Play-In: Jim Jones v. Shura

[baystateoftheart]

Seed #29A:

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El Capo by Jim Jones

Nominated by: travelful
Genres [RYM]: East Coast Hip Hop

Seed #29B:

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Forevher by Shura

Nominated by: revolver94
Genres [RYM]: Sophisti-Pop, Synthpop

Instructions:

If you have not already, please listen to both albums in full before voting. Share your thoughts and/or your vote in this thread. This poll will be tallied in no fewer than fourteen days. See Tournament Spreadsheet for the full bracket.
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[Purplepash]

Shura for me in this battle of nice vs nasty.

[Repo]

Me & my kids are LOVING this Shura album!

[LedZep]

Didn't like El Capo much unfortunately. Strange for an album that both Skinny and Travelful recommend. Had been on my shortlist for a long time too... The hooks weren't especially catchy, verses were ok-ish and Jim's flow can get tiring at times. The production was middle of the road as well. It's also too long. No bad songs though, and it had quite a lot of energy and some nasty one-liners, so that's something.

Shura's forevher had all the sounds I want in modern pop: dreamy synths, creative effects and fun/danceable/groovy rhythm. Wasn't too thrilled with the songwriting on the first listen, but production wise it's excellent.

Gonna give both at least 1 more listen before voting.
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Finally updated the overall chart

2020s
90s

[Skinny]

Probably mentioned elsewhere, but how long are these rounds staying up? Almost certainly going with Jim, which captures that classic Dipset sound albeit with an older, wiser attitude, but wanna make sure I hear Shura too.

EDIT: Ignore me.
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2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.

[travelful]

Surprised to see so many already made their decision, these things are open for two weeks aren't they?

I never thought I'd like a Jim Jones album in 2019, a huge surprise honestly. When Skinny recommended it to me with nothing but praise I was a bit skeptical.

I thought the production was stellar all the way through and perfectly complimented not only Jim Jones on here but the many features (most of which are admittedly a welcome break from Jim Jones, even though he was fire all over this album) as well. The amazing soulful samples especially is what makes a lot of the tracks in my opinion. I can't praise The Heatmakerz enough on this album tbh.

Jim Jones' pen game might be the biggest surprise on the album though, I mean damn this deep in his career and it's better than ever.

Overall I'm surprised to see a lack of enjoyment. It's really catchy, accessible, and extremely consistent. Id recommend it to both oldhead hip-hop fans as well as the youth as I think both will find enjoyment. Its without a doubt my favorite hip-hop release last year (not counting Igor). Only thing that came close is Benny and the rest of Griselda. I'm a sucker for east coast hip-hop, I know.
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Griselda, by Fashion Rebels
2020's Hip-Hop
2020's Country

[Skinny]

Both are super strong albums. Shura's is full of assured, accessible, retro R'n'B vibes, especially when she gets into that Diana Ross-esque upper register, but filtered through a chintzy synth-pop palette, sounding like Lizzo if she got Ariel Pink to produce. There's a vague feeling of longing that pervades throughout, but I'm not sure whether the music comes across as particularly sincere or authentic to my ears, and it certainly lacks the fun, ADHD unpredictability of Pink's work, often feeling rote or safe despite all of its genuine strengths.

Jim Jones' record is also super safe, relying on that Heatmakerz' cheap-sounding, unashamedly cheesy chipmunk soul that gave Dipset so much success at the dawn of the millennium, but I feel that this particular sound is less well-trodden than the faux-sophisti-soul that Shura peddles, and is therefore far fresher (again, to my ears), certainly not suffering from the same creeping feeling of inauthenticity given Jones' role in shaping that sound, as well as the sheer, wholehearted force with which he throws himself into these raps. Of the three Dipset "frontmen", Jones was always the most forgettable (Cam'ron was the idiot savant, capable of putting internal rhymes together in dizzying, unforeseen ways, whilst Juelz was the charismatic young gun who gave the group a much needed energy), but he's worked incredibly hard at his craft over the years to the point where he's now the most vital, consistent member. (Cam'ron's Purple Haze 2, released in December, finds him beginning to recapture that old flame, and probably has higher highs than El Capo, but also finds itself bogged down by too many boilerplate contemporary trap beats that don't play to Cam's strengths.) This is Jim settling into grown man rap without betraying his coke rap heritage, managing to bring memorable, entertaining one-liners and vivid imagery of his past to the table whilst walking that tightrope of showing maturity without either a) falling into the corny, born-again preachiness of latter-day Nas or Jay-Z, or b) going through the motions and feeling like a pale imitation of his former self, à la Ghostface or Raekwon. (These comparisons are deliberate; all four are New York rap gods whose careers overlap with Jim's, who were once far better rappers than him but whose recent work can't hold a candle to El Capo.) Jones' tales of success in the face of adversity feel real and lived-in, and he has a fantastic stand-up comic's feel for timing, delivery, and punchlines. His love for New York is evident not only in his lyrical content, but in his voice, his delivery, his unapologetic adherence to a forgotten sound. On that last point, this is hip-hop that is almost anti-weird, hip-hop that is straight-talking lyrically and breezy musically, hip-hop that attempts to perfect a form rather than subvert one, and subsequently hip-hop that doesn't tend (in my experience) to get much love on overwhelmingly white, indie rock-oriented, online music forums, but there's something admirable, if not downright inspiring in Jim's undying faith in early 2000s New York street rap, a niche subgenre that has been almost entirely ignored by critics and tastemakers but which produced a particular brand of hardnosed, hard-hitting, economical, entertainer MCs, of whom Jim Jones is one, and one who just gets better with age. (As an aside, this album's guestlist is full of similar figures, basically working as easter eggs for fans of the genre: Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Fabolous, Maino, etc..) I don't expect this album to even get through the play-in round, but as a love letter to a time and a place, as well as a display of pure, infectious rapping, El Capo is easily one of the best albums 2019 had to offer, in any genre. It deserves more love.
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2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.

[dihansse]

The majority of the Forevher album is fairly standard R&B I don't really like. There however a few better tracks to be found like Princess Leia and Skyline, Be Mine. But then I liked the general flow of El Capo better so that's my choice here.

[cestuneblague]

Shura's a very well-done record that's been overpraised somewhat, as it never really quite becomes more than background music even with the attempt at bringing something more personal and romantic to it's otherwise pretty standard electro and r&b touches. Jim Jones's record isn't necessarily groundbreaking but was a lot more engaging, both lyrically and production-wise, so an easy vote here.

[baystateoftheart]

Even with all the praise from Skinny and travelful, I was still surprised by how much I enjoyed a record by Jim Jones of all people. I've never been a big fan of Dipset and he's always seemed to be the weakest link. The Heatmakerz did an excellent job of crafting a cohesive collection of glossy beats that knock in the whip. I'm a sucker for chipmunk soul. The features were a mixed bag, with Rick Ross and Curren$y being my favorites, while the contributions of the non-rappers were especially dicey. This is easily the best I've ever heard Jim sound on the mic, and I enjoyed his bars more than Cam'ron's on Come Home With Me or Purple Haze (the only other full Dipset albums I've heard).

Will check out Forevher soon.
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