The Review You've All Been Waiting For(MMLP2)

                Everyone was extremely hyped for Eminem’s new album, the Marshall Mathers LP 2. Personally, I was excited for this album, and ready to review the album in a full detail. Today, however, I’m just going to review a few songs. The specific songs I want to focus on are “Stronger Than I was,” “Legacy,” “Love Game,” “Headlights,” and “Brainless.” In each paragraph, I will give good and bad aspects of the songs, and an overall view if I liked it or not. I tried to review songs that fit somewhat together; “Stronger Than I Was,” and “Headlights” are both sad songs, while “Legacy” is somewhat inspiring and motivational. “Love Game” is just a…well, hard to describe song.  Anyways, let’s get started!

                “Stronger Than I Was” is a song that is supposed to be written from Eminem’s ex-wife’s(Kim) perspective. The song, much different than the other songs on the album, is a song where Eminem sings roughly 90% of the song. The lyrics to the song, as expected, are catchy and well-thought out. But, unfortunately, Eminem is not the best singer, so this song sounds strange. After a few listens, the song does grow on you, but Eminem’s voice is much better suited for rapping. If you are sad, the breaking up and relationship troubled, this song is somewhat your type.  If you can deal with some odd sounding singing, you can deal with it. Towards the end, however, Eminem’s rapping section is really impressing. The rap at the end is the best part of the song, and I look forward to the song just for the rap part, besides that, I give the track a B-.

                “Headlights” is a song that no one expected out of the hip-hop icon. In other albums, especially his first two, Eminem shows hatred to his mother. But, in this song, Eminem states how he forgives her. He mentions how that, since he has gotten older, he has been able to see how his mother is and that he wishes they had a closer relationship now. Lines like “because to this day, we remain this estranged and I hate it though, cause you ain’t even get to witness your grandbabies’ growth” and other lines saying how he wished his mother and him had a full relationship. As for the chorus, Eminem recruited the lead singer of Fun. The chorus is mediocre; the real part of this song are the heartfelt verses that Eminem lays about his mother. Overall, I love this track and would give it a solid A.

                “Legacy” is one of my favorite songs from this album. This song is so deep, but in ways, the song is inspiring. The opening lines are to each verse being the same, saying “I used to be the type of kid that would always think the sky is fallin,” and each verse continues off of this scheme. Eminem does have a legacy, and he is well aware. But, as most Eminem songs, I feel that a couple of the lines are weird, or unimportant. Besides the one reference  to Italian sausage, I don’t dislike this track at all. The chorus is maybe the best, if not one of the top three, on the album, and the vocals were distributed by Polina.  This track gets a solid A as well.

                “Love Game” is the most uniquely sounding song on the album. The song has a lot of features, and tons of vocal effects. Also, this song features the phenomenon Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick has a rising name in hip-hop and he claims Eminem to be one of his idols. This song is very unique; Eminem’s flow is often strange compared to songs of the past. A lot of this song is clever; the puns and references have been given a lot of thought. But, Kendrick delivers a flow and verse just as good as Eminem’s. The chorus is extremely catchy. I like this song mostly, and it gets stuck in my head often. I would give this song a solid B+.

                Overall, the album receives a solid B. I am a huge Eminem fan, but this album definitely had its weird parts, or songs that aren’t expected of the legend. But, I do like the direction Eminem’s career is heading, and I cannot wait to see his future projects and review them. His deep tracks are amazing, and I suppose he has mainly grown up in the whole rapping women while on drugs scheme.

                http://rapgenius.com/Eminem-headlights-lyrics

                http://hypetrak.com/tag/marshall-mathers-lp-2/

                http://thissongissick.com/blog/2013/eminem-love-game-feat-kendrick-lamar/#sthash.X5njFhPr.dpbs

New Release By Hopsin and Eminem

As November approaches, I am very excited for a few albums coming out. With new albums getting ready for release, two of my favorite rappers, Eminem and Hopsin, have released several singles. Eminem has released “Rap God,” “Berzerk,” and “Survival.” Hopsin, however, has only released one track off of his soon to be released album named Knock Madness. In this blog, I’m going to review each of the songs released by the artists, and my opinion on them, both good and bad. The reason I am focusing on Eminem and Hopsin is because I am completely psyched for the Marshall Mathers LP 2 and Knock Madness. I am looking forward to these albums more than any other albums of this year.

                I want to begin with my favorite: “Rap God.” ‘Rap God” is a fast-paced song where Eminem’s flow is amazing and his lyrics are at an all-time high. I love this song because of the impressive wordplay, the speed at which Eminem says the lyrics, and the beat is also amazing. However, I feel that Eminem threw in some random puns that were not very clever and didn’t fit in with the theme of the song. For example, “the way I’m racing around the track, call me Nascar.” I understand the pun and everything, but I just don’t feel that it fits in with the tone and complexity of the song. Other than the few minor unnecessary puns, I think Eminem did nothing but simply destroy this track. If the Marshall Mathers LP 2 is anything like this song, it will go down as one of hip-hops best albums.

                As millions have heard, Eminem released the song “Berzerk.” “Berzerk” is a song that uses a lot of old school hip-hop beats and rap styles. The song features a lot of vocal effects, and reminds me of an old party song. I think the beat is really good, but it took a while for the song to grow onto me. At first, I wasn’t very fond of this track. But, being as I love Eminem and this song is a tad bit over played, I decided to give the song another chance. I really enjoy Eminem’s attack on Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian. This little part of the song is humorous. Also, I enjoy Eminem’s subliminal message to the (horrible) rapper Future. This song is also full of puns, some both good and stupid. I’m glad Eminem decided to bring back some old school hip-hop into the modern rap game, but I hope he doesn’t do this too often on the Marshal Mathers LP 2, or the album will become a tad bit disappointing.

                For Call of Duty’s new game being released soon, Call of Duty: Ghost, Eminem did a track for the game. “Survival” is a war-like and hype track, featuring vocals by Liz Rodriguez. I heard this song before Berzerk, and I instantly thought that the king of hip-hop had returned. This track is honestly, one hundred percent, amazing. Eminem’s flow on this song, and his lyrics are amazing. This song also has an amazing drum beat and guitar part. Overall, this song is just as good as “Rap God” because it fits in with the Call Of Duty: Ghosts theme very well.

                With the release of Knock Madness approaching, Hopsin released his single “Hop Is Back.” I have been a fan of Hopsin since I heard “Nocturnal Rainbows.” In “Hop Is Back,” Hopsin is going proving how he is one of the best lyricists in the hip hop game, and he also attacks the rappers Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Kendrick Lamar. I fully believe that Hopsin could destroy any of the three in any kind of rap battle or challenge. Other than the great lyrics, Hopsin again proves, like he does on every song, that he has one of the best flows in hip-hop. If the rest of Knock Madness is similar to “Hop Is Back,” Knock Madness will be one of the best albums I have ever heard.

                The releasing of these songs by Eminem and Hopsin has made me extremely excited for their albums. If the albums continue the huge vibe created by the singles, the albums will be some of the best released in 2013. Specifically, “Rap God” and “Survival” are the songs that have made me so excited and hyped up for the Marshall Mathers LP 2. I hope that Hopsin releases a single or two more from Knock Madness, but as of now, “Hop Is Back” has made me really interested to hear Knock Madness. Especially since Hopsin has been talking about the release of Knock Madness since 2011….

Citations:

http://rapgenius.com/Eminem-rap-god-lyrics

http://rapgenius.com/Eminem-berzerk-lyrics

http://rapgenius.com/Hopsin-hop-is-back-lyrics

http://www.kanyetothe.com/forum/index.php?topic=181695.0

http://www.okayplayer.com/news/eminem-rap-god-mp3.html

Hip Hop Awards

                I’m sure everyone was tuned in last night, October 15, 2013, to watch the B.E.T. Hip Hop Awards. Personally, I only watch them for the cyphers. Unless you like watching Drake, Rick Ross, and other talentless rappers, I recommend you stay away from the awards. The only true rappers to win any awards were Jay Z, J Cole, and Kendrick Lamar. But, in a few paragraphs, I want to talk about a couple of awards, nominees, and who should have won or been nominated.

                First off, to give an award for whom dresses the best is completely stupid. It is a disgrace that we live in a generation of “music-lovers” that pay more attention to the clothes on someone’s back rather than the words coming out of their mouth. Yes, dressing nice is important but it shouldn’t win you an award during a music show. Of course, we have those who say hip-hop is a life style. I completely agree, but the words you spit do not relate to the clothes you wear. In the 2000’s, double diamond rapper Eminem dresses in sweat pants, wife beaters, and white tee shirts, but he still managed to be one of the top lyricist and artists. I think we should focus more on the artists’ music, not the clothes they chose to wear. It’s amazing that you can wear really expensive clothes, but if you can’t rap, I don’t care if you were on stage wearing the same thing as Miley Cyrus.

                A$AP Ferg wins rookie of the year. You have to be kidding me. There is no way he compares to Earl Sweatshirt. A$AP Ferg is a disgrace to this award in every way. Earl Sweatshirt brings some of the most complex and best lyrics in all of hip hop. His music is well put together, and he should have one rookie of the year. He did nothing but impress, whether opening his soul, or rapping about random topics. I put him in my top 5 lyricist list. But a rapper with the lyrical content (garbage) of A$AP Ferg is given an award. I could get my cat to write better lyrics than him. A still pond has a better flow than A$AP Ferg. As hip hop continues to grow, most of the rap game is taking a negative turn, but rappers like Earl Sweatshirt bring hope to the new generations of hip hop.

(Earl on left, A$AP Ferg on right)

                Now, to the good stuff. The cyphers. Overall, I think that Kendrick Lamar had the best verse out of every MC. Kendrick is quite an impressive rapper. As a group, Slaughterhouse had the best cypher. Each member went in with great lyrics, and great flows. The Real Husbands of Hollywood cypher was really funny, and I enjoyed it. A$AP Rocky went in on his verse, but the rest of his crew did nothing but disappoint me. Kendrick Lamar proved to me that he is one of the best rappers in the entire game, and Slaughterhouse confirmed that underground is where the real lyrics are. Besides these four cyphers, no other rapper stood out to me, or appealed to me.

(Slaughterhouse)

               

Sources: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/popcast-earl-sweatshirt-and-asap-ferg-step-up/
https://www.2dopeboyz.com/2013/10/15/slaughterhouse-bet-cypher/

http://www.bet.com/shows/hip-hop-awards/nominees.html

Pop

                Today, I want to talk about pop and more mainstream artists. Specifically, I want to talk about pop artists who have real talent. Females who don’t have to show off their body for views, and amaze me with their voice are real singers. There is nothing I love more than a girl who can sing. Also, I want to talk about typical pop men.

                To begin with, artists like Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears really irritate me. Wearing skimpy clothes that expose your breasts and butt is not talent. At all. Any woman with a half decent body can do that. Where’s the respect? Look at artists like Adele and Lorde? Adele has a beautiful voice, and she presents herself in a respectful manner. Her voice has led her to become a diamond artist. Lorde is only 16, but her voice has carried her to tons of sales. Both of these artists have beautiful voices, but they don’t dress promiscuously to get more views. Britney Spears released a statement saying she felt forced to dress skimpy, but it’s her choice. If other artists can sell records without being so exposed, there is no valid reason why other artists do it. Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears are not the only one, but they are prime examples. It’s great that you have a body you are proud of, but showing it with the intentions of gaining more views is ridiculous and takes away the meaning and purpose of music.

                Now that I’m done ranting about women in pop, I want to talk about pop in general. I hate pop music. The intentions seem to be just to make a hit and to sell records. It is hard to find a pop song that has true meaning and no useless lyrics. Maybe I’m just a person for lyrics, but no matter how beautiful your voice is, if the lyrics suck, you suck. I am just not a fan of choruses made to stick in your head, and verses that are pointless. Pop focuses on the choruses. Pop has lost its meaning. Many lyrics are there just to rhyme and fill a space, and that is not how music should be. Also, it has become too common, and way overrated. Pop is genre full of potential, but the artists that are pop bring it down.

                Lastly, I want to talk about some male pop singers. I’ve never really been into male pop singers. However, I find several artists to be good. Ed Sheeran is an excellent singer and he has lyrics that are full of meaning. His lyrics are deep, personal, and everyone can relate to them. I’ve listened to a lot of his music, and I have never gotten the feeling that Ed just wants to make sales. Another pop artist I am fond of is Justin Timberlake. His voice is so pure and unique; it’s hard not to like it. But his performance live is extremely poor. While, I may like a couple male pop artists, I dislike tons. I don’t like Justin Bieber at all. And I’m not a fan of Bruno Mars. Both of them seem too immature in their music. I’ve just never gotten into Bruno Mars because I feel like a lot of his lyrics are pointless. Many artists just throw in pointless lyrics to sell a song, or to make a hit and it’s really irritating. I feel like most pop men singers do this. From what I’ve heard of pop, it’s a genre that I’m not fond of, and don’t plan on getting into. 

My favorite artist(rap in particular)

Today, I would love to talk about some of my favorite bands/artists. Personally, I am very picky about my music. I like bands and artists who have a good sound, with meaningful, or clever lyrics, and artists who put their heart and souls into each and every song. To be honest, in today’s mainstream music, it is really hard to find a band or artists with these qualities. But, I’ve managed to find a few underground and semi-mainstream artists who meet my criteria. These artists include, Hopsin, Tyler- the Creator, and Eminem. The genres I want to write about is hip-hop.

                Let’s start with the hip-hop genre, and rapper Tyler, The Creator. Most people have heard of his huge rap group, Odd Future, or OFWGKTA. Tyler is a skating, often depressed, offensive, and controversial artist. His songs use tons of offensive language, and he specifically targets certain celebrities and artists, such as Bruno Mars, Tegan and Sara, B.o.B., Taylor Swift, and many others. Tyler, The Creator is an atheist, who often mocks religion. This, alone, offends many people. Tyler is also famous for using homophobic lyrics and slurs. I like his type of music because he stands for what he believes in. To me, that is a huge quality not often seen in this world anymore. Another reason is that he is always himself, no matter what other artists or critics tend to think. In one of my favorite songs by him, “Nightmare”, Tyler expresses his deep, emotional, suicidal side. In many of his songs, Tyler talks about his father who left him, and his past. These songs in particular are a huge reason why I like Tyler so much. How deep he can be is extremely relatable to. But, in his songs of a more twisting image, he always stays himself. He has never let a critics words affect him in his music, and that quality is admirable in my eyes and to my ears.

                Sticking with hip-hop, I want to move on to Hopsin. Hopsin is a west-coast rapper, mostly known by his “Ill Mind of Hopsin” videos, most hitting well over a million views. To me, Hopsin is one of the rappers who are reviving the hip-hop game. Hopsin has a flow everyone can love, but he also has complex lyrics that follow a complex rhyme scheme. Not only does Hopsin have an amazing flow, but the meanings in his lyrics are mostly positive, and he attacks society, and speaks the truth. His song, “Nocturnal Rainbows” Hopsin talks about society in an inspiring, and beautiful way. Hopsin is also known for dissing celebrities and artists. The artists and celebrities include: Tyler, The Creator, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, Eazy-E’s wife, Lupe Fiasco, Drake, Rick Ross, and many the artists and celebrities. One thing I admire by Hopsin, as long as Tyler, is the straight-edge image. Hopsin is against drugs, and puts them down in many of his song, such as the “Ill Mind of Hopsin 5.” Hopsin uses a lot of rhyme inside of rhyming schemes, such as “Welcome to the ill mind of Hopsin, where real life’s an option, the ill lines that I spit, make you realize you’re not sick.” My all-time favorite Hopsin song is “Heather Nicole.” In this song, Hopsin talks about how he was abusive and neglected a girl, who he realizes he still has strong feelings for, and still really wants, but he hurt her too much. That’s why he made her the song, in hopes to reach out to her. The reason Hopsin’s music appeals to me so much is mainly based on the fact on how personal he is. It’s really deep, and it’s very easy to relate to his music.

                Another one of my favorite rappers is Eminem. Eminem is known for creating controversy. In several of his songs, he uses homosexual slurs, offensive language, and just other vulgar and slanderous words. But, Eminem always is capable of expressing himself. He has always told his life story, and a lot of people admire him for this. In music, Eminem takes his bottled up emotions, and unleashes them with every rhyme. It’s amazing how Eminem always writes what he feels, no matter who it would offend or bother. I admire Eminem because of all he has done for hip-hop. It’s insane to think that one rapper, mainly due to his skin color, can affect and open the doors for an entire, world renowned genre. When I was younger, I would only listen to Eminem. Unfortunately, I used to be a Stan. But, now that time has passed, I still love his music, but I have opened my eyes to many different artists. Another thing that I love about Eminem is how beautifully his songs are put together. His songs, “Beautiful,” “Sing For The Moment,” and “Lose Yourself,” are so well put together. I also consider Eminem one of, or the greatest, lyricist in all of rap. Have you ever really paid attention to the lyrics and rhyming in the first verse of “Lose Yourself?”  I’m going to put a comma after each rhyming word. The way he utilizes syllables is perfect.

                “His palms, are sweaty, knees, weak, arms, are heavy, there’s vomit, on his sweater, already, mom’s, spaghetti, he’s nervous, but on the surface, he looks calm, and ready, to drop bombs, but he keeps on forgetting.”

                The rhyming in this verse is just amazing, and is honestly one of the reasons why I consider him to be such a complex and great lyricist.

Sources:

http://thesource.com/2013/07/18/hopsin-releases-cover-art-release-date-for-upcoming-knock-madness-album/

http://www.last.fm/music/Tyler,+the+Creator

                 

Rap

Rap music is a genre of music that produces large sales, influences society, changes lives, and creates controversy.  Personally, I am a huge fan of rap music; however, I’m not a very big fan of radio and mainstream rap. I am referring to artists that have one goal in mind, and that goal is to make large amounts of money.  Without a doubt, rap music has had both positive and negative effects on society. I want to explain my opinion on rap music, and also give some good background information about the rap movement. What better place to start than the beginning of the genre, right?

                It’s pretty challenging to name a first “MC” or a first rapper, but the first rap song to “popularize” the genre would arguably be “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugarhill Gang. If you aren’t familiar with this song, the well-known opening lines are “I said, a hip hop, the hippie, the hippie, to the hip, hip, hop, a you don’t stop” ( http://www.metrolyrics.com/rappers-delight-lyrics-sugarhill-gang.html). Ah, you remember now, don’t you? Rappers and their songs were around before “Rapper’s Delight,” but this song really put rap on the charts. This song had a huge success.

                With hip hop becoming more popular, a genre called gangster rap developed. Gangster rap is where hip hop gets it’s negative, drug, and street-filled image. Gangster rap artists are famous for rapping about drugs, women (in negative ways), murder, stealing, and other illegal activities. This genre alone has created a stereotypical image for rap. When people image a rapper, they immediately image flashy diamonds, tons of money, a few women, and a nice car. But, hidden more so underground, are several rappers who deliver positive messages.

                Lupe Fiasco’s song “Words I Never Said,” creates a promising, brighter image towards the negatives about the world. Rapper Hopsin attempts to deliver a positive message in his song “The Ill Mind of Hopsin 5.” Hopsin talks about the typical ambition-lacking druggie, females who only search for love and blame their problems on everyone else, and he also talks about the gangster rap mirroring African-Americans. Other artists, such as Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Dizzy Wright, Ludacris, and many more have escaped the typical gangster rap image. These artists focus on sending a positive message towards society. The mentioned artists are the type of rap artists that I prefer to listen to.

                As mainstream rap is popular, it is just a type of hip hop that I prefer to stay away from. I personally enjoy rappers with complex rhymes, unique lyrics, and lyrics that attempt to send a positive message towards society. While the gangster rap genre has created the typical “thug” image of hip hop, it is very important to know that many hip hop artists attempt to break this stereotype. If you ever get tired of hearing the negative lyrics about money, women, drugs, partying, and material items, give those artists I mentioned a listen. But remember, you have to pay attention to the lyrics to get a good feel for the positive message.

resources: http://www.metrolyrics.com/rappers-delight-lyrics-sugarhill-gang.html

http://www.uic.edu/orgs/kbc/hiphop/firsts.htm

Music

Welcome to Music. Sadly, I’m not creative enough of think of anything better than such a boring title.

I’m a lover of music, and I fully believe that music changes lives. Personally, I am a song writer and some-what of a singer.  My favorite genres are post-hardcore, acoustic songs, and rap. I am not a fan of radio music, though some of it is okay. My favorite bands of all time are Memphis May Fire and A Day To Remember. I have several favorite rap artists, including Hopsin, Eminem, Tyler-the Creator, and Earl Sweatshirt. I have eight favorite songs: Sleep Well, Darling by SECRETS, The Victim by Memphis May Fire, If It Means A Lot To You by A Day To Remember, I’m Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You made Of? By A Day To Remember, Chum by Earl Sweatshirt, Heather Nicole by Hopsin, Nightmare by Tyler, The Creator, and Prove Me Right by Memphis May Fire. My favorite album is Challenger by Memphis May Fire. As the weeks progress, I am going to be blogging about several successful genres of music. I will talk about the genres’ history, success, most successful artists, hit songs, and the impacts music has had on the world. Several genres will be mentioned, from rap to country, from jazz to dance. My goal is to share my love of music, and the wonderful things music does, with the world.  Or um, my followers.