Ok ok ok. Until 2017 stops lining up the ILLEST release date roster, I'm not gonna stop feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve. Tomorrow we will enter the month of Joey Bada$$ and Kendrick Lamar. Through Skyzoo's Instagram, I just saw that he will be dropping TWO projects this year. And on Cinco de Mayo, we will get Logic's 3rd LP, Everybody.
Logic's first single, "Everybody", also serves at the titular track. But this was not always the case. The album was previously titled AfricAryaN (and God, before that). "Everybody" is the first song the Maryland emcee wrote for the album. Before he could fully conceptualize the album's theme, Logic knew he had something to say with this track. The song addresses race in a way we haven't seen the Young Sinatra do before.
White people told me as a child, as a little boy, playin with his toys/
I should be ashamed to be black/
And some black people look ashamed when I rap/
Like my great granddaddy didn’t take a whip to the back/
Not accepted by the black or the white
Logic has experienced racism from both black and white people as a biracial man. He also talks about how he was surrounded by the street life, even though people think he's fake because he looks like a white dude. As a biracial rapper he is able to address a point of view of a constant internal battle, his veins have the blood of a slave and a master. Logic has said, he is just a "biracial person who looks white in a black man's rap game. Who is not accepted by many parts of the culture because of how I look." Logic's success has afforded him a platform that he appreciates now more than ever. He know's the power of Hip Hop and the power his words have over the lives of those who follow him. Logic is ready to take on this responsibility head on and is ready to take his place as he climbs the ranks of the real emcees.
Peep the single below, and I'm also throwing up the Genius interview where Logic breaks down lyrics to "Everybody".
We have yet another banger from Badmon, this time with a super dope assist from Groovy Q. As we continue to approach April 7th, a day Joey himself dubbed as "Global Hip hop Appreciation Day," we are continuing to be blessed with great music from artists Q-Tip anointed as "extensions of instinctual soul." ScHoolboy Q's contributions rise to the task as he meets Joey on his level bar for bar. Truly an incredible collaboration between these two leaders of the new school.
Next week has the potential to be an historic day in Hip hop
Okay 2017. I see you. We are getting ready for a year that has a nice gumbo of "old" and "new" Hip Hop ready to drop. Whether you bump Migos or Mobb Deep, Big Sean or Lupe Fiasco, Rick Ross or Murs, the last couple of months have shown us a microcosm of how the rest of 2017 will play out. But until this weekend, April 7th was circled on my calendar as the release date for Joey Bada$$ and his next LP, All Amerikkkan Bada$$. Personally I also have Raekwon's next project on my calendar too (and that joint is ON DECK).
And while the Pro Era capo will still make my 2017 playlist (and get reviewed), it is now knocked down to the 1B position. What's 1A? Well, if I take the single "The Heart Part 4" at face value, it is Kendrick Lamar's 4th studio album (most thought the single art alluded to this, but it was actually referencing the fourth installment of his "The Heart" series).
You know what time it is, ante up, this is in forever/
Y'all got 'til April the 7th to get y'all shit together.
Now to get into the single. "The Heart Part 4" instrumental is a tag team effort from Axl Folie, The Alchemist, Syk Sense & DJ Dahi. The track splits up into two parts. The first part is a very simple soulful beat that Kendrick uses to update us on the evolution of his lifestyle. Kendrick is now a multimillionaire and is a worldwide artist. The second part of the track switches into a more ominous beat. And it is at this point that Kendrick drops his "Control Part 2" lyrics, going HARD at the industry. He also hits us with his social commentary on a few smalls things that have taken place over the last couple of months. Some lyrical analysts (if that's not a thing, it needs to be) have speculated that some shots were fired at Big Sean and Drake. Only time will tell (or an interview with a direct answer from King Kendrick), but both emcees have been on the record taking subliminal shots at K Dot.
I found a video that actually has the lyrics to "The Heart Part 4", because I enjoy Kendrick that much more when I break down and analyse his lyrics (am I a lyrical analyst?). And if you want more, peep the Genius breakdown of the lyrics here.
To the surprise of no one, I've been on a 90's Hip Hop kick the last couple of months. Ran through catalogs of some early Jay, some pre "Get Out" Kanye, some Slum Village, some Pete Rock and some C-N-N (among others). While on the C-N-N route, I took a quick turn to relisten (that's a word right?) to Noreaga's debut LP, N.O.R.E. The '98 album showcases the Queen's emcee adding to the tail end of the Golden Era. One aspect of that decade's legacy can be enjoyed simply by peeping the MONSTER posse cuts found throughout the 90's.
And if you are making a list of the greatest posse cuts of the Golden Era, you GOTTA have "Banned from T.V.". Listen, you might not have Nore on you greatest lyricist lists, but the dude spit some of the hottest street bars of the decade. You could hear the hunger in his verses throughout his solo debut, and "Banned from T.V." is no different. But when he tapped (used two "p's" because it's past tense) some of the greatest NY emcees for his posse cut, Nore had to come correct if he wanted to anchor the track. Nore rounded the track with fellow Queens emcee Nature, Harlem's own Cam'ron, two thirds of the Yonkers group with Jadakiss and Styles P, and the Bronx legend Big Pun (my personal top 5 dead or alive right there). The Swizz Beatz instrumental is easily recognized as soon as the horns drop. And the dark (so dark) and grimey video is a perfect match for the beat and lyrics.
So take a trip down memory lane (damn near 20 years ago..why are we so old) and peep the video for "Banner from T.V.". ANNNNNNNNNNND I also found a behind the scenes clip for the video. So peep that too.
The BITM crew posted the single, "Land of the Free", from Joey Bada$$ when it dropped over a month ago. We are now a month away from the Pro Era capo's second LP, All-Amerikkkan Bada$$. The Brooklyn emcee is at the forefront of the latest evolution of the conscious emcee. Joey has said that this album is "like hella vegetables". But he is aware that the current Hip Hop market demands "candy". This sentiment is one that is echoed by many Hip Hop heads, even by your friendly neighborhood BITM collective (through our postings and podcasts).
Normally after my informational intro paragraph, I get into a few descriptions of the single/video/album. But I feel this video will have the strongest impact if you go into it with minimal spoilers. If you peeped our single post, you know the lyrics are poignant and jarring. I will say that Joey DID NOT HOLD BACK when it comes to the visuals for "Land of the Free". It is clear that he had a vision and message that he wanted to get across, and boy did he.
Peep video below, and a Genius interview where he breaks down the lyrics to "Land of the Free".
