buy it. To me the highlights are when I don’t have to take Rihanna too seriously, and I hear a nice beat to bump my head.

Talk That Talk is nothing new nor revolutionary. Rihanna is young, beautiful, and talented. She sells her confidence, her sexual image. At this point, she has no reason to stray away from it.

Red lipstick, all on the paper.
Let me take a hit while you sit and rush.
Go ‘head, talk shit, it’s all in the paper.
Let me grab my dick while you sit on top.

She’s so confident that she could just as well be a guy.

Whether or not Rihanna truly is that confident in herself or trying to stray away from her image as a victim should not matter. Talk that Talk is good for anyone that likes pop. It’s fun and addicting.

Over the past few weeks, I have listen to Jay-z and Kanye’s Watch the Throne countless times. Just today I listened to the album four times, just trying to make up my mind of it. Many people have praised this album while others, like myself, have been very cynical. Well, after countless spins I think I’m finally able to make up an opinion.

I’m sold.

Watch the Throne is an enjoyable, though deeply flawed, ride. As expected, it has great production by an all-star team (the Neptunes, Mike Dean, and the RZA just to name a few) and features many great lines by two of the most influential artists today. At the same time, Watch the Throne lacks any lasting meaning.

The problems start at the very beginning with the album’s indecision in picking an intro. The first two tracks, “No Church in the Wild (feat. Frank Ocean)” and “Lift Off (feat. Beyonce)” do not fit right next to one another. Both may serve an intro song for any album, but we’re not talking about any album. We’re talking about a Jay-z and Kanye West album. “No Church in the Wild” features a fairly mediocre beat, while “Lift Off” is a mismatch between Beyonce’s chorus and Kanye’s unnecessary singing. Remember “The Ruler’s Back” on Jay-z’s Blueprint or more recently “Dark Fantasy” on Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy? The intro welcomed the listener and made everyone know that this is a Jay-z/Kanye album. This is suppose to be an experience unlike any other rap album.

Which brings up the next song, “Niggas in Paris”. The southern influenced beat is deceptively simple but incredibly addicting. Jay-z and Kanye laces the beat with fun typical lyrics about how great they are. 3/4th of the way through, the beat switches. The bass fills up the atmosphere. A choir breaks out, and Kanye speaks, “You are now watching the throne. Don’t let me get in my zone.” Maybe this should have been the intro song, and maybe this should have been an EP as originally planned.

“Otis”, “Gotta Have It”, and “New Day”; although features samples from Otis Redding, James Brown, Nina Simone; lacks any soul whatsoever. The songs are mostly about the two boasting again. That’s not to say that they aren’t enjoyable. I initially did not like “Otis” until I saw the music video and noticed how Jay-z and Kanye were simply enjoying themselves. “Gotta Have It” is a track that should have been left on the cutting room floor, while “New Day” features uninspiring lyrics about their unborn children.

Probably the strongest parts of the album are in the second half when Jay-z takes up most of the spotlight and Kanye West plays back up. The unnecessary Swizz Beatz chorused “Welcome to the Jungle” has Jay-z spitting about his past and its influences his present self.

I’m losing myself, I’m stuck in the moment
I look in the mirror, my only opponent
Where the fuck is the press? Where the fuck is the Pres?
Either they know or don’t care I’m fucking depressed
No crying in public, just lying to judges
Risking my life, I’m already dying, so fuck it

It’s not until “Who Gon Stop Me” that the two go in full assault with a crazy beat influenced by the UK dance scene. Kanye and Jay-z finally make something that feels like a true collaboration, but maybe it’s too little too late as there are only three tracks left. “Murder to Excellence” is my personal favorite and is a plead to end violence among black people.

And I’m from the murder capital where they murder for capital
Heard about at least three killings this afternoon
Looking at the news like “damn! I was just with him after school”
No shop class but half the school got a tool
And “I could die any day”-type attitude
Plus his little brother got shot repping his avenue
It’s time for us to stop and redefine black power
41 souls murdered in fifty hours”

It’s not a song that is totally depressing as halfway through, the beat switches to a celebration to “black excellence”. At the same time that the two are celebrating, they are observant at how few black men have achieved the same status that they.

Yeah it’s all messed up when it’s nowhere to go
So we won’t take the time out ‘til we reach the T-O-P
From paroles to hold G’s, sold keys, low keys
We like the promised land of the OG’s
In the past if you picture events like a black tie
What the last thing you expect to see, black guys?

Watch the Throne is enjoyable. It’s only sad for me to see that the two could not make a fully conceptual album. It’s obvious that the two can collaborate into making something great. They’ve done so many times in the past. And there are a few standout tracks on Watch the Throne that are just exceptional. My recommendation is to not dismiss the album on first listen. It gets better. Something that you might miss will pop up that will make the songs more enjoyable.