Thoughts on XXL's The 10 Freshmen: Hip Hop's Class Of '09 Attacks
Delivery certainly has become an afterthought or impediment for this upcoming crop. It seems that in the transition from Big Daddy Kane barrage to Jay-Z conversationalism, too many rappers are trying to sound smooth at the expense of actually spitting. I never thought this would be an actual point of contention (Lil Waynetitus certainly didn't help).
A lot of these songs just sound soft. Synths have a time and place, and it is certainly not fluttering behind an autotune sung chorus. Them tight jeans and backpacks are catching up to the knock. Creativity shall not compromise the low end theory.
Braggadocio sounds tired. As a proud adult, I'm not particularly interested in how fly, flashy, or phenomenal another grown man I've never met is.
I'm half caucasoid, from PA, and graduated from college, and I still relate to Chingo Bling more than Asher Roth. Somebody flush that kid down the development deal toilet.
I appreciate the transition away from punchlines ad nauseum ala early 2000's. However as not everyone can truly write cleverly, the weaknesses of flow, delivery, cadence, etc. become infinitely more transparent without the zingers.
One of the most wonderful aspects of rap is that you can literally rhyme about anything. Therefore, why anyone would want to rhyme about the saaaame things time and time again is mind boggling and actually quite offensive, considering that the money and time used to make the thousandth song about how you smoke better than errybody else could have fed hungry children or rehabbed a burned out crib. Selfish fuckers.
Someone has yet to truly merc "Swagger Like Us". Emcees please remedy, or somebody offer compelling counter evidence ASAP. And Cory Gunz, please leave autotune alone. You sound like a tween with emphysema. And in no way, shape, or form are you a freshman. At all.
Maybe its my latent Wesleyan traits, but spitting actual verses over MIA hipster mash-up beats
yields more freshness than a little bit.
B.O.B's. croonspitting is growing on me. Charles Hamilton in persona, lyrics, and topics is most definitely not.
So overall, i'm glad I graduated before '09 cause it don't seem there's too much to be schooled on by this crop, 'scusng Wale, Cudi, and maybe B.O.B. on a good day. And last time I checked 3/10 ain't no passing grade under any circumstances.
3 comments:
maaaan, have you heard the johnson & johnson joint? blu goes in on every. single. track. just raw spittage.
and i give b.o.b. credit also. his live show is ridiculous.
wale i respect, though i'm not a huge fan. cudi i could do without.
i agree wholeheartedly with your asher roth critique. but i guess hip hop needs a gimicky white rapper every so often, so his (fifteen mins of) fame doesn't surprise me.
dope blog.
j.
oh man, I was suspicious of cudi at first but now I love dude, he puts on a good show and I like that catchy dance type shit (sue me?). also, thoughts on jay electronica mycha? he's not class of 09 in the same way but I got my eyes on jayelect.
i'mma hafta check johnson & johnson out. blu sounds like he has potential for the xxl sampler, i just have yet to really catch a consistent style/identity from him.
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