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

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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.

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Luke Modugno is the editor-in-chief.

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

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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)

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Luke Modugno is the editor-in-chief.

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

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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.

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

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A Chemistry Unbound by Temporal Constraints: “No Fear of Time” Reviewed

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by Giovanni Recinos

After 24 years, the famous rap duo Black Star returns with their new project, No Fear of Time, which is exclusively on the Luminary Podcasts Platform. The duo consists of Brooklyn’s Yasiin Bey (previously known as Mos Def) and Talib Kweli, but this time around they are joined by the legendary producer, Madlib. The two are recognized legends for their contributions as both a group and as solo artists. With Mos Def’s Black on Both Sides, being a great highlight that introduced a lot of experimentation into the hip-hop realm that would have an obvious influence on experimental artists such as JPEGMAFIA and Mach-Hommy. Both Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey have remained fairly relevant in the industry, venturing into other forms of entertainment over the years such as: podcasts, and acting. The project is a great example of reinvention over recreation, with the two venturing into much different territories of sound when compared to their self-titled last effort.

As always, the duo delivers quality in all realms, whether it be in their lyricism, in their complex flows or in their creativity. No Fear of Time is vastly different from their other effort, avoiding a lot of the issues that can be associated with trying to reach a new height with a sequel or follow-up project. The project as a whole feels lost in time, in ways that work in their favor and in others that don’t necessarily. At times, they make recognition of both their ancestry and the continuous movement of space and time, even beyond our livelihood. As the duo would say, the project delivers that, “time is relative and the truth is everlasting.” Playing on this, the album feels spacious, yet isolated, as if you're floating through time and space.

The two as usual cover topics with unique vocabulary and an obvious thirst to teach the truth with their often stream-of-conscious style of rapping on the project. This is represented in lines such as, “atrocities committed in the name of owning property, monopolies.” Though gems of this knowledge are spread throughout the entire album, they are delivered in a somewhat messy fashion, with most songs feeling like the two are just freestyling great verses without a set destination or vision in mind. This feels like underutilized potential considering the massive growth of the two artists since their debut project.

The duo contrasts well both sonically and topically, with Yasiin Bey being great at abstract performance and often switching from singing to rapping seamlessly. Talib Kweli on the other hand, provides a more traditional balance to this chemistry, as he’s still rapping to the same standards of other New York legends such as your Jay-Z’s, your Prodigy’s and your Nas’. This quality remains relatively consistent throughout the album, with “Yonders” being a particularly standout and chilling performance from the two with lines like “Scarface chainsaw Miami got drapes drawn. Halloween, egg yolk, mustard gassing their face off.” Though this chemistry remains true, the limits of the duo seemed to not be pushed and kept in a very safe spot. Especially when considering the amount of experimentation, we’ve heard from Yasiin Bey over the years. 

The project also recognizes some of those vast changes in their artistry and in the industry over those twenty-four years. Similar to Madlib’s last collaborative effort, Bandana, the project often feels stylistically bare and simple in its production, with an often heavy and raw vocal delivery. To add onto this, Black Star’s sound this time around seems closer in relation to artists such as Mach-Hommy, Earl Sweatshirt, and Westside Gunn. This comparison is especially relevant when considering the track “My favorite band” is actually the same beat used for Westside Gunn’s “Ferragamo Funeral.” Though these are not bad comparisons, in many ways Black Star lacks a lot of its own self-identity when venturing into these new sounds. 

Though this project still has the high-quality production, sequencing, and use of samples, it lacks a lot of Black Stars’ own unique charm and complimentary with Madlib’s production. It almost feels like the beats were pre-made, and not made specifically with the Black Star brand and themes in mind. This separates the level of the project from that of other Madlib produced classics such as Madvillainy or Piñata. I would still say that this is still a very strong project for Black Star fans, Madlib stans, or those who may follow experimental artists such as Mach-Hommy.

Favorite Tracks:

Sweetheart. Sweethard. Sweetodd.

Yonders

No Fear of Time (feat. Yummy Bingham)

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Giovanni Recinos is a staff writer.

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Is Sampling Stealing? A Look Into the Politics of Sampling in Hip-Hop

By Luke Mudugno

As hip-hop fans, we would call producers like Madlib, Kanye West, Dr. Dre, and J Dilla masterminds and geniuses. But others in the music industry would call them talentless thieves. 

The year is 2015, and alternative-rock artist Beck has just won album of the year at the Grammys for his project Morning Phase. As Beck approached the mic to give his acceptance speech, Kanye almost had another Kanye moment, approaching the mic as if he had a gripe with Beck, but then hesitantly pulling away and rushing back to his seat. Later, West claimed that Beck should’ve given his award to Beyonce instead. “Beck needs to respect artistry and he should have given his award to Beyoncé, and at this point, we tired of it," said West. 

Following standard procedure after an inflammatory Kanye comment, Ye’s comment made the media rounds, as each outlet took their turn belittling West. None of this is news, as Kanye has a long, documented history with the antagonization of his character by the mass media. But an important debate stemmed from the response to Ye’s comment. 

Music media and social media alike pointed out that Beck made original music through his inherent talent as an instrumentalist, while West simply “steals” real music through his sample-heavy production. 

Although sampling has been around before the conception of hip-hop as a genre, it has always been a polarizing subject in the music industry. Sampling is defined as the reuse of a portion of a sound recording in another recording. Samples may comprise rhythm, melody, speech, sounds, or entire bars of music, especially from soul records, and may be layered, equalized, sped up or slowed down, repitched, looped, or otherwise manipulated.

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Producers who frequent sampling walk a legal tightrope. In order to sample a piece of music, you generally are required to get permission from both the owner of the copyright of the music (usually record companies) and the owner of the sound recording. Without this permission, an artist who utilizes a sample is liable and can be sued for copyright infringement. Getting this permission can often be an intricate mixture of legal procedures and industry politics. When an artist requests permission to use a sample, the answer hinges on their relationship with the artist’s work they’re using. For example, In 2018, Drake put his widely celebrated mixtape So Far Gone on streaming platforms for the mixtape’s 10th anniversary. Before the project hit Spotify or Apple Music, Drake requested clearance from Kanye West, for his sampling of 808s & Heartbreak standout “Say You Will” for So Far Gone’s “Say What’s Real.” At the time, Ye and Drake weren’t on good terms, as Drake accused Kanye of telling Pusha T about his secret son, leading to his nuclear diss record “The Story of Adidon.” Due to their strained relationship, Ye denied clearance for the sample, posting a screenshot of Drakes's request on Twitter with the caption, “This proves s**t faker than wrestling… By the way, not cleared.” Although the track appeared on streaming platforms months later, it wouldn’t have come without a change of heart from Kanye and Def Jam (owner of the copyright). Relationships between artists and record companies play a significant role in the clearance of samples.

Plenty of notable artists have been sued for unauthorized samples, including JAY-Z for samples used on hit song “Big Pimpin,” Vanilla Ice for his legendary song “Ice Ice Baby,” and Baauer, the artist behind the viral sensation “Harlem Shake.” 

Besides the legal factors, sampling is viewed by some outside of the music industry as stealing or a production quality that isn’t creative. But sampling is simply not stealing. If used in the incorrect way, at worst, it’s copyright infringement, which is implicitly different than theft. And at this point in music, how can anyone be entirely creative in anything they do? In an industry as saturated as the music industry, nothing an artist does is truly 100% original. Every flow, rhyme scheme and even some lyrical content has been derived and developed from the styles and trends established by prior artists. Even the most creative artists of our generation are inspired by artists of the past, taking certain attributes of their artistry and incorporating it into their own, and sampling is no different. 

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Classic Review: With Stunning, Sample-Heavy Production and Mythical Rhymes, 'Madvillainy' Forms Hip Hops Most Villainous Duo

By Luke Modugno

We’ve always been captivated by the archetype of the villain. Of course, we all love a gratifying hero’s journey, but a well executed, memorable villain becomes legend. In cinema, we have characters like Thanos, Darth Vader and the Joker. In rap music, it's MF DOOM and Madlib.

Both outcasts of hip-hop and thriving underground artists, the infamous duo teamed up in 2004 under their moniker “Madvillian” to release their cult classic Madvillainy. 

Although the 22 tracks of the project breeze by in under 50 minutes, Madvillainy’s razor edge rhymes and transcendent production makes for an album as iconic as DOOM’s metal mask.

In the years leading up to Madvillainy, DOOM and Madlib were on two completely different paths. Madlib saw success early in his career as his inherent knack for mixing obscure samples from every corner of the music world with hip-hop aesthetics was recognized. In 1999,  he was signed to Stones Throw Records. After his debut solo album The Unseen (released under the alias Quasimoto) was met with critical praise, Madlib was poised for a successful career as a producer. 

But DOOM’s path to success was anything but similar to Madlib’s. Under the name Zev Love X, DOOM formed the group KMD with his younger brother DJ Subroc and another rapper named Rodan. The group achieved minor commercial success in New York with singles “Peachfuzz,” and “Who Me?” But all of KMD’s potential was crushed when Subroc was struck by a car and while crossing the street, killing the 19-year-old. That same week, KMD was dropped from their label, partly due to their extremely controversial then upcoming project titled Black Bastards. DOOM was devastated and became nearly homeless for three years. He dropped off the radar and swore revenge on the industry that he believed ruined his life.

In 1997, a masked man started showing up at open mic events in Manhattan, stealing the show with clever rhyme schemes and mythical narratives that drew attention from the music industry. That masked man was of course MF DOOM, no longer under the name Zev Love X. DOOM continued to impress and was signed to Fondle ‘Em records in 1997 and two years later, released his debut studio album, Operation: Doomsday, to critical acclaim. DOOM didn’t stop there, releasing Take Me to Your Leader and Vaudeville Villain under aliases King Geedorah and Viktor Vaughn respectively. Both projects were successful ventures into world building, establishing DOOM’s untamed creative mind.

After his early run of success and wildly unique persona, DOOM grabbed the attention of Madlib and they began working together. 

As soon as the news broadcast cuts in on “The Illest Villains,” the listener is thrown into a fictitious realm, ruled by the Madvillain. 

“As luck would have it, one of America’s two most powerful villains of the next decade is turned loose to strike terror into the hearts of men/one of the worst of all was the Madvillian/ villains who possess supernatural abilities/villains who were the personification of carnage.” 

Throughout Madvillainy, Madlib’s visionary production paired with DOOM’s dark, deep voice and lyrical ability allows Madvillainy’s mythical world building to become a reality. Each track is a new scene of the movie, with DOOM’s villainous reign illustrated somewhere between reality and fiction. DOOM finds himself in situations rooted in reality (mental health struggles, drug addiction), while simultaneously acting as an imaginary nefarious villain, ruling his realm with an iron fist. 

The album plays on a “seminal connection that audience can relate their experiences to the villains and their dastardly doings,” as heard on “The Illest Villains.” The result is a one-of-a-kind project in hip-hop, that manifests a world of abstract antiheroism that feels as developed as the plot of a Marvel movie. 

Madvillainy sees both DOOM and Madlib at their most inventive. Often rapping in third person, DOOM develops his own character, stringing together clever bars about his villainous deeds and life as a “ruthless mass conqueror.” Yet we get moments of introspection peppered throughout tracks, concerning mental illness, drug addiction and bad habits that keep DOOM in a cycle of perpetual wrongdoings. By the end of the project, the masked man staring back at you on the cover of Madvillainy seems tangible, a real-life villain living in our world.

On the track “Rainbows,” DOOM warns the streets that he is watching, establishing himself as a threat lurking in the shadows. Behind Madlib production that sounds like it’s straight out of a Batman cartoon, the track is an example of the unparalleled expertise in scene setting. 

From playing the role of a disgruntled Viktor Vaughn, making a phone call to his girlfriend who cheated on him with DOOM on “Fancy Clown,” to rhyming about his kleptomania as a result of his rough childhood on “Curls,” Madvillainy is DOOM’s most cohesive lyrical performance in  his discography. 

Digging into the deepest caves and crevices of soul and jazz, Madlib produces the most imaginative beats of his illustrious career on Madvillainy. While working on the project, Madlib travelled to Brazil to hunt for loops he could utilize in samples. Sifting through mom-and-pop record shops in Sao Paulo, Madlib bought multiple crates of soul, jazz, Brazilian and Indian records. His unique sampling and use of audio clips from 1940’s movies like “Frankenstein” gives Madvillainy its inimitable quality of production. “Accordion” remains one of the most recognizable and unique beats in hip-hop history. The hard baselines that grace “Meat Grinder” represents the essence of Madvillainy; a godly and iconic rhyme scheme from DOOM and a multi-sample masterpiece of a beat that gives the project its grimey, ominous tone. With more stunning production on “Raid,” “All Caps,” and “Rhinestone Cowboy,” Madvillainy shows one of the best producers in hip-hop history in rare form. 

Madvillainy was received with rave reviews upon release and has stood the test of time as an undisputed underground rap classic.  

As the applause slowly fades on “Rhinestone Cowboy,” you slowly come back to reality after being utterly immersed in a fictional land created by DOOM and given life by Madlib. In contemporary hip-hop, Madvillainy sits on an island as an isolated work of perfection. Even Madlib’s later team-up with Freddie Gibbs on Pinata and Bandana doesn’t nearly reach the level of mastery and excellence of Madvillainy. As long as our society has a secret affinity for the villain, Madvillainy will continue to captivate hip-hop as the quintessential antihero of the genre.  

Favorite tracks: 

Meat Grinder 

All Caps 

Rhinestone Cowboy 

Rating: 10

Listen to Madvillainy here:

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Songs of the Week: June 2nd

By Spencer Lobdell

Welcome to “Songs of the Week” a weekly segment where I highlight three of the best new songs released the week prior along with one throwback song of the week. To stay up to date on all new music, follow my Spotify playlist “What I’m Feeling” which is updated weekly to always include the freshest new music. Always 30 songs, hottest always at the top. Stream it here:

A playlist updated weekly with whatever new songs I'm feeling at the time. Always 30 songs and in order with what I'm feeling the most at the top.

New songs of the week:

“Crime Pays” by Freddie Gibbs and Madlib

Crime Pays, a song by Freddie Gibbs, Madlib on Spotify

On the third single for their forthcoming collab album Bandana, Freddie Gibbs spits his classic cocaine bars over a soulful Madlib beat that tastefully samples “Free Spirits” a 1979 song by Walt Barr. It is impossible to listen to this track and not be catapulted back to 2014 when the duo released their fantastic album Piñata. With a number of smart callbacks by Gibbs, the song seems to exist in its own world that we are allowed to visit for just over three minutes. Freddie ending the song with an A$AP Rocky and Jeezy diss is really the cherry on top of an excellent song.

“Crime pays, nigga, crime pays
Choppin’ up this change with cocaine in my microwave
Diamonds in my chain, yeah, I slang but I’m still a slave
Twisted in the system, just a number listed on the page”

— Freddie Gibbs "Crime Pays"

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“ZUU” by Denzel Curry

ZUU, a song by Denzel Curry on Spotify

On his new project, ZUU, Denzel Curry starts things off right with a near perfect album intro. The title track “ZUU” is shocking, in-your-face, and absolutely addicting. The track shows us how this album will deviate from TA13OO in such a grand and dramatic fashion that it makes it near impossible to not run the whole tape upon hearing the menacing intro. Denzel only has one verse on this song but he uses his time well by bouncing from one flow to the next while always repping Southern Florida harder than anyone since a young Rick Ross. This song is a must listen.

“M’s all on my belt, I’m feelin’ like I’m Majin Buu
Pocket full of ivy and you know the faces blue
Shoe game sick as fuck, it’s like I’m walkin’ on the flu
Carol City, nigga, boy, I’m comin’ out the Zuu”

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“Under Enemy Arms” by Trippie Redd

Under Enemy Arms, a song by Trippie Redd on Spotify

This week Trippie Redd premiered his new single with its accompanying video. Before Trippie even comes in you will be whisked away into a world of fluttering synths and epic horns. Trippie defaults to his patented flow on this track and it works quite well, but Hammad Beats for sure steals the show with his layered instrumental. Different subsection in the instrumental keeps you deeply engaged in this song even where Trippie’s lyrics leave something to be desired.

“Foreign lil’ whip and I’m whippin’ this car
I might just park in the yard
Catch the opps lackin’, I rip ‘em apart
Fuck it, I got no heart”

— Trippie Redd "Under Enemy Arms"

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“Gasoline Dreams” by OutKast

Gasoline Dreams (with Khujo Goodie), a song by OutKast, Khujo Goodie on Spotify

The second track off of OutKast’s 2000 album Stankonia is as abbrassive as it gets. From Andre 3000’s distorted vocals on the hook screaming in your ear “Don’t everybody love the smell of gasoline” to Big Boi’s slightly off beat rapping that the group trademarked for the south, everything about this track is provocative, wrenching, and oh so good. Today is a great day to press play on any record in OutKast’s polished discography.

“All of my heroes did dope
Every nigga ‘round me playing married, or paying child support
I can’t cope, never made no sense to me one day I hope it will
And that’s that, sport, sport”

— Andre 3000 "Gasoline Dreams"

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Check back in next week for three new hot songs and one new throwback! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram to get updated when we post: