Lav's Music Corner

Rap is one of those genres where I'll never be able to keep up with all the relevant releases. I do my best and there are still way more than just these 5 records that slipped through the cracks, so let's try and catch up.  The Thief Next To Jesus  - Ka This one hurts. I wanted to cover this record but it came out in a busy week and slipped past me when I took vacation but I certainly would have prioritized it if I could go back in time in the wake of the news of Ka's tragic death. Through that lens it's worth looking at this record with a closer gaze than what I'm able to here. In fact, it's probably worth pouring over his entire excellent discography to pull out highlights. His finale album The Thief Next To Jesus  is fittingly soaked in Christian themes, something he's indulged in before on records like 2020's Descendents Of Cain . But in particular on this record through both his own lyrics and several perfectly selected samples, he examines the hist...

Lupe Fiasco is a Chicago rapper who has spent the past 15 years delivering some of the most thoroughly conceptual rap albums of his era and becoming known for his impressive pen game and winding lyrical style. DRILL MUSIC IN ZION  is Lupe's 8th album following 2022's Drogas Wave  and was allegedly recorded in one marathon 72 hour session.  Review By Lav: If you knew me when I was 14 years old then you certainly know that I was embarrassingly obsessed with Lupe Fiasco. Even that was just based on his first two albums, around that time Tetsuo & Youth  came out and blew my mind all over again. While I wasn't crazy about Drogas Light  it didn't take Lupe long to continue impressing me on his next project and I really expected no different from this.  Going into any Lupe album you know there's going to be some kind of heady concept running through and despite what the title might imply, it isn't a stylistic turn towards drill music. Digging deeper into the r...

Lupe Fiasco is a Chicago based rapper who first emerged in the mid 2000's on Atlantic Records and has spent the last 15 years or so sporadically releasing records with a wide variety of sonic palettes and influences. On this EP he teams up with producer Kaelin Ellis and Louis Vitton and Off-White designer Virgil Abloh to create a mixtape heavily themed around the world of fashion and its creation.  Review By Lavender: I've always enjoyed Lupe Fiasco when he is operating at his peak. His last album Drogas Wave  was one of my favorite Lupe projects in years and I also enjoyed his single Run Game  last year. I didn't see much promotion for this EP and it nearly slipped by me when it was first released but ultimately I'm glad I listened to it, even if it isn't among my favorite works in his discography.  House  is 22 minutes long and features three songs that last over 5 minutes but the first track is just a short spoken word intro performed by Virgil Abloh. The nex...

1. Nicki Minaj - Megatron Nicki takes a storming #1 with the highly anticipated MEGATRON  that arrives after a huge viral marketing campaign and a quick turnaround from last years Queen  era. 2. Spoon - No Bullets Spent Spoon returns after a two year absence likely to continue their reign as indie's most consistent band with more sharp riffs and catchy tunes. 3. Poppy - Choke Poppy is playing the genre bender game once again and by dropping the title track to her upcoming EP she asks the question what do you EXPECT her music to sound like? 4. Lupe Fiasco - Run Game Out of nowhere Lupe Fiasco returns with a new single looking to build off of a solid release last year and potentially building to a third album in the Drogas  series. 5. YBN Cordae - Bad Idea  (Feat. Chance The Rapper) Cordae scores his highest chart spot since last years J. Cole response song, by recruiting in demand feature Chance The Rapper and ramping up for his big debut solo release. ...