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Album of the Year #30: Nef the Pharaoh - The Chang Project

Artist: Nef the Pharaoh

Album: The Chang Project

Listen:

Google Music

Youtube

Spotify

iTunes/Apple Music

Album Background

Nef the Pharaoh came into the scene in about 2014, when he started to achieve some regional success with songs like Old School Hyphy, Bitch I’m From Vallejo, M.A.C., Big Tymin’, and his feature on E-40's 707.

Those songs alone can give you a good impression of his sound. He is an artist with clear influence from Vallejo, most notably from Mac Dre. Big Tymin’ also shows the impact that Juvenile had on Nef, but at this point what rapper is not influenced by Juvie? Nef even dreamed of signing with Cash Money when he was growing up.1 Before he was rapping he was heavily involved in the hyphy scene, attending E-40 and Mac Dre shows, and while I would not classify his music as hyphy, it definitely draws influence from there, similar to how artists like YG and IamSu! used sounds from the hyphy scene.2

The first project I heard by Nef was #RichBy25Two. While it had a couple of good songs, overall it was a very mediocre mixtape. Despite its obvious shortcomings (poor features, inconsistent hooks, and generic beats), #RichBy25Two demonstrated that Nef had a great chance of developing into a popular and talented regional rapper, with the possibility of some mainstream recognition in the not-so-near future. While he still has not created a national hit, his popularity has soared since that project, and he now receives recognition from most mainstream hip-hop news sites (Noisey, XXL, Fader, HipHopDX, Pitchfork, and even Forbes).

It did not take long for fellow Vallejo rapper E-40 to find Nef and sign him to his label Sick Wid It Records. E-40 has never stopped finding young local talent, recently signing up-and-coming rapper OMB Peezy, who appears on The Chang Project. After signing with Sick Wid It, Nef began working with Vallejo rappers Willie Joe and Cousin Fik. They would form the group The 22nd Letter, the name being a tribute to their hometown. While they would promise to release an album together, which would have collaborations with E-40, it has never materialized. A couple of good songs were still released under that name that are worth hearing, Blunt On Me, Throw It On Me, and V.P.D..

Between dropping #RichBy25Two and The Chang Project, Nef dropped 3 project. The first was a short self-titled album, which contained his best tracks until The Chang Project was released. The next was Neffy Got Wings, a collaboration mixtape with producer Cardo. While it had some great tracks like #Saydaat, which featured Oakland rapper Philthy Rich, overall the project was a step down from his self titled album. Lastly he released Fresh Outta Space 3, which was thoroughly mediocre and hardly worth a listen outside of the song Everything Big, which also appears on The Chang Project, negating any need to turn this album on at all.

The Chang Project is a prelude to the first major project that Nef the Pharaoh is planning on releasing, Big Chang Theory. The name derives from Nef’s nickname, Chang. He named the album this way to demonstrate that he is making the album that he would want to hear, with the artists and producers that he likes the most. He actually got the nickname Chang from late rapper Johnny Ca$h well before Nef had even started rapping.3

Just three years ago Nef was hardly known even in the Bay Area, now he has toured with DJ Khaled and Beyonce, freestyled for Kanye West, and been brought out in shows by YG.4

Sources

1 https://www.forbes.com/sites/passionoftheweiss/2017/02/14/nef-the-pharaoh-interview/#399b2912c27e

2 http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2017/04/nef-the-pharaoh-the-chang-project-interview/

3 http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2017/04/nef-the-pharaoh-chang-project/

4 http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2017/04/nef-the-pharaoh-the-chang-project-interview/

Review

The Chang Project is the project that finally had Nef the Pharaoh living up to his potential.

Not only does Nef employ the best production he’s had, but he also has his most solid set of features. While none of the producers are big names, they all manage to come through with non-amateurish beats. The only producer I had actually heard of is HBK’s P-Lo (Yo Gotti - Act Right). I doubt I am the only one, upon looking them up many exclusively had credits on Nef’s album, with a couple also having some recent credit for working with SOB x RBE/HBK members, making me assume that they are all locals. The production is very upbeat and reinforced with a general positive tone brought by Nef. The main exception to this are the interludes, most notably Remedy’s Interlude. Remedy’s Interlude is a short solo track by San Francisco based rapper Remedy, not to be confused with the Wu-Tang affiliate from New York. Here he recounts the troubles in his life, including being shot at fourteen, which put him in a coma and resulted in him becoming paralyzed. Remedy is a great artist in his own right, I suggest you all check a couple of his solo tracks.

The style at time leans towards poppy, but without devolving into being generic sounding or veering away from the distinctly bay area sound that made him popular. There is really no mistaking where Nef is from. Out There is a tribute to late Pittsburg rapper The Jacka, another song is his own version of E-40’s classic track Captain Save a Hoe, and even without those songs the slang and beats on songs like Move4 are unmistakably Californian.

There still are some songs which showed potential but had such pervasive flaws that they became complete misses. The most glaring example is Klondike with Remedy and Lil Kayla. Despite Remedy’s great job on his interlude, his hook here is grating, and Lil Kayla’s feature is little better. It’s another case of another rapper that nobody has ever heard of having lines like “[t]hat nigga a nerd if he don’t know who I is,” basically meaning that everyone outside of her immediate family is a nerd to her. The rhymes are just exceptionally basic. Star, car, far are rhymed and sick and dick.

The one area where Nef could still use improvement is in his lyricism. A lot of his verses are overly simplistic, but never to the point where I would call it bad. He easily makes up for simple lines with an excellent flow and a first-rate presence is always there. Often his best lines on the song are the ones which seem generic on paper, but due to a great delivery stand out. I think this shows great accessibility and the possibility for Nef to produce hits in the future. It also serves as a perfect balance to the four SOB x RBE features on the album. While SOB x RBE members could be described as having a bit of a harsh, or even raucous voices, without venturing into grating, Nef’s performance is a great contrast to them that has worked really well on every collaboration they have done.

As far as the topics go, the weakest are his songs about women. Klondike, Cpt. Save a Hoe 2k17, and Back Out are probably the weakest three songs on the tape, and all cover the same general theme. It is a common complaint for many artists, and I do not think that Nef is particularly bad at it compared to others, but I still think it would be a better project without those songs. The main issue comes from the hooks, I don’t particularly hate Nef’s verses on those songs, but as a whole they are very mediocre. Unfortunate because I think Ty$, Larry June, and Remedy are all capable artists. When Nef is just talking about life, or bragging, or just talking shit he is at his best. It has always been clear that his strength has been party tracks, from the start this is what he has made. He does manage to show some diversity with tracks addressing subjects like police brutality on LOE Gino's Interlude with the rapper from Berkeley.

The tribute to The Jacka has frequent callbacks to past Jacka projects, songs and lyrics that are easily recognizable if you’re familiar with the artist. I assume most people who listen to Nef are, but for most people here the lyrics probably make little sense. Which is unfortunate because Rydah had the best verse on the album on Out There. Despite never having an amazing solo discography I believe Rydah had the potential to be the best rapper out of the Mob Figaz. Despite this he never managed to match the solo works of The Jacka, AP.9, or Husalah. RIP Shaheed Akbar.

Favorite Lyrics

20 years old, rich by 25

Vallejo died and I brought my city back to life

And I ain’t trying to take you niggas pride

I’m doing what I was, hard work to back in ‘95

-Everything Big: Not the best rhymes or anything but it stood out because it’s true. Vallejo really did not have much going for it a few years ago. They had Fik and a few others, but nobody that was about to break out. Now they got Nef and SOB x RBE.

The yay area, ya boy that’s where I’m from

I never sold a million records but my time will come

First show I did in Sac was Dre Day with the Jack

I’m paranoid, don’t sit behind me, they shot bruh in the back

-Out There: Songs a tribute to The Jacka, but really this line could be taken two ways with the Mac Dre line. Both rappers had their lives cut short by pointless gun violence.

It just turned 2017, I cried yesterday

In my mama's arms like somebody died yesterday

See it’s hard to sometimes to be the one to stand up

When you can’t stand up, but I still manned up

Admitting my depression cause I’m never too tough

Like these fake ass rappers, they just act too much

Remedy gone be himself, that’s one thing that’s for sure

My frown turned into a smile when my brother opened his door

-Remedy on Remedy’s Interlude

Fake thugs don’t put no fear in us

The only one I fear ain't’ here with us

Icy neck full of rocks

Bitch I wear what made the titanic stop

Where was you at when we was getting’ on cops

From tryna stop niggas from tryna cop, that glittery shit

-Bling Blaow

Discussion Questions

Do you believe that Nef has the ability to break out of North California?

Do you think it is the right move to stick with working with local artists when he has the connections and ability to branch out? What do you think about the frequent collaborations between the new NorCal artists SOB x RBE, Lil June, Mozzy, Nef the Pharaoh, OMB Peezy, etc.?

Does the fact that this is essentially a holdover project for Nef’s debut album Big Chang Theory affect how you feel about this tape? What do you think he should do different for his album?

How do you feel about featured artists getting solo tracks on a tape?

Do you think Vallejo has a chance of or already is making a comeback as Nef claims is happening?

Outro + Schedule

Tomorrow we'll have /u/MarleyMandersAli writing about Gucci Mane - DropTop Wop

Artist: Nef the PharaohAlbum: The Chang ProjectListen:Google MusicYoutubeSpotifyiTunes/Apple MusicAlbum BackgroundNef the Pharaoh came into the scene in about 2014, when he started to achieve some regional success with songs like Old School Hyphy, Bitch I’m From Vallejo, M.A.C., Big Tymin’, and his feature on E-40's 707.Those songs alone can give you a good impression of his sound. He is an artist with clear influence from Vallejo, most notably from Mac Dre. Big Tymin’ also shows the impact that Juvenile had on Nef, but at this point what rapper is not influenced by Juvie? Nef even dreamed of signing with Cash Money when he was growing up.1 Before he was rapping he was heavily involved in the hyphy scene, attending E-40 and Mac Dre shows, and while I would not classify his music as hyphy, it definitely draws influence from there, similar to how artists like YG and IamSu! used sounds from the hyphy scene.2The first project I heard by Nef was #RichBy25Two. While it had a couple of good songs, overall it was a very mediocre mixtape. Despite its obvious shortcomings (poor features, inconsistent hooks, and generic beats), #RichBy25Two demonstrated that Nef had a great chance of developing into a popular and talented regional rapper, with the possibility of some mainstream recognition in the not-so-near future. While he still has not created a national hit, his popularity has soared since that project, and he now receives recognition from most mainstream hip-hop news sites (Noisey, XXL, Fader, HipHopDX, Pitchfork, and even Forbes).It did not take long for fellow Vallejo rapper E-40 to find Nef and sign him to his label Sick Wid It Records. E-40 has never stopped finding young local talent, recently signing up-and-coming rapper OMB Peezy, who appears on The Chang Project. After signing with Sick Wid It, Nef began working with Vallejo rappers Willie Joe and Cousin Fik. They would form the group The 22nd Letter, the name being a tribute to their hometown. While they would promise to release an album together, which would have collaborations with E-40, it has never materialized. A couple of good songs were still released under that name that are worth hearing, Blunt On Me, Throw It On Me, and V.P.D..Between dropping #RichBy25Two and The Chang Project, Nef dropped 3 project. The first was a short self-titled album, which contained his best tracks until The Chang Project was released. The next was Neffy Got Wings, a collaboration mixtape with producer Cardo. While it had some great tracks like #Saydaat, which featured Oakland rapper Philthy Rich, overall the project was a step down from his self titled album. Lastly he released Fresh Outta Space 3, which was thoroughly mediocre and hardly worth a listen outside of the song Everything Big, which also appears on The Chang Project, negating any need to turn this album on at all.The Chang Project is a prelude to the first major project that Nef the Pharaoh is planning on releasing, Big Chang Theory. The name derives from Nef’s nickname, Chang. He named the album this way to demonstrate that he is making the album that he would want to hear, with the artists and producers that he likes the most. He actually got the nickname Chang from late rapper Johnny Ca$h well before Nef had even started rapping.3Just three years ago Nef was hardly known even in the Bay Area, now he has toured with DJ Khaled and Beyonce, freestyled for Kanye West, and been brought out in shows by YG.4Sources1 https://www.forbes.com/sites/passionoftheweiss/2017/02/14/nef-the-pharaoh-interview/#399b2912c27e2 http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2017/04/nef-the-pharaoh-the-chang-project-interview/3 http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2017/04/nef-the-pharaoh-chang-project/4 http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2017/04/nef-the-pharaoh-the-chang-project-interview/ReviewThe Chang Project is the project that finally had Nef the Pharaoh living up to his potential.Not only does Nef employ the best production he’s had, but he also has his most solid set of features. While none of the producers are big names, they all manage to come through with non-amateurish beats. The only producer I had actually heard of is HBK’s P-Lo (Yo Gotti - Act Right). I doubt I am the only one, upon looking them up many exclusively had credits on Nef’s album, with a couple also having some recent credit for working with SOB x RBE/HBK members, making me assume that they are all locals. The production is very upbeat and reinforced with a general positive tone brought by Nef. The main exception to this are the interludes, most notably Remedy’s Interlude. Remedy’s Interlude is a short solo track by San Francisco based rapper Remedy, not to be confused with the Wu-Tang affiliate from New York. Here he recounts the troubles in his life, including being shot at fourteen, which put him in a coma and resulted in him becoming paralyzed. Remedy is a great artist in his own right, I suggest you all check a couple of his solo tracks.The style at time leans towards poppy, but without devolving into being generic sounding or veering away from the distinctly bay area sound that made him popular. There is really no mistaking where Nef is from. Out There is a tribute to late Pittsburg rapper The Jacka, another song is his own version of E-40’s classic track Captain Save a Hoe, and even without those songs the slang and beats on songs like Move4 are unmistakably Californian.There still are some songs which showed potential but had such pervasive flaws that they became complete misses. The most glaring example is Klondike with Remedy and Lil Kayla. Despite Remedy’s great job on his interlude, his hook here is grating, and Lil Kayla’s feature is little better. It’s another case of another rapper that nobody has ever heard of having lines like “[t]hat nigga a nerd if he don’t know who I is,” basically meaning that everyone outside of her immediate family is a nerd to her. The rhymes are just exceptionally basic. Star, car, far are rhymed and sick and dick.The one area where Nef could still use improvement is in his lyricism. A lot of his verses are overly simplistic, but never to the point where I would call it bad. He easily makes up for simple lines with an excellent flow and a first-rate presence is always there. Often his best lines on the song are the ones which seem generic on paper, but due to a great delivery stand out. I think this shows great accessibility and the possibility for Nef to produce hits in the future. It also serves as a perfect balance to the four SOB x RBE features on the album. While SOB x RBE members could be described as having a bit of a harsh, or even raucous voices, without venturing into grating, Nef’s performance is a great contrast to them that has worked really well on every collaboration they have done.As far as the topics go, the weakest are his songs about women. Klondike, Cpt. Save a Hoe 2k17, and Back Out are probably the weakest three songs on the tape, and all cover the same general theme. It is a common complaint for many artists, and I do not think that Nef is particularly bad at it compared to others, but I still think it would be a better project without those songs. The main issue comes from the hooks, I don’t particularly hate Nef’s verses on those songs, but as a whole they are very mediocre. Unfortunate because I think Ty$, Larry June, and Remedy are all capable artists. When Nef is just talking about life, or bragging, or just talking shit he is at his best. It has always been clear that his strength has been party tracks, from the start this is what he has made. He does manage to show some diversity with tracks addressing subjects like police brutality on LOE Gino's Interlude with the rapper from Berkeley.The tribute to The Jacka has frequent callbacks to past Jacka projects, songs and lyrics that are easily recognizable if you’re familiar with the artist. I assume most people who listen to Nef are, but for most people here the lyrics probably make little sense. Which is unfortunate because Rydah had the best verse on the album on Out There. Despite never having an amazing solo discography I believe Rydah had the potential to be the best rapper out of the Mob Figaz. Despite this he never managed to match the solo works of The Jacka, AP.9, or Husalah. RIP Shaheed Akbar.Favorite Lyrics20 years old, rich by 25Vallejo died and I brought my city back to lifeAnd I ain’t trying to take you niggas prideI’m doing what I was, hard work to back in ‘95-Everything Big: Not the best rhymes or anything but it stood out because it’s true. Vallejo really did not have much going for it a few years ago. They had Fik and a few others, but nobody that was about to break out. Now they got Nef and SOB x RBE.The yay area, ya boy that’s where I’m fromI never sold a million records but my time will comeFirst show I did in Sac was Dre Day with the JackI’m paranoid, don’t sit behind me, they shot bruh in the back-Out There: Songs a tribute to The Jacka, but really this line could be taken two ways with the Mac Dre line. Both rappers had their lives cut short by pointless gun violence.It just turned 2017, I cried yesterdayIn my mama's arms like somebody died yesterdaySee it’s hard to sometimes to be the one to stand upWhen you can’t stand up, but I still manned upAdmitting my depression cause I’m never too toughLike these fake ass rappers, they just act too muchRemedy gone be himself, that’s one thing that’s for sureMy frown turned into a smile when my brother opened his door-Remedy on Remedy’s InterludeFake thugs don’t put no fear in usThe only one I fear ain't’ here with usIcy neck full of rocksBitch I wear what made the titanic stopWhere was you at when we was getting’ on copsFrom tryna stop niggas from tryna cop, that glittery shit-Bling BlaowDiscussion QuestionsDo you believe that Nef has the ability to break out of North California?Do you think it is the right move to stick with working with local artists when he has the connections and ability to branch out? What do you think about the frequent collaborations between the new NorCal artists SOB x RBE, Lil June, Mozzy, Nef the Pharaoh, OMB Peezy, etc.?Does the fact that this is essentially a holdover project for Nef’s debut album Big Chang Theory affect how you feel about this tape? What do you think he should do different for his album?How do you feel about featured artists getting solo tracks on a tape?Do you think Vallejo has a chance of or already is making a comeback as Nef claims is happening?Outro + ScheduleTomorrow we'll have /u/MarleyMandersAli writing about Gucci Mane - DropTop Wop

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