have you guys heard this Lorde girl? what do you think?

i like Royals, need to check out her album.

Stuff and nonsense.

Honestly, if Kanye was only interested in selling records, he would have made three more albums that were as comfortable and radio friendly as his first three. Instead, he made freaking 808's & Heartbreak. That surprised people, and was successful because of the first three albums. He lost as many fans as he preserved, but broke even because it's obviously a great record ("Robocop," bitches). Then, when being pretentious was threatening him commercially and making him a target for a lot of bullshit, he did the most pretentious thing he's ever done ( when I first heard the title was going to be "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," I was like, "REALLY, DUDE?" And thought that would be the end.

Nope. It's the most widely praised, and highly respected album since Kid A. Sold more than Kid A too. Didn't have a single that for anywhere on radio, but I can't imagine what a negative comment about the album would even sound like.

And Yeezus is just a deliberate attempt to weed out the pseudo fans and pitchfork hop-ons. Again, no radio, no pre-sales, and a marketing campaign that made no sense, and only made people hesitant about buying it.

Where, in all this, do you see sales-driven opportunism? Where is Kanye's Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog flavored Water-type album, released 6-months after it's predecessor to squeeze all the dough possible out of the kids before they get wise?

Tons of legitimately negative things can be said about Kanye. Pick one of those, rather than just calling him a whore. The argument doesn't hold water. J. Cole (Kanye jr., still in his "College Dropout" phase) is almost outperforming Kanye, sales wise. So why doesn't Yet just drop another comfortable, non-threatening college rap album?

Because he thinks his music is too good to sell well, and he doesn't give a fuck what anyone, fan or otherwise, has to say about it.

But I think I should stop arguing Kanye's merits on this board. I'm starting to feel, sound, and look like a broken record. Just agree with me dammit!! ;)

Oh, and Pusha is in the year's top five. With a fucking bullet. Wow.

Never!

Lauryn Hill gets out of jail, drops a new song: https://soundcloud.com/mslaurynhill/...-consumerism-1

ok i'm digging it!

Great lyrics, terrible beat, and her voice sounds just bad. She sounds like Lil Bow Wow ;)

And I guess y'all right, she clearly wants to have that heavier sound that Kanye tried to have on Yeezus, I guess he is "influencing" people :eek:

^ agree. Lauryn's lyrics are great, but i wish she would smooth/mellow it out. give me more of that Miseducation sound.

artits that would make me "lose it" if they announced a new album today:

Frank Ocean
Kendrick
Nas
A$AP Rocky
Earl
D'Angelo

You're already ready for another Earl album? Damn we got some short ass attention spans in this thread :)

I'm still digesting Doris.

Doesn't anyone have an opinion on Event II yet? I thought you all would be bustin out of your trousers.

As for me, I need some new DOOM, some Madlib projects, and that motherfucking new Wu Tang I was promised a year ago!

New Mos Def would b nice too, though I have been revisiting his albums and finding them less awesome than I remembered.

Pusha T and Killah Priest are serious contenders for the year end list.

I can't remember why I liked Hall of Fame. Big Sean has no flow whatsoever. Maybe it just reminded me of Graduation. Whatever, still fun for a listen.

:o

that's why:

WORD!


Agreed, but that record is too long, too deep, and too complex to make a more mainstream Year's Best list. That is why it was self-released in the first place, Priest seems to be more concerned with releasing his art in his way on his terms than making it in any way a commercial success. Definitely and hands down best record (of any genre) of 2013, but it'd be a stretch to convince anyone

I'm so behind on hip hop now. :/

Last few months I haven't been keeping up.

^ gotcha.

93 'til Infinity is getting the 20th anniversary reissue treatment soon.

"Half our homies are now dead, in jail, or super thugs," Opio says. "But our response to the hood was different. We were trying to elevate and expand our minds through psychedelics and books. When we were growing up, the thugs told us that they'd kill us if we sold dope with them. They told us that we needed to be the lawyers."

LEGENDS.

So seeing as everyone is so focused on what's just come out and all that, let's go back a bit.

Most over-rated rap/hip-hop albums?

Eazy-E! and y'know.. maybe just NWA in general. i used to like them a lot when i was younger.

but now i think that their appeal was always more about the imagery than the music.

and i'd be a liar if i said that Straight Outta Compton is a straight 10/10.

influential? SURE. but they also lacked the intelligence & creativity that the Wu, Quest Tribe & KAST had.

i do like the album though. they just seem like a bunch of goons to me. except for Ice Cube.

looking back, Lupe's first two albums aren't even that great, despite having a few great songs (which i still listen to from time to time). he had a spark but never fulfilled his potential. Kendrick already shits on him.

Donuts. Dilla is one of my fav producers but i just don't get half of the tracks. i prefer his work with Slum Village, Common, ATCQ, etc. sorry.

The College Dropout is a mess.

as much as i love it, it's probably Kanye's worst album.

and of course EMINEM EMINEM EMINEM. how can anyone call him the greatest MC of all time, if even around his "prime" other rappers dropped better albums?

Life After Death is great, but it could've been much better if Biggie had the chance to finish it like he intended to.

not gonna call any of Pac's last three "overrated".

i'm done.