#piano hip hop type beat

[crusader-beats]

Beat Instrumental - The River - Piano Hip-Hop Type Beat 2024

Buy this beat on https://crusaderbeats.com

[dreamers-blood]

Back in 2020 we pieced together our first project titled "FndeF"; an EP by Ben James x PinkyMan x Strugzy - a Dreamer's Blood production, entirely crafted by us from it's music and production to all it's visual counterparts.

LISTEN TO THE FNDEF PROJECT HERE

[new-and-improved-st4r]

"𝑵𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖..."

✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮

Team 7 Band head canons!

↳ Includes Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and Sai

Warnings: None!

Wordcount: 588

✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮

Naruto 

I'd like to start by saying that I think naruto, sakura, sasuke and sai can all sing, but they kind of do it in shifts, and like depending on the genre/who's playing what instruments. 

Naruto is for sure the drummer. He started mainly for fun, but one day Sakura briefly mentioned maybe starting a band and Naruto started to take it so seriously. 

The kind of drummer that tosses his drum sticks up in the air when he plays, and like flips/spins his sticks

Has a really good sense of rhythm..the type of person to constantly be tapping his fingers on tables or bouncing his leg in time with a song. 

Always shows up to practise a bit late, but brings enough energy drinks for everyone so no one can be mad at him. 

Also collects Monster tabs and keeps them on a chain that he NEVER takes off. 

Likes to bluff and say he can play guitar, but when someone actually calls his bluff, you can see the progressive embarrassment. 

Sakura 

Plays more than one instrument: Keyboard and bass

Also does a lot of background singing

She usually writes the music, but tends to lack a bit when it comes to words. She has an ideology that words need to rhyme, and it stops her from actually writing music. 

Started keyboard because her parents wanted her to play classical music, and she had quite a bit of recitals. 

Once she saw that Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji made a band she instantly wanted to be in one as well, and mentioned it once to Naruto…he pestered her, Sasuke, and Sai until they all agreed. 

Sasuke 

Plays both acoustic and electric guitar, piano, and used to play violin

His parents wanted him to have many hobbies because it “would help in the future”, so on top of making him do hip hop dance (which he will never EVER talk about) and cram school, they also made him learn piano and violin. 

Like Sakura’s parents, they really wanted him to learn classical music because they thought it was “sophisticated” 

Itachi and Shisui taught sasuke to play guitar, and it is by far his favourite to play. Its something that he finds himself doing when he feels like he needs to calm down or collect his thoughts. 

Writes most of the lyrics for their songs ....his parents also made him take creative writing classes..at least they paid off. 

He also writes music, but more for fun than anything. They’ve used his music, but rarely…has songs he’s written for his family and friends though. 

As a VERY large collection of guitar pics, and attaches his favourites to his wall. Has a couple from Shisui and a couple from Itachi that are his prized possessions, and he never uses them because they are “too lucky” 

Sai

Say also plays bass, but i think hes also really good at blending music together and making sick beats. Hes like. There DJ. 

Also kind of a manager? When they first started off, he helped set them up for their first couple of shows. (kakashi becomes there actual manager) 

Can sing, but HATES it, and usually only background sings if he HAS TOO. 

Also made the official fan page for the band, along with a discord server, fan mail email, and has a whole sponsor email thing set up as well. He does most of the work behind the scenes. 

Also takes all photographs for the band (at the beginning) and helps edit the music videos.

[danganronpa96]

Hi Lenn! According to you, who would each DR69 and DR96 character listen to (musically speaking)? Who would be their favourite artist/favourite song? (just a silly question to distract me from chapter 4) (you guys need to pay my therapy/j)

Btw, thanks a lot, both to you and Rexx, for everything you do for the fic! I love your writing and also the amazing art!🫠❤️ We’ll patiently wait for chapter 5, but I’m sure it will be FANTASTIC, as always🥹 love ya🫶🏻

It’s funny how I received two similar music asks in a row, but because this one is actually a different question on the topic, I can answer this one separately!

However, since even the last music post had me in agony (/j), I don’t think I’m going to go through every single character’s individual favourite song and artist, and moreso just their music taste (especially since some characters would canonically listen to music from cultures or genres I don’t listen to or know much about myself).

DR96

Hayasaka - most people would say classical, but my big brain (/lh) has bestowed the headcanon ever: vocaloid. I think it would be funny if this man had a secret love for the music, walking to work listening to the most depressing or cutesy song known to Earth. His favourite producer would probably be wowaka (rip) or 40mp.

Kurumada - that kind of grunge, heavy beat, but sort of depressing music? Not trap per say, but like r&b and rap. Or whatever is playing at the gym at the time, sometimes a song will get added to his workout playlist if it sounds good enough.

Mai - she’s that kind of pop girl, but also likes some more sombre songs here and there. Definitely indulges in songs with playful and or sensual lyrics.

Walter - (this is where my disclosure starts to show) Like classic, 50-80s songs. Jazz and blues, or something he can sing along to on the radio.

Jesse - hip-hop, trap, some heavy metal, rock, techno and house music. Anything with a stanky-ass beat (/lh) and Jesse will probably listen to it.

Saiki - I’ve given him the headcanon that he listens to hyperpop, speedcore and breakcore. I got the idea from another tumblr post that said he’d use loud, scratchy music to try and block out the thoughts of other people. It’s implied that’s what he was listening to during chapter 3 as well!

Kaidou - what we all listened to when we were 13 and wanted to be edgy. Also fandom songs (I know this isn’t nationally accurate unless there are hardcore jp fandom song fans lol), and video game OSTs that make him feel powerful.

Retsuko - heavy metal, obviously. But, I think she also likes pop and idol music, considering her history with that, hehe

Natsuki - vocaloid hardcore to the max (some favourite producers be like deco*27 and syudou). Also J-pop/idol music (and some video game OSTs).

Yuri - now I think she would like some classical music, considering her whole elegant aesthetic. I think she’d personally like piano and violin arrangements though, since they are relaxing to listen to while reading. I think she would be convinced to listen to some J-pop after Natsuki begs encourages her.

Hiroshi - he would be a classical guy too, but he would also enjoy some video game OSTs (since he’s kind of a certified gamer if you consider the novels and that chibi anime thingy).

Brian - anything past 1996 would be periodically inaccurate, but I feel like he’s the type of guy who’d try to listen to anything if someone recommended it to him. I think he’d enjoy new-age, or something relaxing on par with the vibes of his game’s OST (synth… rock? I’m not a genres expert).

Bojack - it’s either something really depressing or really sexual and there is just that scale and nothing else

Latte - canonically, folk and symphony since I think that’s the sort of music Parfaedia has. Although, she’d also listen to jazz and dance (she that type of teacher to play music in class all the students try to grin and bare because no one listens to it anymore /lh)

L - whatever music is scientifically proven to enhance focus. Classical? Some jazz? I feel like L likes to work in silence, but with music on the bare occasion.

Ena - something that we would not be able to comprehend if we heard it. Lyrics that sound like 14 different languages all mashed up together. Instruments that shouldn’t exist. Voices that shouldn’t exist. The same song that runs for 4 minutes on the first play, 15 seconds on the second, and 2 hours on the third. Or just webcore/weirdcore instrumental music lmao

DR69

Luigi - calm jazz and swing, I also think he be into acoustic arrangements.

Mario - I think he’d listen to energetic music to get himself pumped up. But also enjoys the folk music of the mushroom kingdom.

Peter - I would say 50-90s songs, ranging from classic hits to goofy ass songs (like the Rock Lobster bit)

Brian - I think he’s into ska, jazz, and blues. Also very pretentious with his music taste lol

Miku - Pop, dance, techno and electronica are her mains, but she can dabble into any genre. Likes to support and listen to her other fellow voice synth’s music.

Teto - rock, but also some dance/pop. Secretly enjoys listening to Miku’s songs (as long as she’s not around)

Nagito - nicher artists of alt and synth. I don’t think he’d be into mainstream music. Also depressing lyrics are his go-to lol

Sans - ironically, the stankiest beat you’ve ever heard and penis music (rubber band). Unironically, some smooth tunes akin to Nastablook’s music taste.

Parappa - rap, hip-hop, r&b and dance. Could unironically make a great rap over the instrumentals of ‘A Pimp Named Slickback’.

Fluttershy - Equestria folk music, acapella and that musical-type genre they have in the show’s music.

Ayano - whatever her Senpai is listening to. So, I would assume the latest trending J-pop mostly.

Ashley - rock and alt. Emo type beat. Mainly female vocals. One or two heavy metal songs. Any other warioware cast member will die upon listening to any of it lol

2D - his favourite band is canonically The Human League, so other new wave and synth-pop stuff too.

Mr. Krabs - sea shanties, unironically. He probably sang a lot of them while on the navy.

Dedede - (I have no Kirby lore but I must scream) I feel like he’d play classical music in his castle to give off those regal king vibes. But he’d also enjoy energetic music like his boss battle themes.

The Conductor - western and western movie soundtracks. Also some smooth jazz and soul. I like to think he likes the sounds of the piano the most, from the ‘heart to heart’ OST

Also, TYSM for the lovely words!! I’m so happy to hear how much you’ve enjoyed the fic so far! 😭❤️

[autisticbokutoenthusiast]

tracking nuthphop through music: ep 4 and 5

*warning that songs and timestamps may not be 100% accurate, i tried by best tho. also i tried to descirbe the emotions of some of the songs but im not great at naming emotions so sorry in advance*

Ep 4

first nuthphop scene where phop is streaming.

- (kenji-ooyy 2:00) at the beginning of ep 4 their first contact is nuth private messaging phop while he’s live, the music is digital and in my sleepy state i’ll describe it as uptempo rock guitars with a lil hip hop influence. it’s exciting and sits closer to dark than light.

-(couldnt find the track 2:50) we then change to just nuth and phop messaging and the music is this like quick pulsating suspense synth and kick drum that to me sounds a bit like a beating heart.

- (couldnt find the track 3:20) then it switches to a 4 on the floor disco edm type sound.

- (machine vs machine - dream cave 3:50) when nuths payment comes through we go to dark and heavy synth sounds to me it almost sounds like a battle scene.

- (inverted - hampus naeselius 5:03) when nuth gets blocked we go back to quick pulse beats that sound like it’s misc digital percussion with some haunting higher pitched synths pulsing in and out

Phop agreeing to film with nuth

- (32:23 drifting emotions howard harper-barnes) this song starts right after the keen and phop moment where they have to stop because keen refused to wear a condom, it plays during phops narration about sex work and ends when he checks a message from nuth [the "im so sad you blocked me" one]

- (34:26 ambivalent thoughts- magnus ringblom) their messaging convo is silent until nuth sends a deposit and phop starts seriously considering meeting up with him again. it’s a sentimental piano ballad.

Nuth on the phone with mystery guy (i suspect jason lee) aka my beloved invisible hand scene

- (couldn’t find the track 37:57) it’s silent as the camera zooms in on nuth looking at his bank account. then at his trophy/plaque. when he makes the decision to call to ask to sell drugs [for daddy jason lee??] again theirs a heartbeat like bass drum and various reverbed and echoy percussion sounds that come in and out

- (39:11 cry- johannes bornlôf) another sad piano song. this plays as nuth finishes the phone call. i think it’s interesting that we get sad piano ballads for the phop/nuthphop/nuth scenes because they don’t [typically] repeat songs despite choosing ones that sound very similar…

the filming

- (couldn’t find the track 48:22) phop arrives at the filming location to a hip hop drum beat.

- (colds- guß 48:50) this sorta upbeat while still being lowkey electro instrumental plays when nuth tells phop to relax and they begin to set up

- (49:25 feelin ma self- push n glide) during the test lines this more uptempo and confident beat plays, specifically when nuths camera changes from just filming phop to filming him is a sexual way? idk how i want to explain it but yeah the song changes when the camera nuth is holding changes the way it views phop. [sidenote hihats in this one lowkey hit, idk what the gun shot sounds doing here tho].

- (50:22 kenji- ooyy) then we have an upbeat synth and electric guitar based hip hop beat when nuth says he’ll start revealing the acts he wants phop to do and what he’ll pay for them. This is the same song they play during our very first nuthphop moment so its like full circle for them in terms of their journey this ep (i think this may represent the fact that they begin and end with nuth paying phop to perform on camera for him) [side note the beat drops when nuth says he’ll wear a condom]

- i will also mention a trap beat plays at the end of the ep but it plays over all the characters so i’m not really counting it as a nuthphop song

ep 5

nuth and phop are chilling high on the bacony with nuth teasing and recording phop.

- (30:35 kobicha- arden forest) a sad? low piano solo plays while nuth watches fondly as phop tries to lick his own elbow.

- (31:24 yoiyami- sayuri hayashi egnell) a different piano solo (brighter and a bit pluckier) plays as phop begins reading nuths new script. this song continues playing through the “people like us can’t make porn that gets seen as art or wins awards, ours only gets seen as obscene” scene. it stops when nuth starts looking sad and phop changes the subject to having to leave and go to work.

- (32:50 ambivalent thoughts- magnus ringblom) this is the song that played last ep when nuth asked phop to consider filming with him and sends a deposit. this starts playing as nuth carries phop out on his back and then as hes shaving him. it stops abruptly with a high pitched noise when phop refers to nuth as his client and nuth points out he can only pay with drugs and not cash. there’s not music playing as nuth asks phop not to leave him to go work.

- (34:15 scared of water - kikoru) this eerie string piece plays as nuth stares down at phop with the shaving blade in his hand, it continues throughout them kissing and the pan down to nants necklace on the floor

artsy nuthphop scene

- (45:40 yoiyami- sayuri hayashi egnell) [notice this played earlier] it begins during the convo where aob rejects puen and then carries into the scene where the camera is all shaky and nuth and phop are under a purplish spotlight in a room that is dark. as nuth says “im hallucinating i can hear his voice” phop suddenly appears next to him and says “im physically here” and the music stops abruptly. i will say because of where it played earlier in the ep this song feels like it represents nuths hopeless feelings.

- (46:49 i can’t find this song for shit yall im sorry like it’s making me insane i cannot find this fucking song) phop says “i miss you” and nuth says “me or the drugs?” when phop says “both” a new song starts and plays while they have sex it’s upbeat and with strings and digital percussion and have lyrics that give like love against the odds vibes or like love at the end of the world. this is while they have sex and theres also random shots of a field of grain? and cowboys hugging?

- (49:08 incomplete- gavin luke) after they wake up and are staring at eachother a new piano song plays it’s kinda sad not in a i’m sad way but in a feeling lowkey CALM calm is the word but also light

- (50:00 last level part 2- hey son) this song plays briefly when phop picks up and shows nuth the N necklace. and nuth has a flashback.

- (50:40 hope will prevail- ecobel) this piano part that leads into like edm ish lowkey beats plays when phop asks it he can keep the necklace to remind him of nuth. the beat drops when they kiss.

this was really interesting imo. like how in ep 4 they begin and end the ep with the same song, how when they're being honest about emotions and feelings they get piano ballads but they have different flavours, etc. im excited to do the next eps

ep 6

[skz-jae-lynn]

RE-UPLOAD! STRAY KIDS EXTRA MEMBER AU / JAE-LYNN

pronouns: she/her (but chill with she/they too)

birth name: jae-lynn reyes-wang

legal name: jae-lynn king

korean name: ji-ae (지애)

stage name: jae-lynn / jae

nickname: jae, lynnie, jade, jae-jae, jae-lynn hyung, the american girl doll, the queen (rap persona)

birthday: may 1st, 1999

zodiac: taurus(sun) scorpio (moon) pisces (rising), year of the rabbit

birthplace: east elmhurst, queens, NYC

nationality: american

ethnicity: korean and russian (dad's side), filipino (mom's side)

languages: (fluent) english, korean, spanish, filipino, (learning) japanese & chinese

height: 5'2" / 157.48 cm

group position: main dancer, lead vocalist (vocalracha), songwriter, sub-rapper and visual

instruments: piano, guitar (electric and acoustic), bass guitar, orchestral bass, and learning drums

skzoo character: jade the purple raccoon 🦝

──────── ❝ skills ❞ ────────

rapping: ●●●○○

dancing: ●●●●●

singing: ●●●●○

producing: ●●●○○

song writing: ●●●○○

acting: ●●●●○

──────── ❝ traits ❞ ────────

positive: honest, hard-working (driven), “street smart”, confident when she wants to be, trustworthy, creative, supportive

negative: loner / introvert, blunt (doesn’t ‘beat around the bush’), impulsive, no filter, can be very lazy, idealistic, stubborn

personality type: INFP-T

face claim: Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus (beabadoobee) [I will also be using a variety of pics from an assortment of ig users]

body claim: hannah kim (hannahkae27 (IG))

voice claim: jini, devita, sabrina carpenter

dancing style: Bailey Sok, Jade Chynoweth, Briar Nolet, Autumn Miller

──────── ❝ family ❞ ────────

father - james wang (1979) [deceased]

mother - elessia reyes-torres (1982)

(c. ‘19) step father - richard torres (1980)

older brother - aleksandr "aleks" reyes-wang (1995)

older adopted sister - faith reyes-wang (1998)

little brother - ezra reyes-wang (2002)

baby half-sister - andrea “andie” reyes-torres (2020)

─────── ❝ fun facts ❞ ───────

Born in East Elmhurst, Queens, NY to Elessia and James King in 1999.

Since 2019, her mom has been remarried. 

As of 2021, Jae has 4 siblings: Aleks, Faith, Ezra, and Andrea.

Her dad died when she was 9 years old (as stated in Jae’s vlive, he was a cop and got killed on the job)

She began to dance at age 2 (ballet and jazz) and as she got older she took on more styles of dance - her favorites being contemporary and hip-hop.

Her and her older sister (Faith) were in the same dance classes for most of their lives. 

She attended PS 329Q East Elmhurst Community School (K-5) and Louis Armstrong Middle School (6th grade)

She moved to Korea at age 12 after getting scouted at her school’s dance competition and completing several at-home auditions.

She lived with her grandmother in Gwangjin-gu when she starting training  at JYP Entertainment. 

She completed middle school at Shingu Middle School and then transferred to Cheongdam High School to finish out her schooling. 

She struggled greatly with her Korean when she first moved into the country.

Her hobbies are: playing video games, watching horror movies, listening to/ playing music, doing makeup, and skateboarding. 

She has a Minecraft server (that she runs with her younger brother) where she plays with Stay almost every weekend

She is obsessed with drag race shows (especially Dragula)

She also watches a lot of youtube, mostly Trixie Mattel and Katya, spooky content youtubers (Loey Lane!!!), and gamers :P

She learned how to play the piano from her grandfather and she taught herself how to play the guitar and bass guitar. 

She loves snow and enjoys the colder seasons more than the warmer ones. 

When she first started training under JYP, her main focus was dance, but she naturally became a rapper.

As time went on, she transformed into a vocalist to fit into Stray Kids.

She was a trainee at JYP Entertainment for 6 years before debut with skz.

She was supposed to debut with Twice in 2015. 

Since 2018 she has been in a groupchat  called 'ghoulfriends’ that includes idols: Son Chaeyoung (Twice), Rosé Park (BlackPink), Jeon Somi (soloist), Kim Yeri (Red Velvet), Jeon Jiwoo (Kard), Momo Hiari (Twice), Shin Ryunjin (Itzy), and Alexa Schneiderman (soloist)

She was a co-host of Dive Studios’ show 'How Did I Get Here’ with Jae Park and AleXa (late 2020 - June 2021).

She is now a co-host to an all new series under Dive Studios, 'That's Like, Really Crazy', where the co-host that works alongside her changes per-week (the show mostly focuses on foreign members of kpop groups / the idol world, and covers korean/world media news in the form of each week being a new trending topic).

Her rapper persona used to be 'The Queen’, but now she only references the name in present-day work. Now she just goes by Jae-Lynn (/Lynnie) or Jae-Lynn King.

Her role models are Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Prince and Billie Joe Armstrong. 

She has two dogs, a golden retriever named Looney and a bulldog named Beaver, that live back in nyc.

She also has one black cat named Brownie.

Currently she has two guinea pigs, Blini and Dulce, and a cat named Naysu.

Her mom co-owns a salon with Jae’s aunt. 

She loves spicy food, and has a strong tolerance for it.

She hates aegyo, and refuses to do it. 

She has a lot of stuffed animals that she sleeps with, her favorite being a bear her and Bang Chan made at build-a-bear one year (named Roger).

LOVES BUILD-A-BEAR WITH A PASSION

She is a Hufflepuff (Harry Potter house)

Her favorite color is purple.

She has said that if she weren’t in Stray Kids she wouldn’t know what she’d be doing. 

She often releases covers or original songs for Stay. 

Calls her vlives, ’Jae-Lynn’s weekly date with Stay’ (usually happens every Friday), where she likes to react to new music that had come out during the week and give feedback, and sometimes she practices guitar or dances. 

Her, Han and IN shared a dorm room, which she called the 'J³ room’. 

In 2020, her and fellow idol, AleXa, moved in with each other into a new apartment, however later in the year, they decided to live separate.

As of 2021, Jae-Lynn now lives alone in an apartment (in the same building as the other skz members).

She has been on 5 survival shows:  Sixteen, Unpretty Rapstar 3, Stray Kids, Good Girl, and Kingdom.

She is very close with NCT’s Mark Lee - they have been best friends since they met in 2nd grade. 

She has her driver’s license, and drives her grandmother’s old car. 

She has 7+ tattoos (& counting) and she also has her nose pierced.

She has said that she doesn’t like to define her sexuality, but if she were to put a label on herself she’d be bisexual. 

She collects crystals and incense sticks (has burned sage in the old skz dorm before bc “the vibes are all off”)

She is deathly allergic to strawberries, and is mildly allergic to nutmeg and grass. 

Jae-Lynn has several solo mixtape/ep/album releases, and a wide discography (she has around 115 KOMCA credits).

Her motto: “Until you’re ready to look foolish, you’ll never have the possibility of being great” - Cher

Jae-Lynn’s Type: Jae has said that she thinks all people are beautiful as long as they bring beauty to the world through their actions.

─────────────────────

[post originally from my other page @ignooy-nim. I decided to make a full page for jae-lynn just for shits and giggles, and because I was slowly losing my mind with the amount of drafts I had accumulated on that account LMAO, hope y'all enjoy this, and remember that none of this is supposed to be super serious, and that at the end of the day I AM ot8. this is just meant to be a creative writing project for me on a group I really love, so lets just have fun and create some madness together! - mars]

© ignooy-nim / skz-jae-lynn 2023 - all posts tagged with the ’skz-jae-lynn’ tag on this tumblr account are my genuine work unless stated otherwise. I only post this au on this tumblr account from here on out, so if you see anything pertaining to my work elsewhere, please be kind and reach out to me to let me know. thanks 💞

─────────────────────

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Roc-A-Fella Presents...This Thing of Ours 1998 Hip Hop / Hardcore Hip Hop / Gangsta Rap

Whoo boy, do I have some straight-up vintage late 90s ephemeral New York rap FIRE for you all today. Here's Roc-A-Fella Presents...This Thing of Ours, a short promo sampler EP from the label that Jay-Z helped co-found and grow, and that you could only find as a bonus disc in limited edition copies of Jay's own instant classic third album, 1998's Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life. This here is the type of shit that used to lace the 🔥hottest🔥 of mixtapes back in the day; stuff you might find on either a DJ Clue? or Funkmaster Flex CD; gratuitously non-commercial gritty street raps laid over monster beats that had been strictly made to induce the hardest of constant head-nods. Basically a hip hop head's paradise 😤.

But before we get into this little CD itself, I need to provide some background for one of its best tracks. And in order to do that, we need to go all the way back to 1993, because that's the year that a New York rap group called Original Flavor dropped their most well-known single, "Can I Get Open," which featured none other than a young and unsigned Jay-Z on it. And within that group was a guy by the name of Tone Hooker too.

Now, Original Flavor ended up parting ways following the release of their second album in 1994, but a few years later, Tone Hooker would resurface with the only solo release of his career, a 12-inch on Profile Records called "Crew Love," which would feature both NY underground great O.C. on it, as well as Jay-Z, with Jay supplying its chorus. And I don't know who ended up producing that track, but its beat was a bit sparse and darkly crystalline.

However, the following year, another song with Jay-Z on it called "Cru Love" would come out too. And Jay would also rap the *same exact* lyrics on its choruses also! But instead of Tone Hooker and O.C. providing the verses, this one would feature Roc-A-Fella labelmates Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel both rapping about drugs, guns, money, and the rap game, with Beanie's verse containing a bars-long extended metaphor that very cleverly equated a drug enterprise with Monopoly. And what's more is that this song's extraordinarily knocking, big-string beat that sounded like a boxer's walk-in music, and was provided by a little-known guy named Derrick Trotman, had clearly drawn inspiration from the far more understated production of the other version of "Crew Love" too 😯.

Then there's another banger on here that comes courtesy of a pretty unknown group who were briefly on Roc-A-Fella and Tommy Boy called Diamonds In Da Ruff. These guys never put out an actual album, but they had a couple 12-inches. And their song, "Respect," which came with a terrific blues-piano-and-guitar driven beat, first appeared on this very CD, before also being included on a DIDR album sampler cassette in '99. But, like I said, even though an album sampler was able to materialize, no actual album for them came afterwards 😕.

So, some really fantastic rap goodies on this little Roc-A-Fella EP here. It's not a very uncommon practice for a label to throw in a bonus sampler along with an album, but for that sampler to be as quality as this one is, is definitely a treat. Some real hardcore New York magic on this thing that ends up making for a wonderful late 90s time capsule 🤩.

Highlights:

DJ Clue? - "DJ Clue Snippets" Jay-Z feat. Memphis Bleek & Beanie Sigel - "Cru Love" Diamonds in da Ruff - "Respect" Memphis Bleek feat. Jay-Z - "Can I Live" Beanie Sigel - "Beanie Sigel Freestyle"

[patricksmusicblog]

2024 Album Ratings(So Far)

Some summeries, reviews and thoughts I've had about some of the albums I've listened to this year so far.

Elcamino & Black Soprano Family - Here Ya Go: This is the latest project from El Camino a Griselda affiliate. This is the first project I'm listening to from him from front to back. It's soulful, dark, and gloomy as Buffalo and Griselda's projects tend to be. El Camino sounds closest to Westside Gunn so much so it can be easy to confuse the two one big distinction is that Westside is more freewheeling and has more range with vocals El Camino is a bit more reigned in and measured with his flow. This project is emotive with tracks dedicated to the late DJ Shay and the late legend Kobe Bryant. It's solid and probably would've been better had the songs not been short. 7.5/10

Benny The Butcher-Everybody Can't Go: This is Benny The Butcher's fourth studio album and major label debut(Def Jam). The album is largely produced by Alchemist and Hit-Boy two of the best producers of this decade. Everybody Can't Go I'd say is while still being true to who Benny is and that Griselda sound is more in line with what we got on Burdon of Proof Benny doing his thing next to legends and superstars etc I love the menacing and descriptive opener in Jermaine's Gradution. Also, love the triumphant banger that is "Bron". "Big Dog" finds Benny Holding his own next to Wayne. "TMVTL" Speaks to issues that come with dealing with people in the streets. "Pillow Talk and Slander" ft Jadakiss is similar in that it speaks to not surrounding yourself with the wrong people. "Griselda Express" is quintessential Griselda Benny's on it, Conway's on it, Westside's on it. With Benny and Conway coming with stand-out verses. There were times on the album when I thought songs could've been more fleshed out, and times when I thought hooks might be teetering on clunky like One Foot In..but these are small grips on what I think is a great project. 8/10

Schoolboy Q-Blue Lips: Blue Lips is the 6th studio LP from TDE veteran Schoolboy Q. Schoolboy's always been my second favorite out of TDE, with great projects such as Oxymoron and Blank Face. This album is interesting in that it's probably Q's most experimental album made with different sounds whether it'd be delicate piano chords or guitars, there are beat switches and flow switches. While I think this album has some instantly enjoyable sounds and songs, I don't believe this is an immediate album, this is more of a grower than a shower. It's an album that'll reward with more listens. It's gangsta, but introspective fit for the new era and old. You have earworms like "Yeern" but you have the Alchemist-assisted "Lost Times" and the avant-garde banger "Thank God 4 Me". "Blueslides" is beautiful. Then you have traditional hip-hop in with "oHio" ft Freddie Gibbs and Foux ft Ab-Soul. There's a little something for multiple types of Hip-Hop heads on here. A great LP 8.5/10

Tierra Whack-World Wide Whack: Tierra Whack first burst onto the scene in 2018 with her eccentric and creative style with Whack World. A short project with many short songs displaying different skills from rapping to singing all one minute long. Here we get that same bundle of charisma coming through on World Wide Whack. Tierra's command of rhythm and flow is to be commended she can get on any beat and never be out of pocket or range. "Chanel Pit" is a great example she has a great way of finding pockets in the beat and wraps her vocals around it whether singing or rapping without ever sounding off. "Difficult" is not only one of the sadder songs on the project but also shows her vocal range from normal and downtrodden to hurt and delicate. "Living is Difficult" is a relatable line. "Shower Song" is unbelievably funky as she speaks to the freedom of singing in the shower. Themeatically this album is really about growing pains and the mental challenge of going through those going through those growing pains in front of the public. "Two Night" and "27 Club" respectively are the two most important tracks on the album as she speaks to contemplating suicide and the dark feelings coming from that. While there's fun to be had on this album and as elastic as her style is there are a lot of relatable and grounding moments on this effort. Also for those looking for some straightforward rap, "Snake Eyes" is the track it's a gritty banger. Great project. 8/10

Future & Metro Boomin- We Don't Trust You: Future and Metro released one of their best projects since the mid-2010s. This for me is up there with the Beast modes, Monsters, 56 Nights, DS2, etc. Metro's beats are bigger more cathedral and lush. Future's flows and vocals are fluid, and his confidence and swagger are amazing on record. Themematically the album is about being the best and not trusting or rocking with Drake. Kendrick adds to this with his scene-stealing verse on "Like That" where he disses Drake and takes jabs at J. Cole. If you're a Future fan this album is a nice project that shows Future doing what he's always been great at while still challenging himself production-wise. 8/10

Roc Marciano-Marciology: Roc Marciano returns with his 11th studio LP. The God Father of Griselda's style if you like drumless airy atmospheric but dark beats Roc is right up your alley. Possessing a fly & menacing aura, an aged street weariness, and a seen it all done it-all demeanor, you'll never ever hear Roc phased, out of place or, out of pocket. He's always in pocket or making the beat fit his pocket. He has a measured but intricate flow that can be quietly technical at times. At his best there can be something mesmerizing about how calm and surgically he can ride a beat, sound cool, and, make everyone else sound like a lame. It's great. The production here is quality, with dark off-kilter piano keys at times, lush strings at others, and a soulful bluesy at others all of it having a dark undertone. All the features are great and add a good deal to the sound and cohesion of the project. I think it's another great piece to add to Roc Marciano's already great catalog. 8/10

J. Cole- Might Delete Later: Might Delete Later is the fourth Mix-tape in J. Cole's catalog and a top gap release before the main event "The Fall Off" is released presumably later this year. The tape is excellent, and J. Cole is operating in rare form. Every verse he does is packed with bars, his schemes and internals are tight, and his pace change-ups, and flow is fluid. Sonically there are a lot of chill beats and light soul samples. "Pi ft Daylyt and Ab-Soul" finds Cole at his most clever, precise, and exercising his lyricism to its maximum potential. "Sticks and Stonez" is laid back instrumentally which gives Cole a runway to bite back at haters, he sounds crisp, he's never been this skilled. "Pricey" feat. Young Dro and Gucci will sound great in your system or car but also J. Cole will sound great as he's lost his mind on the mic. There's tons of mention of being hungry and ripping everyone to shreds on features. He also sends some jabs Kendrick's way on "7-minute Drill" a 3-minute track putting Kendrick in his place taking shots at his discography, his authenticity, his work ethic, etc. It's nowhere near scathing in fact it's friendly.. still, he got in the ring. You can't be running around calling yourself the top dawg, have a major player diss you, and, proceed to do nothing, obligations that come with the throne. At this point, we're just waiting for Cole's official album release. 8.5/10 Side Note: Cole has since retracted 7 Minute Drill, a fascinatingly mature choice. Didn't play well with a lot of the public but doesn't change the level Cole's been operating at.

Green Day-Saviors: Green Day returns with their 14th studio LP. This one is a major improvement from their critically panned album "Father of all Mother F*ckers" album released in early 2020. This time around the band recaptures a little bit of the magic they had in their heyday roughly 94-04. Particularly in the 90s, with tracks like "Ma, No Brains!" and "1981" bringing good punk energy the guitars are packing the right kind of punch and that speed and restless energy punk is supposed to have is there. Then there are the alt-rock tunes that are well written like "Suzie Chapstick" or "Father to a Son". A condensed version of the album with about 10 songs may push this into the great category. There are songs here that are a bit too bland, safe, and, generic for my taste. Ironically the title cut rings somewhat stale to me, tracks 7-9 sound nondiscript. At their age, I guess they lack the energy to consistently gen up punk ferocity, which is fine. I wasn't sure they had an album this good left in them something I'm happy to get from one of my favorite bands. 7.5/10

Rapsody-Please Don't Cry: Please Don't Cry is North Carolina's own Rapsody's fourth official album not counting mixtapes and eps. Rapsody's been a great rapper since her debut Idea of Beautiful and has only grown as an MC. Lailia's Wisdom was better than that, and Eve was even better than that but I believe this is her best project to date. It's easily her most personal/vulnerable and we get to see exactly where Rapsody's head is at on this album while still dazingly on the mic with her skill set. "Marlena" is a great tone setter as she raps aggressively but ultimately is trying to figure out who she is under all the bells and whistles that come with being a rapper. "Asteroids" with Hitboy is amazing and sounds like something I'll be listening to for years to come as she speaks to her greatness going underappreciated due to sexism and hate on both sides. I have a personal connection with DND(It's Not Personal) as someone who needs days where they don't interact with anyone and needs alone time I get it, if you're Rapsody I imagine that time is even more precious and special. "That One Time" is deep, personal reflective as she speaks to doing things that go against the morals she grew up with personally, experimenting sexually, seeking validation, and, love she feels she may have never gotten as a youth. It feels almost too personal but it also lets you into the human side of the artist, this is Rapsody, the type of things that make her tic, what she's going through. "Loose Rocks" is a tear-jerker, as Rapsody speaks to dealing with a family member struggling with dementia making their day and dealing with the heartbreaking reality that she may wake up one day and not remember who she is. It's devastating but again shows vulnerability and speaks to a mental health topic not discussed in rap all that much. Special. Elsewhere Rapsody shows she can go with the best of them I love her track with Wayne almost has a lo-fi sound production-wise. Both of them go crazy on the track, particularly Rapsody, I also love "He Shot Me" speaking to the pain and trauma we go through with police brutality in this country. "Back in My Bag" is a straight banger of a track and much much-needed one on the album. This album is deep, and personal and shows a lot of range as a writer for Rapsody. It's a long 22 tracks long but she carries it, her talent warrants the run time. 9/10

Vince Staples-Dark Times: Vince Staples is the 6th studio LP from Vince Staples none have his albums have been bad but he's definitely been on a run from the self-titled LP he released in 21' moving forward Rohmona Park Broke My Heart may have been even better but it wasn't played as much for me. Dark Times is a little more similar to the self-titled album, it's tighter at around 10 tracks discounting skits, intros, and outros. It finds Vince Staples really struggling between his most morbid thoughts and feelings of hopelessness and his desire to see those around him escape the traps and hellscapes they think they need to participate in. "Government Cheese" finds Vince dealing with some survivor remorse, dealing with being the only one who made it. "Shame on The Devil" is a track where you can see Vince dealing with temptation and recognizing the wrong but still falling weak to it at times. "Etouffee" finds him dealing with fans of his old music or his more street tales and criticizing that while giving it to them with this very track. "Little Homies" speaks to the youth and warns them about crashing out speaking to the idea there's value in long life. The album is personal, thoughtful, and subdued. 8/10

Tha Dogg Pound-W.A.W.G(We All We Got): This is a fun one, full of nostalgia and music to ride to. Tha Dogg Pound is back with Snoop, Rage, RBX, etc with a new album that features that classic g-funk sound. While their angst has smoothed over, it's not nearly as hardcore as Dogg Food, there are definitely bangers on here. I love the first track "Smoke Up" Daz and Kurupt come off on that well. The title cut has some of the best production on the whole album, definitely, a track I can see myself going to and returning to. There are a lot of feel-good chill tracks on this album, a lot to play and relax to on a Sunday afternoon. Still, I'm inclined to tracks with more to say I enjoy the track "Grown Up" which speaks to being too old for the violence of being active, I also appreciate "Always on My Mind" which is in dedication to those loved and lost. "Who Da Hardest" Ft Lady of Rage, RBX, and Snoop may be the crown jewel of the album, love the beat, and, each member of DPC went hard on the track. On the whole, I think this is a well-produced album from some veterans that know what they're supposed to sound like. May not blow anyone away but worth a listen. 8/10

Little Simz-Drop 7: Little Simz comes through with a short 7-track EP that sees her experimenting with some glitch-hop sounds. Skittering percussion, jittering beats, and Simz earnest vocals on these tracks. This is nothing I'd say that's particularly special compared to the previous two Little Simz projects. I enjoy the smooth swagger of I Ain't Feeling It" I also enjoy "Far Away" for its Electro&B sound. It's quick ideas that involve her experimenting and trying something new but at 14 minutes it's just a stop-gap release I think this sound could be interesting though and I think more fleshed out and powerfully produced I think Simz could do a lot with it. 7/10

Mach-Hommy-Richaxxhatian: Mach-Hommy is a New Jersey rapper of Haitian descent under the Griselda umbrella and takes cues from that sound. The beats here are dark, gritty atmospheric beats, a lot of melancholic pianos, and, off-kilter beats that make me think of grey skies and cracks in the sidewalk. A lot of the beats are lush, not uncommon for a flute or horn to come in a give it a full body feel. His style is also somewhat reminiscent of Roc Marciano's who's featured on the first tracks on the album. Mach-Hommy raps with conviction and has a nimble and fluid flow. He's a dense rhymer known for stacking internals and multi-syllabic rhymes on a beat. Most all the tracks here are great and I think thus far it's the best album I've heard not only from the Griselda camp this year but in this vein this year. I can see myself returning to this throughout the year. 8.5/10

Megan Thee Stallion- Megan: This is Megan Thee Stallion's 3rd LP. It's another great project filled with unbridled charisma, a tight flow of hunger, and unapologetic raunchiness. The album starts with "Hiss" one of the hardest songs on the project and there's a certain energy and tenacity Megan can reach on record that when hit can be some of the most entertaining in music really. She comes right behind that with "Rattle" a catchy tune with a solid hook. There's a lot of talk about dominating despite haters and really coming through triumphant despite that. There are times when Meg can fall victim to some of the same types of songs and beats and flows to the point where things can be generic. "Otako Hot Girl" is a point where Meg challenges that and leans on her love of anime, the beat is effervescent and I think it takes her to a different place flow-wise. I feel similarly bout the Yuki Chiba-assisted "Mamushi" a J-Rap bop as Megan goes for something a little different. "Accent" ft Glorilla finds Meg & Glo embracing their southern accents and style, it's a great track, and Glo's vocals cut through differently. "Paper Together" ft UGK is great Meg gets into her Tina Snow bag as she, the late Pimp C, and Bun B wax poetically about pimpin'. "Down Stairs DJ" is Megan in her bag, it's confident and sexual, authentic to who she is. Megan can give you layers and though it's not all over the place on the album, "Worthy" and "Moody" especially let you behind the curtain see the woman behind the looks, and partying to some of the things she struggles with on a day to day. I think it's a worthwhile album. Is it a little long yeah but I think ultimately you get what you want from Megan if you're into her as an artist. 8/10

Lupe Fiasco-Samurai{Off first listen}: Lupe's ninth Studio LP, this album has a jazzy sound to it, and a lot of melancholic piano chords to it. As for Lupe similar to Nas, you don't worry about Lupe lyrically, he's mostly always sharp. I love the authenticity and sound of "Palaces". "Cake" showcases not only skill but braggadocios rhymes. The album while leaning dense lyrically because that's just who Lupe is is a more easy listening than some of his past projects. Samurai is only but 8 tracks 31 minutes long neat and concise a quality addition to Lupe's catalog with a good amount of replay value.

[rubykgrant]

If all of the Reds and Blues and Freelancers played instruments, what do you think they'd all play? All I can think of is Doc/O'Malley on violin (probably gets really into it like Devil Went Down To Georgia), Sarge on trumpet (cuz bugles but can actually play it nice too), Florida on ukulele, and Maine and Locus taking up classic guitar and cello respectively for therapeutic reasons and ending up getting really into it.

Those all sound really good!

Hmm... it depends on what kind of music they're going for. I think in general, most of them haven't had the chance to really practice much music, but in season 15, we saw some of them formed a band! Carolina sings (so good), and it looked like Grif and Tucker were both on guitar, while Caboose did drums (if I remember right).

Sarge is certainly musically inclined, in regards to how much he likes to make up songs about killing stuff he doesn't like. I'm gonna say he knows how to play guitar, generally classic-rock/folk/country with what he does, but he surprises people by listening to wide range of musical genres (he's got a big collection that includes heavy metal and hip-hop). Oh, and he rocks on the harmonica!

Grif is good with guitar, and he'd probably be good on drums as well, but I'd like to think he secretly hides a gift with piano. Like, he can just naturally do really amazing/complicated pieces with ease (but when he was younger, little jerks he went to school with called that "sissy music", so he was awkward about sharing it with anybody). He's good with a uke too, and a very nice singer (again, if he's not feeling embarrassed)

Simmons WISHES he could play something like the violin or cello... but he just doesn't have rhythm, and gets too frustrated to practice properly. He doesn't have a bad voice, but he's a nervous mess if he tries to sing in front of people. He's able to get decent on the piano (with some help from Grif), and since he's a tech guy, he finds his own niche with electric keyboards (nothing too extravagant, but still very good)

Carolina is the one who had fancy music lessons when she was younger, but she's out of practice (she used to be good on clarinet and violin). She gets back into music and singing, picking up some guitar and piano... but surprises everybody by randomly deciding to get REALLY good at the harp (just to show off, haha)

Doc and O'Malley would certainly learn to play violin and fiddle, but I think they'd also practice different kinds of unique instruments; the kalimba, the tabla, the veena, the dholak, the balafon, and various types of flutes (they both also know how to make small little instruments with woodcraft; various things that Doc knows from his own traditions and heritage). They also are very good singers, Doc being especially into acapella/using voices to simulate instruments (though, O'Malley tends to ham it up for "villain" songs~)

Kai is more into mixing music, creating beats, maybe making something new with samples, and she is a killer DJ (dance music, electronica, techno remixes, and all similar variations. she's pretty good at changing up the "tone" of a song, but still keeping the melody strong)

Church is kinda-sorta good at a few things, but nothing he's invested in/practices often. However, he's pretty good at writing songs when he can focus on it (the Fragments all help, and they have a variety of musical genres they are into)

Tex is also OK with certain instruments, but not especially passionate to play anything often (she can sing though, but is the opposite of Carolina, who tends to lean toward more energetic songs. Tex will sing lower and slower)

Wash learned how to play the recorder in middle school. He can also play a kazoo, and can shake a tambourine on the beat. That's about it... with some help, he's OK on drums (he likes to back-up sing/harmonize with other people rather than sing solo)

Caboose is good on drums, he can put all his energy into making a strong rhythm! He's also good on various horns/brass and woodwinds, and really vibes with free-form jazz

Donut gets more caught-up with performing, he loves two come up with songs, sing and dance. He mostly likes pop-rock, but gets into other genres occasionally (he knows how to play the melodica very well). His big dream is to write a bunch of musicals~

Tucker is very good at different kinds of guitar, and he's a great singer as well (he didn't think he'd be into it, but just for practice, he tries out some classical/opera, and he's actually VERY impressive, he can project his voice very well and change the tone/pitch easily, and so he plays around merging old-school stuff with newer themes of music)

Locus hasn't had time for music in years... but he learned how to play different things as a kid; quena, siku, and some percussion instruments

Lopez can play basically anything he wants. People outside the loop will think it is just because he's a robot, and is therefore "copying" music that is already recorded... but Lopez will combine two completely different instruments and use them together in ways most people couldn't think of (he also leans toward very sappy loves songs, inspired by his adoration for Sheila~)

I don't have too many thoughts for the Freelancers... but if they could have had a different life path, York would probably have done well in a boy band, and South would have been a punk-rock star~

[lulu931]

[shoiru]

It’s Al! I was trying a different art style. ^^

[crusader-beats]

Beat Instrumental - Twilight - Piano Hip-Hop Type Beat 2024

[lordmayokcorner]

NCT 127 Regular-Irregular - Album Review

-- Image: MTV --

NCT 127 is actually a group I found through LOONA’s live cover of Cherry Bomb. I loved LOONA’s performance and the song so much I decided to check out some more NCT 127. I haven’t listened to all of their albums yet, but I know a good amount of their stuff. This album is split into side A, Regular, and side B, Irregular. Note that this is the original version, not the repackage.

I’ll listen to each song 3 times and rate them afterward. Each song will be rated on a scale of 1-10 with 5 being completely neutral, 1 being my least favorite song, and 10 being the best songs ever. Please take my rating with a grain of salt, my goal is to be honest, no hate :)

City 127 - 6

Clean piano chords, varied percussion, and smooth bass form the beginning of this song. Paired with almost hushed vocals, this song really sets the mood for the Regular side of this album. It feels very Bruno Mars, almost a campfire song vibe. Somewhat repetitive and dry, but that’s to be expected with an intro song. Vocals are not top notch, but the vibe is there for sure. I overall like this song.

Regular (Korean Version) - 7

This song takes the same subdued energy from City 127 and puts a fun spin on it. The beat is relaxed but playful. Verses aren’t spectacular but the chorus slaps holy f*ck. It has the same sort of bad*ss energy as AUTOMATIC by Chancellor or We Go Up by fellow subunit NCT Dream. It has a very strong movie soundtrack feel, in a good way. Unfortunately, the rhymes and vocal rhythms are not as good as the English version for once in kpop, so it loses some of its charm. For that reason I’ll have to lower its score.

Replay (PM 01:27) - 8

Another track that could be described as both energetic and relaxed. That mood combined with the distant vocal chops and stab synth remind me of LOONA’s Heat from XX. Both songs remind me a decent bit of Diplo’s production. Both are produced by highly esteemed names in kpop: Heat by Daniel Caesar (Red Flavor, New) and Replay by LDN Noise (Jopping, Dumb Dumb). All tangents aside, this song is great and feels iconic, though its similarity to so many songs makes it somewhat ‘done’ already. Despite that, its hype is undeniable.

Knock On - 8

Soft electric piano and pitched vocal chops set a calm, spacey vibe for this R&B ballad. This song feels as if you’re driving slowly down a country road with the windows down on a cool summer night. Perfect 10 by Red Velvet, that’s what I see in this song. Smooth, nurturing, and beautiful. Occasionally, use of autotune can be excessive, but mostly the vocals are beautiful. Lacks some excitement, but certainly soft and incredibly textured. A great track.

No Longer - 4

Minimalist R&B tinged classical instrumentation sets the stage for soft and sweet vocals. This song is a full-on ballad. Personally I tend to not be impressed by classic ballads. I generally want a bit of flair in these types of songs. That said, the vocals are quite nice in this song, and the slow build feels quite cinematic. Not my cup of tea exactly but a beautiful song no less.

Interlude: Regular to Irregular - 6.5

I know this isn’t exactly a full on song, as it’s an interlude, but I figured I should include it anyway. This song continues the classical vibe of No Longer but removes the R&B aspect. It’s as if from Knock On to this interlude there is a slow transition between R&B and classical ballad. Holy sh*t! About half way in we switch to Side B Irregular and WOW. It’s immersive, dark, hip hop inspired beat is stunning. The 6.5 score is an average between a 5 for the first half and an 8 for the second.

My Van - 7.5

Dark and frightening, this icy cold beat sets the stage for some incredibly smooth rapping from Taeyong and Mark. The sharp high pitched synth mixed with the low bass are a daring combo that work together perfectly. The deep echo and experimental dark remind me of The Weeknd’s first mixtapes. Can feel a bit “swampy” because of how tripped out it is. Good song though.

Come Back - 9

We’re bringing back the gritty synth from Regular to Irregular. It’s much more approachable than the interlude however, though still an intense song. These are matched with the harmonized low-pass filtered plucks for some ear candy juxtaposition. It actually feels quite a bit like Puzzle, the Charli Taft produced b-side off Choerry’s solo release. Generally a Charli Taft vibe with the synth sounds. In particular the verses are infectiously groovy. 

Fly Away With Me - 7.5

The instrumentals at the very beginning are relatively the same from My Van, but this song utilizes them completely differently. The song could be characterized as a high energy ballad. It has a certain quality, best described as a slow driving force. Between the harmony choices and the smooth but energetic feel to it, this song gives Red Velvet to me. I generally like this song.

Regular (English Version) - 8

Not only does this song slap, the english version is actually better than the Korean version. There are so many hilarious slang references and memeable lyrics. Doesn’t quite fit the Irregular vibe, but who cares.

Run Back 2 U (Bonus Track) - 6

Autotune at the beginning is a bit off-puttingly strong. Because of this and the lack of change in the music, the verses aren’t extremely impressive. I believe this isn’t the first time I’ve referenced Love Cherry Motion, but this song really reminds me of it. Smooth and soft turns into hard hitting and bad*ss. The different parts of the song could be slightly more coherent however. The rap parts remind me of My Van once again. Seems to be a motif on the Irregular side. Solid but not amazing.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed listening to this album! I love the concept of the Regular and Irregular sides. It feels like a throwback to the record days, with the A side and B side. I would say I preferred the sound of the Irregular side, partially just because, as the name suggests, it is certainly somewhat irregular in kpop, particularly songs like My Van and the interlude between sides. I really loved the gritty synths and driving feel to all of the Irregular songs. I would give this album an overall score of 7.5. Some songs were amazing and some were decent, but I didn't really dislike anything. If the ratings didn’t make it clear, my favorite song off this record is Come Back. It really reminds me of Ay-Yo from the 4th album repackage. This album shows that NCT 127 is a very, very versatile group and can dial in many different styles. Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!

- Maya

[vanildamusic]

💵  Purchase | Instant Delivery: https://bsta.rs/4ced0cbbc 🌐  Website:  https://vanildamusic.beatstars.com/ ➕  Subscribe: https://goo.gl/GoRsTv ✉️ Email: vanildamusic@gmail.com

[FREE] Dr. Dre x Nino Man x Nipsey Hussle Type Beat "MAKE AN ORDER"  Piano Rap Hip-Hop Instrumental Produced by Vanilda Music

My Social Media:

► Beat Store: https://vanildamusic.beatstars.com/ ► Soundcloud -  https://soundcloud.com/vanilda ► Twitter -  https://twitter.com/vanilda_music ► Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/vanildamusic ► Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vanildamusic/ ► VK - https://vk.com/vanildamusic

Tags: #DrDreTypebeat #NinoManTypeBeat #hiphopbeats

[david-gonzo]

Tons a great new music this year, with last year's personal hip hop revival continuing strong. While I found several new metal bands (pretty much all death metal) this year, none were strong enough to crack my top ten.

Black Thought + Danger Mouse – Cheat Codes

After over 15 years “in the making,” Danger Mouse and Black Thought’s joint album came out this year and to my ears lives up to the hype.  Sounding like a lost time capsule from the past, thanks in large part to DM’s fuzzy soul beats, gives the whole affair a timeless classic sound.  Black Thought’s voice carries intelligent authority weaving lyrical webs that prove once again that he is one of the GOATs.  And to top it all off a killer DOOM verse from beyond the grave on Belize (calling back the great goofy Adultswim sponsored Mouse and the Mask Danger Mouse/DOOM collab with a Black Thought feature…full circle). 

Bjork – Fossora

This is the Bjorkest Bjork has ever Bjorked.  To me it feels like this album, more so than any other one, is built using all the tools learned from her endless experimentations over the last 30 years.  She described this as a dancing alone in your room type of album, which is very true…though I’ve danced all around my house to it.  The breadth of instrumentation and seamless blending styles on this album is truly stunning: strings, woodwinds, brass, choirs, and electronica.  She used all her tools available to make her most immersive album yet.  With it being her “mushroom” album, it does feel grounded, but in an alien way.  Like we are shrunk down to near microscopic sizes, experiencing the world as worms or single cellular creatures…reacting to the natural symphonies of the wind, and the dirt and the bugs.  Fossora is about the connection of all things on a molecular level, and while to me it feels like a cumulative achievement, I know that to Bjork it’s just another album on her journey, just as important as each one before and each one after.  I love Bjork.

Zola Jesus - Arkhon

I feel such a connection with this album, perhaps because I got to see parts of her process during the pandemic as we got Patreon updates.  Musically its such a leap in so many ways, production being one of the big things.  The sound is big and mixed to perfection and having turned her tracks over to a session drummer and bassist to evolve, these songs became big pop art tracks.  Could prove to be a major step in her evolution as she’s typically been a self-produced artist in the past, and has probably grown all she can within that limitation for the time being.  And yet the highlight is the simply beautiful acoustic piano and voice track, Desire.  A milestone of an album for an artist still evolving and finding herself 10+ years into her career.

Boris – W

This year Boris celebrated their 30th anniversary as a band by releasing 3 phenomenal albums, each within three of their main stylistic areas: heavy rock, drone metal and experimental ambientish psychedelic freakout.  W, serves in part as somehow cleaning up the loose threads from last year’s thrash punk masterpiece NO (NO + W=NOW, get it?), but also stands on its own as a psychedelic vibe.  Floating on waves of feedback, tentacles of terror grasp from the darkness but fade to smoke upon hearing a siren’s song across the ocean din.  A few tracks of dirge doom accentuate the journey towards the end, but overall, it’s a pleasant place to sink into…a sensory deprivation chamber in audio form.  

Venom Prison – Erebus

Venom Prison already have a history of taking giant evolutionary steps with each album and Erebus is no exception with this being the first solid step toward crossover potential.  The riffs are still progressively putrid, and the punishing primal screams of Larissa Stupar still gut wrenching, conveying intelligent expressions of anger at various forms of toxic male behaviors/drawing parallels with Greek mythology.  On Pain of Oizys, Larissa shows off her clean goth rock vocals with the trip hop style of the track still ending up a great introduction to the band with the powerful stadium death metal ending.  The production choices were brilliant, crystal-clear drums and leads, the crunch always solid…just perfect modern production for technical death metal, with colorful flashes of ambient tones lending to ominous transitions throughout.  Another chapter in what seems certain to be a legendary career.

Action Bronson – Cocodrillo Turbo

I’ve been a casual fan of Action for a while, but mostly for his cooking and “Watching Ancient Alien” shows, up until a few years ago when I really gave his music a chance and became a fan.  On Crocodilo, his charisma is on full display, which combined with a ridiculous sense of style, peppering his clever wordplay with absurd morsels of teenage humor makes for a nonstop laugh fest.  But the secret weapon is the psychedelic journey through the wilderness that is the beats.  The whole thing is only 30 minutes long, but it’s lean with no filler.  Every sound and nonsensical skit serves to keep you moving on the roller coaster ride.  This album just gets me hype and laughing at the same time.  Start a party off with this to set the tone for the evening.  Turbo.  Turbo.

Willi Carlisle – Peculiar, Missouri

Finding Willi is all thanks to KJHK, where I think I’d heard Vanlife a few times before I finally paid attention and immediately checked out his latest album.  This is Great Plains folk music, with dashes of country in the proper proportions.  He’s a helluva songwriter able to cover all kinds of topics with a down home genius philosophy.  Great road album for sure, with lots of great story songs to make you think.

Zeal & Ardor – Zeal & Ardor

Z&A are a meme band that turned out to be good, mostly in the beginning on the strength of founder Manuel Gagneux’s musical talents.  Now on their third album Manuel is able to fully write for himself through the “gimmick” of the band, and the results are vastly elevated as a result.  Sure, there’s plenty of fire and brimstone Satan blues metal pageantry on this self-titled effort, but Zeal & Ardor have become a fully fledged road tested band with some great songs backing them up.  There are some obvious nu metal batches on the bands sleeve, used in the most tasteful head banging ways possible here, giving rounder edges to some of the jagged black metal influences driving the riffage.

Tyler Childers – Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven

I certainly had reservations when I learned that Tyler’s new album would be gospel leaning, but upon hearing it I realized I had heard almost all the songs before during his 2-night live stream from Red Rocks…and they’re all great songs.  Just feel good, down home country church music expertly performed by his top notch band, probably one of the best country bands on stage right now.  They’re tighter than rusty lug nuts, especially the drummer…picture a country Buddy Miles cement mixing the back beat with deft precision.  I will say that I rarely listen to the 2nd big band gospel or 3rd ambient triphop versions of the songs and stick to the Hallelujah versions which seem to be the definitive to my ears.  Can’t wait to see him next summer in St. Louis.  Fuck you Ticketmaster.

Boris – Heavy Rocks 2022

Boris’ 28th studio album, the 3rd one titled Heavy Rocks, and their 2nd album on this year’s list.  Boris’ interpretation of 70s proto-metal, fist pumping anthems with synthesized horn blasts driving the already muscle car riffing tracks, over the edge into turbo overdrive.  Boris are still at the height of their powers and I can’t imagine what they’ll do next. 

Special Mention:

JPEGmafia – Offline (EP)

This EP was really just the original mixes of tracks he couldn’t get on his LP! album last year due to uncleared samples, and got a ton of play from me.  It was yet another reminder not to sleep on artists singles and EP work as I tend to give weighted favor to full length albums.  But it also gives me an excuse to talk about how monumental seeing him this past October was.  He was so into his music, riding his beats and having a good time along with the crowd.  I’ve been a huge fan of him for years but seeing what he does live was enlightening…like unlocking some mod code to his music and ingraining it into my psyche even more.  I could listen to little else after seeing him for a few months and still spin something from him daily.  Peggy’s music is the closest thing to capturing what the inside of my brain sounds like, while being able to soothe out panic attacks and stress like a magic antidote.  You think you know me, indeed.

Honorable mentions:

Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

Khruanggbin – Ali

Death’s Dynamic Shroud – Darklife

All Them Witches – Baker’s Dozen

Mike Baggetta/Jim Keltner/Mike Watt – Everywhen We Go

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio – Cold as Weiss

Universally Estranged - Dimension of Deviant Clusters

Sedimentum – Suppuration Morphogenesiaque

Tombs – Ex Oblivion (EP)

Blood Incantation – Timewave Zero

Freddie Gibbs – Soul Sold Separately

Jon Spencer and the Hitmakers - Spencer Gets Lit

Dead Cross - II

Bill Frisell /w Gregory Tardy/Jonathan Blake/Gerald Clayton – Four

Plaid – Feorm Falorx

Casket Grinder – Sepulchral Trip

[vitaminwaterreviews]

Young Posse - Ate That

As usual, Young Posse do not disappoint. I was a bit skeptical when I saw that it was only four songs long, but when they’re four really good songs, I guess I don’t mind. I don’t really have much else to type, it was a short album so there’s not a lot to say. Check out my comments on the individual songs if you care, but I feel like Umbrella might be one of my favorite kpop songs ever at some point in time. Ate That is certainly one of my favorite music videos already. Average score of 9.0, damn right.

- I’ve seen the music video and listened to the title track quite a bit today. But let’s do the whole EP start to finish now.

Loading…

Well this isn’t the Young Posse sound that I’ve come to expect

That organ does give us hints of hip hop

Lol wait what is this

Oh okay we are in fact going to rap

The piano makes this beat go So hard

I think I just heard a bit of trumpet in my right ear

Are they saying “808”? Funny if true

9/10

Ate That

10/10, I’m just gonna give it the rating and then go watch the MV undisturbed by having to type

Bananas

Lol what the fuck

I don’t know how I feel about that voice in the background

“Skrrrt’

I feel like I’d need to see the lyrics to properly form an opinion of this song

7/10

Umbrella

Yooooo wait is it time for a Young Posse ballad??

Ugh dude a hip hop beat over a piano line is seriously just the best thing of all time ever

Or is the piano line over the hip hop beat?

Are we getting harmonies? From Young Posse?

The nice thing is their vocals aren’t too processed, so they could hypothetically sing this live

Y’know what, fuck it

10/10