Category: Music

#RushHourRap – Eminem – Music To Be Murdered By – Side B

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Emergency edition of #RushHourRap this morning as Eminem dropped SIXTEEN new songs in the middle of the night! Music To Be Murdered By – Side B is another vehicle for Em, now 48-years-old, to show off his unmatched lyrical prowess and the elite ability to play with flow and cadence all while delivering rapid fire rhymes.

It’s packaged as a continuation of Music To Be Murdered By, which Em dropped back in January pre-pandemic. Marshall’s late career blitz continues as this is his 4th album in the last four years and his 7th in the last 11, which kicked off with Relapse way back in 2009. That came after a five year hiatus following Encore and I remember that felt like the end of Eminem, which is crazy to say 16 years and seven albums later. Em’s work over the past decade has been hit or miss with massive, massive success like Recovery, some well received albums like Marshall Mathers LP 2 that featured some A+ tracks like “Rap God.” Then of course came some misses like Revival and Kamikaze, both of which I enjoy as an Eminem stan (“Lucky You” still BANGS), but were not all that well received critically or commercially. We’ll see how MTBMB – Side B is received by fans and critics, but any time Eminem blesses the eardrums with new music I am all in.

#RushHourRap – Aesop Rock – None Shall Pass

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Aesop Rock is a fellow Rhymesayers label-mate of frequent #RushHourRap featured artist Atmosphere and has been an underground favorite for over 20 years. Aesop’s wordplay borders on the absurd at times, but in a good way. Lupe Fiasco once even dubbed Aesop Rock as the greatest rapper alive. High praise from a legend. There’s a lot of great tracks from Aesop over the years, but his 2007 “None Shall Pass” off the album of the same name is probably the best entry point for new fans. Like me you’ll likely find yourself on Genius reading along to his lyrics just trying to figure out what the hell he’s talking about, which admittedly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But if you’re looking for elite, rapid fire, intelligent writing then Aesop Rock is your guy.

#RushHourRap – Radamiz – Stage Fright

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25 letter alphabets, I’m never catching Z’s

Meet Brooklyn’s own Radhames Rodriguez AKA Radamiz. If you haven’t heard of him yet then stop reading and start listening because this man can rap. He hasn’t really popped mainstream (not to say everyone even wants to go mainstream), but he has opened up for rap legends like Nas and Black Star so he definitely is getting respect from those in the know. Anyways this track “Stage Fright” is off his 2019 album Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes. Give it a spin and let us know what you think and check out the rest of Rad’s work.

So, You’re Freaking Out About a Taylor Swift Album Drop

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Earlier today or last night or whenever Taylor Swift announced she’s dropping another album, her second of quarantine. A lot of people, predictably, lost their minds. Some of them actually meant it and find value in her music. Fine. They stand opposed to those who simply would die to keep up with whatever trend to stay cool, get laid, or whatever other reason they have. We’re talking millions of people doing this. Let’s discuss. (This intro sucks it’s Thursday shut up).

It’s been a long, long time since Taylor Swift actually made good music. “Love Story” through “December”/”Mine” she was writing some of the best guilty pleasures out there. The “Trouble” era was interesting if nothing else. Since then she’s kind of just stuck a stamp on her music, which she used to take pride in, and reaped the financial rewards. And that’s the thing, I’m not really shitting on Taylor Swift here. Her business sense might be second to none. She realized she doesn’t need to actually put out good music. She can simply verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-outro her way through a dozen songs, write some lyrics about break ups or falling in love, and then blow her fans fucking minds by either teasing a new album at the very last second or dropping it overnight, causing a gigantic panic and free social media advertising either way. It’s such light lift, heavy cash flow shit. She might make the most money per hours worked than any musician on the planet. Props to her. No sarcasm at all.

The “fans”, especially those on social media are a whoooole other story. And need a TON of therapy. But we’ll save that for the professionals.

I don’t honestly think any more than 20%-25% of people that OMG Taylor Swift to death actually like her music. Among those people I can’t go much further in terms of analysis. They’re generally younger or got attached to literally anything she puts out at a younger age and can’t let her go. After that I have no idea, I’m done shitting on people’s taste in music. Let a thousand blossoms bloom. But it’s not those people I care about anyway.

The weirdos are the 75%-80% of Taylor Swift “fans” out there vomiting all over social media about her releases who you just know don’t actually like her stuff. But it’s become a trend. And it might get them friends or laid I guess? And I suppose it makes them feel like part of a group? To pay and then promote, for free, an artist who hasn’t put a second of thought to, and probably hasn’t done a second take of, her music since the early 2010’s.

But it’s not the faux hysteria, performed to fit in, that is really curious, and even troubling, it’s the extent to which it goes. Because we’ve seen these cults of personalities many times over in the music industry, spanning the gamut in terms of quality of product. Kanye, Lil Wayne, Drake. The Beatles, Nirvana, Blink 182. They ask their fans to jump and the fans ask “how high?” But the extent to which Taylor Swift fans feel the need to publicly declare their love of Taylor Swift is nothing short of astounding. I mean if a Senator did not want a bill to go through congress, he or she could simply walk outside, find any out of approx 1/5 insecure and maladjusted 20-35 year olds, bring them to the floor, and ask them about Taylor Swift. They would do their sworn duty to not shut the fuck up until their hearts gave out. It would be like Pheidippides’ run from Marathon to Athens, except instead of a delivery of a critical warning of an invading army, they’d just be announcing their unlimited lack of an actual personality trait and infinite willingness to join the herd to feel loved.

Look, this isn’t a witch hunt. It’s not meant to be slanderous. And I definitely get we all need something to get through these tough, tough days. But it honestly makes me sad that people are literally faking a part of their being in the form of worshiping a pop singer. There’s more to life than to it. If you feel attacked by this blog, do something about it. Feel inspired. Stand up and tell yourself you’re better than this. Take up chess. Read our binge blogs and find a new show. You don’t need to “ME TOO!” you’re way through life like this.

-Joey B.

#RushHourRap – Logic – Open Mic/Aquarius III

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I can hear the voices in my mind when I rhyme
Give it up, you’re out of time
Never even had a prime
Like the Preemo never linked up with 5’9″
Bitch, I’m back like the muscles surrounding my vertebrae
Okay, fuck what you gotta say
I keep it going, already know when I’m flowing
For the listener, you’re kind of like a therapist
Or rather Cole in 2005, flowing like Canibus
That throwback shit, yeah, that throwback shit
Fuck what you heard, my catalog, it ain’t got no wack shit
‘Cause I’m a gladiator in the Colosseum, everybody wanna be him
‘Til they feel like they can’t be him, then they wanna see him lose
Wrote this poem in navy, that’s what I call singing the blues
Word to Dot D, my family got me, no carbon copy
Life can hit you harder than Drago
But if I roll with the punches when it’s rocky, don’t ever stop me

Logic is a frequent feature of #RushHourRap and for good reason. I feel like a lot of people only hear the few songs of his that really went mainstream like “1-800,” “Sucker for Pain,” “Every Day,” etc. which are all good songs, but don’t show Logic’s real lyrical prowess. This track from his most recent album No Pressure that dropped earlier this year came on my Spotify this morning and as a 5+ minute song it can definitely get lost in the shuffle, but my goodness the wordplay here is elite. I couldn’t even pick just a couple of bars to point out, which is why I listed 17 lines above. The amount of double entendres, deep cut rap references, and slick wordplay is unreal in a 30 second span.

I don’t know why, but the visuals for this song are only for a couple of the verses, which is why the below video is not even two minutes long.

So give this a spin, then go listen to the rest of Bobby’s catalogue, and then pour one out because according to him No Pressure was his final album (for now). Logic’s musical career is to be continued…

Must Watch SNL Skit: Pete Davidson Raps a “Stan” Remix for Santa Clause

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It’s rare that I deem an SNL skit as must watch these days, but thats exactly what Pete Davidson’s “Stu” sketch is: must watch.

Jason Bateman was a pretty good host because nobody plays the straight man in a skit better than him. So as this Santa and the elves sketch kicked off, you’re sitting there wondering what the hell is going on, then the Stan beat kicks in and it’s a wrap. I figured like most skits this would fizzle out in the first 30 seconds. Nope, it seems like Lorne Michaels and company let Pete Davidson just do his thing and we got three legitimately impressive and original verses in the Santa/Stan remix. As Papa Giorgio said, it’s the best musical sketch they’ve had since Lonely Island. The Eminem clip at the end was a nice nod to the original song. Also, shout out to Bowen Yang for his dead on Elton John.

Pete Davidson is such an interesting cast member on SNL because I feel like he rarely gets used in big time spots. He is often relegated to background characters, even if they are laugh out loud funny like his Count Chocula when Dave Chappelle was hosting. He might just be a hard person to write for, which reminds me of an old quote that stuck with me by Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, How I Met Your Mother, Freaks and Geeks):

“When I was like 21 years old and we had just finished a show called Freaks and Geeks, Judd Apatow, who made that show and a bunch of our movies took a bunch of us aside. What he said to me, actually, is, ‘You’re kind of a weird guy. The only way you are going to make it is if you write.”

A lot of these cast members probably just don’t get the prime sketches because it’s hard to write for them, which makes sense when the most famous SNL alum usually either flame out or were outright fired (Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Damon Wayans, Sarah Silverman, Robert Downey Jr etc). Davidson seems to have one foot out the door anyways as he dabbles more with movies written by, ironically enough, the comedy godfather himself Judd Apatow.

A+ sketch by SNL.

#RushHourRap – Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

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Released 10 years ago this week, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is one of the best albums of the decade and in my opinion the best work of Kanye West’s career.

MBDTF won the Grammy for Rap Album of the Year along with two other Grammys for “All of the Lights.” The album is Kanye’s magnum opus and has contributions from so many heavy hitters in the industry that it really is mind blowing. Across production, features, and writing credits there were contributions from RZA, No ID, Scott Mescudi AKA Kid Cudi, Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, Bon Iver, Swizz Beatz, Pusha T, John Legend, Charlie Wilson, and Beyonce to name a few.

While I know everyone has heard the singles like “All of the Lights,” “Runaway,” and “Monster,” I cannot recommend enough that you watch the above 34 minute film. It is a glimpse into Kanye’s brain and his love for grandiosity. It is wild, and weird, and beautiful. I always said this could have been a legit broadway play and if you’ve ever been to a Kanye concert and seen his set pieces then you know the thought’s probably crossed his mind.

#RushHourRap – Snoop Dogg ft Justin Timberlake – Signs

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It may be quarantine season, but it’s still Friday so make sure you’re in your finest sweatpants having a couple cocktails shaking that ass tonight. There are few better songs for just that then this 2005 throwback from Snoop Dogg and Justin Timberlake ft. Charlie Wilson. This song is so old it was just a year after Janet Jackson infamously threw her titties at Justin Timberlake. This song is so old it was on my iPod shuffle. Do kids today know what an iPod shuffle, let alone an iPod, even is? This was before Sexy Back, My Love, and even Dick in a Box. So jump in the way back machine, grab your Zune and turn it up to 11.

#RushHourRap – 21 Savage – A Lot

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I pray for Markelle ’cause they fucked up his shot,
Just want you to know that you got it
Though I never met you, I know that you special
And that the Lord blessed you, don’t doubt it
Dennis Smith Jr., stay solid

With the NBA Draft today I was looking for a relevant #RushHourRap (we already did Draft Day) so what better excuse for some more J. Cole? On last year’s Grammy winning 21 Savage track “A Lot,” Cole swoops in with one of the best features of his career as he gives life advice to everyone, including Orlando Magic point guard (and friend of The 300s) Markelle Fultz.

Fultz promptly unliked our tweet after all the blowback his twitter activity got. We miss ya, Markelle

Check out just how impactful that J. Cole line was for a struggling Fultz in this interview with NBA.com:

A verse written by J. Cole in that song helped inspire Magic guard Markelle Fultz and let the former No. 1 overall Draft pick know that not everyone had given up on his struggling basketball career.

Here’s the backstory: J. Cole and Knicks guard Dennis Smith Jr. are both from Fayetteville, N.C., and have known each other for years. Smith is also close to Fultz from NBA Summer League and the two refer to each other as brothers. Roughly a year ago, Smith described how his “brother” was hurting to the five-time Grammy nominee.

Less than a year after being chosen by the Sixers in 2017, Fultz suffered from a shoulder injury and was later diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, which robbed him of his full-range shooting motion and jeopardized his future. Fultz played only 33 games his first two seasons and the Sixers virtually gave him to the Magic last February.

“He was going through a situation and it was a tough situation for someone mentally,” Smith Jr. said. “Cole said, ‘Let me holla at him.’ They just locked in. Cole chopped it up with him and one thing led to another. Crazy.”

Billboard Magazine rated “A Lot” by 21 Savage and J. Cole as the No. 6 song of 2019. It has gone platinum three times and Cole’s lyrics were hailed by critics. Fultz was nearly moved to tears the first time he heard it.

“It was dope,” Fultz said. “Him shouting me out on a song really showed the love and the person he is. I play it a lot, all the time. I love it. To get put in a song is like, dope, an honor.”

#RushHourRap – J. Cole – Friday Night Lights

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It’s been 10 YEARS since J. Cole dropped his “Friday Night Lights” mixtape. Now if we’re being honest, if we’re in the trust tree together, I’m more of a “The Warm Up” guy, which dropped the year before FNL. Either way, Jermaine has been spitting heat for over a decade and I am now starting to feel old. J. Cole’s mixtapes were A+ chill with a few beers music back in college. This was still in the relatively early days of YouTube, which went live just a little over three years before The Warm Up came out. So yes I was a cheap college kid either ripping mixtapes off DatPiff or cranking the speakers until my walls were shaking blasting YouTube videos three minutes at a time.