[louder]

I agree that he's not a very good rapper in the traditional sense of the word.. off the top of my head, I can't really name one verse from him which I can confidently say that he killed. At least as opposed to Drake, he's fine with being a complete cheeseball and doesn't try to act cooler than what he really is. I think that's a part of his charm. His honesty and vulnerability make him relatable in a way. Plus he has a knack for melody and it works for him every now and then.

"Soundtrack 2 My Life", "CuDi Zone", "Pursuit of Happiness", "Day N Night", "Mr. Rager" and "Just What I Am" are all very good pop rap songs.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by louder

I agree that he's not a very good rapper in the traditional sense of the word.. off the top of my head, I can't really name one verse from him which I can confidently say that he killed. At least as opposed to Drake, he's fine with being a complete cheeseball and doesn't try to act cooler than what he really is. I think that's a part of his charm. His honesty and vulnerability make him relatable in a way. Plus he has a knack for melody and it works for him every now and then.

"Soundtrack 2 My Life", "CuDi Zone", "Pursuit of Happiness", "Day N Night", "Mr. Rager" and "Just What I Am" are all very good pop rap songs.

Yeah, I agree. He's got an ear that occasionally works really well for him. Those are all good songs. "Pursuit of Happiness" was HUGE, and for good reason. I don't listen to it anymore, but it was a great pop song for the time it was released.

[louder]

There are rappers who are corny and fine with it (Kid Cudi), there are rappers who are corny but try to act tough (Drake), rappers who are your normal average guy but try to seem important by pretending to be smart (J. Cole), rappers who are actually smart (Kendrick), rappers who are actually tough and would probably kick your ass (The Game, Gucci Mane), and rappers who are effortlessly and naturally cool (Snoop, 2Pac, Method Man).

[Rob Instigator]

and then there is Rakim the Microphone Fiend, The R, The God MC,

[louder]

 

[Severian]

Ok, I just listened to "Creepers" and now I feel bad for ripping on Cudi.
He is lovably, it's true. And relatable, absolutely. And this song just gets me so fucking fired up its ridiculous.

"Creepers/Cudi" - Kanye West Presents: CRUEL SUMMER

Listen with me fellas. Let it bring all those heavy feels back

If I had one wish it'd be to have more wishes ... DUH
Fuck tryna make it rhyme

Awesome. Love that lyric.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by louder

There are rappers who are corny and fine with it (Kid Cudi), there are rappers who are corny but try to act tough (Drake), rappers who are your normal average guy but try to seem important by pretending to be smart (J. Cole), rappers who are actually smart (Kendrick), rappers who are actually tough and would probably kick your ass (The Game, Gucci Mane), and rappers who are effortlessly and naturally cool (Snoop, 2Pac, Method Man).

There's also rappers who can't be reasonably placed in any single category... who often don't even qualify as rappers, or for whom "rapping" is only a fraction of what they do. You know who I'm talking about.

There's also fake ass pimp billionaire rappers, like Rick Ross, who act out a character based on a fiction they've created about themselves. And then the are those who actually are Forbes 500 level multimedia moguls and/or previous or former drug and gun running pimps. I'm thinking about Jay Z here.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by louder

 

Man have you heard that new song? Perfect Illusion? It's SO bad. It's like being pummeled with a limp dick. Just redundant, hackey crap, produced by that Tame Impala guy.

[louder]

Originally Posted by Severian

Man have you heard that new song? Perfect Illusion? It's SO bad. It's like being pummeled with a limp dick. Just redundant, hackey crap, produced by that Tame Impala guy.

Yeah unfortuantely, that song was SO disappointing.

I just want Gaga to make a masterpiece so badly, her talent is rare for today's pop standards. Just listen to Speechless (the best song in her entire discography BY FAR) and her cover of Stevie's I Wish. Wow.

[louder]

Originally Posted by Severian

There's also rappers who can't be reasonably placed in any single category... who often don't even qualify as rappers, or for whom "rapping" is only a fraction of what they do. You know who I'm talking about.

There's also fake ass pimp billionaire rappers, like Rick Ross, who act out a character based on a fiction they've created about themselves. And then the are those who actually are Forbes 500 level multimedia moguls and/or previous or former drug and gun running pimps. I'm thinking about Jay Z here.

Ha, yep.

[louder]

RZA praises Trump and says he's a FOX News fan:
http://pitchfork.com/news/68297-rza-...th-paul-banks/

Comes across as ironic throughout that whole interview though.

[noisereductions]

Originally Posted by Severian

You got it man. I said I'd do it and Ima do it! I actually own that album... or owned it. It's in a massive pile or alphabetized box somewhere. But I bought it when I first started getting into hip-hop, and it fell to the wayside. That happens when you amass as much music as I tend to. In my youth I hit the record store every time I had a pay day (or even an allowance), and that trend continued into my adulthood. I have probably a couple hundred albums that I've purchased that never got heavy play from me, and this is one of them.

I promise, I swear on all that is good and holy, that I will track down my copy. If I can't, I will buy it on iTunes (there's a hip-hop classics sale going on right now... Lots of good '90s and 2000s albums from $5.99). So don't you worry. I'll get this shit done and report back.

As far as other Common goes, I have Like Water for Chocolate, One Day It'll All Make Sense, Be, Finding Forever, and Nobody's Smiling. The one I really liked was Be, even though it's almost too goddamn happy at times. When I think of Common, I think of Be. I know that probably sounds insane to a big fan, but that's just the way it is. I lost interest in his solo albums around the time he started popping up in commercials (Finding Forever). But I do like him, and I respect him, and he's got a great voice (like GLC and Cam'ron, his deep gravely delivery has always appealed to me).

So fear not. I'm on it.

waiting...

[Severian]

Originally Posted by noisereductions

waiting...

God dammit, I JUST got on here to let you know that I wasn't able to locate my cd, so I just bought the damn thing again on iTunes. Listened to the first few songs on my way home. I like it, and I see what you mean about getting a better appreciation for Kanye (the opening lyrics to I remember HER... obviously this album was a big influence on Ye).

I'll listen to the rest soon and get back to you.

Meanwhile, have ANY of you listened to the new De La Soul?'

[noisereductions]

Oh man please do. I cant wait.

I gotta get on that De La I know...

[noisereductions]

also the best Common song ever is a remix that has never been on an album or compilation: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2x4d73

[noisereductions]

"do you even know where I'm going?
I ain't scared of you muthafuckas
though I am of The Omen"

[noisereductions]

FYI: I'm not trying to come down on you or anything, but in my teens Common was wayyyy up there for me man. I feel like his latter years really has destroyed his image which is a shame. But back in the 90's that dude was so interesting. He was in his own world. Can I Borrow A Dollar is alright, and has its moments. But Resurrection and One Day are incredible. Like Water is up there too. But I'm serious, back then I thought of him as Chicago's Nas. This dude was killing it and no one knew it.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by noisereductions

FYI: I'm not trying to come down on you or anything, but in my teens Common was wayyyy up there for me man. I feel like his latter years really has destroyed his image which is a shame. But back in the 90's that dude was so interesting. He was in his own world. Can I Borrow A Dollar is alright, and has its moments. But Resurrection and One Day are incredible. Like Water is up there too. But I'm serious, back then I thought of him as Chicago's Nas. This dude was killing it and no one knew it.

Dude, no worries. I know you're not coming down on me.
If there's one thing I understand it's the frustration of having an extremely potent personal relationship with someone's art, and wanting to share that with people. It's hard to explain, and odds are they aren't going to feel the way you do about it exactly, but it's worth pushing people to give this stuff a shot, because if they DO love it like you do, then you can bond with them about it.

Trust me. I've been there, in varying degrees, for pretty much my entire life. I'm still there. I want people to hear what I hear in the music I love.

So don't worry. I re-bought the album (seriously, I did... today... just because of this), and I'm going to spin like mad. I wasn't in to common in '94. Wish I had been. It would have perhaps set me on a more direct path to where I've ended up with hip hop.

Anyway I'll get back to you on the rest of the album. For sure. It's my pleasure.

[louder]

 

[Severian]

So I'm hearing some buzz about a fan meet and greet at the Kanye show. Not sure if it's legit or not, but there's also going to be some sort of press junket and I have a press pass and my editor said could use it if I wanted to. So either way, it looks like I'lve been presented with an opportunity to at least ask him a question.

it's got me thinking about whether or not I'd actually want to meet the guy. I've decided no. I don't think I do. I'd like to think I'd be able to approach it like a professional, but I probably couldn't. What would happen if he did something I found repulsive or insulting or condescending? Would I be able to go back to all those songs and albums, and still feel like he was just talking to me? Almost certainly not.