Lav's Music Corner

Clipse is the hip-hop duo of brothers Pusha T and Malice. The pair first broke through with a pair of killer albums in the early 2000s, but called it quits when Malice retired from hip-hop for almost a decade while Pusha T pursued a critically acclaimed solo career. Now the duo has re-formed with Malice fully coming out of retirement for their first new album in 16 years. Also along for the ride is Pharrell, a longtime collaborator of Clipse, who dishes out some of his best production in years throughout the record. All parties involved are amazingly still operating at their peak, and with a combination of new ambitions and timeless techniques, the pair crafted a comeback album that most artists can only ever hope for.  We will talk about the album's lead single later, but I want to start off with its stunning second single, "So Be It." It has this eerie beat that is some of the best production work Pharrell does across the entire album. It also has a hook that has been a...

And Then You Pray For Me  - Westside Gunn The main core of Buffalo-based rap collective Griselda releases a LOT of music. So sometimes you just have to pick your battles and only cover the most relevant releases. That's why I wanted to make sure to get my opinion out on this album after missing some of Westside's other work last year. The biggest reason being that from the album art and sonic motifs of the record it is clearly meant as a sequel to Gunn's 2020 album Pray For Paris . That project is one of my favorite in the entire Griselda catalog and I had high hopes for him returning to that well of icy, spacious, and vintage instrumentals with his lethal, detailed and distinctive flows. Unfortunately though, And Then You Pray For Me  delivers a full 75 minutes of music and much of isn't Gunn's best work.  That doesn't mean that the album doesn't have highlights. Mamas PrimeTime  is an early standout on the record with a chilling JID verse that might be my ...

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 & Eng...

King's Disease III  - Nas Unlike the bar on the opening track where Nas says he "doesn't drop often", this is the third album in the KD series in as many years. The combination of Nas and Hit-Boy has been pumping out songs recently and while I thought the first King's Disease  was just okay, the second one really did impress me . So if Nas took another step forward on the third edition it has the potential to be one of his best albums since Illmatic . At the very least Nas pulls off the level of lyrical proficiency you'd expect, as does Hit-Boy with the beats. Even when this record isn't operating at its best it does at least sound good. One of the primary issues I have with the album gets back to the recent over-exposure of Nas as this record sounds extremely familiar. From the beats to the hooks to the subject matter Nas is rapping about there's just a lot here that feels closer to routine. Thankfully, I still find the music here pretty exciting, and...

All of a sudden there's quite a few EPs to be covered and we're pretty light on new records this week. So let's handle some recent short-form projects from the world of hip hop. RED & WHITE EP - Lil Uzi Vert It's no secret that I've been a pretty big critic of some of Uzi's music in the past but at the very least I can say that one of their most enjoyable projects to date was technically the most recent one not counting his collaboration with Future.  Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World 2  remedied many of the big problems I had with Eternal Atake , namely much stickier hooks and many features that helped make up for some of Uzi's shortcomings as both a rapper and singer. So I was a little suspicious going into this nearly 30 minute EP once I saw that Uzi is handling the entirety of vocal duties by themself. Thankfully both the production and songwriting here are better than on EA and while I think there is still some distance between Uzi and their biggest contem...

Joey Bada$$ is a New York rapper and member of the Pro Era collective who broke onto the scene a decade ago with a now-classic debut mixtape 1999  which was released when Joey was still a teenager. After pivoting from his NY boom-bap style into a more conscious and political focus on is 2017 album All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ , Joey is returning with 2000 , a sequel to his original breakout mixtape. Review by Lav: Despite a discography that is pretty slim compared to some of his contemporaries, largely due to the 5-year gap between studio albums, Joey Badass has carved out a place for himself among the top-tier artists of today. He did this by emerging as an extremely talented individual at a very young age and continuing to impress with both his music and his far-reaching collaborations. Even though I've enjoyed some of his side work ultimately this is what I was waiting for, not only a full-length return from Joey but also a project that's thematically connected to his still legenda...

Hey Besties, it's time for the list that's usually the most popular among the shorter bunch, almost entirely due to how much buzz anything hip hop related can attract online. Features are still a pretty big deal and they are normally one of the first pieces of promotional material leading to a new album or single. The shortlist this year wasn't as long as in years past but make no mistake, there were literally thousands of featured verses that people out there may consider when making a list like this. I certainly don't claim to have heard every single rap record released this year but I heard a LOT of them, and these were my favorite featured artists who gave memorable performances on someone else's song.  10. 21 Savage on J. Cole's my life A few years ago J. Cole jumped on 21 Savage's song a lot  for a standout feature on what became one of his most acclaimed and well known songs to date. So when it came time for Cole's newest album the pair linked up ...

NAS is a legendary rapper who needs no introduction at this point. From his legendary debut album recorded while he was still a teenager, to his long running feud with Jay-Z in the 90's and 2000's to him continuing to be cited as an inspiration for contemporary rappers, Nas has a legacy that rivals most anyone in rap music. Kings Disease II  comes almost a year after it's predecessor which both follow the second in his compilation series The Lost Tapes II  in 2019. Review By Lav: The hip hop story can't be told without Nas. While just about everyone on earth accepts the essential nature and excellent talent put on display on his debut album Illmatic  there has been a perception around him for years as being a one and done artist. But if you listen to those who know what they're talking about they will glow about Nas' talent and probably have some worthwhile recommendations for further exploring his discography. I thought it was pretty cool last year when Nas rel...

Nas is a New York rapper who made hip hop history with his 1994 debut album Illmatic  which is still considered among the greatest of all time. It has been a turbulent road since then as Nas has tried to reach a similar level of success with mixed results. Following up his 7 track Nasir  produced entirely by Kanye West in 2018 King's Disease  features front to back production from Hit Boy.  Review By Lavender: I like Illmatic  as much as anyone but with 25 years between then and now it is safe to say that Nas has not had a very consistent career. Though most of his albums at least have points where they show off his immense talent it is often just that, moments. The last record we heard from Nas definitely had those moments particularly the excellent Cops Shot The Kid . While there isn't a song as good as that one to be found here, King's Disease  is definitely an improvement as an album. The record is 13 tracks and under 40 minutes but the brevity manages ...

DJ Shadow is a California based music producer who released his legendary debut record Endtroducing  in 1996 to massive critical acclaim. Since then Shadow has failed to truly replicate his success on another record, arguably coming the closes on his most recent record The Mountain Will Fall  in 2016 which featured one of the most popular tracks of his career in Nobody Speak . Now three years later he is dropping a massive record that comes in two halves, the first part instrumental sample based songs, and the second vocal collaborations with a myriad of artists. Review By Lavender: DJ Shadow's Endtroducing  is an absolutely fantastic record that absolutely everyone should listen to, which is strange because since then I have been consistently let down by his output. Maybe as the world caught up with him some of the creativity on display on his debut record faded away. Of all the post Endtroducing  records my favorite has to be the most recent The Mountain Wil...