CunninLynguists - My Habit (I Haven’t Changed)

Every CunninLynguists album is superb.  They’re definitely the most consistent hip-hop group I’ve ever known.  Their latest album Oneirology (a term meaning the study of dreams) was released last year, and it was one of the better albums of 2011.  It’s very different from every other CunninLynguists album, and a very unique hip-hop album in general.  Oneirology’s whole musical aura is definitely more emotional and abstract in nature, but it still manages to maintain a very structured feel.

I believe Kno was mostly responsible for this dramatic shift in the group’s sound. He produces all of their beats and raps a decent amount on the album as well, so his emotional standpoint obviously has a huge impact on the group’s overall music.  During the time he was making Oneirology and his first solo album Death Is Silent, he was going through an extremely dark time in his life.  He said making the albums kept him going…and kept him “from loosing his mind”.  Both of these albums shifted from the groups generally upbeat and varied style of raps to primarily soft ambient instrumentals laced with very personal and emotional lyrics.  This is an exceptionally artistic album, but it’s actually my least favorite CunninLynguists album.  I’m used to a lot of variation from them, which makes each song sound special in it’s own way.  Unfortunately Oneirology suffers from a lot of the songs seemingly blending together by having similar tempos, beats, and overall feel.  Don’t get me wrong though, this is an outstanding album, but you really need to be in the right mind state to fully enjoy it.

This is my favorite song off of the album.

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My Song Rating: 9.4 out of 10

WHY? - Black Purse (Amp Live Remix)

This was already a beautiful song to begin with, but Amp Live’s remix turned it into something truly special.  To this day it still gives me chills whenever I really take the time to listen to it.  The lyrics are pretty damn genius, hence why I thought it was necessary to include them.  If you didn’t already know, Amp Live is the second half of the hip-hop duo Zion I.  He make’s the beats for all of their music.  If you never heard of Zion I you should check out their songs Coasting and Takeover (my two favorite works by them).

Black Purse (Amp Live Remix) is my favorite song off of Amplive’s solid remix mixtape One Dark Eskimo Remixes.

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My Song Rating: 9.7 out of 10

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“i’m not who, with my eyes from stage, i claim to be,
i’ve only cradled death in my own ending,
flesh from far off and abstracted lit
candle wick flickering

and when a thing starts finishing around me,
i faint or fake a moustache, an accent, or flee,
in fear my expired license be pulled by sheer proximity

fact: the poseur in the bowler gets shot first,
thinks he’s the shit cause he can spit and curse,
actin’ brash and flashin’ a pistol that squirts,
scowling, and shouting, “shall we dance?”

should our heroes hands be holding this blackest purse?
mom, am i failing or worse?
mom, am i failing?
what should these earnest hands be holding?

still sportin’ my ex-girlfriend’s dead ex-boyfriend’s boxers,
i wanna operate from a base of hunger,
no longer be ashamed and hide my
tears in shower water while i lather for pleasure

i wanna speak at an intimate decibel
with the precision of an infinite decimal,
to listen up and send back a true echo
of something forever felt but never heard
i want that sharpened steel of truth in every word

the small fry in the bow tie dies first,
acting wild like the spirit of god moving after church,
faking he’s hard like he’s packed down dirt,
already, and yelling, “be my guest”

should our heroes hands be holding this blackest purse?
mom, am i failing or worse?
mom, am i failing?
what should these earnest hands be holding?

should our heroes hands be holding this blackest purse?
mom, am i failing or worse?
mom, am i failing?
what should these earnest hands be holding?”

Dyme Def - For The World

This is my all time favorite song that illustrates “motherly love”, and my third favorite song by Dyme Def…which is definitely saying something since Dyme Def has a lot of really outstanding songs.  This is off their solid album Space Music. Happy mothers day and what not.

“Still another day but not any other day

See its mothers day, gone tell my mother hey

You hear me momma, you was my girl

And the memories we shared, I wouldn’t change that for the world”

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My Song Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Asher Roth - Hard Times (ft. Kids These Days & Casie Veggies)

This is my second favorite song off of Asher Roth’s 2011 mixtape Pabst & Jazz, which is definitely saying something since I deemed it the best mixtape of 2011. It’s definitely the kind of song that gets better the more you listen to it, and I’ve listened to Hard Times waaay too many times.

I honestly can’t believe how consistent Asher Roth has become. He has definitely sharpened his hip-hop skills, and has been making amazing song after amazing song.  He’s obviously taking a more organic rout and completely against the idea of taking the common/easier path of selling out.  Asher was raised to never sell himself short, as emphasized in the chorus “My mother told me never to sell, and just to get by”.  He could have a bigger fan base if he had more of a hip-pop sound and made more dumbed down songs like I Love College, but he has made his point to never go down that path again.  Pabst & Jazz is really damn intelligent, and has many great features, solid beats, and an overall amazing vibe.  So if you haven’t checked out Pabst & Jazz yet, I highly recommend you do.

“My mama told me grind..”

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My Song Rating: 9.8 out of 10

Apollo Brown & O.C. - Prove Me Wrong

I have tons of respect for pretty much every project Apollo Brown has ever done.  His beats are simply phenomenal.  The instrumental for this song is mesmerizingly beautiful, and is one of my favorite Apollo Brown works.  O.C. lays down some steady flow with exceptionally well put together lyrics that really make you think.  Around this time last year Hassaan Mackey & Apollo Brown released an outstanding collab album called Daily Bread, and I deemed it one of the best hip-hop albums of 2011.  It was easily in my top 10 for 2011. 

This is my song from Apollo Brown’s new collab album Trophies, which is also an extremely solid album, but it suffers from the same problem that held back Daily Bread from being a true classic…variety.  Each song has a unique beat, but each beat is approximately the same tempo, and the accompanying flow’s delivery is very straight forward and doesn’t stray far from a constant rhythem.  I feel Trophies suffers from this even more than Daily Bread, but I still deem this album very enjoyable and an overall 8.4 out of 10.  O.C.’s intelligent lyrical content makes up for the mundane flow, and prevents the album from being just another average 2012 release.

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My Song Rating: 9.2 out of 10