#just because of a random joke tweet from the sonic twitter. come on now

[sonknuxadow]

when will people realize that the "everything is canon" tweet from the sonic twitter was a joke. i constantly see people using that tweet to back up their arguments or just going "oh nooo the sonic twitter said that everything is canon'' no they didnt. they literally said that over some obviously not canon crossover art but everyone always crops that part out. everything is canon isnt real guys. sorry

[latin-dr-robotnik]

Revisiting Sonic: Rose (or Sonic Unlimited): A first look into a potential timeline of events

Introduction 

I’ve already talked about this particular Sonic leak in a previous ask, but the one thing I was lacking was a solid timeline of events. This is mainly due to me being on vacation when this whole thing blew up, so I couldn’t keep track of all the dates. Today I want to set up a basic and potentially incomplete timeline of events, and the reason behind this post is that I’ve seen people suggesting this whole “leak” was already making its rounds on the internet as far back as of 9 months ago. There’s a massive problem with this though, and that’s the fact we don’t have any solid proof as to how and when did this leak start circulating.

A first look at a potential timeline of events

Since we’re waiting on actual proof to come out about Sonic: Rose being a thing around May 2020, I’ve decided to go in the opposite direction, trying to archive the three main leaks that caused this whole spike of interest since last month. Here’s what I got (with a Spanish summary of this over at my Twitter):

January 18th, 2021: a 4chan thread goes live, titled “Sonic 2021 Game Details” with an image attached, going over this new Sonic game in detail. Codename “Sonic: Rose” (link to Thread 1, archived) is set to feature a new cast of voice actors and new writers linked to the upcoming Netflix Sonic series. OP also debunks the latest Sonic Rift rumous. Around six hours later, another thread goes live, asking where is this original thread, wondering why was it deleted (I named it “Thread 1.5″). That very same day, subreddit r/GamingLeaksAndRumours picked up the supposed leak (that’s “Post 1″).

January 19th, 2021: another 4chan thread goes live (”Thread 2″), following up the previous leak with new information. The game’s supposed official name is “Sonic Unlimited” and it goes again into detail about the game, SEGA’s intentions of revamping the franchise with this game and some already-known information regarding the Netflix series (note: the official unveil of “Sonic Prime” didn’t take place until February 1st, this “already known” information refers to the December 2020 Netflix tweet that was deleted shortly after going live.) This is quickly followed up by the same subreddit picking up the news again (”Post 2″).

January 28th, 2021: Roger Craig Smith confirms he won’t be voicing Sonic the Hedgehog anymore. In the following days, more game cast members would also announce their departure from the series.

January 29th, 2021: people find out Ken Pontac seems to be done writing for the Sonic franchise, a change of writers is likely to happen.

February 1st, 2021: when asked about it on Twitter, Sonic Prime writer Justin Peniston said he couldn’t talk about any further involvement with the Sonic franchise besides the Netflix series. (Note: this was a staged question by my Discord community.)

February 2nd, 2021: by this point both Colleen O’Shaughnessey (Tails, Charmy Bee) and Cindy Robinson (Amy Rose) both confirmed they won’t reprise their roles in the Sonic franchise. A new “purge” of Sonic VAs is effectively in place.

February 3rd, 2021: the third 4chan thread goes live (”Thread 3″), once again talking about the game, a previously mentioned new female villain, the once April fools joke “Tribot” also making a debut, the overall vibe of this new “entry point to the series” and teasing something regarding Super forms. The Gaming Leaks and Rumours subreddit once again picks up the story (”Post 3″).

About the possibility of Sonic: Rose existing sometime prior to January 2021

As of now we’re still waiting on any solid proof (links, screenshots, anything) that may confirm the leak was going around the internet prior to the January 18th 2021 date. Random comments online mentioned recalling some of the stuff said, saying this leak was already about 9 months old, but I’m yet to see anything substantial coming out of it. I cannot stress enough just how important is to get any solid proof, because the chances of a fake leak predicting new writers, new voice cast and even the names of the companies involved in the Sonic Netflix series a whole year in advance would be incredibly huge, like, Larry spoiling “Sonic Wars” levels of huge. But, like I said already, for now we have to stick to January 18th as our starting date.

Conclusion

This isn’t a post aimed at debunking the claims of people that think they’ve heard about this whole “Sonic: Rose” thing before. I am actively trying to track down any trails that could lead me to a 9 month old forgotten post, tweet or anything mentioning at least a part of this tweet. Working on this timeline helps to see just how many things have happened in the past month alone, but that doesn’t mean it’s the real thing going on behind the scenes. Until we get an official SEGA announcement, this supposed leaks are just rumors spread on a platform known for having any kind of fake fan-made “leaks” and “rumors”. Yet, I feel a special need to keep this all tightly packed and in order, just in case.

Credits

This is a product of several weeks of intense discussions over at my Spanish Discord server. I can’t thank all my friends and members of that group for their passion and dedication to get to the bottom of this, or to just simply keep an eye out for any new developments as we get closer to the official announcements. Even if I should give myself some credit for sticking with the archives and setting up the place for the discussions to happen in the first place, I can’t thank all of them enough for sticking through this process. Much love <3

[metalbatandzenko]

What kind of social media presence do you think the OPM characters would have?

Oh my god I love this.

Blast: Has a verified instagram. Has never posted. Does not follow anyone. Still has like. 3.2M followers.

Tatsumaki: Has a public twitter and a secret pinterest. Her twitter is mostly the occasional selfie or update on monsters she’s fighting. She will occasionally talk shit about the Hero Association on her public twitter. She has 14.7M followers. They love the drama. Her pinterest is a lot of aesthetic pictures, quotes and romantic movie scenes.

Fubuki: Has an instagram that is immaculately curated. It’s very clean looking. She posts thirst traps to her stories, and people lose their minds. She just cracked 1M followers.

Bang: Surprisingly adept at Youtube. Uploads weekly guided meditation videos, and has a few basic self-defense videos. He’s got 800k subscribers, and a pretty active online fanbase. The go grandpa jokes are rampant.

Bomb: One of his disciples got him a snapchat, and now he snapchats nonstop. He also has an instagram, but he has it on private, and treats it like a normal person’s instagram. He still has 20k followers though. Makes regular appearances on Bang’s channel. He often acts as Bang’s sparring partner for self defense videos.

Atomic Samurai: FACEBOOK. He’s like a mix of those wine moms who post minion memes nonstop and your uncle who won’t stop posting memes that make you kind of wince because they’re like. Lowkey offensive. People keep Ok Boomering him. He’s mad because he’s not that old.

Iaian: Has a tumblr where he posts poetry/lit analysis. He’s surprisingly popular and has one of the larger lit analysis accounts, and occasionally gets into beef with other accounts. It’s hilarious. No one knows it’s him though. His account has 37k followers.

Okamaitachi: An INFLUENCER. Has an Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter and a Youtube, and knows how to use them all. Super curated (main) instagram feed. Posts regularly to her story. Probably has like. 1.8M followers. Her tumblr is pretty standard. She’s anonymous on there, and her account is pretty small. Her twitter is mainly her tweeting about stupid shit the disciples/Kamikaze do, and occasionally promoting her Youtube channel. She’s got 900k followers. Her youtube channel is a makeup/fashion channel. She’s got her go to look and style, but she’s super versatile. She’s even gotten the other disciples and Kami to come on for a lot of her videos. She just hit 1M subscribers.

Bushidrill: Doesn’t have social media, are you kidding me? Dude’s probably got the OPM equivalent of a Nokia let’s be real kjhgkjdf

Child Emperor: Has a science youtube channel where he explains different scientific phenomenons, and shows DIY experiments. He’s got 8M followers. He also has a twitter and is just a complete ray of sunshine on it. His feed is entirely fun facts and questions about people’s favorite color, book recommendations, etc. He’s got 11M followers on it.

Metal Knight: Spends all his time on Reddit. This one is self explanatory.

King: Also spends time on Reddit, but isn’t like, a jerk about it. He has a tumblr dedicated to gaming and anime. No one knows it’s him. He has like. 72 followers. He’s also popular as a twitch streamer, though he wears a mask to hide his identity. He’s in like their top 2% of creators.

Zombieman: Got a twitter because Child Emperor asked him to. He only follows about half of the S Class (and Mumen Rider) on Twitter because he’s petty and wants to start drama so he can feel something. Never tweets, just retweets Child Emperor and occasionally tweets making fun of Amai Mask. Posts the occasional thrust trap which CE finds mortifying. Still has 5.2M followers.

Drive Knight: Zero social media. The Hero Association has enough information on him as is, thank you very much.

Pig God: He’s a really popular twitch streamer! Him and King actually collaborate sometimes, though PG doesn’t know it’s King. He also has an instagram where he posts solely pictures of pigeons. No one knows why. 

Superalloy Darkshine: Has a fitness instagram, youtube account, and twitter. But he’s like the positive guy! His instagram is full of encouragement, body positivity/self love, and affordable small changes to implement to do things like up Omega 3 intake. He’s got 2.4M followers on ig. His twitter is similar, but he’ll occasionally tweet things like “Was feeling down today. Then I remembered how much I’ve improved since yesterday! Never give up! Every day you are a new person!”. He’s good and soft. His twitter has 4.3M followers. His youtube is just as upbeat. He’s got workout videos ranging from beginner to advanced, and has a lot on explaining how to build up strength and endurance, or modify fitness excercises to be easier or more challenging. He’s got 1.2M subscribers. Recently got into tiktok, but he hasn’t gotten the hang of it yet.

WDM: Has a instagram. Posts the same pic every day. Still has 1.3M followers. Also has a twitter bot that just posts variations of “woof boof” every day. He still has 887k followers there.

Flashy Flash: Has a twitter and instagram. He mostly goes on twitter to vague people, but will occasionally post an obvious thirst trap. He’s got 7.3M followers. His instagram is pretty curated, but it’s solely pictures of him looking super glamorous. He has 800k followers on there.

Speed of Sound Sonic: Has an anonymous twitter he uses to badger Genos. He’d badger Saitama, but Saitama doesn’t have any social media. Genos just thinks he’s another creep and blocks him. He also has a pinterest where he pins pictures of black clothing and MCR lyrics.

Genos: Has a twitter and instagram, though his instagram is private. He shares “wisdom” on twitter. People think he’s shitposting. He’s not. He has 9.8M followers from trying to spread sensei’s wisdom.

Saitama: Does not have any social media. Occasionally shows up in the background of one of Genos’ rare photos on twitter.

Metal Bat: A Tiktok star. Him and Zenko make dancing videos and skits, and they get over a million plays every time. He started a youtube channel back when he was 14, but just started posting vlogs, sibling challenges, and prank videos to it again. He’s up to 2.3M subscribers. His twitter is a combo of him publicly beefing with the Hero Association and celebrities, and him just. Fucking tweeting out random shit like “do you think geese can actually read minds and we just don’t know it because we don’t speak goose” at 3am. He’s got 7.9M followers. No one knows if he’s serious or not.

Tank Top Master: Has a joint account on twitter with all his bros. The TankTopArmy twitter has 2.1M followers. He also has a youtube that’s pretty similar to Superalloy, and they often collab. He’s at 1.1M subscribers on there.

Puri Puri Prisoner: Has a tumblr. He got really popular on tumblr, but then someone made a calloutpost about him and exposed him as PPP, and he lost a ton of followers. He’s still got 21k followers though.

Garou: Is on his 7th twitter account bc he keeps getting suspended. Uses his twitter to harass the heroes. Also tweets out his hot take on things like controversial food combinations to stir the pot. He’s managed to regain 700k of his original 2.2M followers on this 7th account, but he’ll probably get suspended again before he makes it all the way back.

Amai Mask: Has a twitter and instagram because it is part of his contract. His manager has access to both and manages his ig, which has 47.2M followers. He manages his twitter and occasionally vagues the S Class heroes, but his manager deletes the tweets. But screenshots are forever, and Amai’s got 38M followers on twitter to see his tweets.

Mumen Rider: Has a tumblr and twitter. His tumblr is super popular. It’s like the suggestion/nice message tumblrs. It’s all positivity and kind words, and focuses a lot on self care. He’s got 16k followers on tumblr. His twitter is very similar. There is #MumenNation on twitter. He’s got 4.6M followers, including the majority of the S Class. Even Amai Mask follows him. He’s just a nice guy.

[tongpoo]

Ten Favorite Albums of 2017

10. Choker - Peak

Thank God I read Pigeons & Planes. I wouldn't have heard about Choker yet if it wasn't for them, but I would have in the next few years when he blows up. As of right now Choker just breached 2,000 followers on Twitter and my friend Pat gets more plays on SoundCloud than he does. I don't know much more about him, on Twitter his name is just "chris" and his Instagram is still MIA. But, in a way this kind of makes his music speak louder. I've gotten so used to hearing a dope track and immediately hunting down the artist's social medias in an effort to learn more about them and find what place this sound is coming from. In Choker's case, there isn't a ton of that. He hasn't actually tweeted since this album dropped, and everything before is just weird memes and 140 character jokes the internet age is so accustomed to. Choker is an artist who leaves everything they need to say in their art rather than effortlessly giving it to the world via iPhone thumb taps. Because of this, Peak benefits from having not much else to place it within context of and shines as a stand alone.

Rather than attacking the classic and conventional ideology of songwriting, Choker's Peak is full of "Is this the hook? Wait it's a verse. But when does the hook come back in?"  type moments. It relies more on nature and what feels right, rather than structure and repetition. This isn't a bad thing at all, and is pretty hard to accomplish without sounding messy. Names like Frank Ocean, Sufjan Stevens, Björk all take similar approaches to their sound, and you're definitely in good company if mentioned in the same thought as them. Choker's lyricism isn't always literal and mostly seems is used to paint a mood. Lines like "I see in Portra 400 // Mazzy Star pour out the function" giving both a visual and auditory representation of where he at. El Dorado, is an entire song about getting caught stealing a car and all the romantic memories shared within that car. Choker takes this simple plot and expands it into a four minute masterpiece of shimmering guitars, subtle 808s, and layers of vocals. His quick steps from singing to rapping are hard to keep tabs on, with this song having a four bar rap verse before switching back to singing. Hats aren't even introduced until the last 30 seconds. It's just this constant picking up and dropping Choker performs so easily that leaves you hungry for more of what was and anticipating what's to come.

Produced and written entirely by Choker, the instrumentals and vocals are gold. On Sunflower, Choker introduces with a shoegaze-esque minimal track, cuts that with distortion and a vocal sample and drops it into this portion of the song that feels very Weeknd-y, with harmonization, hi hats, and synths you'd find on the boss level of a PS2 game. After 30 seconds of that, he begins yelling trap adlibs across this pretty beat that consists of only a rhodes and lo-fi percussion. There's just no telling what could happen next, but it all fits so perfectly together. The entire album is like your life flashing before your eyes, or thinking back on good memories.

Favorite Tracks: Moksha, El Dorado, Sunflower

9. Sampha - Process

It's a slim amount of vocalists who pack as much emotion into their voice as Sampha Sisay. Even without the context and knowledge of Sampha's struggles, you'd still connect with the fear and pain behind his lyrics. But on Process, Sampha opens up more about the caretaking and loss of his mother to cancer, becoming distant with his brother, and discovering a painful and suspicious lump in his throat.

What's that meme where it's like a picture of two things and the caption is "Name a more iconic duo"? Anyway, the only acceptable version of that meme is Sampha and his keyboard. Many moments throughout this album are simply just Sampha and a piano or synth, and it never feels lacking. But with the same amount of ease he runs through a minimal track; he can embrace maximalist production as well. Process sort of carries an all or nothing mentality, with tracks that are bare bones and others oozing boundless energy. I was lucky enough to catch Sampha at Lollapalooza (my favorite performance of the weekend, by the way), and in one moment he was jumping around like a trap artist to Blood On Me then performing tear-worthy vocals to (No One Knows Me) Like The Piano. The fashion of Process is very best of both worlds, and Sampha has this down to a tee. All of this topped with A+ songwriting and  production, there aren't many reasons to be anti-Process.

Within a brief 40 minutes, Sampha doesn’t waste a second trekking through his journey. Kind of random, but Sampha is one of two people to have worked with Kanye West, Drake, and Frank Ocean. The only other person is Jay Z. I feel like that just warrants some sort of legendary artistry validity, if Process itself hadn't already.

If you enjoy this album you should really read his FADER cover story. One of my favorite ever and includes an acoustic version of Plastic 100°C.

Favorite Tracks: Kora Sings, (No One Knows Me) Like the Piano, What Shouldn’t I Be?

8. Cosmo Pyke - Just Cosmo

Yeah, the album is only five tracks and there's nothing super groundbreaking or innovative, but for some reason I just love it. It's not even like a rare sound that's explored or something experimental or whatever. It's just a bunch of super fun and catchy tunes and sometimes that's all you really want from music. I haven't deep dived into the lyrics for an intricate emotional and metaphoric tale, and I really doubt there's much like that in here. Sometimes all you want from music is for it to sonically feel right and Just Cosmo does all of that for me.

Cosmo's sound radiates a youthful aura very specific to London. He taste tests a handful of genres throughout the album, matching his guitar to that loose jangly sound very popular in today's indie rock, with drums and percussion that lean towards jazz that's dipping its toes into samba. He vibes to reggae on the bridge of Chronic Sunshine, and builds and drops speeds on Wish You Were Gone. All the tracks on Just Cosmo nearly touch or exceed the five minute mark, letting Cosmo fully exercise all thoughts he has upon a song without letting the listener become overwhelmed. The closer, Great Dane, even clocks up to 8 minutes without feeling like too much to bear. Stress and other grim thoughts are the last thing on your mind while listening to Just Cosmo, because it's the soundtrack to a Sunday bike ride to get ice cream with your friends. It's the album you put on during the 2PM pool party. It's music you couldn't possibly be upset to.

There's not a ton to be said about an album that is very inexplicably awesome to me. The album doesn't do the undoable or break through walls or anything, but the sound it does have is very genuine and true. It sounds just like an album a 2017 kid from Peckham would make who has an interest in synths, guitars, and great music.

Favorite Tracks: Wish You Were Gone, Chronic Sunshine, Great Dane

7. Thundercat - Drunk

Thundercat doesn't play the bass, the bass plays Thundercat. The licks are so stank face worthy, and every riff turns you into a bobblehead. On every song you're faced with infectious basslines accompanied with melodic falsettos all courtesy of one man. The man behind Thundercat, real name Stephen Bruner, appears as a writer and producer on all tracks with help from just a few select others. He's one of those guys that you've heard, but didn't know you were listening to. Bruner's worked with contemporary greats such as Flying Lotus, Childish Gambino, Mac Miller, N*E*R*D, and most notably had a massive hand in Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, supplying background vocals and tasteful E-bass front to back of that project. Being such a monumental figure in one of the decade's greatest albums, it makes total sense that his first album back since that hot run is spectacular as it is.

Bruner's depressive realistic, yet humorous, outlook on things is expressed all across Drunk. I remember reading or seeing in an interview that he titled the album "Drunk" because its often how he feels going about life. Being confused by existence and his nihilistic treatment of things. A lot of the tracks on the album are about very humdrum experiences in the day to day. One of Bruner's more fleshed out songs on Drunk is A Fan's Mail (Tron Song II) which is just all about how cool he thinks it would be to become a cat. Another, Tokyo, describing the many activities he takes part of while spending time in Japan's capital city. With all these songs about mundane pasttimes and average thoughts, the album lyrically feels like a very transparent look into Bruner's mind. While all of this is taking place, behind it all is some of the year's greatest production. With Bruner ripping enchanting bass riffs and fills throughout the entirety of the project, it sounds like he's exorcising the thing of demons at points. Drunk is appropriately sprinkled with funky synths and keys, with even Michael McDonald playing keys on Show You The Way, a track he also sings on with Kenny Loggins. Other producers involved are legendary EDM producer and DJ Flying Lotus appearing on more than half the tracks and Sounwave of TDE fame.

I actually almost made my senior quote ""I Am Crazy" -Thundercat" after the track on this album, where in the 25 second song he begins feeling nostalgic, then questions his memory thinking maybe things weren't as great as they appear to be in his faded mind. Myself, and I'm guessing most other people, often feel this way about a lot of things. It's a reminder that if you're feeling down in the now, wishing you were back in the good old days is pretty useless because not only is that impossible, chances are things were just as crummy as they were back then as well. It's a sentiment that helps being positive today which I just think is a valuable thought to keep in your head.

Favorite Tracks: Bus In These Streets, A Fan’s Mail (Tron Song II), The Turn Down

6. Rostam - Half-Light

After announcing his departure from Vampire Weekend, Rostam Batmanglij wasted no time on getting back to work. After a few collaborations with modern-day heavyweights Frank Ocean, Solange, and Haim, the multi-instrumentalist released his debut album Half-Light. Slim of features and help on production, this is a body of songs Rostam can rightfully call his own.

Sonically, the album rings all whistles and dings all bells. Hopping from a very acoustic I Will See You Again, to a very left-field Hold You, which is doused in hip-hop percussion and vocal effects that meet each other somewhere between James Blake and Pollari. I'd be interested in hearing a full-blown rap production from Rostam, as at some points throughout the album the thought is definitely teased but is never actually blossomed. From all aspects as a songwriter, Rostam's sound is hard to translate into words. It's certainly a separation from his work with Vampire Weekend, but not too distant of a cousin to render it completely unfamiliar. On Rudy, he emulates third-wave ska, then throws in this beautiful crash of horns for the breakdown. At first, the way each song is formatted seems so aimless and free flowing, but after repeated listens this is clearly an intentional and precisely made decision by Rostam. His voice,absent from Vampire Weekend songs, sounds built just for his production. As a songwriter, he does not lack at all, with songs like Bike Dream and When that could be read as poems.

Although initially saddened by Vampire Weekend losing such an integral member, I am ecstatic about this album. Time and time again Rostam has proved himself and I'm glad this album serves as a landmark of his accomplishments. One of my favorite albums of the year, with the title track especially being one of my favorite songs of the year.

Favorite Tracks: Half-Light, Rudy, Warning Intruders

5. Tyler, The Creator - Flower Boy

Tyler, The Creator changed my life. I would be lying if I said the way I lead my life is not somewhat thanks to this man whom I’ve never actually met. I spent most of the end of middle school and beginning of high school citing this guy as my religion and treating his albums as divine and sacred objects. Obviously, I'm still a massive fan and while my level of stan-dom is not quite at the level of "maniacal fan girl", I was still ridiculously excited for this album. Having spent days sunrise to sundown with Bastard, Goblin, Wolf, and Cherry Bomb in rotation, it's pretty clear that this is the album Tyler had always wanted to make. Even in 2009 there were neo soul 7th and 9th chords snuck into his raps about violent crimes. This guy always wanted to make a full blown jazz or pop album but really just lacked the technical ability and resources to do so. Finally, on Flower Boy, the creator finally fulfills the prophecy.

I don't think anyone has been able to pair booming and explosive percussion with breezy and swaying guitars as sophisticated as Tyler can. The drums hitting in Where This Flower Blooms after 45 seconds of strings, piano, and Frank Ocean's oh so sexy voice, is one of the hardest moments of the year. This contrast shows up a lot throughout the album. See You Again is led by these angelic harmonies by shared between Tyler and frequent collaborator Kali Uchis, and then you're just dropped off into this fiery abyss of 808s and laser gun-esque synths. One of my favorite tracks on the album is Boredom, which is 5 minutes of chilling by the pool relaxation. Immediately after that song you're slammed by production that is just so unnecessarily hype on I Ain't Got Time. This juxtaposition is so hard to perfect but so damn sweet once done correctly.

There's nothing wrong with Tyler's leathery voice smeared on top of his phat beats, but majority of my appreciation for him and this album specifically is for his production. Which is why I've always been a huge fan and never minded when Tyler enlisted features all over the place. The only place the names Rex Orange County, Jaden Smith, and Roy Ayers make sense together is when you're talking about a Tyler The Creator tracklist. He makes sure everyone brings their A game as well, as I've never really heard a phoned in verse or performance from anyone on a Tyler song. On Flower Boy, the places where Tyler does rap or sing, it never feels like its just to make the song longer as it did occasionally on previous works. Bar by bar Tyler is saying something with meaning which I think is something he's improved on a lot since Wolf and Cherry Bomb especially. All songs on Flower Boy fit a theme or concept and together those songs as an album are even better.

If I wasn't wearing such rose tinted goggles while looking back at them, I'd probably say this is Tyler, The Creator's best album. Even with them on its a pretty close race. This album is just so good and so Tyler with the dumb evilness of Who Dat Boy to the glossy and shiny groove of 911. Flower Boy is a soundtrack to make memories to and even with the inexcusable amount of times I've heard this guy's barking deep voice I don't think I'll ever want to hit skip on a track of his.

Favorite Tracks: Pothole, Boredom, 911 / Mr. Lonely

4. Jay-Z - 4:44

It's hard not to crack a smile when Jay-Z raps about his money. Sure you hear Young Thug or 21 Savage rap about dropping bands at the club, but with Shawn Carter's net worth nearing the ten figure mark, there aren't really any other rappers who are on his level. 4:44 is bedazzled with all sorts of ridiculous flexes. Verse two of The Story of O.J. specifically emphasizes this with him spitting "Fuck livin' rich and dyin' broke // I bought some artwork for one million // Two years later, that shit worth two million // Few years later, that shit worth eight million // I can't wait to give this shit to my children". Stunting about investing is next level, and it's hard to take any other rapper seriously regarding money knowing Jay Z could buy their life without hesitation.

I think that's where a lot of the beauty lies in 4:44. Jay-Z approaches all subjects on this album with such intimacy and speaks in a manner no one else really can. He relays nostalgia from growing up in the Marcy houses so effortlessly, and touches on struggling with infidelity on the truly moving title track. If haven't seen his Saturday Night Live performance of this track, it's clear this song holds so much weight to him.

The production on 4:44 is seriously masterful. No I.D. absolutely snaps, track after track. As an aspiring producer I seriously reference this album as my bible occasionally. The sample flip of Stevie Wonder on Smile is downright insane, accompanied with one of Jay-Z's best verses ever on the final marathon of lyrics chalks up the song as a highlight of the album. No I.D.'s work on Bam is worthy of note too, taking Sister Nancy's Bam Bam (which you've probably heard flipped in Kanye West's Famous or Lauryn Hill's Lost Ones) and transforms it into this reggaeton banger. And I can't make a write up for this album without showing praise to Marcy Me, which I regard as just a really perfect rap song. It just embodies everything I love about rap music; Jay Z's infectious flows, heartfelt delivery, clever wordplay, and a beat I could loop endlessly. Assistance from The-Dream on the outro of this track just makes this song transcend. This song, and overall 4:44, are the music I look forward to listening to throughout my life.

Favorite Tracks: Smile, Bam, Marcy Me

3. King Krule - The OOZ

Easily whisking from elements of punk, to jazz, then hip-hop, King Krule's distinct cockney accent paired with his loose guitar tones becomes hard to pin to a genre. The OOZ is a very specific collection of sounds that could not possibly belong to another. With poetics stemming from a nimble and fragile place on songs like Slush Puppy or Czech One, to delivery so rude and brash on songs like Half Man Half Shark and Emergency Blimp, King Krule displays all recesses of emotion on his third studio album.

You'll rage and then you'll cry to some of the most beautiful noises you've ever heard with this album. Although King Krule's slurred delivery is occasionally hard to make up, the feeling is easily translated from the wide array of instrumentation used on The OOZ. King Krule has no issue with incorporating sounds not typically associated with each other. On the lead single Dum Surfer, a saxophone and electric guitar share a solo. There are disorienting and whirring synths appearing throughout the entirety of the project, all along other worldly instruments such as vibraphones, marimbas, and bongos.

The album lyrically is cryptic and disassociative. In Lonely Blue the verses act as chapters of a failed relationship and the agony both characters are met with. The language King Krule uses to detail this narrative is often tough to decipher yet so fitting, which sparks imagery I've really only ever felt with a slim number of great artists. On A Slide In (New Drugs), the protagonist is sickly self-described as someone with bleached skin and bleeding gums. The pictures painted with these words are usually bleak, cold, and occasionally dystopian.

Clocking in at an hour and six minutes, every single song hits for me and nothing feels like filler. The closer is gorgeous and the album couldn't complete in a more perfect way. Being so cohesive its hard not to let the rest of the project ring out once you start playing a song that's mid tracklist. It's just one of those albums you'd have a hard time disputing someone who thinks is a perfect album because of its pure artistic ambition and execution. The OOZ is one of my favorite projects of the year, and hasn't left my rotation since the day it came out.

Favorite Tracks: Slush Puppy, Emergency Blimp, Vidual

2. IGLOOGHOST - Neō Wax Bloom

If Pale Eyes is like the boarding and lift of a roller coaster, then the rest of the 38 minutes in the album is a non-stop, accelerating, descension. I don't even want to begin to think about how this album was made, it's filled to the brim with eclectic but meticulously chosen sounds. Neō Wax Bloom is like straight auditory adrenaline, with each track being a different flavor of a rush.

This album is fucking nuts. I already had a lot to say about it in my New Music Monday review of it, but at the time I certainly could not have digested how spectacular Neō Wax Bloom is. It's seriously a portal into another realm or dimension, I've truly never heard anything like this album before. When I heard the saxophone layered on top of the gigantically paced Super Ink Burst for the first time, I knew this was one of the best albums of the year. And I was only a few minutes into the album. The album doesn't doesn't decrease in quality at all from the already majestic opening and I think White Gum is the most impressive technical achievement in sound of 2017. That song makes me feel like I just mainlined the cocaine from Kate Moss's personal stash and I'm ready to ride an elephant into warfare. The programming involved in IGLOOGHOST's debut album is literally insane, because I actually don't think you could be mentally right in the head to accomplish what is done here. There are essentially no loops throughout the entire album with a new layer or interval being inaugurated every bar.

I referenced it in my review, but no one describes the album better than its producer himself. "MY FIRST ALBUM ‘NEŌ WAX BLOOM’ IS OUT NOW! A MULTICOLOR HYPERSPEED OPERA ABOUT LITTLE GLOWING BEINGS MADE OF GUM." the self-proclaimed "11YR OL MALE BOY" announces via Twitter. Neō Wax Bloom is one of the few times I've experienced an artist build a world with their music, with the album being its soundtrack. I really, really, really recommend you listen to this album because the first listen is the closest you can get to seeing a new color or leaving this universe.

Favorite Tracks: Super Ink Burst, White Gum, Infinite Mint

1. BROCKHAMPTON - SATURATION Trilogy

When I look back at 2017, it'll be hard to not be reminded of BROCKHAMPTON. In March, I saw Kevin Abstract live on his solo tour for American Boyfriend the same day he dropped the Runner short film. In May they took over the internet by dropping a single every week for five weeks building anticipation for their debut album SATURATION. In June it dropped, with worldwide acclaim leaving everyone wondering who gave these boys are. In July I binge watched all the episodes of American Boyband which documented Kevin's tour. In August they ruled again with five more singles and another album. In September I saw them live in one of the best concerts I've ever been to (catch me in the green hoodie at about 2:42). In December they ended their wild streak by dropping the closer to the SATURATION era, SATURATION III.

I know it's kinda cheating including all three as one, but I didn't really feel like writing a Top 10 with 30% of the albums being by BROCKHAMPTON. I've never done it, but if listened to back to back to back I think the trilogy would equate greater than the sum of its parts. It's held together thematically by the SKITs, SCENEs, and CINEMAs, and while all members of the group grow and progress, they still hold onto that SATURATION sound they came out with in June. Most of that SATURATION sound is thanks to the group's producers, Romil Hemnani and Q3 (Jabari Manwa & Kiko Merley), with Romil handling production on almost every single song. Listening to SATURATION I then SATURATION III, it's so obvious there's a gap between the two, but it's still so obviously BROCKHAMPTON it's incredible one could grow so much yet manage to not stray at all. This development isn't limited to the producers, but with the vocalists, specifically Matt Champion, JOBA, and Merlyn Wood stepping it up as well.

"I got pipe dreams of crack rocks and stripper poles." would be a hell of an opening line for a book that won the Coretta Scott King award. But it's the first thing heard on this trilogy, spat by Ameer's grizzly voice over Romil's intimidating basslines. The run of tracks after that is ridiculous. STAR, featuring production only from Jabari Manwa, is just stupid phat. Over those thick, booming grooves, Dom, Ameer, and Kevin all spit 16s about celebrities. The weird combo of such a hard beat paired with lines so goofy yet delivered seriously is just epic. Even though SATURATION II is my least favorite of the three, it'd still be one of my favorite albums of the year if just released by itself. The opening verse from Kevin on GUMMY kinda sets the table for the entire album. Matt's hyperspeed flow on JELLO is so unreal I actually thought they just sped it up until I experienced it live. You could throw SWEET on loop forever and never get sick of it. After all this I didn't know if BROCKHAMPTON had it in them again for a third record, but they really came through the hardest with the SATURATION finale. Romil's production demolished all expectations I had for SATURATION III, with beats sounding like they should have came from a hip-hop veteran, rather than a 22-year-old. JOHNNY, BLEACH, SISTER, RENTAL, are really perfect and are some of the best tracks the boyband has ever put out.

A lot of personal appeal to BROCKHAMPTON for me is that list of reasons you can't accomplish what BROCKHAMPTON is doing is short. I own pretty much the same camera all their videos are shot on, and I've stumbled upon random drumkits online that have sounds Romil has used. This DIY approach to music is so inspiring and having their product result in all sorts of praise is something really cool. I've met all the members of the boyband and they're just weird awkward kids who got to tour the nation cuz of their art. These are guys I could have went to High School with and I wouldn't have been surprised. But what is surprising is the music, films, clothing, and whatever else these guys decide to get into next. I'd get BROCKHAMPTON health insurance if it was offered. Time after time this collective has brought it, and I don't doubt that next year I'll be talking just as high about TEAM EFFORT as I do about SATURATION.

Favorite Tracks: STAR, JUNKY, BLEACH