[louder]

I Don't Like Shit is my favorite behind TPAB, I prefer it over Summertime '06 at this point. It's a humble project, sorta bleak ambient with soothing outro's (which at times even sound hopeful). Earl has improved a lot as a rapper since Doris. On this album he spits a lot of confident bars about how he's better than your favorite rapper and all the bitches want him now. The rest of the the time he talks about dealing with issues such as depression, losing his grandma, fake friends and collagues, etc. It's very relatable stuff, well written of course cuz Earl is gifted like that, dude has been killing it since a very young age. This album is basically bars after bars, very short and to the point, always leaves me wanting more.

I think it was just a mini album to hold us over until his next album which will be the real deal, he's been working with top producers like Knxlewdge (who was on TPAB), Mike Will, Metro Boomin, etc..

[Severian]

Originally Posted by louder

Hahaha, I guess I get why it's so difficult for y'all to enjoy TPAB, but I just don't feel the same way.

It's not that it's difficult to enjoy. Not for me anyway. It's more that it ... How do I put this... it's kind of like Druqks, which is of course one of my favorite albums of all time by one of my, like, top 3-4 artists ever... But despite how much I love it, I hesitate before putting it on sometimes because it's kind of a mad trip ("kind of" being an extreme understatement here).

I love TPAB. I love "Blacker the Berry", which is just a fucking outright banger... I love "King Kunta" and I think "Alright" might be one of the songs of the decade. But sometimes I'm not in the mood to hear "this dick ain't freeeeeee!" over and over and over and over. It's like an experimental album in the truest sense. It just isn't exactly an easy album, but in many ways that's a great thing.

You know what I mean.

[Severian]

I don't like shit hasn't done much for me. And Cherry Bomb, which was an admirable effort, hasn't found its way back into my heavy rotation since... I don't know- a couple weeks after it dropped.

Action Bronson's album was good, but I rocked it for a while and then stopped. Same with GFK's albums.

The records that have really survived the year for me are Vince and Kendrick, Drake, Joey, and that's about all I can think of at the moment.

Meanwhile Underachievers lost me. What a disappointment their album was.

This year I listened to a lot of beat albums, like Knxwledge's Hud Dreams, and a lot of electronic production heavy shit like HudMo and Botany and Prefuse 73.

I think buying tons of albums every week has severely limited my ability to enjoy music in the moment. This year, there were so few albums that held my attention all year, but that's probably because there were only a handful that I actually listened to regularly from beginning to end. I'm trying a different approach in 2016.

[Severian]

Kendrick Lamar nominated for 11 Grammys and pitted against Taylor Swift, like, a million times.

Also new Pusha T out Dec 18th

[louder]

Originally Posted by Severian

It's not that it's difficult to enjoy. Not for me anyway. It's more that it ... How do I put this... it's kind of like Druqks, which is of course one of my favorite albums of all time by one of my, like, top 3-4 artists ever... But despite how much I love it, I hesitate before putting it on sometimes because it's kind of a mad trip ("kind of" being an extreme understatement here).

I love TPAB. I love "Blacker the Berry", which is just a fucking outright banger... I love "King Kunta" and I think "Alright" might be one of the songs of the decade. But sometimes I'm not in the mood to hear "this dick ain't freeeeeee!" over and over and over and over. It's like an experimental album in the truest sense. It just isn't exactly an easy album, but in many ways that's a great thing.

You know what I mean.

Understandable.

[louder]

Originally Posted by Severian

Kendrick Lamar nominated for 11 Grammys and pitted against Taylor Swift, like, a million times.

Also new Pusha T out Dec 18th

I'm bummed they didn't give Black Messiah album of the year nomination.

I'm happy for Kendrick but you know it could turn out the same way it did two years ago.. a pure rap album never actually won album of the year at the grammys. "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" and "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" were the closest but I wouldn't even consider those rap/hip-hop. If he wins he'll make history.

Push is gonna kill it!

[Severian]

Originally Posted by louder

I'm bummed they didn't give Black Messiah album of the year nomination.

I'm happy for Kendrick but you know it could turn out the same way it did two years ago.. a pure rap album never actually won album of the year at the grammys. "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" and "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" were the closest but I wouldn't even consider those rap/hip-hop. If he wins he'll make history.

Push is gonna kill it!

Yeah, what the fuck?! Why did D'Angelo get a nod? It seems like the album would actually kind of perfectly represent the underdog-return those Grammy chumps go for. I can see it winning. In fact, I just assumed it was nominated for AOTY, so much so that I didn't even notice it wasn't!

Regarding rap albums, I've never actually looked into the Grammys Kanye has won, but I thought either Late Reg. or Graduation had won Album of the Year. Not true? I think he was at least nominated for the award for each of his first 3 albums, which is pretty impressive.

[Severian]

I think 1989 is going to walk away with best album. Unless the Grammys decide to take race relations in 2015 into account. In which case it would be both stupid not to give it to Kendrick, and also kind of insultingly conciliatory.

[Rob Instigator]

I have seen a certain video on Houston's TV show Street Flava. I cannot find it anywhere on youtube or online, and maybe I am doing it wrong?

Here is the hook

First I pour in the yola
then I put in the soda
add in the heated water
(?) and make it blow up
watch how I whip it
watch how I whip it



I hate cocaine but I love me these cocaine raps. goddamnit! I have no idea who does this track.... Street Flava does not publish a setlist of videos shown.

[Rob Instigator]

Is this the single worst rap video ever? Is it the most "real?" It is rated R (NSFW). Horrible!

BuDouble & Young Pappy - "Whip It"
https://youtu.be/Gv_qB5x-aPg

[Severian]

Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" is Pitchfork's choice for #1 Track of 2015.

That seems like a very unpitchforklike choice. They usually leave the artier choices for album of the year, and choose more immediate and poppy songs for their tracks list.

Methinks there's a little bit of socio-political asskissery at work here. I was putting my money on "Hotline Bling" (#2), based on the super coverage the song received, and how it was basically named "song of the summer." I love "Alright" and think it's a totally worth choice for song of the year, but I think p4k is trying to get a little zeitgeisty by selecting it when in the past they've selected a pretty steady stream of bangers, crossover pop hits and infectious indie tracks.

I don't see how any album other than TPAB could possibly get claim their #1 spot, but now I wonder, because I believe they try not to award the track and album honors to the same artist, even though that's exactly what they did last year with Run the Jewels 2/"Close your eyes (and count to fuck)".

I wonder if Drake won't end up taking #1 album. Hmm.

[Severian]

Hey louder, are you considering Black Messiah a 2014 or 2015 album?

[louder]

Originally Posted by Severian

Hey louder, are you considering Black Messiah a 2014 or 2015 album?

2014 to me. It's funny because up until it came out I was convinced I'd go with Piñata for the best album of that year, it really caught me off guard.


My choice for "album of the year" for every year of the current decade so far:


2010: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. No question here. There's no other album out there that sounds like it. Like Pusha said a few days ago, this album should be discussed forever.

2011: n/a. We had: Section.80, Watch the Throne, Nostalgia ULTRA, House of Balloons, Take Care.. so I guess it's a 5 way tie. All good projects but nothing stood out in particular. This year was basically a sign of things to come, it had me prepared.

2012: Good Kid, m.A.A.d city (Changed my mind from Channel ORANGE. I prefer the writing and execution on GKMC now).

2013: Yeezus. This album was so ballsy and just as surprising as MBDTF. It's an intense album. I feel like some of the lyrics were overlooked. "Meanwhile the D.E.A. teamed up with the C.C.A."? "Blood on the Leaves"?? Kanye is dropping knowledge on our heads! He has learned a lot since MBDTF and IT SHOWS!! I'd say Nothing Was the Same comes 2nd. It's a good album but just pales in comparsion. Drake isn't completely there yet as a lyricist.

2014: Black Messiah. I feel like this album is underrated, due to its minimal promo and the timing of its release. Yet it inspired my next album of the year a lot, both musically and thematically, over the span of a few months. That's crazy.

2015: To Pimp a Butterfly. Where do I even begin with this album? "Mind of a literate writer but I did it in fact, you admitted it once I submitted it wrapped in plastic..", Kendrick is not only one of the best rappers OF ALL TIME in terms of delivery and rapping technique, he also has a certain way with words that simply blows me away. He's a poet. And I feel like TPAB, along with MBDTF, has the most detailed production on every hip hop album ever. The instrumentation here is dynamic and tells a story along with the rapping. You can hear spirituality, friends who passed away, finding your true self.. it's so beautiful.

[Severian]

2010: MBDTF
2011: Women - Public Strain
2012: *shrug*
2013: Yeezus
2014: Aphex Twin - Syro
2015: looking like it's going to be Hudson Mohawke - Lantern or Simple Songs by Jim O'Rourke... there's still time!

[Severian]

Maybe good kid for me for 2012, but I also remember that was the year of Sweet Heart, Sweet Light by Spiritualized, GOOD Music: Cruel Summer by Kanye West, and several other badass albums that aren't quite coming to mind for some reason.

[Severian]

Ok, so Pusha T's Darkest Before the Dawn sounds better on first listen than any other hip hop album of the year.

Kendrick has the lyrics, sure.
Vince has the new blood and the insane atmosphere.

But Pusha has the beats, the rhymes, the hooks that dig deep into the psyche.

Jesus fuck, this album is hot as shit y'all. I'm not even kidding.

Money, pussy, alcohol.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by pepper_green

sometimes only louder seems like the only one here that can dig the classic R&B and get the connection. the rest of you come off as popist dweebs. like loving only the new/old trap beats trumps old soul stomping songs everytime with ya'll.

Hey, that's not fair. I love old R&B, and I love new R&B. I'm a fiend for Otis Redding, and was long before Ye and Hov dropped "Otis." I love Ray Charles, Al Green, James Brown... There's a lot of music I love that I don't get much of a chance to talk about here.

Trap doesn't even really appeal to me. I'm all about beats and production and originality. I don't even see it as a proper genre. It's more of a lyrical tradition.

But if you don't think trap and soul mix, listen to TREE... Or, Jesus, Ghostface!

That office space clip has been used to describe me more than once just in my time on SYG though, so... Fair enough on that. Well played.

[noisereductions]

sev talks a lot about electronic stuff too.

[noisereductions]

I admit I talk about a lot of 90's stuff. I do feel kind of stuck there sometimes, at least as far as 'guitar' music goes. I find it increasingly difficult to care about new rock music really.

[Severian]

I think I'm stuck in electronic land entirely. I almost never listen to anything else, unless it's an established favorite like Kanye, Velvets, Sonic Youth.

I'm actually really surprised that list has as little electronic shit on it as it does. I may need to change it, because the absence of Squarepusher, Prefuse 73, RP Boo, Jlin, Lotic, etc. is really bumming me out now that I think on it.

I'm not saying I'm the most well rounded guy in the world, but don't accuse me of choosing trap over soul. If that were the case, I'd be hyping Future and Young Thug like most folks.

I can't help getting swept up in discussions about the good old days of Pavement and Sebadoh and Yo La Tengo, nor can I keep myself from finding the good in Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. But I almost never listen to any of that stuff at this point in my life.