Danny Brown - XXX

Last year, the Odd Future movement dominated hip hop headlines.

The crew out of L.A. grabbed the attention of everyone starting with it's leader, Tyler the Creator, and their lack of concern for anything that people may have thought offensive.  The shock rap movement created a stir among a lot of hip hop heads, which was a polarizing argument in itself.  When is shock rap intelligent?  Is it even considered smart lyricism?  Should we be praising the OF gang for it's injection of new flavor to hip hop or criticizing everyone for giving a bunch of teens attention that should be reserved for artists who stick to the roots?

Odd Future didn't come from nothing.  Contrary to how horrible Tyler may claim his life was, he was enrolled in school his entire teen years and had a mother who was there for him.  Shit, the dude even had a job with UPS (that he's gone on record saying that it caused him to want to rap because he didn't want to end up like the rest of those he worked with).  So while Tyler certainly has things to be upset about and his life is far from perfect, his lyrics reflect a tormented individual, rather than a product of his environment.

Step in Daniel Sewell.  Sewell, a.k.a. Danny Brown, grew up in the slums of Detroit and like most African Americans residing in that area, he had nothing.  His father, who was 16 when Sewell was born, was there and was a house DJ, but had trouble paying the bills, as DJing wasn't (and still isn't, unless you're really good and can make some connections along the way) the most lucrative career.  Sewell grabbed inspiration from his father's DJing, but also from an unlikely source: Dr. Seuss.  His mother would read him the Seuss books as a young boy and Sewell began to try and talk in rhyme after hearing the latest story.

Sewell didn't have a mid-life "I should be a rapper" realization like some, as he wanted to be an MC from the day he could understand what one was.  He formed a Detroit based rap group called Rese'vor Dog and they released Runispokets-N-Dumpemindariva in 2003.  The album never got much attention, but it did give Sewell a look from Roc-A-Fella records.  A look was all it ever turned out to be however, as after Sewell went to record in a Roc-A-Fella studio in NYC, the rapper was dismissed as a candidate to sign.

After years of trying to get his name back on the underground artist watch, Sewell became friends with G-Unit's Tony Yayo.  Speculation swirled around whether Sewell would sign there, but he dismissed the idea almost as quickly as Roc-A-Fella did with him (and thank God he did).

So in 2011, Sewell finally found a home in Fools Gold Records (also home of Kid CuDi and Lil' B) and prepared for his debut release.  Yet, Sewell was unlike many rappers working on a start up record, as he was 30 years old at the time he recorded it.  I had never heard of Danny Brown until last year, and I'm guessing I'm in the majority there.  In fact, the only reason I did hear about him was that every time I'd enter the "Best Mixtapes 2011" into the Google search bar, Brown's XXX popped up.  I wasn't familiar with Brown and had no idea what to expect, but one day I got bored of listening to the Wu and Game's shitty R.E.D. album, so I gave Brown a chance.

Here's what I found..

1. XXX

The first time I heard this, I remember thinking "what the fuck am I listening to?".  I hadn't been familiar with Brown's obnoxious tone before, so for me, or really anyone hearing Mr. Brown for the first time, it took some adjusting to.  Once I got over the initial shock of this though, I began to actually try and figure out what exactly Brown was talking about, which turned out to be himself.  There's some good lines in this one (my particular favorite was "Sorta like Neo with them Matrix codes/I try to escape it hoping drugs a numb a soul) but what's most interesting is Danny himself.  Brown addresses the fact that he's "getting old and times running out" and you get some real insight into how fucked up this dude's life is.  This isn't Tyler bitching about everyone else or wanting to slap some bitch till she bleeds (which is kind of comical, just not honest), this is real and we are just hitting the surface of who really is Danny Brown. (I didn't even mention how the beat on this was pretty well done, but you don't even give it that much attention because of how interested you are in hearing Brown's story.  It may be one song, but that's already a terrific sign).

2. Die Like a Rockstar

The first five seconds of this song had my attention with the drum solo to kick things off.  Now, before I get to actually reviewing this one, Brown could've gone two ways with this at this point:

A. He falls into what I call the "Barker" or "Carter" trap, which is where the MC insists that he needs a sort of punk or hard rock instrumental that he can rap over, then subsequently believes that the track is "creative" or "unique" because of it (as seen with Game's "Dope Boys" or Wayne's entire Rebirth album).

B. He does what he ends up doing, which is sticking to his sound and using the drums as something to enhance the meaning of the track, rather than take away from it.  The beat for this is crazy as fuck and it's great because of that.  Again though, the star of the show is Brown's storytelling, rather than what supplements it.  He rattles off 13 different celebrities, including Brittany Murphy, a name I hadn't even heard since she died three years ago.  This shit was not only fun to listen to, it was pretty damn creative.  It's also consistent with who Brown is, because while the rockstar/celebrity mentions are cool, he isn't just randomly making a song about them.  He made it because he thinks it's actually how he will die.

3. Pac Blood

Brown is murdering the tape at this point.  What I really liked about this one is that Brown seems to have actually come down from his adderall for this one, and he shreds the two verses given to him, like these lines for instance:

One writing scriptures bringing tears to princess

Every time I indent, you can see the intent

Leave your mind bent, hanging on the every sentence

Have no apprentice, style uninherited

Laughing at you peasants cause my penmanship is excellent

Laughing at you peasants cause my penmanship??  Wow.  Not only has Brown proven to me at this point that he has a lot to say, but also: he's really fucking good at saying it.  Add to the fact that he has another stellar track of production behind him, and you've got the Daryl "WOW" factor moment for XXX. (Worth also mentioning: the hook for this is straight fire.  Yes, I said fire, and yes, I am still white.  But there's no other way for me to describe it.  When you say "make Sarah Palin deep-throat till she hiccup", you've got some serious swagger)

4. Radio Song

Tyler should be taking notes, because this is how you make a song about the incessant need for labels to have a single (actually, a better example would be GZA's "Labels", but I digress..).  I liked how Brown turned the hook into a parody and addressing how god awful most singles' hooks are.  His second verse is similar to "Die Like a Rockstar" as he uses numerous examples of low quality singles to back up his point.  The beat here isn't quite as good as the first three tracks, but put into the context of Brown's raps, it fits perfectly.  All I know is that whatever Brown has been drinking to get his creative juices flowing, I need some of that shit ASAP.

5. Lie4

This song interested me for a few reasons:

- First, Brown proves that he cannot avoid calling out those who have been haters in the past (which, from the sounds of Brown on this, it's amazing he held it in for this long).  He demonstrates that small Odd Future element here (you know, the only one OF has, not giving a fuck), but again, he is most certainly not OF reincarnated in Detroit.

- Which brings me to another reason I found this song appealing.  Brown uses his hook to show that he doesn't need to lie in order to make money.  He's already been signed, while staying honest to himself.  So he doesn't have to put out an image that he wants people to see, but isn't really who he is.

- Brown also shows that, while he is an incredibly talented writer and a sort of rebel to the hip hop industry, he is just like any other MC who gets signed and makes money.  He spends it and he spends it on everything else that most rappers do.

- Lastly, the production on this tape is oozing with goodness at this point.  The diversity from track to track has thoroughly impressed me and this one is no different.  I actually put this one at a party I hosted to see how the reaction would be (which turned out to be pretty damn favorable, reassuring me that Brown is certainly marketable).

6. I Will

A swift change from the raw, club induced beat of "Lie4", this one also doesn't disappoint.  Brown, this time, uses a track to talk to another girl (one that is obviously DTF) and, while this is a subject that has beat the dead horse so much that the horse doesn't even have a carcass at this point, he finds a way to put a creative spin on it.  Some of the shit on here just made me laugh out loud, and this song is actually just about Brown wanting to eat some chick out.  Amazingly, he's able to string together two verses about this one act and he does it without sounding repetitive.  This is another song that makes me further appreciate Brown's abilities.  He takes something that someone who isn't nearly as intelligent makes into a single or something that just sounds fucking stupid, and makes it his own.  There's a very select group of rappers who can do this (Q-Tip was one that immediately came into mind) and Brown is quickly convincing me he could be one of them.  And oh yeah, the beat is really good here too (and this has also stunned me, that I'm so damn interested in everything Brown has to say, I'm completely ignoring the production, which is arguably, just as good and creative as anything Brown raps).

7. Bruiser Brigade ft. Dopehead

It didn't take long for me to hear the nearly identical sound this has with "Lie4".  That was my first indication that this finally marks the first miss on XXX and the subsequent "BRUISER" and verses confirmed it.  I understood the point of the track, introducing Brown's crew and making a point that they're just about as nuts as he is.  It's just not a good track, period, especially after hearing for six tracks what Brown is capable of. (and Dopehead's appearance has to be one of the most irrelevant ones I've heard from a tape in quite a while, which is saying something considering how bad the majority of tapes are)

8. Detroit 187 ft. Chip $

I'll admit, when you look at Brown's lyrics for this, they're pretty good and Chip $'s verse isn't terrible.  I had two problems with this: one being that the beat is just too damn out there for me and it's not one that I want to keep bumping to after.  The other is Brown's delivery.  His over the top voice has been justified previous to this because he's been able to keep a steady flow going; that's just not the case here.  It's a shame too, as Brown with a little more focus could have made this into another gem.

9. Monopoly

OK, so if anyone has heard of Danny Brown in the last year, this is the song you would have heard.  It was listed on Pitchfork.com's top 100 songs of 2011, and for good fucking reason.  If Brown had directed this at a particular rapper, I'm sure more people would have noticed, because it would have just shit on whoever it was (or maybe actually shit on him, as Brown says "literally" on this).  This track isn't weird or attacking a subject: it's purely raw.  Brown doesn't use a hook, which may have been his best decision on the entire tape and his two verses had me having to replay this over and over again because of all the shit that I missed the first two times I heard it.  He also has a few lines on here that are just hysterical, such as the "drunk like Stallworth" one (which, as an avid sports fan, I've never heard mentioned on any rap song to date and I'd be surprised if it has.  Brown is either a really good researcher or he's just got a really good memory, because I think the only one that remembered Dante Stallworth getting a DUI and killing someone at this point, is Dante Stallworth and whoever he hit's family).  The beat, again, suits the track exactly as it's supposed to and I had no complaints about it whatsoever.  I've haven't forgot the past two missteps, but this definitely helps.

10. Blunt After Blunt
This sounded pretty damn similar to "Bruiser Brigade", and last I checked, that song sucked.  So yeah, this one does as well and the hook is just fucking stupid.  The video is sort of humorous (and was directed by A$AP Rocky, a friend of Brown), but that's about it.

11. Outer Space
I liked the attempt.  The beat is interesting to say the least, but in all honesty, it's just not that good.  Similar to "Detroit 187", it's constructed so that it sounds almost awkward with Brown's delivery.  As for Brown, he has a few good lines on this, such as "I've got them Penis Psalms for your Vagina Monologues" and "I keep that bitch wet, around you she's a cactus".  After I gave this a few listens though, I was bored by the third spin, and that is never a good thing.

12. Aderall Admiral
If there's a nickname that probably suits Brown more than anything, it's this one.  The title would suggest Brown would just go fucking crazy on this, but he's actually pretty focused.  Brown decides to not include a hook and instead goes with four, albeit short, verses.  While I wasn't crazy about the beat, I don't think it needed to be anything glamorous and it allows you to listen solely to Brown's lines, which aren't bad.  This isn't a home run like "Pac Blood" or "Monopoly", but I still enjoyed it all the same.

13. DNA
Who the fuck is this?  I almost took an hour searching to try and figure out if Brown just decided not to include the mention of a guest on this song, because it's a complete departure from how he's sounded to this point.  Yet, this is still Brown, and even off the aderall, he sounds good.  The production finally returns to something I can consistently listen to and I liked the hook on this.  Brown explains how he's not responsible for who he is, it's his parents fault.  I'm a believer of this, to an extent.  I'm not doubting Brown didn't have a fucked up childhood and it absolutely had a large influence on who he is.  But Brown was also 30 years young when he made this tape.  He's had other influences by now, so fully blaming his drug addictive personality on the rents may be a little exaggerated.  Regardless, I was a fan of this one.

14. Nosebleeds
If anyone ever tries to argue that Brown is a "gay" or "emo" rapper who just impresses everybody because he's different but isn't actually that talented, present them with this song.  Brown clearly has a knack for storytelling, and here is a great example of it.  He talks about a young girl who becomes an addict to coke and can't get her life in control.  Yes, it's short and the song is straightforward (there's no clever use of metaphors to really tell the story), so some will call Brown out for that.  For me though, the wording Brown uses paints the picture very well and it's clear that he knows the effects of the drug ("face rushing, going numb, nipple hard on them breasts").  He also ends the song fittingly.

15. Party All the Time
Maybe Brown is just stoned out of his mind by now or he really is bipolar.  His low voice overshadows much of what you heard in the first 12 tracks and you have to really question if it actually is him laying down the lines (and really, it's unlike anything I've ever heard.  I've heard rappers change from record to record or have a track or two that isn't quite their traditional sound, but this is a whole new monster).  Production wise, things slow down as well.  The beat here is by far the most laid back of the tape and it sounds decent.  While this song is similar to the one previous, I think it's another good example of how Brown is not a one-dimensional rapper.  He can be fucking insane at times, and then you listen here, and he sounds like a pretty rational human being (and if you read a few of his interviews after doing this tape, you'll understand that even better).

16. EWNESW
There's been Motown influences scattered throughout this tape and Brown has said that a lot of his inspirations for his music comes from the dance and techno scene of Detroit, which explains beats for songs like "Lie4" and "I Will".  This one though, just bleeds of soul and sounds terrific.  While the beat is laid back, the subject matter certainly isn't, as Brown goes in depth on the different areas of Detroit he's lived in (my favorite line in particular had to be "ate a lunchable for dinner nigga, I ain't frontin'").  He details how he'd get caught up in crack houses or drinking 40's in brown paper bags or just driving around to just drive around.  Brown clearly has come from fucking nothing, which makes his rise all that more impressive.  Then again, we hear this story time and time again in hip hop, so if Brown thinks he's new to this (which I don't think he does actually), he'd be wrong.

17. Fields
The pattern of the "two song parlay" is here again, with Brown going further in depth on his upbringing and how broke he was.  This time though, Brown attacks more at how society fails to recognize the problems of a poor black community.  Take this set of lines for instance:

That why we all ways end up in prison instead of college
Living in the system working kitchen for chump change
Lost in the streets niggas playing that gun game
Where nobody wins just a bunch of mommas losing
Dead bodies in the field and nobody heard the shooting
We living in the streets where the options is limited
Cause its burnt building instead of jobs and businesses

It's not anything groundbreaking or really that new, but I still appreciated it all the same.  The beat was also good for this, resulting in another win for the Bruiser Brigade captain.

18. Scrap or Die

From the opening of this, I was anticipating aderall Brown to return, but no! It's the calm one and the "Scrap or Die" isn't a metaphor; he's actually fucking serious.  Usually you hear some example of how the dude has to sling a rock to make a buck, but here, Brown explains how he finds scraps of metal to make money when he turns it to a junkyard.  I've never really thought of this method of earning an extra dollar, but I'm sure Brown is not the first or last that had to use it in order to put food on the table.  So Brown, like "I Will", takes a subject we're all familiar with, but then adds a different perspective.

19. 30
Ahh, Aderall Admiral has made a return.  "30" provides a good closure to XXX and I'm glad Brown decided to end it the way he did.  The beat was all over the place, and while it wasn't horrible, it was hard to keep in rhythm to.  Still, that's not what is important here, it's Brown's story and that's what XXX has really been about.

Closing Statement: My first encounter with Brown has, needless to say, been an extremely entertaining one.  For starters, it really is a crime that more artists like Brown aren't noticed.  I'm willing to bet there's plenty of rappers out there who have about as interesting story to tell as Brown has, but we just haven't heard it, yet (I hope, at least).  However, while there may be a lot of MCs like this, I would find it hard to believe that there's another one quite like Mr. Brown.  His influences, lyrics, and style is unlike anything I've ever heard before and you should probably have your ears examined if you try and make a comparison of Brown to Odd Future (Brown is much, much more intelligent if you haven't realized this already).

Out of the 19 songs XXX has, I found 14 that I could listen to more than once and there were about 7 that were exceptional.  That's more than 1/3 of the tracklist, which is quite a feat.  This was also a tape that took some listening to so that I could get used to it.  There will be a lot of people that will be inclined to turn this off after one rotation.  But if you go through it again, you'll understand why this was consistently picked as one the best offerings hip hop had last year. 

Brown compared his sound and A$AP's to "the end of hair metal" in hip hop, which I think is a fair comparison.  He believes his music is more related to the transition between "hair metal" and "grunge" of the early 90's, which in terms of hip hop, is going from the "glam" to what it is now.  It's too early to tell whether Brown will truly make the impact on hip hop that Nirvana or the early grunge bands of the 90s did on rock (hell, we don't even know if Brown will stay alive long enough to see it happen if it does with his addictions).  Regardless, people started listening to Cobain and crew eventually, and if you're late on the Bruiser Brigade train too, jump on; it's one that you won't want to get off anytime soon.

The Verdict: Not for the faint of heart, or the faint of hip hop, if you're into largely mainstream stuff, then avoid this.  However, if you've got an open ear for something new, this will be something you absolutely have to have in your collection.  I said that ReturnOf4Eva or Cold Day in Hell may have been the best tape of 2011, before I listened to XXX.  After, I'd say it's a toss up, with Brown possibly winning solely because of how damn creative this was.  And oh yeah, it's free.  It's gotta be worth your time more at least than The Three Stooges or American Reunion, right?

Wiz Khalifa - Taylor Allderdice

Ahh, Mr. Cameron Thomaz has a new release (and this one's actually official).

We all know who Wiz is.  We all know the story on how he had a deal with Warner Bros. before being let go, only to build enough buzz as an independent artist until he released Kush and OJ, which was his breakthrough piece of work.

That's not what I want to focus on, though.  We know the story of how Wiz gained fame.  But what's the story been since he's become famous?

After "Black and Yellow" became a monumental success (even reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100) Wiz released his debut studio album with Atlantic Records, Rolling Papers.  While Papers did phenomenal from a sales standpoint (going double platinum is nothing to sneeze at), the album created a split between his underground and mainstream fanbase.  Not only did it ostracize the people who helped give Wiz his buzz to start with, but it also featured Thomaz straying away from actually rapping into more of a pop musician (as emphasized on "Fly Solo").

Wiz fans were left with a dilemma.  Would the same man that grew such avid support from the smoking community completely disregard his roots and sell out from here one?  Or was Rolling Papers just a hiccup in Wiz's overall discography?

Since Rolling Papers, Wiz has yet to make an official release, until now that is.  I have to admit, I was extremely hesitant to download this one after hearing most of the shit Wiz had recently been releasing and I had no reason to hope that he was going to ever come close to coming out with something like Kush and OJ.  In reality, I gave this a chance because: A. It's pretty much a sin if you don't at least give anything from Pittsburgh's music scene a chance (as I hail from that region) and B. 4EvaNADay needed to take a rest from my rotation, which opened up the door for this.

Is Taylor Allderdice another "pop rap" showing, or is it closer to Wiz's underground side?  Here's what I found...

1. Amber Ice
Using the same beat as Curren$y's "Job" from his mixtape Verde Terrace, Wiz introduces himself over a lazy hook of "Getting paid is just a regular thing to us...floating away, floating away."  While I think Spitta destroyed this beat and had the superior song to this one, I almost had to do a double take when I heard Wiz actually rapping.  Seriously, I've barely heard even that from the Taylor Gang captain in the last year, so that in itself, is an improvement.  The interview at the end is a theme throughout the tape, where Wiz drops a few doses of insight into his feelings each track.

2. California
OK, so let's get this straight at this point before I continue to review any further.  If you hate Wiz, you're gonna hate everything on this tape.  You'll complain about his lack of content diversity and some weaker rhymes.  However, if you like the Kush and OJ Wiz, then keep reading, because that's how I look at Wiz and that tape was the sole reason I started listening to him.  Kush and OJ is interesting to bring up here, because this track sounds like a cut that could maybe have made it on that tape (and that is a very, very good thing).  Wiz talks about his superstar life and smoking trees, as usual, but the beat complements him well and these are the types of tracks that gained Wiz his underground support before he sold his soul to Atlantic (sorry, but I'll prove my point on that later).

3. Mia Wallace
Named after the Uma Thurman's character from Pulp Fiction, which the track has nothing to do with, this is another solid cut from Mr. Khalifa.  The beat here is unbelievably smooth and Dumont does a terrific job with his sampling.  What's interesting is that while Wiz and Spitta are extremely similar at times in which beats the rap over and their lyrics, this for some reason, seems to suit Wiz much better (could be just because Wiz just sounds lazier, which works well with the tempo of the song).  What I really liked about this track though, was the feelings of Kush and OJ it evoked, while standing on its own as a track from Taylor Allderdice, not the former.  Wiz's verses about his celebrity lifestyle with his "model wife (Amber Rose)" is exactly why Kush and OJ was so successful.  It wasn't anything breathtaking, but it was fun to picture his life and dreaming is never a bad thing.  I can definitely see this one being played as the weather gets warmer.

4. Guilty Conscience
A swift change from the low-key tempo of the first three tracks, this is Wiz drawing more from Prince of the City rather than Kush and OJ.  I'm not a huge fan of Sparky Banks and I think it's an absolute joke when Wiz tries to convince us how "hard" he is (2pac was a gangsta.  So was Scarface.  Wiz?  Not so much).  It's not horrible, but it's not a track I'll be coming back to anytime soon.  However, I was glad I stuck around long enough to hear Wiz admit that Rolling Papers was fucking shit (even if he didn't say it in those exact words).

5. Mary 3x
Cardo brings Wiz back to his comfort zone: weed.  It can get really freaking repetitive, but for any of his Taylor Gang smokers (which is basically all of them), they'll appreciate this one.  I will say one thing: the dude is super consistent about his affinity for Mary Jane.  "All I need is Mary, Mary, Mary, I ain't fucking with no other drug."  At least we know Wiz is only high on one thing (we think).  And I'm pretty sure rappers were smoking dope in videos before Wiz claimed he did.  Just saying.

6. O.N.I.F.C.
The title of his next album "Only Nigga In First Class", Wiz pretends to rap or tries to convince everyone else he is, but in reality, the dude is just saying random shit before going into his hook, which is simply "one night, one night, one night".  I know I've heard this beat somewhere and this is a slowed down version of it (although, for the life of me, I can't think of what song it's actually from).  Otherwise, Cardo and Sledgren's beat is the only reason I gave this track a chance, as it sounds pretty good.

7. Nameless ft. Chevy Woods
For some reason, I pictured Woods as a feature as soon as I heard the hook.  Maybe it's because the topic is literally the exact same the last time I heard him jump on a track with Wiz ("Star of the Show").   Or maybe it's because Wiz is just so fucking predictable to this point.  Regardless, Dope Couture's beat here is one of the tape's best and it continues the trend of stellar production.  Let's face it, Wiz has never been a great or even good rapper for that matter.  But when he's backed by good boards, he's actually enjoyable to listen to, and that's the case here.  Also, for once, liked Wiz's voice on the hook as it doesn't sound that terrible.

8. Never Been Part II ft. Amber Rose & Rick Ross
You knew Ross would be on this as soon as that gay ass "Maybach Music" tag came on.  To be honest, this sounds like a beat straight out of a SNES Super Mario game.  Not to say that it's horrible, and Wiz actually drops one of his better verses on this, but I just wasn't as big a fan of it as the other ones I had heard.  And of course, Wiz couldn't resist throwing his fiance on for a worthless few "I've never been this high" section.  Ross raps about nothing, which is pretty on target for him, but he doesn't take anything away from the track.  It's decent, just not a song that really jumps out at you.

9. The Cruise
Big Jerm's beat, a producer who both Wiz and Mac are fond of working with, is another good one for this track.  The hook is decent and although Wiz attempts to sing, and fails, he can't take away from the overall sound of the track.  Again, Wiz pretends to rap, but it's probably too much to ask for him to actually do what everyone thinks he does for three consecutive tracks.  Wiz's second verse is better than his first and I somewhat enjoyed this track for the most part.  It's nothing spectacular by any means.  With production like this though, it's hard to rip apart the track too much.

10. Rowland ft. Smoke DZA
Jerm is back on the boards again and doesn't disappoint.  This is the first spacey beat of the tape, but it sounds really really good and it complements Wiz well.  The hook is alright and I was glad to see DZA get an appearance (which I thought was about fucking time considering DZA probably smokes just as much or more trees than Wiz does).  My only complaint is that Wiz doesn't come back on to drop a third verse, because the track didn't have to be cut that short.  Oh well.

11. My Favorite Song ft. Juicy J
Here marks the first of three consecutive tracks that Wiz brings on fellow stoner and Three 6 Mafia veteran, Juicy J.  You may remember Juicy being featured on "In My Car" in 2010 with Wiz, which was a personal favorite of mine from Khalifa.  The beat here is more closely resembled to "Guilty Conscience", but it's toned down just a tad, which is enough to make it listenable to.  It actually makes Juicy J sound better than Wiz when I listen to it, but both do a decent job over Rob Halladay's production.  There's something missing from this track though, and while I can get through it, I can't see this being one in my rotation two weeks from now.

12. T.A.P. ft. Juicy J
Wasn't really feeling this.  Taylor Gang fans will probably blast the shit out of this and make it seem like Wiz is a real motherfucking G (in the words of Eazy-E).  But if you aren't drinking the Taylor Gang kool-aid, you'll probably skip this one just like I did.

13. The Code ft. Juicy J, Lola Monroe, & Chevy Woods
Juicy J's verse and his "bouncing through the club like Tigger" is worth listening to.  Other than that, most of this song is pretty fucking forgettable.

14. The Grinder
Ahh, now this is back to what I hoped to hear from Wiz.  Cameron drops his best verse of the entire tape and Jake One's beat is the perfect one for him to do this over.  It's a short track, but again, this is a track that can showcase that Wiz is not merely a "pop rapper" (and that he can actually rap, for that matter).  This track is also one I couldn't have envisioned on Kush and OJ for some reason.  That's a good thing, considering it makes Taylor Allderdice it's own tape, not just OJ 2.0.

15. Brainstorm
A track that fits exactly where it's placed, Wiz does another good job behind the mic.  For once, he actually raps about something worth 15 seconds of your time.  Yes, weed and cash is still a major part, but he gives a little more insight into what's actually going on his mind (which apparently, is just thinking about his next drink and joint.  Not really too surprising).  Cardo's beat is OK for the most part, it's just unfortunate Wiz didn't take full advantage of the subject line here.  He starts out promising, but then lets up as the track wears on.  Could have, would have, should have.

16. Number 16
Dumont again with another fantastic beat.  Damn.  In fact, this one is probably one of the best I've heard Wiz over in a while (or at least since "Mia Wallace").  Wiz sounds good on his two verses and this song would have catapulted into one of my favorites of his, if only he didn't fucking ruin it with the "away a a a a a" that gets annoying as shit.  It's a shame, because Dumont's piano keys and jazzy feel is a terrible thing to waste.  While Wiz doesn't completely do this, he keeps the track short and lets his dumbass hook be the lasting impression you get from the song.  Still, I'll take this shit any day over "No Sleep".

17. Blindfolds ft. Juicy J
Khalifa decides to end his tape with another feature from Juicy J, and fortunately, this one is the best sounding of the four they record together.  Harry Fraud does a nice job production wise on this and its a beat that suits both artists to their styles.  The hook is honestly not horrible here either, which is saying something after hearing the crap I've heard for most of this tape.  The subject content, again, is nothing new.  But it's hard to complain when the beat is this good and the fact that neither Wiz or Juicy do anything too drastic to fuck it up.  My feeling after though, is: that was it?

Closing Statement: I always like to start with the bad before the good, so let's get that out of the way first.  For one, Wiz proved, once again, that he's extremely one dimensional and that if anyone was hoping he'd start actually rapping consciously, well, you've got as much a chance of seeing that happen as anyone picking Norfolk State over Missouri this year (which is basically 1/1,000,000).  There are also some pretty terrible songs on this tape, such as "Never Been", "T.A.P." and "The Code". So by no means is this anywhere near what we just heard in 4EvaNADay.  Wiz also needs to stop kidding himself that he can sing (just as Eminem should do the same) as his hooks remain a serious weak spot in the rapper's forte.

That being said, as someone who played Kush and OJ until my ears nearly bled, this was a huge relief to listen to.  Taylor Allderdice is no Kush and OJ, but it is similar and there are glimpses that Wiz is still capable of coming out with something that anyone will want playing in 70 degree weather.  Wiz also addresses that he did compromise for Rolling Papers, which was worth the 10 minutes to download the tape as it is.  Add in that there are some pretty fucking smooth songs on here, like "Mia Wallace", "California" "Number 16" and "Rowland", and that leaves you with an actually decent tape to listen to.

The Verdict:  Like I said, this is no Kush and OJ, but its a major improvement over anything Wiz has released in the past 12 months.  That being said, I wouldn't recommend this to everyone, for if you aren't a Wiz fan in the first place, it's probably not worth your time.  However, this is a must have for any person that calls themselves a member of the Taylor Gang and I'd be hard pressed to tell anyone to avoid downloading this to kick back and chill to in the upcoming months.  Wiz may not be back to where he was in 2010, but this is certainly a good start.

Big K.R.I.T. - 4EvaNaDay

Haven't hit the blog in forever, due to being incredibly busy, but I got the urge to review this one as it comes from one of my favorite new artists.  I'll add more of a background later, but in short, this is Big K.R.I.T.'s third mixtape and the follow up to his critically acclaimed Returnof4Eva.  Here's my gut reaction to what I heard.

1. 8:04 A.M.
Intro...

2. Wake Up ft. Willie B
I'm not going to lie, the "wake up" shit in the background was not a good first impression as it annoyed the fuck out of me.  Krit sounds good on the hook and the saxophone is a nice complement, but he just sounds too sleepy on this to even make out half of what he's saying.  "Rise and Shine" was far superior to this opener.

3. Yesterday
Using a sample of 2pac's "Bury Me A G", Krit does a solid job behind the boards to make this a heartfelt and smooth track.  Delivery wise, Krit sounds much more awake than in the first track and that's a good thing, as his lyrics are pretty well written.  Make note though: Krit uses "Yesterday" as a metaphor for multiple things, not just someone he loves.  His first verse actually refers to his childhood and life before starting to make it as a musician, which is new to me, considering every rap artist seems to fucking hate their life before seeing green.  My only surprise with this is that it was placed so early in the mixtape.  I'd have expected this much, much later, and it is kind a mood dampener.  Just saying.

4. Boobie Miles
Wasn't crazy about transitioning into this particular track, but then again, this is a piece of work that Krit gave us for free, so he probably doesn't give a shit about what sounds good to transition to (or maybe he does, who the fuck knows).  Of course, if you're any sort of a fan of Krit, you would have heard this one already, and not much else needs to be said except that it still sounds great and that it's just another showcase of Krit's incredible abilities as a producer.  (Which I think, at this point, is obvious that this is where his true talent lies in and I think most would agree as well)

5. 4EvaNaDay (Theme)
"Theme Song 2.0"?  That was my first thought as soon as I heard this one.  Both tracks are extremely similar production wise, with this being slightly more up tempo than the first one.  While this was something that I didn't like, I couldn't help but still like this song because this is where I truly love listening to this dude.  This is the kind of U.G.K. or Outkast shit that I hope to hear anytime I hear new material.  It also was a track that grew on me the more that I listened to it.  So while it is no "Theme Song" (seriously, that shit is one of the highest played songs of his on my iTunes), I can deal.  Can't wait to bump this when it gets warmer, I can tell you that.

6. Me and My Old School
YES.  This, this made the entire tape worth the 10 minutes it took to download.  I can't express how much I wanted to just drop everything I was doing and listen to this for a solid hour when I first heard it.  While Krit isn't really rapping about anything groundbreaking, this is the kinda shit that makes me think of Southernplayalistic or that famous 90's sound that came out of the south.  The beat here is fantastic and the hook is excellent.  I love that Krit consistently keeps the legends that influenced him in his mind, even after he's started to get hype.  I also could have completely seen this on his previous tape, but I'm glad I he saved it so that I could blast the shit out of it now.  The skit with "MJ, that boy set the record for the most points in the playoff, 63," also gave me a laugh at the end.

7. 1986
Just as things were really picking up, Krit drops this.  Is it horrible?  No, but after I just heard what Krit is capable of, it's disappointing.  The beat wasn't as smooth or catchy as previous ones and while I like a guitar riff sample here and there, this didn't seem like the song for it to work.  Two tracks in six that are a miss?  This early in the tape?  I'm a little surprised (and that shows how high Krit sets the bar for his listeners, most of the time I'd be fucking thrilled with 2/3 of a tape being that good).

8. Country Rap Tunes
Krit makes sure that, while there are bumps in the road, he never steers off of it and this is a perfect song to bring things back to where they should be.  A more laid back and lyrically based track than "Me and My Old School", but it still sounds great.  I just complained about the guitar sampling, yet here, it fits much better and it didn't take away from the beat, but enhanced it.  Krit also sounds good on the mic here, which is always a plus.  Overall, I walked away wanting to play it again, always a good sign. (and what the fuck is this with rappers using phone ring tones during a skit? Pac Div did the same thing on "High Five")

9. Sky Club
It's been a while since Krit made a song for his smoking buddies, as this was one thing missing from ReturnOf4Eva, and he comes back to the green scene with this.  Stoner songs can be hit or miss, but this one has still kept my attention after multiple listens and I think his fans will really appreciate this one.  A good song, but I couldn't help but ask: is this low tempo the theme of this tape?  Did Krit want to tone things down after Returnof4Eva?

10. Red Eye
I fucking love this song.  Plain and simple.  Krit lays down just one verse, but it's one of the best I've seen him write in any of the music he's put out so far.

I settle for less so when I'm tired of stress

I go through with the motions pretending I'm at my best

Fall victim to flesh, I live to be fresh

But this ain't what I expect because my life is a wreck

It's hard to listen to a lot of love songs because half the time I don't take them seriously.  Krit has also not made a song to this point that evoke these types of emotions either.  Yes, you had "The Vent", but this feels deeper on a different level.  Krit also flows so damn well on this and he will keep your attention.  I feel that he wrote this one while he was also recording with The Roots for Undun, as the tone and sampling fits closely with something you'd hear on Undun.

11. Down & Out
It really does blow my mind how this guy can be so fucking consistent.  I was worried after "1986" but again, Krit pulls together a string of stellar songs, capped with this.  Another more laid back, slow moving song, but that takes nothing away from how great it sounds.  Possibly my favorite beat of the entire tape (actually it pretty much is) and while the hook isn't spectacular, nothing could really sound that bad with the production behind it.  It also showcases a track that I can't see any other southern MC doing but Krit.  Every time I tried to picture Andre 3K, Big Boi, Big Bun, or really any other rapper related closely to Krit, it just didn't come out as natural as it does with Krit.  The bass makes owners of subwoofers proud and it's got a great southern feel to it.  The tape could end here and I'd be satisfied.

12. Package Store
Using a more up tempo sample from the same one he used for "Dreamin'", Krit has some good messages on this (mainly being the bad influences that kids in the south are around).  However, I really could never get into this one, mostly because the entire time I listened to it, I just wanted to pop "Dreamin" back on.  It also is the second song on here that sampled a song from Returnof4Eva, something that I got frustrated with (being that most of the beats on that tape were dope as fuck and it's hard to listen to them reformed when the original always sounded the best).

13. Temptation
You can tell by this point that Krit is fully aware he won't make shit on this tape (obviously indirectly he will, idiots).  I liked that I finally got to hear something a little more up beat and the hook was catchy as fuck, but the song was just boring for the most part.  Wasn't really too much of a fan for this.

14. Handwriting
Ahh, a song that was properly placed.  To me, this is right around where K.R.I.T. would have placed "Another Naive Individual Glorifying Greed and Encouraging Racism", so while the subject matter isn't nearly as in depth, the sampling is similar, although this one is considerably better.  This one talks more about all the shit Krit has to deal with on a daily basis, and surprisingly, it's refreshing to listen to.  Seriously, I always hear about rappers on the good days, the good life, you know that bullshit.  Can't a man bitch once in a while?  Good track overall, though.

15. Insomnia
The "help me sleep" sounds kind of ridiculous, but again, this is another home run on the production end.  It's got more of an 80's hair metal background and it complements Krit's delivery nicely.  Krit basically describes how getting laid is how he is able to sleep, so subject wise, it's close to Krit's message on "Money on the Floor".  I gotta admit, I wouldn't have given this another chance if it weren't for the production being so damn good (and playing this one in front of everyone may not be your best move once it hits the 3:00 mark).

16. 5:04 A.M.
Outro.

17. The Alarm
OK, so some people have already jumped on this song as being "one of the mixtapes best".  I'm not one of those people.  The "do you believe?" sample gets repetitive as fuck for one and the entire time, I waited for a bass to drop and I never got one.  So what if Krit's message is good?  His beats are really what attracts me to his music and Krit hasn't gotten good enough behind the mic for me to warrant my full attention to his lyrics or delivery.  The "WAKE UP!" shit also pissed me off.  I would have just ended it with "5:04 A.M.", but that's just me.

Closing Statement:  First thing's first, before I express my complaints with this tape, let me make this clear: this mixtape is still very, very good.  However, with expectations so high from his previous two tapes, it's no wonder that Krit's latest effort was bound to disappoint me in some way.  Krit, for one, made the mistake on this tape on not putting his up tempo tracks to lead off the tape (although there weren't many to begin with) and it didn't build the anticipation for the rest of the work like "Theme Song" or "Country Shit" did.  Krit also had a couple missteps due to re-sampling work he's already done.  I enjoyed "4EvaNaDay" as much as the next guy, but I couldn't help but think every time I listen to it that I'm just hearing a reincarnation of "Theme Song".

That being said, there was much more good on this tape than bad.  "Down & Out" and "Me and My Old School" are fucking fantastic and I'd argue they're two of the best tracks I've heard from Krit yet.  I also loved "Red Eye" and "Handwriting" which were much more serious in tone.  As artists release new material, I look for them to evolve, and "Red Eye" is a perfect example of that.  I just don't think Krit could've released that two years ago (and I could be wrong, but that's just not the feeling I took away from it).  I felt this tape was also a little more laid back than the first two and it seemed more deep as well, which separates itself as being a different work of art than either of his first two tapes.  So while I wished that I could have got more like "Time Machine" or "My Sub", this will do just fine.

The Verdict:  Are you kidding me?  There's absolutely no reason you can't take 10 minutes to go and download this.  Krit has not only established himself as one of the best young rappers in the game, but he's beginning to make a case at being one of the best period.  If Live From the Underground is a culmination of this and his previous two tapes, I'll die happy.

30 Reviews in 30 Days (sort of): Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

"You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain" - Harvey Dent.

Probably one of the most quoted lines I've seen from a movie in recent memory.  What makes it great though, is that it really does have substance to it.  How many times have you seen someone develop themselves into being a hero, only to play the role too long and eventually be seen differently?  I'll give you a perfect recent example: Joe Paterno.  JoePa (who I'd worshiped my entire childhood living in Central PA) was the epitome of excellence.  Two national championships.  One of the highest graduation rates for his players in the country.  A family man.  Someone who donated over $10 million back to the school to build a library for its students.  The man was on such a high pedestal, that I don't think even any Ohio State or Michigan fan could foresee him being knocked down from it.

Of course, we all know what happened this past November.  Joe Pa not only was done as head coach at Penn State, he was fired.  Soon, questions began to arise as to how honest and sincere the man was (after all, he had closed most of his practices to scouts for years, those same practices that he allowed Jerry Sandusky to attend after the incident in 2002).  Had Paterno retired, say, five years ago, there still would have been controversy.  Yet, it wouldn't have been nearly on the level that it was with him still residing as the head coach.  In just a three day span, Joe Paterno, a hero of college athletics, was destroyed and there were even some PSU faithful that resented him.

Staying in the game too long is something that happens in hip-hop just as it does anywhere else.  For instance, take a look back Rev Run in 2005.  Run, who was part of maybe the greatest hip-hop group of all time in Run DMC, decided that he still had something left in the tank and released Distortion as an attempt to regain relevance.  The album proved not only that Run didn't have anything in the tank, but that the tank had been empty for a long time.  Artists sometimes try to stay in the game too long, and that's exactly what happened to Mr. Simmons (although he did have success with Run's House, which was a half-decent reality show).

There are artists, however, that seem to defy the concept of time.  One of them is Ishmael Butler.  That name may not sound familiar, but insert "Butterfly" and those who are 90's hip-hop heads like myself will have very fond memories.  Butler was once part of the group Digable Planets, which gained awareness for their jazzy persona.  In fact, there are even some that argue that Planets, not the Tribe, were actually the best jazz based hip-hop group of the 90's (I'm not one of them).  Butler and his crew released two albums, Reachin' and Blowout Comb, both that received critical acclaim and are now widely regarded as so called "classics" in the genre.  Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long for Planets, as the group broke up when their member Ladybug felt that she was not being equally compensated for her work on their two albums.

Butler wasn't ready to get out of the game, however, and worked on releasing his solo album Ishmael Since 1999.  The record never got the backing it needed though, and so Ishmael went on to his next project, which was a hip-hop/blues act called Cherrywine.  That proved to be another failure for Butler, as the group's album Bright Black, released in 2003, failed to even chart, forcing Butler to reexamine his musical career.

In the late 2000's however, Butler found his niche.  He paired up with multi-intsrumentalist Tendai Maraire to begin working on another hip-hop act, this time called Shabazz Palaces.  Butler also renamed himself from Butterfly to Palaceer Lazaro.  The two got to work and quickly released to EPs, Eagles Soar, Oil Flows and The Seven Now.  The EPs gained the attention of Sub Pop records, who decided to take a chance on Shabazz.  It was also incredible that Sub Pop even looked their way, as the label had never signed a hip-hop act previous (you'll know them for signing groups like Soundgarden and The Shins).  That didn't faze Butler and Maraire though, and only a little over a year after they had been signed, they had finished their debut LP release, Black Up.

1. free press and curl
I half-expected Palaceer to continue with his jazz roots and produce something similar to that, but what I did not expect was this.  The beat isn't funky or groovy or any of that.  There's hints of some Odd Future feel, but that really doesn't do it justice either.  There's also some Cudi elements you could pick on.  Still, it sounds completely unlike anything I've ever heard before.  One thing that's definitely for sure after listening to this though, Ishmael has still got at least something left to offer.  His wordplay in the second verse for instance, flows seamlessly:

I mean it though/Lean and flow/I gleam and glow/I'm clean and oh you betcha/That I get it bro inside the glow/Just not for show/Green beans, purples, indigo/Catchy yes but trendy no/Never finished scheming though/That's beneath Barbara Jean's offspring/With po, I never seem to know

What this track really made me think of was an experiment of Radiohead with hip-hop elements.  There's a lot of Kid A elements floating around in this.  It's so out there, yet I still found myself coming back to it.

2. An echo from the hosts that profess infinitum
This one is just (or even more) experimental than the first, but it doesn't work quite as well.  The beat is a little more consistent than the first and it does get more interesting as the track wears on.  The last minute is also pretty enjoyable, just maybe not enough to make up for the first half of the song.  This was one of those songs where I couldn't decide whether it was brilliant or just a lot of noise to make me think it's brilliant.  I usually tend to lean toward the latter when that's the case (but who knows, 20 years from now that comment could look stupid).

3. Are you...Can you...Were you? (Felt)
Ahh, I knew I'd be hearing at least some trace of Digable Planets with Palace's debut, and this is the track where Palaceer pays homage to his old group.  It starts off slow, but then slowly increases speed before switching into the piano-laden background, where we get to Palaceer's verse.  He hits on several subjects, ranging from police profiling of blacks, to how he's able to answer those "proverbial questions".  He's not done there though, as he drops another verse that's probably better than his first one.  Warning: this is not a song (nor album really) for those who take things at face value.  You won't have a fucking clue what Palaceer is talking about.  For example, just try and decode these lines:

We learn to turn the page/To mind the screen and stage/To see who got the glaze/To hustle up or fade/Either get made or played/Find your spot in the shade/And nigga, get paid/So we internalize that/But then we customize that/By the relationship between where our ground and our sky's at

Any ideas?  What I've tried to gather is this: Palaceer is referring to the lessons that we are taught when we are young.  We are given a particular set of rules to follow.  But that relationship is different for everyone.  Everyone has different experiences than the other throughout life and so by the time you do become an adult, you follow your own set of rules, compared to the general relationships and rules that everyone seems to follow when young.  There's so much more that could be investigated into for this song (which would take days to decipher).  Either way, this song is fucking genius.  I'm sitting here still amazed that there are musicians that still exist like this today.

4. A treatease dedicated to The Avian Airess from North East Nubis (1000 questions, 1 answer)
Possibly the longest title to a song of any album I've reviewed on this blog to date, it takes a shift (as expected to be honest) from the last track.  Another very spacey beat, but I still liked it all the same and it does get somewhat catchy.  One thing I can tell from hearing Palaceer rap over this and the previous stuff on Black Up is that this is where he belongs.  His voice's sound is actually the perfect complement for the beats that Maraire is coming up with for him (seriously, can you try and put a guy like Game or Hova over this? I didn't think so).  This song isn't as spectacular as the previous one, but unless Ishmael was the Second Coming, I didn't expect him to be able to follow up something that good with something better.

5. Youlogy
The first two minutes of this is a complete trip and anyone who's on hard drugs and attempts to listen to this album will probably feel like their head is going to explode.  Things cool down enough around the 2:20 mark for you to be able to hear Ishmael drop his verse.  It's a dark verse that focuses on a lot of what's wrong with the world today, especially with the line "Nothing's gonna stop ya if it's bound to turn a profit".  In a way, Ishmael does exactly what the song's title is.  He is giving all of us a eulogy that reflects on what we do to cause us to meet our ends.  It's a tricky metaphor, but again, if you really pay attention, you'll pick up on it.  This is another outstanding set of wordplay, and an overall good song.

6. Endeavors for Never (The last time we spoke you said you were not here.  I saw you though.)
Boy this song really threw me off.  I thought we were heading toward something completely different with the horns at the beginning, but then it just goes in a whole different direction.  It sounds cool, but there isn't really much here.  Ishmael is just about nonexistent on this and I had no idea who the girl was who sang the only lyrics found on this track.  The beat deserves attention, I'll give it that, but that's mostly it.

7. Recollections of the wraith
Another track with clear Planets influences, with most of it being evident with the drums at the beginning of the song.  Palaceer and Maraire decided to have a female vocal sample in this, which works and I'm glad they didn't let it dictate the rest of the beat, letting it fade out before Ishmael goes into his verse.  I really liked some of the lines that Palaceer uses here, including "dilemma of this bitch-ass-cliche. Rap's gettin soft".  The subject matter is far lighter on this track than previous ones, but with the beat being lighter as well, it fits.  Another track that I found myself replaying more than once.

8. The King's new clothes were made by his own hands
Just as track "Endeavors" went in an opposite direction from what it you originally thought it would sound like, this one does the same.  This is a short song, but it's actually one of the album's stronger pieces of work.  Ishmael takes a deeper look into his (or possibly your) mind and really makes you think about what he has to say.  That's a hard thing for most artists to be able to do.  Ishmael makes it sound easy (One pattern I've noticed that may explain Palace's genius is that they use their beats as almost a hook to reel you in.  You're so transfixed on the music that when Ishmael does start actually rapping, you already have been sucked in so you can't avoid listening to him.  Well, it'll do either that, or you'll be thinking to yourself 'Why the fuck am I listening to this' and move on to Take Care).

9. yeah you
There's definitely strokes of brilliance on this album, but I can't really say that for this song.  This beat in particular is pretty damn boring for the first two minutes and except for a brief 20 second period, it's not nearly anything as good as a lot of what's on this album.  I also wasn't crazy about whatever the fuck Palaceer did to his voice on here (it sounds almost as if he had surgery on his voicebox, except that it left him sounding like a combination of Stephen Hawking and his own voice).  The "you're corny nigga" also kind of ruined this one for me.

10. Swerve... The reeping of all that is worthwhile (Noir not withstanding)
Now this is more like it!  Not only is the beat extremely catchy, but this sounds like the old Butterfly I loved (and still do) listening to on the Planets records.  The hook is so damn good, it's possibly one of the best I've heard all year.  The first two lines of it really make it for me:

Now, if you talking bout it, it's a show/But if you move about it, then it's a flow

This basically meaning that if you only talk about things, you are only trying to show how cool you are to everyone else, which in turn, doesn't make you cool at all.  But if you move, actually do, the things you talk about, then that is you, that is your flow, and yes, that does make you cool.  Palaceer absolutely destroys his verse and its maybe his best on the album (I say maybe for good reason. His verse on "Are you.." is also pretty amazing).  This may be the most accessible song on the entire album and if any song will gain Palaces more fans, I think this would be the one.  I loved it all the same, though.

Closing Statement: Out of all the reviews I've done in my short blogging career so far, this may have been the toughest one I've tried to write yet.  That's almost ironic, considering that this is also one of the shortest albums that I've ever reviewed.  And you know what?  That's probably a really, really good thing.  Looking back at this, I'm still blown away at how much depth there is to it.  Rappers like Saigon, Kendrick, K.R.I.T., Common, Nas, etc. can have some amazing messages in their songs and they're also are tremendous with their vocabulary.  I wonder though, if any of them could produce something quite like this.  Don't get this confused with one of those modern art paintings that just has three stripes and people call it brilliant.  You can actually pick apart the reasons of why this is so damn good lyric by lyric, beat by beat.  There are a few songs where Palaces did lose me.  I thought "Endeavors", "yeah you" and "An echo" were all a tad much, and yes, that is almost 1/3 of the album there alone.  So no, Black Up is not perfect.  It is however, the most intelligent and thought provoking album I've heard all year and this is one I could spend days mulling over what's all going on here.  I think Palaces also deserve a ton of praise for even having the balls to release this as their debut album and not try and make a single just to get more people to listen to what they have going on.  It may not be for everyone, maybe even a small minority, but for those willing to give this a chance, you will be handsomely rewarded.

The Verdict: This one depends on whether you are willing to have the patience for something like this.  If you like listening to music just to have something cool on while you're driving or doing something else, then you don't need this in your library.  However, if you do have patience for intelligent and thoughtful music, music that you'll sit down for 45 minutes and do nothing but listen to, then I suggest you find your credit card ASAP.  It's by far one of the best works released all year and you'll be missing out on a hidden treasure if you decide to ignore it.