Hip Hop Monthly

24/12/21 Boldy James & The Alchemist - Super Techmo Bo I know it's been a while, but I'm back with a review of yet another Boldy James x Alchemist record. These two have found success in the recent past with Alchemist's laid-back, deep-cutting beats meshing seamlessly with Boldy's smooth and nonchalant flow. This album is no different; it really is a very effective recipe for success. These Alchemist beats just get under your skin in a different way to anyone else's production. The sampling with a variety of instruments matches perfectly with the low bpm drum beats (or lack of). You can just allow them to take you away. This coupled with Boldy's leisurely flow is just a whole vibe and very easy to listen to. However, whilst it is very easy to drift away to the music, I would highly recommend really paying attention to the lyrics. Boldy, in typical Griselda fashion, harshly raps about his days on the streets and the constituent emotional strain. A lot of the ...

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 ...

29/10/21 Maxo Kream - WEIGHT OF THE WORLD This album started off fairly strong, leaving me with high hopes for the rest of the project, but I ended up feeling quite indifferent by the end of the project. The opener has a great, soulful instrumental and quite introspective lyrics, talking about his gang days and the effect it has had on him. This theme is maintained throughout the album but, unfortunately, never really reaches the quality of this song ('CRIPSTIAN'). The themes of his past gangster days, his come up, and subsequent regret of his former lifestyle are carried through this album but don't really seem to be in any chronological pattern. I found it a bit odd how in one song he was seemingly bragging about his gangster antics but then, in the next song, regretted it all due to the mental struggles he has endured because of it. This happens a few times in the album and just confused me, leaving me not really knowing where the next song was coming from. Some of the i...

22/10/2021 Sorry it's been a couple of weeks but I'm back with this week's hip-hop reviews. The releases this week weren't exactly abundant so I've got one album/mixtape and a couple of singles to be reviewed in this edition! Mac Miller - Faces (MIXTAPE/ALBUM) Don't yell at me for this, I am aware that this is not a new release. But, it only got put on to streaming services this week, so I had not heard it. To be fair, I haven't heard a lot of Mac's music, but usually what I have heard has been very good. This was originally released in 2013, for those wondering. Anyway, to the project itself. It's really, really good. I wasn't really sure what to expect as I wasn't aware of Mac's vibe at this point in his career, but I heavily enjoy it. One thing I now realise about Mac that I didn't before is that he can rap. And I mean, really RAP. There are so many witty and clever bars on this project that really showcase his lyrical ability. He ...

7/10/21 Hi, I'm Benji, and with this being my first post of the Hip Hop Weekly blog, I think it's a good idea to quickly run through what this blog will contain. I will simply be briefly reviewing a few of the past week's album and/or single releases in hip-hop. I will be releasing this usually on a Wednesday or Thursday as most releases occur on a Friday, giving me enough time to listen and sit with each record. This will be casual but hopefully also contain a good amount of musical insight to pander to any person with any level of music knowledge. The reviews will be presented in order of my rating of them, with the albums coming with a score out of 10 at the end of the review (along with my favourite tracks). Bare in mind, this is always subject to change as I only have one week to make my judgement. With all that said, let's get to it! Lute - Gold Mouf Dreamville member and up-and-coming rapper, Lute, dropped his second full length album this week, and what a stunne...