Lav's Music Corner

Michael  - Killer Mike Run The Jewels rapper Killer Mike has long been a favorite of mine. When I was first really getting into hip-hop his last solo album R.A.P Music  was still pretty fresh in people's minds and the landmark second Run The Jewels album was right around the corner. Pretty quickly his distinct cadence and intensity became familiar to me. In the time I've been reviewing music he has predominately been just that, one half of Run The Jewels. The groups music is often full of personality but with more sledgehammer blow than earnest reflection. So hearing Mike gear up to deliver us the most personal record of his entire career so far got me pretty excited.  One thing that has me pumping the breaks on that hype were underwhelming singles. RUN  and TALK'N THAT SHIT  are both just okay and their intensity has dulled on me since I first heard them last year. I also have mixed feelings about the record's most talked about track so far Scientists & Engineers .

5.  MOTHERLESS  - Killer Mike While all of Mike's new singles have been blunt, this one is straightforward in a different way with a hook that lays out the exact caliber of trauma that he's working through in song. While the sparse beat and occasional gospel interpolations do come off as pretty light, they're all in service of a worthwhile journey of self-reflection. Listen 4.  Momentary Actuality  - Pupil Slicer The closer we get to this new Pupil Slicer album the more and more I become convinced that it might be one of my favorite metal records of the year. This new track has a strong dichotomy of blistering verses marked by switch-ups in instrumental speed and intensity but pays it off with a dystopian-sounding hook that chills things in the absolute best way.  Listen 3.  Giddy Up  - Jenny Lewis If you think you've got Jenny Lewis' sound pinned down this song is here to come along and tell you she's got more versatility than you're expecting. While her so

5.  Alone  - Kim Petras (feat. Nicki Minaj) Even though I've liked both of these artists a lot in the past, to say I was skeptical of this song would be a huge understatement. While I did think each of their previous two songs were okay it felt like they were both headed for some kind of slump and hearing the relatively lazy sampling on display in the previews for this track didn't help remedy that. Ultimately though this song is also pretty decent with an exciting performance from Nicki and a hook that is sticking with me more and more. It's far from the best either are capable of but it's a plenty serviceable collaboration.  Listen 4.  Undergrowth  - Squid If hearing the funk rock riffs and the repeated Limp Bizkit ass "melt" hook on this song immediately activated your gag reflex, you're not alone. My first reaction to the song was pretty garish as well. In fact it took me a few times of hearing it with completely shifted expectations to realize there a

One day late, sorry, busy weekend. Not wasting any more time.  Enjoy <3 5.  Graveyard Love  - The Mars Volta While it's clear that we won't get the full picture of this new Mars Volta record until it can be digested in its entirety but these singles certainly seem to predict a change of pace. With clearer and hookier melodies, less overwhelming instrumentation and a short runtime it's a fine outing though one that certainly stands out for the band. Listen 4.  RUN  - Killer Mike (Feat. Young Thug) Killer Mike is back with his first solo single since Run The Jewels became america's sweethearts and it features a fellow Atlanta legend in the recently incarcerated Young Thug. For the most part the track is a parade of Mike's accomplishments as a veteran in the hip hop community who has been one of the definitive conscious voices in the genre for over 20 years. Despite its general lack of ambition that song is still an exciting anthem based on the charm and stature of

Run The Jewels is the pairing of Atlanta rapper and Southern hip-hop legend Killer Mike alongside producer/rapper and experimental rap veteran El-P. The pair first linked up on Killer Mike's R.A.P Music  album in 2012 before pairing up under the RTJ moniker the next year. The duo went on to release 3 critically acclaimed hip hop records over the next 4 years highlighted by the transcendent hardcore hip-hop modern classic Run The Jewels 2  in 2014. Review By Lavender: Just like everybody on earth I love Run The Jewels. Killer Mike and EL-P came from very different places but the sound they have crafted together is unique, hard-hitting and politically charged. From some of the most hilarious vile lyrics to the most witty and revolutionary there is no shortage of creativity between the pairing and they have been amazing on one record after another. Even with expectations as high as they are on RTJ4  the duo still manages to go above and beyond as they crafted one of the best albums on

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib Are a veteran MC/Producer duo both of whom have a high tier pedigree in the rap game. Freddie has spent the better part of this decade releasing cutthroat mixtapes and albums full of lyrical bars detailing his upbringing and trapping. Madlib on the other hand goes further back and has a long history of working with legendary MCs and rap figures like MF Doom, J Dilla and Talib Kweli. The two connected in 2014 for Pinata, one of the most critically acclaimed rap albums of the 2000's, and after going their separate ways to continue working they are reuniting five years later to release a follow-up to their already classic first album. Review By Lavender: I certainly won't be the first person to tell you that Pinata is a masterpiece. Freddie Gibbs and Madlib teamed up at a point where they were both working at their sharpest and what resulted is a blend of Madlib's jazzy and soulful sample heavy instrumentals with Freddie's lyrically dense

Every year this list gets closer and closer to being the "Top 10 Guests SPOTS", as the mainstream catches up with the feature trend that's been in rap as long as there's been rap. Lana Del Rey/The Weeknd, Iglooghost/Mr. Yote and Charli XCX/Carly Rae Jepsen all made solid cases but for likely the last year ever the "Guest" list is limited to rap features. And in a time when there's more rap than ever before it was exciting to know that any day there could be a 200th Young Thug/Travis Scott song or exactly as likely something wildly new like DRAM/Neil Young. This year's list isn't quite as full of surprises as years prior but it's no doubt full of just as good performances. 10. J. Cole - "Legendary" by Joey Bada$$ Who'd have thought that in 2017 J. Cole would be less corny, what a time to be alive. Joey's VERY low key approach made it easy for Cole to hop in and ride along a jazzy, smooth beat and deliver his trad