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Originally Posted by louder
Yes I hate "Holy Grail", always make sure to skip it.
His flow on "Smile" man, Hov is on fire for real.
"Kill Jay Z" is such an incredible opener. Maybe the best intro I've heard all year. Beats out Vince Staples' "Crabs in a Bucket".
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Yeah, I was just telling someone it's his best opener since "December 4th."
I think "Caught in their Eyes" is one of the finest songs I've heard this year. It actually reminds me of "Champion" a little bit ("Their eyes.... theirs eyes"), and Frank sounds great.
"Moonlight" samples "Fu-Ge-La" to glorious effect. Love it.
There isn't a song I've felt compelled to skip, and I've been listening to this for almost two straight days.
It does kinda sound like a diet-Kanye record in terms of its production. Yeah, I know, it's No ID, so it's natural that there would be some similarities, but I get the feeling there must be a real rift between the two right now, because this album sounds like it's begging for a Kanye executive producer credit.
Still, I'm shocked at how fresh this kind of rap (relatively classic, traditional) can sound when it's done right, even in 2017. This album reels in all the braggadocio and larger-than-life stuff and just presents Jay in his most basic and most elemental. I love his lyrical mindset here. I love the apology track (so sad!), and I actually really like hearing Beyoncé contribute background vocals.
Maybe my opinion will change over time, but at this point ... I honestly wasn't sure he had a record this good in him. There's something really genuine about it. Like Mos Def at his best and brightest, or Kanye back in the beginning. I love it. I can't stop listening to it.