Sorry, that is some lame ass artwork.

The deluxe one especially. Looks like a new age Record made exclusively for sound tracking Yoga classes.

The regular has a charming image (young version of rap god) which became cliche the moment Biggie put in on the cover of Ready to Die. To me, this is like Wavves releasing an album with a baby swimming for a ...I don't know... A joint?... in a swimming pool.

i'll end up liking the cover if the music is good.

Take Care is one of my fav albums of the decade, rap version of James Blake.

I will end up liking the music if the music is good ;)

that cover is weak.

I slept on Take Care. Don't know. Just never grew on me much. I loved Thank Me Later though.

I agree on Earl being up there w/ Kendrick. Rocky's up there for me too. Kendrick's prob #1 though.

Really in a PE mood this last week though. Feels like I'm in Jr. High again.

Earl's flow is so lazy sometimes. i know that it fits his style and all, but it also prevents him from being the best rapper in the world.

i love Rocky's flow, his lyrics are just whatever though.

the laziness is part of Earl's appeal though. I mean, his lyrics are so obviously labored. He finds perfect syllables for everything he says. But then sounds like he's putting so little effort (see: EFFORTLESS) into the delivery. It's awesome.

It's kind of like Pavement haha.

Rocky's lyrics. Yeah. Mostly. I mean he def has some awesome lines in there, but yeah mostly, it's all delivery for him. He keeps you on yr toes. Switching up cadence, hitting you with high notes all the sudden.

Just exciting to listen to. Both in diff ways.

Earl is an extremely talented kid... Not just for a kid, or a young rapper, but as a lyricist in general. I don't think we have heard enough from him to call him the "best" yet, and in all honesty I think he's going to have a hard time outliving the novelty of OFWGKTA, while still staying relevant and abiding by his own high standards.

I think he's going to have to eventually do what Frank Ocean did and distance himself from the collective in order to become the artist he has the potential to be. Right now, he's killing it in spite of, not because of, Tyler's presence on his records. I thought I was kind of done with Tyler honestly, after Wolf revealed itself to be an almost unbelievably one dimensional record, full of self-referential (and self-important), famous-person whining. Similar to the egocentric, degenerative wallowing in celebrity self-pity that ended up putting the nail in Eminem's coffin.

.. But the beats on Doris are so god damn buttery sweet; the perfect mixture of eccentric slop and and this jilted, angular, distinctly human take on melody that provides the perfect backdrop for Earl's boy genius wordplay. So it's still working, but eventually the kid's gotta become a man, and if he plays his cards right, and stays sharp, I think he could be a truly amazing figure in hip hop.

He sounds wise and sad beyond his years, which almost makes me want to draw a Kurt Cobain comparison; like he's in on a joke that the rest of the world just doesn't get yet. Makes for utterly inspiring art, that kind of mindset.

As for who's the best, Kendrick certainly seems to be heading in that direction, but Chance the Rapper is extremely skilled as well, albeit with more of a goody goody, overachiever vibe that gets on one's nerves after time. Cadence and flow wise, they're neck and neck for me.

I totally disagree. See me, the novelty of Odd Future is ENTIRELY why I never was digging those cats or their raps. I mean, I'm in LA, and South Central in particular, so I've been knowin about those dudez, but I didn't like em. I though they were taking that Kool Keith character kind of rap too loosely and became almost a caricature. However, I am totally caught up in Earl Sweathshirt. Both his mixtape and Doris are fantastic, and are very clearly separate from Odd Future shit. They'll probably miss him, but Earl is definitely going places solo.


In other words, actual HIP-HOP. Its not that it lacks street, its very much a fucking street record, but its also art.


Now motherfucker that is a trip! You obviously didn't notice, but I posted earlier that Earl's rap as art reminds me of Kurt Cobain's approach to lyrics.




I'm glad we agree and both noticed.

the novelty of OF is over though. At least to me. It ended sometime around when "Oldie" dropped.

Earl is above and beyond those dudes as far as lyricism goes. That's fact. He's the youngest right? you wouldn't know. His phrasing and delivery is too deep. He's the son of a poet, and that shows.

And not just writing. I mean. He's smart. He's understanding of HE as an artist. He gets it.

Tyler is close, but too many misses on his albums. Too many wild pitches.

Earl just gets it. He's patient. You can tell. His rhymes are just soooooooooo thought out. It's insane.

But think back. When you were his age. When I was his age... I was a fucking idiot. Could not say what I wanted to say so eloquently.

...

But yeah, Kendrick is the high bar for that generation in my eyes.

Earl is a contender for sure.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to noisereductions again.

^wow.

Kendrick is going to be huge. His next official album is going to land at #1, and he's going to become the biggest thing in hip-hop (for a while at least... audiences are more fickle than they've ever been). I feel like Lil' Wayne's time is quite obviously over, and Kendrick is the most likely to take his place.

He has a style and image that are reminiscent of the late '80s and early '90s. He's going to appeal to every kind of hip hop fan, from the thugs and house party kids to the socially conscious intellectual types, and possibly even the weird, experimental Kool Keith and Del fans.

This is what I predict, anyway.

I kinda hope Earlplays a different role. I hope he continues to make great music, but I don't think I want to see him become a pop star. It's not a good fit, in my opinion. I woke up this morning and realized that I'd been dreaming about the piano part in "chum," got out of bed and immediately put it on, loud as hell, and I just sat and listened. There's so much going on in Earl's fucking head, and I think stardom can make people morons very quickly. He doesn't seem to have the personality that thrives on attention and popularity (Kanye West most definitely does, which is why he's a pop star, and makes great music in that environment).

Son of a poet.... yeah, you can hear that loud and clear.

Isn't it funny that some people are still pretending that the new Eminem album is going to be special, or interesting in any way? Ha.

I love MF Doom. What a crazy motherfucker. New music from his ass would put 2013 over the top.

I agree completely with you, but you might not like that I also disagree with you completely. I agree that Lil Wayne is over, and that Kendrick will swoop on his position, but I disagree that Kendrick is either the best rapper. I think Lil Wayne is shit, has always been shit, and I never liked that ninja since even back in the day. That being said, I easily see Kendrick becoming the #1 bunk rapper like Lil Wayne was before him ;)


Kool Keith fans will most definitely not be bumping that Kendrick, especially when undergroup rap is almost better than ever!

Honestly, I don't know the appeal of rappers like Kendrick Lamar or Kanye West. Its like, meh? Then again, I check out all the rock and pop bands that people post here on the forum, and I don't like any of them either, so maybe I'm just a curmudgeon when it comes to new music. Hence why I am so ecstatic to be liking MC Tree or that new Doris album. Haven't enjoyed the discovery of new rappers in like ten years man!

Fucking shit, Doris gets better every single time I listen to it. Today, noticing how ridiculous those beats are.

"rappers like Kendrick Lamar or Kanye West"? they're nothing alike! haha.

https://twitter.com/LilTunechi/statu...80178175651840

respect.

coming out 30/8. not sure why i still care.

Yeah they are. They're both over-hyped in the media and both rap about bullshit. Enough said ;)

have you tried to listen to a Kendrick album? mixtape? song? something? i think he'd be right down your alley.