haha!

I know plenty of Prince, man. Fun fact: Batman was the first album I ever bought on CD haha.

I think 1999 is great... but not a 10/10 (or 5/5 or whatever you wanna call it) to me. It's up there. But not quite.

in the latest episode of noiseredux's Spotify Survivor:


Flatbush Zombies - 3001 A Laced Odyssey
Bill Frisell - When You Wish Upon A Star
Future - Evol
Heliocentrics - From The Deep
Kendrick Lamar - Untitled Unmastered
Anderson Paak - Malibu
Rihanna - Anti
2 Chainz - Collegrove

I have been listening to Kevin Gates Islah LP a lot. It is quite cohesive as an album and sonically too. My man does it his way.


I have been listening to mixtapes, catching up and shit.

Ty Dolla $ign - FRee TC
Love the extended version of Blase' on this, and I dig like half the tracks. I am not too big on the R&B stuff though

Young Thug - I'm Up
Couple of tracks I really dig (Hercules, My Boys) but a few duds

Travi$ Scott - Rodeo
Fuck I love this thing. I am still getting into parts of it, and I already adore Antidote like nothing that's come out of Houston in years. Travis likes his music production a bit more complex and shall I say, Proggy? I dig it.

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
Finally got this. Finally GET IT. Great full LP, tracks flow from one to the other cohesively, Classic, like old school PE or a great Gang Starr LP....

Future - Evol
Not sure how I feel about this as a whole. I dig on some tracks, but nothing really stands out to me like some of the peak tracks in Monster.

Travi$ Scott - Mamacita (feat. Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan)
I have been loving this track since I first caught the video on the tube of you. Fucking LOVE THIS SONG. I am married to one of them light skinned mamacitas from H-Town! "She get freaky with the lights down, nothing like them lightskinned mamacitas from H town, got them porn star big booties, let me film it then shoot it...." https://youtu.be/RH9kl6XZixo

has oddly become one of my fav albums so far this year.

I agree. It's a classic and it's excellent, but it's not perfect.

Sign O' the Times, the critical favorite and the album of choice for white music nerds who were raised to think of the White Album as the gold standard chaotic of rock n' roll creativity (like me), is a perfect 10/10 (5/5, whatever) in my opinion. And Purple Rain would have to be a 5/5, though perhaps not a 10/10.

The rest of his albums for me range between 1 (Hitnrun) to 7-8 (For You, Controversy, Batman).... Definitely a lot of shit to wade through in the past 20 years, but like Bowie, for every turd of a moment there's a majestic, beautiful, culture defining moment to balance it out. Just the chorus of "For You" makes most of his crap totally worth it. The verse on "Little Red Corvette" is so heavenly it makes hell itself seem a small, reasonable price to pay for the existence of such beauty.

I even like some of his duds, man. At least, some of the albums that are generally viewed as duds. I like The Love Symbol, Chaos and Disorder and Emancypation because I grew up with that shit. I couldn't unlike it if I tried. Those albums were released during my formative years, and I found them shocking and fascinating, totally different from everything else I was listening to back then. I don't fuck with a LOT of his more recent stuff (and by meow recent I probably mean... from the past 15 years) because I think he's a bit lost, and may be resting on his laurels while he does a bit of whatever the fuck pops into his head.

I didn't imply that you didn't.. I didn't mean "you" as in you in particular, it wasn't really directed at you or anyone else. Just talked about my own experience. Sorry if it came off this way.

I have a soft spot for 1999 and honestly it was always easy for me to consider an album I enjoy a lot from start to finish a "10/10" (not that I'm a critic or anything so it doesn't matter, lol). But I get your point.

You're into Travi$ Scott? I thought I was the only one who dig Rodeo. I ate a ton of shit for liking that album (right here, in last year's hip hop cafe, mostly from pepper_green I think...) and I don't think I ever had anyone back me up. I am super glad you like the record. It was unfairly dismissed as being too derivative of too many different artists, which honestly I don't get. For example, it was compared to Yeezus a lot, but Trav helped sculpt the sound and feel of Yeezus, so it's not really fair to say that he's ripping off Kanye. He's part of Ye's "think tank" and for all we know, that's Travi$'s own input that he's "ripping off." I also don't agree with Pitchfork that the album sounds like Future, Thug, or Drake either.

Anyway glad you like it. It's kind of messy, but it pushes at some sonic boundaries for what hip hop is and can be and I like that.

Re: Future - Evol
I actually enjoy this record more than I enjoy Future. I'm in a perpetual state of indecision on the guy. But even though I don't listen to it often, Evol has been fun for me.

Re: Kendrick - super glad you're digging TPAB. It takes a while, doesn't it? But damn, some of those tracks are just so goddamn good. "The Blacker the Berry" should have received more attention. I prefer it to King Kunta as far as upbeat bangers go. But "Mortal Man" is just my jam.

Interestingly I read that Prince was in the studio during "These Walls," which borrows from the man himself and sounds like it might contain some live vocals from him, though I can't find any confirmation on that. Just that they "shared a studio" for the song (???)

WOO! Hi-five.

Lol!! This was great to read.

I read Prince was supposed to be featured on Complexion but they ended up just talking and didn't come up with anything until they realized the "studio time" was up.

Hahahaha!!!

Man if y'all like Prince so much then you're gonna love Miguel, whom I've been listening to A LOT in the past few months. Kaleidoscope Dream and especially Wildheart which is more rock orientated. He hasn't made his definitive classic yet (on the level of Sign O or Purple Rain) but he's definitely on the right path.

In fact Prince digs him so much that he asked him to perform Purple Rain, which he refused cuz he (rightfully) thought that nobody should touch it!

Also, I got Free TC too, finally, despite my previous comments about being "done" with Ty$. After I realized that it was him singing on "Real Friends" (or rather, after Louder told me it was him ;) ) my faith was restored and my interest was renewed.

I see how much he brings to the songs on The Life of Pablo that he contributes to, and I'm really glad he was involved with the project. Free TC actually reminds me a bit of TLOP, as it has a gospel feel and is also longer than it should be.

Prince inspired: D'Angelo, Maxwell, Miguel, Pharrell, Timberlake (SexyBack and probably FutureSex/LoveSounds as a whole), Janelle Monae and most recently A.K. Paul (listen to this shit and tell me it doesn't sound like a straight Prince tribute).. I believe he also had a hand in creating the current alt-R&B (the Toronto wave.. "PBR&B"? Fuck all those terms, you know what I mean) sound that a lot of new artists are on. 20 years later, his influence is still going strong.

Hey did any of you guys ever listen to Bas's Too High to Riot? I feel like I mentioned it at least a month ago.

I haven't actually listened to it again since those first few days, but what was I supposed to do? There's new Kanye and Kendrick out at the same time! I'm afraid I've been pretty much confined to those two new records for the past month. I've listened to some new releases as they drop, but as soon as they're over, I'm back to blasting "Untitled 01" or "Ultralight Beams." My musical growth has been stunted.
...
Can't wait for new Pusha T (who. apparently, everyone here has forgotten about... I don't recall hearing anyone comment on Darkest Before Dawn, and nobody seems to care that he's dropping King Push in less than a month!)

I will also give Views from the 6 a fair chance, but I'm more looking forward to it being over than I am to hearing it. Not sure why.

Here's what's on my... uhh... I don't play Spotify Survivor. I just have a couple of 7th gen iPod classics that hold about a lifetime's worth of music between them... so...

Kanye - Pablo (lie, literally every day)
Kendrick - untitled unmastered.
Moderat - III
Underworld - Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future
Heron Oblivion - Heron Oblivion
Glitterbust - Glitterbust

With or without Drake, April is gonna be one exciting month. We get new dvsn (new R&B group signed to his OVO imprint), Jai and A.K. Paul, BEYONCE, new Terrace Martin (Kendrick's producer on some straight jazz shit), that unreleased Dilla joint and who knows what else..

Been losing interest in hip hop throughout the last few months. The Curren$y and Alchemist tape was enjoyable for a couple of listens, that's it. The Kevin Gates album was good but I enjoyed it for like a good week then moved on.

With that said, I'm still hyped for whatever TDE does (Isaiah Rashad, I got my eyes on you), Chance the Rapper and perhaps more than everyone else at the moment, EARL SWEATSHIRT (trying to seem serious and then typing his full name doesn't really work, but you get my drift), I genuinely believe he's gonna kill everyone when his next project drops.

Ain't nobody triller than Scott....

ha!

Here is the thing that so many people do not understand about Houston music, whether it be hip hop (Geto Boys, Travi$ Scott, etc.), freakfolk (Jandek, Charalambides), metal (Dead Horse, Academy Black), noise freakrock (Rusted Shut), Free jazz/funk (Free Radicals), and garage prog (The MIke Gunn, Sugar Shack). H-town music is deeply involved in psychedelics. Everyone in Houston goes through a heavy LSD phase for some reason. It is always available and cheap and has been since I can remember. There is always a hallucinatory element to Houston music, and Travi$ Scott specifically has that, and even discusses being on acid in songs.
Back in the day The Geto Boys did an interview with Jim and Debbie Goad's magazine ANSWER ME!, and they discussed how Houston is full of every kind of mind-altering substance and that even in the hardest ghetto there are acid heads and mushroom heads..... Maybe it's the heat.

Either way, TRavis Scott has it in spades.


Out of all the shit I have been listening to, however, Kevin Gates is the best RAPPER. He could have flowed on any track in any time, 70's 80's 90's 00's and now.....

so do only white kids listen to shit like Action Bronson? I have never heard anything by him and wonder if ayone digs it and has some recommendations?

Speaking of Prince, Art Official Age was a solid late career album. His "Next Day" if that makes sense..

he's awesome.

Mr. Wonderful from last year ended up in my Top 10 albums of the year list.

Prince inspired Ween too. :D

Revisiting Doris.. what a nice album. I still prefer I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside but the production on Doris was "sunnier" at parts which is something I'm wishing to hear on his next one.

https://soundcloud.com/important_man...yam-questpower

^ Just a throwaway, but possibly Earl's best song to date. Is it too much to ask for an album that sounds like this the whole way through?

I vastly prefer Doris, but overall I'm not really feeling Earl or Tyler anymore. I'm excited about Genesis, and of course Frank Ocean's the fucking man, but I didn't like I Don't Like Shit. Because, y'know, I don't like shit. ;)

Blue Chips and Mr. Wonderful, bra.

No idea what "kids" of any color listen to, honestly. Except for Taylor Swift (and yeah, only white kids for sure in her case).

Damn bro, I don't even associate Earl with Tyler anymore. Earl is much closer to Vince in my opinion (whom he'd also rather hang out with nowadays). I Don't Like Shit had some of the hardest bars on every album last year, just quotables on quotables.. and I can completely understand why Earl considers it his first real album. Tyler was clearly the creative force behind the EARL tape and most of Doris, hence why they were riddled with edge and other Tyler-esque characteristics. Earl is a cool ass dude though, not only one of the most talented rappers I've heard but also really smart and chill.

90% of the crowds at Fetty Wap concerts are white teens.....

Pretty sure every rapper has at least a decent amount of white teenage fans. Except Boosie, maybe..

Doris is a masterpiece. Everything else from Earl not so much.. then again it wouldn't be a masterpiece if every album was or tried to be

I Don't Like Shit was just a mini album to capture the phase he was getting through depression, it was a special little project which showed progression in some ways.. ain't nothing else like it in hip hop. His next album will be the bomb though.

The progression from Earl to Doris alone was already pretty mindblowing. Earl took 3 years to learn how to produce and then came up with a beat and a song like Sunday.. this kid is mad talented, seriously.

I love Taylor Swift.

My favorite Earl album is EARL.

I love 1999. got me through rough times. something in the water yea the part where he softly bitch slaps the mic haha!!. Dirty Mind is the 10/10. btw I crack myself up!!!

oh there's also that Dump album with great Prince covers. I always get upset when someone's calls Prince a fag.

Yeah she's cool. And we know you love her ;)

Personally I don't think anything prior to 1989 was very interesting or even catchy. But "Bad Blood" gets stuck in my head frequently, and it's not an unpleasant feeling. Same goes for "Out of the Woods," and to a lesser degree "Shake it off." But "Blank Space" puzzles me. I remember hearing that on the radio when 1989 first dropped, but I didn't think it was Taylor Swift. The thought never crossed my mind. In fact I was pretty sure it was that "all about that bass" chick, because it was so goddamn hokey and generic sounding.

I'm not a fan, and I kind of loathe her for being a rich kid to begin with, and an Abercrombie model at that, who had all kinds of industry connections and a family that was willing to move around the country so she could do whatever. Also, when I heard that her brother "Austin" posted a video of himself throwing his Yeezy boots in the garbage after "Famous," I thought ... ughhh... Of COURSE Taylor Swift has a brother named Austin, and of course he can afford to throw away Yeezy boots even though he's 21. Everyone I've ever met named Austin is a fucking asshole. It's one of those names that doesn't age past 25, and only really works in California, for surfing instructors and various other types of human shit.

I also hate that people treat her like she's John Lennon just because she writes (some of) her own lyrics and can strum a guitar. I've heard people argue that she's better than Beyoncé and Rihanna simply because she writes lyrics. That's insane. Her lyrics are not what's appealing about her music. They're ludicrously simplistic. Beyoncé could were that shit if she wanted to. She'd rather have a better song.

But sill, Taylor is an acceptable role model and she tries to be fair and classy. She gets a bit too much credit for it though. Beyoncé tries to be fair and classy and polite too, and she didn't win album of the year. Maybe she should have learned the most basic guitar chords and strummed them a few times.

meh. that's a mouth full of taylor swift and fuck you? really? she's ok. but she's pop. perfect for your popism gullible mind.

I didn't like "I don't like Shit" cause it got old and gave me a headache, I know you think that so punk rock and all and innovating but, it sucks. see, rapping gets old. I like singing cause it's more expressive. some young fucktard like Earl doesn't move me. he can influence some other retarded dumb asshole just like Eminem influenced.

I think you guys are pussy! straight up wimps! yeah I said it and spread it. I ain't fucking around nigga.