the sharpest knife in the west
- The Magnificent Ambersons is exciting but ultimately a let down. You can tell just from watching the release version what other things must have been in the one that got burned. Sometimes it gets really majestic and you think, "If only this were a real movie."
- There Will Be Blood is exciting but ultimately a let-down. Paul Dano was of course ( Read more... )
- There Will Be Blood is exciting but ultimately a let-down. Paul Dano was of course ( Read more... )
When I really REALLY listen, I get entranced in his wordplay and ideas, but for casual listening, The Cool (with the exception of a few songs) is worse than Food and Liquor, which...well. Already wasn't the poppiest rap album out there.
That said, Lupe, along with Blu (of Blu & Exile, Johnson & Jonson, and C.R.A.C. Knuckles) is one of the most lyrically adept of the younger generation of MCs sitting on the line between the underground and the mainstream. Kanye, hookiness aside and meticulous production, still can't rap for shit. And as he's progressively lost his aw-shucks self-deprecation of College Dropout, has become progressively harder to take. Although, Late Registration's microproduction and cello breakdown in "Gone" was pretty awesome.
If you want to hear Lupe over quality beats just going NUTS with wordplay and having fun (FUN!) instead of giving civics lectures 100% of the time, grab one of his Fahrenheit 1/15 Mix tapes. I'd recommend Vol. 2: Revenge of the Nerds.
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I haven't really discovered rap mixtapes, but I'm enough into Little Wayne that I've been meaning to look into them.
The Cool was a weird experience because I only listened to it when Chris insisted. I hated Chris for the hooks, but then I realized the words were clever and I got kind of confused. It took at least a dozen plays before I knew what I thought of it.
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Trajectory goes like this.
1) Wow this sounds good
2) Man, but some of these lyrics are AWFUL
3) Man, but they're so AWFUL that they're kind of endearing
4) Man, this song is awesome..
Every Kanye song has at least ONE perfect moment in it that totally makes the entire song. His over the top full of himself-ness is also endearing in doses. The albums just do different things, that's all.
Thus, Graduation, w/ Kanye totally full of himself, boastful, non-specific raps that almost amount of Dr. Phil platitudes and stuff with HUGE eurosynths and stadium production is awesome for what it is, has the broadest appeal of any of his stuff and is made perfectly for the stadium tour he's on, which I'm seeing next month and which will be AMAZING.
BUT, Graduation is never going to be my favourite album. Not even in that temporary it just came out way. College Dropout was in constant rotation for ages. He's relatable, he's funny, he's self-important but not in an overserious way. And yeah, the production might not be as technically experimental or varied or expansive or whatever. But it's warm and whatever. I have a theory that people (who listen to a lot of rap)'s favourite rappers are the ones that they want to grab a drink/toke with. Kanye first album, yes. Third album, no. Which is why Lupe's ATCQgate thing blew up so much more than it should have. He's talented and intelligent, but kind of above it all and has this disdainful aura of rap. It's why Jay's a favourite and NaS, while an acknowledged great, is not.
Late Registration is kind of the perfect balance of intricate, interesting production and still being connectable. You know what....scratch what I said above. Kanye's self-obsession is what MAKES him interesting. His best songs about Jesus Walks, All Falls Down, Family Business, Roses, Touch the Sky, Last Call, etc. Kanye analysing his faults and problems and bragging is fascinating. Kanye talking hos, cars, or delivering self-motivation anthems is just kind of eh. Even if the production is awesome. Kanye rapping about girls is Kanye at his worst, or at least his corniest (Drunk and Hot Girls, Get Em High, etc.) Gold Digger excepted
OK. Back to work. Lil Wayne...I should give another shot to. He delights in rhyming and rhyming and rhyming but I usually need a bit more than that.
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My pumpkin cost a million dollars. It's got champagne in it.
I am completely okay with rhyming and rhyming and rhyming. I listened to enough Eminem years ago that I now think too much rhyming is the best part of rap music.
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You RESPECT NaS, but you don't want to throw down with him. And when I say "you" I mean the average rap audience. I love both NaS and Lupe, but there's a reason Food and Liquor was inspired/modeled after It Was Written and they share similar flaws...And my love for them is much more admiration. Enjoyment is there too, but not to the same degree. Jay is an incredible rapper, but his technical skill is less vital to enjoyment of his stuff than, say, his personality/swagger/beats/etc. NaS can't pick beats, personality is a bit overbearing and has less swagger than average. Lupe does better on a few of those, but is inconsistent.
And yeah....too much rhyming and wallowing in it is great. But I can only take so much of it. Eminem was incredible at making it work, and his abandonment of insanity and fun and audacity (except for puerile fart jokes) is what made The Eminem Show and Encore so plodding and difficult to work through. Whenever he gets back in the game, I'd really like a reversion to complete headcase. Lil Wayne...I don't know. His mixtapes seem less substantial than Lupe's and I have yet to hear a great album from him. Tha Carter III is something I look forward to greatly, although "Lollipop" is not too promising.
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