Hip Hop Monthly

27/12/22 Nas - King's Disease III The man is nearly 50 and still putting out music at this standard. It's honestly unfair to the rest of the game. This is the third installment of the series and possibly the best. The album starts off with a statement from Nas that perfectly got me in the mood for the record, that being: "They argue KD 1, KD 2, or Magic was harder when...KD 3 go harder then all of them". There is a debate, but the level of hunger and tenacity Nas shows here just gets you hyped up and anticipating another quality record. This is what we get. Nas is spitting pure wisdom on this project. Advising the youth of today on how to survive in the streets, to how to maintain a level of quality deep in to a rap career, and everything in between. Everything Nas says, you just believe. This guy has been down these roads and knows what he is talking about. It's all sincere and honest. He hasn't lost his storytelling or rhyming ability, either. Rapping from t...

02/11/22 Freddie Gibbs - $oul $old $eparately Freddie really did it again. SSS has a little bit of everything, from commercial to classic to unseen Freddie. The album does start off a little bit disjointed. I would say that the first five tracks sway between a few styles that Freddie is trying out. 'Pain & Strife' and 'Too Much' play with a trap-banger, commercial mood that sounds good, but are amongst the weakest cuts on the album. These are intermixed with songs containing an Alchemist beat and another with a smooth R&B feel. It seems like the album hasn't really figured itself out at this point. However, from track six onwards is near-perfection. Freddie really leans in to the concept of the album, that being the feeling of being in a lift of a luxury hotel. Most of the beats from here on are smooth and atmospheric, all in their own ways. The huge variety of producers used does not subtract from the coherence of these songs with the album theme. I loved t...

26/09/22 Boldy James & The Alchemist - Bo Jackson It's been a fairly slow month in terms of music, so there is a couple of older records that I will be reviewing in this edition. I'm happy to kick it off with arguably my favourite rapper right now: Boldy James. 'Bo Jackson' is Boldy's second collaborative album with The Alchemist, who is creeping up the list of my favourite producers. These two are a match made in heaven, with this album exemplifying that even more than their excellent debut collab: 'The Price Of Tea In China'. Al's signature production merges seamlessly with Boldy's often laid-back flow. Al employs the slight distortion in the snare, mixing that with a beautiful - low bpm - piano or guitar riff to produce beats that sound like no other. Beats with a distinct sound yet just enough variation for each to hit in a different way. To be cynical, some of the more subpar songs on this record are a result of the beat not standing out eno...

31/08/2022 JID - The Forever Story Damn, this album is so good. The highly anticipated album from rapper, singer (?) and flow-extraordinaire: JID is finally here and what a rollercoaster it is. I feel like I need to start with the obvious, and that's JID's ridiculous rapping ability. I don't think anyone in this generation of hip hop can flow and rhyme like JID can. The guy finds pockets in beats that weren't designed to have that many pockets. His multi-syllabic schemes stretching across multiple bars are a joy to listen to and dissect. Stank faces all round. This was something I expected a lot of coming in to this album. What I did not expect was the amount of vulnerability and openness from JID in the subject matter. He touches on his upbringing, playing football in college and relationships with family and women. I learnt so much about JID's life and him as a person through listening to this album. I love when an album has multiple layers, and that's what JI...

29/07/2022 DJ Premier - Hip Hop 50: Vol.1  What a treat this EP is. 5 songs of pure class. The legendary producer DJ Premier collaborates with a whole host of equally legendary rappers to commemorate 50 years of hip hop, and he delivers on the pressure that this ensues. The beats sound like they are plucked straight from the 90s but with a slight modern twinge to avoid sounding dated. Some parts are even Alchemist-esque, which if you can execute it, is a fantastic choice. With the production being this good, the rapping needs to be on par or else it may as well just be a beat tape. Well, Preemo ensures that the quality remains high by picking some of the hardest MCs past and present to feature on this tape. Joey Bada$$ kicks things off with his own solo track, a real testament to his abilities whilst among so many legends. He employs this luxurious flow over a similarly soothing beat. And it has never been in doubt that Joey has bars. He delivers. Speaking of bars, the only other s...

01/07/22  WESTSIDE BOOGIE - MORE BLACK SUPERHEROES  This was my first introduction to a complete body of work by Westside Boogie. I knew his style was similar to that of Saba, Lute, Mick Jenkins, etc. Naturally, I had high hopes. And predictably, I loved this. There is an interesting dichotomy between Boogie's tougher, braggadocio side and introspective side. His rapping and instrumental choices back both of these themes and are split fairly evenly in the album. However, I do think that within the harder-hitting songs there is a deeper level of meaning that lends itself more towards the other themes of the album. Both styles of song are enjoyable. The instrumentals in the introspective songs like 'NONCHALANT' and 'PRIDEFUL II' are rich and soulful. Very 'Lute-esque'. Personally, this is my preferred lane for Boogie as he uses these beats as good as any other rapper in the game. He talks of loneliness and self-worth a fair amount on this album, creating a qui...

26/05/22 Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers Without a doubt the most anticipated release this year, especially for me as I was sure that Kendrick had retired, this was a huge moment for hip-hop. Kendrick releasing a double album this year was definitely not on my radar. With almost no album rollout, I was not sure what to expect. But what we got was an interesting, versatile, and deeply personal project from Kendrick. Probably his most personal project to date, as the whole album feels like we are witnessing Kendrick in a therapy session. He spills his views on grief, regret, pressure and (of course) societal issues. Sonically, I don't think there are too many boundary-breaking moments. It, overall, sounds like quite a standard modern album from a big rapper (if that makes any sense), yet is done at the highest quality. There was nothing that really surprised me in the production, but it still did not feel out of place and Kendrick utilised it really well. There are...