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

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.

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 !!

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.