2008: The Year in Music

[Guest Desensitized]

Weezer is covering "Life's What You Make It" on the forthcoming red album. How dare they. How dare they. That's a great, great song that they're going to ruin by being them. The inevitable fawning over another eponymous Weezer album will now sting more than I initially thought.

 

 

I'm'a do the things that I wanna do

 

 

I don't give a hoot about what you think

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

Oh man. I'm not that big a fan of the song, but I can't imagine that. With his voice? Nah.

[Ketamine Disaster 0]

Picture every Weezer song ever, and that's what it sounds like.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

still waitin on the carter iii

 

This (or at least the version of it that leaked to the net this weekend. who knows if the retail version will look anything like this) is pretty fantastic. I was worried that it was going to be a huge let down because I wasn't really feeling any of the post-Drought 3 mixtape stuff and I was pretty much ready to accept the fact that Wayne had fallen off and become a promethazine casualty and would never deliver an album that could live up to the hype. I was wrong, thankfully. The best part is that he hasn't really toned down the drugged out space cadet side of his persona--there's a few obv. concessions to pop radio ("Comfortable," "Lollipop") but there's also shit on here that's more free-form and out there than anything this side of a Kool Keith record ("A Milli,""Phone Home"). Also, he closes the album with a seven minute rambling monologue that ends with him totally calling out Al Sharpton.

[Guest Epic Narcissism]

This new Coldplay tune "Viva la Vida" is probably the most shameless ganking of U2 yet, from the Eno atmospherics to the overwrought Bono vocals to the iTunes spot with all the posturing and purply swirls. I mean, "Roman Catholic choirs," Chris Martin? Eno produced it, so I guess that kind of makes it okay, and that figure that the string section plays throughout is catchy, oh and some of the big crescendos remind me of "Disarm" for better or worse. Hey! It's better than "Speed of Sound," though!

 

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

A new low, even for them. Ride did it so much better.

[FroGG_NeaL 0]

It's decent. The last minute or so, once dude starts going, " Uh-ooooh-aoooohhhhh...." over and over is the best part.

[Annabelle 0]

ya both the new wolf parade and lil wayne albums are pretty rad. check them both.

 

my top three for 08 for so far is

 

wolf parade at mount zoomer

lil wayne tha carter iii

rick ross trilla

[Ripper 0]

I have to second the Carter III. I was wondering if it would be any good after the Leak last year(which had some fucking gems on it) and him having to start over.

 

Plus the Carter I and Carter II had some great songs but werent great albums...this one is his best and just a great fucking album.

[Annabelle 0]

the album is propelled by great producers just giving weezy an already amazing canvas to just go crazy on. his style is incomparable right now. best rapper alive? i'd say. i don't think there's ever been a more dynamic rapper ever.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I'm never up to speed on leaks.

[Ripper 0]

I personally think Royce Da 5'9 is simply the best rapper out there. But of the guys signed with a major label deal, i have to go with Wayne as the "best" out there (in his style of non conscience rap)

[Smartly Pretty 0]

The Virgins are streaming their entire debut cd on myspace right now. Comes out June 3rd. I really really like it. Especially "One Week of Danger" and "Rich Girls".

 

Yeah, this is my favorite album of the year. At least until August 18th when Ra Ra Riot releases The Rhumb Line.

[FroGG_NeaL 0]

The thing about the Carter II is it was a little rushed because of all the shit goin' on in New Orleans.

 

Also, keep in mind that Wayne had ONE producer for his entire career untill the Carter series started, so he was still finding himself there.

 

The Carter III is fucking ill, I still need to give it a few more listens though.

 

As for best rapper alive right now, I'd agree with Wayne, Royce and throw in Crooked I.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

I like Wayne just as much as the next Pitchfork-reading faggot, but calling him the "best rapper alive" is really kind of a huge stretch. Off the top of my head, I'd put Andre 3000, Pusha T, Ghostface and Jay-Z ahead of him. Maybe Kanye, T.I. and Lupe, too. And that's just dudes who are currently "relevant"--guys like Mos Def and Eminem and Nas and Cam'ron are still very much "alive" and still (maybe) capable of making music that leaves Wayne's best in the dust.

[Jorge Gorgeous 0]

Okay... Kanye isn't a better rapper than Lil Wayne. That isn't even an opinion you can have. I'm removing that from the options.

[FroGG_NeaL 0]

I've never, ever, read anything from Pitchfork. I've honestly been a fan of Wayne since 'Tha Block Is Hot'. 'Fuck Tha World' from that album is still his best song to me.

 

 

As for the rappers you named, here; let me break it down for you.

 

Andre 3000 - Dude still has it, no doubt. But he's spit, what, 3 verses in the past 4 years?

Pusha T - I dig the Clipse alot, but no.

Ghostface - Can be great or just fucking annoying.

Jay-Z - Dude still has it, but gotdamn homie, get out the way and let somebody else eat. Jay-Z is the HHH of wrestling.

Kanye - He's improved alot, and he's always been good. But he's nowhere near the best. Now, best producer/rapper? I'll give him that one.

T.I - I dig dude, but he can get really momotonous. And that T.I. vs T.I.P 'concept' was as bad as when Cassidy did it a few yers before T.I.

Mos Def - Dude still has it, but he spends most of his time making movies now. And he's damn good at it. Plus, he don't rap 90% of the time that he actually does make music. He's all into singing and expeirimenting like Andre 3000 and Ceelo Green.

Lupe - This I'll agree on. The kid is on point with his shit.

Eminem - Man, I REALLY want somebody big to diss Em so he'll maybe get some of his motivation back and make some ill shit again. He showed he's still capable on The Re-Up, he just needs a little motivation to step it up another notch.

Nas - Nas is the G.O.AT. to me. He's still ill as hell, but he ain't the best anymore.

Camron - Dude... really? Camron as the best alive? REALLY? I'm not even gonna get into that one.

 

So yeah, the best doing it, and doing it consistently, right now - Lil Wayne, Royce the 5'9", Crooked I, and Lupe Fiasco.

[Annabelle 0]

no rapper uses their voice better than wayne. his lyrics are great, but his vocal range with his raps makes it much more powerful. i don't see wayne as being a pitchfork creation. out of anyone on that list, i'd say pitchfork has given ghostface a career rennaisance when in reality his rhymes don't make sense and he's made the same album for almost 5 years. btw, i bet all of the people listed, except jay, would admit wayne is the best right now.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

So yeah, the best doing it, and doing it consistently, right now - Lil Wayne, Royce the 5'9", Crooked I, and Lupe Fiasco.

 

There's a lot of adjectives you can throw at Wayne but "consistent" really isn't one of them. The guy has absolutely no concept of self-editing and just releases every half-assed "freestyle" he comes up with while high off his ass on cough syrup, resulting in a pretty low wheat/chaff ratio.

[BUTT 0]

WEEZY

[FroGG_NeaL 0]

F. Baby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please say the Baby.

[Annabelle 0]

So yeah, the best doing it, and doing it consistently, right now - Lil Wayne, Royce the 5'9", Crooked I, and Lupe Fiasco.

 

There's a lot of adjectives you can throw at Wayne but "consistent" really isn't one of them. The guy has absolutely no concept of self-editing and just releases every half-assed "freestyle" he comes up with while high off his ass on cough syrup, resulting in a pretty low wheat/chaff ratio.

have you listened to the new album?

i understand the glut of freestyles and mixtapes.

this album is different.

hit after hit.

after hit.

[Ripper 0]

I will say that he does too many freestyless and some of them end up pure trash, but when you make 1000 songs a week, you have to expect some to suck.

 

And its time for people to just admit Camron is fucking trash.

 

I pray to GOD that Eminem does one more album where he says fuck those dumb suburb fans and do a hip hop album again. The Infinate- Damn good album. Slim Shady LP - about 50/50. Marshall Mathers LP...that shit was horrible outside of Stan and a couple of other tracks. All dick and fart jokes. The Eminem Show - one of the great Hip hop albums ever. Just amazing. Encore - Back to piss and fart jokes.

 

He coulda been a contender. But he sold too many albums talking about britney and making fart jokes to go away from that formula. At least I have the Eminem Show to comfort me.

 

But seriously, Royce, Joe Buddens, Wayne....those dudes are really putting out some ridiculously good stuff.

[FroGG_NeaL 0]

Gotdamn! Joe Buddens, man. How the hell did I forget Mouse?

 

Alright, here's the list now:

 

Joe Budden

Lil Wayne

Crooked I

Royce the 5'9"

Lupe Fiasco

 

Ripper, The Eminem Show is my favorite of his albums too. Thing is, it doesn't get nearly the praise that The Marshal Mathers LP does, and that's a shame.

 

I do dig the hell out of MM LP, though. Stan, The Way I Am, Drug Ballad, Bitch Please II, Criminal, Remember Me?, Marshall Mathers and I'm Back are all dope songs. Amittyville's alright too.

 

But The Eminem Show is still his best album, beggining to end. Infinite has a few tracks that get boring, but the lyricism he displayed there is un-fucking-touchable in my eyes. The Slim Shady LP is decent. Most of the songs got really old after awhile though.

 

As for Encore, the way he was experimenting with his flow was insane. Most of it ends up being terrible. But some of it I can't help but dig. The beat to Rainman, and his flow to it are sick as fuck. I know he doesn't even say anything on the song, hell his last line is him saying he just made a song and didn't say shit. But I love that track alot. There's a few other good songs on there, but for the most part, yeah, dick and fart jokes, and just terrible fucking songs. Most of the beats are actually good. If he would have spit some real shit to them, it could have been another classic.

[Guest Epic Narcissism]

Back to that Coldplay song, it actually would've made a pretty good late-phase U2 song, with the resigned and self-doubting lyrics, if Bono could ever deign to admit that he hasn't made a great album in seventeen years. Even the whoa-oh-ohs are The Edge-y. I thought it was U2 the first time I heard the commercial in another room without seeing Chris Martin's silhouette.

 

Awful cover, though. Something you'd expect from The Killers or Live.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

It sounds like Doves.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I would say the fact that Wayne even gets top MC consideration says a lot about the current state of the genre. I give credit to Weezy for evolving from the "WHAT WHAT WHAT DROP IT LIKE IT'S HOT" caliber verses, but I'm still amazed he's got so many people on his jock when he's promoting himself as the best rapper in the game.

 

Wayne's a great mixtape rapper in that he can pack a lot of cute lines and quotables into a track. But he lacks the ability to consistently make a quality SONG. C3 has a few tracks that conflict with this trend (Dr. Wayne, for instance), but through the first listen of the album, I hear a lot of mixtape caliber material.

 

Tha Carter III is probably going to wind up being his best album, but it's not the classic all of his dickriders have been claiming it'd be. Trying to get through the album in one sitting, I'm left with the impression that Wayne is hoping he can push the boundaries of how much content you can fit on a CD, hoping it'll create the illusion of some grand opus. This is a bit of a digression, but I like albums that leave you wanting more, not saying, "Holy shit, there's still five more songs after this one." Over 20 songs for a hip-hop album free of skits and interludes is just overkill.

[Ripper 0]

I think the only reason people try to cling to Wayne not being that good is the fact that he is a overconfident prick that likes to mention that he is better than everyone else. I don't think he is doing it nearly as well as Royce.

 

In his niche though(where its not ALL about what the lyrics are saying like say a Lupe, Andre 3k, Common type of stuff) where its all about the wordplay and the things you are doing with the words+flow= hot, Wayne is really one of the best right now.

 

Amoung Punchline/wordplay rappers, he has a right to talk about how good he is, because damn

 

I think we are different though. I am fine with mixtape rap because its usually better than the mainstream stuff. they are all about making the words flow while the mainstream stuff is more about making you dance. I appreciate that.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I wasn't criticizing mixtape stuff, because that's what I wind up listening to more often. I'm a fan of the more raw beats free of the cute hooks and T-Pain cameos. But I think to be considered one of the best or the best, an emcee needs to take that step and craft a real album. Not just a CD with 20-odd tracks, completely lacking of any cohesion.

 

I love wordplay in hip-hop and I don't deny that Wayne's one of the best in that department when he wants to be. But I'm not sure how interested he is in being consistent. A lot of the content he's given us in the last year or so has smack of a dude who's creatively strapped and just coasting on past merits.

 

I'm not on this voice distorter crap, either. Lollipop and its various remixes grate the nerves That Love in This Club remix is one of the worst guest spots I've heard in 2008. If you can honestly decipher what Wayne's saying near the end of his verse, then you're either a liar or fucks with Wayne's dealer.

[Ripper 0]

And thats why I didn't go into this album thinking it was going to be good. Too many lean enduced bullshit verses from Wayne lately. Plus, the Leak was fucking awesome (I still think "I'm Me" and "Dying" should have made the cut...although he couldn't get the rights to the sample in dying) so I figured that all the best stuff was there and the album might be ass. But it wasn't.

 

I hate lollipop, but thats the club, radio song and I usually hate all of those. So I just ignore it.

 

I think guys like wayne are given a unfair double standard. Guys like Common, Mos def and Lupe are all putting out albums that are basically mixtape stuff that won't really get you many spins on Radio, but for some reason, its okay. Wayne does it and its because he isn't that great of a artist? I would love for Rappers to accept their shit isn't going to sale anyway and that and start putting out just strong albums and fuck the radio songs. But I know thats not going to happen. Waynes album is pretty damn close to doing it though.