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.

30 Reviews in 30 Days (sort of): Saigon - The Greatest Story Never Told

Hip-hop has an unfortunate tendency to see a good number of its artists ending up in trouble at some point.  Not that other genres don't either (rock has seen plenty of its bands end up tangling with the law as well at some point), but much of the mainstream media seems to focus harder on rap than any other music form for being criminal.  A large contributor is Fox News (obviously) but other outlets, even one's that cover music (or pretend to like MTV, which, is really RTV: Reality Television) also come down hard on hip-hop.

So the story of Saigon, real name Brian Carenard, is no different.  What is different about Carenard isn't that he ended up imprisoned, but that prison was where his rap career began.  Carenard was arrested in the early 90's (no exact date is listed from what I could gather right away) for first degree assault, after he was involved in an altercation that led him to shoot someone in a bar.  Carenard got seven years and he was confined to the Napanoch’s Eastern Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison based out of New York City.  One day, while Carenard was in the recreation yard, he met a fellow inmate by the name of Hakim.  Hakim intrigued Carenard with his raps including more positive messages as well as Hakim's extensive vocabulary.  The two became friends and Carenard began to write raps of his own and eventually started to battle rap against Hakim.

Carenard became widely known as the "Yardfather", as he struck down any challenger that would face him.  Only a teenager at the time, Carenard spent much of his time studying into politics and black history.  He also wanted to educate himself on topics like the Vietnam War and Toussaint L'Ouverture.  The historical figure he claimed to most identify with though, was Malcolm X.  His studies of the Vietnam War led Carenard to nickname himself "Saigon", which he got from a book by author Wallace Terry.  The time in prison not only corrected the wrongs in Saigon's life; it gave him a purpose for after he got out.  Immediately after his release in 2000, Saigon founded Abandoned Nation, which was a nonprofit company to help parents of children who were incarcerated and also to help reach out to other hip-hop acts, with the hope of gaining more exposure.

Saigon's wanted The Greatest Story Never Told to be his debut album title from the time he got out of prison and his hype slowly grew once he released his first mixtape in 2003, Da Yard Father 1.  Eventually, Carenard, with a good deal of support from producer Just Blaze, signed a deal with Atlantic Records in 2004.  But the marriage between the two was a failure from the start (Saigon says that it began as early as two months into it, when Atlantic suggested he do a track with the R&B group, Pretty Ricky).  Much like the ordeal between Atlantic and Lupe Fiasco for the past year, the same occurred to Saigon and he refused to compromise in order to make singles for the label.  He jumped out of his deal in 2005.

Although Saigon continued to write for his debut album (and even appeared on Entourage), he just couldn't seem to find a way to get it released.  In 2007, after Carenard was arrested for a felony weapons charge, Saigon claimed that he was finished rapping and that The Greatest Story Never Told would hence, never be told.  Yet, as about every rapper it seems today does, the retirement was merely a bluff, and Carenard eventually in 2010 signed to Suburban Noize Records (who's only other claim to fame was signing the group Kottonmouth Kings.  You'll know them by their single "Tangerine Sky").  After over a decade of waiting, Saigon finally was able to release his debut album this past February, and the Greatest Story Never Told would, yes, be told.

Having a decade plus to work on an album, I'd expect it to be pretty fucking epic.  So was it?  Here's my review.

1. Station Identification ft. Fatman Scoop (Prod. by Just Blaze)
Nothing really special that makes this intro better than anything else out there.  It was cool to hear snippets of Saigon's underground work, though.

2. The Invitation ft. Q-Tip & Fatman Scoop (Prod. by Just Blaze)
As soon as you got Q-Tip on a feature, you at least have my attention (as this dude is A. A legend and B. Not someone who is constantly jumping on albums for features in the first place).  The hook comes from the Tribe classic "Jazz/We Got" where Q-Tip does his shout outs towards the tail end of the track, except this time it's improvised (as it really should be).  If you're new to Saigon, then you're most likely going to be asking yourself "Where the fuck was this guy? And why the hell did Atlantic let him go?".  Saigon drops three verses that he just destroys in each and flows extremely well.  He touches on a lot of different subjects, all basically themed about the struggles of a young black kid growing up on the streets like he did, but the picture he paints is a beautiful, but cold and dark one.

"I represent the poor profitless corner monopolipis/The pessimist outnumber the optimist on the block and it's/Coppers that got binoculars cause I can feel them watchin us" and...

"The party is in the pen and the government is promotin it/That's the reason I don't be believin in all this votin shit/They bring the coke in this bitch, ain't no poppy seeds/In the p's please, there's nothing but a whole lot of hopelessness/That's where all the focus is makin sure all the blacks"

Like I said, he is on Nasty Nas (the old Nas) territory with this one and Just Blaze (as I expected, really) gives him a beat where he can excel on.  Great way to introduce yourself, Mr. Carenard.

3. Come On Baby ft. Swizz Beatz & Jay-Z (Prod. by Just Blaze)
Now Saigon had been affiliated with Hova before and there was even rumors he may sign with his label, Roc Nation, when it was first created nearly two years ago.  But to get him to appear on your album, especially one that I'm positive he knew wasn't going to sell very well?  That is a statement.  I groaned when I saw Swizz was on here originally, but much to my relief, he's just there to yell nonsense here and there (probably the only thing he's good at; that and producing "Murder to Excellence").  Saigon is great again here, although the real highlight of this is Just Blaze's stellar beat.  The "Don't You Baby" sample sounds fucking terrific and I loved the intervals he uses between that and then the actual drums.  Hova's verse is nothing spectacular, but it doesn't need to be with Saigon's verses and Blaze's production.  Another song I really, really liked.

4. War (Prod. by Just Blaze)
Skit.  It's humorous the first couple times when you hear that "Going to that other side of town" but it's nothing you need to play more than that.

5. Bring Me Down (Part 2) (Prod. by Just Blaze)
Part One, I'm assuming, is off an earlier mixtape of his, but I really have no idea (nor do I really care).  Saigon has made it his mission to rap about the positives, rather than the negatives, and this song is certainly a perfect example of this.  The beat, again, is very well done and I was surprised at how good the hook sounded as well.  Saigon's second verse is better than the first (although their both solid) and the line "That Just Blaze back system knockin the mazzarati I jump out the back n turn ya block into nagasaki" was straight dirty.  If Saigon had more exposure to the public eye, there is no doubt in my mind that this would be an instant warm-up song that every high school basketball team would have on their pre-game warmup disc.  It's not as serious as "The Invitation", but it's difficult to make a track to inspire without sounding a little cheesy, and Saigon avoids that entirely with this.  (Which really makes me wonder when this one was written.  If it was finished before Saigon left Atlantic, then their executives really do have as much taste for music as Sergio Roma in Get Him to the Greek).


6. Enemies (Prod. by D. Allen)
The first song not produced by Just Blaze still manages to keep that incredible momentum Saigon has going for the first part of this album.  Saigon uses the metaphor of the streets pretending with you that its your friend, when really it's your worst enemy.  Carenard sounds, again, fantastic and I'm even more impressed at how he flows so well.  None of this sounds stunted and he doesn't sound like he's been away from the studio at all.  It's worth mentioning that D. Allen's beat is also great and, while it still led me to believe it was Blaze on the boards when first listening to it (which isn't a bad thing in all sincerity), it fits with what I've already been hearing, and that is definitely a good thing.


7. Friends (Prod. by Just Blaze)
Pretty much a continuation of the previous song, but the beat speeds up a little and the piano chords are also in play (something that wasn't in "Enemies").  Saigon basically just confirms that belief that the streets really aren't his friend and he does drop a pretty good verse for it.  Probably could have combined this with "Enemies" though, and just turned it into "Enemies/Friends" as one entire track (Watch the Throne did this numerous times, turning two separate songs into one).


8. The Greatest Story Never Told (Prod. by Just Blaze)
I didn't expect Saigon to actually make a song with this title as well, but fuck it, as this one also sounds amazing.  I've heard some say that this one doesn't have as good as production as some of the earlier tracks, but listening to this 10 months after its release, it still sounds pretty good (in fact, maybe better).  Saigon is back at it on the mic and has lines like "Turn on the TV, all I see is celebs taking it/Feeling like they got all the bread but they ain’t breaking it/I’m taking it as soon as I find the oven where they baking it" and "If I bust a gun in the hood I get Attica or the Cat/I bang a gat in Iraq I get a pat on the back/Best believe I know better than that".  They're not Saigon's strongest of the album, but still decent and I would have really no complaints about this one, except for the hook, which is fucking awful.  This may have been the track Saigon was hoping would be sort of an anthem for him, but it's just not good enough to be that, especially with how good he's already shown he can be.  I liked it, but it's not on the level as "The Invitation" or "Enemies" by any means.

9. Clap ft. Faith Evans (Prod. by Just Blaze)
Remember this chick?? The one that used to actually Mrs. Notorious B.I.G.?  Yeah, you don't really hear her the often today, but she obviously got a call from Saigon to appear on here.  This is supposed to be an uplifting track that showcases how Saigon has changed from what he used to be and it has that black gospel feel to it.  Unfortunately, the beat is a little over the top to maintain my interest and I've heard songs similar to this that sound much better (take "My Generation" by Nas & Damian Marley for instance).  I also don't get why Saigon decided that it's moving to sing "clap your hands if you love that Just Blaze shit".  The "OooK" part was really fucking stupid as well and it got pretty damn repetitive.

10. Preacher ft. Lee Fields & The Expressions (Prod. by Just Blaze)
This doesn't sound quite like what I'd expect from Just Blaze, but it is a fantastic beat all the same.  The black gospel/soul feel here sounds wayy better than the previous track and if you're going to do a song themed around a religious aspect, this is the way to do it (unless, of course, you're Faith +1).  You may think that a James Brown sample was used here, but no, it's actually Lee Fields and the Expressions, who also do a terrific job with their duties on here.  I also was a fan of the subject matter, as it's one that rarely ever gets touched on.  Of course, this doesn't refer to every preacher, but there are some that apparently do this kind of thing out there and props for Carenard calling them out.  The end is also fitting.

11. It's Alright ft. Marsha Ambrosius (Prod. by Kanye West)
'Ye jumps on the Saigon ship to produce this one, and guess what people, it's one of the album's worst (did I really just type that??).  Look, it's not horrible by any means, but it doesn't sound like Yeezy put much into this (it honestly seems like he sped up The Carpenters "Superstar" and that's about it).  I guess, because Saigon hasn't had a chance previous, he wanted to get that love song a spot on here.  With the rest of the subject matter being so on point and serious though, it really doesn't fit and the song altogether is pretty forgettable.

12. Believe It (Prod. Just Blaze)
It's not T-Pain you're hearing on the hook.  Nope, that's Just Blaze taking duties, but he actually doesn't sound too terrible.  The song, another one intended to be inspiring, this time works.  Saigon touches on a variety of subjects including his struggles with poverty as a musician, his drive to be different from the "Yung Jocs" and avoiding the temptations of selling in order to get a quick fix.  Mainly, his message is simple: you got to believe in your dreams.  He also claims he's "remain the smartest, hardest working nigga in the business", which I fully hope he does.  I didn't really give this song a chance when I first listened to the album, but I'm thrilled I decided to this time.  Damnit though, that skit at the end almost fucking ruined it.

13. Give it to Me ft. Raheem DeVaughn (Prod. by SC)
Unlike the first time when the production duties were left to someone other than Blaze, it doesn't work here.  Not really an interesting beat and the verses on here are some of Saigon's weakest of the entire album.  Combine that with DeVaughn's less than stellar hook, and yeah, you can pretty much skip this one.

14. What the Lovers Do ft. Devin the Dude (Prod. by Red Spyda)
Saigon is better on this compared to the previous track, but again, it's not a very engaging topic.  And I got excited for nothing when I found out that Devin is not spitting a verse here, but is simply relegated to the hook (which seemed pointless to me).  Yikes, this album has really started to lose the magic it had to start.

15. Better Way ft. Layzie Bone (Prod. by Just Blaze)
Certainly a beat that is worth of Bone Thugz member Layzie.  This one is better than the last two, yet, it's still not really memorable.  Saigon goes on about how he "always knew Just Blaze would sign me" but I've heard this story before (just rewind to "Believe").  I would give it a pass otherwise.  Saigon also, again, lets his featured guest have the hook duties and only that, which I just felt was a mistake.  You don't always have to have another MC do a verse, I get that.  But to bring them on just for the hook multiple times?  About as questionable as Jerry Sandusky's "Not Guilty" plea (OK, that actually isn't even questionable; that's just fucking ludicrous)

16. Oh Yeah (Our Babies) (Prod. by Buckwild)
I have no idea why this was called "Our Babies".  It's possible that Saigon was trying to talk about all the actions he's done and sees others commit that influence "Our Babies" (actually that's probably it).  Again though, this is mediocre at best and it doesn't help that Saigon threw this at the end of the album when any listener's attention span would start to be seriously waning.  I've heard much worse for sure, but I've heard way better already on this album.

17. And the Winner is...ft. Bun B (Prod. by Just Blaze)
A nice outro with the beginning of it recorded from a live show that I'm guessing Saigon did along with Bun B.  It turns out to be a dream, of course, and it's just Saigon wishfully thinking he'll be the next great thing.  I wasn't crazy about it, but I think it's appropriate at least to end his album and it does make sense.


Closing Statement: I think the best way to compare this album is to a roller coaster (yes, I'm using that analogy) that I rode when I visited Busch Gardens in Williamsburg.  It's called Apollo's Chariot and it starts out with a 210 foot drop, before going into another hill at around 180 ft. and then another one that's similar in height after, before coasting to basically the end of the ride.  That's exactly how this album is.  Beginning with "The Invitation" to "Preacher" (excluding "Clap"), Carenard puts together arguably the strongest stretch of tracks recorded by any solo artist this year.  The first half of this album is fucking brilliant and it's garnered a lot of praise for good reason.  The back half though, is a huge drop off.  Not that the tracks there were horrible; they were just all very blah.  Nothing really stuck out to me after "Preacher" except for "Believe It" and that's a problem.  You do have to remember that this is technically Saigon's debut album (despite being around for forever it seems) and there were songs that he probably has been dying to include (like "It's Alright' or "Better Way").  Yet, great stories almost always are at their best towards the end, not the beginning.  You don't throw the twist that Martin Vanger is the murderer in the first five chapters, do you? (apologies if I ruined that for anyone reading that particular novel right now).   And that's why Saigon's story is far from being the greatest.  It definitely has elements that make it great, even unbelievable at times, but as a whole, it's just good.

The Verdict: Being that this hasn't sold particularly well, I would recommend a buy if you can scrape the extra $10 for it.  The first half is some of the best hip hop of all of 2011 and that is almost worth the money in itself.  However, I say almost, so if you are relatively poor from that holiday shopping, then a burn will certainly suffice.  I am excited though, that Saigon has another album already in the works.  He is extremely talented and also wants to deliver positive messages, which is why every hip hop fan should at least take notice of him.

30 Reviews in 30 Days (sort of): Tyler the Creator - Goblin

Most music that I get into is the result of another friend of mine suggesting something to me.  With Tyler the Creator and Odd Future Wolf Gang, they were no different.  So for starters, let me just mention my friend and co-host of my weekly hip-hop radio show, Matt Wesley (a.k.a. DJ Scooch).  Matt and I have always had a taste for more of the classics (Wu-Tang remains one of the most played groups on our show, and for good reason since they are legends in their own right).  Occasionally though, here and there, Matt will find someone who I have yet to jump on the bandwagon for.  This past February, it was Tyler and his Odd Future Crew.

I didn't have a clue who Tyler, real name Tyler Okonma, was while his hype had grown over the past couple of years, predominately viral.  But then (and I believe this was the case with mostly everyone else) he dropped the video for "Yonkers" and everything changed.  For one, I fucking hate cockroaches, so the first time I tried to watch the video I didn't even make it through the whole thing before having to walk away for a few seconds.  I came back to it though, and I was surprised at how original I found it to be.  Shock rap is no stranger to mainstream (just ask a Mr. Slim Shady), but it is rare and when you do hear it, you have the strange tendency to want to hear more of it instinctively (you can relate this to the scenario of a car accident: yes, it's awful and sometimes just horrifying, but you can't stop looking, can you?).  I also despise Bruno Mars, so Tyler had me interested from the "and stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn esophagus".

Another thing that I found fascinating with Tyler and the Odd Future gang was their artistic style.  They have a lot of haters (and I'm not disagreeing with anyone for their reasons for being an Odd Future hater) but I think anyone could at least admit that, artistically, these guys demanded your attention.  That's another reason why I must have watched "Yonkers" a ton when it first came out.  I liked the song, but the video, to me, was way more interesting than anything Tyler had to say.

After hearing Bastard, which was Tyler's debut album that was released for free on his Tumblr account in late 2009, I decided to really ask the question: Who really is Tyler Okanma?  My immediate thought was that the dude was using shock rap as a way to gain attention (which he certainly has) but that he really wasn't that talented.  Again, it's not difficult to become extremely popular when you don't really have much talent (just ask Ke$ha).  I started doing research on Tyler and began finding every interview I could that has been recorded to this point.  What I found was probably just as interesting as the "Yonkers" video itself.

Tyler grew up in California without his father, who abandoned him when he was only a child.  That forced Tyler to grow up with his mom, but she never could find a steady job, so Tyler was forced to move, a lot.  In fact, Tyler claims that he attended 12 different schools before he actually graduated.  Living with a single parent and moving as much as he did, it made complete sense to me why Tyler was so fucked up in the head.  He also didn't follow the typical stereotype (and still doesn't) for an African American rapper.  He didn't ever sell drugs.  In fact, he's never used them and he doesn't drink either.  Tyler also, according to most reports, was a good student and didn't drop out of High School (unlike famous MC's Jay-Z or Notorious B.I.G.).  Tyler also was an extremely talented musician without rap.  He began playing the piano when he was 8 and in multiple interviews I watched, he's actually pretty damn good at it.  Add in that Okanma is a diehard skater (which Lupe Fiasco also was) and it led me to believe his credibility in being an outcast from the rest of the musical world.

Which leads me to the album here, Goblin.  No group in hip-hop for the first six months this year garnered as much attention as OFWGKTA, so this was Tyler's sort of coming out party back in May (and he would absolutely shudder if he knew I just used that phrase, being that he is seen as a homophobic person).  While I was excited for its release, I wondered the entire time leading up to it if he would actually have anything worthwhile to say.  Would he continue to emphasis his shock rap persona and stick to that and only that for an entire album?  Or would there be some relevant points that he decided to sprinkle throughout Goblin?  Let's find out.

1. Goblin
If you didn't listen to Bastard, then you'll be lost when you first hear this.  It's a continuation of a therapy session that Tyler is having with his therapist (who I think is in a worse spot than even Dr. Melfi was on The Sopranos) and Tyler has just threatened to kill himself.  "I'm not a fucking role model" (gee thanks, didn't really know that one already) is what Tyler opens up with, which is completely honest and true (Personally I would be fucking horrified if I were a parent of a child under 13 who was listening to this).  The beat sounds very Odd Futuresque with machine guns blasting in the back and its almost overly simple.  He also doesn't include a hook in here, which is obviously to try and hammer down that impression that he really is in a therapy session.  One thing that's a major problem with this song though, is that is just drags.  There's not really any direction to it.  It also serves as just a simple vent session (but far from the what K.R.I.T.'s "The Vent" was, which was also a way superior song to this one.  Kind of unfair to compare Tyler to him though).  He can definitely spit (as disturbing even as it is when he says "when someone gets blamed that some white kid had aimed some AK47 at 47 kids, I don't want to see my name mentioned").  I just found this one boring in all.

2. Yonkers
I've already touched on this one a little, but I'll make sure to mention that this beat is just dirty.  I heard someone bumping this with an actual system a few days after the album hit shelves and I think it had half the street's attention (and surprisingly still sounds fresh, 7 months later).  This is also kind of unique, being that I don't hear many songs with this dark of an undertone that are so widely played (I have to go back to some of Slim's stuff for that).  Tyler also said in an interview that this was written as a contradiction itself (because it's his alter-ego, Wolf, talking to him).  For instance, when you look at the lines "green paper, gold teeth, and pregnant gold retrievers/All I want, fuck money, diamonds, bitches don't need 'em", the second line is completely the opposite of the first.  The "and pick up Stevie Wonder to be the receiver" line also got me to laugh.  So he may be fucked up in the head, but I will say this: the dude can write.

3. Radicals
OK, the "random disclaimer" part with "fuck Bill O'Reilly" is fucking hilarious; I don't care what party you may affiliate with.  The hook on this is atrocious and I really wasn't feeling the majority of the beat.  I say majority because I did dig the ambient sections between the hook and verses where Tyler attempted to sound intelligent and speak to you.  For the most part, I thought this song was more funny than anything (I burst out laughing when he goes "I'm a fucking unicorn, fuck anybody who say I'm not").  I did enjoy the beat for the final two minutes, but overall, the song was just all over the place.  It does live up to its title though, I'll give him that.

4. She ft. Frank Ocean
A huge shift from "Radicals", yet welcoming.  Ocean actually raps the first verse, which is surprisingly half decent, but I felt the beat accompanying the hook didn't match up at all.  It's also a rare occurrence that you hear Tyler rapping to another female (which is funny since my last post was about the man who talks about women too much).  He does drop "I'm writing songs about we, we as including I, and yourself making three" which is creative in its own right, but otherwise, there's not much to this song.  I think the occasional "cunt" you hear is supposed to be Wolf, and that makes sense.  The rest of the track though, doesn't.

5. Transylvania
I fucking hated this song when I first heard it and I still do.  This is where I was talking about shock rap just being used to gain attention without a purpose.  The beat is bland as well, making it a definitive skip.

6. Nightmare
It's interesting to me that Tyler completely abandons the therapy session standpoint for three songs before suddenly coming back to it.  Regardless, this has the best beat of the album since "Yonkers" (and it might be my favorite).  Having a slower pace, which gradually speeds up, was a cool idea and Tyler sounds good over it.  The hook is also a massive improvement over the rest of what's been offered "I told her I'm her worst nightmare/this is hell and you ain't ever got to fight fair".  One thing I noticed, and liked, about this song was that Tyler sounds like he genuinely cares on this.  Some tracks with him I've noticed he just goes over the top emotion-wise and you can't take him seriously, but this one sounds much more honest.  If I'm a parent, this song is a fucking nightmare (especially when you hear him go "Parents want to blame me all because their kid is fucking up/but fuck that, you're a shitty parent, suck it up").  But I'm not (and thank God I'm not), so I was pretty satisfied with this one.

7. Tron Cat
If I listened to this for the first time in a room alone, late at night, I'd be fucking terrified.  It's really just a better version of "Transylvania" and their is some really disturbing shit on here (like "rape a pregnant bitch and tell my friends I had a threesome").  It does still sound pretty fresh even seven months later, but I didn't get the point of it.  It's supposed to be Tyler's alter-ego let loose (which he calls Tron Cat, but earlier called Wolf?) and I guess if you put it in that context, it works.  I just am confused at what he's getting at by telling us the sick and twisted thoughts he has.  He is incredibly smart, though, no matter how demented his lyrics are (his therapists reaction of "what the fuck" described my feelings exactly after I heard this the first time).

8. Her
Two songs about another female?!  That completely threw me when I was listening to this, but this one is a much better track than his earlier attempt, all because he actually has some purpose on this compared to "She".  I've realized that when Tyler is more down to earth than just bitching, he can be someone who is extremely interesting to follow.  Felt bad for his result at the end.

9. Sandwitches ft. Hodgy Beats
I will give Tyler credit for one thing: he made this album without much of the influence of his OFWGKTA buddies.  This marks only the second appearance by an Odd Future member, this time in the form of Hodgy Beats.  The beat on here hits just about as hard as "Yonkers" does and I'm sure this is a fan favorite when they perform it live.  Unfortunately, Tyler makes no sense whatsoever here.  He's a dude that refuses to smoke yet says "c'mon kids, fuck that class and hit that bong".  He is a rebel, but following one thing then preaching another doesn't make you sound intelligent; it makes you look fucking stupid.  Hodgy's verse is alright, although I didn't understand the attack on religion when he doesn't give any actual relevant reasons for hating it.  For all the brilliance OFWGKTA shows, they diminish it with lyrics like the on here (although I pray that Obama would invite these guys for a White House dinner like he did with Common earlier this year.  Fox News flipped out when fucking Common got an invite; can you imagine how insane they would go if Odd Future attended?).

10. Fish
Too long, and again, just boring.  I didn't even remember this track being on here until I got to it in my review.

11. Analog ft. Hodgy Beats
If I was confused at where this album was going earlier, I'm fucking dumbfounded now.  How, how does this fit in with Tyler's overall theme of explaining his inner demons?  Where the hell is the therapist?  What does this have to do with anything?  This sounds more like the shit Tyler was so angry about on "Yonkers" and it's way too upbeat for me to take it seriously (my guess is that Tyler may, just may have hoped to have marketed this as a single.  He got away with "Yonkers" but I have a feeling he knew he couldn't get away with another track similar to that to appeal to most stations, so he made this.  Unfortunately, this was a huge mistake).

12. Bitch Suck Dick ft. Jasper, Dolphin & Taco
Didn't I just praise Tyler for staying away for the most part from his Odd Future crew just three tracks ago?  Yes, I did, and I spoke too soon because Tyler just seemed to have saved all his features for the end, rather than scattered throughout.  Another terrible song, though (Taco is also my leading candidate for worst verse of the year after going "I bought a fuckin' whale, cause I'm ballin'")

13. Window ft. Domo Genisis, Frank Ocean, Hodgy Beats & Mike G
Tyler decides to go back to his original idea of being in a therapy session, except his therapist has decided to "bring his friends in" to supposedly help him.  As has been one of my major complaints with some of the tracks on here, this one does the same and Tyler doesn't seem to have a concept of why most songs are only between 3-5 minutes.  This one is no different from "Goblin" and "Fish", meaning it's not really worth anyone wasting seven minutes on it.

14. AU79
An instrumental?  Unexpected, but good regardless.  Tyler has been trying to get more of a hand in the production end and this is one of his creations here.  It still maintains that Odd Future sound, but it also is much more fast paced and there's a lot of other different elements that come into play on this.  The switch in tempo with about a minute left was also really cool.  I don't know how this fits onto Goblin (well, I really don't know how anything fits on here) but I'm glad he went with throwing this on here anyways.

15. Golden
Tyler saved his best song ("Inglorious") for last in Bastard and he goes with the same approach for Goblin.  I liked the beat for "Inglorious" better, as this one is much darker.  Still, it's one of the better production efforts on the album and it does what a lot of beats fail to do: let Tyler talk and allow us to listen.  As crazy as it sounds, a lot of this song is actually with good intentions.  His second verse praises his mom for being a "black queen" and he's thanking her for sticking by him (although you have to actually read the lyrics to understand that one).  The song also does a terrific job of building up anticipation to where Tyler just has a complete mental breakdown.  It's chilling, but he does a good job of acting like he really is losing it (I wish a video would've been released to accompany this as it would have been really fucking interesting).  What's funny though, is that the end, where Tyler realizes his therapist was actually just Tyler talking to himself the whole time, is not credible whatsoever (with every reason being mentioned above).  So yes, some will go crazy when they hear that and claim "holy shit! It all makes sense!" but if you actually paid attention, it's just Tyler trying to make you think that so you'll excuse everything else that was bad about this album.

Closing Statement: This is why it's better for me to review an album after giving it time to sit for a while.  A gut reaction is almost always much more optimistic because it naturally sounds fresher since it's the first or second time you hear it.  After listening to Goblin in May, I was extremely impressed, to the point where I was beginning to claim Tyler was the best thing up and coming right now (ohh boy, how that has changed).  Okanma has some tracks that probably shouldn't have made the cut and some that should never have even seen the light of day.  There are others that are decent, if they go along with the same concept, but there isn't one, even though Tyler will try to claim there is.  I always love more to listen to, but not if it's unnecessary, because then it's just a waste of my time when I could be listening to something that is worth listening to.  Had Tyler cut the album from 15 to 9 tracks and made it more into an EP than an LP, he'd have a pretty fucking good project on his hands.  He does prove he is an extremely talented writer and I do believe his madness is more creative than attention seeking.  I think, as Tyler gets older, he will begin to become a more mature musician and actually realize that shit like "Bitch Suck Dick" may not be as creative as he once thought it was.  He has incredible potential, and this album certainly shows that at times, but he's like the guy that comes off the bench and scores 20 one night, then does nothing the next.  He hasn't graduated to the status of even being a starter on any team at this point, but let's hope he pulls a Josh Hamilton and eventually realizes how to use his talents and stop fucking around.

The Verdict: It really depends on this one.  If you are into the Odd Future movement at all, then I think you need to pick this up, but a burn will suffice your needs as there are plenty of other albums that deserve your cash than this.  If you aren't into OFWGKTA, I'd still recommend listening to "Yonkers" and "Nightmare".  Otherwise, I think you're better off sticking to other up and comers, like ASAP Rocky for instance, who appropriately says "Fuck a goon and a goblin".

30 Reviews in 30 Days (sort of): Drake - Take Care

Well, I tried.  I really, really wanted to try and get a review done every day.  But then the Steelers played last Thursday, then I was in Pittsburgh on Friday and well, you get the point.  Posts usually take between 2-2.5 hours and they require a lot of concentration, so 30 in 30 days may have been reaching a little.  Still, I'm trying my best to get as many reviewed as I possibly can, so while there may not be 30 by the 30th, there will certainly be plenty (and way more than I have posted for the entire year).

Today, I focus in on Drake, an artist who I really, really have tried to like over the past couple of years.  It's relatively pointless to give a bio on Drake (real name Aubrey Graham, you can see why he chose to go by his middle name rather than his first) but I'll give a little insight anyways.  Graham was not the atypical artist who emerges from the slums of some major city and he actually was already relevant before he even began his rapping career.  Graham, as 99% of America probably knows at this point, played the character Jimmy Brooks on the popular teen program Degrassi from 2001-2009.  Brooks was a physically disabled basketball player who struggles to find himself after being confided to a wheelchair (which, no offense to those that have suffered from paralysis, I find hilarious being that Graham raps about how many women he sleeps with when he played a cripple for 8 years.  I may be going to hell for that one).

Of course, acting was not the only thing Graham had his attention on, and just as he tried to develop an artistic talent in the show, he was developing one off the set in rap.  In 2006, Graham released his first mixtape Room for Improvement and then shortly after, released his second tape, Comeback Season, which he received attention for because of his song "Replacement Girl" that featured singer Trey Songz.  He became the first Canadian rapper ever to have a music video featured on BET and soon after, he received a call from Lil Wayne to come and tour with him.  The hype surrounding Drake was beginning to bubble, but it wasn't until his release of So Far Gone, that he truly burst onto the music scene.  The tape, which featured the ever popular "Best I Ever Had", reportedly had 2000 downloads in just the first hour of its release and just four months later, Drizzy had a deal with Wayne's label, Young Money (which Billboard called "one of the greatest bidding wars ever", to which I'm skeptical of, being that Drake signed for a measly $2 million when rapper ASAP Rocky recently signed with Sony for $3 million, and ASAP had about half the hype Drake had).

I knew Drake had promise after hearing So Far Gone, but I wasn't sold on him, unlike much of the music world was at that point.  Had he signed to Def Jam or Interscope, I would have felt better about his future in a critical aspect (I knew he'd sell extremely well; that was never a debate for me).  My speculations proved to be true the next year after Drake released his debut album Thank Me Later.  The album did exactly what I predicted it would and it sold extremely well.  Yet, as we all know (well, maybe not everyone), an album that sells doesn't necessarily mean it's good (Christ, Soulja Boi's debut went platinum; look how that one has played out).  Drake's first album, to me, was 95% fluff with only one track that I could even listen to consistently "Light Up" (and most of that was because of Jigga's verse).  While most popular entertainment sources praised the album, real hip hop heads were mostly disgusted at it and the album gained more critics in that realm than supporters (me being one of them).  He proved he could sell, but he didn't prove he could talk about anything but pussy and partying.

Which leads me to his most recent effort, Take Care.  I didn't even want to pick this one up originally, but I did anyways because I knew I would never hear the end of it from everyone else that bought it.  So did Drake turn me from a cynic to a believer?  Here's my review.

1. Over My Dead Body (Prod. by 40)
For starters, if you don't know who 40 is, he's a Canadian producer who's largely responsible for much of So Far Gone as well as Weezy's No Ceilings.  40 and Drake have had a strong relationship since Drake's work on Degrassi, and it shows since Drake employed him to help behind the boards for all but four songs on this album.  I really dug the beat 40 does use on this and it gives the song (and maybe album?) a much more somber, serious feel.  One thing I noticed though, that as much as I liked the keys and low tempo, this sounded fucking identical to Thank Me Later's first track, "Fireworks" (obviously, not a good sign).  Drizzy comes on and claims "he killed everyone in the game last year" to which I scoff at (are you fucking kidding me? Your album wasn't even half of what 'Ye's or Big Boi's was).  He does admit he's a "slave to the pussy" and I was glad to see he at least addressed some of his critics, "Man all your flows bore me: paint drying".  Most of this song has no meaning whatsoever, but because it's the intro, he gets a pass.  I'm OK with a few lines describing your past year, but an entire song just seems like a bit much.  I also don't understand why it's called "Over My Dead Body", considering the hook is more like "Over My Dead Boddd" (she never does finish the whole word).  For all my complaints though, I did like this song all in all (and anything is really an improvement over Thank Me Later).

2. Shot for Me
I knew it was only a matter of time before Drake would come out with something like this shit.  And yes, it's only two tracks in.  I don't care that you made it, we already fucking know.   The hook is way too long and the ONE thing Drake got so much criticism for was his lack of diversity on his first album.  Apparently, he doesn't care, because he's back with another song for the ladies.  "But C.J., that's just his style man!".  Yeah, and it gets stale very quickly.   Oh, and there's definitely a trend beginning to develop, which is Take Care is really Thank Me Later 2.0, at least sound wise.  Play this, then play "Karaoke" and you'll see the extreme similarities between the two.

3. Headlines
OK, so some people will hate on Drake for this one, but I did really like this, no matter how much I could criticize the lack of depth in his lyrics.  For one, it's a major improvement over Thank Me Later's first single "Over" (although that really doesn't take much).  The hook is actually decent and I thought Boi-1da's beat is one of the best I've ever heard Drake rap over.  He does have a point when he repeats his "they know".  At this point, Drake does know that everyone knows who it is when his music is played.  He's that big.  Loved this for a song to warm up or run to as well.  Just wish he would have saved his speech for a separate track as a skit.

4. Crew Love ft. The Weeknd
Oh man.  I thought "Fancy" was bad, but this one, without a doubt, takes the cake as Drake's worst song to date.  The beat is just fucking awful, as well as The Weeknd's hook.  I can't even make it to Drake's verse while reviewing this.  When you start your song off like this, I have no reason to give it a chance.

5. Take Care ft. Rihanna
The hook is considerably better here, which didn't take really anything to do, considering how atrocious the last one was.  Again, Drake raps about nothing meaningful and really sings the majority of this rather than raps it.  Which begins to beg the question: is this even a rap album?  If it isn't, then it doesn't belong on this blog.  Drake claims it is though, so I'm putting him under the same microscope as everyone else, and yes, this song is pretty awful when looking at it that way.

6. Marvin's Room/Buried Love (Interlude)
I heard this one a few months back and I still hate it.  It's way, way too long and it shouldn't even be called an actual song, as it acts more as an interlude (which Drake says the second part is, but sorry, the entire song functions as this).  What's worse, is that this, again, does nothing to show me the guy has any diversity whatsoever.  "I'll start hating only if you make me" he says, that's beginning to be how I feel, as he's doing a tremendous job of that.  How people even consider this listenable is beyond me.

7. Underground Kings
Now THIS is more like it.  True, it doesn't bring anything really new to the table, but this is why Drake actually calls himself a rapper.  I have trouble believing anyone could be as cocky as 'Ye or Hova, but Drizzy certainly makes a case that he has the most bravado in the game now.  The beat here is a good one, and although I know it's similar to another song I've heard recently, I can't really place a finger on it, so I give this the benefit of the doubt.  One good thing about this album (which there aren't many) is that we're seven tracks in and there's three tracks I could listen to more than once.  There was only one on his previous album, so that in itself is an improvement.  My only gripe with this is that there definitely could have been another verse in here somewhere, and being that Drake is no stranger to guest appearances, I wonder why he didn't employ an extra buddy to perform along with him (maybe Kendrick?).

8. We'll Be Fine
Like the beat, but I have no idea why Drake is acting like he has a past he wants to forget.  Remember, this ain't a dude that came from nothing to suddenly everything.  He's had more than 96% of Americans had before he even started rapping, so his hook is confusing, even though it sounded OK.  There's another reference on his admiration for Nicki "she's beauty and the beast".  As if it's just unavoidable at this point, Drake takes his third verse to talk to another female and produces nothing that is worthy of most music listeners' attention.  The song sounds good, there's just not much here (which has always been one of my biggest criticisms of Drizzy).

9. Make Me Proud ft. Nicki Minaj
I've realized that the production on this album is basically a crapshoot.  The beat isn't terrible, but it's not that great either.  Minaj though, sounds terrible herself on here, and while this is nowhere near as bad as her last appearance with Drake, "Up All Night", this is still not good in any sense of the word.  There are songs that shouldn't have even seen the light of day: this is probably one of them.

10. Lord Knows ft. Rick Ross (Prod. by Just Blaze)
There's been some backlash on Drake for choosing the title of a famed 'Pac song, although I don't really believe that Drizzy was meaning to disrespect the legend in any way.  In fact, maybe he should just start doing every one of his songs to 2Pac titles, because this is miles beyond most of what he has to offer on Take Care.  I'm relieved that Graham hired Blaze to give him at least something to work with on this album, and the brief change in production is welcoming (especially after hearing "Crew Love" and "Make Me Proud").  Drake still comes out with some ridiculous claims (he legitimately compares Weezy to Jordan and Stunna to Haffa, which is fucking absurd) but he does at least give a few verses better than most of what he has given for the album.  Ross doesn't add anything to the song, but the "Maybach" feel does work for this (even though I can't really explain it) and Ross certainly doesn't hurt the song.

11. Camera/Good Ones Go (Interlude)
I had to do a double take to see if this was still part of Take Care or if my iTunes decided to go into shuffle mode, as the first 20 seconds of this sounds nothing like I've heard Drake go over (and this is a good thing).  The sample, which has been mastered to sound more like elevator music, is a nice addition and I was happy with the overall beat in general.  Drake talks about how things look like one thing on camera but are completely the opposite in reality.  While it's a cool subject, this song gets way too repetitive and it's a shame the song takes this route, because this one had promise (key word: had).  I do appreciate that Graham finally, finally went a little outside his element (or at least attempted to) on here.

12. Doing It Wrong
Basically, it's "Take a Shot", just worse than the original.  That's all I need to really say about this one.

13. The Real Her
Again, another miss.  If Drake decided to make a solely R&B album (which I hope, and anticipate, he will because I do think he's got a decent voice).  Again though, I'm looking at this like a rap album, and this does not work, no matter how hard someone (most likely one that doesn't listen to hip hop often) will try to convince you otherwise.

14. HYFR (Hell Ya Fuckin' Right)
Another song with not much to it and Drake's raps are about another girl (surprise!).  However, I will compliment the dude on his first verse as he goes hard.  Beginning from the line "Tuition is handled by some random nigga that live in Atlanta" to "she asked".  I won't be someone that says Drake can't rap; he certainly has a ton of talent.  But because Drake doesn't go out of the box here and there and consistently focuses on only one subject, it makes me think, inevitably, that he's lazy.  That, or he just knows whatever he writes will sell him records, so until he's actually challenged to become a better writer, it will probably never happen.  Weezy's verse is actually not garbage (and really, it's better than half his verses on his own album; that's how bad it was).  My only question after this is: how the fuck do these guys get away with saying "Hell ya, fucking right" as your hook and still be thought of as amazing to the general public?  Makes just about as much sense as a fucking black hole (seriously, try researching them, you'll give yourself a headache just trying to read the formulas that describe them).

15. Look at What We've Done
The piano loop for the beat sounds dangerously close to what was used for "Over My Dead Body" (which is entirely possible).  I wonder if this was actually exactly what was going through Drake's mind before he ever got signed (I seriously doubt he was to the point he "end up robbing a bank").  However, while this song is another personal one, I think it's one of Drake's best.  One reason is that the beat doesn't overshadow him.  A lot of Drake songs I get too distracted by the beat that accompanies it and I lose track of what he's saying, but Drake is center stage on this and he obliterates his two verses.  The hook is pretty decent to.  What's also a surprise is that Drake isn't talking to another one of his biddies.  He is talking to a woman, his grandma.  The track is his arguments with her, not some girlfriend, which makes this song about 10x better, considering it's somebody Drake truly cares about.  I'm still not crazy about this album, but I will say one thing, it has produced my favorite (and maybe his best) Drake song I've heard to date.  Amazing song.

16. Practice
The good times couldn't last even one more song.  Drake has this tendency to throw these tracks into his album which are just fucking horrible.  It's a shame, especially since I can hear what he is capable of with the previous track.

17. The Ride
Another throwaway beat, although Drake decides to actually rap on this.  The title is appropriate, since it describes Drake's "ride" as a celebrity and it was cool to get some insight into his life as an icon (for instance "It’s feeling like you own every place you choose to be at now/walking through airport security with your hat down/instead of getting a pat down, they just keep on/saying that they feel you, nigga").  Drake also does make a good point with this song: nobody "feels him" except him.  That phrase (which I myself am guilty of using excessively) can only be used when you do know what it's like to be a celebrity.  You don't ever "feel" Drake on any of his songs about his lush life because most of you have never even had a taste of it.  In that regard, I commend Drake for making that statement.  It seems many rappers are afraid to address those that are fake and try and pretend they do know how they feel, when really, they have about as close to a clue as Chris Paul has on where he'll end up next year.  So while the beat isn't fantastic, I'll give Drake a passing grade for this one.  Certainly better than most of what's on this album, anyways.


Closing Statement: After giving this another listen, it's still just about as bad as I thought it was when I heard it the first time.  There are some tracks on here that are fucking terrible and I pray I never have to hear anything close to what "Crew Love" sounded like.  Drake also, proves that he's almost entirely one-dimensional, rarely escaping his comfort zone of rapping to women and about his life.  And while this album isn't Thank Me Later, much of it sounds entirely just like it, both in Drake's verses and in production.  It's nice that Graham gives 40 a chance to produce possibly the highest selling album that was released this year, but being nice has its consequences, and a lot of the beats on here are pathetic.  Out of the 17 (some have this album going 18 songs, with "Marvin's Room" and "Buried Love" as two separate songs), I counted six that were either decent or pretty damn good.  With the album going nearly 80 minutes, that means that only 1/3 (or 26 minutes) of it is actually worth listening to.  Yet, for Drake, that is a massive improvement over his last effort and I can at least say that you shouldn't use this as a drink coaster (as for Thank Me Later, that is a perfect coaster for any drink of your choice).  Drake does show some growth on here, which leads me to think there may actually be some hope for him as being someone worth my time 10 years from now.  He also has arguably one of his best songs ever on here in "Look at What You've Done" and it's clear he is miles ahead of his mentor in the talent department.  So my notion that he is actually the Jimmy Brooks of rap (talented, then got shot by Young Money and the rest of his rap career will be crippled) is probably false.  There is promise in Drake, but still not enough for me to care about him like other artists his age (Big K.R.I.T., Kendrick Lamar, Freddie Gibbs, etc.).


The Verdict: If you can find a way to get those six songs I was cool with ("Over My Dead Body", "Lord Knows", "Underground Kings", "Headlines", "Look What You've Done" and "The Ride"), then I would definitely recommend you do so.  If not, you can burn this one, but be wary of some of the garbage that's scattered throughout it.  As for buying it?  Well, I'm pretty sure there are plenty of artists out there that deserve your hard earned cash much more than Drizzy.

30 Reviews in 30 Days: Big K.R.I.T. - ReturnOf4Eva

A year ago, I remember sitting exactly where I am now (which would be in beautiful Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania...that was a joke) and trying to think of which mixtapes impressed me the most for my 2010 hip-hop awards post I was working on.  I came up with Wale's More about Nothing, Royce Da 5'9's Bar Exam III, and J. Cole's Friday Night Lights.  Cole seemed to be the clear favorite and I was actually in the process of writing my award to him, when I was interrupted.

A friend of mine (also a hip-hop heady who's currently doing an internship for audio production in L.A.) buzzed me in on Skype, so I saved my blog post and knew that I would return to it later.  The conversation we had lasted over a good hour, but somewhere in the middle of it, I mentioned that I was currently working on my latest blog post and that I felt Cole had the best mixtape of the year.  He didn't disagree, but he did mention to me that I should check out a new artist he was really big on (who, if you didn't guess already and you'd be pretty naive if you haven't, was Big K.R.I.T.) .  He said "Yeah man, he's got this one joint with Curren$y that's sooo smooth" (which happened to be "No Wheaties").  Of course, I had never heard of some Mississippi kid who sounded more like a new insect than anything.  But I gave his tape, K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, a shot.  Two weeks later, I gave my award not to Cole, but yes, to K.R.I.T. instead.

Since then, K.R.I.T., whose real name is Justin Scott, has become one of my favorite new artists to listen to.  I was floored at his ability, not only to rap, but to be able to produce some of the funkiest, soulful, southern beats I had heard since the last time I was on an OutKast binge.  What was even more amazing about Scott to me, was that he was so far beyond his years as an MC.  The song that really spoke volumes to me about his maturity was "They Got US", which told three separate tales of a young black's live who made choices that ended up catching up with them at some point and finishing with "I got us all fucked up".  Remember, this dude was 24 when he recorded this, and yet, it sounded like I was hearing a version of Bun B (not voice wise, obviously) in his current state.  What also blew me away was how fucking humble the guy was.  Confident, yes (you only need to listen to "See Me On Top" to believe that one), but in every interview, he just focused on talking about being the best and paying tribute to those before him (K.R.I.T. stands for King Remembered In Time for christ's sake).

Still, I had my doubts.  Many rappers start out with promise, but fade into the abyss as soon as they get recognized.  Take local legend (at least for me), Wiz Khalifa.  There is a dramatic difference between his material pre-Kush & OJ (which is absolutely his best mixtape, no matter what I hear from anyone) and after.  Let's face it: Wiz sold out.  The sounds from Rolling Papers was a 180 from what he'd been known for before and he was even singing for a large part of the album (like in "Fly Solo").  Don't get me wrong, he's still extremely successful and there is always a price for fame.  But you could see why when I heard K.R.I.T. was releasing a follow-up mixtape, just under a year from his last one, this past spring that I had reason to be wary.


The other thing I couldn't wrap my head around was how K.R.I.T. would even follow up something as good and honest as K.R.I.T. Wuz Here (remember, I said that was the best mixtape of the entire 2010 music year).  So many questions revolved around my head.  Would he produce the entire tape again?  What features would he bring on?  Would he be trying to make a repeat of Drake's So Far Gone so he could would be making millions within weeks?

And so, on March 28th, I came home after class and saw his tape was finally posted.  I synced it up to my iPod and put it on my roommates iDock.  8 months later, here is my review.

1. Intro
Scott talks about a movement he calls "ReturnOf4Eva" that causes you to "feel something you ain't ever feeled before".  You realize though that the cheers you hear of the audience when he comes out from backstage are all in his head, as it is all just a dream.  The alarm clock goes off and Big Sant (pretty sure that's who it is screaming in the back) tells K.R.I.T. to "cut that fucking alarm off!" and to get up, which sets up...

2. Rise and Shine
It took K.R.I.T. just 30 seconds to convince me that his tape would certainly not be a waste of my time.  Just as his previous tape, K.R.I.T. is in sole command, both on the mic and on the boards for the entire tape.  He's got a good message in his hook "nothing comes of those that just wait/don't ever lose sight of your goals, just keep straight" and I can already tell that Scott seems just as hungry to prove himself as he was on K.R.I.T. Wuz Here.  The beat with chains and a bass that just bumps (which was also a theme of the first tape) is great on here and this song is actually the true intro into his tape.  I remember the first time I heard this that I was excited, but I had no idea what else was in store.

3. Theme Song
Wow.  That's all I could think when I first played this.  In fact, I remember just putting this on repeat for another 4x before I even went to the next track.  OK, so what makes this song so great?  For starters, the beat is incredibly fresh.  The sample K.R.I.T. used here (another soul one, although I can't pinpoint what exact song he took it from) is perfect for the bass he uses.  What really got me about the production behind this though, was his tribute to former southern legends.  I heard pieces of UGK and OutKast scattered throughout this entire track (I especially liked the "forever, ever, forever ever?" sample from 'Kast's "Ms. Jackson" in the hook).  Lyrically and delivery wise, K.R.I.T. flows seamlessly on this.  Scott makes sure to address fans who may have worried he'd go mainstream by saying "mainstream was cool, but in my heart forever underground".  The way he constructs his delivery on here is also just superb; I can't remember hearing a rapper this young into the game ever being able to sound so complete and yet so different from everyone else.  It takes only one listen of this to realize K.R.I.T. is going to be something really, really special.

4. Dreamin'
Again, K.R.I.T. uses another sample that's just unfair (meaning that it literally puts him above just about 80% of those who also are trying to make it).  The song talks about a familiar subject; K.R.I.T. and his beginnings as a rapper.  But Scott does it in a way that so many other rappers miss.  His tone makes it sound so honest, something that I miss from a lot of other artists.  He also is great at painting a picture in your mind.

"Rappin to my pop about the cars and the clothes/shrimp and the lobster that I hear about, word of mouth", "I was like 13 thirsty for a good beat, scoping for a good beat/like Ball and G/on the pimp tight shit/Three Six had me crunk on that late night tip".

I can totally see K.R.I.T. doing this, and again, it's that honesty he has in his lyrics that make me want to listen to what he has to say.  Nothing sounds forced either, it flows from one line to another, which gives you the impression you might just be hearing one really long line when you're done listening to the verse.  K.R.I.T. also talks about passing up a deal and that he'd sacrifice it all to make it, but not his soul ("And a firm belief that there's a God).  Could he be lying?  Maybe, but I don't think so.  To not take the easy route to live his dream deserves praise and, as it already I think is happening, will work out for him at the end of the day.  The hook, again, is spot on and works really well into the main message of his song, which is not to believe those when they tell you you're just "Dreamin'" ("Just know that I was considered just a dreamer, but I paid my dues and turned so many doubters to believers").  It's fitting that he ends with "they used to say" before the hook returns.  A heartfelt, and overall, outstanding effort from the Mississippi native.  

5. Rotation
Another song, and yes, another home run.  The hook is terrific and while his previous tracks are certainly heavily influenced by his southern roots, this one has more trill/houston/dirty south components than any of them.  K.R.I.T.'s verses are good, although nothing too special.  What makes this song though, is K.R.I.T.'s ability behind the boards.  I go back and forth deciding what he's better at, but songs like this convince me his talents as a producer outweigh those he has as a rapper.  Another reason the beat is so damn good on here is it's bass.  Seriously, this thing bangs (not that the other tracks didn't; this one is just somehow better).  I also talked about how good K.R.I.T. is at being able to paint a picture in your head of what he's thinking, but the last track he used his rhymes to do this.  Here, he uses his beat to pull you in.  The section "let it rain, hydroplane, but I'm riding slow" with the thunderstorm sample is brilliant and the entire hook gives you the image of the song's title.

6. My Sub
One thing K.R.I.T. is really good at (and there's a lot he's got in his talent base) is making you totally immersed in what you're listening to.  For instance, listen to this song and NOT try to hum the "My sub, my sub, my sub, I put that on my sub" after it finishes.  Just as "Rotation" succeeded in taking southern influences and adding a modern flare, this one does the same, and yes, it will grin if you own a pair of subs for yourself.  The song is exactly about what the title is, but K.R.I.T. succeeds in making his lyrics creative enough for you to keep listening (with a beat like this though, that's pretty much impossible).  There again, though, is another reason why K.R.I.T. is so good.  Could he have dogged it on his verses after creating this monster beat?  Absolutely (and a lot of rappers tend to do this, Curren$y, unfortunately can be one of them at times).  Yet, Scott doesn't follow the norm and gets as thoughtful as you can get about a pair of subs.  The sample he uses to close the song is also great (sounds like something from a Lionel Ritchey song, which if it is, is genius for how he incorporates it).

7. Sookie Now ft. David Banner
I have no clue what Sookie means (although it is the name of a character on True Blood).  But this track is much, much more upbeat than the previous three, and it's a nice change of pace.  As usual, K.R.I.T.'s beat is stellar (loved the trumpets in the back) and it may cause you to lose part of your hearing for how strong the bass comes on.  It also sounds similar to K.R.I.T.'s "Country Shit" from Wuz Here, and while it's not as good as the original, I still thoroughly enjoyed this one.  Scott also has his first guest on the mixtape appear here; Mississippi legend himself, David Banner.  He doesn't show up K.R.I.T., but he's a perfect complement for the type of song here and his section about "Emmitt Till" and "they call it suicide, cuz it's just another black male" does have significance (and you don't hear the deep, deep south's perspective, at least around the Bible Belt in hip-hop that much these days).  As a Mad Men fanatic, I also appreciated the line from Dom Draper to close out this one.

8. American Rapstar
If the mixtape was terrible up until this point, or just average, I'd be glowing about this song.  Because of the incredibly high standard K.R.I.T. has set himself to this point though, I'm actually going to say this is the weakest track so far.  Does that really mean anything?  Not really, because it still bangs and the beat is still pretty damn good.  A theme I've been noticing with K.R.I.T.'s songs is that they are almost always about what the title states.  There's no ridiculous title with a subject that has no resemblance to it.  Scott also makes a great point at the beginning of the song, which is:


"An A&R once told me "you can determine the worth of a song within 15 seconds of it playing/With complete and utter lack of the fact that it takes takes all 3 minutes and 40seconds of a song/To comprehend what I'm sayin'/It ain't a single if it don't fly/It ain't a hit if it don't ride/Now he couldn't tell me the components of a smash but the ringtones were their all time high/And a rappers only as big as his chain, the flashier the better"


There's that honesty word again.  And that's why I care so much more about what Scott has to say than most others.


9. Highs and Lows
I knew K.R.I.T. couldn't keep his foot on the gas for forever, and I can finally start to see a minor (emphasis on the word "minor") regression in the quality of his songs, starting with the previous one and continuing here.  Regardless, the sample utilized here sounds like something I'd hear on Aquemini.  It starts out as a track for K.R.I.T. to boast on, but that's not what it's entirely about.  K.R.I.T. also tries, at least at the end of his first verse, to try and have you see from his perspective,

"If you ain't winning in this game then you've barely played If you ain't buying what you want then you barely paid if you didn't see me hiding then you could barely hate cause"

The hook is considerably weaker than the rest of his tape, but that's not to say it's bad, it's just not as good as the level he's already set for himself.  But yes, I still liked the song.


10. Shake It ft. Joi
It had to happen.  I knew at some point K.R.I.T. would make a filler, and I'm amazed it's taken him this long to finally do so.  The hook, for the first time on this tape, is not very good.  The beat, while better than most shitty mixtapes, is pretty average and I wasn't crazy about Joi's appearance (besides, if K.R.I.T. didn't have a filler, I'd be having some serious thoughts on whether he's even human...and I'm still questioning that with what he's come out with).  The Chris Rock sample leads perfectly into the next track, though.


11. Made Alot ft. Big Sant
Fortunately, "Shake It" was only a blip; not a trend.  I was thrilled to see K.R.I.T. bring Sant back on, as he and Scott sound amazing together.  Sant had me laughing with his "Who the fuck are you, texting me at 1:46 in the evening, meant the morning", obviously a tribute to Biggie's famous "Who the fuck is this, paging me at 5:46 in the morning".  In fact, Sant I think actually sounds better than Scott on the beat here, which is really fucking good by the way, but I don't think that's really a knock on K.R.I.T.  I'm confident that 8 times out of 10, Scott would best Sant in the lyrical compartment, I just think the beat is better suited for someone with Sant's delivery than K.R.I.T.'s.  The message of the song is pretty simple: "Made alot a cheese, people say I changed, but if you thinking that you never knew me from the gate".  It's a message worth telling however, since K.R.I.T. is so determined to not let the fame or popularity change who he is.


12. Lions & Lambs
Ehh, wasn't really feeling this one.  It's not as bad as "Shake It", but you can tell the momentum K.R.I.T. had earlier in the album has died down considerably (again though, that's to be expected because the pace he was going at is nearly impossible to keep up).  A trend I have noticed though, by this point: while this tape sounds clearer and may have more $ put into it than K.R.I.T.'s previous, that doesn't mean it's surpassed it.  Not by this track, at least.


13. King's Blues
Loved, loved the beat for this.  It's certainly not as memorable as earlier in the album, but it's still very good.  The guitar riff sample K.R.I.T. used for this is what really makes it for me and it's also perfect for K.R.I.T. describing his troubles.  In fact, this track has some of Scott's better lyrics since "American Rapstar" and he was smart not to put this sandwiched in between "Made Alot" and "Highs and Lows", because it would lose a little bit of credibility in my book (you can't just put one song where you're describing how much you make then go to the next one talking about how "you searched through ya mama's couch for loose change".  Just doesn't work).  K.R.I.T., as he has done throughout this tape, references his belief in God, "I do with what God gave me", and I will give the guy props for sticking to his guns and having faith, when it's easier than ever to lose it the way things are today.  His "a King without a crown" line is also well thought out (what IS a King without a crown?).


14. Time Machine ft. Chamillionaire
It took a few tracks to recharge, but K.R.I.T. brings back his A+ game for this one.  The beat is one of the tape's best and I could certainly see this as something Three Six or UGK could use with a little faster pace.  Those pictures that K.R.I.T. is so good at painting are back in full force for this song, as he talks about his past experiences that he wishes he could go back and relive.  What the real highlight is however, other than this song's production, is Scott's guest.  Remember this guy?  The same one who had a #1 hit four years ago? (Yeah, it's only been that long).  Chamillionaire goes hard in his verse and the last few lines are what really hit home for me.


Throw a prayer up for Japan, I swear the daily news be having me trippin/Everybody that got a cross hanging off they neck is not a Christian/When the police pull you over they'll say you fit the, description/Bun B that's our O.G., R.I.P Pimp C feel like I'm with him/When I'm in my time machine 

I think K.R.I.T. knew this one was another gem, which is why he included it later in his tape to make sure that the thing wasn't completely top heavy while leaving the other half as fillers.  It kind of functions almost as my relationship with God himself; just when I begin to think he may not be there, you see a sign that he's still looking out for you (as religious as I will ever be on this blog).


15. Get Right
There are two reasons I will never be able to hate on this song.  One: the opening just makes me think of Southernplayalisticadillacmusik to a T, and that's one of my favorite hip-hop albums of all time.  Second: I own a shirt with K.R.I.T. on it with the title of this song above him (along with his trademark crown logo).  So yes, it's not as good as what I just heard or "Dreamin", but fuck, I still love this song anyways.  The "Jack the Ripper" line was tight, too. (Can't you just see this shit bumpin in a club in the 90's with the "pimps and gators" and canes there?  I can, and that's amazing that someone so young can bring back those images)

16. Amtrak
This is another track that, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't really get into.  It's got a cool premise, and the train metaphor is sweet, but it may just be a tad too southern for me.  I also felt the beat used here is one of the tape's worst, and after hearing "Get Right" which had a beat I was so into, this one doesn't come anywhere near that.  It's also placed towards the end of the tape, and by this time, my patience to listen to it the whole way through is waning (and that really goes for any album/tape you listen to, if you're ever gonna take the foot off the gas, it's in about the 6th or 7th track, and then finish really strong to leave a good impression.  Still, this might just be a case of the tape being so damn long, because it's not technically in the home stretch yet).

17. Player's Ballad ft. Raheem Devaughn
Not up to the par as previous tracks, but this still has a beat that is able to carry it.  Devaughn is also a great choice for the hook and he does well with his duties.  I feel that this was made as a tribute to OutKast solely, and I do give Scott props for that.  I also am surprised to realize that this is really the first track entirely dedicated to talking to women (which, if you read the Big Sean review, 3/4 of his album was about that one subject).  And did he really drop the line "the Black King Cole with the stroll, unforgettable"??  Fuck, I can't find reason to complain when you drop lines like that.

18. Another Naive Individual Glorifying Greed and Encouraging Racism
Krizzle has a lot of guts to address this subject, but I applaud him for it.  For one, that's one of the most creative acronyms I've seen since GZA dropped "Criminals Robbing Innocent Motherfuckers Everytime".  K.R.I.T. uses his hook to explain how he doesn't want to be perceived as "another nigger" and that he's above that.  With everything that K.R.I.T. already has in his work, I don't think there's any reason you would stereotype him that way, but Scott wants to ensure that this isn't the image he gets from everyone else.  What's interesting about the track is that Scott describes all of the things that he doesn't want to be seen as.  Out of all the tracks on ReturnOf4Eva, this one may be K.R.I.T.'s best written, as every verse addresses a problem the black community has and a trap they seem to fall into, such as not wanting to read, not going to church, or always trying to sell something.  K.R.I.T. also produces a less grandiose beat for this, but that's because he wants his lyrics to speak louder than anything.  While it may not be a highlight for others, it was for me, and I liked this one just about as much as "They Got Us".

19. Free My Soul
Piano keys seem to be a trend and unfortunately, unless I'm hearing something incredible by this point in the tape, I don't have much time for it being that ReturnOf4Eva runs at 21 tracks and over 70 minutes.  The hook is pretty average and this is mostly a song where K.R.I.T. is talking to God.  It's more thoughtful than 96% of the songs I rate average, but again, it's just another one that doesn't stick with me after listening to the rest of what K.R.I.T. had to offer (which is kind of a problem, his tracks that don't have as strong a message are the ones I love the most, but the ones that do actually matter for the most part, are forgettable).  It is interesting however, the skit that Krizzle includes at the end: "What difference do you think one man can make in all this madness".  Is this what K.R.I.T. is trying to be?  (From all indications, yes, and he's well on his way to making a difference if he continues the way he's going).

20. The Vent
Again, it amazes me how on point the title describes what content lies within the songs.  Yes, this is exactly what K.R.I.T. says it is and he uses it as a soap box to vent the problems he's had and sees in his life.  I still wonder who he's speaking to (maybe his mother).  He presents some excellent thoughts in this, like "the radio don't play the shit I used to love, or maybe I'm just growing up" (I've had this exact same thought, except I know at this point that this is really the case).  I think K.R.I.T. wanted to show his fans and critics his abilities as a writer (which he already has, really) and a rapper with this track, and while it may not fit into the overall feel of the tape, I understand why he wanted to include this on here.  It's also a good come down from the rest of Returnof4eva, if you've listened to it the whole way through.  That is, of course, until you hear the next track...

21. Country Shit Remix ft. Ludacris & Bun B
OK, OK, so I still liked the original better, but I have to admit, this one's still terrific.  Because I've already heard this song before and the beat remains the same, I don't have much else to say on it, except for that I thought Bun B shits on both Scott and Luda.  Otherwise, it's a fitting way to end Returnof4eva.

Closing Statement: Man, what more can I say?  I usually start out my closing statement by recapping the bad in an album before ending it on a high note and trying to be more optimistic about it as a whole.  This presents a dilemma, however, for it's hard to find many faults with this.  Does it have a few fillers? Yes.  Is it perfect? No, not by any means.  The thing that I constantly have to remind myself though is that this is not an album, it's a fucking mixtape.  K.R.I.T. released this for free and its astounding at the level of quality on it for being a free project.  Because of that, K.R.I.T. deserves even more praise than I've already given him.  You just don't hear projects this complete and mature that are released for free anymore (expect Freddie Gibbs' latest may have an argument there; I'll get to his tape later this month).  A lot of people asked after this was released whether this was better than K.R.I.T.'s last effort.  I think the key difference between the two is consistency.  K.R.I.T. Wuz Here is, at least in my opinion, the more consistent tape of the two.  Returnof4Eva however, had more tracks that just jumped out at me than K.R.I.T. Wuz Here.  The songs that are considered great on Wuz Here cannot hold their own in comparison to the ones that are great on this tape.  Returnof4Eva is a more mature tape as well, and it showcases K.R.I.T.'s growth as an artist since K.R.I.T. Wuz Here.  If you put them in the ring together, I'd honestly call a draw.  The one thing to remember though, is that you aren't putting on a featherweight match.  It's more like putting Ali against Frazier.  I thought it'd be impossible to follow up my "Mixtape of the Year", but K.R.I.T. not only has done that, he may have just repeated.

The Verdict: Get this shit immediately if you haven't already done so.  This would be worth the $15 if it was on the shelves, so it's a sin if you don't take advantage of its tremendous value.  Keep up what you're doing Scott, because you already are beginning to lay your mark and become remembered in time.