Rick Ross – Rich Forever (Review)

January 19, 2012 fred 7 comments

First the cashmere socks, then the loafers. You too can be Rich Forever.

“600 Benz” is my personal favorite from Maybach Music Group’s Self Made, Vol. 1, and Wale’s line of “keep on working, shorty, and you’ll be rich forever” has always stuck with me. There’s no particular reason for it to resonate the way it does, as the only ways I’ll be rich forever are by winning the lottery (unlikely), moving kilos (too dangerous), or poking holes in my condoms before I party at the University of San Diego (too bad their parties suck).

It’s more likely that Wale’s words resonated with his boss (BAWSE!) Rick Ross at a higher level, as Rozay will be rich forever as long as he doesn’t go MC Hammer on us and install a dishwasher in his bedroom (though don’t count it out, lemon pepper wings can get messy). Rich Forever is like an audio episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, except I doubt anybody featured from that show took a trip to the trap house once the show finished taping. The gaudy excess of Ross’ boasts is a bastard descendant of the Cash Money Millionaires’ tracks from the turn-of-the-century bling-bling era. If Baby hadn’t invented the platinum football field, surely Rick Ross would have one by now. I’m just thankful Ross avoided replicating their album covers.

Rich Forever’s intro, “Holy Ghost” further proves that Diddy is most effective alongside a big, ugly-yet-stylish rapper. “Dear Father, please protect me from brokeness” might be the most unintentionally hilarious rap prayer this side of DMX. Ross also introduces a new Mike Jones-esque tendency to repeat his lines, which surfaces throughout Rich Forever. The Saint Denson-produced “High Definition” starts with a clip of Mike Tyson denouncing the material riches that his boxing career brought him: “This is garbage. I bled for garbage.” Of course, Rick Ross spends the next three minutes bragging about his helicopter and his oceanfront property, amongst other things only the 1% would understand. At the risk of mentioning DMX twice in a paragraph, it’s like Darkman X’s opening prayer on his albums before he spends the next 50 minutes verbally spraying the block up. But I don’t listen to Rick Ross nor DMX for spiritual guidance. I listen to Rick Ross because I want to hear about bricks, AK-47s, Gucci loafers and $100 socks backed by some production that makes me bob my head while wearing the screwface, and “High Definition” and the rest of Rich Forever are exactly that. Rick Ross knows his appeal, and delivers on what we want from him.

However, Ross’ strength comes back to haunt him. Rich Forever is 20 tracks deep. Nobody’s album/mixtape/project/retailmixtapeLP Vol. 2 should ever be 20 songs long, ESPECIALLY if the subject matter is as limited as Ross’. With that many tracks, there’s bound to be some redundancy, which struck in the form of “Last Breath,” “I Swear to God,” “Off the Boat,” and “King of Diamonds” all sounding like the same exact song. Producer Beat Billionaire makes three appearances on the mixtape, and each of his beats sound like the same Lex Luger beat, which is complicated by the fact that all Lex Luger beats sound the same (saw a fantastic retweet by @JansportJ of someone saying that Lex Luger is the “trap 9th Wonder.”)

Ross continues to sharpen himself lyrically, and his beat selection is still among the best in the game, his love of Lex Luger knockoffs notwithstanding. The mixtape alternates between Luger-esque trap beats and the heavy, pulsing production that dominated Self Made, and could have benefited from more lush production from the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, who contributed only a single beat to this, the bleak “Triple Beam Dreams” with a clearly rejuvenated Nas. The guest spots by Nas and 2 Chainz are song-stealers, and Drake is on here as well on “Stay Schemin’,” which I’m sure you already know about. I’m not going in depth about that song and the shots at Common. This isn’t rap beef, it’s cow-flavored tofu. Will the MMG/CTE beef just happen already?!?!

Rich Forever flaunts Ross’ flashy, free-spending boss character that lives the tenets of coke rap: the paranoia and internal spiritual conflict of The Clipse, Jeezy’s many-hued collection of automobiles, Raekwon and Ghostface’s ruthlessness, and Pimp C’s well-chronicled disdain of law enforcement and haters. Ross has fully grown into his character, and is arguably making the hottest music in the industry right now. Each project is a must-listen. He’s a must-have guest verse. He’s Lil’ Wayne circa 2006-2007. Let’s just hope he holds off on the jeggings. UNGH!!

7/10

Tea Leaf Green at the Bluebird Theater, Denver (REVIEW)

January 17, 2012 Nadav 1 comment

Photo Credit: Caroline Bridges heyreverb.com

Easy To Be Your Lover by TeaLeafGreen

I had the great pleasure this past Saturday of seeing Tea Leaf Green perform live at the Bluebird Theater in Denver. This was my first show in months, but I feel like I jumped right back into the mix in a big way after these guys got going. San Francisco’s Tea Leaf Green (TLG) is a quintet of relentless tour-mongers, playing triple digit shows a year and springing up at music festivals all across the country (Roo, Jam Cruise, Wakarusa, you name it they’ve played it). They bring an insatiable enthusiasm to every show.

I first heard of these guys while at Bonnaroo in 2005, and I quickly became hooked. TLG has been playing together for more than a decade. And since their inception they have been steadily increasing in popularity. Over the last couple of years since I last saw them, it seems that they have really honed in on their collective talents and have are really meshing in their styles and sounds. For years, TLG has been gathering unfettered support from the masses, consistently hanging around that threshold where a couple more big big shows will land them their place as frontrunners of the jam scene along with Phish, String Cheese Incident, moe., and the likes! I’m telling you, if you’ve never heard of these guys, get on the bandwagon now. They’re going places.

Photo Credit: Caroline Bridges heyreverb.com

Together, Trevor Garrod (keys, vocals), Josh Clark (guitar, vocals), Scott Rager (drums), Reed Mathis (bass, vocals) and the newest member Cochrane McMillan (drums) are pushing the boundaries of their genre and reaching out to diverse crowds across the country. And yes, you read that right! DOUBLE DRUMS. Rager (aptly named) and McMillan worked seamlessly together, rolling in and out of dueling drum solos and hearty percussion rhythms. Both are as talented as any drummer I’ve seen.

Photo Credit: Caroline Bridges heyreverb.com

TLG started their show strong with Got No Friends in Arizona. They sprinkled a good number of their older tracks (and some of my personal favorites) in between a medley of newer songs that they have been touring relentlessly to promote over the last couple years. They played two full sets with a solid mix of new and old, never losing energy, never slowing down. Newer songs like You’re My Star and All Washed Up showcase a bit of their eclectic stylings and allow the duel drummer set some freedom to go at it live. One of my favorite new tracks is the song Easy to Be Your Lover, which is something like the Bee-Gees meet Strawberry Fields Forever. Give it a listen above and let me know what you think!

Photo by Caroline Bridges at heyreverb.com

TLG also rocked out to I’ve Been Seeking, Devil’s Pay, and probably their most well-known track Taught to be Proud, off the album with the same name that dropped in 2005. Below is a video of my personal favorite, a track called Morning Sun. The video is from Lincoln Hall in Chicago, IL and was performed in January 2010 (they were still a quartet). Unfortunately I was not lucky enough to hear this Saturday night, but I’ll take what I can get, and my TLG appetite was more than satisfied… for now!

Here’s a list of TLG tour dates. If they are in your area, it would behoove you to check them out. Leave a comment if you like what you hear. MJF Holla.

January ’12
1/18 (Wed) The Mill Iowa City, IA
1/19 (Thu) High Noon Saloon Madison, WI
1/20 (Fri) Lincoln Hall Chicago, IL
1/21 (Sat) 20th Century Theatre Cincinnati, OH
February ’12
2/3 (Fri) Crystal Bay Club Casino Crystal Bay, NV
2/4 (Sat) Crystal Bay Club Casino Crystal Bay, NV
2/9 (Thu) Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA
2/10 (Fri) Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
2/11 (Sat) Brooklyn Bowl Brooklyn, NY
2/12 (Sun) The Haunt Ithaca, NY
2/15 (Wed) State Theatre State College, PA
2/16 (Thu) Mr. Small’s Funhouse Millvale, PA
2/17 (Fri) World Cafe Live Philadelphia, PA
2/18 (Sat) 9:30 Club Washington, DC
2/19 (Sun) Jefferson Theatre Charlottesville, VA
March ’12
3/22 (Thu) Soul Kitchen Mobile, AL
3/23 (Fri) Georgia Theatre Athens, GA
3/28 (Wed) Grey Eagle Music Hall Asheville, NC
3/29 (Thu) Motorco Music Hall Durham, NC
3/30 (Fri) Visulite Theatre Charlotte, NC
3/31 (Sat) The Pour House Charleston, SC
April ’12
4/11 (Wed) Rogue Theatre Grants Pass, OR
4/12 (Thu) WOW Hall Eugene, OR
4/13 (Fri) Mississippi Studios Portland, OR
4/14 (Sat) Tractor Tavern Seattle, WA
4/19 (Thu) Top Hat Missoula, MT
4/20 (Fri) The Filling Station Bozeman, MT
4/21 (Sat) Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, UT
May ’12
5/31 (Thu) Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival Ozark, AR

Vince Staples – Shyne Coldchain Vol. 1 (REVIEW)

January 12, 2012 lloyd 8 comments

Vince Staples is, somewhat, the last remaining vestige of the Odd Future era that sparked who (and what) the OFWGKTA crew is now. And, for someone who wasn’t a part of the group, and only featured on a handful of the crew’s earliest, rarest material, that speaks volumes to just how dynamic a rhymer Staples is. Not only does he display the earnest, disturbingly candid imagery of a Tyler, the Creator, but he couples it with the panache for complex wordplay and delivery of an Earl Sweatshirt (matching verses with him on a career launching feature doesn’t hurt either).

The Wolf Gang comparisons aren’t exactly as applicable as they were a year ago. Thanks, greatly, to the Trillwave movement gaining some headway last year (spearheaded by the homies over at The Hood Internet and Applebird), Vince has fallen into a niche that still holds a thin tether to his OF roots, but builds a much more interesting catalog with Shyne Coldchain Vol. 1; via a brain-trust of innovative producers, and a colorful cast of MC’s around him.

Back in early November, Vince dropped “Versace Rap”, a brashly confessional three-verse exposé accented by beat-wunderkind Michael Uzowuru’s haunting boom bap background. As far as first singles go, you can’t make more of a statement than running fresh out the gate with lines like: “Never had belief in Christ, ’cause in the pictures he was white / Same color as the judge that gave my hood repeated life sentences for little shit / church I wasn’t feeling it.” And: “The only girl I ever loved turned into a bitch / If I ever see her and I got a gun, she getting chipped.” Talk about baring it all.

This jarring style of truth-before-embellishment made Staples an easy standout on tracks with contemporaries Mike G (whose Award Tour EP would be absolutely abysmal without Vince) and Speak! (whom you cannot continue to ignore), but on his solo debut, Vince takes on the world, for the most part, alone. That solitary position affirms itself almost immediately on the slow-rolling intro “Progressive”. The gunplay talk and money-fetishism is on par with pretty much any mainstream rapper, but the context is much more bleak. So, on “Trigga Witta Heart” and “Hostile”, when Vince raps about catching bodies and stockpiling stacks of cash, there’s an unnervingly subdued urgency to his delivery that sounds more like an eye-witness account, rather than the hyperbolic prose of a young Cali rapper.

That haunting delivery is a trait that could easily hurt Staples over the course of a full-length release, but, a speedy 23 minute running-time, and the attention to detail in the beats transforms Vince’s flow into less of a deterrent and more of its own instrument. Vince slyly lectures his way through “102″, but that understated flow adds to the hook’s head-banging crescendo, and puts laser-like focus on his more impressive lines: “Understand my grind is crooked; TK with an SK. Load off one mag in your car, dash, like an Armean with a sextape.” And, on “SOB”, the lone Mike G feature here (smartly relegating him to hook duty), Vince seeps his voice into the sultry soul-infused beat to the point where it almost fades away.

My only complaints with this mixtape are mainly aesthetic. It’s a bit too short for a grand introduction, but then again, as the first of a series, it’s an appropriate taste of what Staples is capable of. Also, the mixing can get in the way of the vocalists sometimes. Not that it should be studio quality, but Vince has lyrics that shouldn’t ever go unheard, and they sometimes get washed out. Those issues do, surprisingly, lend to the replay value, though. Shyne Coldchain Vol. 1 dropped December 30th of last year, and I’ve been playing it close to non-stop since. I’m not sure what it is, or where the appeal is drawn from, but call it hunch. Or, a sixth sense. Or maybe just blind fanaticism, but I’m on the Vince Staples bandwagon.

8.6/10

Grab the mixtape here

Steve Aoki – Wonderland (Review)

January 10, 2012 marc 4 comments

Discover Steve Aoki’s Wonderland for yourself on iTunes

Unfazed by the knife-flipping wizardry of Benihanna, and after majoring in Women’s Studies at UCSB Steve Aoki took his restaurant gelt to found DIM MAK RECORDS (named after Bruce Lee) in 1996.

‘Wonderland’ is only his first official studio album despite a slew of remixes from artists like Michael Jackson, Good Charlotte and yes, Drake.

On ‘Earthquakey People’ & ‘Earthquakey People (The Sequel)’ Weezer frontman Rivers Cumo sings with the newfound exuberance of a man who has just abandoned celibacy after 14 shots of Amber Rose vodka in the club. ‘Hey Steve, do you have any half-Japanese cousins?’

‘Come With Me’ featuring Polina sounds like the songs on the ‘Garden State’ soundtrack that made hipster girls the most wet. The same Thievery Corporation & Zero 7 vibes that have recently united savants like Soulja Boy & Lil B with future pharmacologist Clams Casino.

What is this? ‘Dangerous’ features a ‘zuper blahq,’ but I’ve played this game of Dance Dance Revolution before. A Bing search confirms that zuper blahq is an alter ego of Black Eyed Peas producer and skinny jeans champion Will.I.Am. The song is ripe for intergalactic breakdancing hamsters selling automobiles.

Lil Jon & Chiddy Bang offer a segue of a song built for Taco Bell and/or stadium licensing with ‘Emergency.’ I mean that in the best way possible. The song sounds like I’m about to start the gnarliest game of Madden ’08 ever.

‘Control Freak’ is a nice duet of sorts between Blaqstarr & My Name Is Kay, sounding like modern day Prince & Appolonia (or is it Spank Rock & Azealia Banks?).

‘Steve Jobs’ with Indonesian Anger Dimmas picks up the BPM and returns ‘Wonderland’ to its most lush and magical wardrobe. The 16 bit Nintendo sounds come paired with one of those classic lead synths that made everyone freak out over songs from Benny Bennassi & that Deadmau5 guy.

Another standout is ‘Cudi The Kid,’ featuring appearances from Travis Barker & Kid Cudi (pre highatus). Cudder is back if only in spirit, riding this frenetic Aoki production bolstered by Travis on the drum fills.

‘Wonderland’ is a fun pop album that encapsulates all genres from punk and hip hop to every EDM buzzword (dubstep, drum & bass, house, so-on and soforth). The album is equal parts designed to keep the clerks at H&M smiling in their knit khakis through the wee hours of the night and the Urchins snowboarding the mountains of Vermont all day (norf norf).

A few months ago when I saw a shirtless Aoki stab my friend with a broken piece of glass at a Flying Lotus show, I was shocked to find out he doesn’t drink or smoke. I’ve since realized Steve’s attention defecit-fueled drunk on life approach and his latent desire to stir-fry the status quo is what makes him fun to be around. It’s these qualities that make people want to see a Steve Aoki show and it’s these qualities that bring the best out of his collaborators here.

Definitely a good album to test drive a car to.

7.8/10

Mostly Junk Food’s Top 25 Hip-Hop Songs of 2011

December 24, 2011 Tommy World Peace 12 comments

If you thought Hip-Hop was dead in 2011, you weren’t following Mostly Junk Food. MJF’s Top 25 Hip-Hop Songs of 2011– in concert with tomorrow’s Top 25 Albums (Not Just Hip-Hop, As Some Of Our Other Writers Have Diverse and Interesting Tastes) of 2011– will shed light on the most important and influential work of the year. Study and memorize this shit. Hit the jump for the best list of the year.

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Drake – Take Care (REVIEW)

November 15, 2011 lloyd 15 comments

Take Care of Drake’s bank account by heading to iTunes.

The line between who Aubrey “Drake” Graham is and what Aubrey “Drake” Graham does is razor thin. Drake’s personal life works in direct tangent with his professional life. Separating the two hurts not only the product, but the man himself. Last year’s debut, Thank Me Later, was suffocated by the same tether of fame and high expectations, but Take Care places the Canadian rapper/singer/actor in the peculiar position of comfort in his surroundings.

As a sophomore album, Take Care grows organically from its luxurious roots. Peppered into the melodrama is silky smooth production, candid confessionals, and the aural aroma of a lovingly occupied bedroom. There’s a much more mature and adult Drake permeating through the pores of this LP, but much of that mature and adult Drake is restrained by the professional life that has anchored most of his creative progress to this point.

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Childish Gambino – Camp (REVIEW)

November 14, 2011 lloyd 84 comments

Hop in your parents’ station wagon and take a trip to Camp on iTunes

I’ve got a bone to pick with writer, actor, comedian and rapper Donald Glover. Performing under the pseudonym Childish Gambino, Glover has carved somewhat of a niche in the indie hip-hop community with his brand of sub-pop, alternative rap. While his Culdesac mixtape, and last years’ EP, built a loyal fanbase for Gambino, I’ve never personally been completely sold on him as a musician. On Camp, CG’s first official release, Glover takes everything that gave him any semblance of sympathy and essentially swaps that for the cocky, womanizing, douche-nerd that turned me off in the first place.

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NERO at 1stBank Center, Broomfield CO (REVIEW)

November 8, 2011 Nadav No comments yet

Download The Streets Blinded By The Lights Nero Remix

For the capstone to his massive Mothership tour, Skrillex enlisted the talents of Nero, Skream, and Benga to bolster the lineup for the Spooky Tings Halloween show at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, CO.

Nero is a (primarily) dubstep duo out of London consisting of Daniel Stevens and Joe Ray. Nero takes a totally different approach to dubstep music than their American counterparts. For those of you with hangups about dubstep music, check out Nero because the duo will definitely not conform to your normal perceptions of the genre. After smashing the UK charts with a number of singles in 2010 and 2011 and their debut album ‘Welcome Reality’, they have brought their talents stateside this fall, including their stop just outside Denver on Halloween weekend.

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A$AP Rocky – LiveLoveA$AP (REVIEW)

November 6, 2011 lloyd 16 comments

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Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto (REVIEW)

November 4, 2011 lloyd 1 comment

Follow Mylo and Xyloto’s journey on iTunes

There comes a time when “background” and “establishing the subject” simply cannot apply. You know who Coldplay is, what Coldplay does, and to what scale they do it. As do I. No amount of padding would condone any further elaboration. So, Mylo Xyloto: Good? Bad?

Honestly, both.
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Dubstep is Good for you: MiMOSA’s Sanctuary & Fillmore Concert

November 1, 2011 Nadav 5 comments

Castle In The Sky by TigranMiMoSA

Alright dubstep fans and haters alike. It’s time to Re:Generate that discussion from a couple weeks ago. In case you missed it, clink the link to read about some of the issues a couple of fellow MJF writers have with dubstep music: Womp Womp: Our Issues with Dubstep. The comments are particularly interesting, and it definitely gets a little heated. I’m not here to change your taste in music, but I want to use MiMOSA’s concert at the Fillmore Auditorium to respond to some arguments and put out the other side. Frankly, I agree with a plenty of the arguments against dubstep, but there is a lot of hate being thrown on the genre as a whole, and I think a lot of naysayers are failing to distinguish the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between those artists whose music gets classified in the incredibly broad category of dubstep. Tigran-MiMOSA, on tour to promote his most recent album drop, Sanctuary, dropped by Denver to sell out the legendary Fillmore Auditorium on Saturday night. I checked it out, and I encourage you to hit the jump and read about the potential for GOOD dubstep music; music that even the staunchest Skrillex haters can enjoy. All you people who hate dubstep because you don’t like some of the more excessive or eccentric artists within the genre, please check out a show by an artist whose music is not so simply defined. As MiMOSA himself notes, “I’m steering away from aggressive tones, but at the same time trying to find different avenues to get the same crowd response that a big bass drop would get.” And while the outcome of the work is still being defined as new listeners begin to check out this west-coast export, it’s clear that his versatility as an artist goes hand in hand with his refusal to be tied down by any particular sound or style, and certainly spans the genre spectrum way beyond just “dubstep.”

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M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (REVIEW)

October 26, 2011 lloyd No comments yet

Hurry up and dream with M83 over at iTunes.

In 2008, there existed a very different version of Anthony Gonzalez. Still the ceremonious-voiced, wailing creator and, “technically”, frontman of French electronic outfit M83, he seemed to have added something. Gone was the DIY, pet project vibe of Gonzalez’ earlier efforts (namely Dead Cities), and in was the John Hughes soundtrack that was Saturdays = Youth. Coincidentally, that was also the summer soundtrack to many-a sundress wearing, wayfarer rocking, 20-somethings who probably looked nothing like Molly Ringwald to begin with.

The progression towards a more vast, accessible sound was one that fit Gonzalez like a glove, but advancing beyond it for a follow-up would present itself as M83′s biggest obstacle. How does a relatively famous band take a sound that broke them trough an album ago, and still deliver on the expectations of the base that propelled them to the spotlight? Simple: Go bigger!

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