Please use the thread to discuss the selections and inform everybody of your voting intentions. A poll will be added at a later date in order to tally votes, once everybody has had the opportunity to listen to all of the selections. If there are specific links to the albums or singles you have nominated (on Youtube, Spotify, etc.) that you would prefer voters to listen to, please post them in this thread. _________________ 2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.
Last edited by Skinny on 01/18/2021 15:24; edited 1 time in total
... was not expecting Aquemini and Miseducation both on the very first team, making me curious like the monkey george what's in store the next couple go-arounds (are we gonna see a dip into the wealth of terrific French hip-hop albums?). Still, along with the singles makes it extremely hard to vote against, although 2012 is also quite tasty and will do some re-listening.
Great matchup. Love both teams singles and just classic records on both sides. I suspect what'll decide my vote is a growing distaste for Aesop post Malibu Ken and the Kimya Dawson allegations but it's been a minute since I listened to Skelethon, which is definitely the highest point in Aesop's later career. Pairing Aesop and Chief Keef together dug up a buried a memory where Nocando compared them as similar rappers. Both with flows that just ride the beat and wash over you, Rock due to the denseness and Keef due to the aggression.
Great matchup. Love both teams singles and just classic records on both sides. I suspect what'll decide my vote is a growing distaste for Aesop post Malibu Ken and the Kimya Dawson allegations but it's been a minute since I listened to Skelethon, which is definitely the highest point in Aesop's later career. Pairing Aesop and Chief Keef together dug up a buried a memory where Nocando compared them as similar rappers. Both with flows that just ride the beat and wash over you, Rock due to the denseness and Keef due to the aggression.
Was that on the Shots Fired podcast he used to do? Used to love that. _________________ 2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.
This mouth-watering matchup seemed like the best place to start the listening/re-listening process.
So, let me start with Aesop Rock. The production is definitely the strong point of the album, reminds of his earlier work but still far from conventional hip-hop. In contrast to his most acclaimed album up to that date (that would be Labor Days), where he produced only 4 tracks, here he is in full charge, which definitely helps the cohesion of the album. Considering he followed the same route for his next album, being again the producer, we can safely assume he was also happy with the outcome. One could argue that it hurts variety, but I don’t think that’s the case here, there are songs like Ruby ‘81 which signify a welcome change of pace. Moreover, as his name already suggests, rock music has been an influence (“Led Zep staring daggers down page mill”), something that is apparent on songs like 1,000 O'Clock, Grace, or Saturn Missiles, which help spice things up.
Despite running so smooth, I have to point out that you can tell it's 17 tracks, especially after repeated listenings. On the other hand, there is no track I would consider skippable or too long, so I can’t quite put my finger on what bothers me. 55 minutes isn't that long for a hip hop album anyway. Also, not sure how I'm feeling about the female vocals in Crows 1 , in theory you'd expect them to fit the overall sound and spirit of the album like a glove, but I can't say they do it for me. However she delivers one of the most memorable quotes “And they call to let you know your friend is dead in a box The crows have the tools to get the meat out of the box”. In Tetra it’s even worse, they are distracting and sound somewhat out of context. Finishing with the downsides, I’ m not a fan of the outro of Cycles to Gehenna, without it I would consider this a candidate for best song of the album.
Being a producer also helps when it comes to rapping. His delivery is neither spectacular nor below par, it’s dictated mainly by the beat, which is no easy task when you have to fit so many words, but it works just fine.
The lyrics are what I like to call "randomly sophisticated", at times leaning more towards randomness and at times towards sophistication. Even when the former is the case, it still works. It can be because it helps approach some deeper themes in a lighter way, for example in Fryerstarter spirituality and donuts go together ( “Picture if you will a witching hour on a weak night in the trenches Where paranoia dead-ends in a bright florescent heaven With sprinkles, I know right yum”) or in “Racing Stripes”, where there’s more to a visit to the barber shop than having your hair cut (“Crudely, some say to praise the lord I say you wanna feel saved baby shape the orb And I will see you all in Helven Read he fled a panic room pissed”). After all, some silliness balances out the overall dark tone. Or it simply provides some great storytelling (for example in Grace, who can’t relate to being forced to vegetables as a child) or contribute to some funny wordplay (see the second verse of Homemade mummy), that along with the production and the delivery save the day.
Best song: I would go with Zero Dark Thirty and Racing Stripes would be a close second. Other highlights include the first verse of Fryerstarter, the third verse of Leistureforce (“Grace of a misled teen who prefers his scenes with a little Wilhelm scream”), the wordplay – or dare I say letterplay – in ZZ Top and the outro of Gopher Guts, no matter if I’m prepared, I never see it coming.
Favorite line: “The scarf thank Mom's new hobby, kssssht! Copy”
All in all, an album that can be appreciated and enjoyed by pretty much anyone no matter your general attitude towards hip-hop.
Next on the list is Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city. The last proper listen was a good 4-5 years ago -pretty much when To Pimp a Butterfly came out – so I can’t wait.
This was the quickest match for me to finish listening to - nothing new, just some stuff to re-visit.
Aquemini: 4.5/5
The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill: 4/5
Changes: 4/5
Adrenaline: 3.5/5
1998 Total: 16/20
good kid, m.A.A.d City: 5/5
Skelethon: 3.5/5
Crew Love: 3.5/5
I Don't Like: 3/5
2012 Total: 15/20
And 1998 wins it for me, despite my favorite hip-hop album ever being on the other team. I'm going to be evaluating all these matches based on my personal enjoyment of the four constituent parts - no bonus for well-made teams or historical importance, and no extra weight for albums. _________________ Add me on RYM
Last edited by baystateoftheart on 12/30/2020 01:58; edited 1 time in total
Aquemini: 4.5/5
The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill: 4/5
Changes: 4/5
Adrenaline: 3.5/5
1998 Total: 16/20
good kid, m.A.A.d City: 5/5
Skelethon: 3.5/5
Crew Love: 3.5/5
I Don't Like: 3/5
2012 Total: 15/20
1998 wins this one for me, despite my favorite hip-hop album ever being on the other team.
Hmmm... Interesting choice to let the singles count as much as the albums. I was just thinking today that I would probably give albums 2 - 3 times as much weight as the singles.
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