Album Review: Saturation 1-3 by BROCKHAMPTON

BROCKHAMPTON is a 15 member strong rap collective who call themselves the “All American Boy Band”. The member of this group are from mostly Texas and Florida but have members from Connecticut and all the way from Northern Ireland. You may be wondering where these guys met. These people met on a Kanye West forum ever since dropped a mixtape under the name BROCKHAMPTON and since then have been making music under that name.

The Saturation series is three albums all released in the same year with about one to four months in between each release. The crazy thing is that each album (which are about 15-16 tracks or about 44 minutes each) are all of very high quality. Today I wanted to talk about these three great albums.

Saturation 1 or Saturation released on June 9th, 2017.

First is the amazing album Saturation, this is their first studio album but their second project following their mixtape All American Trash. First I want to talk about STAR. The song STAR. The song basically uses celebrities or stars to create wordplay like the line “Chris Paul, I’m assisting” or “I’m going interstellar, I feel like Matthew McConaughey”. The beat is similar to older rap using background music that sounds like actual instruments unlike other rap that used drums and of the like its used something akin to a horn.

Next, I wanted to talk about GOLD. This song shows off more of the collective’s rap chemistry with the handoffs they do in the song. This song has a darker atmosphere, which is something that BROCKHAMPTON does a lot in their music. This song has a something that sounds like a bongo drum and a sound that’s similar to a bottle being hit.

Finally, I wanted to talk about the track FACE. This a more soothing track, with a slower drum beat accompanied by a guitar-like strum.  It’s a love song with hints of depression which isn’t new for BROCKHAMPTON, the topics of love and depression. This track is a must listen period.

Saturation 2 was released on August 25, 2017

The second studio album and third project of BROCKHAMPTON. More of the same high-quality music here such as the track GUMMY. GUMMY starts off in the most misleading way possible, so much as saying it here. The beat is more based on this whining sound, it’s really nice yet hard to describe.

Next, I wanted to talk about SWEET. This song is more Arabian based sound wise with a flute-like instrument in the background. This track the questions you get when you’re moving on in life like “shouldn’t you have a big ass ego?” or “shouldn’t your mom be done paying the house?” It’s really interesting to hear the collective’s opinion on success and graduating high school.

Finally, I want to talk about JELLO. This is more fast-paced that talks about making friends and it talks about the start of the group and how they became BROCKHAMPTON. This song focuses on a faster-paced drum beat and a guitar.

Saturation 3 released on December 15, 2017

This the third and final of the Saturation trilogy, Saturation 3. This album is a fitting end and has my favorite BROCKHAMPTON song on it BLEACH. BLEACH is a more chill, soothing song with a sad chorus sung by Ryan Beatty. It gives me a nostalgic feeling that I can’t describe anything about.

Next, I want to talk about BOOGIE. It was the teaser track for this album. This song is more exhilarating and brings more to the chemistry of BROCKHAMPTON. It almost gives off party atmosphere with the horn-like sound in the background. It really makes you want to dance to it.

Finally, I want to talk a lesser appreciated track, LIQUID. It’s about the problems one of the members faced when he was younger. It’s a sadder track akin to FACE or BLEACH. It has a slower piano beat that’s stripped back to focus on the lyrics.

These three albums are amazing, I highly recommend these three albums to any fan of music as BROCKHAMPTON is one of the best rap collectives that is currently making music.

The link to all these songs is going to be right here in a spotify playlist.

Update: They just recently announced their next studio album Puppy right after canceling Team Effort to be released in Summer 2018.

Album Review: Vaudeville Villan by Viktor Vaughn

MF DOOM’s mask that he’s known for, is based on the Marvel villain Doctor Doom

Viktor Vaughn is one of many aliases of New York rapper MF DOOM. This rapper has existed a while before my time, around 1999 when he dropped his debut album Operation Doomsday. Ever since that album MF DOOM has been the face of underground rap, slowly gaining popularity through albums like Mm… Food, Madvillany, and this album Vaudeville Villan. MF DOOM has gone under names like Viktor Vaughn or Madvillain, either way, this rapper has a long history that spans many years and the popularity he has shows that.

 

Vaudeville Villian was released on September 16th, 2003. It’s crazy that this album is 15  years old this year and yet I’m just getting around to this. This album is 17 tracks long featuring tracks like Saliva,  Raedawn, A Modern Day Mugging. Even though I’m not going to talk about it in detail, Open Mic Night Pt.1 and Open Mic Night Pt.2 as the skit and song combo that these two tracks create as if you’re in an open mic night yourself listening to upcoming artists can’t be overlooked.

The first track I want to talk about is called Saliva. This track shows the main appeal of MF DOOM in general, great flows, great lyricism and a focus on the actual words opposed to the trend today that puts a focus on background beats sacrificing complex lyrics. The beat feels like a product of the time, more bombastic but still feels dark and foreboding, that’s just his style.

This is the song, I highly recommend it.

Next, I want to talk about Raedawn. This track gives more of MF DOOM’s style of more, darker, unsettling background tracks over high-quality lyrics. but this background track is an outlier track with how off-putting it is. It’s hard to put into words but there’s a drumbeat that is covered by this weird unsettling almost creepy effect that can be described as a record scratch. Either way, this track is great.

Here’s this great track.

Finally, I want to talk about one of my personal favorite tracks on this project, Lactose and Lecithin. This track is one of the best examples of MF DOOM’s crazy good flow. This track is one of my favorite songs in general, the darker, more intense sound, the flow is smooth like always. The intro to this track gives off the supervillain motif that he tries to push with his mask and all.

This song is fire

I love this album, it’s really good. It’s a darker version of rap that you just don’t get any more. I recommend this album to those who really like rap and like really good flows.

Next time I plan to marathon one of my favorite rap groups BROCKHAMPTON starting with Saturation.

 

My Favorite Songs at the Moment

I listen to a ton of music whenever I can, between classes, during lunch, sometimes during classes and of course whenever I have some free time. No surprise to anyone I have favorite tracks and artists. I just wanted to state some of my favorite tracks today.

First up is arguably the best song off of Good Kid M.A.A.D is M.A.A.D City. This Kendrick Lamar track has such a recognizable opener with such hypnotizing beat in the first half. Don’t even forget Kendrick’s flow on this track, it’s insane how well he raps. Then the second half ensues. With the static on an old style T.V. the beat completely changes giving off a sound similar to older raps songs of the 90’s. This song is one of my favorites because of how well he raps and how well this song changes in tempo and feel.

Here is the link for M.A.A.D City.Here is the link for M.A.A.D City.

Next, I want to talk about the latest Tyler, the Creator track, OKRA. This is a more simple song compared to M.A.A.D City but it’s still a highly energetic song with a more bass distorted beat with a piano part during the chorus.  The flow of Tyler this song is incredibly good. The song comes off like a freestyle, made up on the fly and unpredictable. This song isn’t the normal song I listen to but, that’s a lot of stuff Tyler creates. I love his music as it makes a contrast in my whole music library. It’s such so interesting to see this be labeled as one of Tyler’s throw away tracks.

Here’s the track.

The final song I wanted to talk about was Untitled by Rex Orange County. This song is a departure from the other songs above. It’s a more chill, sad song. I like it because I can relate to a lot of the lyrics like maybe I would be better off as a different person. Personality wise or as looks wise. I don’t know anymore.

Here’s this track

*HONORABLE MENTIONS*

XXX ft U2 – Kendrick Lamar 

Dark Red/RYD – Steve Lacy

Drive Slow – Kanye West

Broken – Lund

Happiness – Rex Orange County

 

Sneakers For Spring/Summer 2018

Spring is finally here (even if it doesn’t feel like it) and you maybe wondering what sneakers are the ones for this time of year. That’s why I’m writing this for the people who need the perfect pair for the Spring/Summer. I am choosing three styles but be choosing two or three different sneakers (high-end and alternative). Hopefully you guys will enjoy this.

First I want to talk about the classic runner sneaker. What I mean by this is a sneaker from the 80’s, 90’s or early 2000’s. this is a great look as these are really comfortable and they have a timeless look. You basically want a sneaker that is low cut, has a light color pallet and gives an “older” aesthetic.

High End: Nike Air Max 97 (Any colorway) $160 retail

 

This runner is a classic from the 90’s. It has everything that this type of runner needs. The slick style, interesting colorways and most importantly there is much support from the sneaker community for this sneaker. It well loved and you will absolutely get complements for some of the more coveted colorways. The main reason this sneaker is the high end version is because finding the more coveted colorways (like the one pictured above) could cost you $500 dollars easily if you don’t buy them on release.

Alternative:  Reebok Club C 85 $70-80/ Classic Leather $80-120

Classic Leather

Club C

These two sneakers are here for different reasons but serve the same purpose. The left is the classic leather these could be the shoe for you. Many, many different colors including many collaborations, original colorways and different materials. the right is the Club C. This sneaker is here for its sleekness and overall look. Both are very nice but serve different purposes. Both are incredibly affordable and are great. i  own a pair of each and they both look great and feel great on feet. Note the Club C is a narrow shoe so be aware.

Next I want to talk about a current trend in the sneaker world, dad shoes. These sneakers are more bulky and ‘uglier’. Their similar to the runner as they tend to look older. The main thing about them is that look like what a dad would wear.

High End: Yeezy 500 Runner $200 Retail

This sneaker is from the long line of the collaboration between Kanye West and Adidas. Even though there are different, more expensive shoes out there like the Balenciaga Triple S or the Yeezy Wave Runner there are the most appealing in my eyes as these really are the most appealing shoe for this aesthetic.

Low End: Nike Air Monarch IV $65

These sneakers are the literal definition of a dad shoe. If I had a dollar for every dad that I’ve seen wearing these I would be a millionaire. Simple as that, this sneaker is the dad sneaker for you if you like the aesthetic.

Finally is the “everyday” sneaker. This is basically the sneaker you will wear everyday. basically your essential sneaker. You will wear this to the ground and enjoy every single second. It could be considered your “beater” shoe but the point is that you’ll wear this sneaker all the time and it’ll look good that whole time.

High End: Air Jordan 3 190-220 Retail

This shoe looks great out of the box or on it’s last few wears (depending on the colorways). It will always get some sort of compliment by anyone. It doesn’t matter if they know about shoes. These are about legends, especially the original colorways.

Low End: Comme De Garcon Converse $100-135

Finally are these absolute beauties, from the PLAY collection the Comme De Garcon Converse All-Star Highs. These are pure fire no matter ho you cut it. This sneaker is constantly restocking and widely available so you almost never have to worry about paying resell for them apposed to the majority of this list and they come in black and white and in polka dots. Pictured is my personal favorite and these are my next (hopefully) purchase.

These are the sneakers I recommend for the the seasons.

Album Review: Illmatic By Nas

This week I’m reviewing the 1994 classic known as Illmatic by New York rapper Nas.  Illmatic is Nas’ first commercial project and to some the best rap album of all time. It’s a 10 track, 39 minute project featuring legendary tracks such as “N.Y. State of Mind”, “Memory Lane” and “The World is Yours”. I can agree with many other people that this is the quintessential rap album. If you like rap this is the album for you.

The first track I want to talk about is “N.Y State of Mind”. This song is talking about Nas’ mindset as a New Yorker. This song’s beat is so good. It was made in an era where you would use real instruments where used along with synthetic sounds. So this song’s beat consists of a piano loop, a drum beat and sound similar to a police siren.  It creates this dark, foreboding atmosphere. Its amazing in every sense of the word. Nas’ flow is incredible as flows from line to line like he was doing this his whole life. Now this in my eyes one of the best rap songs of all time. And the album just started.

This is the link for this amazing track.

The next song I wanted to talk about is “The World is Yours”. This song feels and sounds like a  motivational speech. This song has a strong piano melody with a drum beat to accompany this Nas’ smooth flow. The chorus in this album  is so catchy yet so simple. All he does is say “Who’s world is this? The world’s yours”. Because of this simple yet catchy lyric this song is so good. If you listened to the song you would be catching yourself humming the chorus or the well done beat. It’s simply amazing.

This the link for this song.

The last song I wanted to talk about is “Memory Lane”. It basically Nas’s reminiscing about his life leading up to his life as a rapper. It reveals a lot about himself. This song is more energizing even though it still gives to this dark and foreboding vibe this whole album gives. It consists of a sample of someone going “ooowoo”, record catches and drum beat. There’s this weird synthetic piano that gives this track the energy it has.  I want to talk about this track apposed to “One Love” or “Halftime” is because of the the importance to the artist in this song as it gives an insight to a child growing up in the cold streets of New York. Its’ simply amazing.

This is the amazing look into the childhood of someone who lived in the poorer parts of N.Y.

This album is the ultimate encapsulation of 90’s rap. I highly recommend this to ANYONE. No matter you music preference this is a must-listen as it just is the pinnacle of 90’s rap and possibly all rap.

Wasting Time

So in the last few days my state had a snow storm that made us lose about 3 days worth of school. I like snow day as much as the next person but these long brakes get me thinking about life. this time it made me think of all the time we waste from day to day. I just wanted to talk.

If your here for a music suggestion listen to Illmatic by Nas as that’s my next album I’m going to review

This is my most played game ever.

So the idea came to me when I checked the play time for my most played game, SMITE and it turned out I had almost 400 hours spread over maybe 2 years of playing that game. That’s about 17 days straight. So I got to thinking is everything I do a legitimate waste of time?

That’s something can’t really answer. I enjoyed most of those 400 hours but i didn’t get much from those games other than the ground work to play any MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) but who really cares in the real world if you can play a game really well.

Probably one of my most favorite games of all time.

Another thought that entered my brain was how much time I wasted on playing Pokemon. I say i put about 15-20 hours in a single save with some outliers hitting 30-40 hours. I play one of those games at least twice but a couple of favorites I play over and over again. For example I played Pokemon SoulSilver a total of 10 times. And because it’s one of the longer Pokemon games I probably spent 200+ hours in that game. I’m not exactly proud of myself for putting so much time into that game but hey whatever.

Stuff like that makes me think am I just wasting my time doing these things? Instead of having put possibly 200 hours in a Pokemon game I could’ve worked on my social skills. If I did that in my life I wouldn’t be so awkward in real life. Maybe I wouldn’t be so sad. Honestly, I feel like everything I do has no purpose, it all feels empty and I don’t know  what to do.

So that’s it. Next time I’m going to talk about the masterpiece known as Illmatic. I am lonely so hit my snapchat up it’s rafyiscool.

Album Review: Apricot Princess by Rex Orange County

Apricot Princess is the second album by Neo Soul, Indie Pop, and Alternative Hip-hop artist Rex Orange County. This album is a 10 track that released on April 26, 2017. Again I missed the released and was exposed to this album by the track Television/So Far So Good. This album explores the mind of Rex Orange County and his feelings towards relationships. Specifically, with this girl, he sings about most of the tracks. This album hits close to home as I really share a lot of the emotions put out Rex Orange County. So without further stalling, I want to talk about these tracks on video.

This is the rest of the review.

These are the tracks I talk about in this review:

Television/So Far So Good

Untitled

Happiness

BONUS TRACKS:

4 Seasons

Sycamore Girl

Just check out the whole album

Album Review: Freudian By Daniel Caesar

On August 25, 2017 Canadian singer-songwriter Daniel Caesar released a album called Freudian. Sadly this originally went under the radar but after listening to the single Get You featuring Kali Uchis (more on that track later) I found myself going back to that song over and over again. So one day I thought to myself let me listen to this guy more. Through tracks like Japanese Denim and Best Part featuring H.E.R. (more on this one as well) I enjoyed his music enough to talk about this album.Freudian is 10 track R&B album with features from four artists, with Kali Uchis and H.E.R. being the highlights of the album. In my personal opinion the best tracks performance wise and audibly are Get You ft. Kali Uchis, Blessed and Best Part ft H.E.R. 

First I want to talk about the song Get You ft. Kali Uchis. This song is a soft, soothing track about Daniel’s feelings about his significant other in this song is represented by Kali in a a verse and in the closer of this song. It’s such a nice song to start off the album that it by itself can be the reason that you love Daniel Caesar and his music.

This is the link to this beautiful song.

Next i want to talk about Blessed. This song is a solo where Daniel is with a piano track accompanying his smooth voice. He is singing about his lover and how he can’t stand being without her. He states that he may not be perfect but he wants to provide the most he can to his lover. He states how unhealthy it may seem but he doesn’t care he feels “blessed” to to be with her.

This is the link to the song. I hope yo enjoy it as much as I do!

The last song I want to mention is called Best Part ft. H.E.R. This song starts off with H.E.R. singing the intro and the pre-chorus. Soon after Daniel joins in for the main chorus. This is a highlight for the whole album along with the analogies in the song like “You’re the coffee that I need in the morning”.

This is such a great song I highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed this album. I highly recommend this album to R&B fans and anyone who prefers slower, comforting sounds. I rate this album 8/10.

Hype Beast Culture: Hurting How People See Clothing

Man, I really wanted that new pair of Jordan’s and I missed the release. Lemme check out a reseller for them. What? 700 dollars?

For the past few decades what clothing brands in the streetwear world has been influenced by artists, celebrities, and exclusivity of clothing.  Brands like Supreme, BAPE (A Bathing Ape) or even newer brands like Kith or Fear of God have been put into the spotlight because of these three principles to the point that anything would sell out in minutes using brand name alone. And I mean anything.

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These are just SOME of the things Supreme has sold, yes these things are real.

It’s because of this that it’s safe to say that there are people who only like and by the branded merchandise because others like it. People with this mindset are called “hype beasts” because they follow hype similar to how an animal follows it’s prey. And they are the biggest reason any item with a big brand name like Supreme or BAPE sell out so quickly and why the aftermarket price or resell is so high compared to the original retail price.

There was a recent collaboration between Nike and Off White a streetwear company founded by Virgil Abloh. It consisted of 10 sneakers ranging from classic sneakers like SB Blazer and Air Jordan 1 to new sneakers like the Hyperdunk 2017 and the Air Vapormax. Each and every shoe sold out during the day and some like the Air Jordan 1 which sold out in minutes can be bought for anywhere between 1,000-3,000 dollars. Someone who wanted that shoe that has also missed the original release date could pay 3,000 dollars.

That’s the big problem with hype beast culture. Very few people buy clothes or shoes because they like them. They buy them to resell or to seem cooler and the people who actually like them can’t because they can’t afford a pair of shoes with 4 digits or a hoodie that can cost up to 1,000 dollars. But getting rid of hype beast may not be good for the streetwear and sneaker culture.

Hypebeast whether we like them or not help keep the streetwear brand alive and well.

A Nostalgic Look Back: Graduation By Kanye West

Graduation is an album from the now incredibly famous Kanye West. The album released on September 11, 2007. If you haven’t realized the album is 10 years old and if you are like me you grew up with this album and some of these amazing songs you would be nostalgic for this album too. And if you’re new to this album you would try to listen to this too.

This album is a 13 track, 51-minute rap album featuring tracks like “Homecoming”, “I Wonder” and “Everything I am”.

You’re taking a train to your hometown after years of being away from your friends and family and finally being able to see them you feel nostalgic. You’re scared to see them after so long but you’ve longing to see them.

The first song I want to talk about is Homecoming. This song features Chris Martin, the co-creator, and lead singer of Coldplay. At the time and still to this day the choice of Chris Martin is a weird choice for a rap song of all things but it works amazingly well and adds to the song perfectly. Kanye through the song is using an old love to allude to his life in Chicago, his “old love”. Chris Martin’s contribution to this song is to add to the ‘visiting an old love’ motif as he says “I’m comin’ home again Do you think about me now and then? Do you think about me now and then? ‘Cause I’m comin’ home again” And “Baby, do you remember when Fireworks at Lake Michigan?”

This song represents a turning point in Kanye’s life and that’s why this song is so important to the album and Kanye’s whole discography as it signals his thought process of leaving your hometown to chase your career.

This is the link to this song. It’s worth the listen.

Good Morning is the opener to the album and for me the song to put me on to this whole album. Good morning is the perfect song to open an album that could be arguably Kanye’s best album. This track itself shows off some of Kanye’s lyrism and flow off in a way that makes you want some more like any good opener should.

This is the song I just mentioned.

This album is so important to Kanye’s discography but there are its downfalls like the track Barry Bonds not aging well. But if you take the album as a whole and not as it’s parts it’s a great album. I rate it an 8/10 and highly recommend this album to every one.