[louder]

Originally Posted by Severian

Lol. “Man of the Woods.” Methinks all the blood ran from his head to his Bon Iver boner.

He is a huge fan apparently.

 

But the single is nothing like Justin Vernon's music.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by louder

He is a huge fan apparently.

 

But the single is nothing like Justin Vernon's music.

I actually really liked some songs from thah last Bon Iver album. The one that sounded like Kanye in parts.

Kanye Kanye Kanye

Bummed that “Everybody Wins” isn’t actually a thing.

[louder]

Sev!! Kendrick and Top Dawg Ent are gonna release a soundtrack accompanied to the Black Panther movie. The first single is already out and it's SZA featuring Kendrick. As I assume there will be at least 6-7 Kendrick solo songs, I'm pretty excited about the damn thing.

https://pitchfork.com/news/kendrick-...ndtrack-album/

[Severian]

Originally Posted by louder

Sev!! Kendrick and Top Dawg Ent are gonna release a soundtrack accompanied to the Black Panther movie. The first single is already out and it's SZA featuring Kendrick. As I assume there will be at least 6-7 Kendrick solo songs, I'm pretty excited about the damn thing.

https://pitchfork.com/news/kendrick-...ndtrack-album/

Yeah man, I know...

You forget I’m almost as big a comic book nerd as I am a music nerd? I learned this from like twelve different websites I regularly visit several days ago.

But yeah, I’m excited too. I like the cover art. I’m not particularly excited about the movie, but it may end up surprising me. Never been big on Black Panther.

Hope there’s solid Kendrick stuff on there. Hope he doesn’t phone it in because it’s not a proper album (I’ve questioned many of his non-albjm decisions).

But yeah, sweet news!

[evollove]

Ug. Hate it when an otherwise good rap song uses word "faggot." How do you guys deal with it?

And why are all black people prejudiced? I think it's wrong to lump a whole group into one category the way all black people do.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by evollove

Ug. Hate it when an otherwise good rap song uses word "faggot." How do you guys deal with it?

And why are all black people prejudiced? I think it's wrong to lump a whole group into one category the way all black people do.

Not a lot of modern rap uses that term. Least not shit I listen to. Kanye, Kendrick, Chance, Pusha, Vince (I think) don’t do that shit.

[evollove]

Kinda serious question: do you toss out all your rap albums every year or so? (I guess you'd hold on to your Kanye collection) You seem to be almost hostile toward anything that isn't new and you're not really respectful of the awesomeness of the past, even the recent past.

Just trying to suss out your attitude.

Originally Posted by Severian

within doing anything drastically new sonically, he [Talib K] sounds like an artifact at this point.

Jesus fuck, isn't there a middle ground between drastically new and artifact?

Originally Posted by Severian

But... man, he’s a legend. That’s the one-half of BlackStar that’s still making decent rap music right there!

Yeah. Last year alone he released a good record and a great EP. What's the problem?

Originally Posted by Severian

Talib and Common both suffer from the same disease: awesomeness in a former decade. But it’s still awesomeness.

Doesn't "awesomeness" beat "new"?

Originally Posted by Severian

I haven’t heard the new one yet.

Because remember that day when you could have listened to it, but you instead opted to play something that was new, although by track five you realized it was a really shitty record?

Originally Posted by louder

Common gave us a fantastic album and no one cared.

He was one of the last good ones.

The new rappers are so garbage.

Hey. Louder said it. Not me.

I take it the album in question is Black America Again? I think it sags in the middle, but the opener is innovative enough, the title track is an instant classic, and "Letter to the Free" is among the greatest things he's ever made. Only five or so worthy tracks surrounded by dross, like nearly every Common album, but manohman the good ones are good and I strongly suspect will be good years from now.


Probably sounds like I'm giving you shit, and I sort of am, but I'd be happy to hear you explain how you approach this genre. I'm curious why you seem to have a lot of rules, whereas my approach of being open to everything has been richly rewarding.

[Rob Instigator]

at least Jay Z never spent a decade stroking it to a video of Brandi's bro laying pipe on Bey huH?

[Severian]

Originally Posted by evollove

Kinda serious question: do you toss out all your rap albums every year or so? (I guess you'd hold on to your Kanye collection) You seem to be almost hostile toward anything that isn't new and you're not really respectful of the awesomeness of the past, even the recent past.

Just trying to suss out your attitude.




Jesus fuck, isn't there a middle ground between drastically new and artifact?



Yeah. Last year alone he released a good record and a great EP. What's the problem?



Doesn't "awesomeness" beat "new"?



Because remember that day when you could have listened to it, but you instead opted to play something that was new, although by track five you realized it was a really shitty record?



Hey. Louder said it. Not me.

I take it the album in question is Black America Again? I think it sags in the middle, but the opener is innovative enough, the title track is an instant classic, and "Letter to the Free" is among the greatest things he's ever made. Only five or so worthy tracks surrounded by dross, like nearly every Common album, but manohman the good ones are good and I strongly suspect will be good years from now.


Probably sounds like I'm giving you shit, and I sort of am, but I'd be happy to hear you explain how you approach this genre. I'm curious why you seem to have a lot of rules, whereas my approach of being open to everything has been richly rewarding.

Why are you quoting me, and then louder? Why are you asking me to explain my opinion on Talib? I only said positive things about Talib, and also that he’d fizzled from a cultural standpoint and failed to progress past a certain point... like Common... despite still making good music and being a legend. What’s the problem with that exactly? I like Talib. He’s just not surprising me anymore. Most musicians aren’t. The few that do are the ones I like. Am I answering your question?

I don’t think you picked up what I was putting down here, and it was a while ago so I don’t remember the conversation (and you’re quoting from several different conversations and two different people) so I can’t address whatever it is you’re asking, which is not clear to me.

No I don’t throw away my music.
I hate a lot of music in all genres. Most new rap sucks, most old rap sucks, most music in ever genre sucks. Doesn’t mean I don’t love artists from every genre.

I really don’t get what you’re ever going for here, but basically I haven’t heard a *brand* new rapper that has caught my interest in a couple of years. Does that help?

[Severian]

Also, next time ask when the topic is fresh. I’m really not sure what the fuck this is about. Sorry if I... made you... mad? Or something?

[evollove]

You know what's funny? I pop on here this morning and see that in many threads, people are giving you shit. I felt bad. It read like "Beat Up on Severin Day."

No, I'm not mad. And geez, the quotes weren't that old. I was just browsing around last night and I couldn't really figure out your attitude. That's really about it.

[louder]

Renowned hip-hop artist and actor Common, drummer Karriem Riggins, and pianist Robert Glasper are set to release their first album under the moniker August Greene in March. For its lead single, the trio brought on the heart of ’90s pop-R&B, Brandy, to cover Sounds Of Blackness’ 1991 “Optimistic.” The song is typically carried by a full choir, but Brandy’s familiar harmonies flow over Glasper’s ryhthmic piano and Riggins’ swift drumming to give it an updated sound and exuberance. Listen below.

https://www.stereogum.com/1979164/au...-brandy/music/

[noisereductions]

Originally Posted by louder

Renowned hip-hop artist and actor Common, drummer Karriem Riggins, and pianist Robert Glasper are set to release their first album under the moniker August Greene in March. For its lead single, the trio brought on the heart of ’90s pop-R&B, Brandy, to cover Sounds Of Blackness’ 1991 “Optimistic.” The song is typically carried by a full choir, but Brandy’s familiar harmonies flow over Glasper’s ryhthmic piano and Riggins’ swift drumming to give it an updated sound and exuberance. Listen below.

https://www.stereogum.com/1979164/au...-brandy/music/

woah woah woah. Wow. Riggins and Glasper together w/ Common sounds awesome.

[louder]

Originally Posted by Severian

I hate a lot of music in all genres. Most new rap sucks, most old rap sucks, most music in ever genre sucks. Doesn’t mean I don’t love artists from every genre.

Well said.

Common has a special place in my heart anyway, and I'm a sucker for anything even remotely soulful. However, there's only so much smoothness and positivity I can take and then I always feel the need to balance it out with some abrasive harshness.

[louder]

Originally Posted by noisereductions

woah woah woah. Wow. Riggins and Glasper together w/ Common sounds awesome.

Real! Also glad to see you here again, NR.

[noisereductions]

I'm always here... in your hearts.

For real though, I'm excited about that record. Glasper's been on a real winning streak for a while now. And I've checked out every major project he's dropped since I first discovered him via TPAB. He's maybe/probably my favorite pianist right now. I'd highly suggest any heads here listen to his album Covered from 2015. It's a live trio recording where he tackles stuff some of y'all will find interesting like Radiohead's "Reckoner" and Kendrick's "I'm Dying Of Thirst," seriously check that out.

And I imagine that everyone in this thread has heard Riggins' Together/Alone already? It's cool that he's working w/ Glasper here - I actually wish that Riggins would do s'more straight up jazz albums just to show off his chops.

Anyway yeah sorry. I haven't had a lot to say in the cafe in a while. The vast majority of hip hop that I've heard in the past year or so is stuff that I was already familiar with. Just haven't really been in a head space to check out new stuff much lately. I just go w/ the flow and listen to whatever my head, brain and heart tell me they want to hear.

I did think Sza's album was fantastic in 2017, though. I mean it's not hip hop. But y'know, TDE and Kendrick was on it and everything. Just saying.

[louder]

Did Q-Tip really call Young Thug the best rapper in the game? Can't find a source to that.

[noisereductions]

taht sounds wrong.

[louder]

Yeah, Rob mentioned that and I just believed him. But now I told my friend about it and he asked me for a link and I found nothing. So I don't think it is true??

[noisereductions]

Rob makes stuff up.