Kwotes by Kwame

[Kwotes by Kwame]

“Kamaiyah - A Good Night in the Ghetto” Mixtape Review

Kamaiyah might as well have stepped out of a portal from the 90s. In her music video for “How Does it Feel” she’s wearing color-blocked clothes, failing at beating Banjo-Kazooie and talking on a brick-like cell phone. One could assume she’s trying too hard but her music shows she genuinely is a 90s baby unwilling to accept the future. ‘A Good Night in the Ghetto’ is pure throwback bliss of the late 90s and early 00s, mixing vintage rap as well as vintage R&B to make a debut mixtape filled with nostalgic ideas and concepts.

Being only 20 years old, Kamaiyah grew up during the days when watching 106 and Park after school was law and 50 Cent was dominating charts. The entire mixtape sonically pays homage to this era while she sounds like the rebirthing of Nelly, Boosie and Trina with a west coast influence. She even goes as far as to have similar styled interludes that serve as smooth transitions to the next track as well as an introduction to who she is: a playful tomboy with a brash personality. Being from Oakland, California, she manages to be about as fun as her influences while she is in celebratory mode on songs such as “Mo Money Mo Problems”.

Kamaiyah isn’t trying to impress with dizzying lyrics. Similar to the 00s she keeps her lyrics straightforward to whatever the topic of discussion is. She holds attention by how she rides the beats she’s on which is her strongest trait. To her detriment however, the party songs tend to have repeated subject matter. She mentions that she doesn’t smoke on numerous tracks, along with other repeated bars meant to fill up space. Most of the features are merely place holders for when Kamaiyah doesn’t rap. Like her they bring forth vintage flows, but other than that they add nothing to the table. Even the most notable feature YG is present simply as a figurehead for contemporary west coast party anthems.

A major portion of ‘A Good Night…’ has Kamaiyah carrying herself as very confident and lustful. Even though she’s a girl she still raps with vulgarity on tracks like “Niggas”, an ode to her availability of men. Her outlandish and standout personality is present all over here. There are however, sparse moments on the tape where she shows vulnerability with lyrics of heartbreak, male paranoia and separation. “This ain’t really love this is safety,” she formulates on “Come Back”, a song discussing the end of a relationship. She is able to use simple and concise storytelling to create emotional tales of loss.

This was a fun mixtape. For her first tape, Kamaiyah proved that she can captivate. It will be interesting to see if she sticks to her guns in her next project or will branch off into different influences. Hopefully ‘A Good Night…’ will lead to others that are just as memorable.

Find it here.

[Kwotes by Kwame]

Denzel Curry - “Imperial” Album Review

It has been a while since Denzel Curry released his debut. His 2013 album ‘Nostalgic 64’ showed potential as he provided dark, gritty bangers and grim tales of debauchery, but still had its glimpses of immaturity and filler. Last year, his double EP ‘32 Zel / Planet Shrooms’ was fanciful, druggy and beat driven yet sonically pleasing. Fans didn’t know what to expect from a new release but Curry returns to the shadows on this new release.

‘Imperial’ proves that Denzel Curry is more focused. This new album shows Curry trimming the fat and keeping his content precise and surprisingly grimmer. He focuses on the plight in Carol City—his home—and delves into topics such as black on black violence, profiling, delinquency and more with a sense of urgency that is movie-like. Take the song “Sick and Tired.” He puts himself in the shoes of a young man who relies on robbing to provide for his expected family while the tension of the track escalates as the seconds whiz by like bullets.

Curry’s technical skills have greatly improved and are displayed in the entirety of the album. He shows mastery of his Bone Thugs-n-Harmony influenced flows by displaying ease of breath control and flow change which help add to the sense of danger lurking in most tracks. In “Gook” the rapper spits a million words a minute without slurring a single word. He also tends to sing, but as background vocals or on the outros of songs, being aware of his vocal limits.

Most of Denzel’s verses are riddled with wordplay and sly references to various things in pop culture. In “If Tomorrow’s Not Here” he spits “For millennias to come, go Millennium Falcon / Fuck a hand out, I’d rather leave my hands solo.” He doesn’t just spit clever bars just for the sake of it, but uses them to help move the themes of the songs. All the hooks tend to be catchy like the opener “ULT” or heartfelt and striking like “Narcotics.” He asks “Why these crackers thinking that a nigga sell narcotics? / Just because I’m living doesn’t mean a nigga got it” with the seriousness of a heart attack.

The first half of ‘Imperial’ is high-tensioned and quickly places listeners in the center of the madness. His performance would have listeners concluding he is living in hell on Earth from the combination of his subject matter and energy. After “Story: No Title” the album changes stride, breaking the monotony and slows down to allow Curry to be introspective. The second half focuses on the mindset of the youth in his city. Much of the lyrics are self-defeating, mentioning ideas of suicide and questioning peers’ loyalty.

Denzel Curry is surely maturing as an artist and his new album is evidence of that. He improves upon every one of his skills and delivers a project that is as dark as it is conceptual. The Carol City rapper still has many years ahead of him and much room to expand, so ‘Imperial’ may be the start of his win steak.

[Kwotes by Kwame]

Santigold - “99 Cents” Album Review

Santigold returns to the surface with her new album enthusiastically after a four year hiatus between projects. Reminiscent to the radiant pink album cover, ‘99 Cents’ displays even higher levels of flamboyancy and personality that her 2012 project ‘Master of my Make-Believe’ lacked.

 The most standout factor of this album is the wide range of Santigold’s influences. ‘99 Cents’ is a pop album with a melting pot of genres flowing through its relatively short runtime of 45 minutes. From electronic to 80s new wave, 90s rock and more, Santigold conforms to these influences while coating them with her own Jamaican flair vocally.

This may be a pop album but Santigold does not dismiss the lyrical quality on the album. There are as many lighthearted moments as there is bleak. Santigold shows her songwriting skills on songs like “Chasing Shadows” reminiscing on her artistry and utilizing time or “Rendezvous Girl”, a track personifying herself as a prostitute. She still maintains the genre’s need for catchiness. Closer “Who I Thought You Were” is infectious while sounding like electronic music fused with 90s rock.  

The tracks fall short most of the time the pace retracts and relies on Santigold to provide the emotion through her vocals. She fails to captivate enough when the beats don’t match her usual high-paced energy. Songs like “Before the Fire” seem to drag on from its static beat and Santigold’s unmoving performance. Her best moments start when the energy matches the timing of a head bob and above. “Can’t Get Enough of Myself” (as made obvious by the title) is a song about her reveling in herself while the next song paints herself as a don. These two songs will probably be the best playful hedonism you encounter all year.

Santigold’s instrumental palate and personality by far is the backbone of the album while the slow moments are her Achilles’ heel. She seems to be in her own space, drawing from whatever she sees fit and if she keeps making hits like these, it’s fine by me. ‘99 Cents’ turned to be an interesting listen. It arrived early as one of the aesthetically spring and summer albums and is certain to get put in rotation.

[Kwotes by Kwame]

Kendrick Lamar - “untitled unmastered.” Album Review

We are only a couple days shy until Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ turns a year old. Its impact since then has resonated with critics and culture alike; both praising the album for his perspectives on prevalent issues in the country. When CEO of Lamar’s label, Top Dawg Entertainment’s Punch teased the release of one of his artists’ albums most assumed it would have been from one of the lower profile members. Instead, we were gifted ‘untitled unmastered.,’ a collection of tracks excused from the final cut of  ‘TPAB.’ Two of the eight tracks appeared first as live performances on The Colbert Report and the 2016 Grammys included with theatrical sets and powerful imagery.

To simply call these tracks throwaways implies that the performances exhibited are lackluster compared to the previous album. This is far from the outcome as Kendrick does not mince his words in the slightest. In the opener he throws the listener into his portrait of the biblical apocalypse. “Ocean water dried out, fire burning more tires out / Tabernacles and city capital turned inside out,” envisions the Compton artist as he reports the madness similar to John from Revelations. He released the collection of songs to give fans a glimpse at what the album could have transpired to — the unutilized concepts and interludes meant for ‘TPAB.’

Because of steady collaborators Terrace Martin (saxophone, keyboards), Anna Wise (vocals) and Thundercat (bass) the album still sounds the same sonically. They are the main three that helped push this projects’ instrumentation to being so sleek and impactful.

Kendrick comes off as more melodic in ‘untitled unmastered.’ There are many moments where he is either showing his singing chops or flowing effortlessly. Take for example the slow burning and soulful fifth track. Once he and Anna Wise’s introduction concludes and his verse begins Kendrick demands attention with a forceful delivery. In track two he inflects his voice similar to his track “u” and matches the already intoxicating instrumental. The multiple ways he finds to deliver his songs is what drives the impact of his lyrics home.

The vocal features never overstay their welcome, still granting Kendrick his spotlight. Underutilized artist Cee-lo Green, as well as Top Dawg members Jay Rock and Punch appear here to help extend the narratives Kendrick blueprinted. On track six Cee-lo sings “I’m bizarre, avant-garde / Both sides of me are evenly odd,” providing K. Dot the alley-oop to give a verse about embracing oneself. Jay Rock and Kendrick trade bars in the same verse on the latter end of the fifth track discussing the plight of the institutionalized black man.

‘untitled unmastered.’ is Kendrick Lamar’s celebration lap. With all the post success of TBAP—including the awards, reception, television performances, etc. — it is safe to say he is enjoying the fruits of his labor. Each album shows Lamar in a different headspace and environment. Before he completely discards his junior album’s sound, he wanted fans to celebrate with him as his last album is surely to be remembered. Pimp, Pimp. Hooray!

[Kwotes by Kwame]

Kanye West - “The Life of Pablo” Album Review

“21 Grammys, superstar family,” mentions Kanye West, one of the many celebrity-related boasts included in ‘The Life of Pablo.’ The journey the self-proclaimed 38-year-old 8-year-old has encountered since his debut has been an arduous, inspirational and infamous one in retrospect. He initially hailed the underdog persona, being undermined strictly as a producer while his ambitions of being a full-fledged artist was his destiny. He fulfilled said destiny and reminded America that George Bush doesn’t care about black people, became nationally scorned after smearing Taylor Swift’s first big moment, and the list stretches on to this day. What he has done with his superstardom has polarized onlookers into labeling him a jackass, the greatest artist of all time or even anything in between.

‘The Life of Pablo’ is essentially Ye’s updated commentary of his celebrity life and its effects since its genesis. Relating himself to Pablo (Escobar? Picasso?) he tells of the lifestyle’s highs as well as its lows, a trait he is very familiar and talented in. “Highlights” is the album’s anthem of celebration and bliss. “Sometimes I’m wishing that my dick had GoPro!” exclaims West, sounding engulfed in the highs of fame. He also fits time to name drop other celebrities known to have affiliation with him like Ray J and Taylor Swift, two of his “celebrity rivals” and the Kardashian empire. Conversely, there are songs like “Wolves” where Ye sounds defeated, his voice cracked and imagines what his late mother would have to say about his antics, as well as use biblical references to illustrate his family. It’s the most emotionally stirring moment on the record, and it helps that the song is surrounded by Carolina Shaw’s melancholy vocals

From a production standpoint the album sounds like a culmination of Kanye’s culture defining discography until now. Songs like the industrial and warped “Feedback” are similar to his work on Yeezus while soul samples, Ye’s forte are also present like in “No More Parties in LA.” The high profile features tend to compliment the instrumentals into making the songs more grand or heartfelt. Most of them are brief and appear only on choruses but Kanye is able to make them sound organic to the nature of the songs like The Weeknd and his self-loathing lyrics on “FML.”

There are hardly any smooth transitions on ‘Pablo.’ The album simply escorts listeners through the vast array of sounds inside its unkempt world. The abrupt instrumental changes, harsh sounds —as well as the symphonic ones— help compliment West’s scattered persona on the majority of the tracks of the album. On the first half of the LP, he displays himself as unapologetic, foul and crazed while the latter half is lyrically more introspective, conscious and sobered. It could be seemingly reflective of his life and the duality of his stage and personal lives. There are however, painfully cringe worthy bars that should not have seen the light of day: referencing bleached assholes as well as Bill Cosby. Lyrics like these are the screeching halts in the adventurous ride the album gives.

West delivers yet again with ‘Pablo.’ Although pressed with meeting his self-established deadline, he shared a project that was about as frantic as its rollout and publicity leading to its release. He has never apologized for being himself and on ‘Pablo,’ like the narcissist he is claimed of being, he fully embraces it.

[Kwotes by Kwame]

Black Man - “Last Rose” Single Review

Orlando based R&B trio Black Man emerge with their debut single, “Last Rose.” Lyrically, the song is a ballad to a fallen relationship with vocals by member Fresco. The instrumental is skeletal as it consists mostly of live guitars and drums with the occasional synth melody during the song’s bridges that give the track a somber, melancholy feel. Aside from the lack of depth that is put into explaining the relationship, the song still holds emotional tones to it through the instrumental. Check it out here: https://www.reverbnation.com/blackman3/song/24956489-last-rose

[Kwotes by Kwame]

Erykah Badu – “But You Caint Use My Phone” Mixtape Review

Thank (Based) God for Drake. The Canadian rapper’s latest infectious pop single and video, ‘Hotline Bling’ has captivated the world to sing along to his earworm chorus and inspired content from hilarious memes to remixes. Neo-soul queen Erykah Badu, surprisingly, is one of the artists (including Justin Bieber, Disclosure and Sam Smith, Keisha Cole, etc.) compelled to do the latter and take on this track in her cut ‘Cel U Lar Device’. After its release, Badu announced a new, debut mixtape to follow up the remix entitled But You Caint Use My Phone, a reference to her hit ‘Tyrone’ from her Live album. Naysayers talk what they will about Drake, but he influenced renowned singer Erykah Badu to erupt from a five year hiatus of releasing no solo work.

But You Caint Use My Phone is a conceptual project that centers on the involvement of phones and phone-related expressions in relationships. Even the mixtape makes joke of the concept (Track two ‘Hi’ is a shorter version of the final track ‘Hello’). Badu like on the ‘Hotline Bling’ remix, makes her own rendition of songs from as far as the 70s with Todd Rundgren’s ‘Hello It’s Me’ or early 00s hit ‘U Don’t Have to Call’ by Usher. Instrumentation ranges from influences in pop, trap, electronica and more, making this her most modern sounding project to date.

The mixtape introduces listeners with a multitude of dial tones and phone beeps that eventually end up being composed to the melody of ‘Tyrone’ on ‘Caint Use My Phone (Suite)’. Here, Badu informs Tyrone calmly and soulfully (although it is 2015) he still can’t use her phone and sarcastically recommends other forms of communication for him to use like a message in a bottle, Morris code, telepathy, etc. There is a brief moment of silence before it is interrupted by imposing electronic explosions and Badu’s vocals increases in range towards the finale of the stellar song. The majority of these songs involve an airy aesthetic, such as the sleek and sexy ‘Medley: What’s Yo Phone Number’ or ‘Cel U Lar Device’ continuation, ‘I’ll Call U Back’. Along with the run time barely surpassing 36 minutes, this makes for the project to be a smooth and easy listen.

Featured artists’ levels in skill on this project can be labeled as contradictory. On ‘Hello’, Badu capitalizes on her relationship with the elusive Andre 3000 and provides with an honest-to-God collaboration between the two artists. Three Stacks delivers a wordplay-dense verse and also provides assistance with a possible Young Thug influenced bridge and outro. On the other spectrum, Erykah provides Drake imitator ItsRoutine with two feature spots. The first one being corny, his introductory lines being: “I’m about to go in / Imma get inside these bitches’ head like a sew-in.” and his second only being tolerable (for a Drake emulator). Both of his spots sound phoned in and not as connected as Andre’s feature. Was Drake supposed to be on this project but submitted his verses in too late so Badu used him for last-minute compensation?

But You Caint Use My Phone has come to be Badu’s most accessible project yet. Combining trendier sounds with her hypnotic voice ends up being one of the project’s strong point, another being how the remixes—whether how seasoned listeners are in musical culture— should hold some familiarity. The phone-based concept of the mixtape comes across as lighthearted, yet interesting while still dropping knowledge on the effects of cellphones to bees on ‘Dial’Afreaq’. Changing her instrumental palate not only makes her more diverse, but is a strategic move to reel in more contemporary music listeners.

[Kwotes by Kwame]

Capital 6 - “Summer Jelly Vol 2: Harvest Season” Album Review

“Living our lives like we’re indigo children except we smoke blunts” claims Rob OHTIS of Capital 6. Despite the numerical incongruence in their name, he is one of the five emcees of the group emerging from Tallahassee, Florida. The quote holds some truth and summarizes their style. Summer Jelly Vol. 2: Harvest Season paints this group of rappers as socially conscious with a pinch of braggadocio for good measure. They are relatively young so there is plenty of space filled where typical young adult content is mentioned. There are Drake references and name drops, as well as comic book and anime character references. Even SpongeBob’s narrator is imitated on “Party on Perry Street”.

As a collective they remind me of De La Soul, especially with tracks like the melanin-boosting posse cut “Chocolate City”, one of the project’s stand outs with an instrumental that screams golden age worship. Each rapper heavily focuses on wordplay like what 90s hip-hop is known for but attempt to modernize their music by adding trap-flavored beats into the mix as well.

When they aren’t rapping on the same track together they share features and each rapper gets a spot for their own song. What it does is put their individual skills up front and center and more noticeable which ends up being a weak point of the project. “Mighty Healthy (CRIMSON’s Cut)” however, features CRIMSON standing alone rapping his ass off flexing his lyrical muscles, but songs like “7 Chakras” by Brasco come off as sloppy, long and discombobulated.

The best verses and songs on this project come from any track that remotely sounds 90s inspired. Intricate dominates “Heads Up”, the third track that samples Wu-Tang’s “C.R.E.A.M.” and highlights his technical skills. “Been There, Done That” contains a head-nodding beat, the only credited outside vocal feature, Merc Freeman and two good verses from Hakeem Furious and OHTIS that deserve thumbs. When their minds are tuned into the present, songs like “Samurai Ninja” or “Never Heard of Ya” are constructed and disappoint from either sounding uninspired or cliché.

This project proved that Capital 6’s biggest strength —and weakness— is their clinging inspiration from hip-hop music released almost two or more decades ago. The groundwork for the style has already been established so reiterating the sounds of the 90s is an easier task than honing a new lane. Harvest Season’s reaping may have turned out as underwhelming in some aspects, but it shows promise for next season’s results.

[Kwotes by Kwame]

Travi$ Scott - “Rodeo”Album Review

Where is the line drawn when it comes to how recent and strong an artist’s influences can be? If they stem from the current generation, does it not give them a pass as if their influences are from decades ago? Only Apollo knows, I presume.

Travi$ Scott is a Houston-based rapper who started receiving recognition after Ye Himself took him under his wing as an in-house producer of G.O.O.D Music. Since this signing he has released two projects: Owl Pharaoh and Days Before Rodeo, the latter blessing him with an even stronger national buzz. Days Before Rodeo was filled with a track listing of big named, expensive features that looked well on paper, but came through with songs that were either barely passable or complete duds.

Scott’s follow up and newest album, Rodeo, features some of the most popular rappers of the current time like mentor Kanye, the “niggas’ Beyoncé” Future, crazed Young Thug, and many more. This album is expensive from the featured artists to the production with known producers like Metro Boomin and Sonny Digital. The production makes for the majority of the highlights on the album, with the dark, wind flute assisted “Wasted” to party anthem “Antidote”. There are multiple instrumental changes that occur on almost half of the tracks, either introducing a new concept, acting as a coda or simply to sound cool.

Scott’s influences on this album derive from Mr. West himself, Drake, Kid Cudi, Young Thug and probably more. Scott has many flaring moments where he sounds like a copycat of these people on multiple cuts, like the Drake-biting “Impossible” or the Young Thug reminiscent hook on “I Can Tell”. His influences become his crutch, sounding too much like them that he fails to craft his own original sound.

The majority of Scott’s vocals are always drenched with effects from auto tune to reverb as he raps or sings, which can be a hit (first half of “Maria, I’m Drunk”) or miss (album intro “Pornography”). The album attempts to be a concept album with T.I. as the narrator on a handful of tracks and tells Scott’s story of coming up and becoming famous. Scott’s lyrics, however, turn out to be uninteresting, unoriginal or unlistenable. Yes, he has a strong hand on technical skills with his multiple flows, but his lyrical content is one-dimensional on almost every single song, rapping about the genre’s clichés. If it was not for the bag of features he brings to the table to save himself, the album would have been a complete nosedive into failure. Future and 2 Chainz collaborated with Scott to make the over seven minute long banger “3500” and come through with multiple quotables like “I was born with a mean mug, drinking breast milk out a lean cup” from Tity Boi. Swae Lee and Chief Keef assist with the song “Nightcrawler”— an in-your-face banger ordering you to indulge in the night life — and absolutely kill it. Chief Keef (somehow) has one of the best performances on the album and leaves Scott’s verse in the shadows.

This album was alright. What made this album tolerable were the instrumentals and features, coming in last is Scott’s flows. It says a lot when the headlining rapper to an album is completely outdone by almost all the artists that are supposed to compliment his sound. He needs to learn to find himself for his next project. If not, he’ll be seen as a copier for the remainder of his career.

�U ��

[Kwotes by Kwame]

Why Future’s Music is Actually Kinda Depressing

I learned a valuable lesson from the Outkast single “Hey Ya”. As long as the tempo to the song is upbeat and lively, most people will unwarily overlook the melancholy contrast of the lyrics. I can only assume its because the appreciation for lyrical talent has declined in favor for booming bass and catchy choruses (which is not terrible) and leaves the listener ignorant of whatever feelings the artist attempts to project. For the current generation in music, the prime example for this theory is hailed to no other than Atlanta rapper Future.

After the release of his 2014 sophomore album Honest, Future severed ties with his then to-be wife and baby mother Ciara. During the relationship Future’s music attempted to gain a pop appeal with more love ballads and less drug references, maybe in effort to conform to the celebrity relationship aesthetic. The end to Future and Ciara’s engagement brought out enough tenacity to produce four critically acclaimed projects in the span of eight months that blessed him with even more popularity and a cult following known as #FutureHive.

The first of the post break-up mixtapes is Monster. Here, Future abandons the pop sound for gritty bangers from Metro Boomin, Southside, TM88 and more. The title track stands out because it shows the resurgence of his old ways and drug habits with lyrics like “Some fresh new gear made a bitch disappear / Some fresh pack of mollies make the bitch go to work / Some lean in the kush make the pussy squirt / Imma fuck her throat when she get home from church”. It seems as if the break up transformed Future into a literal monster, resorting to his vices to cope with the separation. The sixth track ‘Throw Away’ regards his groupie fans as replaceable as throwaway pistols in the first half. Unexpectedly, in the second half the beat changes and becomes temperamental and spacey. Here we find a disgruntled Future rap-singing to a used to be significant other (assumed to be Ciara) with blunt, yet heartfelt lyrics like “Mark my words Imma ball without you / I came home last night to a menage / Got my dick sucked and I was thinking about you / I was fucking on a slut and I was thinking about you”. It is by far the most emotion Future displays throughout his newest wave of projects, showing that even while trying to cope with the breakup in various means, he still cares. This is the final moment we see anything close to this level of emotion in his discography.

In the mixtape trilogy, 56 Nights displays his drug dependencies most clearly. The first bar to the first song clearly portrays where he is at in his drug use on the track ‘Never Gon Lose’ (“I sip out a cup of this shit, its so muddy but I love it, baby”). Songs like ‘Purple Coming In’ and the title track show the extent of his usage to where the listener (or at least me) becomes genuinely concerned for the rapper’s health. The mixtape, when I juxtapose the lyrics and beats during a full body listen, will leave me polarized on both ends of the spectrum. I either feel more confident from 808 Mafia’s beats or I feel as if I had just left a shrink session with Future, feeling more worried about the status of his health and mentality. DS2 (Dirty Sprite 2) increases the lyrics referencing addiction and nihilism even more than his last. The imagery of a man urinating codeine startles me along with other bars the rapper says.

Future makes his best music when his mind is drenched in lean. The conflict is with the prolonged drug use fans are in constant fear of his health. With the frequent praise from music critics and fans and the addictions themselves, I don’t see an end to his journey of entertaining all of his vices.