RapConvos

Admittedly, I'm not an avid listener of older rap music as I prefer to keep up to date with newer releases. However, I have plenty of old rap songs littered through my playlist to take me back in time. I talk about some of my personal favourites below: 1. Go Crazy (Remix) - Jeezy, Jay-Z 'Go Crazy' serves as a 'dope boys' anthem, symbolized by the first line of the songs hook, "When they play that new Jeezy all the dope boys go crazy". The song has a celebratory feel as two drug dealers turned rappers celebrate their musical successes over a triumphant trumpet loop. 2. We Gonna Make It - Jadakiss, Styles P After watching The Lox vs Dipset 'Verzuz' battle, I quickly realized that this song is a moment and a New York classic. The Madison Square Garden crowd's reaction when the beat starts shows it's impact as The Lox's Jadakiss and Styles P go back-and-forth over this The Alchemist produced beat. 3. Sailin Da South - DJ Screw DJ Scre...

Earlier this year, producer-rapper Pi'erre Bourne released the fifth installment of his 'The Life of Pi'erre' mixtape series. Best known for his contributions to the rise of Playboi Carti, as well as producing records like 'Pain 1993', 'On God' and 'Yessirskiii', Pi'erre is one of rap musics most consistent producers.  Last year when I heard he was rapping on his own albums, I was intrigued and listened to his 2019 release, 'The Life of Pi'erre 4'. The album was OK, but there were only 2 standout tracks for me. Originally, when 'The Life of Pi'erre 5' released this year it was same since again, since 'Switching Lanes' and 'Biology 101' were the only stand-out songs. However, with Pi'erre announcing a European tour and Drake posting 'Couch', a song from TLOP5, on his Instagram story, I went back to it and started appreciating each song a lot more. What makes TLOP5 standout from other albums i...

  After the the successes of ‘Flower Boy’ and ‘Igor’, Tyler, The Creator had a lot to live up to on his newest album ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’, and he truly delivered. As expected from Tyler, the production on this album set itself apart from the rest of rap music in a year of repetitive piano trap beats. Whether it’s the old school R&B inspired ‘WUSYANAME’ or the warm jazzy flute on ‘HOT WIND BLOWS’, each song oozes creativity. Another positive of CMIYGL is the heavy rap theme, contrary to his previous grammy-winning album ‘Igor’. Tyler’s hungry delivery on tracks like ‘CORSO’ and ‘LUMBERJACK’ displays his ability as he arrogantly acknowledges his successes, yet with little complacency as he sounds hungry for even more. Additionally, DJ Drama’s presence throughout the album is essential and exaggerates the rap theme. Acting as Tyler’s hypeman, his presence alone makes feel-good tracks like ‘RISE!’ and ‘RUNITUP’ even better. CMIYGL also adds to Tyler’s growing reputation of b...

  In what was an exciting five days for rap music, Kanye West and Drake had both released their new albums ‘Donda’ and ‘Certified Lover Boy’. In recent years both rappers have had a history of petty disagreements which inspired fans to compare both albums. So, which was better? When both albums released, Donda received praise whereas CLB was widely criticised, and I found myself agreeing for numerous reasons. On first listen, Donda was an emotional tribute to Kanye’s late mother whereas CLB showcased Drake’s cringier egotistic side. Donda’s production and subject matter grabbed the listener’s attention, especially on tracks like ‘Come to Life’ and ‘Jail’. In contrast, CLB lacked any real creativity and felt like Drake was following a formula to break his own streaming records, exemplified by ‘Girls Want Girls’, a dull yet commercially successful track where Drake lazily grabs a trending rapper in Lil Baby and delivers ridiculous lyrics. However, Donda also had its low points. Songs...