[louder]

New year, new albums.

Turbo Grafx? Kendrick Lamar? Earl Sweatshirt? 5 new Young Thug and Future mixtapes? Maybe new Shabazz Palaces? A Drake album that doesn't suck.. a J. Cole album that isn't boring..

Guess we're gonna find out about all of this and more, soon.

[Severian]

Hopefully more than a minute of Andre 3000. Preferably many many minutes. Like... 50.

No more Drake!

ETA: Actually we are getting a new Drake release of some sort, at least, in 2017. Remember that talk about the mini-album "More Life?" The one with the anti-Pusha/Cudi single? Well, that was supppsed to be out Dec. 10, but got bumped. I think it was supposed to be an Apple Music exclusive, an perhaps not even a true Drake album. Instead, it might be a collaborative effort or compilation from Drake and his homeboys like 40, Dvsn, and whoever the fuck else still thinks Ovo Sound is an actual label and not just a Drake promo-tool. Maybe something akin to Cruel Summer (as WATTBA was the short bus answer to WTT).
Aaaanyway, I read a few weeks ago that it was bumped to an early 2017 release and "Coming very soon," which probably means it'll be all up in our faces before the end of February.

As for any hope that the album will be good? Hah. Nah man. You know better at this point. Whatever potential Drake once had has been swallowed up by his own asshole. In fact I'm reconsidering the Drake material I did like at one point. When was the last time you listened to "Hold on We're Going Home?" It's shit man. Pure fucking shit.

[Severian]

As of this moment, knowing what we know about the year and its schedule, you KNOW what I'm looking forward to the most for hip hop:

 

GOOD Music: Cruel Winter

(No proper or official artwork is available at this point, because like everything else in Kanye's orbit, this has apparently been thrown off course by recent craziness, but fuck it.. I still think it looks cool)

[Severian]

 

I bought this even though it's free. I feel like if I have the money, I should contribute. People on iTunes reviews are giving it 5-stars, saying "best album of the year," but then you always see that on iTunes, where people pretty much only say super positive or super negative things.

Anyway, while I don't at all agree that it's the best album of the year (that's almost comical, considering how much great music came out in 2016.), it does contain several of the elements that I feel modern rap is missing. It's clear that this project is not attempting to cross genres, or push boundaries. RTJ is just a R-A-P group that makes RAP that embraces traditionalism but still sounds fresh, and gives you a reason to keep listening.

I've only listened once from start to finish, but I think I like it more than RTJ2.

[Severian]

Holy crap. Pitchfork just wrote the nastiest review of December 99th. Like... wow. Just disembowled the thing.

[noisereductions]

RTJ3 is out already?

[Severian]

Originally Posted by noisereductions

RTJ3 is out already?

Came out on Christmas or something. Free on their website. $9.99 on iTunes.

[louder]

Hey guys I'm back in business.

Wow Sev, do you really like RTJ3 more than RTJ2? I thought 2 was really solid, as was their first one.. the new one is longer and has more songs on it.

[louder]

Originally Posted by Severian

Holy crap. Pitchfork just wrote the nastiest review of December 99th. Like... wow. Just disembowled the thing.

Yeah. I was surprised about that as well.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by louder

Hey guys I'm back in business.

Wow Sev, do you really like RTJ3 more than RTJ2? I thought 2 was really solid, as was their first one.. the new one is longer and has more songs on it.

I thought RTJ2 was overrated as HELL my friend. I said before that I'm sick of Run the Jewels and their whole spiel, but I enjoyed listening to RTJ3. It had a refreshing immediacy to it, and felt like a proper RAP album.

Still, I'm Fucking tired of the hype machine and the fire emojis and Zach De La Rocha is a shit stain, and I didn't think RTJ2 was anywhere NEAR the best album of 2014. Nowhere near. I'm sick of seeing them on comics and Portlandia and I'm sick of the goddamn logo, and I think El-P's best work is behind him, BUT... sick as I am of their "presence," this album is still a pretty good way to kick off a year that has a depressingly barren outlook for hip-hop, considering the amazing once in a lifetime one-two-three-four punch of Pablo, untitled unmastered, Coloring Book and, oh yeah, that new Tribe album we've been waiting almost 2 decades for.

Better than kicking off the year with "More Life," whatever the fucking shit that piece of crap is... a playlist by Drake? Someone shoot me in the dick and then give my dick to Drake so he can have a dick. Fuck.

Ugh!!!

[Severian]

The year after a Kanye album is like the day after Christmas. Fucking bleak.

[pepper_green]

Run the Jewels 3 is not that good. it's like what the Sanford and Son theme was to funk. dread for a part 4.

Im guessing 2017 is going to be even more boring and lame as 2016 hip hop. good sick shit here and there then lame shit.

[noisereductions]

Havent heard 3 yet, but I did love 2.

[pepper_green]

it's free noise. listen to it. not good at all.

the thing about this run the jewels project is that it's like a rock version of Queen. good but trying to do too much at one time. an overload that's not charming at all. trying be synth heavy is not cool.

[pepper_green]

Originally Posted by noisereductions

Havent heard 3 yet, but I did love 2.

part 1 for me. but none compare to mike's R.A.P. Music.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by pepper_green

it's free noise. listen to it. not good at all.

the thing about this run the jewels project is that it's like a rock version of Queen. good but trying to do too much at one time. an overload that's not charming at all. trying be synth heavy is not cool.

I wouldn't describe it that way at ALL. We listening to the same thing?

I do love Killer Mike's R-A-P Music though.

[noisereductions]

I didnt know if he meant it is "free noise" or telling me it is "free, noise" haha

[noisereductions]

I have loved El-P since like 96 tho. He is all wall of sound.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by noisereductions

I didnt know if he meant it is "free noise" or telling me it is "free, noise" haha

Describing RTJ as a "rock version of Queen" is what I was talking about. I just... I don't even know how to begin to make sense of that.

I'm assuming he meant "rap" instead of rock. A "rap" version of Queen. But still... what? When I think of RTJ in the context of other music, I think of Public Enemy, previous El-P related shit like Company Flow and Cannibal Ox, and maybe ... I don't know... fucking Hall and Oates or something. But Queen? ... Huh?

They're not trying to do too much. They're doing the same thing over and over with almost no stylistic detours or even pit stops. They're just over-marketing and plastering that dumb logo ("Hey I've got a chain," "Oh, cool, I can make a fun with my fingers!") all over the goddamn place.

It's just dense and heavy hip-hop, and angry, righteous political rapping. I don't even know the language one would use to compare RTJ to Queen.

[pepper_green]

ha! it's subjective man.

some dumb typo, my bad. you guys are nitpicking on me. thats what I get for teasing PLips.