Vibes and Stuff.

Drake - “Take Care” Album Review.

 On November 15, 2011, Drake will place his golden goblet down on his Austrian imported coffee table, slip on his goose down slippers, and descend from the Epicurean city of excess with his latest project, Take Care. The essence of a million virgins shall be stolen by opportunistic frat boys, and the sex-addled minds of women everywhere shall delight in the bounty of wet dream jams that their saint has adorned them with. In a nutshell, Drake shall leave a trail of moist panties and softly broken hearts along the yellow bricked road that is his career.

And excuse me for slightly describing my preconceived disdain for Drizzy’s music- its simply that this new breed of “soap opera rap” (as he himself coined it on the track Headlines) does not wash over my musical palette without him leaving a considerable aftertaste of arrogance and an unnerving bipolar approach to women. Although Drake certainly seems to be a genuine emotional person if not a bit eccentric in his expression (lavender-scented showers, anyone?). Regardless, there was something for me to delight in on this album.

First and foremost were the beats. I am admitting a dearth of knowledge of his previous work, but as far as this project’s case, there seems to have been a conscious effort in acquiring high-quality instrumentals that add to his message, rather than simply provide a backdrop. The track “Crew Love” has a swirling, cavernous feel to it, and this pulsating, glassy sample adds a nice touch. The titular track, which features an underused Rihanna feature, has a dancehall-esque bass rhythm garnished with piano and live drums. While annoying at this point, “Marvin’s Room” still objectively merits from these cacophonous screeching sounds in the background, the swooning synth, and those nice bass stabs.

Despite Nicki Minaj’s presence on “Make Me Proud,” simply put that beat still goes hard (and frankly she was OK). And it took a while for me to come around on this one, but the Just Blaze sculpture on “Lord Knows” has to be one the best commercial beats this year, not to talk of being a great single later on down the promotion line. I love how the initial sample swirls round and round until swelling into an emphatic choral refrain accompanied  band-style drums. And the beat goes straight H.A.M. when Rick Ross bosses up the joint. It is truly gorgeous. And even if a beat failed to stand out among the herd, it at least kept with the consistent tone of the album and was by no means crap.

In a distant second were the lyrics. Now, let me preface this by saying that it is damn near impossible for me to critique the numerous sections on the album where Drake sings. Because that would be like a fifteen-year old girl enjoying The Expendables. They’re simply these overdrawn R&B stereotypes inflated to their breaking point and delivered with a sultry voice, crooning women into climax. “Slow jam” is not a good enough terminology for the concoctions that bears Drake’s name. Thankfully, he does not “Drake” on every song, and provides a compelling slew of rap songs accessible by those who want them. He’s got the flow, and on a lazy day, I would let “Headlines” or “We’ll Be Fine” bump in the whip.

 The topics he discusses are quite varied, ranging from women, how his fame has attracted women, how he can’t settle down with some women, how he raps for women, and how many women he womens while womenning in Womendom. This cavalcade of sexy time, life’s pleasures, and paper-thin emotional display is to be expected like snow in the winter. But I still cannot shake my innate feelings on his approach. I mean come on, for a guy who wants to save women to also claim that “he can’t trust these hos” or the fact that he like girls who “practice” with other guys, isn’t there something uneven about that profile? He pretends to be the suave sweater-laden rapper who understands women, but then quickly objectifies women when it seems right. Cognitive dissonance is the bullshit I am calling here.

Overall, the album is not really expanding to any new territories save for the production. I suppose if you wanted this album, you would’ve had it by now. If anything, “Make Me Proud” and “Lord Knows” are songs that we can all Kuumbaya to in the proverbial club.

Drake sounds like J. Cole. Or does J. Cole sound like Drake? He did drop his debut an entire year after; its just an observation. 

I THINK IM BIG MEAT

FAT ALBERT

CHICKEN NUGGETS

HALLELUJAH

JUICY BURGERS O MY GOD

SO MUCH FOOD I DONT KNOW WHERE TO FUCKING START

Kanye West- Monster (video) Review.

The sixth track on Kanye West’s magnificent “urban fairytale” album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, completely fits the adjectives of the album’s title exactly. The buzzing intro lyrics [“I shoot the lights out/Hide ‘till its bright out”] are completely out of place for a rap track, which is made clear by the subsequent verse by Rick Ross, which is some of his best work despite it being four bars. The hard bass line, near-tribal 808 drums, and swoozy synth are a testament to Kanye’s place as a leader in modern hip hop production. His rhyme is honestly a bit undercooked, but still fits the overall theme of the song with his tense assertion of his status with outrageous bragging. Jay-Z’s verse is great, blurring lines between reality and fantasy by comparing the terror of classic cinema monsters to his rap career. And Nicki Minaj kicks in the teeth of any dissenters of her fame with her jaw-dropping, schizophrenic verses that flow seamlessly even with her frequently changing personas.

In other words, “Monster” is a bomb-ass track.

That being said, it was a clear contender for a single, which was cemented by the leaked video early on in 2011. With the official release of the video on Mr. West’s page, we can all bang out this abrasive, crazy posse cut with them rapping in front of cars and drinking imported wine. Oh wait… no. In fact, the video is so far from the routine rap video that it could stand alone as an experimental short film.

It’s not often that a music video is prefaced by a disclaimer, but never before has it been so needed. Those who are not into gruesome horror films should take a warning, as this is a knowingly graphic and shocking display of art(?). There are models hung from meat hooks as Ross puffs a thick cigar. Kanye lounges near two pale bodies in lingerie, and he casually arranges their hands. He is then seen rapping the chorus as zombies bang on a window-paned door. Jay-Z rhymes in a clean suit and polarized shades while a naked woman is lazily stuffed in a sofa in the background, her ruby red shoes still on. Minaj is clad in a dominatrix attire while also sitting on a chair with her signature Hookiejookie something Barbie something hair. There are also random scenes of a tattooed contortionist in a hallway, conjoined twins connected at the shoulder, black women in werewolf cosplay, and more that should be witnessed without spoiler.

What do I think of the video? Well, it certainly aims at taking an extremely literal take on the title of the song. It is far from the norm and certainly is an aesthetically challenging piece. However… I think it was a bad choice, in terms of morality and the impending backlash. I have no problem with the video, but there have already been groups calling it a banner for sexual abuse due to all of the victims being models. Most of the true fans would realize that this choice was in tandem with the “haute couture” nature of Kanye’s album promotion, such as the ballet in “Runaway,” but outsiders, ignorant and unwilling to look further beyond what they see, will only cause more trouble for his career.

View the video at your own discretion.

Rhyming Like William Leonard Roberts II.

Chillin in the Caribbean, the denizens at minimum,
Long Island Ice Tea and the speakers moan “Here Comes The Sun.”
Got this bicep tatted and the view eclipsed by summer moons,
They’ve had too much activity, some tidal waves are comin soon.

This is what happens when I’m bored.