A Meditation on Space with King Krule: “Space Heavy” Reviewed

July 18, 2023 by Luke Modugno in Read, Reviews

We have a peculiar relationship with the concept of space. As vague in definition as it is in reality, space can signal overwhelming novelty. Novelty of location, people, community and circumstance. In the same vein, space can separate, destroy and alienate.

Since the 2010’s rolled around and, by consequence, rolled past, few individuals in music have matched the sheer despondence harnessed by Archy Marshall’s artistry, better known as King Krule. Meticulously crafting a discography that sits on a foundation of despair, heartbreak, romantic failures and the cruelty of the universe, Marshall illuminates the drab, dismal and visceral aspects of the human condition. If his earlier work like 2013’s 6 Feet Beneath the Moon and 2020’s Man Alive! are reductions of Marshall’s outlook on the negative aspects of his life, his latest masterpiece Space Heavy is fixation on the metaphysical hands that pull our lives apart from one another.

Archy Marshall, aka King Krule. Shot by Billboard.

Written between 2020 and 2022, Space Heavy follows Marshall’s psyche through a period of frequent migration for the British native. Constantly travelling between his homes in Liverpool and London, Marshall became obsessed with the concept of physical space. During his commutes, he became fascinated by the space between, which often coincides with grappling with change, forced or natural. Coupled with the dread of “losing people and situations to the guillotine of the universe,” Space Heavy’s sonic landscape is as desolate and crushingly lonesome as Marshall’s mind at the time.

The duality of space is mirrored by Space Heavy, as it snaps in-and-out of focus with the plethora of negatives and positives distance has brought about in his life. Atmospherically jazzy throughout, sound acts as Marshall’s transistor for conveying the raw emotions attached to his disjointed lyrics. Assigning genre to Space Heavy is tricky, it can be best summed up as a quintessential King Krule experience. Marshall’s screams and shrieks layer harmoniously with the jarring guitar sections, wailing saxophone solos and harrowing violin on tracks like “Hamburgerphobia,” “Pink Shell,” and most notably, the title track.

Marshall’s songwriting on Space Heavy is brilliantly dense. Inventive and alluring at every turn, the spiritual gateway between Archy’s soul and his pen is unbarred. From reflecting on the fickle beauty of cities we pass through while travelling on “Seaforth” to enduring the tortuous splitting seams of a relationship on “Tortoise of Independency,” Marshall’s delivery in tone and chosen verbiage throughout Space Heavy exhibit one of the most coveted traits an artist can possess: humanity.

Whether he’s releasing a blood-curdling groan over a guitar solo or utilizing his penmanship to emulate heartbreak in a mind-splitting manner, a microcosm of the record’s success comes on its title track. Albeit a brief reflection on a failed relationship, Marshall’s writing and sonic capabilities come together here, creating a clear standout. Without trying, Archy’s mind wanders back to his lost flame, “I had no thought about it, she appears from nothing, out the blue.”

“I sink in full armor, the lake is oil of misery, get ready slurp it up,” harmonizes Marshall. The decaying state of their relationship forces Marshall to engage his own defense mechanisms, putting up his armor. He knows this will inevitably end the relationship, sinking him deeper into a depressive pit. He won’t perish from separation, he knows that (oil to water), but the overbearing weight of his psyche will surely try. Marshall continues “I refused to be saved, my plastic straw.” Belting out, akin to nails on a chalk board, “my plastic straw” over a growing guitar and drum, Marshall is consumed by misery in his effort to trudge on minus his lover. Considering its designation as the title track, the space between him and his ex is weighing heavily.

King Krule has always had an inherent ability to connect to the essence of human experience. Space Heavy represents an obvious persistence of that talent, except on this effort, it’s focused, contained and a bit more poignant. Space shapes our lives in immense ways that are often indelibly defining. Music of the utmost quality such as Space Heavy does the same.

favorite tracks:

From The Swamp

Space Heavy

If Only It Was Warmth

Luke Modugno is the editor-in-chief.

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The Final Days of TikTok?: Analyzing Its Impact on Music

April 25, 2023 by Luke Modugno in Read, Editorial

by Luke Modugno

The music industry has and always will be guided by the everchanging, rapid nature of technological advancement. From vinyl records to cassettes, Walkman’s to CDs and iTunes to Spotify, technological innovation has informed the way we consume, explore and digest music for centuries. In the age of all-encompassing social media, the industry has had to deal with a change far less tangible than physical technology.

Since Tiktok burst into epidemic popularity in the late 2010’s, its short form content and wildly addictive algorithm have indefinitely altered the way we consume media. In light of the possibility of an impending ban of the app, lets examine the indelible marks its left on the music industry thus far.

Perhaps the most poignant and noticeable affect TikTok and the entirety of social media has had on us is its erosion of attention span. “In 2004, we measured the average attention on a screen to be 2.5 minutes,” writes Dr. Gloria Mark, a professor of informatics at UC Irvine and author of the 2023 book “Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity.” “Some years later, we found attention spans to be about 75 seconds. Now we find people can only pay attention to one screen for an average of 47 seconds.”

The erosion of our attention span can be directly linked to the arrival of TikTok. An endless series of visual and audible stimuli, TikTok provides a whiplash of shortform content fully tailored to the user. Coincidentally, the average length of a TikTok clocks in at 21-34 seconds, making it a prime culprit in our diminishing attention spans. Extrapolating the issue out to various industries, its no mistake that the music industry is the business to be affected the most significantly.

Considering the fact most albums are longer than 21-34 seconds, music executives have had to adapt their hastily shifting market. Seldom do you see a cohesive record release nowadays that exceeds an hour in length. President of Top Dawg Entertainment, Terrence “Punch” Henderson recently popped a relevant question to his followers on Twitter. “Are albums losing value? Or am I not thinking progressively enough?”

The answer to Punch’s question isn’t difficult to find. As with all industries, consumer sentiment drives revenue, in turn directing the trends of product. So considering both the degradation of our attention spans and the fixation on having a set powerful and distinct stimuli at our finger tips, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that playlists are now officially more popular than albums. According to the Music Business Association, playlists account for 31% of listening time across all demographics, while albums came in at 22%. The fascination and value placed on with an ordered, coherent full-length LP has clearly faded.

Not only has TikTok affected the way we consume music, it’s also affecting the medium in which we consume it. Spotify recently announced a revamped version of their home screen, featuring a vertically scrolling home screen. Sound familiar? Comparably to TikTok, the new home screen update favors discoverability, exposure and quick dopamine hits. It’s no secret that all these repercussions are diminishing the artistic value of music, further commoditizing the art form.

Most new artists aren’t as interested in crafting a cohesive story, sonic direction or consistent artistic presence. Instead, the prevailing approach to music seems to be throwing as much shit on the wall and seeing what sticks, Certified Lover Boy style. Furthermore, why pour countless hours, musical exertion and bother for public discourse to move past your album in no more than a week? Take Kendrick Lamar’s 2022 effort Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers for example. Fans of the Compton emcee waited 5 long years for this moment, only for it to not even crack into the top 50 of the Billboard 200 only 6 months following its release. Here’s the real kicker: both DAMN. (#41) and good kid, m.A.A.d city (#35) are performing better than Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers (#80) on charts this week. Why? Because both DAMN. (“PRIDE.”) and good kid, m.A.A.d city (“Money Trees”) have viral TikTok songs that accrue new streams and visibility daily, while Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers never really had such a song.

But in order to properly evaluate the overall effect TikTok has had on the music industry, we need to need to look at both sides of the story. Despite the fact that TikTok has discouraged many of the poignant and coveted aspects of music, it has been an undoubtedly positive force for the discovery of new artists, as well as expansion of musical taste.

Artists such as Yeat, Lil Nas X, 24kGoldn and countless others have TikTok to thank for the meteoric rise of their respective careers. Like other social media platforms, TikTok acts as a open forum for sharing new tracks, artists and music you’d otherwise never discover. Combined with the app’s faultless algorithm, TikTok is considerably adept at recognizing the type of music you may enjoy and exposing you to it.

Songs that are years old have soared to the top of the charts to new heights solely due to TikTok trends. Fleetwood Mac’s “Dream” has had a total rebirth, going viral on the app. Bruno Mars’ “Talking to the Moon” has had an encore as well. While the revenue split for artists on the app isn’t ideal (70/30), it’s hard to conceive of a more effective marketing tool for artists to utilize.

In the same vein as countless other social media platforms, TikTok and the impact it has on humanity and human art is and always will be in the eye of the beholder. If TikTok is ultimately banned by the government or not, its impact on the world of music will be felt for years, as the music it exposed us to, careers it produced and artistic lives it impacted will last a lifetime.

Luke Modugno is the editor-in-chief.

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Controlled Chaos: JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown Split Heads on "SCARING THE HOES"

March 31, 2023 by Luke Modugno in Reviews, Read

by Luke Modugno

What makes both Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA’s artistry durable is their unrivaled devotion to the bumps and bruises of their own music. The two have mastered the art of employed imperfection, giving their records an unmistakably rugged finish. Within that artistic direction, Peggy and Danny have cultivated distinguishable styles, Peggy’s driven by beyond obscure production and Danny’s by off-kilter rhymes and delivery. The marriage of these two uncontrollable minds could be a considered a dream by some, and nightmarish by others (the hoes).

A collection of 14 volatile and abrasive tracks, SCARING THE HOES represents a caustic combination of rap’s most audacious forward-thinkers.

Jaggedly stitching together soul and gospel samples, iPhone text notifications, Lady Gaga and Ski Mask the Slump God cameos, Peggy’s work behind the boards on this record is best described as an unmitigated commitment to contrariness. As with the rest of Peggy’s work, SCARING THE HOES has distinct punk undertones, both in attitude and sonic style. Simply put, a lot of the things Peggy is trying here shouldn’t work. But they do, and they fit Danny’s unnatural tonality and rhyming superbly. Whether he’s fusing a somber jazz piano loop with hyperactive drums on “Jack Harlow Combo Meal,” borrowing a melody from a K-Pop song to blend with bouncy trap bass for “Kingdom Hearts Key,” or crafting a fidgety union of hyperpop and hip-hop on “Fentanyl Tester,” SCARING THE HOES’ uncompromisingly avant-garde nature is nothing short of incredible.

While the production is remarkable, SCARING THE HOES really comes into its own when it’s met with the duo’s clever and witty pens. Perhaps the most fitting example of the sheer power of their team-up comes in the form of “Burfict!” Draped with triumphant horns and thumping 808s, Danny’s cagey rhyme scheme and catchy hook emit pure electricity. Paired with Peggy’s raucous adlibs and closing verse, not only is “Burfict!” one of the standout songs on SCARING THE HOES, but additionally an undisputed song of the year candidate.

Neither Peggy or Danny are flooring listeners with their technical rapping ability on this tape, rather their one-liners steal the spotlight and more than a few laughs. “I feel like Papa John (insane),” raps Peggy on “Lean Beef Patty.” On the biblical “God Loves You,” Danny raps “Her with my dick like David and Goliath.” True to its humorous title, Peggy and Danny keep things lighthearted and comical throughout. Even though Peggy and Danny aren’t sharing any “Otis”-esque moments of bar trading on SCARING THE HOES, their rapping techniques are ideal foils to each other, something that is visible from one end to the other.

While this record represents a victory lap for the pair, SCARING THE HOES presents its own challenges and shortcomings. The LP sees Peggy is pushing genre boundaries while simultaneously pushing his own ability to mix the record properly. While Danny Brown mocked the criticisms of the album’s mix on Twitter, it is an entirely fair critique of the album. Danny’s verse on the opener “Lean Beef Patty” is practically unlistenable as the sidechaining essentially mutes Danny’s verse on every kick hit. Similarly, “Steppa Pig’s” brutal percussion and jumpy electronic elements nearly overpower both emcees. Conversely, looking at the mix as a stylistic choice also makes sense as well. With the title track having a similar mixing problems, the issue is certainly tangible.

But what are critiques if not perceptions? Sure, you can choose to perceive the mix as a flaw, or another calculated imperfection. Does either matter to Danny Brown or JPEGMAFIA? Do any perceptions of their music matter to them? Not in the slightest, and that’s what has allowed both to blossom into an artistic space where making such a staggeringly bold record is possible. When collaborative records match the gravity and talent their duos command individually, the outcome is a substantial, as is the case with this album. A continuation of two brilliant careers, SCARING THE HOES is a record we’ll be talking about for quite a while.

Favorite Tracks:

Burfict!

God Loves You

HOE (Heaven on Earth)

Luke Modugno is the editor-in-chief.

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An Indomitable Spirit and Hunger: “Beware of the Monkey” by MIKE Reviewed

January 20, 2023 by Luke Modugno in Reviews, Read

by Luke Modugno

Art will always be a haven for the ambiguous and the obscure. No matter the medium, art provides grounds for creatives to test the status quo, borrow from the past and amalgamate it with a progressive future. From the onset of his career, Brooklyn’s resident underground hip-hop vanguard MIKE has found himself at home within his experimental niche.

Bursting onto the underground scene with the elusive New York collective sLUms, MIKE’s undisputable mic presence fused with a uniquely warped production style has turned heads since day one. Augmenting his pen, wordplay, introspection and skill as a producer with each release, MIKE has silently become one of the most talented acts in rap’s avant-garde sector. Beware of the Monkey, his latest project, only solidifies the emcee as one of his generation’s most powerfully forward thinkers.

Preluding the release with a slew of notable singles and a three-track EP with Wiki and The Alchemist, those who were paying attention to MIKE’s trajectory could see what lens Beware of the Monkey was peering through before its arrival. A continuation of so many of the idiosyncrasies that made 2021’s Disco! a dense and head-swirling composition, Beware of the Monkey picks up the pieces of MIKE’s despair and refigures them, recontextualizes them, harbors them in his pen and hands them off to the listener in the form of 13 comprehensive tracks.

While usually borrowing a page of Some Rap Songs’ burned and tattered blueprint of confessionary, gut-wrenching writing focusing on crumbling, crushing depressive states, MIKE has a unmistakable hunger for more on this record. Sure, his drab tonality and lyrical content are here, but there’s an ambition and boldness to Beware of the Monkey. If MIKE was asking questions on projects like MAY GOD BLESS YOUR HUSTLE and War in my Pen, he’s moving significantly closer to the answers on Beware of the Monkey. The result of astute solitary observation and theorization, MIKE’s growing up with his music. “Live like it’s my all, gotta give a bunch/Sit tight through the fog it be bigger floods” he spits on the stunning opener “nuthin I can do is wrng.” MIKE’s moved past allowing the vapid dystopia he occasionally inhabits affect his outlook on life, a sentiment that’s backed by the follow-up track “As 4 Me.”

Stating his intention to showcase why he should be consider amongst the greatest rappers in the world, MIKE lays down a viscous flow over a intoxicating beat. This craving is demonstrated by his clever one liners, existential psychology and technical ability throughout Beware of the Monkey. Perhaps the most potent illustration of MIKE’s intricate commentary comes in the form of “Tapestry.” Struggling to make a distinction between complacency, success and converting his passionate hobby into a lucrative business, MIKE’s mind state leads him right back to his greatest asset as a writer: asking alluringly pertinent questions about himself and the world around him. “We in the crib making classics/It be hard making a living in catastrophe/At our darkest this shit be hidden in fallacies,” MIKE raps. “Tapestry” and the commentary it makes regarding MIKE’s past, present and future as a rapper is an absorbing example of his maturation as a writer and human being.

Sonically, Beware of the Monkey is utilizes a decisively brighter palette. Sticking to the use of distorted vocalizations as the backbone of his production, MIKE’s skill behind the board is boundless. MIKE uses this inherent skill to convey a broad range of feelings and moods. Utilizing his features in the same vain as a sample, “Stop Worry!” is pushed along by a head bopping chorus from dancehall legend Sister Nancy. From the determined and nearly motivational horns of “No Curse Lifted (rivers of love)” to “Ipari Park’s” haunting piano loop, MIKE has continually proven that the some of the most inventive production from this batch of avant-garde rap producer emits from his discography.

With Beware of the Monkey, MIKE has proven that he has all he needs. He has the raw feel of a contemplative writer. He has the ear and mind of a producer capable of baroque sonic tapestries. And he certainly has the ability to merge it all into a sweeping hip-hop masterpiece. At this point, all he needs is your attention, and more importantly, your respect.

favorite tracks:

nuthin i can do is wrng

As 4 Me

Ipari Park (feat. Klein)

Luke Modugno is the editor-in-chief.

Thanks for reading! Make sure to follow us on Instagram to stay up-to-date on everything music related.

New Music Friday: Smino, Rihanna, Baby Keem, & More!

October 28, 2022 by Spencer Lobdell in Read

By Spencer Lobdell

“No L’s” by Smino

“Shirt” by Rihanna

“highway 95” by Baby Keem

“Lift Me Up” by Rihanna

“Modennaminute” by Smino (Feat. Lucky Day & Phoelix)

“OOGA BOODA!” by Ski Mask The Slump God

“Patience Interlude” by Baby Keem

“pg baby - Remix” by redveil (Feat. Denzel Curry)

“Rage Quit” by BabyTron

“Shootouts in Soho” by Westside Gunn (Feat. A$AP Rocky & Stove God Cooks)

“300 Blackout” by Kodak Black

“Monsieur Dior” by IDK

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Hotblock Jmoe Sounds More Determined Than Ever on His New Song “9X Outta 10”

October 25, 2022 by Miles Hagan in Read

By Miles Hagan

Chicago has something special going on right now. The latest in a long line of successful musicians to come out of the city is Hotblock JMoe, and he just dropped his latest track “9x Outta 10” featuring Tory Lanez. Along with the release of the track he had a special listening event in LA and had some of the biggest stars and executives in the city come out.

The track shows Hotblock back in his bag, effortlessly flowing between slick bars and emotional melodies. While he is still making his way up in the industry, it is abundantly clear that he understands his newfound position. JMoe speaks on what it has taken for him to get to this point and how he plans to change not only his life but the lives of those around him. The smooth guitar sets the tone for his heartfelt message, but there is an undeniable confidence that shines brightly through the melodic chorus. He seems keenly aware that even though there is a long way to go, he has no choice but to make it and give the people he loves the life they deserve.

Tory slides on his verse per usual as this is a very familiar type of production for him. Hotblock has also received features from G Herbo and Big Sauce and has effortlessly brought them into his world, and this track is no different. Tory continues the run that he has been on for the last couple of years, this time coming with more bars than normal while still utilizing his signature auto-tune.

The listening event in LA had media from AllHipHop, SiriusXM, and Hollywood Unlocked. Guests were treated to drinks, casino tables, and food as they enjoyed hearing “9x Outta 10” for the first time. If this is any indicator, Hotboy JMoe has begun to reach well beyond the Windy City and has a lot of success in his future.

Miles Hagan is the co-founder of StereoVision.

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New Music Friday: Smino, NxWorries, Babyface Ray, & More!

October 21, 2022 by Spencer Lobdell in Read

By Spencer Lobdell

NxWorries’ Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge, photo by @alexxfigs

“Where I Go” by NxWorries (Feat. H.E.R.)

“Matinee” by Smino

“Do Better” by Ab-Soul (Feat. Zacari)

“Nice Guy” by Babyface Ray

“Mad Richer” by Sonder

“Drop An Album” by Boldy James

“Tony Fontana III” by Hit-Boy & Curresn$y

“ICU” by Coco Jones

“I Just Wanna Rock” by Lil Uzi Vert

“Aang” by Pivot Gang

“KICK DOOR” by SwaVay (Feat. G Herbo)

“Diana” by Armani Caesar (Feat. Kodak Black)

An Exhibition in Consistency: Freddie Gibbs’ “SSS” meets expectations

October 16, 2022 by Luke Modugno in Reviews, Read

by Luke Modugno

Artistic complacency is a term that has an unjustly poor connotation. When you’re as consistent and dependable as Freddie Gibbs, being smug and content about the prestige of your career is, really, quite easy.

Such is the story of Freddie Gibbs’ latest record $oul $old $eparately, as Gibbs revamps his signature blend of typically transcendent coke raps over avant-garde trap and alternate hip-hop production. However, the “Alfredo” follow-up is relatively unsurprising in both positive and negative aspects.

Few artists can match the album run Gibbs has produced in the time frame of 2014 through 2022. Crafting two classic records with help from hip-hop’s most fabled producer Madlib, receiving a Grammy nomination for his brilliant collaboration project with The Alchemist, Alfredo and delivering a steady supply of high-quality music in between, Gibbs is a well-oiled machine at the art of album curation.

While this record is a revisitation of the chemistry constructed between Gibbs, The Alchemist and Madlib, $oul $old $eparately opens the door behind-the-boards to some intriguing producers. James Blake, KAYTRANDA and DJ Dahi all bring their incredibly diverse sounds to this record, allowing Gibbs to tinker with the experimentation of his usual formula.

While Gibbs wanders outside his comfort zone for a portion of the record on tracks like “Dark Hearted,” Gibbs is simply a master of his craft and he utilizes that to generate the clear standouts of the track list.

“Blackest in the Room” is pushed along by a silky and luxurious Alchemist loop and accompanied by a beat switch that display Gibbs’ versatility as an emcee. Switching flows multiple times throughout the track, it seems almost too easy for Gibbs to craft intriguing and memorable verses. “Space Rabbit” and “PYS” featuring DJ Paul are aggressive trap bangers showcasing his dizzying flow and clever word play. Madlib provides an angelic horn loop for the closer “CIA,” recalling the same brilliance produced on “Gat Damn” off of 2019’s Bandana. All-in-all, $oul $old $eparately’s bright spots are a quality union of the works that have propelled Gibbs to rap prestige.

Following suit of the elite producer credits on this album, Gibbs’ recruits for $oul $old $eparately’s feature list don’t disappoint. Anderson .Paak’s suave graces “Feel No Pain” in his catchy hook joined by a Raekwon verse that harkens back to the excellence of his early Wu-Tang days. Pusha T adds to his catalogue of flawless features on Gold Rings, and Rick Ross easily blends with the opulence emitted from the production on “Lobster Omelette.”

While Gibbs’ usual subject matter, sonic aesthetic and technical superiority are all in attendance on $oul $old $eperately, it’s hard to overlook the fact that the record produces a mere iota of the grandness we’ve become accustomed to with new releases from Gibbs. In Layman’s terms, $oul $old $eperately is watered-down in some ways.

It’s not unfair to call $oul $old $eperately unambitious. We’ve grown accustomed to Gibbs dropping boundary-pushing art consistently. Records like Alfredo, Pinata and Bandana have placed the bar extraordinarily high for new releases from Gibbs, a bar that simply isn’t surpassed on $oul $old $eperately. Gibbs isn’t getting any more creative with his pen here, he isn’t flexing his vocal range as much as anticipated, and the beat selection, while admirable, isn’t unique to his catalog.

Instead, $oul $old $eparately is a victory lap for an artist who deserves all the flowery praise he receives. Speckled with intriguing and ear-catching tracks, this record is a microcosm of the successes Gibbs has enjoyed throughout his tenured career. Freddie Gibbs has nothing to prove, and still raps his weight in bricks on $oul $old $eparately.

Luke Modugno is the editor-in-chief.

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Thanks for making the last six years a little easier 💎

The Wranq Ramone Interview: His New Album, Pioneer Square, and Overcoming Depression

September 24, 2022 by Spencer Lobdell in Read

By Spencer Lobdell

In a world where attention spans are short and viral superstars are made overnight, Wranq Ramone chose a different path. After impressing us with his debut project Reincarnated in 2017, the Seattle hip-hop artist seemingly disappeared. He went unheard from until 2020 when he broke his silence with the politically charged single, “WTO”, a song that showcased a pen that had been sharpened significantly since last we heard from Ramone. The improvement from 2017 to 2020 should’ve made Wranq’s whereabouts obvious, he hadn’t retired, rather he retracted to a place where he could work on his craft and truly find his sound. Five years after his intriguing debut, Wranq Ramone has finally returned with his sophomore project: Sex, Drugs and Therapy.

On Sex, Drugs, and Therapy, Wranq manages to double down on everything we loved about him from his debut while also showing enhanced maturity and a level of ability that Ramone couldn’t even imagine back in 2017. The project is a lyric-heavy concept album that gives us a look into the twisted life of the Seattle artist through the lens of a therapy session. Ramone explores topics that we can all relate to while simultaneously making the project feel extremely personal at every turn. Despite detailing an abandonment that has nearly become a genre archetype, the song “Bloodline” is still as Ramone as it gets thanks to his exceptional ability to tell stories.

Don’t let the project’s brevity fool you, Sex, Drugs, and Therapy’s 22-minute run time is substance-rich and jam packed with raps that will keep you coming back for more. Prior to the album’s release, I hopped on the phone to ask Wranq him some questions about the project. Our conversation, lightly edited for clarity, follows below:

Spencer Lobdell, StereoVision (SL): It’s been five years since you dropped reincarnated, what have you been up to?

Wranq Ramone (WR): When Reincarnated came out, I had just graduated highschool and gone back to Seattle. I still didn’t understand the music business, none the less who I was as an artist. One day I got called to be in a video with macntaj (Seattle artist), so I did it. Afterwards I was talking to the people that put it on and we got along really well and decided we wanted to work together. At the time I already had another album recorded so I played it for them, it was dope. After we listened to it I went to them like “I’m ready to roll” and they were like “naw, you gotta develop and focus on these steps.” I decided they were right and so we recorded another album. I was making all sorts of different types of music trying to find my sound. We scrapped three whole projects before I felt like I really started to find it.

SL: Who inspired you while you were making this project?

WR: Marilyn Manson for sure. The start of the second track “Undefeated” samples Marilyn Mason at what I think was the 1999 MTV Music Awards. And then honestly, metal. I’m a huge metal head and I would listen to it to calm myself and get a break from the hip-hop. Of course hip-hop too though: Rick Ross, Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, Kendrick Lamar… all those guys.

SL: What story did you set out to tell when you wrote Sex Drugs and Therapy?

WR: So I went through a period, I don’t even really know what happened, where I was just in a really weird place in my life. I had just dropped out of college, I wasn’t making anything at my job, and I got super depressed. One day I was walking, I had just left my house, and a huge wave hit me and I felt like I was going to pass out. I went home and was super sick for two weeks, I even missed a show. In the same week my neighbor above me jumped out his seventh story window which didn’t help my situation. I couldn’t go more than a mile away house, for a second I thought I was probably going to kill myself. I was just super confused about life and my purpose. I ended up going to therapy which pretty much saved me. When I finally pulled out of that depression I knew that was what I was going to write the project about. That’s when I rewrote everything.

SL: You’re always repping your hometown so tell me, what do you love about Seattle?

WR: For me, it’s strictly Pioneer Square culture. My mom ran the Pioneer Square J&M which was the oldest bar in Seattle before she moved to LA and the bar closed. People know me there. People have been seeing me around the square since I was 15. It’s really a community. It’s also a really poor area with a high crime rate which has also inspired me. I’ll tell people, the square will chew you up and spit you out, I’ve seen it multiple times. I’ve seen people die in the square. It’s such a beautiful old place with a lot of history but its also got a lot of really ugly scars which might’ve played a larger role in shaping me than the beauty.

Spencer Lodbell is the co-founder of StereoVision.

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Back and Better than Ever: "Intros Outros & Interludes" reviewed

September 06, 2022 by Luke Modugno in Read, Reviews

by Luke Modugno

Domo Genesis has always occupied an evocative lane of the Odd Future assemblage. Since their split and subsequent pursuit of solo work back in 2015, each member of the former collective has journeyed deeper into their experimental absorptions, morphing their artistry into something that hardly resembles their original work. However, Domo’s latest record Intros, Outros & Interludes is more of the same from the 31-year-old emcee, in the best way possible.

Clocking in at 11 tracks spanning 25 minutes, the concision and precise identity lyrically, sonically and aesthetically of Intros, Outros & Interludes is what propel this to be Domo’s most outstanding individual work to date.

Executively produced by Evidence, a sapling stemming from The Alchemist’s tree of influence, the record is a product of contemporary alternative hip-hop: soul vocal loops, antique drums, stumbling horns, pianos and other instrumentation splattered and dragged through the dusty, brilliant producer’s mind of Evidence. The direction behind-the-boards pairs smoothly with Domo’s delivery, which retains its intrigue via his unique intonation.

As the record static cuts in on the opener “Don’t Believe Half” and the accompanying horn loop joins, Domo’s pen and delivery makes it blatantly obvious that he’s been working on perfecting his craft during his nearly five year absence from music. “I'm probably out the way, but I’m exactly where to be at/the energy where we at/and the home where my feet at/the road is what I drive on, the chrome where the seat at” shows Domo’s retention of his witty pen from his Odd Future days. Mixed with his especially nasally inflection on this track and across the record, Intros, Outros & Interludes properly displays Domo’s full potential as a solo rap artist.

The ever promising Navy Blue joins Domo on track two, “Skeletons,” with a beat tailor-made for Navy’s obscure braggadocio and clever word play. Remy Banks, Griselda’s-own Boldy James and Evidence join Domo as featured artists, all with exceptional verses in their own right. Beside Intros, Outros & Interludes representing Domo’s most complete and remarkable body of writing, this record is easily his most distinguished sonically.

Every beat on Intros, Outros & Interludes emits its own exclusive aura, affording Domo a diverse palette of experimental flavors to work with on this project. The heading nodding vocal chop on “Trust the Process” is simply filthy. A clever soul sample paired with a skilled emcee has rarely failed, and “Stay One More Day” and “Running, Running” are no exception to that trend. The luxurious piano and grimy drums on “Victories & Losses” provide a lush backdrop for Domo and Evidence to trade bars. Boldy and Domo’s relaxed deliveries pair well with the lo fi production on “December Coming.” All-in-all, Intros, Outros & Interludes is in the conversation of being the best produced hip-hop record of the year.

With next to zero skips, drastic improvements lyrically, artistically and directionally from Domo Genesis, Intros, Outros & Interludes is a premier release in hip-hop during 2022. A glorious return to form, Domo has proven here that he is definitively back and here to stay.

Luke Modugno is the editor-in-chief.

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A Glamorous Return to Form: “2000” by Joey Bada$$ reviewed

August 08, 2022 by Giovanni Recinos in Read, Reviews

by Giovanni Recinos

It’s crazy to think that ten years ago much of the world was first exposed to the witty wordplay of Joey Bada$$ and the Pro Era crew through his cult-classic debut project, 1999. It is even more wild to think that it has been five years since we saw Joey drop an album with 2017’s All-AmeriKKKan Bada$$. All-AmeriKKKan Bada$$ introduced us to Joey’s venture into more radio-friendly singles and his stray away from much of his boom-bap inspired rhymes. While Joey’s fascination for catchier tracks initially made me fear his artistic direction for the future, 2000 is in no way a miss. 2000 is in many ways a mixture of these two projects, with it being a return to his 1999 form, while also acknowledging the major changes of Joey’s lifestyle, sound and the changes in the genre over those years.

If 1999 is Joey’s Ready to Die, then 2000 is his Life After Death, in the sense that Joey’s hunger really shines on 1999, whereas on 2000 Joey loses a lot of that hunger and instead recognizes a much more comfortable rap space that he can call his own. Songs such as “Make Me Feel” and “Zipcodes” really showcase the strengths of most of the project, as the individual songs often stand on their own as aux-cord friendly with its fly style and smooth instrumentation. Many of the songs include co-signs from artists like Nas, and Diddy that at first felt a bit forced, but I have grown to appreciate them. Considering Joey was only 17 when he dropped 1999, it gives the album a nice coming-of-age feel.

Another highlight on the album for me was the song “Brand New 911”. After hearing Joey’s contributions on Westside Gunn’s, “327” I had hoped Joey would nod more to the new Griselda style as it suits him well. This song definitely recognizes some of those changes in the New York style and the two do the song justice.

While the project sounds great, beyond that surface level it can feel a bit disappointing. The album may strive in Joey's captivating style, but its greatest weakness in my eyes is its noticeable feel of lacking true heart in its lyricism. What made 1999 a repeat listen to many fans was its complex lyricism with layers of double and triple entendres, whereas with this project the lack of substance (or even character) makes me less compelled to do a deep dive into Joey’s lyrics.

Ironically, a new “era” has definitely arrived for Joey with the project noticeably lacking any of the Beast Coast or Pro Era crew (outside of production) and that also swipes a lot of my personal interest. A new era may not be a bad thing, but Joey has lost a lot of his brand personality with the loss of the Beast Coast momentum, and friendly competition brought in the past by peers like Meechy Darko, Nyck Caution or Kirk Knight. “Survivors Guilt” is a definite highlight and exception, being the one song that really compels me to follow its lyricism. Other than that most of the album just feels like a collection of songs of braggadocio and glamour. While this is not necessarily a negative in its own, when compared to the level of lyricism on the predecessor, 1999, it could definitely disappoint some of Joey’s fanbase.

Overall the project is super solid, especially when hearing it in pieces. But the real disappointment is Joey taking too long to drop new music. In the future, hopefully Joey will drop music more consistently even if it means less wordplay or depth involved in the projects. Joey’s bold claim, “who the best emcees? Kenny, Joey and Cole” may not be wrong, but he hasn’t dropped enough music to the public to prove that claim. Considering the relationship between Westside Gunn and Joey Bada$$, I have high hopes that Joey could drop more projects. Maybe even a Westside Gunn curated, Joey Bada$$ album at some point. I definitely would recommend this project, but it would be hard to call it my favorite of his.

Giovanni Recinos is a staff writer.

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Prophetic and Intricate, Lupe Fiasco’s “DRILL MUSIC IN ZION” Incites Reflection

July 28, 2022 by Asher Ali in Reviews, Read

by Asher Ali

Chicago is musical ground zero for how it has innovated sound through time, with key figures giving new meanings to music that matches the city’s eclectic nature. Muddy Waters created “Chicago blues” giving the southern-based music a more industrial sound, DJ Frankie Knuckles started house at Chi-town establishment The Warehouse, and drill could stand as its own personality for how it popularized a whole city’s rap scene in the early 2010s.

Drill gave birth to some of modern rap’s most generational talents like Lil Durk, Fredo Santana, and perhaps the genre’s most prolific figure in Chief Keef. Popular rappers up to that point promoted dangerous behavior with a sort of contemplation that demonstrated the duality of these actions, while Sosa and his peers in drill enthusiastically gloated about their indulgence in illicit behavior over high-flying drill beats.

Wasalu Muhammed Jaco, known worldwide as Lupe Fiasco, comes from Chicago’s Westside, and rose to prominence in the late-20002/early 2010s for a very different sounding version of rap than what Chief Keef helped cultivate. Around the time of Sosa’s first hit, Fiasco had just ascended to a No. 1 Billboard 200 album spot with Lasers, an album that pandered to radio plays for its oversaturated electronic sound with up-tempo pop bars thrown on top.

Instead of remaining in this unimaginative state which afforded him the limelight, the Chicago native innovated his sound greatly starting with 2015’s Tetsuo & Youth. From the systemic effects of slavery on Black people to the peculiarities of religion, Fiasco became unafraid to take on complex issues that he felt a deep connection with.

And on Fiasco’s latest project, Drill Music in Zion, the hip-hop veteran brings his most sonically and thematically centered piece of art yet, with poignant messages coming hand in hand with serene beats and rhythms. As the title alludes to, the album is a philosophical analysis of the dual effects that drill, and the dangerous lifestyle of the modern-day trapper have had on Chicago’s youth.

In Drill Music in Zion, Fiasco’s voice is meant to be mentoring and critical toward up-and-coming rappers. The seasoned veteran’s sagacity and intellect widely allows him to do this as his bars often ring true and well thought out, and he only comes off as excessively didactic a handful of times on the album.

Fiasco sets his narrative to the backdrop of benevolent synth jazz rhythms, creating a juxtaposition between his sound and the very genre of music he’s addressing.

Wasting no time, the album begins with “The Lion’s Deen”, a two and half minute spoken word piece delivered by Fiasco’s sister, Ayesha Jaco. The opening stanza from Ayesha echoes, “Drill music, pop that pill music, kill music, desecrating the temples and the ghettos, funeral processionals increase their frequency because we can’t break the spell of Geppetto.”

The poetic verse decries the glamorization of the dangerous lives that drill artists and their associates lead, stating that its popularity has only fed into a false narrative about this livelihood’s perceived grandiose. It clearly paints contemporary rap as an issue that has kept up a cycle of instability in some communities as younger musicians became infatuated with becoming a rapper who poses as a trapper, instead of a true artist.

This twisted cycle is something Fiasco takes aim at on back-to-back tracks “Precious Things” and “Kiosk” — two tracks that address how material obsession has changed rap for the worse. Led by an angelic chorus from Nayirah, “Precious Things” candidly describes how the pursuit of a faux nefarious lifestyle can create more problems than opportunities for rappers. “Kiosk” meanwhile is a metaphorical story set in a mall, where the jewelry bought by rappers and trappers are fraught with perils that outweigh the image of affluence that the customers are trying to chase.

Quickly, Fiasco is keen to back up his philosophy on those two songs with his philosophy behind the message on “Ms. Mural”. This five-and-a-half-minute diatribe addresses a myriad of closely related topics that revolve around what Fiasco clearly sees as the degeneration of rap.

The song is adept in its ability to fluidly transition from one topic to another, tying them together to paint a complete picture of why Fiasco is so morose about the state of rap. He expresses that nobody in today’s game dares to be too different, where instead of trying to be more creative than one another, the competition is driven by who has more clout, stating that “the velocity of trends is what referees the pace.”

With a track that contains so much verbiage over an extended period, Fiasco does throw out some head-scratching misses in his bars such as “it’s not really a beat but conceptually at stake, like genitals and gender roles, they successfully conflate.” The song also leaves very little breathing room which would allow listeners to chew on the material for long enough to get a full picture, which ultimately makes some of the lines that stick out more seem perplexing.

“Naomi” by contrast is a smooth jazz riff that Fiasco is a much lighter presence on. While the bars aren’t as hard hitting as before, Fiasco is still able to get his religious perspective off his chest here as he finds modern culture in general, not just the rap world, to be trending toward more devilish habits.

The album’s title track keeps up with the jazzy flow where Fiasco’s bars pop with vibrant rhythm behind it. Even in his rhythmic tuning, Fiasco delivers arguably his most deep concept of the entire project, delivering the idea that rap used to be a celebration of the Black conscience, but has now been weaponized for the sake of capitalism. He even calls it “copper Ebonics” relating how like the raw material, Black verse has become a tool, co-opted for profit.

Finally, after painting around the direness of a clout-chasing rap lifestyle, Fiasco opens the closer on Drill Music in Zion with the deadpan, but hard-hitting verse, “rappers die too much, that’s the verse.” As euphoric synths hum in the background of “On Faux Nem”, Fiasco proceeds to go all in on the egregiously monetized structure of drill, rap, hip-hop and everything in between.

He calls out the greediness of the streaming area while denouncing the overuse of posthumous music for the sake of squeezing every last drop of money out of artists. His analysis is all laid out in verse that is elaborate, sensible and digestible for listeners.

The angelic and infectious sounds of Drill Music in Zion are overall an asset that will allow listeners to return to the album with ease for multiple listens. Even with the subject matter, which while prophetic and wise, can be so philosophical at times that it’s hard to chew, the harmonies of jazz wrapped around Fiasco’s rhymes create a project well worth a listen and a larger discussion about where rap stands in the modern zeitgeist.

Asher Ali is a staff writer.

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Enter the Sensei’s of Rap: How Wu-Tang Definitively Influenced Hip-Hop

July 23, 2022 by Giovanni Recinos in Classic Reviews, Read

by Giovanni Recinos

Both off the mic and on, the group of nine New Yorkers known as the Wu-Tang Clan would each bring their own different backgrounds, styles and influences to hip-hop culture. Wu-Tang would hit the scene in ‘93 with lyrics about chess, street slang, and marvel comics, all of this while sampling kung-fu flicks. Though these were not common themes in hip-hop at that time, for every reason that the Wu-Tang Clan should not have worked, was another reason that it did. On November 9th, 1993, hip-hop would be changed forever with the release of Wu-Tang’s debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).

Before the album’s release, the group’s formation would be as chaotic as you would probably expect from a group of that size. With Ghostface Killah and Raekwon initially starting as street rivals, or RZA and U-God recently leaving incarceration, and members such as Method Man just narrowly escaping death, getting them all into the studio had to be some sort of fate at work. One of the members, RZA, would play a great role in this formation. After being dropped from the label Tommy Boy, he would swear to no longer succumb to the industry’s standards of “hit-making” and would begin producing music that he believed in. The next step in achieving this goal would be bringing together the superpower team to rap over these beats. RZA started in the family, with his cousins, the GZA and Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

The album plays out as a sort of calculated chaos, with no member sounding like another. Though this is the case, they are able to find chemistry through their obvious competitive hunger to deliver the best verse for each track. Whether it was Ghostface Killah’s blunt delivery, Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s sporadic personality or Inspectah Deck’s street knowledge, the groups' varying archetypes were able to find orchestration through the RZA’s guiding direction. While on paper the many topics on the project together could be seen as nonsensical, each members’ ability to bounce energy off one another turns it from just a bunch of ingredients, to a dish. With the Wu-Tang’s choices of themes and styles playing the critical “spices and flavors” that made their “dish” stand out from the rest. It should also be noted that a large percentage of the album’s success should be accounted towards Wu-Tang’s style and branding. With their grimy and low budget music videos, the iconic “W” logo, and chants including the famous, “SUUUU.”

Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) would be an instant hit launching the careers of every member exponentially. Many labels including Def Jam Records would aim to sign the nine piece, but many of them would fail as they wanted to sign the group as solo members along with the group deal. RZA, who played the main role in deal making, would not allow this to happen as he wanted to infect the Wu-Tang brand through the entire industry, not just through one label. The group would eventually sign a group deal with Loud Records, with that solo deal freedom included. Method Man would be first, signing to Def Jam Records.

The Wu-Tang debut album would mark the beginning of Wu-Tang and RZA’s powerful streak of solo and group projects. With Method Man’s catchy Tical, following in 1994. Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s grimy and oddball personality on Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, Raekwon’s mafioso movie inspired, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, and GZA’s lyrical masterpiece, Liquid Swords in 1995. Ghostface Killah would bring back his back-and-fourths with Raekwon on his debut, Ironman in 1996. Lastly, ending with Wu-Tang’s more mature follow up project Wu-Tang Forever in 1997. A majority of these projects would be almost solely produced by RZA. All of this does not even include the great list of features provided by the members to classic albums including Moment of Truth by Gang Starr, All Eyez on Me by 2Pac and even newer records all the way up to the recent release of Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar.

The Wu-Tang debut set the groundwork to inspire generations with each of these projects further creating their own sub-genres and sounds. For example, RZA would be one of the first, if not the first, to adopt the “chipmunk samples” that would become a staple to early Kanye West production. Ghostface Killah would also adopt the persona Tony Starks or “Ironman” which would inspire artists such as MF DOOM or CZARFACE to adopt their own comic book inspired identities. Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s chaotic sound would open the floodgates to many experimental rappers including Mos Def, Danny Brown, JPEGMAFIA and others. Raekwon would help establish mafioso rap in New York and beyond, which would be carried into classic albums like Jay-Z’s, Reasonable Doubt, Notorious B.I.G.‘s, Life After Death and Pusha T’s, DAYTONA. The Wu-Tang Clan were not lying when they said they were for the children, as they would become strong idols and influencers to all kinds of future artists, whether they were from the East or West.

Giovanni Recinos is a staff writer.

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Letting Go Of Love With Steve Lacy: “Gemini Rights” Album Review

July 22, 2022 by Luke Modugno in Read, Reviews

by Luke Modugno

Duality is a quality that seems to plague the entirety of humanity. In a reality constructed on subjective truths, an immeasurable amount of perspectives and an incalculable abundance of contexts, perceiving with consistency has been an ageless challenge to our species. That challenge is clearly amplified for people like Steve Lacy.

The Compton native has returned from a two-year hiatus, bringing with him his second studio album Gemini Rights. Lacy isn’t embracing the role of an activist for a specific astrological sign on this record, as the title may suggest. In fact, he’s precisely and loudly presenting the stereotypical, infamous vice of a Gemini: indecision.

We’ve seen rap megastars (and fellow Gemini) Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar illustrate their own internal strife as it relates to social issues, their world views and ego’s. However, Lacy’s chronic issue with irresolution has put him in an unfavorable spot on Gemini Rights.

From track-to-track, Lacy is decidedly over his ex-lover. Then, in a whiplash of an instant, he’s head-over-heels for them. Because of Lacy’s flawless and skilled songwriting, Gemini Rights conveys a flurry of romantic feelings. With regret, sorrow, passion, lust and anger snapping into focus across the record, Lacy gives listener’s emotional motion sickness in a way only a bonafide poet could. While Lacy has never struggled to touch on romantic subjects throughout his discography, Gemini Rights approaches the subject with unprecedented nuance and thoroughness.

“Static,” the opening track, sets the table for Gemini Rights, as Lacy serenades his ex with such elegance that it’s almost as if he isn’t vilifying them and their transgressions against their shared love. “If you ever had to stunt your shining for your lover, dump that fucker” is sung with a particularly intense vitriol that makes it seem that Lacy is finally over them.

The funky distraction from post breakup depression that is “Helmet” sews the seeds of doubt in the listeners head that Lacy may be an unreliable narrator. Although trying his best to seem unphased and unbothered by their split, when Lacy feels down, his instinctual reaction is still to lean on this person. The cheery guitar plucks paired with cleverly foreboding writing makes “Helmet” a clear standout of the tracklist of Gemini Rights.

Both “Mercury” and “Bad Habit” stand to support the thesis of Lacy’s lingering love for his ex. As he stares blankly at his ceiling while “writing an ‘i’m sorry’ text” and asks his ex-lover “you think i’m two-faced? I can name 23,” Gemini Rights exudes the crushing anxiety that comes with feeling stuck, inactionable and alone.

The record culminates with its penultimate track “Sunshine,” featuring the silky-smooth Foushee who plays the part of Steve’s ex in a conversation between the two. Steve let’s us know that it’s been a couple months since their split. Hastily engaging a defense mechanism, Lacy becomes combative, adding “safe to say after me you peaked.” Foushee enters on a high-horse, telling Lacy that she’s taken the highroad despite his criticisms, imploring him to stop attempting to fabricate the intensity of their love with other people. Mutually agreeing to drop the hostility, Foushee asks “why can’t we just get along? Or at least get it on?”

Ending with the two harmonizing in unity “I still love you,” “Sunshine” is just one of many backtracks, reconsiderations and flip-flops on Gemini Rights. Although presenting the complication with this breakup through the lens of the ever-conflicted Gemini mind, Lacy knows his listeners are empathetic to the struggle.

If you were to reorder the tracklist of Gemini Rights, you would likely be able to formulate what a traditional grieving process of a romantic split is supposed to look like. But what Gemini Rights presents is a more authentic illustration of the unpredictability of human emotion, especially an emotion as potent as love. Feelings aren’t linear and they’re fickle. While Steve may not think so, the Gemini’s uncertainty isn’t to blame here.

Sonically, Gemini Rights is a soulful blend of the experimentation of Lacy’s 2020 effort The Lo-Fis, the groovy chord progressions of Apollo XXI and the early knack for engaging songwriting displayed on Steve Lacy’s Demo. In other words, Lacy brings together the whole of his assets as an artist to deliver his highest quality production on Gemini Rights. Additionally, Lacy’s pen is on an entirely different level here. Crafting hooks, progressions and vocal harmonies that stick in your brain like plaster (“Bad Habit,” “Mercury,” “Helmet”), Gemini Rights is the best R&B record to release this year.

In a year filled with smash records like Dawn FM and WASTELAND by The Weeknd and Brent Faiyaz respectively, Gemini Rights simply outclasses it’s R&B contemporaries. Despite the conflicted nature of man, the superbness of Gemini Rights will ensure discussion of this record and its deserved inclusion in the album of the year conversation.

Favorite tracks:

Helmet

Bad Habit

Sunshine (feat. Foushee)

Luke Modugno is the editor-in-chief.

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Curating Consistently Remarkable Raps: “Peace ‘Fly’ God” by Westside Gunn reviewed

July 21, 2022 by Luke Modugno in Reviews, Read

by Luke Modugno

The role of a curator is that of immense importance. They are tasked with manifesting a feeling, manufacturing a profound message and fashioning a space, project or exhibition to radiate a specific cognitive sensation.

Westside Gunn embodies what it means to be a distinguished curator of rap music, something that was made palpably clear on his latest record Peace “Fly” God.

The Griselda boss’ rapid output has slowed to halt in 2022, with the majority of his focus likely on his forthcoming studio album Michelle Records, set to be released at some point this year. Before the arrival of Michelle Records, Gunn has decided to bless fans by digging into the vault to unleash some loosies.

Peace “Fly” God is a classic Westside Gunn experience. A star-studded lineup of producers assisting him in locating his signature grimey, rugged sonic palette, grandiose raps that are personified by esoteric luxury and streetwear brand flexes, and who can forget the famed Westside Gunn adlibs?

Juxtaposing flipping packs on the corner with now “looking like a Margiela model at the Guggenheim,” perhaps the track “Big Ass Bracelet” is the quintessential model of a flawless Gunn record. Pushed along by a dusty 70’s soul sample that suits his eccentric delivery, wordplay and adlibs swimmingly, “Big Ass Bracelet” is a clear standout on Peace “Fly” God. The song is also vastly benefited by its guests, Keisha Plum and Griselda newcomer Stove God Cooks.

Appearing on four of the ten tracks, Stove God continually shows throughout Peace “Fly” God that he is undoubtedly destined for underground stardom. On the Madlib-produced “Horses on Sunset,” Stove God’s menacing, drably delivered hook drapes smoothly over the gloomy piano and drum loop. His tone injects energy on “Derrick Boleman,” sprucing up Madlib’s drumless, contorted violin loop. Stove and Gunn have evidently formed a chemistry, as their pairing across this record produces excellence. In some instances, Stove God completely steals the show (“Horses on Sunset”). Along with Peace “Fly” God being a thrilling preview for Michelle Records, it simultaneously acts as yet another reason to keep your eye on Stove God Cooks.

With Peace “Fly” God, it seems that Gunn has found a fortuitous balance of experimentation and consistency. While he’s keeping his foot on the pedal, moving the needle in terms of molding the sound of the underground on tracks like “Danhausen,” Gunn also understands and plays to his strong suits on songs like “Big Ass Bracelet.”

Perhaps the only two reasons to be a detractor of Peace “Fly” God comes with the project’s opening tracks. “Jesus Crack” is a bloated mess made worse by a subpar feature from Estee Nack that spans three minutes. “Ritz Barlton’s” stumbling piano sample paired with Nack’s off-beat delivery fits like a square peg in a round hole, creating a nearly unlistenable song.

Additionally, in favor of fast-tracking the release of the project, Gunn elected to forgo mixing and mastering Peace “Fly” God. While this is abundantly clear during the forever-humorous Cussing Pastor’s outro on “Derrick Boleman'' and “Flip V. Phil,” Gunn doesn’t sacrifice much here by skipping that part of the process. After all, Griselda has built an empire on that same trademarked jagged-edged sound.

For now, Westside Gunn has presented yet another quality body of opulent coke rap music with Peace “Fly” God. Defined by its peaks and valleys that ultimately restrain it from being considered among elite Gunn projects, if Peace “Fly” God, is constructed of the throw-aways of Michelle Records, we are in for a treat when Gunn chooses to drop it.

favorite tracks:

Big Ass Bracelet (feat. Keisha Plum & Stove God Cooks)

Horses on Sunset (feat. Stove God Cooks)

Derrick Boleman (feat. Stove God Cooks)

Luke Modugno is the editor-in-chief.

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The Curious Case of Drake: In Defense of “Honestly, Nevermind”

July 20, 2022 by Luke Modugno in Read

by Luke Modugno

Before the release of the Toronto-native’s seventh studio album Honestly, Nevermind, Drake’s career was in a peculiar place.

A talent tailor-made for rap music stardom, Drizzy has been the most famous act in contemporary hip-hop for the past ten years. While being a consistent force in the sphere of rap and one of the most prominent artists in the world regardless of the constraint of genre, Drake has chronically struggled to identify, locate and pursue a singular musical style or concept. That’s not to say Drake hasn’t produced moments of brilliance throughout his tenured and prestigious career. However, to call records like Views, More Life, and even Nothing Was The Same sonically focused would simply be incorrect.

Plagued with multifaceted talent, Drake has watered down his sound on a multitude of occasions to simply serve his wide target audience. Drake’s 2021 effort Certified Lover Boy was an amalgamation of the issue. Seldomly honing in on visceral trap bangers like “Knife Talk” with 21 Savage, rarely revisiting the silky R&B production and warm Drake vocals on “Love All,” and abandoning the streaks of afrobeat influence on “Fountains,” Drizzy has continually shown he isn’t willing to fully commit to a singular, specific sonic theme and what it has to offer.

Sure, it’d a valid claim to say Drake has had his artistic growth stunted by this unwillingness, however, why change? Drake is by far the most commercially successful rapper of this generation, sitting in second place on the highest selling rappers of all time. Utilizing a few genres attracts more fans than concentrating on attempting to master just one.

However, Drake clearly doesn’t tend to think that way. Drake’s 2022 record Honestly, Nevermind is a bold declaration of a divergence from a formula. A nearly hour long dance record featuring a lone distinctly overt rap song, Honestly, Nevermind is obviously not your average Drake album. Ironically enough, that’s what makes it a special landmark in his career.

While he’s present on every song, Honestly, Nevermind features by far the least amount of Drake’s voice out of his whole discography. At times, Drake’s contributions are drawn back to the point of a short hook before the production leads the way for the rest of the track, characteristic of traditional house music structure.

Behind the boards, Honestly, Nevermind is a fully-fledged exploration of house music and a historical appreciation and homage to the sporadic frequency in which Drake chose to work with dancehall and house on previous records. While tracks like “Massive,” “A Keeper” and “Calling My Name” marry Drake’s inherent capacity for optimal song structure and vocal delivery talents with bouncy house production gorgeously, Drake’s latest entry has some of his most catastrophically poor songs to date.

“Currents” characterized by a bed-squeaking sample is essentially laughable and production akin to infomercial ambient background music on “Down Hill,” Honestly, Nevermind will likely be remembered for its highest highs and its lowest lows.

Still, the music itself isn’t what makes Honestly, Nevermind a commendable piece of music. This record shows a dedication to forward-thinking art, one that wasn’t always evident on Drake’s previous records. Honestly, Nevermind is simultaneously an astronomical risk and an artistic flex.

Deviating from the usual mixed bag of genres, vocal ranges and production choices that define nearly the entirety of Drake’s catalog, Drizzy has finally dedicated the proper amount of time, care and attention to detail his knack for creating dancehall music deserves. Although Honestly, Nevermind reminds us that this genre is evidently not Drake’s strong suit, it’s far more artistically compelling than his previous unwavering dedication to creating TikTok anthems (“Too Sexy,” “Toosie Slide”). No, Honestly, Nevermind is not the best house record of all time. Would it rank in the top ten of afrobeat albums released in this year alone? Probably not. Despite that, is it an impressive effort by an artist who has clearly shown his artistic forte is that of mainstream rap music, not house? Of course it is.

Drake’s vicious flow and stone cold delivery has shown he would be capable of making a darker, experimental trap record that would be phenomenal. Considering portions of Take Care are home to some of the most iconic R&B records of the 2010’s, a fully fledged project dedicated to showcasing Drake’s exceptional singing voice would hold great potential. Following the shedding of the sonic shackles that have encased Drake’s career since Views, all of these records are now a reasonable possibility.

In other words, when people think Drake is going right, he has religiously gone right. Honestly, Nevermind feels like the first time that Drake is going left instead of right. Whatever sonic direction Drake chooses to pursue will certainly be met with a spot in Billboard Hot 100 no matter the circumstance. Using the privilege of that guaranteed commercial success to create music with apparent direction is far more intriguing than creating the fifth remix of Views. Now, all we can hope is that Drizzy chooses to continue being intriguing.

Luke Modugno is the editor-in-chief.

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From Fashion to Live Shows, “Whole Lotta Red’s” Early Influence on Rap

July 17, 2022 by Guest User in Classic Reviews, Read

by Quintin Hollomand

When thinking about the most influential hip hop albums in history, it’s easy and deserving to acknowledge albums like 808s and Heartbreaks by Kanye, or Midnight Marauders by A Tribe Called Quest, but what is harder, is to acknowledge the more recent work that is arguably just as influential, if not more.

It’s hard to imagine an album that has had such a forward thinking and culture shocking grip on the rap community than Whole Lotta Red by Playboi Carti. Since its release at the very end of 2020, Whole Lotta Red has proven to be one of those albums that changes the course of hip hop forever. From its early rejection by many fans and critics, to its ripple effect still almost 2 years later, Playboi Carti has implemented new approaches to hip hop aesthetics, rollouts, and live performances that have solidified him and this album as the bar for future projects. I’m going to be talking about his process of making this album, what happened in the rap community upon its release, and the amazing influence it has had on hip hop since 2020.

Less than a year after Carti’s prior album, Die Lit released, he mentioned his new project set to come out titled, Whole Lotta Red. As Carti wrapped up his Neon tour and many festival performances, the rap community had Carti in somewhat of a spotlight. His music was already known for being subject to leaks and snippets, but what would come in the next year and a half would alter the progress of his album and change the course of what he eventually put out. 2019, 2020, and 2021 were filled with Playboi Carti leaks left and right. Songs like Bouldercrest, Skeletons, No Lie, and Molly amongst countless others flooded SoundCloud and Youtube. The infamous Pissy Pamper leak would top the Spotify charts as an unofficial release by a fan, and crowds would sing the lyrics to unreleased songs at his shows word for word. This was the WLR v1 era. These songs were all very reminiscent of Die Lit, with many of these leaks being produced by Pi’erre Bourne. At this point, this was what fans wanted and hoped Carti released, but the more songs leaked, the more apparent it became that these would never make the official project.

Next came the WLR v2 era with more commercial sounding songs like SRT ft Lil Uzi Vert, Movie Time, and Act a Fool. These were audibly different than v1 and the Die Lit era, and we now knew Carti’s sound was changing.

Constant snippets and song leaks held the album back to the point where Carti rethought the entire theme and aesthetic of himself and album. This is where we begin to see his semi-feminine and vamp persona come to life. With a rare social media presence and practically no up to date interviews, fans had no idea when to expect WLR other than a vague, ‘in 2020’ statement he made prior. Finally, with hints from DJ Akademiks and other outlets, fans expected the album to come on Christmas of 2020, which it did.

The album was met with mixed feelings from his fans and the rap community. It received actual hate(not to be taken lightly) online and many vowed never to listen to it again. However, many saw this as a new direction that had never been taken before and were open to this new idea. The punk-rock inspired album was something nobody expected to come from Carti. The production was new; his lyrical delivery was new; everything was unapologetically new. It took a few weeks for it to really sink in, but the energy it brought was undeniable.

Production came mainly from F1lthy and Art Dealer, who with along other loopmakers, curated the aggressive synths and distorted drums. A great deal of credit falls on these producers for experimenting with such gritty synths and dark yet happy chord progressions; they provided Carti the opportunity to try new things vocally. The song Stop Breathing is truly in its own subgenre of rap. The compressed/distorted 808, crunched hi hats and snares, paired with lyrics centered on Carti’s involvement in gang life, make one of the most energetic songs of all time; one that few can actually relate to, but all can mosh to. Control provides us with one of the more introspective songs in Carti’s discography. It gives us an emotional break from the aggressiveness of the album.

A year into its release, it had still never been performed due to it being in the midst of COVID-19. However, hype around the Narcissist Tour (which became the King Vamp Tour), began to increase steadily. The constant scrapping of ideas made Playboi Carti that much more in demand, as fans couldn’t even get a good idea on his next move. The King Vamp Tour began, and with it, came countless viral internet moments that showcased just how impactful this album that was at first hated on, really was. At multiple tour dates, inspired by the album’s rager theme, fans rushed security checks and mobbed venue doors. At the Arizona stop, Carti played one song before the speakers blew out, canceling the rest of the show. It was moments like this that turned the album and live performances into more than just music, and into a right of passage for fans. The emphasis on live music is something that this new wave generation of rappers took and made their own.

The influence of Whole Lotta Red can be seen across the landscape of music. Not only did the solidified artists in the industry try their hand at rage inspired beats, but the new buzzing underground also took Whole Lotta Red ideas and made their wave a spin off of Carti and the album. Underground artists like Kankan, sgpwes, heygwapo, ssgkobe, and Yeat can trace a lot of their music ideas back to the blueprint Whole Lotta Red left. The synth leads, distorted 808s, aggressive lyrics, and emphasis on the performability of songs all come back to this album. At live performances these days, artists use the same lines Carti does to hype up crowds; I even heard The Kid Laroi yell, ‘open that sh*t up!’, which I didn’t expect but can respect. Social media has also been altered by Carti’s ideas. It’s now ‘in’ to have a mysterious and minimal Instagram presence. Blurry and poorly lit 0.5 lens photos are now in and here to stay.

The influence that Whole Lotta Red has had on hip hop in the recent two years is undeniable. It played out to be much larger than music and has inspired an entire new generation of artists that borrow from its ideas and themes to make it their own. The drastic acceptance of this album after its initial hate by many is amazing to realize and think about. It’s still very early in the album’s life, but I feel comfortable saying that Whole Lotta Red is one of the most influential hip hop albums in history.

Quintin Hollomand is a contributor.

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Despite Notable Cast, The “Minions” Soundtrack is GRUesomely Underwhelming

July 15, 2022 by Sydney Fluker in Read, Reviews

by Sydney Fluker

For the past 12 years, Gru and his minions have had a chokehold on nearly all aspects of American media. Starting with “Despicable Me,” a movie centered around the protagonist-villain, Gru, and his relationship with three foster children while they attempt to steal the moon, the minions have slowly but surely stolen the show for themselves. From memes to clothing items, the minions have created a brand name for themselves, becoming more popular than Gru himself.

Prior to the release of “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” pop culture had a field day with hundreds of minion-themed memes. Jokes about attending the premiere in full suits as “gentleminions” led to teens actually doing so, disrupting the movie targeted at children ages 11 or younger and their parents by yelling Minion gibberish at the screen throughout the film.

With a children’s movie centering around the quest for villain hood amid bright and happy cinematography, there are a lot of themes that require attending to on behalf of the creators to pull off such a film. As with every movie, the soundtrack plays a key role in holding all of this unexpected chaos together.

This time around, Illumination Entertainment brought in Jack Antonoff to handle the album’s production, creating a soundtrack that acts more as a pop hits cover album than an original.

This album is so similar to the previous soundtracks that it would be hard to distinguish if not for the names who litter the track. From Thundercat to St. Vincent, it’s the way these big names remake the tracks that makes this album special.

Produced almost exclusively by Antonoff with help from RZA, Heitor Pereira, St. Vincent, and Ex Reyes, the soundtrack covers 70s era funk, pop, and soul hits in a fresh manner. In an exclusive interview with Billboard, Antonoff explained that the idea was “to take modern artists that are really in some way in the tradition of the great music of that time and then record them with this half modern technique, half super analog technique. Animation in kids’ movies is pretty trippy, so you can f–king get away with a lot.”’

You can hear it in the soundtrack — this album is a psychedelic trip. Every song sounds like an acid-dipped version of its original, invoking visuals of bright flowers and roller rinks and ringing 70s imagery loud through the mind, even for someone who hasn’t yet seen the movie (me).

It’s no surprise Antonoff could tackle such a project. With his history of working with Lana Del Rey (with whom he created “Norman F—cking Rockwell”), Taylor Swift, P!nk, Lorde, and more, Antonoff has what it takes to recreate older hits of the same genre he does so well. According to Billboard, his goal is that the soundtrack introduces these songs to the new generation, but feels their place in history is solid enough to last on their own.

“I think there’s certain songs that live in the moment and then certain songs that kind of live forever,” he says. “I think the songs that I chose, regardless of this project, live forever. So this can just be another point in the long story of all the songs which are going to go way into the future of mankind.”

“Turn Up The Sunshine” is the lone original on the album, bringing disco to the modern era with deep bass from Tame Impala and Diana Ross’s iconic voice. The song broke onto Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, landing at No. 21 and making it Ross’s first hit on any Billboard chart since 2006. “Turn Up The Sunshine” is the exact song I would expect to come from the Minions soundtrack — interpret that however you like.

Brittany Howard’s “Shining Star” and BROCKHAMPTON’s “Hollywood Swinging” both handled the original versions with respect, balancing their own artistic styles with the original. Unfortunately, the track they sandwich, “Funky Town” by St. Vincent, is horrible. The autotune takes away from the vocals that make the original so iconic and instead hurts the ears, making this song the lone instant-skip on the soundtrack.

Kali Uchis beautifully remakes João Gilberto’s “Desafinado”, but the translation of the song to English makes it harder to find the resemblance. The 70s-eque remix of a bossa nova classic doesn’t translate too well in terms of instrumentals, but Uchis’s voice carries the song in a beautiful way.

Polachek’s cover of “Bang Bang” is hauntingly beautiful, using the western theme to her advantage and vocally bodying the track. Thundercat’s “Fly Like An Eagle” puts his skills as a bassist at the helm, using his trippy vocals to make it feel like a Thundercat original.

Phoebe Bridgers’s cover of “Goodbye To Love” and Weyes Blood’s “You’re No Good” show their power as vocalists. “Vehicle” nails the Despicable Me vibe, with Gary Clark Jr. doing an excellent job of holding his voice above the instrumentals without overpowering them, giving the whole song a balance that lacks throughout the album.

The second half of the album doesn’t stand out like the first half does. Tierra Whack’s “Black Woman Magic” was something I never thought I’d hear but have always unknowingly wanted, but the autotune felt strange over Santana’s guitar. “Cecilia” is a celebratory Minion song, making it quite annoying as the Minions are bad vocalists. However, the jazz solo is surprisingly enjoyable and I found myself tapping along throughout.

While the soundtrack can feel like it is trying too hard to do something it can’t, every single song is easily identifiable as a Minions-esque song, which is really all that a soundtrack is meant to have. The “Minions: The Rise of Gru” soundtrack will carry these songs into the new generation, for better or for worse. I can only hope they find the originals.

favorite tracks:

Bang Bang - Caroline Polacheck

You’re No Good - Weyes Blood

Vehicle - Gary Clark Jr.

Sydney Fluker is a staff writer.

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How J Dilla's "Donuts" Permanently Reshaped Hip-Hop Production

July 10, 2022 by Luke Modugno in Classic Reviews, Read

by Luke Modugno

Art is fluid, everchanging. Altered by powerful voices and minds, potent creatives seem to always carve out new paths and directions within the artistic bounds of their medium. However, you seldom see a singular composition definitively erase the once unnavigable borders of art and delineate new ones. Circumstance, unmitigated creative fearlessness and a willingness to adapt are required in order to shift the tectonic plates that lie beneath the surface of an art as ancient as music. All of those requirements were met when fabled rap producer J Dilla left the world of art with his groundbreaking beat tape Donuts.

Donuts was born out of circumstance. J Dilla emerged in the late 90’s as a prominent underground producer for local rappers, until breaking through with the notable rap collective Slum Village. Working with acts such as A Tribe Called Quest, Common, The Pharcyde and more, Dilla quickly made a name for himself with the complexity in which he chopped and looped his beats. Dilla’s production wasn’t just unique and ear-catching. There was distinct warmth, vibrance and vivaciousness erridating from the way Dilla’s kicks, drums and loops sat.

Whenever Dilla decided to hop behind the boards, his beats exemplified personification of the human experience. The intimate guitar on “Didn’t Cha Know'' projects the image of a dawn sunrise peeking through a window with the curtains flapping in the wind, especially paired with the silky-smooth vocals of Erykah Badu. The kicks draped over the melancholic vocals of The Pharcyde on “Runnin’' sounds like a comfortingly warm summer night. Uptempo, drawn-back, soulful or bouncy. Dilla was a chameleon that could shape-shift his production style to fit the artist he was working with flawlessly. Dilla didn’t just produce, it was more than that. His dense hip-hop orchestras reverberated with listeners at a deeper level.

It was this boundless talent, along with tragedy, that allowed for the creation of Donuts. In 2005, Dilla was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder known as Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Unfortunately, TTP is extremely deadly, with a fatality rate of 70-80%. Despite at first continuing to tour and work, Dilla was eventually confined to a hospital bed as his symptoms continued to worsen. Understanding his mortality, Dilla brought his MPC3000 and a record player to accompany him in the solidarity of his hospital bed. The goal? Use his ingenious, renaissance-level production skills to create a project that acted as a love-letter to his family, friends, fans and his time spent on Earth.

As friends and family came to visit Dilla, they would contribute to the creation of Donuts, by gifting him new records to chop, loop, manipulate and organize into his cacophonously intricate production style. Being the chronic sampler that Dilla was, his ear became immensely picky.

In a documentary made about the album's creation, Dilla’s mother illustrated just that, “When I took the crate up, and he looked through it, I think out of a whole milk crate full of 45s, I think he might have taken a dozen out of there and set them aside. He said 'you can take that back to the house'. He said 'none of that's good'." Using inspiration and direction from the people he loved most is a wholly tangible and immediate feature of the record, as Dilla cycles between a diverse set of genres and sounds for his samples, demonstrating the crate digging done on his behalf. From 70s soul records to traditional African drums, Donuts sounds what it would feel like if the complete contents of a dusty, out-of-date record store smelted the entirety of its stock into a singular vinyl disc. Borrowing literal milliseconds of various records for miniscule portions of songs off of Donuts, Dilla’s patchwork style blends and pairs endearingly well with the tools his family provided him with.

Throughout the final year of his life, Dilla’s condition worsened considerably. His legs and arms would periodically swell, hindering his ability to work on Donuts. If the pain of using his fingers to operate his MPC became too much to handle, his mother would massage his fingertips, he was simply bent on finishing the record. His sheer determination radiates from each track. From the roaring, vigorous guitar that defines the blood-curdling opener “Workinonit,” spry dance tracks such as “Dilla Says Go” and “Light It,” somber love songs like “Stop”, to signature soul loops on “One for Ghost” and “U-Love,” “Donuts” is a 31-song exhibition in sampling mastery and pushing the boundary of what it means to produce into uncharted territory. This isn’t hyperbole either. Think John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Wolfgang Mozart, this is the company J Dilla stands in with just how innovative projects like Donuts are. Let me explain.

Dilla wasn’t just chopping samples in a way that made your head bop, he was tinkering with and altering our conception of music time. Thanks to the compositional study done by author Dan Charnas in his novel “Dilla Time: The Life and After-Life of J Dilla,” we have a genuine understanding of just how indelible Dilla’s mark on music is. Let’s take a deep-dive into some music theory.

The vast majority of European music counts its rhythm evenly, meaning every beat is of equal length. This is otherwise known as straight time.

Things changed with the introduction of jazz, particularly African-American jazz. Early jazz goliaths such as Louis Armstrong started introducing the concept of beats coming long-short, long-short, which then became known as swing time.

None of that meant anything to J Dilla. With the technological revelation of the MPC, rules like that were nothing more than a musical custom. Thus brought the creation of Dilla Time, fusing both swing and straight time simultaneously. Effectively shredding the shackles of hip-hop producers for eternity, Donuts quite literally reimagined how we view music.

Donuts was officially released on February 7, 2006 to immediate critical acclaim. Sadly, Dilla passed away just three days following the release of the record, unable to revel in the musical feat he had just accomplished. Although Dilla was relatively underground at the time of his passing, the hip-hop world has never glossed over the significance of his work.

“We have to make music and think ‘if Dilla was alive, would he like this?’” said Kanye West in an interview with HYPEBEAST. “It was like he was making Quincy Jones production sessions out of his MPC. His music just felt like drugs.” Frequent collaborator, friend and fellow member of the Mt. Everest of legendary hip-hop producers Madlib has been outspoken in his praise of Dilla. “ “[His production was] like that human feel, and the selections that he chose to sample. Every producer bows down to Dilla whether they like it or not, because everybody took something from him like Coltrane.”

Madlib isn’t wrong. Dilla’s influence reaches well beyond the borders of hip-hop. From modern jazz to R&B, to funk, to lo-fi, Dilla’s bold defiance of musical rules continues to inspire waves upon waves of producers who think outside-the-box. Every off kilter drum, kick or vocal sample that sounds uniquely out-of-place can be traced back to this record and the mind of Dilla. In that way, much like the shape that a donut embodies, Dilla’s impact on hip-hop will be never ending. Rest in Peace Jay Dee.

Luke Modugno is the editor-in-chief of StereoVision.

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A Hip-Hop Landmark: How “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” Created the Next Generation of Rap

July 07, 2022 by Sydney Fluker in Classic Reviews, Read

by Sydney Fluker

It is an extremely cold take to say that The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is one of the greatest hip-hop records of all time. From shattering previous records and making history with its release to the hold it has on hip-hop today, the release of Miseducation is a prominent black line on hip-hop’s historical timeline.

Released on August 25, 1998 by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records, Miseducation was an instant hit. With Lauryn Hill already having fame from her previous group Fugees, Miseducation was the breakout solo album her fans were waiting for. The record was an instant hit, selling almost 425,000 copies in its first week and reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

“[I wanted to] write songs that lyrically move me and have the integrity of reggae and the knock of hip-hop and the instrumentation of classic soul," she said in an interview with Rolling Stone in 1999. "[My engineer and I worked on] a sound that's raw. I like the rawness of you being able to hear the scratch in the vocals. I don't ever want that taken away."

The rawness has been received well. Since its release, Miseducation has sold 20 million copies worldwide according to Sony Music, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. In 2021, it became a certified diamond record by the Recording Industry Association of America, earning Ms. Hill the Guinness World Record for being the first female rapper to reach diamond status.

Miseducation is a glorious combination of neo soul, R&B, hip-hop and reggae. While the story of its creation plays out like a movie (check out this Rolling Stone interview for the full story), it's clear that this record is a Ms. Hill original through and through. Creating her own team after being effectively blacklisted by Fugees partner Wyclef Jean, Ms. Hill blazed her own path in her early twenties, using unknown producers and being pregnant while creating an industry-changing record.

Her relationship with Rohan Marley, the father to her five children, led her to move to Jamaica for a part of the album’s production to find peace of mind. “Forgive Them Father” and “Lost Ones” were made at the Bob Marley Museum on 56 Hope Road, which Ms. Hill references on “Lost Ones.” Both feature singing in patois, the common dialect in Jamaica.

One of the largest influences apparent in Miseducation is the influence of Christianity in her own life. Much of the song “Tell Him” is based on 1 Corinthians 13, while “To Zion” discusses her decision to carry her unborn son based on prayer. Perhaps the most obvious is “Forgive Them Father,” where she invokes Luke 23:34 and confirms her biblical references are intentional.

“Gospel music is music inspired by the gospels,” Hill said in the book “Lauryn Hill: She’s Got That Thing.” “In a huge respect, a lot of this music turned out to be just that. During this album, I turned to the Bible and wrote songs that I drew comfort from.”

Even in “non-religious” tracks, the influence is felt. D’Angelo, whose feature on “Nothing Even Matters” was laid down in the course of an hour, noted the importance of that song in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

“Churches were substituting God in the lyrics [for “Nothing Even Matters”],” D’Angelo said. “Whenever they make a gospel version from a secular song, that’s significant.”

Ms. Hill and Miseducation made history at the 41st GRAMMY Awards, being nominated for 10 GRAMMYs heading into the ceremony and walking out with four. “Doo Wop (That Thing)” won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song, and Miseducation took home Album of The Year and Best R&B Album. She herself won Best New Artist, making her the first female artist to ever win five or more awards at the GRAMMYs in one night. Miseducation was the first hip-hop album to win Album of The Year, making the world respect the art of hip-hop a little bit more.

Ms. Hill has done more than inspire the next generation of music — she’s helped create it. The vulnerability presented on Miseducation opened the door for more emotional records. An unknown John Legend started his career by playing piano on “Everything is Everything” before eventually signing to Kanye West’s GOOD Music, another Ms. Hill inspiree.

“Lauryn is innovative,” Janelle Monáe told British magazine NME. “She was hip-hop and R&B, but nobody had used [the combination] in the way she did. She created something that we had never tasted before. There was already a Lauryn Hill, there was already an Erykah Badu – but there was not a Janelle Monáe. They inspired me to create my own lane.”

Miseducation is a sample haven for all sorts of genres, but has mainly been used across hip-hop. Kanye West has been open about how Ms. Hill inspired him in his music, using her samples on multiple albums throughout his career and shouting her out in his 2007 song “Champion.” Drake’s chopped-up use of “Ex-Factor” for the chorus on “Nice For What” is one of the most notable samples, but his 2014 “Draft Day” sampled “Doo-Wop (That Thing)” is an equally impressive manner. From PnB Rock to Cardi B, “Ex-Factor” has been sampled over and over since its initial 1998 release.

Fabolous’s “Summertime Shootout” featuring Jazzy samples “Lost Ones” and shouts out Ms. Hill’s time in Fugees with “Heard she in between dudes, just like Lauryn.” J. Cole’s “Can I Holla At Ya” uses Santana’s rift from “To Zion” to talk to his father figures, remixing a Ms. Hill original with an equally emotional track. Ms. Hill has even been shouted out by rappers from other countries, as up-and-coming Portuguese rapper Pete Mcee compares the power of his girl’s lips to the music of Lauryn Hill.

“You use music as your vehicle to reach people you feel need to hear your message,” Monáe said. “That album gave me the fuel I needed to bring out the things that made me unique.”

Sydney Fluker is a staff writer.

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