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Neo Uruk

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  1. Neo Uruk
    It begins. I'm only doing alliances I think about until the moment this escapes my attention (so five seconds)
    NPO: Vader. I've never been a big Vader fan....well, wait. Nobody's a huge Vader fan. But most can acknowledge his accomplishments and the fact that one time he popped his eye back into socket mid-match. Yeah, that happened. The main reason I picked Vader for NPO, though, is I thought "who is deceptively quick for their size" and immediately thought "the guy who was really similar to a bowling ball"
    NpO: Kane. Very few times has Kane been "the guy," and his new gimmick really sucks (which is actually the opposite for Polar I think, they've grown on me) but he's always been hovering around the upper midcard scene. A big guy who did the flying clothesline more often than you'd think. Resigned to a lot of punch matches with bad wrestlers.
    IRON: Eugene. I'm not gonna get into it.
    C&G (as a whole): John Cena. Very kid friendly. Needs a heel turn to stay fresh. Will not do so because more merch is sold this way. Still does solid in-ring work and is one of the stronger wrestlers, but the "superman" thing is not very convincing.
    NG: Jack Swagger. Standout wrestler, but never let him talk if it's avoidable. That is not a reference to his lisp, but to the fact that he just doesn't do good promo work. When given a good manager, a solid midcarder.
    TOP: Bray Wyatt. Playing mind games with all of you mongoloids. Kind of an !@#$%^&, but hilariously so.
    MI6: Roman Reigns. While the "wow he hits people hard" thing is overdone and he's going to have a lot of stupid punch matches, still a great talent. The four actual wrestling moves he does are very athletic.
    Kaskus: Chris Benoit. But without the "good wrestler" part.
    DBDC: Brock Lesnar, but on roids. Rarely seen, but it hurts when he's in action. Was not booked nearly as strongly until the other "top guy" started to falter in his first run.
    Umbrella; Kurt Angle. First Olympic gold medalist. Gave way to Brock Lesnar at first, but then Lesnar left for the NFL. Kurt hasn't been the same since joining TNA, probably because TNA sucks and only hipster like it now. $%&@ TNA for what they did to Angle.
    Los Pollos Hermanos: CM Punk. Undersized. BEST IN THE WOOOOOOOOOOOOORLD
    Lavender Town: Shelton Benjamin. Fun Fact: Shelton Benjamin was actually Brock Lesnar's roommate at University of Minnesota and they were the Minnesota Wrecking Crew in Ohio Valley Wrestling. Shelton Benjamin was a freakish athlete and standout in-ring performer, but because he didn't have great promo work he was never a top guy.
    Sparta: Ric Flair. There are long periods of time where I wonder why Ric Flair exists; then he'll do something hilariously amazing and I remember! Also, "Sparta acts like it is eternally drunk" means they're either Ric Flair or Scott Hall. Scott Hall went to rehab and is apparently okay now, so that means it has to be Flair.
    RIA: Randy Savage. While Hulk Hogan was without question the #1 guy, it was mostly because of his appeal to a wider audience. As an adult, Randy Savage is far better, similar to Punk/Cena. So SF kinda worked like that when RIA wasn't seen as the head of the snake.
  2. Neo Uruk
    spoiler: they are, by far.
    Just a couple songs that are up there in popularity but not the most known:
    Art of Storytellin', p4:
    Xplosion:
    Aquemini:
    There's not a way to make these two bad together. At all.
    Some other good songs highlighting individual efforts.
    Play the Guitar (B.o.B. feat. Andre 3000) - A theme with Andre's songs more so than Big Boi's is the hyper, quick stringy beats. He loves rhyming in a disjointed, choppy flow. :
    All Together Now (Andre 3000) - This song is pretty weird, but in the best way. : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcxkJxRfr2g
    Benz Friends (Future feat. Andre 3000) - Andre goes straight up verbal abuse. :
    The Real Her (Drake feat. Lil Wayne & Andre 3000) - I don't care much for the song, Andre's verse is last. :
    Throw Some D's Remix (Rich Boy feat. Andre 3000, Jim Jones, Nelly, Murphy Lee, & The Game) - This song isn't the most bearable, but the positioning of Andre at the start means you don't have to skip around : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtoknEAKoc4
    She Hates Me (Big Boi feat. Kid Cudi) - A pretty good song on behalf of both artists. I'm biased though due to it being two of my favorites coming together. :
    In the A (Big Boi feat. Ludacris & T.I.) - Eh, standard song for these guys tbh. It just highlights Big Boi's difference in style from Andre. :
    You Ain't No DJ (Big Boi feat. Yelawolf) - Big Boi is almost as unorthodox as Andre when it comes to beats. :
    Shutterbugg (Big Boi feat. Cutty) - This is probably the most similar song he has to Andre without actually being in the same song. :
    Shoes For Running (Big Boi feat. B.o.B. & Wavves) - just to show what each artist comes up with for a B.o.B. collab; I think Big Boi wins. : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjgrc9zPxFs
  3. Neo Uruk
    and if you only know "The Worst" or other stuff from Sail Out you are really missing out. I'm not suggesting you go out and listen to B2K, but her vocals were a highlight there. She's been on a number of songs with Ab Soul and Schoolboy Q that are superb. Here's her first mixtape http://www.datpiff.com/Jhene-Aiko-Sailing-Souls-mixtape.213671.html
    Also look up Alori Joh (RIP); while not as talented, she was also a very neat Black Hippy affiliate.
  5. Neo Uruk

    The Pick is In!

    By Neo Uruk,

    Whatup playa
    after much deliberation due to strength of schedule, the 1st pick of the 2014 CN draft was given to....
    DoomSquad. And they, of course, picked the charming Rey the Great, Linebacker from the University of $%&@ Off
  9. Neo Uruk

    On the Clock

    By Neo Uruk,

    Just for reference, any and all nations who wander onto the First Round Draft Picks AA -- before I am drafted -- will be under my personal protection. I doubt it happens, but it might I don't know.
  12. Neo Uruk

    Why Tywin Hates Puppies

    By Neo Uruk,

    They represent chaos and disorder. I mean, who the hell chews on shoes, man? An unstable person, that's who.
    And we all know Tywin cares about stability, so he has to hate puppies or he'd be a hypocrite.
  17. Neo Uruk

    Imagine a World

    By Neo Uruk,

    In which you thought letting Ivan Moldavi control a bunch of sycophants is a good idea.
    Or whatever the hell the story is, I couldn't care less what happened to The Chosen One Of CN
  19. Neo Uruk
    And thus begins an early rap Album of the Year candidate. I'm just gonna go ahead and post everything because $%&@ an introduction.
    Kid Ink - My Own Lane - Kid Ink's sophomore effort comes with much hype among his fans on Twitter (god why did I just say that) and others who followed his movements in the freestyle and EP markets over the last year - give or take a few months. Given the amount of hype, I allowed a good while for it to sink in before I made any judgment calls on the album. I don't want to be !@#$@#$ Pitchfork, y'know? But here we go!
    Hello World - Well this is probably one of the vibing-est ($%&@ you, Webster) songs since Cudi's first couple of albums. I've played this to people who hate anything but death metal and they loved it. Could've been the setting talking through them, but it was tight anyway. 8.5/10 song, baller intro.
    The Movement - One of the worst on the album, still decent. Production makes it work a lot better than it would with another beat, imo. 6.5/10
    Show Me - Let me start with this - I hate Chris Brown. As a person. That said, I can't bring myself to hate the artist. This isn't the strongest track on an album with enough "come home with me" type tracks to put pressure on CB to shine. And he manages to look pretty damn good. 7/10
    Iz U Down? - Shoutout to #patriarchy crew. References to Chappelle's Show, too. Quite enjoyable as a music piece, even if you're not a fan of polygamy :v Tyga also manages not to look like !@#$. 7.5/10
    We Just Came to Party - August Alsina > Chris Brown. That is all. 8.5/10
    Main Chick - See, okay, now I can hate on Breezy. This hook isn't nearly as catchy as it was supposed to be, but Ink delivers some good verses. 8/10, saved by Kid Ink's versatility
    No Option - Highlight of the album. Bouncing production with some nice bass. Boasting and showcasing talents from wordplay to flow are Kid Ink and King Los showing the whole damn album up. Reminds me of a hungry Lil Wayne - with a less irritating voice and disgusting-yet-funny metaphors. 10/10
    Murda - Pusha Ton lends his dope boy style to the album as well, providing another pretty big name to the album. Rocketshipshawty drops missiles, and Pusha lets us know he got rich selling ice, ice baby. 9/10
    Rollin' - Well, he is rollin' I guess. I dunno. Never hung out with the guy. I imagine someone has to do it according to his instagram photos everyone shows me! Anyways, no more corny !@#$, solid track. By no means a standout, still good enough. 6.5/10
    Tattoo of My Name - As ridiculous as this song may be, the beat and the way he works with it works out. Lyrics aren't his best work (how could it be) but he manages to make the song so catchy that you'll have to get inked up with SOMEBODY's name. Hopefully not someone you've never met. 7/10
    No Miracles - This is the type of track MGK stands out on. When he talks about actual !@#$ that happens. Elle Varner has an amazing voice :3 Inspirational song, fitting production. One of the best on the album. 8.5/10
    I Don't Care - I don't even know what to think about this song. It just doesn't strike me. 6/10
    More Than a King - To match the intro, we get a strong finish. A pretty great finish, actually.
    The beat switchup works well to keep interest peaking. 8.5/10
    Overall Score: 9/10, you'd think it was Yeezy or Lil B out here. Hopefully Ink gets the credit he deserves for his talent.
  20. Neo Uruk
    If you haven't heard of Action Bronson, you either don't have an internet connection or don't have any interest in hip hop. Not only is he white with a throwback style (think Mac Miller before he decided to go with a more "trippy" vibe), he even sounds like Ghostface. Hell, Strictly 4 My Jeeps sounds like it could have been a Ghostface cover. By Ghostface. Anyways, on to the point.
    The man can rap. Better than most. So much so that he may be a top 10 NYC rapper one day. We're talking up there with legends. His size is reminiscent of Fat Joe, but his skill sure the hell isn't. He has the potential to stay in the mainstream and be one of the best rappers out. He's also a genuinely cool and intriguing dude, apparently, like Tyler the Creator. Bronson's lyricism and wordplay remind me of Eminem at his height, and I'm hoping his stay at that level (or possibly above) isn't as short as Eminem's.
    I mean, watch the Strictly 4 My Jeeps video. The man pulls of an amazing song, and makes it funny. The Riff Raff cameo is hilarious as well. The man created a good song and then pushed it into a higher threshold with the video. Hell, his production and raps are so throwback I was surprised he was white. Since when do white people rap like that?
    Anyways, if he keeps this up he'll be the greatest white rapper of all time very shortly. No Macklemore.
  21. Neo Uruk

    Yeezy Season

    By Neo Uruk,

    So, Kanye's album Yeezus is officially scheduled to come out tomorrow, but so many people have heard it by now that it doesn't even matter. Projected to sell as much as 500k first week, this is probably the biggest project of 2013 as far as hip-hop goes. It even has an 84% on Metacritic currently, before most reviews have weighed in on it.
    Yeezus is, erm, different. You would think this was Kanye's collection of features, because it certainly doesn't sound like his usual body of work, production-wise. The soulful samples and playful lyrics are mostly absent, leaving Kanye sounding far, far grittier than ever before. There are a couple of moments where he sounds close to old Yeezy, but there's no "The Glory" or "Spaceships" to be found. Also, Daft Punk worked with him on 4 of the 10 songs, so there's that to get you excited about it.
    1. On Sight - Within thirty seconds of starting the album, you know it's different. The lyrics may be typical Kanye here, but the beat is nothing like what he's used before, save maybe "Cold." Solid intro. 7/10
    2. Black Skinhead - Ratcheting up the "angry about race issues" up yet again, Kanye references Malcolm X's "by any means necessary" slogan for the second time ("Fly Malcolm X, buy any jeans necessary" seems really shallow compared to this song). The production is solid,, the message is great, the lyrics are pretty good. Also note that he debuted this song the day before Malcolm X's birthday 9/10
    3. I Am a God (featuring...God?) - Kanye, braggadacio? Never. Kanye even goes so far as to have a conversation with Jesus, who apparently thinks Kanye's deeming himself "Yeezus" is appropriate. "I know he the most high, but I'm still a close high" - well, at least Kanye's still humble despite stuntin on a jumbotron. Solid track, even with the crazy ass screaming thrown in. 8/10
    4. New Slaves (feat. Frank Ocean) - You know, I didn't actually like the sound of this when it first came out, but it's really grown on me. The message strikes really good from the start. "My momma was raised in the era when/ clean water was only served to the fairer skin" Ye already gets onto the rant with his first line. He delivers his bars almost nonchalantly, but you can still feel passion from the beat. He puts the passion up for his next verse after the very clever bridge. This song all in all is almost ironic given Ye's rampant splurging. he somehow manages to subvert that, while touching on subjects such as the DEA and what it's like to meet Yeezus in Hampton. Post rant comes Frank Ocean, bringing a crooning melody in with him for a refresher on why the world love/hates Kanye in the first place. 8.5/10
    5. Hold My Liquor (feat. Chief Keef and Justin Vernon) - Ok, this song makes Chief Keef sound good. That's all I really have to say about it. Also, Justin Vernon is the bomb. This song is mostly about one night stands Justin Vernon starts by bragging about holding his liquor; then Keef comes in saying he, however, can not. This song may be displaying sober Ye bragging about his tolerance then drunk Ye losing his !@#$ (ie: he blamed the Taylor Swift incident on Hennesy) overall beat is soothing compared to most of the tracks here, and the song itself seems pretty relaxed, which is te type of music where I believe Ye excels. 9/10
    6. I'm In It (feat. Agent Sasco) - Well, uh, this dancehall-ish track is a little graphic, and the beat seems unfocused for a lot of it. Agent Sasco matches the graphic parts of Ye's verses, but the production just doesn't match mostly. Still a decent outing, but not what you would expect from Kanye West. 6/10
    7. Blood on the Leaves - Wait, wait, wait. After making two tracks outlining racial issues, he flips a sample about a lynching into a song about women trapping men for their evil alimony purposes. Think a dark "Gold Digger." Production-wise, this song is probably the best on the album, and the tone of the verses are actually good. But the sample just kind of offsets it because that is one vast exaggeration. 5/10, but only because it just sounds so smooth
    8. Guilt Trip (feat. Kid Cudi)- I'm confounded by how Kanye came up with the idea of sampling Popcaan's hook for Pusha T's version of "Blocka" in a song about an ex. I'm even more confused on how the hell it worked so well. And holy !@#$, Cudi, can you come up with a better way to croon that line? I seriously got chills when I first heard this on the projection videos, and that was before I even knew it was my favorite artist. Standout track. 10/10
    9. Send It Up (feat. King L) - The nonchalant intro over the blaring techno!@#$ beat is pretty awesome. "I be goin hard, I got a name to prove" Chicago native King Louie boasts, and Ye helps him solidify his name in the Chi-raq rap scene by giving him a decent feature on a highly anticipated album. 7/10
    10. Bound 2 (feat. Charlie Wilson) - When I saw Charlie Wilson's name, I was hoping it wouldn't be another industrial crossover track and instead a return to form for Ye, and I was pleasantly unsurprised. Flipping lines and giving an "old Yeezy" verse, backed by excellent vocals from Charlie Wilson, this sounds like it should have been on MBDTF, instead of Yeezus. It's a welcome addition to Yeezus, however. 9/10
    Overall, Yeezus elt like Kanye was trying to break the mold he's been in. It's a pretty good album, but not quite up to par with his earlier work. To be expected when you dive into another genre. It feels almost like Kanye's response to Indicud, and as such....
    Indicud
    So, Kid Cudi's taken up producing now and decided to provide 80% production for his fourth album (WZRD counts as an album, yes; it wasn't even bad.) Let's see how this goes. Keep in mind this is not based on the first listen of the album, it's definitely a grower. The more you listen to it, the closer your views will likely get to mine.
    The Resurrection of Scott Mescudi - This isn't a bad instrumental. It just drags on for nearly three minutes. If you're a fan of instrumentals that sound like they belong in horror movies, it's actually pretty good. I personally think it could use some vocals in the manner of "Perfect is the Word" though. 6/10
    Un$%&@wittable - Cudi with the patented ($%&@ you, Drake, we know you bit Cudi's style) half-sing, half-rap chorus. Based off the first two songs, Cudi isn't doing too bad with his production career. And he's still got his voicebox intact. Sweet. 7/10
    Just What I Am (feat. King Chip, formerly Chip tha Ripper) - Stoner anthem alert. You can also use this song for a whatever-the-hell-you-are anthem, but it's more specific to the "don't judge me" variety of people. Production is amazing, lyrics are amazing. Chip is one of the best swag rappers and he shows it. To think most people know him from a !@#$%* meme from one of his freestyles is pretty crazy. Cudi comes in with one of the best verses, conscious-wise, of 2012 (the song came out last summer). 10/10
    Young Lady (feat. Father John Misty) - Indie rock band + Cudi = WZRD, right? Sweet, because this song is pretty rockin. Cudi's fawning over this woman in't the most suave, but he gets credit for an awesome song. 8/10
    King Wizard - If you disregard the video made for this song (really, why) it's pretty good. The second single for Indicud, it's another "I'mma do me" anthem. Cudi comes through with his interesting flow, as usual, and provides another solid production outing. 8/10
    Immortal - Ok, who hasn't felt this way before? Either from telling your friends you have powers or just feeling like the night won't end for you. Vibing to this one. Better production than most songs get, as well as just in general rocking out. 7.5/10
    Solo Dolo Part II (feat. Kendrick Lamar) - This song weirded me the everloving $%&@ out at first. But, again, this album is a grower. Eventually I came to terms with this song's strange sound, and then it became really enjoyable. They shouldn't have really used the Solo Dolo theme as it doesn't seem to fit to me. Kendrick with a nice look here. 7/10
    Girls (feat. Too Short) - I don't really like the Too Short feature here, which is a new thing for me. He's decent, but the song needs a different feeling than he gives. Kinda throws the song off to just say "$%&@ em" 6/10
    New York City Rage Fest - This instrumental is much better at under 2 minutes. Something you can vibe to for a decent amount of time and move on. Cudi showing that he's not a bad producer, even if it's simple. But hell, I loved Pharrell/Neptunes beats, why can't Cudi do simple? 7/10
    Red Eye (feat. Haim) - this track is more HAIM than Cudi, but he does contribute. Not a standout track by any means, but it's good. 7/10
    Mad Solar - Kinda tacky for him to spell out the song title, but whatever. Overall not a bad song, though. Beat outdoes the rapping, which is something I wasn't expecting. 6/10
    Beez (feat. RZA) - This track is mostly RZA showing off, and a tribute to the Wu. It is, however, one of the best tracks on the album, production-wise and rapping wise. Not that RZA is necessarily a more gifted rapper than RZA, it's just more composed. 9/10
    Brothers (feat. King Chip & A$AP Rocky) - Chip comes through and ices the beat. Song could have been two Chip verses and I would have been perfectly happy. However, we get an awkward garbage bin collectible A$AP showing, and a Cudi verse that can't really match Chip's verse. Good production saves the ending. 8.5/10
    Burn Baby Burn - swag swag. Cudi spits fire. Production is decent. 7/10
    Lord of the Sad and Lonely - Beat isn't good, but not garbage. Flow is nice. Good song tbh. 7/10
    Cold Blooded - One of the highlights of the album, and competes with Beez and Just What I Am for most complete song. 10/10
    Afterwards (feat. King Chip and Michael Bolton - And here comes the throwaway. This song would be better if it was made into two songs. The ending bit is far superior to the beginning, but that isn't saying too much, since there are a total of maybe like five unique lines in the song. 5/10
    The Flight of the Moon Man - ehhhhhh. Least favorite of the instrumentals. 5/10
  22. Neo Uruk
    So, G.O.O.D./Hustle Gang affiliate Travi$ Scott dropped his mixtape "Owl Pharaoh" last Tuesday. Get it here.
    Travi$ has been featured a lot recently, as a producer and artist on G.O.O.D. Music's collab album Cruel Summer. He produced the track "Sin City" as well as giving it a verse. His voice is fairly unique. He also released "Upper Echelon," a single featuring T.I. and 2 Chainz. Travi$ has also been featured on T.I.'s Hustle Gang tape, Get Dough or Die (G.D.O.D.) which you can get here. Another bonus, DJs Qwond3r and Rieces Pieces, known as the duo KickRaux, have remixed Upper Echelon and replaced T.I.'s verse with a somewhat fitting Juicy J verse. Peep the remix on their soundcloud
    Now, I'm a believer that Travi$ is part of the future of rap, alongside producer/rappers such as Hit-Boy and K.R.I.T. They all have mixtapes in which they show (in Hit-Boy's case, excellent) production skills and (in Hit-Boy's case, lacking) rapping. Hit-Boy did improve from his rapping debut to his collab HS87's All I've Ever Dreamed Of.
    And, finally, the review.
    Meadow Creek: 9/10 intro. The best I've seen since the intro to Kanye's MBDTF. A blend of haunting production, good transitioning, superb reverb, and all kinds of crazy good production. Lyrics are a little lacking, and it could be longer. The humor towards the end is also pretty good for what it is.
    Bad Mood: 8/10 good flow, good piecing together, would be a mediocre track if it wasn't for the same style of chilling production and the latter half of the song.
    Upper Echelon [ft. T.I., 2 Chainz]: 10/10, while I'm not a fan of the #TURNUP era, this song is a very good product of Turn Up. This song is a finely produced, ad-lib filled dream. It provides mellow moments, then just dumbs out. If you don't know what that phrase means, listen to the song and you'll learn quickly. It also features a respectable 2 Chainz verse, which Travi$ should get a plaque for. That !@#$ doesn't happen often.
    Chaz (Interlude) [ft Toro Y Moi].: 9/10 Trippy, trippy.
    Uptown [ft. A$AP Ferg] 10/10 absolute fire. Trap banger. Ferg hops on with his best flow, riding the success of his single "Work" The claim "I'm a mother$%&@in monster" definitely fits.
    Hell of a Night: 8/10 Excellent production. Rapping starts off weak, but then he matches the beat change into Apache hellfire.
    Blocka La Flame: 7/10 Not sure why Pusha T ever pulled his verse(s) off the Caine's Wrath version of "Blocka". Could be longer.
    Naked: 7/10(8/10) ehhhhh. Intro kinda weakens it unless you're inebriated. Then it's pretty good.
    Dance on the Moon [ft. Theophilius London, Paul Wall]: 10/10 The only Theo song I really liked was Last Name London. This is his way of showing me never to doubt someone's capability. Killed the feature on one of Travi$'s stronger showings, too. Paul Wall is a pleasant surprise and a nod to Travi$'s Houston roots. PW's verse isn't his finest wrk, but it's still a good showing. Production is strong, seems EDM as much as Hip Hop at the perfect times. Almost seems like a Cudi/Ratatat/MGMT second-coming.
    MIA: 8/10 The haunting intro leads into a haunting groan, then into strong trippy rap. By no means a deep song, but still pretty....inspiring if you're in the mindframe. Outro is just as good as rest of the song
    Drive [ft James Fauntleroy]: 6.5/10 The Sucker Free skit to start it off really ligthens the mood, followed by yet another chilly beat. James Fauntleroy is coming off a hot feature from Drake's "Girls Love Beyonce" and compliments the beat. Travi$ doesn't really fit the music, but the drums atone for it. Overall, though, this is probably the weakest track just because of all the transitioning. Could've been much better as two separate tracks.
    Quintana [ft. Wale]: 10/10 Not only does Travi$ show off on the beat, Wale is one of the best rappers in the game, and shows his rapping muscle off. Wale has the prowess to snap on any type of beat, at any time. I still have no idea why other rappers want him as a feature,
    . The production over the last minute is pretty much the ideal superhero music, except it's about drugs.Bandz [ft. Meek Mill]: 9/10 Absolute banger, and features fire-spitter Meek Mill instead of ADHD mind-is-everywhere Meek Mill.
    This is the most praise I've ever given to a mixtape, and is pretty much a lock for Mixtape of the Year. Not even Wale's Folarin is close. Crazy part is I don't even like trap rap that much.
    * Being Renegade'd means to be vastly outdone on your own track. The term was coined after Jay Z decided to remix Eminem and Royce da 5'9's "Renegade," in which general consensus ws that Eminem's verses overshadowed Jay Z's contributions.
  23. Neo Uruk
    I've been a fan of Terius Nash, or The-Dream, for a few years now. When I heard his summer jam "Shawty is tha !@#$," I immediately recognized a distinct talent level. It helped that Fabolous, one of my favorite hip-hop artists who dabbles in pop appeal, gave a solid intro to the track. But there was both something to The-Dream's voice and the way he laid down his bars that grabbed my attention. He proceeded to keep me waiting for new material with songs like "I Luv Your Girl," "Falsetto," "Love King," and several features such as "Live This Life" on Big Sean's Finally Famous, "No Church in the Wild" on Jay Z and Kanye West's Watch the Throne, and "Higher" on GOOD Music's Cruel Summer. However, despite these contributions and major success as a songwriter, The-Dream's last pair of albums failed to meet commercial success.
    His body of work, collectively, has very few bad songs. There's a lot of decent or "meh" tracks, but overall he is a very solid performed. Which is why I think Pitchfork, aka Hipster Delight Blog, went overboard giving him a 6.9 for his fifth album, IV Play. Then again, the highest Pitchfork has given a Kid Cudi album is 6.7 or 6.9. The only artist they've given reviews that are consistently in a good scoring range, based on talent, is Kanye West. Anyways, on to the review.
    High Art [ft. Jay Z]: Honestly, this is Dream's best try at a banger. And he does a really decent job of it. Jay Z, however, does better at providing ad-libs than he does on his verse on this track, so once you get to him you can pretty much skip it. 7/10.
    IV Play: This track feels like it's a lot longer than its 5:39 length, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The seductive half-crooning Dream lays down on the track works for him. Nice production. 8/10
    Equestrian: I think it's pretty obvious that this is pretty much Dream's take on Ginuwine's "Pony". Not a classic Dream track, but decent enough. 7/10
    !@#$% [ft. Pusha T & Big Sean]: Pusha T lays down the foundation for this track, then Dream brings a choppy flow to lead in to the chorus. Dream then delivers his signature style. Pretty amazing track up until Big Sean gives a slightly underwhelming verse, but it isn't enough to really ruin the song. 8.5/10
    Turnt [ft. Beyonce & 2 Chainz]: I don't know why this song was made, honestly. It's pretty much the biggest mess to ever get put on a Terius Nash album. Beyonce is pretty ratchet in her verse, and this is pretty much the opposite end of the rapping performance she gave on "Bow Down/I Been On." 2 Chainz delivers what you would expect of him, even saying he would drink a female's bath water. somebody get this thirsty ass dude a Gatorade. The-Dream salvages his part of the song, but just barely. If you don't feel like sifting through the garbage, skip this one. 4/10
    Where Have You Been [ft. Kelly Rowland]: Kelly Rowland has been a reliable feature for a love song duet for the longest time. Her best example would probably be "Dilemma" with Nelly. She drops in for a good feature on a song where Dream apparently pours his soul out. Very, very good way of portraying slight anger and love at the same time. 8.5/10
    Too Early [ft. Gary Clark Jr.]: This song just has an amazing vibe in it. Lamenting about not being able to see his daughters or his sons, Dream still sounds perfectly ok in this song. Despite the lead artist being from North Carolina and the feature being from Austin, it manages to sound like a true Houston banger, which hasn't happened since Pimp C was living. 9.5/10
    Michael: "This ain't a love song; I need to $%&@ you." You have to appreciate the blatant honesty here. Not sure about the whole sounding like Michael, but he's sure making something work here. 8/10
    Loving You/Crazy: The groove starts strong. The most EDM/dance track Dream has ever made, and a very solid showing for his first break out of his own mold. 7.5/10
    New Orleans: Ehhh. Maybe I don't have a strong enough connection with cajun. 4/10
    Self-Conscious: A Good Message. In the same vein as "No Make-Up" by Kendrick Lamar, but without the weird "why does this sound so awkward for no reason" feel. 8/10
    Holy Love: For some reason, the drums give me a chill. This song kicks harder than the drums, though. And they knock. 9/10
    Outro: I don't even know. 23 seconds isn't much to value, but it leads up to Slow It Down's change of pace good. 7/10
    Slow It Down [ft Fabolous]: "I know they're not gonna play this on Top 40 Radio." I'll be damned if they shouldn't, though. Quality single. Fabolous once again lends great help to a Dream top 8 song. 10/10
    Divine: Could be better, but still a good song. 8/10
    Y'All: Well, God didn't make him choke. He came through. A track on which Dream testifies to his accomplishments and struggles, and makes it sound beautiful. 10/10
    Tron: Killer beat. Dream decides to put on his rap face to proclaim that he is RnB. He's arguably one of the best RnB artists out right now, and he shows the hunger of Carter II-Carter III Wayne. A pretty good surprise. The filter doesn't hurt, and he's spitting fire. 10/10
    Psycho: We come back to Dream's crooning for the closure of the Deluxe edition. A solid track, but not really the highest note to end on. 8/10
    The only song The-Dream didn't have a hand in producing was New Orleans, so he gets double credit as sole producer of 8/14 tracks
  24. Neo Uruk

    Rey Ban Vision

    By Neo Uruk,

    I'm just gonna go ahead and use this as advertising space for my spotify playlists:
    armada778
    I don't really get anything out of you following me except a critique of my musical tastes, I just want to share music with everyone. If you haven't heard of an artist and you find them through me and like their music, it fills me with joy. Music is a wonderful tool to finding happiness.
    Do note that a large volume of it is rap, and before I get critiqued on that it's because I mostly listen to radio instead of searching for artists, unless there's just something I really enjoy. I'm horrible with remembering artist names unless I've become a pretty decent fan or hate them.
    If you have spotify and link it here, I'll check out what you're listening to.
  25. Neo Uruk

    UOENO

    By Neo Uruk,

    This week, Black Hippy (Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock) freestyled over the "UOENO" beat and it was presented on TXL. Anyone familiar with Black Hippy group efforts (Black Lip !@#$%^& Remix, several songs on The Black Hippy Tape) If you wanna check the BLB Remix to see what the group does when it comes together, check out
    )Download the remix and quite a few other songs on TXL's latest mixtape: http://www.datpiff.com/DJ-Reddy-Rell-Hip-Hop-TXL-Vol-12-mixtape.491657.html
    This tape, in my opinion, is weaker than most of the other TXL lists. UOENO is the only real highlight of the tape.
    On the same day (or the day after, apologies if I'm wrong) Ludacris released a short tape titled "#IDGAF" I honestly had no idea he was still relevant to rap but it's worth a listen even if you don't really like Southern rap. http://www.datpiff.com/Ludacris-IDGAF-mixtape.490047.html
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