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.