Tag: hip-hop

Maxo Kream – Punken

Now that we’ve heard some good old New York boom bap from Dave East, it’s time to switch things up to that Houston trap. Maxo Kream sounds great in his debut here, flowing over crispy Southern-fried beats with confidence and ease. Like Dave East (and most rappers, for that matter), he’s heavily invested in proving his own authenticity. Also like Dave East, he accomplishes this by telling real stories of his life on the streets. Maxo’s stories are more like quick anecdotes, though, none of which as far-reaching as Dave East’s track-length epics. This is because Maxo Kream is a man of the streets, and he makes it clear that he doesn’t aspire to anything greater than that by keeping things as simple as possible.

In Ben Westhoff’s book Dirty South, he attributes the rise of Southern hip-hop in the last few decades to their popular appeal. Rather than dazzling with quick-fire lyrics and complex rhyme schemes, Southern rap focuses on hard-hitting hooks that are simple and accessible. Maxo Kream captures that spirit perfectly.

Dave East – P2

Now here’s a true hip-hop gem, of the kind that you don’t hear much of these days. The storyteller MC is a lost craft, with today’s rappers focusing on hard-hitting hooks and quick punchlines. Today’s ADHD society doesn’t have time for the epic yarns spun by the likes of Slick Rick, Raekwon, the Notorious B.I.G., and Nas, and I think that’s a shame. These rappers create the most sublime kind of hip-hop, especially when they possess that level of realness that engenders authenticity. Dave East certainly has no problem convincing me of his authenticity, with vivid street tales that could only come from a life truly lived. He’s also musically authentic, as he enumerates his myriad hip-hop influences in “What Made Me.”

He isn’t all old-school, though. Dave East lays down some smooth trap à la Travis Scott in “Woke Up” and “Annoying.” He’s definitely at his best, though, when he’s telling stories, like the brutal crime cut “I Found Keisha.”

Cupcakke – Ephorize

Cupcakke is one of the funniest rapper names I’ve ever heard. That aside, she’s a strong rapper out of Chicago with all the trimmings of trap music, with a refreshing EDM twist. Duck Duck Goose is actually a great trap house cut, but you would never know by listening. You’re too focused on the lyrics, which are just as pornographic as her name suggests. I’m not even interested in quoting some of them here, because my choice of any of the raunchy rhymes contained here might betray some dark fetish of mine, and we’re not here to talk about that. You might call her explicit lyrics a distraction from the music, or even tasteless filler by hip-hop lyrical standards, but how far would you get with that argument? Hip-hop has been about rebellion ever since its inception in the ’70s, and in today’s pop rap climate it’s easy to forget about that. Everything about Cupcakke’s music is in your face, including the things she chooses to rap about.

The entire album isn’t devoted to pure sexuality. In fact, she claims that she wants to make use of her time on the microphone to make a positive difference in the world. She makes this claim in the very first track (“2 Minutes,” curiously clocking in at 3:13), and supports it in the form of LGBT advocacy in “Crayons.” Aside from these two tracks, though, she seems to be content letting everyone know how much wild sex she has. This seems to fly against feminist ideals, but does it actually? As sexual as Cupcakke is, she is also incredibly powerful with her delivery and presence. Perhaps this is actually the female hip-hop icon we need.

Caskey – Speak of the Devil

Now this is what I’m talking about! Trap’s been more in my wheelhouse lately, and I’m happy for a new release to come my way. Trap is what was missing in Shuta Sueyoshi’s album, and so I’m approaching this pretty fresh.

Meghan Trainor(‘s songwriter Kevin Kadish) once said “it’s all about that bass.” I couldn’t disagree more: you see, it’s all about that sub bass. This is what forms the backbone of Caskey’s album, powerful and overbearing to the point of distortion in the mix. All other sounds grow organically over this pounding foundation, creating a dank and murky texture as Caskey flows effortlessly over top.

This kind of production has been called “cloud rap,” a new form of hip-hop featuring heavy reverb, haphazard lyricism, and yet another new level of overpowering sub bass. For another example of this kind of music one need look no further than OFWGKTA. It’s surely a millennial thing, but what exactly does it represent? A rebellion against musical conventions, a statement about contemporary society, or is it just an entitled act of laziness? Whatever it is, I like it.

Scallops Hotel – Sovereign Nose of Your Arrogant Face

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Scallops Hotel is one of the many epithets of Rory Ferreira, an unapologetically progressive rapper from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He also responds to Milo, which is the pseudonym he chose for hist last release, “Who Told You To Think?!!?!?!?!” In August 2017. This particular album, though, is supposed to be a sequel to an earlier album released in June, “over the carnage rose a voice prophetic.” Now that I’ve sufficiently confused you, let’s dig even deeper into the nature of this album.

This isn’t conscious rap, that music set out to make a difference in the world. Not necessarily, at least. This is abstract hip-hop, an entirely separate genre that champions to the musical quality of the flow. The focus is less on the meaning of the words, but the sounds themselves. This sort of harkens back to the abstract notions of “absolute music” in the 1800s, with its grandiose symphonies composed by the likes of Beethoven and Brahms with no other intention than to exhibit the beauty of the music itself.

But what does that have anything to do with this?

Consider the rhythm of his flow. There isn’t a moment where he doesn’t seem to be experimenting with a new cadence. Rory almost gives the impression that he isn’t even trying to match the beat, long past that pedestrian formality in an ongoing search for new flows. He even follows classical forms in songs like “Rank, Title, Pressures,” the first half of an entire verse forms a musical sentence structured around the words in the title. This isn’t anything too special, though—classical phrase forms exist everywhere in hip-hop. Rory… I mean Milo… I mean Scallops Hotel… just seems to be pushing it towards uncharted territory.

By far one of my favorite listening moments was hearing the cameo by JAW GEMS, my musical spirit animal and a band that more people need to know about.