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whatscoolaccordingtodom · 6 years

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July 2018

As winter nyasto settles into the Southern Hemisphere, I can’t help but think that maybe we’re doing something wrong and whoever has been in charge of the weather these past few years is mad. Our ancestors wore nothing but a bit of hide over their groins 365 days a year, my great-great grandfather never slept inside anything his whole life. They say on particularly cold nights, his family would come down from the hills to sleep around his fire, where he would sit there playing his mbira into the wee hours.

Umphako floated down to us on the 6thof July and I’ve been Mascandi through the streets ever since. The 4 track EP sees most of the songs go in different directions, but still make sense on the overall project. “Abangani” features label mates Emtee and Saudi, it’s definitely in the running for Squad Song of the Year. The “Confession” sample sounds like it was taken from an old hip-hop song, maybe a 50 Cent track and; the vocals though beautiful as they may be are overshadowed by the lyrics. I’m sure a few Zulu boys are convinced though. “Intombi” -also about a girl- talksis about all the lies she hears from interested suiters. The remaining is the hustle track, even the production is more upbeat than we’re used to from him. 2018 has been good to Sjava too, he came out from under the shadow of his labelmate and established himself as a serious contender with the Black Panther nod, BET award, and oh so Afrikan press run; this EP serves to show he’s still the guy who gave us favourites like “Before”. At least for now...

Strings and Blings is one half songs that can be bangers and the other is half is talking RnB. Nasty C’s on and off long-time girlfriend is kind of like the centerpiececentre piece, often finding herself being spoken to, of, from, about, and with; but he uses inconsistent angles. (Also, S/O to the girl who always sings on his songs but never gets credited). “No Respect” is my favourite offering on the project by far, it sounds like it was getting good, like he was about to rip at niggers, he’s about to start going in at the 1-minute mark then the just stops.; Tthe track ends 25 seconds later preventing what probably would’ve been a PR nightmare for him. “Jiggy Jigga”, “Givenchy”, “Strings and Bling” and “Gravy” are all easy plays in the club. We would like to thank Nasty for saying a Zulu word on “Blisters”. The whole album plays very well except for “My Baby”, that song is terribly cheesy; it sounds like every song by a boy band with a potty mouth lead singer. “SMA” is a standout from the other side, the dialogue verse’s add a layer to the rapper and Rowlene is just perfect. “Mrs Me” and “Everything” are the other emotionally heavy songs. “Casanova” cements just how much Nasty loves Metro Boomin and is perhaps the one track that doesn’t really fit into the 2 sides of album, it sounds emotional, but the lyrics really just aren’t.

A welcome addition to my favourite rappers in South Africa is Zakwe, he’s been around for a while but Cebisa is the first project by him I’ve listened to and honestly, it carries itself even without Sebentin. In true South African fashion, the remix is a who’s who of our rap elite but it’s all overshadowed by the obvious trade of bars by HHP and Cassper., Cass just seems to rub some people the wrong way, poor guy. At 20 songs, averaging well over 3 minutes each. The album is a long play but it’s well worth the listen, with a plethora of features to keep you entertained it plays like a Zakwe and friends playlist. The man himself has honed his sound, this nonchalant cross between hip-hop and kwaito is best described by the albums stand out line “Pac was Jesus, Zola wrote the Bible”. He isn’t stuck in old hip hop either, trap beats found themselves nestled in the playlist too.

Future gave us Beast Mode 2 and I am satiated, but Atlanta spoils us (I have a theory about how it had a direct influence on how music is frequently now released), they understand that the streets need new music often. Jeffery needs to give us something more now since Hear No Evil was a while ago and it was 3 songs long. Future seems to be the only one of late who can get Young Thug into the studio too., Tthey did release Georgia, but a Thug feature was not on the cards for BM2 which really only has 2 features, both young artists who were given a wide berth to shine. People who say Future isn’t a lyricist need to take time out to listen to the first Beast Mode. On these albums over Zaytovens most almost gospel like production, he addresses a wide range of issues from his self-medicating drug problem, he checks himself trying to hold onto some sense of reality I think, but he makes it so that you have to listen to know what he’s saying. Being a workaholic -the man releases projects at an alarming rate- and the excess that seems to come with the life of having your “Racks Blue”, he talks about his anxieties both external and psychological. BM2 is the classic mix of Futures braggadocio and insecurities. It plays like one long thing the first time, but if you take the time to listen to what he’s saying you might realise why his spot amongst those at the top of rap is a non-debatable topic.

Unjayam uSliqe… this calling card annoyed me when I first heard it, but it’s kinda grown on me since then. I know I’m about to hear a hit when it plays. His sophomore album is a shining example of how hip-hop albums by DJ’s have evolved into their own league. Jam packed with features, feel good songs, and amazing production from the man himself, I don’t know if he just makes the beats and let’s people do their own thing or if he composes and directs each song, maybe he does a bit of both. The formula works, Navy Black is like a calm afternoon with your friends, most of the songs share a skeleton, so the vibe is carried well. “Biskop” is a fitting way to begin the album, it’s an ode to how the journey Sliqe, Kwesta and Makwa has transformed the artists’ lives since they started hustling, when is a Kwesta verse not welcome? Chiano Sky is the new naughty white girl, “Aunty” was nice, but “Girls Jungle” is a lot; the sample is so perfect and her lyrics are irreverent. Sy Ari saw Black Panther 5 times, I was going to discuss this but then I found out he’s American; him and AKA really came through for “Oh Well” though, Supa Mega talks like the big brother all young rappers have always wanted. I’m kind of torn between “Fully” (because we get to say FULLY a bunch of times), and “Town Talk”, it’s cool to see Wrecking Crew members make hits without their big gun. “Backyard” is the vibe of the album, and who better to call for a feature than Mr Hennessy, Tshego can sound like him featuring him with the different pitches he can sing at; it’s smooth and never overly emotional?

Gigi Lamayne, in her short time has built an enviable career finding her place in the league of our small handful of rappers. “VI” is a 6 track EP, her first since signing with Ambitious and it was built kind of like this version Maslow'sMaslows pyramid.; Tthe top is tiny and signifies the worst song as we descend into the album the sections get thicker until the bottom where we find “VI” waiting for us. The tape gets much better immediately with “Iphupho”, this song see’s the artist sing her truths about living in this concrete jungle while demanding to cash in on her dreams. “Roll” is dirtier, real trap shit reminiscent of “Beez in The Trap”. “Stimela” is fun, Gigi even gets in some good raps and punchlinespunch lines, a highlight being “I’m Gautrain, you Shosholoza”. “VI” is really easy listening, with a light sprinkling of zulu lines, the beats are catchy but maybe none more so than “Twinkle”; “Londie London” croons the memorable chorus and Gigi offers her most solid verses on the project. Until you hear the title track, she does the correct thing on the outro; no chorus, shit she barely lets it breathe until the last minute.

Ice Prince is an established name in Afrikan hip-hop and his confidence oozes out of his songs too. A few of them seem to be more about weed than anything else in particular and I’m okay with that. The albums opening track is a bass heavy banger, with the help of Jethro Faded, Ice-Prince “Shuts it Down”, which might be a weird way to start an album. Remy Baggins comes through for “Space Funk”, a Bruno Mars-y chorus with solid verses by Ice. “Hit Me Up” is the albums single, a typical South African trap track, PatricKxxLee & Straffitti help bring the head nods out. “‘Interlude”’ is his way of letting us know that this is the emotional track of the album and “Die For Your Love” does not disappoint, mans really promises to die for her love; but doesn’t miss the opportunity to mention weed again. I think I noticed all the weed references because of how frequently and prominently most of them are placed. “254” has one right in the chorus, but the verses are some of the most enjoyable on the whole album; they play like one long story. The uncredited singing bit at the end of “254″ is really nice, if that is Ice then kudos to him. “So High”, seriously, has Ice Prince always been this proud about his stoner ways? Anyways, “So High” is an anthem dedicated to just how high Ice Prince and Kay Switch get. By the sounds of it they use regular rizla and not Raw like Nasty C and Snoop Dogg, I might suggest switching to unbleached rizla if he really does smoke from Niger to Ghana. I mean, it’s an obvious metaphor for other kinds of highs too, success, girls, etc, but with the sound effects and lines like “puff puff pass, real nigger smoking that gas” the weed references might be all we get. “Watching You” is a simpler, way more vibey track where Ice Prince gets back onto his singing shit, helping keep the song as smooth as possible. The album closer is arguably the best, the production is really enjoyable, and he made sure to use easy to remember lyrics.

In The Faculty NEWS; on August 2, Human Error turned 19 and Tinayeishe Elisha Makoni better known by his stage name S.K.eye released his debut solo tape titled “Pseudology”. Please listen to it on Soundcloud @ https://soundcloud.com/tinayemakoni/sets/pseudology

Couldn’t leave without acknowledging Stay Dangerous and Astroworld, but that’s for later.

Beyonce and her husband are coming on the 2nd of December, but you have to earn a ticket. The only other ticket you work this hard to get in life is the one to Heaven, if you’re into that type of thing.

Edited by @NyraBlac

#Umphako Sjava Stringsandbling Nastyc SaB Zakwe Cebisa Future BM2 BeastMode2 #Navy DJSlique GigiLamayne VI #IcePrince Cold #S.K.eye Pseudology TheFaculty YG StayDangerous TravisScott Astroworld NyraBlac

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whatscoolaccordingtodom · 6 years

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June 2018

June is the beginning of summer in the Northern hemisphere. American artists traditionally begin touring around this time with many of them even kicking off their world tours with a new album to promote because it just makes marketing sense. Initially I was going to write only about the G.O.O.D Music releases and how interesting this 7-song album every week for 5 weeks concept is, but “Conspiracy Theory” Dom could not ignore the spice brought in by The Carters, or the instant classic by AKA. June produced a definite shift in the way albums are released with many of the bigger artists opting for fewer songs. Select artists are also shying from promoting runaway bubblegum singles and then putting them on their albums in the name of sales; a more cohesive amount of plays-per-song is being favoured, proving artistry beyond the ability to make radio bangers bringing Tyler the Creator and Mashayabuqe to mind.

Starting on the 25th of May with Pusha T’s – Daytona. The G.O.O.D music President who has crafted a respectable roster, most recently signing Valee and 070 Shake who both released their debut tapes under G.O.O.D Music earlier this year, titled GOOD Job You Found Me and Glitter respectively. 070 Shake features on “Santaira”, singing the chorus, which is almost haunting. Push has built a career off his dark braggadocio cocaine inspired raps, almost every song is layered with references to or stories about cocaine, he also happens to be a top-tier lyricist with a respectable stash of flows. Daytona saw him stay very much in his lane on top of crisp Kanye produced beats, definitely falling in the top half of his discography, yet really left me wondering what King Push would’ve sounded like? “What Would Meek Do” is a highlight as well as “Hard Piano”, but it’s “Infrared” that landed the Drake publicity assist. He was baited, causing him to release the “Duppy Freestyle” where he attacked Kanye and Push’s fiancé, “The Story Of Adidon” in response held no punches. It is said Drake recorded a career ending reply, which he was advised to not release, it was then hinted the song would be released on Scorpion, but we never got it; a disappointing end to entertaining beef.

Same day as Daytona, New York’s favourite son and leader of the A$AP Mob, A$AP Rocky released his released third official album titled Testing. In my mind’s eye it’s less of Rocky trying new sounds and exploring the boundaries of rap, and more of him putting in an honest effort and staying true to the sounds of Harlem. A$AP Rocky is a rapper’s rapper who dabbles in fashion and takes on the fulltime gig of being his New York based mob’s front man. His influence pool has grown expanding his signature style. He’s been forced to grow up over the past few years, on “Changes” he speaks about exes moving on, getting married and having kids and on the album addresses sexual harassment which various mob members have been accused of. Anyone who’s been paying attention must have noticed that Rocky really gets along with OF frontmen Tyler and Frank, and of late him and Frank Ocean have collaborating quite a bit with “Purity” as a fitting addition to their growing joint catalogue. “Praise Da Lord” is the albums highlight, following the trend of featuring Skepta -as if the UK has no other fire rappers- Rocky crafts a banger that’s well worth the listen.

June 1st saw Kanye West his release his 8th solo album. Starting with the haunting “I Thought of Killing You”, the song/album is in line with his experimental journey with Hip-Hop and his influence, a journey which has seen him gain and lose millions of fans in waves. The ebbs and flows of public acceptance every changing, in his most recent efforts however has without doubt been the most controversial and most irreversible with millions vowing to boycott Ye after his slavery statement on TMZ. The album is filled with what seems to be snapshots of Kanye’s life in 2018 much like TLOP did in ’16. It is the snapshot of a rebellious boy with white in his beard, three kids, a supermodel wife, and a company destined to be worth $1bn dollars (in his own words). Kanye is no longer the weird beat making kid who wanted a chance, he has grown into an attention grabbing, outspoken erratic who is learning to apologise for his mistakes. “Violent Crimes”, one of the most talked about songs on the album is just a father trying to give his daughter a relevant song in 2018 that hides none of the truths. This made Ye come off as questionable, wishing his daughter has a terrible figure so niggers won’t ogle her. Ye is the story of Spider Man, except he never listened when uncle Ben told him “With great power, comes great responsibility”, he’s had to learn that for himself the hard way. Now at 41 years old, the artist seems to be settling into his place in the world, but is it too late for the black guy who shares dragon energy with Donald Trump? TLOP’s most underrated song was “Highlights”, here too the beautiful “Butterfly” goes almost unnoticed.

One week later on the 8th of June, every G.O.O.D Music fans most impossible dream came true. Most of the original dream team and a plethora of others came together for an unforgettable classic where they also addressed mental health issues. Laying confidently on top of obscure samples and Kanye’s over the top production is a project with simple lyrics but a strong message. Kid Cudi sees his return to G.O.O.D Music, of course he has appeared on every Kanye album since the 808 album, but this is more. The Kudi Sees Ghosts album, in typical Ye fashion was a credit mess, no doubt a law suit or two will spring from the 2018 G.O.O.D Fridays after wave. Mos Def features in the title song and gives a striking verse which is very relevant in the African context; “Civilisation without society” is a dream many Africans have, but would never dare to say out loud.

On this side of the pond, Potchefstroom based creative collective, The Faculty dropped their debut tape What Do We Call This released exclusively on Soundcloud June 8th. Find them on Youtube and Soundcloud @TheFacultyWorldWide.

Future released his soundtrack for the movie Superfly. This project highlights his talent beyond making songs, it saw him craft a playlist where you can almost imagine the movie even if you hadn’t seen the trailer.

June 15 was heavy with releases starting with the North’s favourite son, uBaba kaKairo released his 4th and final album Touch My Blood an interesting take on long projects. AKA gave us 16 enjoyable songs. The Supa Mega’s biggest irk is his need to place outdated runaway singles on his albums in the name of sales, to his credit the rest of the songs on this particular album were not mere fillers, they bang. “Fela in Versace” is a definite highlight. “Jika” will eventually find it’s place in the South African Wedding Song Hall of Fame alongside legends like “Marry Me”, sidenote on how AKA is actually fixated on making songs for this strange demographic. It’d be nice to hear what Touch My Blood would’ve been without “Caiphus Song” and “The World is Yours”. In true bitch with long nails fashion, AKA dragged and mocked his enemies the whole way through his project. Relief came in the form of his many features, picking and choosing from the elite few from home and giving us his now to be expected Nigerian fire feature from Kiddominant; anyone remember Burna Boy’s big local break? I must also note that L-Tido was better than decent on “Amen”, it wasn’t earth moving or anything, just didn’t dislike it. Stogie T is a solid rapper, but he failed to show it in the “Star Signs” music video, it kind of makes the song hard to like now since the video was ruined by his awkward visuals.

The spirit of the youth going independent and doing things their own way is best embodied by The Wrecking Crew Collective. A Reece brought it and 2 of his friends for L3 (Long Lost Letters), with his Wrecking Crew mates Ecco and Wordz, they deliver a compact project, filled with jabs at exes and haters. B T P H a graphic ode to P**y,[NDW1] is so smooth and sees the rappers trade lines almost like a freestyle session. A-Reece takes time out to throw jabs at Nasty C, and we’ll absolutely see them returned on Friday the 6th of July when he releases his album. “Better Daze” is a stand out track for it’s message, it’s really just a group of friends who are happy their Youtube page hit 1 million views, a relatable goal currently being pursued by many African youths in the hopes that Youtube will give them the income the job market so clearly won’t

Jay Rock released his 3rd album, titled Redemption saw the TDE artist who is currently on tour with his label mates release a Kendrick assisted album. As usual Kendrick handed him his single with a bow tied, and even a memorable Future feature in the form of “Kings Dead”. This album is filled with enjoyable tracks though, the title song sees SZA and Kendrick come through while the clever “OSOM” features J Cole. But “WIN” takes the cake, the track is infectious and easy to remember but doesn’t come off as a pop single. The album is well structured paying homage to the traditional album layout, but it is carried by Rocks talent and the Kendrick assists.

Nasir had one job. Be better than 4:44, that’s all. In many ways Nas achieved this goal, the production was tailored to let him shine and his lyrics were well thought out, if at times a bit conspiracy theory-ish, somebody can somebody say not for radio? Nas has refreshed himself, we are given a similar message but we do not get bogged down in the typical patterns of his previous works. The disappointing release of this album reflects how men with abuse allegations are treated in current times, showing quite fairly that women are no longer sitting on the side lines and that abuse in the music industry can no longer be tolerated. The album didn’t do so well in the first week but the core fan base came through allowing many of the artists in this category enjoy Gold and Platinum status for their latest releases, it seems we can only be outraged and boycott when the hashtag agrees not when it actually matters.

My favourite by far in the pettiness series is from House Carter, directly from King Beyonce when she said “HOVA, BEYZUS. WATCH THE THRONE”, I shouldn’t have to explain how petty this line is. These jabs saw The Carters rain on Kanye’s G.O.O.D Fridays roll-out and Nas’ album by releasing their project on Saturday the 16th of June, the day after Nasir was released. Some sort of pleasure was found in the fact that their album with all its drama was still not able to secure the Number 1 spot that week. Everything is Love is the final chapter of a ‘true’ story we all lived out with The Carters as they threw stones in their glass house. If Lemonade opened the can of worms, 4:44 let us know that Jay was owning his situation; Everything is Love is their victory lap around Tidal subscribers and ticket purchaser’s cheque books. I mean, releasing a joint album while already on tour, they could potentially redo venues with a different show. Talk about the dream team. “I want you to come inside right now, so you know just how I feel”, B always uses lyrics that her more innocent listeners can sing along to in oblivious abandon, but on this album, she also finds time to make Jay-z a bitch not just at that cringe worthy moment on “Love Happy”, the rest of the song more than makes up for it, but still. In terms of delivery, her rap game is fire. On “Nice”, the Jay-Z verse is him at his usual braggadocio self, it’s the pleasant feature from Pharrell that tells on how his voice has improved over the years, it’s only that high note that separated them; where Beyoncé took it in her stride. Skateboard P had to bring in the autotune; she managed to out rap Jay and to no one’s surprise, out sing Pharrell, on one song. Jigga Boo is upset that the faceless award givers now consider him too old for consideration, perhaps it’s time for him to join their ranks. I mean, how many Grammy’s is enough Grammy’s? He’s also tired of being famous which also gets him sued, Hov is so tired infact, that he shows up now to court without a suit, that’s when he does show up to court.

Keep That Same Energy, a line seemingly borrowed from Ye’s Wouldn’t Leave, really showed what the team at G.O.O.D Music had to go through to finish the series off strong, after Kanye took it upon himself to bite off more than they could collectively chew. Mike Dean, Ye’s producer of choice went on a drip after KTSE was released, exhaustion we’ll assume. Teyana’s album was the one I feared for most, having never heard an album from her before, but loving all of her contributions since joining G.O.O.D, notably the songs she appeared on for Cruel Winter; I was ready for Kanye to be tired and bring out a less than great album, and at first listen I thought I was right. The 7-song structure was bumped up to 9, and the songs themselves are generally quite low energy. BUT boy was I wrong, KTSE is RnB, it manages to house tracks with interesting messages like “No Manners” and “Hold On” while sexually inspired ballades like “3 Ways” ft Ty Dollar $ign make one reminisce on old RnB. It’s a fitting coming out party for the mother of one and wife of Iman, the 2 characters who feature quite prominently in her work, it’s almost as if she made the songs for them. I don’t know her personally, but I feel like Teyana has a lot of faith in Kanye, waiting all these years to bring out her album, I’d say it was worth it. As she herself says on “Young Love”, she isn’t just a musician, and I mean come on; who hasn’t enjoyed watching her dance? The album stays true to Kanye’s theme of Love, “Self-Love” focuses more on telling people that you have to love yourself first.

Like G.O.O.D Fridays all grown up, but this is experimental Kanye, one who changes his entire album the week before release because he upset every black person, he tweaks tracks just before release and changes track names after release. Kanye West, formerly but still Yeezy, now Ye did his best to surround his releases with the theme of love but in true Kanye fashion he made a complete mess of things. From his affiliation with Donald Trump to the headline grabbing slavery comments, his version of the press-run before the album did not go well, nor did the actual album roll-outs. The game has been hinting at this faster roll out strategy for years now. Music culture has been speeding up and becoming more exciting, but what does this mean for the longevity of the art? Also, can an album reach classic status anymore in a time when they have only one month to live, where the first week basically decides the albums fate.

On the 29th of June, Drizzy Drake released his 5th studio album titled Scorpion. It has his face featured prominently on the cover, so an emotional album is to be expected. His brave attempt to give us two albums paid off, Disc 1 is for his rap fans and it is laden with good songs, “8 Out Of 10” is first to mind. Disc 2 is for his singing fans, and they received what they had been waiting for in spades. Drake shares his love for putting break away singles on his albums with AKA and here no fewer than 3 of those songs appear, the truth is anyone listening to the album must skip “God’s Plan” and “Nice For What” because at this stage there is no need to play these songs in your own company. “Talk Up” see’s his pettiness feature Jay z so the 2 of them can send subliminal shots at the G.O.O.D Music crew, Jay z manages to give one of his most disappointing verses this year on a song he really didn’t need to rap on. “Don’t Matter To Me” signals where Drake is in his career, the top of the rap game, he’s figured out longevity and now he’s fulfilled his obligations according to his Cash Money contract; the Michael Jackson feature is a flex. Scorpion is an addition to Drakes catalogue and stays true to the playlist format of his previous album, it plays like a rap playlist from him and then an RnB one, there is no true cohesion or album theme other than his trademark complaining and emotional whining. BUT what does it matter what I think? His Editors Note on Apple Music mocked, silenced and uppercut the critics and haters before they could say anything. The man is an obvious legend who will go down as one of Hip Hops greatest, even if he never releases another album or chooses to never rap again, his place in the history books is cemented.

S/O Ty Dollar $ign and Jeremih for taking the baton from The Dream and running with it. Such artists are often under valued for their independent projects, but the value they have collectively added to a plethora of other artists albums this year cannot be understated. These 2 artists have contributed in a massive way and it wil culminate in a joint album later this year.

S/O the artists Nasty C – Stings and Bling, Zakwe – Cebisa and Future – Beast Mode 2 all released on Friday the 6th of July.

Also, who knew Jay z could cook?

Love Dom

#PUSHAT DAYTONA A$APROCKY TESTING KANYEWEST YE KIDCUDI KANYEWEST KIDSSEEGHOSTS THEFACULTYWORLDWIDE WHATDOWECALLTHIS PAKATI FUTURE SUPERFLY NA

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