Earl Sweatshirt is back! Trippie Redd released a solid project! Oxnard by Anderson Paak is finally out! The projects released this week were few in number but surprisingly high in quality. So grab your favorite bluetooth speaker or headphones and turn the volume up high to drown out those constant negative voices that at any moment could send you spiraling into a deep depression. Just me?
I actually put a link to the playlist below this time so you can listen whenever you want.
Trippie Redd – A Love Letter to You 3
Trippie Redd’s debut Life’s a Trip was a refreshing, experimental step forward for the rapper, but it left a lot to be desired. Despite some great ideas that helped flesh out his “emo rap” sound, it was wildly inconsistent from track to track. That is not the case with ALLTY3. This is Trippie’s best body of work to date. It’s emotional, it’s dense, the melodies and vocal performances are impressive and auto-tune is mostly absent from the project. You should listen to the entire album, but “Can’t Love” is by far my favorite track.
Benzo! – Kish!
I heard this on the election edition of Frank Ocean’s BLONDED radio on Apple Music. I usually hate British rap because it sounds weird to hear guys talk tough with that proper accent. Even the poor people sound sophisticated to my American brain. This song’s spacey synthesizers combined with the childish music box sample creates a nice groove, the bars are decent and the British accents are kept to a minimum. I can’t articulate exactly why I like it but it relaxes me. It’s a quality song and I guarantee you haven’t heard it yet so give it a try.
Foster the People – Worst Nites
Torches is one of my favorite drinking albums of all time. Every song is the perfect backdrop to whatever party you might be at. It blends seamlessly with people drinking and enhances the general vibe of most get togethers. I guess I should clarify that by “everybody” I mean “white millennials in their late 20s/early 30s”. I can’t imagine that Torches would get a warm reception at a black family BBQ. Either way, FTP fell off a bit after that absolute BANGER of a debut album but this song gives me hope that whatever their next project is will have that same energy. FTP is back to their electronic/hipster hybrid sound replete with a sing along chorus and high pitched synths galore. This song is catchy as hell.
Ari Lennox ft. J Cole – Shea Butter Baby
The Creed II soundtrack is a mixed bag. Similar to NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES the production is stellar while the performances are just OK. This song stands out from the pack. The funky guitar sample and bare bones snare/bass beat highlight the amazing vocal performance by Ari Lennox and there is some great chemistry between her and J Cole. It’s a solid love song with an infectious groove. It makes me wish these two would make a joint album/mixtape.
Earl Sweatshirt ft. Navy Blue – The Mint
This is my pick for song of the week for the sole fact that Earl is back. 2015’s I don’t like shit, I don’t go outside was an airtight, incredible collection of songs that highlighted Earl’s razor-sharp rhymes and blossoming production skills. It showed an artist coming into his own. And then we waited, and waited for the follow up only to be disappointed. I was wondering if Earl’s been depressed for a while or spent the time working but judging from these raps it’s a little of both. It seems he’s in a much better place but maybe the road to get there was a little rocky. It’s classic Earl and the reason I enjoy him so much as an artist. He’s vulnerable and brutally honest, making you feel uncomfortable to express his feelings. “Lotta blood to let, peace to make, fuck a check”, isn’t so much a bar as a mission statement of his music. This is his therapy, he could give a fuck if we’re there to listen or not, and that bravery and confidence makes him different from any other rapper in the game. Also, the old school 70s blaxpoitation sample in the beginning along with the looping piano chords make me feel sad like most Earl beats, but it’s a good sad.
Listen to my November 2018 Playlist
Upcoming Releases:
Rita Ora – Phoenix (11/23)
J.I.D. – Dicaprio 2 (11/23)
XXX – Language (11/28)
The 1975 – A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships (11/30)
Meek Mill – Championships (11/30)