Souled Out my Soul

I apologize for not updating as often as I should or could. Let me know if there is a certain album I missed since my last post that you'd want me to review and or rate and I'll do it! Tweet me @ayyepeezy 

I mean for me,

I’m not one to really listen to female R&B projects for the simple fact that I can’t relate to loving a man or hating a man for breaking my heart. And that was a generalization of what some female R&B singers sing about some of the time. However, I don’t believe it’s too much of a stretch or an incorrect assumption either. But there are some women vocalists that sway me to listen to their music based off subject matter, style, and vocal skill. I’ll listen to Beyoncé…well because she’s Beyoncé. Jill Scott or Jazmine Sullivan could sing the phonebook to me and I’d listen contently. Anita Baker or Sade has my full attention because of their musical style and originality. And that’s where Jhene Aiko comes in.

I can’t really pin point exactly the first time I heard her. It might have been on a Drake project or Big Sean. Maybe even might have been on Kendrick’s Overly Dedicated (Growing Apart). Whatever song I may have discovered her on enticed me enough to search for her music. I completed my search by finding mixtape Sailing Souls. I listened (and finally saw a picture of her) and was hooked from then on. Earlier this year she released her Sail Out EP which got her some mainstream notoriety especially with the help of her song The Worst being played on the radio. She’s not a radio artist. Her music isn’t “radio friendly” if it was being compared to what’s being played today. Her music is what the radio needs. Her music is what R&B needs. R&B has lost its emotion. R&B has lost its feeling. R&B has lost its passion. Aiko’s music embodies all of those things. Her album Souled Out is a refreshing palate cleanser to all of the borderline rap R&B that most of us are being forced to listen to.

Souled Out, simply put, is a good album. It’s like the perfect combination of alternative R&B, soul, a little folk, and just a touch of Hip-Hop. All the right amounts complement each other to make the perfect stew of love, heartbreak, triumph, stories, melodies, emotion, passion, pleasure, thoughtfulness and it’s oh so delicious. Even with the mainstream success of The Worst she doesn’t stray away from herself in the music by attempting to recreate a radio mainstay. She made music for the soul.  It’s smooth. Doesn’t hit too hard. Is just lively enough to keep you attentive and not put you a sleep. She reminds me of Sade in that way. I don’t really like to make certain comparisons, but I feel like this is a very accurate one. Listening to the album all the way through was the first time I realized that she gave me the same feeling that I get when I listen to Sade. Jhene nor Sade make the most up-tempo songs, but they both make songs that ride easily and are comfortable without being sleepy or drowsy…which is difficult. The originality in their sound both musically and vocally stand them out together for me as well. Although both can actually sing live and are great performers, I wouldn’t put either in the same category with vocalists like Jazmine Sullivan, Aretha, or Alicia. They have strange, lovely, and mesmerizing voices that you can’t really get enough of. Their music really defies genre labelling too. You can’t necessarily categorize either one into one specific genre if you wanted to be 100 percent accurate. This album is the perfect example of that as I stated previously.

Stand out tracks for me are Brave, It’s Cool & The Pressure. I don’t really want to describe what I feel the songs mean. I want you to feel what you feel from each song without any influences. And that’s great that this can be done because this album actually allows you to feel. That’s what not only R&B but good music is supposed to do. Music should make you think. Music should make you love. Music should make you miss. Music should make you sad. Music should help you get over someone. Music should help you express. Music should be a release. Souled Out does all of these things. Souled Out is good music. Souled Out is a good album.

Album Rating: 8.3/10

Feburary 15th

This is something I usually don't do, well for this blog or what not. But hey, it's Valentine's Day so why not....



Love. A four letter word that means so much more than extreme affection. Yes Love is a noun. Love can be personified by someone special. Love is often represented by a meaningful place of remembrance. And like air, Love is a lot of times a thing that cannot be touched, seen, heard or felt, and yet is still believed to be present. However, real Love is a verb . Real Love takes action. Much like a hug or a kiss, real Love can literally touch someone. You can see real Love in that handmade card that was given to you. You can hear Love in satisfied silence of a significant other as they lay sleep in one's arms. And you feel real Love when unnecessary actions are taken to display and prove what one's heart can't say. Love is a four letter word. But it's so much more than that. So give it life for more than a day.

Short Live, Struggle Man

So, I think I'm about to tackle two albums at once. Long Live A$AP by A$AP Rocky, and T.I.'s Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head.  I'm doing it like this basically because neither one of the albums was good or bad enough to deserve an individual review.
...I'll start off with Rocky's album.



I mean for me,
I haven't liked A$AP Rocky to begin with.  It's not that he's such a horrible rapper, if you compare him to rappers like Future, Chief Keef or Trinidad Jame$.  But he's honestly not that good either, especially in comparison to the rappers he's usually mentioned with like Drake, Kendrick Lamar or Danny Brown or some of the other newer generation rappers.  So my opinion might seem or even be slightly slanted, but it's how I honestly feel. 

I'll start by saying that if I like A$AP Rocky's music, Long Live A$AP would probably be a pretty good album.  So if you're an A$AP Rocky fan this album might be something you want to check out.  One thing I do like about A$AP Rocky's music is his production.  He has a unique beat style and it suits him well.  Personally, I like his beats more than the verses he puts over them. Rocky is not that lyrical at all.  Just because of the lack of bars he really spits, or that I've heard him spit, I might consider him more of a back pack rapper along with people like Wiz Khalifa or Dom Kennedy with a hint of Kid Cudi's...umm...for lack of better word, weirdness ha. Basically, if there was an instrumental version of his album, I'd probably give it a higher rating than I would this official version of Long Live A$AP.

He did have a couple songs on the album that were iPod worthy.  Goldie is one.  I really didn't pay attention to that song until I kept hearing it played by friends, and actually seeing the reaction of the crowd at the Kendrick Lamar concert when it played. Another pair of songs that made it to the iPod were the title track (Long Live A$AP) and Wild for the Night ft. Skrillex. It was probably the beat, or maybe it was because he was rapping like Dom Kennedy, but Long Live A$AP caught my attention in a good way. And Wild for the Night surprised me.  It was a great combination of the dubstep sound over a Hip-Hop beat. And then again, maybe I just enjoyed it more because it was after my least favorite song on the album which I'll speak on further down. PMW was pretty dope...but mainly because ScHoolboy Q was on it.  However the best song on the album is 1 Train ft. Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson, and Big K.R.I.T.
Why do I feel this is the best track on the album? Well, I don't like the album because of the lack of lyrics.  This song gives you lyrics and bars galore. A$AP Rocky starts it off...eh. But then Kendrick comes in and hits the reset button and takes off..hands it to Joey Bada$$ who KILLS his verse while throwing out that he might be signing to Roc Nation! (Jay-Z's label) After Joey kills it, he hands the remains to Yelawolf who puts a sleeper hold on the dead beat just to reiterate and make sure the track remains what it is....however Danny Brown..was Danny Brown. Nice verse, but basically said a whole lot of nothing..nicely though.  Action Bronson...could've done without his verse. But out of no where, Big K.R.I.T. came through and Hulk "Smash"ed the song. You know how in the end of the movie The Avengers the Hulk came through and just was beasting on all those alien things...that's basically what K.R.I.T. got on the song and did. He's in that Lupe Fiasco lane when it comes to being overlooked and underrated.

But my least favorite song is F*ckin Problems ft. 2 Chainz, Drake, & Kendrick Lamar.  I hate the beat. It's as simple as that. Concept is cool, verses are straight, especially Kendrick's (only reason why it has 2 stars instead of 1 in my iTunes), but the beat is trash.





So overall, I'd give Long Live A$AP 5.9/10.



Now to Struggle...oops, I mean Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head.

I'm gonna try to keep it short and sweet. I give this album a 6.5/10. Why so low? T.I.'s had better albums.  I consider or considered T.I. to be one of the best rappers in the game. A King. There was a point, back around '06 and '07 when T.I. was running the rap game, hands down. His album King is awesome. And when you compare this album to albums like King or even Paper Trail, it's just not that good. It's not that the songs are horrible or that the lyrics are trash or anything like that.  But the issue is that the songs, are just middle of the road. On Urban Legend he had songs like ASAP, Bring Em Out, Get Loose. Songs like You Know What it is, Raw, and We Do This were on T.I. vs T.I.P. There's a difference when a "regular" artist has middle of the road songs on their album, and when a King has middle of the road songs. Usually those average songs on a King's album are still better than most, but that's not the case.  There was too much conflict in whether T.I. should be T.I. or TIP on this album. And it showed. Outside of Trap Back Jumpin, The Way We Ride, and Who Want Some, the other "TIP" songs were still watered down. Just go a listen to King, that's the TIP I want. And if TI has to make an album, listen to Paper Trails. This confused T.I. aint cuttin it...I mean for me.

"Club God"

I mean 4 me.....


I always talk about rappers that are widely known and what not, but never really talk about anybody that's lesser known and or from my state. So why not start now...


So people like to talk down about club rap, or dance music, or whatever saying it's not real Hip-Hop...I'm low key one of em. BUT there's a difference in dance music & club music. There's music that's only worth listening to at a club but is not necessarily created for the club. Artists like Flocka, Future, Soulja Boy and a lot of others. But dance music is specifically made for the club...because usually a club is where you go to dance (duh)...or watch others dance. I'm sure every city has there portion of "Dance rappers" or what not. In Texas we have or have had people like Kbzo, Yung Nation, Lil Ronny, DJ Chose, & Beatking. A lot of people have a problem with Beatking cause he's one of these "Dance rappers". My issue with "dance rap" is only the lack of lyrical content...HOWEVER, if I wanted to listen to lyrics I'd listen to Jay, Nas, Kendrick, Lupe or someone like that. So I honestly don't have a problem with these rappers or their music. And specifically Beatking, if you took the time and actually listened to him, even though he's talkin about females, booty and umm..more of it, he's still not wack. No I'm not saying he's the best rapper or lyricist of the year, but I am saying he's not garbage at all. Listen to his song Martian...lyrically dude went in! Plus he be killin with his beats!! And when you think about it, because he talks kinda sorta about the same thing, outside of his freestyles, for him to be creative enough to come up with different ways to talk about booty. Dude is pretty tight. Straight up. So chill on the hatin. Don't down play the music you're gonna be listening to when you're at a party or the club. You can't always stay on your "rapper" high horse. Get off. Dance. And relax.  So basically, Beat King is the Club God...#Amen.  

good kid, m.A.A.d city

I mean 4 me....

       This was probably the most anticipated debut album, or actually the most anticipated Hip-Hop album this year period.  And honestly it's arguably the most waited on debut album since Nas' Illmatic...in some opinions.  So with all the excitement that has surrounded this album and all the hype or (depending who you ask) expectation encircling Kendrick Lamar's name, the pressure to create a masterful work of Hip-Hop art was seemingly unmatchable.  However...Kendrick Lamar is the truth.

    For those who still don't know who he is or believe that it's just hype, this is the same guy that just earlier this month beat out J. Cole, Kanye West, Nas AND Jay-Z for lyricist of the year. I mean really? Who does that or could do that besides Lupe Fiasco, Eminem or Andre 3000? Kendrick Lamar could and did, that's who!  If you feel that it was a fluke or that someone was cheated go listen to Section .80 which might be the most overlooked album of 2011. 

...Ok so I thought I would be able to articulate how masterfully Kendrick Lamar lyrically wrote this "good kid, m.A.A.d city" story. I can't. I can't verbally, whether it be written or orally, explain to you how incredibly vivid, cohesive, well put together and simply amazing this album is lyrically, conceptually and production-wise.  The best way to describe it is to say that it's the closest thing my generation (90s babies) will get to experiencing first hand what it was like when Nas' Illmatic dropped. Or when Jay-Z debuted with Reasonable doubt and Notorious B.I.G. took over the game with Ready To Die.  I was between the ages of 4-6 when any of those albums came out so I wasn't able to feel the buzz that what are now considered classic albums created. I wouldn't be able to talk to someone 10-15 years older than me about what it's like to go to the store and buy Illmatic, unwrap it, and put the tape or disc in the car and just listen to it all the way through. I could only say how I feel now after I've downloaded it and listened to it's greatness.  However, because of this Kendrick Lamar album, I know that feeling. I can now converse with someone about buying that "classic" album before it's officially crowned. I can say I knew, before it is known.  

I don't know what to tell you. I don't want to describe any of the songs cause I would surely understate them.  All I know to say is go out and buy the album. If you've never gone out to buy an album, this is the one to get. Trust me. Mark my words, good kid, m.A.A.d city will be a classic album. It will be mentioned with albums like The Chronic, The Blueprint, Only Built For Cubin Links, Illmatic, Radio, The Low End Theory and or Paid in Full. There's honestly nothing negative about the album outside of the Bonus Tracks..and those are Bonus Tracks so I never really hold those against an artist who had enough wisdom to set them aside as bonus tracks.

Get the album. Kendrick Lamar is Hip-Hop's future. Will you let it die?

Rating... 9/10 <---- I boldly stand by that rating.

Cruel Summer

Let me start by admitting that I did get the leak...but that's ONLY because I couldn't wait any longer.  I'm still planning on buying the album Tuesday. (I know, who does that right?) So let me preface everything I'm about to say about the album by letting you know that the leaked version I'm hearing might not be the official version cause there's a rumor that Kanye has two versions of the album just in case the album leaked. So we'll see...


I mean for me, this album is pretty dope!
Yes Kanye's my favorite rapper, so logically G.O.O.D. Music is my favorite "crew" or "Clique" so this may come off as having a lot of bias, but I'll try to give credence to everything I say so it won't come off as being so objective.

First off, this is the best Label Album since it's become a popular thing to do. Even though there aren't many other crew albums out, you can compare it to We Are Young Money by YMCMB, Self Made Vol. 1 & 2 by MMG and even Slaughterhouse's Welcome to Our House..but when it comes to them I'm not sure if they're a "crew". Slaughterhouse is more like a group, but either way. The reason I say this is the best label album is because it was not so much a Kanye ft. the rest of my people album. Yeah Ye was on all but 4 or 5 songs out of 12, but compare that to Rick Ross being on all but 3 or 4 of 12, and Lil Wayne being on EVERY song on We Are Young Money.  And even the ones he was on, he let the other artists shine. 2 Chainz took the spotlight on Mercy, Pusha T arguably had the better verse(s) on New God Flow, and you barely notice Kanye on The Morning.  He did a really good job of letting his artists get some shine without taking any light off of himself, cause his verses were not weak..at all!

Speaking of verses, lyrically they get two thumbs up...well maybe a thumb and a half just because the content wasn't so difficult to talk about. They were talking about themselves or their wealth basically. Not saying there's anything wrong with that or that it's easy, but right now the lyrical benchmark, content and honestly skill-wise, rests on Lupe Fiasco's shoulders. So did they live up to Lupe's standards? No. But who could or would? So based on the subject matter of the songs, which is the same subject matter of 85% of Hip-Hop right now, lyrically they surpass 95% of that 85%. Big Sean, who amongst some of my friends has been said to be the G.O.O.D. music (lyrical) weak link (not including 2 Chainz), spit some of the best verses I've heard from him. And for me Big Sean has never been a bad rapper. Maybe "corny" at times, but I've always thought he's been GOOD (pun intended).   But you got people like Cyhi the Prynce waking up those who are sleeping on him with his verses on The Morning & Sin City. There's a reason Kanye put Cyhi on his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album. Kanye did his thing of course. I mean on the first song he said "R. Kelly and the god of rap sh*ttin on yal..Holy crap". Exactly. Honestly these have been some of Kanye's best verses since Late Registration. However, the lyrical MVP award might have to go to Pusha T. No he wasn't on every song, but I mean dude killed Mercy, maybe beat Kanye on New God Flow (still debating that one), bodied Higher, and started off the I Don't Like Remix with a lot of stuff we DO like. And in addition to the G.O.O.D. Music rappers you have singers like Teyana Taylor & John Legend. There's not a lot that I can say about John Legend that you don't already know. It's John Legend. But for those who don't know, Teyana Taylor can REALLY sing. And I don't say that about a lot of people. But she's really unique and dope. I'm not sure what to consider Kid Cudi. He's in his own lane. If you like Kid Cudi, you already know you like Kid Cudi. He's one of those artists that's not for everybody. If you don't like him yet he probably won't grow on you. But I like him, and Cudi was Cudi on the album haha.

When it comes to production...umm it's a Kanye West project. What else do I need to say?

Features include R. Kelly, Raekwon, I'm not sure if 2 Chainz is officially apart of G.O.O.D. Music or not but he's on the album a couple times, Jadakiss, Marsha Ambrosius, The Dream Jay-Z, and wait for it...........Ma$e.  Yup. Ma$e made an appearance on Higher. I'll let you decide for yourself about  how you feel about his verse. It'll probably depend if you like(d) Ma$e or not. 

Now to the negatives. I already mentioned the lack of diversity in subject matter. But I wasn't expecting political or self searching type songs on this album. So it didn't bother me too much.  I didn't like the fact that I heard 5 of the 12 songs before I got the album. If you're gonna release basically half of the album you gotta put some bonus songs or actually not release that many songs before the album. But my biggest critique of Cruel Summer is the fact that the songs didn't flow as well as I thought they would. When you listen to other Kanye albums it flows from one song and one topic to another smoothly. Cruel Summer didn't really do that as well as I thought it would. But I mean it's not just a Kanye album and there were a lot of people that had to be involved, included and a lot of styles had to be catered to so I can cut a little bit of slack for that reason only. 

So overall, I'd rate the album 8.8 out of 10. That's a pretty favorable rating, but as of right now I really like the album. Do I think it's gonna be the best album this year? No. Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album (Lupe Fiasco) drops on Sept. 25, and Good Kid, M.a.a.d City (Kendrick Lamar) drops a month after that.  As of right now however, it's the best album I've heard this year. Part of that is because I can't think of any other album that's come out this year...and I guess that kind of further proves my point.

G.O.O.D. Music = 2011 Dallas Mavericks ..or in other words, G.O.O.D. Music is a complete team.
Leader, captain, producer, lyrics, creativity = Kanye
Lyrical/Poetic, political, ladies man rapper = Common
Lyrical, hit-man, street rapper = Pusha T
Party, chart, punchline rapper = Big Sean
Male r&b singer = John Legend
Female r&b singer = Teyana Taylor
Lyrical, underground, light street rapper = Cyhi The Prynce
Creative, weird, other guy that does multiple things that everyone likes = Kid Cudi
Hood, street, club rapper = 2 Chainz

...what else do you need?
More producers?
Mannie Fresh, Q-Tip, Hit Boy, No ID
Overseas artists?
D'Banj, Mr. Hudson
More lyrical or political/poetic rappers?
Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), Malik Yusef.

cmon... #GOODMusic !!

Updated Top 5 Favorite

I mean 4 me....

I know it's been a minute since I've posted anything, and that it's been even longer since I gave you my top 5 favorite rappers. To get right to the point, the list has changed. Not very significantly at all thought.

#1 is still Kanye West. Jay-Z is still #2. But Lupe Fiasco is barely hanging on to his #3 spot. He might regain the grip he lost with "Lasers" once his new album "Food and Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album" drops.  And lastly, J. Cole as taken full control of the #5 spot. Yes I still like Big Sean, but J. Cole is just that much better. So basically, Lil Wayne fell off my list, and really fell off with his skill to be honest.

So my new #4, and Lupe Fiasco's competition for my #3 spot is...........................................

KENDRICK LAMAR!

I first heard about Kendrick last year (2011) from different Hip-Hop websites but didn't really pay attention to him until my lil sis Nikia mentioned him a couple of times and asked me to put his song "A.D.H.D." as her ring tone. I Youtubed a couple of songs by him and downloaded his Overly Dedicated mixtape, but I still really wasn't listening to him...I was just hearing him. I didn't begin actually listening to him until I had a conversation with a homeboy named Darius. His opinions about music and artists in previous debates and talks let me know that he knew what he was talking about. So the recommendations from him and Nikia were a big enough push for me to search for his album "Section .80". Now I had heard about his album a few times but didn't care enough to...care haha. But I found it, got it, and one night while I was in my room playin Madden I decided to play Section .80 as well as Overly Dedicated in a playlist. Honestly I was only hearing him until I actually listened to this line:

I used to want to see the penitentiary way after elementary. Thought it was cool to look the judge in his face when he sentenced me. Since my uncles were institutionalized, my intuition had said I was suited for family ties.

Like really? That was the first line of the song! And if that went over your head or isn't really enough to grasp your attention, try this line from the same song:

...I know some rappers using big words to make their similes curve; my simplest sh*t be more pivotal.

I mean c'mon! I remember when I heard that I paused the game, rewound the track and listened to it again. It was even better the next time. The song is called "Poe Mans Dreams" off Section .80

From that line, and that song on, I've been a fan. I listened to the entire album and mixtape. And because of that, I mistakenly made a false, or rather an inaccurate statement in my Blog about J. Cole's album. I said that Cole World: The Sideline Story was the second best Hip-Hop album of 2011. I found out that Section .80 came out last year as well, so I take back my previous statement and replace it by saying that Section .80 by Kendrick Lamar is the second best Hip-Hop album of 2011, very closely behind Watch The Throne.

Kendrick Lamar is a lyrical beast. I mean that's really all I can say. I honestly would put him in the same lyrical category as Eminem and Lupe. Not saying he's better or as good, but he's close.  Listen to tracks like Rigamortis,  Poe Mans Dreams, Faith, ADHD, Ignorance is Bliss, Micheal Jordan, Kendrick Lamar and especially HiiiPower. There are so many songs. I won't sit here and say that I've heard every Kendrick Lamar song. I won't claim to be his biggest fan or that I know everything about him. But I will say that he's dope! If you don't believe me check out is Section .80 album..PLEASE! For your sake! And if you like that, which you will, then go back and check his Overly Dedicated mixtape, and his Compton State of Mind mixtape, and a lot of his others as well.

He's dropping his first album under a label this fall "good kid, m.A.A.d. city". I'm going to buy it just off of reputation alone.

OHHHHH and before I go, if you listened or heard Drake's Take Care album, Kendrick has the best verse on the album, hands down. Unless you listened to the entire album version of Drake's "Marvin's Room" then you might have missed it because he wasn't listed on the album. There's a song at the end of Marvin's Room called "Buried Alive"..that epic, vivid, masterpiece of a lyrical story in a verse was all Kendrick Lamar. Yeah, exactly. That's why he's #4

Take Care

I mean, 4 me...

Ok first, let me start off by saying that the production was very predictable (outside of Look What You've Done). It was no surprise that it was slow paced and monotone...low key depressing. Yes the creativity of the production did create a lighter mood for the album than Thank Me Later, but that's not saying a lot. However, it still didn't give me enough tempo, and or emotional dynamics. Like I said, the album Cole World: the Sideline Story (http://imean4me.blogspot.com/2011/11/cole-world-sideline-story.html) gave a perfect blend of fast, slow, happy, sad production. Take Care was more "sad, sad, kind of sad, I sound happy but I'm actually sad, I sound sad but I'm really happy, then sad again" type of production.

The sad part is actually that the production accurately portrayed the subject matter. I've been saying for a long time that Drake needs a good relationship. I want him to make happier music. For me, he's who I think of to listen to if things between me and my girl aren't really vibin. I suppose it's a good thing that the production doesn't clash with what he's singing about though. And personally I don't like his singing that much. I'm not sayin' that It's bad, BUT I just get tired of hearing the same ol' thing. Plus he's not that great of a singer anyway. I mean his singin', and depressing stuff is ok sometimes, just not all or even most of the time...for me. I like Drizzy Drake or the rapping Drake better than Heartbreak Drake...unless he's trying to be a thug. He might be, but it's just hard to believe haha. He doesn't give off that type of vibe. But who knows, he might not be a killer, but don't push em..

Having said all of that, the album is good. It's not great, but it is better than his first album and it is better than the other albums that have come out this year besides Watch The Throne & Cole World: the Sideline Story. I wasn't expecting too much from the album, and what I expected was fulfilled. It's still good though. I can't say the production was the most creative I've heard. Can't say the lyrical content was the best. What I can say is that he makes songs that you can connect to. And the songs you can't really connect to personally, you just like...sometimes. Don't really know how to explain it, but his music has this appeal to it. Even though you might get tired of it, don't like his singing, or annoyed by the fake thuggery, you still find yourself listening to it. There's a certain honesty that he put's into his music. He seemingly gets extremely personal about his real life. Whether it's true or not, it comes off as real. So if he's not telling the truth, he's a good liar.

So overall, I'd give the album a 7.8/10. As of right now, my personal opinion, and from the opinion from a couple other people I know, the best song on the album is Look What You've Done. Just listen to it and then watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5F5xP6cwRg.

I will say this though... I usually don't get leaked albums unless I wasn't planning on buying the album anyway. I was on the fence about getting this album because his first one disappointed me. When I found out it leaked, I got it so I could determine if I should buy it. Unless the artist proved to me with their previous albums that I should go and buy their next one, I won't without a recommendation from someone who's musical preference is close to mine OR I preview or hear the album and feel like it'll be at least an 8...that being said, most people either loved or hated the album. If you are a Drake fan, you should definately go and BUY the album. If you don't like Drake, don't get the album. If you're one of those on the fence Drake fans where you know he's good but sometimes you just don't like his songs, then I feel like you should listen to it from one of your friends' ipods, and if you like it, go and get it. Simple as that.

PS....it's still Watch The Throne >>>>>>>>> Everything else

Cole World: The Sideline Story

I mean for me...

J. Cole's debut album "Cole World: The Sideline Story" is the second best Hip-Hop album of 2011 (and there haven't been a lot of HIP-HOP albums put out lately...some urban/rap albums, but not Hip-Hop). The best album of course was Watch The Throne.

Listening to the album, you would never know that this was Cole's debut album. I don't know to explain it, but newer rappers sometimes sound bright-eyed and excited when they rap. It's like they're trying too hard to sound good. For example, listen to DJ Unk's Walk It Out Remix. When Unk started rapping, you could tell that he was happy and excited about the success of the song (which isn't a bad thing), but when Andre 3000 spit his verse, it sounded like we was just chillin' and vibin' out cause it's nothin' to him. A lot of veteran rappers have that, "I've been doin' this for a minute so what I gotta prove? I can just relax on the track" type sound when they rap. You notice it more when they're featured on a new artists' song, which contrasts the rookie rapper's over zealous flow.

I said all of that just to say that J. Cole sounds almost like a veteran rapper. The choices he made for his album showed a different level of maturity than most new rappers. And I mean new as in having only one album.

One decision he made was to only have 4 features on the album. Generally, rappers like to have a lot of guest features on their album. Depending on the artist, it's to add desire for the record because of who's on the album, or because the artist isn't good enough to do an entire song or album themselves...at least that's how I feel. On the other side of things, sometimes newer artists can't get a lot of features either because they can't afford the guests or they're not drawing enough credibility to their work for another artist to get on.

However in this case, J. Cole had a big enough following to get "big name" features. And I wouldn't be surprised if he could afford a couple artists here or there, especially through the label. But he chose not to. Cole did the album basically himself. Every verse on the album was spat by him except the verse by Jay-Z on Mr. Nice Watch & Drake on In The Morning. We first heard In The Morning on Cole's award winning mixtape Friday Night Lights. It was easily the most popular song on the mixtape with the masses so there's no surprise that it made it to the album. And the verse by Jay was almost a given. I mean Jay-Z is J. Cole's boss, mentor, and he's just Jay-Z. I mean NOBODY in their right mind turns down a Jay-Z verse. I'm just sayin', whether you ask Jay or especially if the offers, you don't turn it down. So I feel like those two verse features were totally acceptable, weren't overkill, and didn't take away from his talent. He also featured Trey Songz on the hook of his lead single Can't Get Enough. I feel like this was a smart choice because he needed a radio single that wouldn't detract from his style of music and Trey Songz has enough mainstream appeal to draw more fans in without being too cliche or seeming desperate by bringing someone in like a Chris Brown or Justin Beiber. The only other feature was Missy Elliot on his song Nobody's Perfect. She sang the hook perfectly. Their chemistry was perfect. It's true that Nobody's Perfect, but that song almost is.

Another genius decision that J. Cole made, and possibly the best choice he made was to basically produce the album himself, with No I.D. It just gives the album a connected and congealed feel. It made every song seem together while still being it's own song. The sign of a great, or classic album is the ability to listen to the album straight through without skipping any songs. You can do that with this album. Sometimes using only one or two producers can hinder the album by giving it a monotone feel (Thank Me Later). At the same time, using a different producer for every other song makes the album disjointed. It might give you seven or eight good songs, but it also can give you a cluttered album. The combination of J. Cole & No I.D. is just awesome. Although production isn't as epic or complex as Watch the Throne's, it gives a more classic hip-hop type vibe. They did an excellent job of giving each song it's own identity without giving any polar opposite dynamics in the beats like other albums do sometimes.

And just in case you didn't know, J. Cole is a lyrical BEAST! Subject matter, he's comparable to Nas. Wordplay, he's comparable to Lupe Fiasco. This guy is just good. I honestly don't know how to describe or explain to you that Cole is gonna be a problem for these other rappers in a couple years. I've been tryin' to tell people he's like the LeBron James of the rap game because of the potential that he has. He possibly could be mentioned with the greats in the future if he progresses.

That's basically all I can say right now about the album. I know the review is kind of late...but better late than never. The album is awesome. Easily a 4/5...to me.

Watch The Throne

I mean, for me...

Watch The Throne, the collaborative album by Jay-Z & Kanye West, is the best album of 2011. No I have not listened to every album that came out this year. No the year isn't over with. And honestly, it doesn't matter! If you want me to be politically correct, Watch The Throne is the best Hip-Hop album that I've personally listened to this year. Better?

But if you have not bought or at least listened to this album, you are truly missing out.

If you like catchy hooks, check out No Church in the Wild, Lift Off, or Made in America

If you like samples or laid back, throwback-type beats, listen to New Day, Primetime, or The Joy

If you like punch-line heavy, bragadocious lyrics you gotta hear N*ggas In Paris, Otis, Gotta Have It, H.A.M., Illest ______ Alive & Who Gon Stop Me (Jay-Z went INNN on this one)

Ladies, they give you props on That's My...."Chick"

If you are into lyrical content and subject matter, you have songs like Why I Love You, Welcome to the Jungle, & Murder to Excellence to listen to.

And really, some of the songs can fit into multiple categories.

This album, has something for everyone. From the club goer, to the lyrical fiend, or to the ones that say "I just like good music", this album has at least one song for you. But I would be surprised if you only liked one song.

To be fair, when I first listened to the entire album, I was underwhelmed. Few songs stuck out from the beginning as undeniable smashes. However, some songs took a while to get acclimated to. For example, I still can't really get into New Day like I want to. The lyrics and message are good, but the beat is not my favorite. But when it comes down to it, I'm one of those lyrical fiends ha ha. But some of you may not be that, and that's ok. All I can tell you is that this album as a whole, is amazing. Production is out of this world. The sounds, the way they use the sounds, the way they rap over the sounds is just phenomenal. No beat sounds like the other. No song sounds like another song. Yes, comparisons have been made about Lift Off being similar to All of The Lights production-wise. What they fail to realize is that the two songs do not sound the same, it's just the fact that both songs sound EPIC that make people who just hear the music, and not listen, think that they are more similar than they are. And if you listen to Lift Off entirely, you hear that there is a total switch in sound and beat towards the end...genius! I really don't know what else to say. Lyrics are amazing! The metaphors, the symbolism, the imagery, the story telling, the truth behind these lyrics are just awesome.

"I made 'Jesus Walks' I'm never goin' to Hell. Couture level flow is never goin' on sale. Luxury rap, the Hermes of verses. Sophisticated ignorance, write my curses in cursive" - Kanye West, Otis

"At 42 be better than 24, I carried the 4-5, mastered 48 laws. Still wearin' my 23's they can't f**k with the boy. As far as them 16's, I'm 23 of it all." - Jay-Z, Primetime

Like really?? Who comes up with lines like that? Albums like this are just unfair. It's too much talent. Too much skill. Too much creativity. And the crazy part about it, in an interview Jay-Z said that they had to cut some songs out and water some songs down because he didn't want to ruin anything they did afterwards! ha ha. In other words, this isn't their best work. << That's kind of scary... people shouldn't be that good ha ha.

But anyway, to rap (pun intended) it up, Watch the Throne is the best album since My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Kanye West), and one of the best albums of all-time if you ask me [of albums that I've heard -__-]. It's a definite buy. At least listen to the entire album objectively the whole way through twice before you totally disagree.

..oh, and I'm ready for J. Cole's debut album next week. It should be good too!

My Top5 Favorite Rappers are...

So I havn't done this in a while, but I guess I'll jump right into it.


First let me say that this list is of who I feel are my Top5 >>FAVORITE<< rappers. Meaning that they might not be the best to ever do it in your opinion, but these are just who I like.


I mean, for me...

in at number 5 is.....a TIE between newcomers Big Sean & J. Cole.
To be honest, I haven't followed their careers too long right, but from what I've heard they are better than a lot of established artists. They have their swagg. They have lyricism and humor. They have some popularity. They have respect from big-time artists already. These two guys have come in and have set the game on fire. It may not be the most recognized fire, yet, but I have a feeling that these guys along with a couple others have the potential be the future of Hip-Hop. With Big Sean you have someone to kind of fill the party, club, yet lyrical and punch-line oriented rapper (ex: Lil Wayne). Then with J. Cole you get a more conscientious rapper. Deeper subject matter and more complex lyrics (ex: Nas). But we'll see what happens once their first albums drop. Big Sean's should dropping in a couple of weeks and J. Cole's in a month or so.

Number 4....Lil Wayne. So if you know me it might seem like I "hate" on Lil Wayne a lot, but that's just because nobody else does! ha. I mean, sometimes I feel like people exxaggerate his skills >>SOMETIMES<< but it's too much hype around him (ex: He's the best rapper alive or G.O.A.T.) That being said...I do feel and I do say that he's the best PUNCH-LINE rapper alive. Besides that I honestly don't know what else to say about Wayne. Yall know him, and most probably feel that he his the best or something. He's good, maybe even great, but just not the greatest. But I do realize his talent, that's why he's number 4.




Number 3...Lupe Fiasco. I mean, you should've seen this comin'. I did an entire blog about him. There's really nothing else I can say that I didn't already say in the Lupe blog. He's a beast lyrically. Honestly I really feel like there MAY be only two or three better...maybe. If you really listen to how he says what he says, it's just unreal. And it's not even when he's just telling a story, or when he's talking about something of substance. Even when he's just bragging about himself, he just does it better haha. If you listen to his mixtape Enemy of the State, the subject matter isn't as serious as his albums' content. It's more light, and yet still deep if that makes sense. I will say this though, his Lasers album disappointed me, but I know there were other people and issues involved that kind of changed what he planned and it was noticed. But 2/3 of his albums have been awesome!



Number 2....Jay-Z. I mean this is self explanatory. It's Jay-Z. Jigga Man. HOV. Cmon now. I don't feel like there's a real need to really explain why I like him. He's just good. Really REALLY good at this whole being a rapper and rapping thing. Lyrically he's one of the best all time. Diverse in subject matter. One minute he's telling a story about the rise and fall of a drug dealer (Fallin') Another minute he's talking about gettin with a girl (Excuse Me Miss). Then he's talking about the harsh streets and realities of the ghetto (D'Evils) or the greatness of the city he calls home (Empire State of Mind). I mean there's really nothing he hasn't touched on either on his own songs or with a verse as a featured artist. I mean the list goes on and on, but I'll get more detailed when I talk about the greatest rappers.




And number 1....Kanye West. Why is he my favorite rapper? Well he first came on the scene with Twista and Jamie Foxx on Slow Jamz. Had one of the most quotable and notable hip-hop lines of all-time with "Gotta light skinned friend look like Michael Jackson. Gotta dark skinned friend look like Michael Jackson." That line made me want to know who he was. Then he came out with hit, after hit, after hit, after hit. I was new to the whole hip-hop thing at first so I really didn't go out and buy albums when College Dropout came out, but by the time Late Registration came out, I was already at the store gettin' it. Gold Digger was the song that removed Nelly from being #1 on my list back in '05. And once I listened to the entire Late Registration album, it was official. The beats he does are different than most rapper's beats. He actually talks about real things in his songs. He has a wide range in subject matter. His lyrics can be funny, haunting, can cause thought and reflection, and some are just good punch-lines. He's so diverse in what he does and what he can do. His production and musicality is pretty much unmatched by any other rapper. The production on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was just so indescribably good and different. I love music, and you can tell by the music he makes that he does as well. His lyrics have gotten better with every album. I mean, I really don't know what else to say. He's my favorite rapper, and I feel like he's one of the best dead or alive...but we'll get to the Top5 Greatest list later...



So those are my Top5 FAVORITE rappers: 5. Big Sean & J. Cole 4. Lil Wayne 3. Lupe Fiasco 2. Jay-Z and 1. Kanye West

Lupe's Fiasco...

I mean, for Me...

Lupe Fiasco is one of the most underappreciated rappers in the "game" right now. I use to say he was underrated, but I think that's the wrong word. Rappers like Will Smith, or a new singer/songwriter like Jeremih (might get into those people in a later blog) fall under the "Underrated" category. But, after awhile, I've kind of notice that he's not really underrated. There are a lot of people that says that he's a good rapper, however not enough people say it, so technically he's underrated, but that's just not the category I feel he fits best in.

Lupe gets a lot of shine from word of mouth type popularity, but as far as national or worldwide recognition, his popularity does not match his talent...at all! His second album went gold, but personally I feel the material was worth platinum sales (one of my top 5 fav albums, that I own, but that's another blog)! His talent deserves to be performing on award shows, he deserves a number 1 spot on 106th & Park, he deserves higher spots, and longer lasting times on Billboard, and he deserves more people wanting to see him and hear his music. All of those things, that he doesn't have, yet deserves, places him in that Underappreciated category.

I don't get how people like Gucci Mane can get the shine, without the talent. I mean, I don't want to say that Gucci is talentless, BUT, what do people look for in a rapper?? Is it just a hot song?...and by song I mean HOOK cause most of these rapper's verses are wack, or lack substence. Lupe talks about real life things and issues...a lot like Kanye. I think the reason why Kanye was able to talk about the issues as well as get shine was because he watered his stuff down just enough to where people who don't care about the verses or don't pay too much attention to the lyrics, could still follow and want to listen. Lupe, much like Will Smith, however does not and I can respect that. But people gotta start lookin deeper into the words and find something more than the beat and hook to draw them in.

I feel like I'm just rambling, so Ima just rap it up...

Lupe Fiasco deserves a lot more credit, popularity, and respect than he gets. He's a CRAZY GOOD lyricist (one of the top doin it...that's another blog too lol) and he's now my 3rd favorite rapper (another blog lol)! So for me, Lupe is underrated, but more underapreciated by music listners in general.

BUT I appreciate you Lupe!! AND LASERS NEEDS TO HURRY UP AND COME OUT!! BEEN WAITIN' SINCE '08 BRUH!!! haha..OH AND IT'D BE COOL IF YOU SHOUTED ME OUT LIKE YOU DID THOSE GIRLS AT THE END OF FIGHTERS (pause haha)

Thank Me Later...

I mean, for Me...

Thank Me Later wasn't all that great. Maybe it was too hyped up and I expected a perfect album. Maybe it was because I expected something different, because he really went in a totally different direction that I thought he was goin' in. Either way, I felt that he could've done better.

Firstly, the production of the songs were too similar. I mean, they were good for what they were, but it seemed like it was a really slow and the production was too, for lack of a better word, serious. I know it's good not to have all up tempo, lively, and fun songs, but when the album is the total opposite of that, it gets kind of boring and sleeply. Listening to the first 4 songs on the album in a row almost put me to sleep, literally! He had a small section of more up tempo songs, but even with the tempo a little faster, the sounds were still really similar and I didn't like that.

Secondly, he really didn't have any "hooks" in his songs. He had choruses, but didn't have anything that I could, or at least, would want to sing along with. And again I say, I understand every song on the album cannot be the fun songs, but it would have been nice to have a few more than 3 or 4. Especially when he put out songs like Best I Ever Had..and I bet that reading the song title you're replaying the hook in your head right now! (Baby you're my everything..all I ever wanted.....You're the f***in best....) <<

Thirdly, Drake seems so sad on this album. I thought I had girl problems, this guy's love life is horrible..according to his album. The album reminded me of Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak. The differences between those 2 albums: 1. We knew that Kanye's album was gonna be somewhat sad because of the title, and the fact that he was going to be singin'; we didn't know that about Thank Me Later (at least I didn't) 2. 808s & Heartbreak had more uptempo, and different sounding production using the same type of drum, than Thank Me Later did. This album was semi-depressing at times, the lyrics & production.

There are some things I liked, or didn't dislike too much about the album though. Drake's lyrics, whether they were depressing or not, were great. The metaphors and the way he said the things he said were up to par, and were what I expected from him. Subject matter might have been different from what I assumed, but he still delivered lyrically. One suggestion I would make though, he should have had Kanye do a verse on Show Me a Good Time (which is my favorite song on the album....uptempo beat, as well as a hook ;) I just think that the song suited Kanye, and having a 3rd verse by him would have sealed the deal on that song.

So overall, his album gets a 3.2 out of 5 from me. He got as high a rating as he did even though I didn't like it that much because I think he could've and should've done better, because his potential/hype is so high! And I don't think it's right to penalize him because of what he could've done...so I rated him on what he did do, and what it was if I hadn't heard any other song from him. So it is what it is...and that's how I feel about it.

First Time...

Ok, so this is my first "blog"...so I guess I'll just give an introduction on what I plan (maybe not what I will) to blog about. Music is my 2nd love, God is my first, but since more people will talk about music, that's what ima blog about. More specifically, HipHop and maybe a taste of R&B. I plan on giving my own album reviews, artist reviews, song reviews, and opinions about people, or situations regarding music. Maybe every now and then I might turn this into a Diary and talk about my own feelings haha, but the majority will be about music, or something somehow related to it..

And the title of the blog is "I mean, for me...." because the stuff I say about the artist, song or album etc. is MY OPINION! You might not agree with me, and that's ok cause I might not agree with how you feel about a song. So I'll start off every blog saying "I mean, for me..." because for me, this is how I feel about whatever I will talk about.

Well that's it for now for my first blog..

Hope you enjoy..