30 Reviews in 30 Days: The Roots - Undun

It's been a busy couple of months I have to say.  So busy, that I haven't had the time nor the energy to continue my blog, which has been to my chagrin (yes, I really did just use that word).  There's been a ton going on in the hip-hop world and I've been there to witness most of it, just not write about it unfortunately.

No worries, however, as I will be on break for the next 30 days, meaning I'll have ample time to jot down my thoughts on the hip-hop albums I failed to cover this year.  I thought, being that I haven't reviewed a single album since Weekend at Burnies, that this would be a good time to review every album/mixtape that has been somewhat relevant this year (including, also to my chagrin, Tha Carter IV).  So, as the title already states, this begins my the first of my reviews over the next 30 days on what hip-hop has had to offer this year.  What better way to start, I thought, than with one of the most anticipated albums for 2011, The Roots Undun (also an appropriate word to describe my blog for the past several months).

To be honest, I was surprised when The Roots decided to announce their 13th studio album back in October.  What was even more surprising to me, was that they actually followed up their claim that it would be out by December.  If you remember, The Roots announced How I Got Over in June of 2009 and said that it would be released by October (to which it wasn't and later released in June of the next year).  The Roots also claimed that this album would be different from their previous 12 in the sense that this would be a concept album, rather than a traditional one.  This worried me at first, but after hearing of snippet of the album's first single "Make My" in late October, I began to rest easier.  The album may be a "concept" album, but that didn't change the formula to which The Roots would be making music (thank God Black Thought was still allowed to spit on this).

So what exactly is the concept of Undun?  According to ?uestlove, the album is based on the life of Redford Stephens (1974-1999), who is a youth that tries to define himself in the middle of the city, but unfortunately, dies in the process.  ?uestlove also stated that Redford was a fictional character, comprised of four to five black youths that he knew in his life in Philadelphia.  The drummer compared the story of Redford to one in the ever popular series, The Wire, specifically Avon Barksdale, who played a low-level drug dealer.  ?uest also said that the album takes a look into 24 hours of Redford's life, but with a twist.  The album is told as a backward narrative, hence the title Undun.  The Roots also were kind enough to release multiple short videos with each song released to help further tell the story of Redford and they've even come up with a fucking app to help as well (I can't to ask everyone in my family this Christmas if they've picked up the "Redford Stephens" or "Undun" app).

There were two other concerns I had about Undun before I decided to give it a listen on the stream The Roots were so generous to provide on NPR.  The first was how The Roots could follow up their previous album, How I Got Over.  I already reviewed that one for the blog and you can read my thoughts here.  In short, though, the album was one of The Roots' most impressive in recent memory, so to take on a concept album (especially only a year and a half after its release) would be a risk.  The other thing I noted was that, once again, The Roots had a tracklist that was, well, lacking beef.  With 14 tracks, only 8 of them lasted more than 2:23 and four of them were under a minute a piece.  While I'm not against short albums, it leaves little room for error, meaning Undun would have to be damn impressive in its bulk tracks in order to leave a listener with the feeling that their money was well spent.

So how impressive was Undun? Here's my review...

1. Dun
In an intro that sounds eerily similar to "A Peace of Light" from How I Got Over, it signals the death of Redford Stephens, specifically with the lifeline hitting blank at the end of the track.  For telling the story of Stephens backward, it's an appropriate way to begin.

2. Sleep
"I've lost a lot of sleep to dreams" will be the line most remembered from this track.  This marks the point in Redford's life where he is in between dying and living.  The chords in the background provide a nice supplement and it sounds familiar to what The Roots have come up with before.  Thought jumps on for the first actual verse of the album and drops the lines "and what I did eventually came back to me eventually" and "illegal activity controls my black symphony."  Clearly, Redford was not a law-abiding citizen and the line "I was meant to be awake" shows that he died too early.  Redford also must not have had a family who cared for him, "I wonder if my fam will remember me".  When listening to the song at first, you may be tempted to say that the track is too short.  Examining the lyrics closer, however, tell you that the song is perfect the way it is, for how much time do you really have before you're about to die?

3. Make My ft. Big K.R.I.T.
The first single off of Undun (and possibly the only one) is also the track where The Roots take the most risk in the album.  I was thrilled to see that K.R.I.T. got together with the legendary crew for this, but I also questioned whether he could hold his own on a project that many believed not even The Roots themselves were capable of doing.  The beginning of the song (which marks the end of Redford's life) has a slow intro but it picks up at about the :36 mark when ?uest's drums come in.  K.R.I.T. gets the first verse and quickly shows why Thought and his crew must have had faith in him.  A verse that hones in on the price of reaching "the steak lobster" life is told smoothly through K.R.I.T. (not that I didn't have faith in K.R.I.T. myself, but I always considered him a better producer than rapper).  The hook plays into the theme K.R.I.T. describes and it done beautifully before Thought comes back onto the mic himself.  Again, Thought does a terrific job with the material handed to him, even if his verse is short (the line "long robe of meurte" was ridiculous, in a good sense).  The verse also fits perfectly with the video that accompanied this track.  The song then takes it to a whole other level after the second hook, where The Roots go all Emerson, Lake & Palmer on us and probably jam one of the freshest two minutes I've heard all year.  In all, everything about this song just works and it's a stunning piece of work, even for The Roots themselves.

4. One Time ft. Phonte & Dice Raw
Again, another collaboration I was excited for when I saw the tracklist (considering how great Phonte was on "Now or Never" and "The Day").  The transition moves into this seamlessly and it's possibly the climax of Redford's life.  Redford makes a decision that will get him killed in this track, but that decision is actually carried out in the track previous.  Here, Phonte kicks things off by explaining how Redford wants to turn away from his life and that he knows it's wrong, "I wish a nigga would
turn around and walk away/I wish a nigga could", but that "once you’ve had the best better ain’t as good/Weak-heartedness cannot be involved."  The hook, which is spectacular once again, signifies how Redford wishes that just once, things may go his way.  The piano chords in the back remind me much of "Radio Daze" and "Walk Alone", which is a common theme throughout the beginnings of this album in how similar it is with How I Got Over.  While Thought's verse is good, Dice Raw is the one who really steals the show. "I wonder when you die do you hear harps and bagpipes/If you born on the other side of the crack pipe/Niggas learn math just to understand the crack price/Then drive in head first like the jack knife." How this dude has not gotten a solo deal to this point is beyond me.  Otherwise, another success on Undun.

5. Kool On ft. P.O.R.N. & Truck North
A complete change of pace from the darkness that sets the tone early in the album, it's accompanied by something that sounds straight out of Thin Lizzy in the late 70's.  The hook here isn't as strong as the previous tracks (although that's a pretty hard level to keep up), but it does establish clearly that this is the lone point in Redford's life where things are going well for him.  P.O.R.N., who is no stranger to The Roots, lays down a boastful, but strong verse all the same, (the line "I am heroin to those hear rhyme" might have been too much).  Still, he does something about 94% of all rappers do today anyways (brag about themselves, their riches and women) and does it in an intelligent way, which deserves props.  Black Thought's verse is short and one of his weaker ones on Undun, but there's still flashes of brilliance such as the line "got 'em waiting on the news like Kronkite."  I also thought the line "hustling anonymous" was also something to note, meaning that Redford was unknown to the outside world in his work.  Truck North's verse fits somewhere in the middle between P.O.R.N.'s and Thought's and is a good way to close the track before one more hook.  Despite the continued tempo and lack of anything to switch it up, I still found myself transfixed for the duration somehow.

6. The OtherSide ft. Bilal & P.O.R.N.
This wasn't one that jumped out at me immediately, but after a few listens, I warmed up quick.  Thought absolutely destroys his verse ("getting cheese like omelettes is"?!?) and then picks it up and drops another one nearly as good as the first.  I'm not sure whether this is his best effort on Undun, but it's a certainly a candidate.  This song shows the debate between Redford and himself on whether or not he should turn to selling in order to make a living.  “We’re all on a journey / Down the hall of memories / Don’t worry about what you ain’t got / leave with a little bit of dignity."  Bilal, by the way, does a terrific job with his hook duties and it's also another highlight of this track.  P.O.R.N. does a complete 180 from "Kool On" and is more serious on here, which he does a decent job in.  I still liked his verse better in the previous track, but I guess I can't get too greedy.

7. Stomp ft. P.O.R.N.
The beat that I'm the least crazy about, it does have the feeling of a more west coast feel, specifically something from The Chronic: 2001 ("Still Dre" ring any bells?).  P.O.R.N. does sound great on this however, and this seems like a beat much more suited to his style.  It also represents Redford deciding to take a violent stance on dealing with his problems rather than trying to reason.  The best part about this track though?  It's short and it leads into...

8. Lighthouse ft. Dice Raw
...my favorite track of Undun.  I had heard good things about this one surfing the internet a few days before the stream was released and it not only didn't disappoint me, it fucking blew me away.  The first lines, which function as a sort of bridge, come from Raw who states: If you can‘t swizzim then ya bound to drizzown/Passing out life jackets bout to go didown/Get down with the captain or go down with the ship/Before the dark abyss I’m gon’ hit you wit dis," which tell me that Redford has come to point of desperation in his life where he may not make it through.  The real treat of the track comes next however, when Raw, yes, Dice Raw drops the best hook of the entire album.  I was amazed at how well Raw's voice sounded in melody (even with his past experience on "Radio Daze").  Raw isn't done yet, as he goes into the first verse and continues to stay on fire.  The metaphor of suicide and almost drowning is so well done, especially with lines like "The waves come over my head and just crash/my hand start bleeding water starts receding" and "The fear of drowning still diving in the deep end/The waters carried me so far you can’t reach ‘em", that I could nearly picture myself for a brief moment in Redford's shoes.  The ocean/drowning metaphor continues with Thought, who drops a more complex verse than Raw (the "maritime museum" line was deff. a highlight).  It would be an injustice to forget that the music (which I've done a poor job of focusing on to this point) to this is extremely well composed.  Because Owen Biddle left The Roots in August, I'm not sure if he helped record this, but whoever was on bass for this did a fantastic job and it really is a great supplement.  A magnificent and inspiring track in all.

9. I Remember
It's hard to follow up such a powerful track as "Lighthouse" is, so it's to no surprise that this one isn't on the same standard as the one previous.  Thought's verses are short, but he does have three of them, and the hook is solid.  I thought ?uest's drums on here were stellar and helped carry the track more than anyone else, as he has done on many tracks previous in The Roots discography.  The song touches on Redford reflecting on the choices he's made to this point and how he's lost going forward.  It's a good song and I thought it certainly wasn't the worst on Undun, but it's also not a highlight.

10. Tip the Scale ft. Dice Raw
I think I can officially say to this point that without Dice Raw, this album would not nearly be what it ended up being.  Again, Raw does a great job with his hook and he fits perfect with the tempo of the song.  "I live life trying to tip the scale, my way" summarizes the feelings Redford has at this point in his life (and is in jail at the time of this track, at least from what I could gather).  In a weird, but brilliant way, the song not only foreshadows the death of Redford, but also could provide a fitting end to Redford's life.  The line "Only two ways out, Digging tunnels or digging graves out”, courtesy of Raw, also shows that this may be the point in Redford's life where he puts to rest any thoughts of trying to lead a life above the influences of the streets surrounding him.  The violins and slow beat combined make this another track that showcases The Roots brilliance and also is one that helps carry Undun to its finale.

11. Redford
OK, so at this point, it should be noted that Undun is, in all fairness, done.  However, listening to this and the final three tracks give a nice touch to the end of the album and also give more meaning musically.  The final four tracks I've found are based on Sulfjan Stevens' work on his Michigan album, so feel free to check out the similarities between the two if you wish (I'm just not motivated enough at the current moment).

12. Possibility (2nd Movement)
Interlude.

13. Will to Power (3rd Movement)
Interlude.

14. Finality
Violins anddd were done.

Closing Statement: For all of my concerns and complaints about what I'd expect from Undun, these were put to rest quickly.  Now, I will say that being this is a new release, I tend to be much more optimistic than I usually am (I've come back to earth a little on Lamar's Section.80 for example).  However, that being said, this is a marvelous (yes, I just said marvelous and I'm not English nor over the age of 60) piece of work from The Roots.  Lyrically, there is so much to consume here that it's impossible to catch everything with one, even two listens.  Thought continues his case for being the best MC that nobody will ever recognize with another stellar performance and it's just about as good as his work on How I Got Over (which I considered the best body of work from Thought since Illadelph).  Guest wise, it's another home run for The Roots, who were meticulous and careful on who they selected to appear on this.  While Phonte and P.O.R.N. are both great in their own right, the two who really stood out to me were K.R.I.T. and Raw.  K.R.I.T. showcased again why he may just be the most capable and diverse young rapper in the game today and also confirmed my belief that he's more mature than half the MC's over the age of 30 (to put this in perspective, he's more thoughtful than some of the greats right now, including Shady).  The hooks are also extremely well done and this album has been mixed and mastered (with its seamless transitions) as good as you can get these days.  The album is short, yes, but that's even more of the beauty of it.  Redford died young, yet he may have had greatness inside him had he decided to lead his life differently.  The same goes for Undun.  The album shows incredible promise and is cut short before anyone wishes it would. 

The Verdict: If you've been looking for the album of the year, you may have it with Undun.  It's too early to hand it the hardware, but it's certainly one of the most complete albums I've heard in recent memory.  One thing is for sure though, and that is that The Roots are the best musical group still producing relevant content today.  My only question is: what could they possibly do next?

22 of 2Pac's Best

Recently, I got an e-mail from a hip hop blogger, Henry Adaso of About.com, which listed 22 songs that are essential for every 2Pac fan's collection.  He had some great picks, but I made a few changes (how appropriate) for what I think is the greatest Pac playlist ever created.  Comment below if you're feeling this or think a song should be on here that isn't.  Enjoy!

Americuz Most Wanted (in no particular order)
1. Keep Ya' Head Up
2. Changes
3. California Love ft. Dr. Dre
4. Picture Me Rollin
5. Hail Mary
6. Temptations
7. 2 of Americuz Most Wanted
8. Ambitionz as a Rider
9. So Many Tears
10. Old School
11. Brenda's Got a Baby
12. My Block
13. Dear Mama
14. When Thugs Cry
15. To Live & Die in L.A.
16. Only God Can Judge Me
17. Me Against the World
18. Trapped
19. I Wonder if Heaven Got a Ghetto
20. Hit 'Em Up
21. Until the End of Time
22. Life Goes On

Kendrick Lamar: Section.80

Who is Kendrick Lamar?

Up until a few weeks ago, I had no idea.  While Lamar was generating buzz as being the "next big thing" from one of the former meccas of hip-hop in Compton, CA, I was oblivious.  The only MC from Compton that I knew, and I think I'm in the same boat with 90% of Americans here, was Game (sadly).

The harsh reality though, is that this statement is a summation of what Compton has become since the days of N.W.A. and 'Pac.  An argument can be made that it was Compton, not the Big Apple, that was the central driving force of hip-hop's golden era in the 1990's.  After all, this is the place that produced legends such as Dr. Dre, DJ Quik, and Eazy-E (who gained that title because of the group he was affiliated with, not because he was a tremendous rapper).  While 'Pac was from L.A. at heart, it's the music out of Compton that probably had the greatest influence on his music.  West Coast hip-hop, which for a brief period was stronger than the east-coast's, thrived and died with Compton.

Yet, the city that was so influential on much of hip-hop that came from the '90s, has fell in the abyss in the past decade.  Game brought promise with his release of The Documentary in '04, but has since stumbled and still can't figure out when the hell he wants to release his next album.   The next most prominent rapper out of Compton?  Tyga.  Yes, things have got so bad in the hip-hop west coast capital that an artist like Tyga is recognized as the city's main attraction.

And then came K.Dot.  That's what Lamar went by when he first entered the rap game at the young age of just 16.  Lamar released a mixtape titled Youngest Head Nigga in Charge in 2003 under his alias of K.Dot.  I have yet to listen to this tape, or even find it, but Top Dawg Entertainment must have seen something, signing Lamar shortly after the tape was released.  K.Dot would go on to release two more mixtapes, Training Day and C4, before deciding to change his alias to his actual name (and thank God, considering K.Dot was a pretty whack name to begin with).  But by 2009, six years after his first release, Lamar was still largely unheard of unless you were from Compton to begin with.  Lamar needed something to bring himself more attention, something that made him stand out from any other rapper hailing from his city.

So Lamar dropped his first actual "album" (it's free, so I still consider it as somewhat of a mixtape) with the simply titled "Kendrick Lamar EP" in December of '09.  With songs like "P&P" (Pussy & Patron) and "She Needs Me", as well as some other decent cuts, Lamar got the catalyst he needed to propel himself into the national hip-hop scene.  If you ever listen to the EP though (and you really should to be honest), Lamar still sounded like a rapper that had tremendous potential, but there were areas he needed work on.

After touring on the Independent Grind Tour with artists like Jay Rock and Tech N9ne, Lamar released his second "album" with O(verly) D(edicated) in September of last year.  The "album" was met with much acclaim around the hip-hop world and had it been released as an actual mixtape, it had a strong case for being the best collaborative effort for a 'tape for all of 2010.  Lamar made sure that he still rapped about things that actually matter, such as tracks like "Ignorance is Bliss" and "H.O.C.", and was helped by better beats this time around.  Yet, there were still red flags about the potential of Lamar.  For instance, his track "Michael Jordan" sounded something like that guy who pretends to be "the best rapper alive" would release.  Lamar needed to make a choice.  Should he stick true to his independent roots and try and break through by word of mouth?  Or should he sell out and try and go the mainstream route to make it big, giving up the promise of conscious raps in the process?

So 10 months after O(verly) D(edicated), Lamar is back with his latest work, Section.80.  Debuting at #3 on the iTunes music charts (which blew my mind), it even outsold Lady GaGa's latest in it's opening week.  Is the hype well deserved?  Here's my take.

1. Fuck Your Ethnicity
Lamar starts off his album with a skit (which recurs at later points in the album) which leads straight into the track at about the :32 mark.  Lamar opens up with "this is the music that saved my life" (pretty sure we've heard that line before) but I believe that Lamar's actually honest by saying this.  Lamar's verses on this are rock solid and its clear from the get go that this kid is really intelligent.  Still, Lamar needs to send a big thank you card to his producer, THC, who was behind this one.  The beat for this is really well put together and the sample (if it is a sample he uses, still not sure about this one) for the hook is brilliant. Combine the lyrics, beat, and hook (all of which are great), and yes, you have reason to keep listening to this album after one track.

2. Hol' Up
Trumpets?! Shit, I can't remember the last time I heard a beat this fresh.  Lamar calls on Sounwave to provide the production here, and man, he hits an absolute home run.  It sounds familiar to something I'd here someone like K-Os use, but Lamar makes sure to make this song his own by two extremely smooth verses.  This is one of those tracks that is just pure hip hop with no extra preservatives.  It's also Lamar's way of letting his fans know that this album is going to be a major change in style from his previous one, O(verly) D(edicated).  Two tracks in, and Lamar already has two of the best songs for a hip hop album this year.  Damn, that's really telling on how bad a year it's been (as far as albums, mixtape wise this has been a tremendous year for the genre).

3. A.D.H.D.
I can't decide if Lamar's voice annoys me or if it's just so different that I haven't adjusted to it yet.  I also can't figure out which rapper he relates to the most (he's like a fusion of K'Naan, K-Os, Lupe, and Quasimoto).  Anyways, "A.D.H.D." takes a major transition from the previous track in the production and lyrical ends.  Gone are the trumpet horns and light tone, replaced by a more ambient beat with a much darker background.  Usually, it's tough to switch tone's like that, but Sounwave's beat is absolutely mesmerizing, making it virtually a song you can't avoid.  As the case with the first two tracks, their is a tremendous combination of lyrics that go along with the stellar beat Sounwave provides.  Lamar touches on a lot of different issues here (ranging from TV propaganda to drug abuse) and his delivery on the mic is pretty fast, so it's hard to keep up with everything he wants us to hear.  Listen to this track as soon as you finish it the first time, though, and you'll find that it's hard not to be moved by what Lamar is trying to say.  Another beautiful thing about this song is Lamar's storytelling abilities.  Just look at the second verse:

And then she started
And then she started
Feeling herself like no on else in this apartment
Beg you pardon
Oh I rap baby, how old are you?
She say 22, I say 23
Ok then we all crack babies
Damn, why you say that?
She said where my drink at?
I’mma tell you later, just tell your neighbors
Have the police relax
I stood up, shut the blinds
Closed the screen, jumbotron
Made it to the back, where she reside
Then she said, read between the lines
Yep, hope that I get close enough
When the lights turn down
And the fact that she just might open up

I was blown away by "Hol' Up" the first time I listened to this album, and I made the mistake of not giving this enough attention (with a title like "A.D.H.D.", that makes sense I guess), but I didn't make sure to make that same error on a second listen.  A track that is just pure brilliance.

4. No Make-Up (Her Vice) ft. Colin Munroe
Lamar brings in his first guest appearance of the album with Munroe to perform the hook. Again, proof that this kid knows what mesh's with his music, as Munroe sounds great for this track (but probably not for others on this, and I think Lamar recognized that).  Again, it's a transition in tone and theme, with this one being about insecurity in women.  The messages here aren't nearly as complex as "A.D.H.D." or "Fuck Your Ethnicity" and their is just lest lyrics from Lamar here in general.  Still, he makes his point clearly with what is here and I thought the section of dialogue between him and his lover (who isn't listed as a guest for some weird reason) is well done.  Sounwave nearly ruins the track in the final hook, though.


5. Tammy's Song (Her Evils)
I hate the roller coaster analogy, but this album really feels like one with how different each track sounds from each other.  THC returns to the studio for production duties on this, providing a pretty abstract beat with a more spacey feel.  While it's not nearly on the level of his earlier work on the album, it's not terrible to listen to and it at least doesn't take anything away from Lamar's raps.  Speaking of Lamar rapping, he goes with a different approach on this than any of his previous tracks, using a repeat method on each verse that make it sound identical to the last.  Except that each verse does have a different event/story to it and the ending is a surprise.  My only real complaint with this song is the hook, which is pretty awful.  Otherwise, it's a decent track, just not as impressive as the first four on Section.80.

6. Chapter Six
An interlude disguised as a song (which is really, really fucking annoying) but the beat here is worth noting (courtesy of Tommy Black).  It's just a shame Lamar doesn't take advantage of it and decide to make it into an actual track.

7. Ronald Reagan Era
Don't let the opener (which is great) or the beat fool you here, this is a serious track.  Lamar talks more about the feeling of living in Compton and some of his experiences, which, if you can listen close enough, are all pretty interesting.  Not only does Lamar do a good job with adding depth through his lyrics, but he ensures that Tae Beast's beat doesn't go to waste.  While Beast certainly didn't put in his entire body and soul into producing this, he still gives Lamar a perfect complement to Lamar's verses.  He also pays tribute to RZA with a "California dungeons" sample, which earns him some bonus points. 

8. Poe Man's Dream (His Vice) ft. GLC
Willie B helps bring the album back to that jazzy feel that you heard with "Hol' Up" and "Chapter Six", which is a really, really good thing.  In fact, this is by far one of the beats on the album (and nearly every track is well done) and it resembles something like "Umi Says" that I've heard from Mos Def.  Lamar, again, owns the mic on this and I just loved the overall theme of this song (which is paying tribute to his father).  GLC's hook is also great, as he sounds like a west coast version of Big Boi, and while his rant at the end might be a few seconds too long, it doesn't take away from the song.  Without a doubt, this is another gem on Section.80.

9. The Spiteful Chant
WTF.  I'm going to ignore this, being that it's fucking terrible and I almost feel someone put this on the final version of the album without Kendrick knowing.  That's what I hope.  Otherwise, Lamar's decision to include this is just stupid.  You're better than that Kendrick.

10. Chapter Ten
Interlude.

11. Keisha's Song (Her Pain) ft. Ashtro Bot
Usually, this is where the average albums begin to fall apart.  A misfire with "Spiteful Chant" and then another interlude made me believe that Lamar wouldn't be able to gain back the incredible momentum Lamar had earlier in the album.  I came to grips that this was going to be just another "solid, but not great" type of effort, which seemingly has been the only thing I've said about any hip hop album released this year.  I was relieved, however, after hearing just the first verse of this.  Lamar gives a great (well, not really great for Keisha) tale of prostitution and how it affects one particular woman.  The song's lyrics are outstanding and Lamar does as good a job as you can do on delivering them.  The hook, provided by Ashtro Bot, fits well with this track and is one of the best ones you'll hear on Section.80.  Tae Beast also does a great job as he did with "Ronald Reagan Era" on the production end, providing a dark beat that is accompanied by a set of piano keys in the background.  Another powerful and extremely well done track by Lamar.

12. Rigamortus
Another significant transition, this time back to the horns that helped make "Hol' Up" a success.  While the beat is decent, this track is simply for Lamar to show off his skills.  Lamar gives three fast-paced verses that he is somehow able to make flow together, another testament to how talented this guy is.  A nice change of pace from the hard-hitting "Keisha's Song" and it gives you time to catch your breath from the serious tone of the album.

13. Kush & Corinthians ft. BJ the Chicago Kid
This one took a few listens to grow on me.  The beat isn't as impressive as previous tracks, but it works extremely well with Lamar's delivery on this particular track (which I'm sure Lamar realized as well).  If the previous track, or really any that came before this, didn't convince you how good Lamar can be with making his lyrics flow together seamlessly, then here is a great example.  The second verse is absolutely one of the best on here:

As I open this book and then burn up some of this reefer
My plan is to figure out the world and escape all my demons
I'm dying inside, I wonder if zion inside the heavens
A condom, a rollie, pain, a fat blunt and a mack 11
That's all I see in my life and they tell me to make it right
But I"m right on the edge of everest and I might jump tonight
Have you ever had known a saint that was taking sinner's advice?
Well it's probably you, am I right? if I'm wrong, you a f-cking lie
When I lie on back and look at the ceiling, it's so appealing to pray
I wonder if I'm just a villain, dealing my morals away
Some people look at my face then tell me don't worry about it
I give em back they deposit, no money, just total silence
I'm running, they say I'm wildin' a youngun with lack of guidance
That's hundreds of us with problems: more money, more drugs and violence

The hook sounds a little forced or out of place (and BJ the Chicago Kid isn't anything great), but as the case has been throughout Section.80, the rest of the song is so good that this complaint can be forgotten pretty easily.

14. Blow My High (Members Only)
Lamar pays tribute to the late Pimp C, using C's hook from the ever popular "Big Pimpin'".  The mood shifts back to a lighter feel and Lamar avoids touching any more serious matter.  To be honest, this is a beat that sounds more suitable for a guy like Big K.R.I.T., but Lamar does a pretty good job with it.  It also is a great track to put on the stereo when you're cruising through town (well, depending on what town you're cruising through, use common sense).  I like this track; my only problem is that it just doesn't fit with the rest of Section.80.  It interrupts the momentum Lamar builds after "Rigamortus" and the following two tracks don't sound anything like this, so it's not a trendsetter either.

15. Ab-Souls Outro (Feat. Ab-Soul)
One of Kendrick's favorite collaborators comes to join Section.80 and drops a solid verse.  Lamar's verse is also good, but the thing that plagues this song is the beat.  Don't get me wrong; I love hearing jazz as supplement and the saxophone in the back brings memories of Digable Planets.  Still, the beat, provided by Terrace Martin, is just all over the place.  If this were the final track of the album, I'd give Martin a pass, being that a lot of hip-hop albums end with a beat that's certainly not up to par with the rest of the work (like The Roots "Web 20/20" off of How I Got Over).  But this isn't the last track.  If there's any reason to sit through the beat (other than hearing Ab-Soul and Lamar's lines) is the final :20 which set the stage for...

16. HiiPoWeR
The best track of Section.80 (and that's saying something).  Lamar brings in J.Cole (who are set to collaborate on a mixtape sometime soon) and Cole does his job really fucking well.  I had remembered that Cole produced nearly all of his acclaimed Friday Night Lights mixtape last fall, but I forgot how talented he could be when behind the boards.  If you do listen to Cole's music, you'll notice that this beat would complement himself extremely well and I wouldn't be surprised if Cole just decides to jump on a remix of this in the near future.  Yet, Lamar does as good a job as you could probably do with Cole's beat, giving three powerful verses.  Had to love the lines:  

Dear Lord, come and save me, the Devils working hard
He probably clocking double shifts on all of his jobs
Frightening, so f-cking frightening
Enough to drive a man insane
I need a license to kill
Im standing on a feild full of Landmines
Doing the moonwalk hoping I blow up in time
Cause 2012 might not be a f-cking legend
Try and be a f-cking legend
The man of mankind
Who said a black man in the illuminati?
Last time I checked, that was the biggest racist party

Finally, someone sane enough to put this Illuminati bullshit to rest (Jay-Z in the Illuminati? Right...).  I'm still deciding whether or not this is the best track I've heard Lamar record to date, but regardless, it's one worth putting on repeat.  What a way to close an album.

Closing Statement: And there you have it.  Section.80 is without a doubt a huge improvement over Lamar's previous two "albums" and should be considered Lamar's best work to date.  One thing I notice about much of the new hip-hop albums that I hear today is that there's usually about 2-3 GREAT tracks, maybe 3-5 solid/good cuts, and the rest is mostly garbage or interludes.  That isn't the case with Section.80.  Lamar puts together not two or three GREAT songs, but nine of them (and you could argue "Rigamortus" belongs in that category as well).  It's hard to find an album that rich anymore, with the last I remember being K.R.I.T.'s Returnof4Eva.  There are songs that don't stand out as much, most notably "Tammy's Song" and "Blow My High", but that doesn't necessarily mean they're garbage; they just don't fit with the rest of the material on here.  Only one track, "The Spiteful Chant", is an absolute skip every time and it remains the only major black mark on an otherwise powerful and well put together album.  I had to wait until July last year for the first truly great album of 2010, with Big Boi's release of Sir Lucious Left Foot.  The same goes for 2011, except this time, it's Lamar's Section.80.

The Verdict: I'd buy this as soon as you get your next paycheck.  We get about 2-3 great albums every year, and this is certainly one of them.  So unless you want to continue to torture your ears with Weezy's new mixtape or whatever crap is out there, then I suggest you pick this up and also go get Lamar's previous two "albums" if you already don't have them.  The hype is well deserved.  Now we wait to see whether Lamar cements himself as another one of the Compton legends.

Curren$y: Weekend at Burnies

Well, it's official.  Curren$y is slowly becoming this decade's MF Doom.

No, not in any way relating to the type of music Doom deals with, but rather, the ability to release album after album in a short period of time.  What's funny is that Curren$y planned to release this as his fourth studio album, not his third.  Originally, Muscle Car Chronicles was supposed to be hitting shelves at this time, but due to a departure from Def Jam and a massive leakage of Chronicles, Spitta decided to push it back and push Burnies forward instead.  It's also the first album to not have Pilot Talk in the title for Curren$y's career (although there's already rumor of Pilot Talk III for 2012).

Not much has changed since Curren$y's last release (remember, Pilot Talk II was out just seven months ago), so that makes it easier to jump straight into the review this time.  Does Burnie's succeed in separating itself from Pilot Talk I & II?  Here's my review of Weekend at Burnies.


1. #Jetsgo
I was waiting for Curren$y to title a track from his Jet Life Recordings, and, as expected, he did just that.  Rhaki's beat here is average, to say the least, but the sections that were probably the most enjoyable to listen to were the ones where the actual bass wasn't present, particularly towards the end of the track.  Curren$y, who I've always believed to be an average, sometimes great, lyricist, is pretty much exactly that description on here (although I thought the shout out to Method Man's "nigga you know my steez'" line was a great touch).

2. Still ft. Trademark & Young Roddy
The first track of seven that Monsta Beatz is behind, and to be honest, it's not anything special.  It's not horrible.  For an album though, it's just not that good.  What it really sounds like is something that Spitta would put out on a mixtape, rather than an album (although, he barely has time to record any tapes with this being his third album in under a year).  Young Roddy and Trademark's verses are forgettable, as is this song for the most part.


3. She Don't Want a Man
Probability doesn't favor Havoc and Magnedo7's chances at producing the best beat of the album, being that this is the only track they're behind, but they succeed at doing just that.  It's probably the best beat I've heard for Spitta since "The Hangover" way back from Pilot Talk (which was released only a year ago, but feels like forever).  Still, this track would fall into Curren$y's vicious cycle of "good, but not great" if it weren't for the superb verses from Spitta himself.  This is the first song I've heard from Curren$y that actually has some depth to it and he does a great job on his storytelling here.  I don't know if the girl he describes on here was someone Curren$y knew personally, but either way, it's a rare look into the emotional side of Spitta.  The last three lines also provide a great closing (sad as they may be) to the story Curren$y tells: "But she in love with the lust that we've made/She had far too much she could say/That f-cking me was a perfect mistake." The hook is also pretty good here, which makes this easily Curren$y's best song he's done to date.

 4. One Life
And we're back to Beatz for the production, which means there's a good chance the beat is going to be mediocre, and that's the case with this track.  The hook is pretty fucking terrible and Curren$y's verses aren't really anything to take with you either.  It's frustrating to hear such a good track like the previous one, then come back with this shit.  Oh well.

5. You See It
The beat still isn't on par with the highlight of the album, but for the most part, it's an improvement over Beatz's previous two tracks.  It also brings a different sound than any of the material from Pilot Talk or Pilot Talk II, which helps in an attempt to make this album unique from the other two (let's face it, Pilot Talk I and II were nearly identical in sound).  My only real complaint with this song is that it feels like it's a verse too short.  Curren$y uses nearly three and a half minutes to spit just two verses.  A shorter hook and an extra verse may have made this song go from solid to pretty damn good.

6. Televised ft. Fiend and International Jones
I'm not a 24/7 hip hop junkie, but I do follow it a lot closer than the average joe.  Still, I have no fucking clue who Fiend or International Jones are.  It made a hell of a lot more sense though why I had no idea who these two were after listening to the track, because their verses are pretty terrible (Spitta's wasn't anything great as well, but it's still the lone standout on this track).  Beatz goes back to his less than memorable production ways, as the beat here is pretty weak (not the worst on the album, though).  It also kills me that my biggest complaint with the previous track was how it wasn't long enough, but the very next one is actually about two minutes longer than it needs to be.  The irony of it all.

7. This is the Life
As soon as the bass hits, I can already tell that this is Monsta's best beat he produces for the entirety of Burnies.  Again, it's one that separates itself from Spitta's previous two albums and it is actually a perfect complement to the hook on here (which, amazingly, is pretty good).  Curren$y also sounds more awake on this than he does on previous tracks, which makes it easier to follow him.  Was he high when he recorded this?  I'm going to guess that he absolutely was (as he probably was on every other track on this album), but maybe he was a little less stoned than usual, hence him sounding more awake.  Easily the 2nd best track on Burnies.


8. On G's ft. Young Roddy & Trademark
There's not much to say about this, except that it's just average.  I had to laugh at Young Roddy's line "12th grade and 20 grand in my khakis", though.

9. Money Machine
Dirk Pate comes in to assist Beatz in the studio for this one, and maybe adds a little to the beat, but nothing too spectacular.  Again, it's a beat that sounds more tailored towards a mixtape, not an album.  That doesn't make it terrible (it actually is one of the better ones on here), it just begs to ask the question whether if Curren$y would try to focus more time onto an album, how much better could it be?  Spitta's verses are also some of the better ones on Burnies, especially the lines "it's easy to get use to it try to maintain under pressure/only few do it/ and that's what inspires you to try the gleam in your eye."

10. Whats What
One of the most laid back beats of Burnies (this whole album has that common theme to it), but, like many of the tracks, it just doesn't have enough here to stand out and stick with you for more than five minutes afterward.

11. JLC
Decent beat. Terrible hook. Average verses.  Anything else I need to say about this? Nah.


12. Get Paid ft. Young Roddy & Trademark
The third, and final, track that Spitta features Roddy and Trademark on it.  Drupey's beat is above average when compared to everything else on Burnies.  Curren$y's verse is also above average from the rest, but again, there's no depth to it, which makes it lack that "stick" element to it.  Roddy and Trademark do a decent job on their part of the track, which, combined with everything else, makes this the best of the three they appear on for Burnies.  Still, the hook just fucking sucks (another common theme to this album) and for this being the final track of the album, it doesn't leave a significant lasting impression.


Closing statement: Before I recap the faults of this album (which there are plenty), I will say this.  I have tremendous respect for Curren$y's drive to consistently give his fans more music.  As I mentioned earlier, this is Spitta's third studio effort in just 12 months (compare that to Dre, who has yet to release his third album total in 19 years).  In this regard, Curren$y is good for hip hop and he'll continue to keep a strong base of followers by continuing this.  But releasing this much material in such a short period of time also has its consequences.  There are plenty of tracks on here that could have used a little more tweaking before release and some of the songs on here are garbage (most notably "One Life", "JLC", and "Televised").  I also expected stronger guest appearances here, but that was obviously not the case, as none of the guests on here bring anything special to the table (that's what happens though, when you decide to release three albums in the span of a year.  Less time in between releases=less time to get a higher tier guest to record a verse for you).

Still, there are also some bright spots on Burnies, particularly "This is the Life" and especially "She Don't Want a Man".  Curren$y, briefly, does show that he can rap consciously and can add depth to his music, which gives me hope for his future releases.  The beats on here, while I bashed them for the most part, are still better than the average hip hop crap that's released today, and it's a great album for the summer weather.  Unfortunately, the album elicits the same reaction as the first two from Spitta, which is "good, but not great" and fails to really make itself an independent sound from either of his first two albums.  It remains to be seen whether Curren$y will be able to break from this cycle in the future. 

The Verdict: If you're a die-hard Spitta fan, then chances are you will pick this up.  Otherwise, I'd recommend just finding "She Don't Want a Man" and "This is the Life" from somewhere, because you're not missing too much from Burnie's except for those two tracks.