Frank Ocean

When it comes to hip hop and RnB, it's been a long while since I've heard an album that blew me away. The whole thing isn't perfect but some of the joints are just incredible.

"Strawberry Swing" and "We All Try" are the soulful tracks that have been sorely missing in the game. And I'm not talking about syrupy, corny, formulaic and ultimately empty 'soul'. I mean something that sounds like some passion went into it. Where the only formula is the finding the right construction to make the melody, not the pandering to consumers.

"Swim Good", "Novacane" and "Songs For Women" are also bangers!

I came across another blog that reviewed Ultra. I entirely agree with his/her sentiment, so much so that I'm gonna copy the paragraph:

"Ocean isn't as corny as Drake and not as earnest as Bruno Mars. He's more nimble and intelligent than Trey Songz, and not as overt or agressive as Chris Brown. Hopefully nostalgia, ULTRA and Frank Ocean mark the turning point for sensual, thoughtful contemporary R&B."

 http://theshimmyshake.blogspot.com/2011/08/what-were-listening-to-frank-oceans.html

Please everyone and please no one

Young Guru is talking about "Watch The Throne", the Otis video, and 9th Wonder among other things.

Big ups to Young Guru. Dude seems like a cool ass dude.

This video shows why I don't like a lot of new hip hop albums, especially Watch the Throne. and why they'll never even come close to classic albums of the 80s/90s and some in the 2000s.

When you make music to please everyone, everyone from hip hop fans to girls in Ibiza who don't really care about hip hop (they like whatever's on the dancefloor), to grandmothers who saw you on Oprah one time, the album is gonna suck 9 times out of 10. It'll be slipshod by its very nature. It'll sound like what it is: BUSINESS. Pure corporate music.

Look at all the classic albums in hip hop - they weren't trying to please EVERYONE, especially people outside of the culture or hanging on the fringes of it. They were trying to please a certain type of people (usually hip hop fans), and the musicality was so good that when you became a hip hop fan, you would automatically realize how dope it was.

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx is ONLY BUILT for Cuban linx cats. NY drug dealers. People who understand and feel street slang. Illmatic -- was made strictly for the heads. Nas wanted to prove he was the nicest rapper period. Infamous, Midnight Marauders, Paid In Full, etc.

They weren't for the everyman. They had issues that related to the everyman but put in a way that was authentic to hip hop. All the great albums introduced new hip hop nuances/atmospheres that people loved. And how are you going to love a nuance (or even see it) if you don't understand the culture to begin with?

Anyway, it aint about the album experience anymore. it's about individual tracks on iTunes. which means there's no such thing as a cohesive sound for the album. Or an 'atmosphere'. Or the story. And I'm all about atmosphere and storytelling. That's where great art lies. All great artists are dope storytellers in their own way. At least that's what hip hop amazing. Atmosphere, great storytelling over funky and melodic beats.

with that said, I feel underground hip hop today is often on the opposite end of the extreme. They make these ultra niche albums that don't feel relatable unless you're into that kind of subject matter.

e.g. Madvillainy vs a lot of Stones Throw releases.

Madvillainy is a weird ass album, but some tracks are funky as hell. Accordion, Fancy Clown, Strange Ways, All Caps and Rhinestone Cowboy and are some of the dopest joints since 2000. They're weird, but still funky. Got that everyman bounce and are really catchy. Get some big speakers and play this joints -- they'll move you.

Whereas I find some Stones Throw stuff is just so out there that I can't f*ck with it. And what's the point of making a hip hop album without bounce and swagger?

So I guess the key is balance between the two extremes.

 p.s. That Otis video is the only dope thing about WTT. I agree with YG. Kanye and JayZ having fun, smiling... few-to-no models. Just kicking it. Reminded me of when I listened to hip hop and felt good. As opposed to not being good enough.