You must listen to the album below you: canon edition - Games

Jameth

(1)

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West

I apparently already knew the majority of this album from coworkers who would play nothing but Kanye, Kid Cudi, and Lil Wayne. I had a low opinion of it then, and that probably won’t change today. Lyrics rarely make or break music for me, but they tend to be the emphasis in hip hop, and I can’t move past the awful lyrics on this album. “Power” and “Runaway” are the biggest offenders. I always had to cringe when someone would play “Runaway”, that song is incredibly corny. So is this line, which more or less sums up Kanye’s worthless message to the world:

“I don’t need your ***** bitch, I’m on my own ****”

Glad this one’s out of the way.

(2)

Chief, let Enno Velthuys swirl your thoughts about.

(3)

From the overall chart:

16. London Calling - The Clash
17. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel (half listened)
20. The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths (possibly listened and forgotten)
24. Is This It - The Strokes
34. Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division
35. Blood On The Tracks - Bob Dylan
37. The Joshua Tree - U2
40. The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
43. (What’s The Story) Morning Glory - Oasis
46. To Pimp A Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar

baystateoftheart
Neil Young as a butternut squash

Age: 29
Location: Massachusetts

Jameth wrote:

“Power” and “Runaway” are the biggest offenders. I always had to cringe when someone would play “Runaway”, that song is incredibly corny. So is this line, which more or less sums up Kanye’s worthless message to the world:

“I don’t need your ***** bitch, I’m on my own ****”

Glad this one’s out of the way.

Seems a little unfair to say that sums up his message. For context, are there any rap albums/artists you enjoy?
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Jameth

baystateoftheart wrote:

Jameth wrote:

“Power” and “Runaway” are the biggest offenders. I always had to cringe when someone would play “Runaway”, that song is incredibly corny. So is this line, which more or less sums up Kanye’s worthless message to the world:

“I don’t need your ***** bitch, I’m on my own ****”

Glad this one’s out of the way.

Seems a little unfair to say that sums up his message. For context, are there any rap albums/artists you enjoy?

I don’t listen to much rap, but I can listen to Only Bult For Cuban Linx all the way through. It’s a genre in need of deep exploration for me.

And you’re right, it probably is a little unfair, but the condescension and vanity is just so pervasive throughout the album that I can’t look past it.

baystateoftheart
Neil Young as a butternut squash

Age: 29
Location: Massachusetts

Jameth wrote:

baystateoftheart wrote:

Jameth wrote:

“Power” and “Runaway” are the biggest offenders. I always had to cringe when someone would play “Runaway”, that song is incredibly corny. So is this line, which more or less sums up Kanye’s worthless message to the world:

“I don’t need your ***** bitch, I’m on my own ****”

Glad this one’s out of the way.

Seems a little unfair to say that sums up his message. For context, are there any rap albums/artists you enjoy?

I don’t listen to much rap, but I can listen to Only Bult For Cuban Linx all the way through. It’s a genre in need of deep exploration for me.

And you’re right, it probably is a little unfair, but the condescension and vanity is just so pervasive throughout the album that I can’t look past it.

OB4CL is a great album. Boasting about one's prowess and accomplishments is near-universal in hip-hop though, from its roots in toasting to what some would say is its purest form in battle-rapping. I wonder where the line between acceptable (Raekwon) and overly vain (Kanye) is? Does it have something to do with Kanye's broader reputation and persona outside the music?
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Jameth

baystateoftheart wrote:

OB4CL is a great album. Boasting about one's prowess and accomplishments is near-universal in hip-hop though, from its roots in toasting to what some would say is its purest form in battle-rapping. I wonder where the line between acceptable (Raekwon) and overly vain (Kanye) is? Does it have something to do with Kanye's broader reputation and persona outside the music?

I’d say there’s a bold line between the two.

“Who come to get you
None, they want guns
I be the first to set off shit, last to run
Wu roll together as one
I call my brother Sun cause he shine like one”

This pretty much sums up OB4CL. Boastful at times, but never seems to cross the line between mere self-confidence and full-blown narcissism. You also get a great example of how Wu Tang often incorporates a sense of family and community into their lyrics. On the other hand:

“At the end of day, goddammit I'm killin' this shit
I know damn well y'all feelin' this shit
I don't need your pussy, bitch I'm on my own dick
I ain't gotta power trip, who you goin' home with?
How 'Ye doin? I'm survivin'
I was drinkin' earlier, now I'm drivin'
Where the bad bitches, huh? Where ya hidin'
I got the power, make yo' life so exciting (so exciting)”

It just strikes me as the polar opposite. Even if it wasn’t Kanye’s intention to project egomania and hedonism, I’d still have to criticize him for writing songs that are ambiguous, easily misconstrued, and/or overly sarcastic. As for his broader reputation, I don’t really know anything about it or follow him in any way, so I can’t speak to its impact.

Not the greatest analysis, but it’s the best I got. And aside from the lyrical tone, I’d say Cuban Linx is better in pretty much every regard. That album’s a master class in my eyes. It’s ranked 828 overall, I’d love to see it swap places with MBDTF.

Last edited by Jameth on 07/16/2019 03:45; edited 1 time in total

Luigii

Gender: Male
Age: 28

Someone give Jameth To Pimp A Butterfly. Please.

Tha1ChiefRocka
Yeah, well hey, I'm really sorry.

Location: Kansas

Vreemde Landen Vol. 1 by Enno Velthuys

"Vreemde Landen" translates from Dutch as "Foreign Countries". I don't know what countries Velthuys was attempting to conjure on this album, but they sound mystical and meandering. The several albums I've listened to by him are just the kind of thing that I enjoy, which are atmospheric and warm sounding synth tones. It almost sounds like some early video game music.

No one has this on a chart. Very Happy

I know Luigii just suggested "To Pimp A Butterfly", but I'd rather have you get "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" out of the way. That album's doo doo.

Hanne Hukkelberg- Rykestrasse 68
Stara Rzeka - Cień chmury nad ukrytym polem
Deep Puddle Dynamics - The Taste of Rain... Why Kneel?
The Conet Project (This is almost 5 hours long, so keep that in mind)
Killing Joke- Hosannas from The Basements of Hell
Koenjihyakkei - Viva Koenji!!
Clock DVA- Man Amplified
Anthony Braxton & Wolf Eyes- Black Vomit
Little John - Give The Youth A Try
Astral Matrix- Secret Broadcast

baystateoftheart
Neil Young as a butternut squash

Age: 29
Location: Massachusetts

Tha1ChiefRocka wrote:

I know Luigii just suggested "To Pimp A Butterfly", but I'd rather have you get "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" out of the way. That album's doo doo.

Missed opportunity to say boo boo
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Add me on RYM

baystateoftheart
Neil Young as a butternut squash

Age: 29
Location: Massachusetts

Jameth wrote:

I’d say there’s a bold line between the two.

“Who come to get you
None, they want guns
I be the first to set off shit, last to run
Wu roll together as one
I call my brother Sun cause he shine like one”

This pretty much sums up OB4CL. Boastful at times, but never seems to cross the line between mere self-confidence and full-blown narcissism. You also get a great example of how Wu Tang often incorporates a sense of family and community into their lyrics. On the other hand:

“At the end of day, goddammit I'm killin' this shit
I know damn well y'all feelin' this shit
I don't need your pussy, bitch I'm on my own dick
I ain't gotta power trip, who you goin' home with?
How 'Ye doin? I'm survivin'
I was drinkin' earlier, now I'm drivin'
Where the bad bitches, huh? Where ya hidin'
I got the power, make yo' life so exciting (so exciting)”

It just strikes me as the polar opposite. Even if it wasn’t Kanye’s intention to project egomania and hedonism, I’d still have to criticize him for writing songs that are ambiguous, easily misconstrued, and/or overly sarcastic. As for his broader reputation, I don’t really know anything about it or follow him in any way, so I can’t speak to its impact.

Not the greatest analysis, but it’s the best I got. And aside from the lyrical tone, I’d say Cuban Linx is better in pretty much every regard. That album’s a master class in my eyes. It’s ranked 828 overall, I’d love to see it swap places with MBDTF.

Interesting thoughts, and the albums definitely have a different tone. Rae was pioneering raw Mafioso rap on OB4CL, while MBDTF's maximalist nature is far from that. In general though, I'm not sure about a bold line between the artists. For instance, if you examine both of their lyrics on Gorgeous from MBDTF, the dynamic shifts. If anything, Kanye has a lot "more to say" lyrically.
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Jameth

That first track on Vreemde Landen Vol. 1 is my jam! I’ll chart it for sure.

(1)

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel

As much as I want to love an album by a fellow North Louisianan, this was mostly painful. The tuneless vocals kill it for me, even if the writing on some tracks is pretty good, the title track and “Oh Comely”, in particular. I do think “The Fool” is a killer instrumental and has a great tripped-out first line vibe, and really, there’s a lot of great instrumentation throughout the album...if Mangum could only carry a tune, I might actually enjoy the rest of the album.

(2)

Sorry, me again, Chief. Cień chmury nad ukrytym polem is your curse or blessing.

Cień Chmury Nad Ukrytym Polem by Stara Rzeka

(3)

From the overall chart:

16. London Calling - The Clash
20. The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths (possibly listened and forgotten)
24. Is This It - The Strokes
34. Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division
35. Blood On The Tracks - Bob Dylan
37. The Joshua Tree - U2
40. The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
43. (What’s The Story) Morning Glory - Oasis
46. To Pimp A Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar
47. Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not - Arctic Monkeys

Not really looking forward to most of these. I’m hoping some of them surprise me.

Luigii wrote:

Someone give Jameth To Pimp A Butterfly. Please.

Listen to your album and you’ll have me dead to rights.