Hip Hop Monthly

18/11/2021 Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson. Paak) - An Evening with Silk Sonic Absolutely stunning record. I am aware that this is not hip-hop, but it just had to be done. Warning: this will be a primarily positive review. There was a lot of hype surrounding this album. All of the singles were fantastic, with 'Leave The Door Open' being a huge hit across the globe. I was slightly disappointed to only be treated to 5 new songs on the album, but Bruno and Anderson really proved the value of quality over quantity. Each track has a purpose and place on this album. Another worry I had was that the tracks may all sound too similar and there wouldn't really be any variation. This was, of course, squashed very early on. There are up-tempo, funky songs like 'Fly As Me' and '777' alongside more soul-focused songs like 'After Last Night'. Then in the middle of these there is 'Put On A Smile'. No word of a lie, this may be the best song I've hear...

5/11/2021 Mick Jenkins – Elephant In The Room This was a really enjoyable listen. I’ve been meaning to get more into Mick Jenkins’ music, and I feel like this was a good place to start (after hearing Water(s) already). Mick comes straight out of the gate on this record with crazy rhyme schemes and hard-hitting bars in the first song. This intro track hit me like a damn freight train; not what I expected at all but something I definitely enjoyed. The album relaxes and seems to grow into itself from the next track forward. The vibes on this record are immaculate. It’s filled with chilled, smooth, lo-fi beats which are intersected with Mick’s sharp delivery and bar-heavy lyricism. ‘Scottie Pippen’ fits perfectly with this vibe, allowing me to enjoy it even more than when I heard it as a single last week. I could honestly listen to this kind of rap all day. Chilled vibes and great lyrics are basically exactly what I want in a hip-hop track. It’s not all just clever wordplay and clever ...