hiptropolis

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Always ahead of his time. RIP Nipsey Hussle

“I believe that economics is based on scarcity of markets,” says Cash Prince Nipsey Hussle, 29, on the phone from LA, where he has just returned following an 18-date European tour. “And it’s possible to monetize your art without compromising the integrity of it for commerce.”

Nipsey made Forbes! He went to Harvard’s School of Economics or nah?

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Best of 2018

Arin Ray - Platinum Fire

Kali Uchis - Isolation

Buddy - Harlan & Alondra

Richard Russell - Everything is recorded

IAMDDB - Flightmode vol 4

Charlotte Day Wilson - Stone Woman

Kadeem Tyrell - Feels

Kanye West - ye

Black Panther The Album

Nipsey Hussle - Victory Lap

Saba - Care For Me

Van Jess - Silk Canvas

Masego - Lady Lady

Insecure Soundtrack - Music from the HBO Original Series

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What I'm listening to this week..

Lalah Hathaway - Honestly

Little Simz - Stillness in Wonderland (Deluxe)

Giggs - Wamp 2 dem

Brent Faiyaz - Sonder Son

Kelela - Take Me Apart

Mac Ayres - Drive Slow

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REVIEW: J. Cole - For Your Eyez Only Documentary

J. Cole took HBO by storm and used his platform to highlight, candidly, some real shit. He took HBO places they’ve never been to provide a window into real issues facing the black community. He went to Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he told the story of an elderly woman and her house that had suffered tremendous hurricane damage and her struggle to put the pieces back together. He was able to capture her unwavering tenacity and determination to bring her house back to the beautiful reality it once was, while simultaneously capturing her exhaustion, doubt and fear that this will ever be her reality. This juxtaposition taps so deeply into what it means to be black in America for so many -- despite unwavering tenacity and determination to succeed the constant setbacks that that often lead to feelings of hopelessness and defeat.  He also went to Ferguson, Missouri where he randomly ran into Mike Brown's cousin trying to find his memorial and his cousin shared personal anecdotes of Mike Brown and his musical inspirations and his strong desire to be remembered and create a better life for his mother. The documentary captures Cole talking to black lives matter protestors in also Ferguson and the frustrations that we often feel as black people in that, we’re not a homogeneous blend in the ways in which we critically see issues going on in our own communities and the ways in which we approach them -- something that dates back as far as the dichotomy between Malcolm X. and Martin Luther King. Overall J. Cole gave us something really fucking real and the his music seamlessly woven into this documentary makes it a timeless masterpiece, definitely not to be missed.

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Jam of the Week by new Bengali rapper Anik Khan. This track is red hot.

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MORE LIFE

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Little Simz -- Incredible last night. Doing her thing.

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Jam of the Week

Incredible collab between Ravyn Lenae and Smino

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Really fun, funky animation from Goldlink.

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And a Star was born

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Chance The Rapper is on the cover of Complex!

Watch his in-depth interview —> http://bit.ly/2mSwXS7

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Jam of the Week

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Future - Hndrxx

Future delivers something a little different in his highly-anticipated HNDRXX. This album is grave attempt for Future to crossover into traditional pop while still trying to maintain his authenticity. It’s a good faith attempt but I don’t think Future quite hits the pop sweetspot. Further, Future may have abandoned his key fanbase in this project.  Future fans enjoy the more ratchet, raunchy, psychedelic unadulterated turnup we’ve more recently seen in Dirty Sprite 2. Future has done something entirely different in HNDRXX. This project is not forsaken, it has a digestible sound and is very vulnerable at times, i.e. Turn on Me -- where Future speaks very vividly on his infamous relationship with Ciara proclaiming:

“Nowadays I deal with lawsuits You tellin' me that's what it came to Licking your panties and bras, aww This is how a ni**a remember you After I hit it and smash in it You should never ever ever let a square get it.”

While this album also takes on a somber tone at times and is deeply introspective, there are moments where Future experiments with a more Caribbean vibe, perhaps tapping into his Haitian roots such as in “Incredible”. Further, the melodic duo with Rihanna on “Selfish” is a standout moment on this album. These two pair very well together and it creates a heart wrenching plea to “Let’s not be alone....let’s be one... Let’s be selfish.” Overall this project is something different and I’m curious to see how his fans are receive it.

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Jam of the Week

U RITE - They

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Merry Christmas Lil Mama

Chance and Jeremih, two of Chi-Town's finest blessing us with a Christmas-themed mixtape just in time for the holiday. Merry Christmas Lil Mama, is honestly one of the best collabs all year. These two are a dynamic duo and should definitely make a full length album together. Jeremih serenades us dubbing the sounds of a young MJ, while Chance does what he does best with thoughtful bars and vibrant melodies. The two pay heavy homage to Chicago and there's even a feature from Chi-Town's raising female star, NoName, who broke big this year, scoring spots on almost every "Best of 2016" list with her debut project Telefone. Overall, I could listen to these two together all day! Merry Christmas everyone! 

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Jam of the Week

Kiss and Tell  - ROM and Naji

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