GOLDLINK- DIASPORA REVIEW

Diaspora (n):- 

1. The dispersion or spread of any people from their original homeland.
2. The sophomore album of African-American rapper GoldLink released on June 12th 2019.

As hinted from the title, the DMV artist acknowledges there's a musical world outside of the United States and links up with his brothas and sistas from across the globe to explore what the black diaspora has to showcase. 
Goldlink experiments with a wide-range of different genres from trap to afrobeats to bossa nova/jazz to reggae/dancehall to rnb and of course hip hop. The majority of the artists he works with are UK-based such as Lola Rae, Maleek Berry and WSTRN for example. Gold made sure to Link with his DMV peeps though, most notably Pusha T. Outside of that, he also works with one of Nigeria's favourite son's Wizkid and even Hong Kong artist Jackson Wang who is the only non-black artist to make an appearance.  

Diaspora kicks off with Joke Ting where Goldlink flaunts over an upbeat instrumental about his success. In addition to the balla talk, he added a bit of hood talk and even some philantropy talk on the 24-bar track. The UK's Ari Pensmith provided a nice chorus.

While the first 3 tracks do sound like trap, each song has a different type of feel to it. Maniac had that traditional menacing, gassed vibe that I expect to hear from a trap tune while the Khalid-assisted Days Like This had a RnB feel to it. He doesn't nail down one particular topic at this point and seemingly just spits about whatever. Be it money, warning the opps or sex.
  Afrobeats is the first genre outside of hip-hop that you hear Goldlink dabble with. Both Zulu Screams and More are mad catchy and you'd have to be a soulless statue to not at least nod your head to these tracks. The features come from two British artists of West African descent in Maleek Berry and Lola Rae. Neither disappoint with their complimentary contributions. Bibi Bourelly (a German-born DMV resident of Morrocan and Haitian descent *exhales*) provided the outro on the former track in Lingala which was cool.
   In between the hip-hop and trap, Goldlink hooks up with West London's WSTRN for the dancehall-influenced Yard. Even though Wizkid is arguably the face of Afrobeats, his collab with Goldlink was oddly enough a trap tune. It was good nonetheless.
  Not departing too far from his hip-hop roots, the prominent genre on this 14-track album is trap and hip hop with sprinklings of international flava. In reverse the collabs are predominantly with people from outside of the US, especially the UK.



The main selling points of Diaspora aside from the 'concept' is the production. The majority of the beats, regardless of the genre or the vibe, were dope. 
   Also no feature went to waste on Diaspora. Other than the aforementioned contributors, Pusha T has been in beast mode all year and he did what he does best on Cokewhite; Tyler, the Creator proved he can still bar on U Say... The lesser known acts also impressed. Everyone brought something from their world to make this listen an enjoyable journey.

As far as lyrics go, GoldLink shows glimpses of his mic-skills potential. Had some cool internal and multi-syllabic rhyming here and there but it was relatively rare. The content was mainly on superficial topics such as balla talk and hood talk etc. His fast-tempoed flow is fresh however and this album is mostly about vibes and versatility. GoldLink gets a gold star on that.

All in all, this is not quite a classic but this is an enjoyable album with no weak link. I also commend GoldLink for showing the world a taste of what the black population can create when unified. I'll give this an 8. 

FAVES
Beat- Tiff Freestyle
Verse- Maniac Verse 1
Feature- Pusha T
Track- U Say

MOSTACK- STACKO REVIEW

Reppin' North London, Mostack dropped his highly-anticipated debut album Stacko on June 7th. Mostack's 'rnb flow' as I call it, his technical skills and tendency to spit over 'radio-friendly' beats has seen him build a sizeable fanbase. Evident in the fact that Stacko landed at number 3 on the UK national charts.

Mostack seems to have a knack for making tracks with the cruddiest content palatable to the mainstream. Block Popping which was released 3 years prior to Stacko is just one example. In regards to hood talk though, it feels like you only get glimpses of that on this album such as on the track Yes Yes. The standout opener addresses the incident where he was unfortunately attacked and robbed for his jewellery. Over a fire Steel Banglez/Zeph Ellis (FKA Dot Rotten) co-production, it sounds like a hit with extra grit. Aside from speaking on the aformentioned ordeal; he added a bit of balla talk, some playa talk and some hood talk with some memorable lines that give an insight into Mostack's personality (as shown below).

'They wanna come when I'm havin' a juice
But sorry bruddah, you ain't gang enough
And the price of this Canada Goose
Cost more than a flight out to Canada
...
Bun 'im then bun myself just to act like it weren't me
Ahh fuck, shouldn't have done that
... 
Had mum vexed 'cause she couldn't find her kid at night
Had mum vexed 'cause she couldn't find her kitchen knife' Yes Yes

Aside from that and Take Em Down (A somewhat radio-friendly UK drill track), Mo keeps the crud talk to a minimum in favour of more commercial content.
The subject matter for the most part does focus on superficial topics such as drip. Also whether it's sweetboy bars (Shine Girl) or playa bars (Girl Diary), there's a good number of female-friendly tunes on Stacko... damn near half the album (he actually just dropped a video for Shannon).

We've established that the content is very much mainstream-oriented and the production is no exception. Ill Blu handles the majority of the beats and while my favourite beat on the album was the harder-sounding Yes Yes, for others (namely UK youngsters/the wireless crowd) this could be the soundtrack for the summertime season.


 
Mostack brought strictly the A-lister's of the UK rap game to feature. J Hus, Dave, Stormzy and Fredo all did their bit and I was also very impressed with the vocals of singer Dolapo on Make Me Fall In Love... 
  Fredo's verse was basically his infamous 'don't feed the badders pasta' IG live video in music form. Although both are rappers, Stormzy and Mostack were moving like K-ci and Jojo on Shine Girl with the singing. I was just waiting for one of them to go 'ooh yeah'.

There's no denying Mostack's technical ability. He can float on any track with his flows, he can display complex wordplay at times and his bars can be very catchy such as the 'arm and a leg' bar on Stinkin' Rich (see below)...

'And now there's blood pon my arm and a leg
Like I chopped up a arm and a leg
I would dash away these clothes, but these labels on my arm and a leg
Kinda cost me an arm and a leg'

... but it's clear he was going for the hits so any raw 'cypher-type' lyricism he might be capable of took a backseat for that 'rnb flow' which is ever-present throughout Stacko.

I feel this would be appreciated mostly by ladies, under 25's and casual rap fans. If you're the traditional hip-hop head/'trapped in the 90s' type, I doubt you'll enjoy it as much if at all. Me personally, I feel it's a cool album for the summer. Nice to play in the whip when you want something easy to listen to. I'll give this a 7.

FAVES
Beat- Yes Yes
Verse- Yes Yes verse 1
Feature- Dave/Fredo
Track- Yes Yes

DENZEL CURRY- ZUU REVIEW

'Even though I don't really like trap, Denzel Curry can spit better than the average artist of the sub-genre and I respect that.' 

The above quote is something I wrote a few years ago in a previous blog post when he was featured in the XXL Freshman list. The Miami rapper dropped ZUU on May 31st and was met with critical acclaim.
The album title is a nickname for Denzel's hometown of Carol City and he stated on Twitter that ZUU was 'all Miami'. This is evident from the fact that all but one of the features are Miami-based to even skits like YOO which gives an insight on how some Miami people roll. 

The production is handled predominantly by FnZ who featured prominently on Denzel's previous album Ta13oo. As expected from a trap artist, the beats are gassed from start to finish. Even WISH which initially sounded like it was gonna be a tune for the ladies with the 80's soul sample turned out to be a beat for the streets with the thumpin' bassline and vicious verses. RICKY, BIRDZ, stripclub track SHAKE 88 and P.A.T. were standouts for me. SHAKE 88 had that Back That Azz Up feel to it while the latter sounded like a tune for the moshpits. Miami must be lively AF based on ZUU.

'Lets start it over
I, a Jehovah
Come take a look at my city and its culture
City full of vultures, city full of zo's
City full of gangsters, that's sticking to the code
Everybody thinking they know me, for real?
'Cause they only see me on the poster, for real
Don't test my dogs, they got holsters, for real
Fuck a pop tart, we carry toasters, for real' BIRDZ

Given that Denzel declared that ZUU was 'all Miami', it makes sense that the album kicks off with the self-explanatory title track opening up with '305, we in the house'. As shown in the verse above, the bars tend to have some connection to the Miami life whether it be about family (RICKY), the murder of friend and Miami native XXXTentacion (SPEEDBOAT), local haters (AUTOMATIC) or Miami's famous nightlife scene (SHAKE 88). 
   As I stated earlier, Denzel Curry spits better than the average trap artist and he displays his lyrical prowess throughout. He had some good content (AUTOMATIC being a standout) and dropped some decent similes but for me personally, I was most impressed with his use of internal rhyming and his flow's dope. One possible gripe for some listeners is that his verses are quite short. The average verse from Denzel is normally around 8-12 bars instead of the traditional 16. I doubt however that the average trap fan cares about bars so that shouldn't be an issue.



This 12 track album is just under 30 minutes. Short and straight to the point. I don't even like trap and I f wit this so trap fans will probably love this. I'll give this a 7.5.

FAVES
Verse- AUTOMATIC verse 2
Beat- RICKY
Track- BUSHY B INTERLUDE

SKEPTA- IGNORANCE IS BLISS REVIEW

Grime's premier artist Skepta returns with his fifth album after a three year absence. Since 2016, the Tottenham MC/producer has been seen in magazine shoots with supermodel Naomi Campbell; had a child; and enjoyed a worldwide profile boost following his collab with Harlem's A$AP Rocky. This album landed No 2 in the UK national charts thus showing he's as relevant as ever in UK's thriving 'urban' scene.

Ignorance Is Bliss kicks off in a similar fashion as his previous album Konnichiwa where on the opening track, he has a quick recap of his life since the last album. Since Reflecting in 2009, Skepta has never disappointed with these 'intro' type of tunes. 

'Recently I been learning a lot
All I know is there's no better feeling
Than going home and seeing my little girl in the cot, so
This year we're done talking, forget the bagga chat, it's just action
Man are trolling to get a reaction
Everyday it's another distraction
Gotta fight temptation, can't get lost in the sauce...'

Skepta's albums have always had introspective content and this offering is no exception. From the music industry (the constant indirect shots at Wiley) to the dating scene ('Same old questions, what's your body count? Who were you linking before me?'), the consistent tone of IIB is Skepta venting his frustrations. Giving this is titled Ignorance Is Bliss, I can only assume that the BBK leader has endured some eye-opening events. Skepta seemingly indirects friend-turned-rival Wiley throughout. In addition to Bullet From A Gun, I'm convinced he also took shots on No Sleep and You Wish. The latter being a standout tune and more focussed.

'I don't know why this emcee tried to test me
I had to teach him a lesson
But it's like he weren't learning, fam
I just murked him, and I never needed a weapon
Said that you're a top boy, but I can't lie, fam, I can't see the progression'



As with previous albums, Skepta handles the production almost solely. He tries his hand at trap with Luton's Nafe Smallz (who could easily be mistaken for Young Adz) on Greaze Mode and the Oriental-influenced Redrum which features KEY! from Atlanta. The Far-East flava was present on No Sleep as well. Guess he was still in 'Konnichiwa mode' when he made them two beats. 
Feature-wise I was expecting the link-up with J-Hus to be THE standout track of the album but to me, What Do You Mean? was disappointing. Although J Hus made the best out of a bad situation, I still weren't feelin' it. Nafe Smallz did his thing though as did BBK on Gangsta. From working with trap rappers like KEY! to doing commercial, EDM-type tunes (Love Me Not) as well as that traditional 'Skepta/ practice hours/BBK' sound, IIB was another showcase of Skepta's versatility. Problem is many of these songs don't have a great level of replay value and even more so if you compared it to Konnichiwa! which I still listen to.

Given this album is called Ignorance Is Bliss, Skepta probably won't wanna hear this. This definitely doesn't best Konnichiwa lyrically or sonically. Judging it on it's own, it's pretty decent but quite underwhelming. I'll give this a 6.5. 

TYLER, THE CREATOR- IGOR REVIEW

The LA-based Tyler Okonma undeniably lives up to the 'creator' part of his stage name. Creator of Odd Future, one of the biggest stables in modern hip-hop that ultimately gave us Frank Ocean; The Internet; Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler himself. Creator of dope beats and troublesome tweets. Creator of art and clothing. Also the creator of roadblocks as seen when he made a surprise return to London on May 18th. Tyler returns with his 5th LP titled IGOR.

Released on the same day as Father Of Asahd, DJ Khaled was mad that IGOR beat his album to the Number 1 spot on the billboard charts. As I said in my review of FOA, if Khaled cared more about critical success than commercial success then maybe he wouldn't have happened. Quite fitting that Khaled recently released a song called Jealous eh?
Anyways enough about Khaled and congrats to Tyler for scoring his first ever number 1 album on the billboard charts. 

While there is a bit of rapping involved, this is certainly not a rap album overall. Feels like the West Coaster was singing for the most part as seen from his lead single EARFQUAKE. IGOR certainly shows that Tyler has evolved from his horrorcore Yonkers days to a complete musician.
Lyrically, the album focusses predominantly on the breakdown of a relationship and he enlists the likes of Solange and the legendary Charlie Wilson to emphasise this. They amongst others were used to great effect. A couple rappers such as the UK's Slowthai and Lil Uzi Vert featured but the only rapper that dropped a rap verse was Playboi Carti and frankly, I wish he didn't. I don't f with mumble rappers.   

Tyler did actually drop some cool verses but I feel IGOR was more of an outlet for the OFWGKTA leader to showcase his composing ability rather than his songwriting. Entirely self-produced, I'm not even sure how to define the sound of this album. There are elements of hip hop but also 70's soul, gospel, R&B, experimental, funk, electro, dance, rock and possibly a lot more.
What I will say though is that the production's dope and I would describe this as a child of N.E.R.D's In Search Of... and a sibling of Matt Martian's The Drum Chord Theory.  
  You may be interested to know that Tyler, The Creator cited In Search Of... as the G.O.A.T album and also did some production work on The Drum Chord Theory. 

The student and the master

I review hip-hop albums and I wouldn't class this album as such so I'm not gonna spend much more time on this. I will wrap this up by saying Tyler is additionally the creator of one of the best albums of 2019. I'll give this an 8.5.

FAVES
Verse- NEW MAGIC WAND v4
Beat- RUNNING OUT OF TIME
Feature- Charlie Wilson (EARFQUAKE)
Track- RUNNING OUT OF TIME