Music

Top 5 Hip Hop Releases: May Edition

by Chayne Japal

Each month, tons of new music from many taste-spanning genres is released into a fast-consuming, unforgiving audience; it can be tough to get a handle on what’s new before it’s on to the next. In an attempt to highlight the standout releases, at the end of each month, AUX staff re-cap the month in Punk, Metal, Indie/Pop/Rock, Hip Hop, Pop, and Electronica/Dance with the top five releases in each. Consider it your cheat sheet for year-end lists.

Top 5 Hip Hop Releases: May Edition

 

Maybach Music Group – Self Made Vol. 1

As songs “leaked” one after the other before this album was even announced, it was clear Rick Ross had made some good moves. Self Made Vol. 1 features artists (Wale, Pill, Meek Mill, Teedra Moses, Gunplay, and Stalley) Ross signed to his Maybach Music Group/Warner Bros. imprint since the beginning of 2011. The album serves as a great sampler for the label. Wale, his biggest signee, has apparently forgotten about being that smart guy that gave us “The Kramer” on 2008’s Mixtape About Nothing here, but it may just be him playing a different role until he gets to his solo album. He’s most comfortable on the Lex Luger produced “That Way” which features a slowed down Curtis Mayfield sample and displays a softer side of Luger (still bangs though). Meek Mill, on the other hand, steals the show. His hyped up, almost obnoxious, flow was built for these circumstances. He screams on the opening title cut “I’m so fucking raw, n—-s hoping that I catch AIDS!” and that pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the LP. His Rick Ross duet, “Tupac Back,” will be the biggest single from the record, having already been buzzing on blogs for the past two months, and will most definitely be a great transition song for DJs to get from gutter shit to “Califonia Love” over the summer. Truth is, these songs would have all been more effective broken up on their respective artists’ albums, but Self Made plays out like the label’s anniversary greatest hits before they even happen, an album to act as a tastemaker. Another good move from Rick Ross.

Tyler, the Creator – Goblin

Sara Quin’s now-infamous letter posed some interesting questions. Why do we let this guy get away with so much? Well, unfortunately for those he offends, Tyler, The Creator is going to continue grabbing everyone’s attention with Goblin. The tranced-out, ready-made, screwed and chopped “Fish” followed by the clownish “Bopping Bitch” on the same track, is the best example of the formula for Goblin: dark morbid cuts like “Sandwitches” and “Yonkers” offset by absurd tracks like “Transylvania” and “Bitch Suck Dick” which would make for some great X-rated SNL Digital Shorts. The record strikes an entertaining balance between thought-provoking, disgusting, and hilarious. And this is the reason why Tyler is such a success right now; Goblin is built for a generation of rebels with limited attention spans. And while many of the cool elements of this album might have been done before (Redman used a therapist to drive Dare Iz A Darkside and Eminem has used PSAs), Tyler has compiled these ideas to create his own Frankenstein of a record.

Killer Mike – PL3DGE

At the onset of “That’s Life 2,” Killer Mike warns Oprah and Bill Cosby that he’s right back at their ass again. The first two installments of his I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind took no prisoners, and PL3DGE, the third, is pretty much the same. Killer Mike has his share of opinions about the US government, capitalism, and organized religion that are blatantly expressed here. Of course he comes off a bit preachy on such an opinionated record, but that’s the point of the series. Killer Mike’s worth more than a verse on an Outkast album, he’s actually a really good rapper. His energetic cadence and politically charged subject matter sets him apart from other southerners. And PL3DGE is yet again another solid effort from the veteran.

Chiddy Bang – Peanut Butter & Swelly

Ever heard of DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince? They were a producer/rapper duo from Philly that made lighthearted, uplifting rap tunes about twenty years ago (anyone know what happened to those two young upstarts?). It always sucks to do this, but Chiddy Bang is the next Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince. Producer Xaphoon Jones lays down synth-filled poppy beats while Chiddy drops witty rhymes based around childhood nostalgia and growing up. This is their third mixtape in as many years (they’ve also released two EPs) and it’s a lot more of the same good vibes. Pretty likeable stuff. What’s a lot less likeable was Chiddy’s stupid idea to freestyle for over nine hours to break the world record, an unnecessary attention grabbing gimmick; but still, it’s hard not to feel happy for him when he talks about it on “Guinness Flow.” Xaphoon usually has an interesting approach at flipping samples, for “Always” he chops up Grizzly Bear’s “Two Weeks” and he reworks Hockey’s “Too Fake” (a song he also flipped for a Big Sean project) for “Too Much Soul.” There are covered with layers of synths and keys that really turn these samples into Chiddy Bang songs as opposed to using simple loops that come off more like covers. Even though it sounds like they’re all about fun, it’s clear these guys work hard.

Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee Part Two

Just imagine how cool it would be if your dad was in a legendary rap group and he was awesome and his music was awesome and Nas was on his album. You’d love it, right? Probably. But all scenarios aside, MCA, Ad-Rock, and Mike D still have lots to offer. They’re still doing a fair amount of cool things in terms of playing with sounds and messing around with production. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two proves that there are interesting places for the Boys to go and they’re not scared to give it a try, like their dubby ska-tinged “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win” (which features Santigold) and their rumbling punky “Lee Majors Come Again.” They’re like a drawn out experiment that just discovers more and more as time goes on. Sure, they’re old as hell and hip hop and old age don’t really gel, but Beastie Boys have built a career of going against stereotypes within the genre.

Surprises, disappointments and albums to watch for next month

Surprise of the month: Elzhi – Elmatic. This mixtape sounds fairly lame on paper: The dude that replaced J. Dilla in Slum Village does a tribute to the best rap album of all time, big deal. But in actuality, Detroit natives Elzhi and band Will Sessions have released a sincere reworking of Nas’ Illmatic that is most definitely worth checking out. Live instrumentation breathes new life into the classic beats that redefined hip hop to maintain a level reverence that consistently inspires the best out of Elzhi through the entire project. The featured 7-minute sprawling rendition of “One Love” is particularly stirring. Elzhi was able to consciously do what a lot of artists have subconsciously attempted to do for the last 17 years, adapt Illmatic to make another great album.

Disappointments: Juicy J x Lex Luger – Rubba Band Business 2. The only thing Juicy J is good for nowadays is laughing at stupid Wiz Khalifa jokes, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that Rubba Band Business 2 is just as much a waste of time as its predecessor. The confusing thing is that Lex Luger is willing to bury these bangers on these uninspired cuts. Since his Three 6 Mafia days, Juicy J’s flow, or lack thereof, has always been choppy and rigid. This approach is one of the main reasons why these projects are failures. Juicy J is like a rodeo clown when he tries to hop on Luger’s deranged raucous beats. He can be an entertaining character but it’s clear he shouldn’t be riding them. Somehow Juicy J found a way to stick around while many of his more deserving peers faded away, which makes it even harder to hear his unwitty boasts (“Over 30 million sold, that’s a lot of people/Now I got a big crib that fit a lot of people”) occupy the hottest beatmaker’s work.

Out in June: Big Sean’s Finally Famous: The Album, Curren$y’s Weekend At Burnie’s, Eminem and Royce Da 5’9 as Bad Meets Evil’s Hell: The Sequel, and more.