Wiz Khalifa - Rolling Papers (Album Review)

1. When I’m Gone

2. On My Level (Feat. Too $Hort)

3. Black And Yellow

4. Roll Up

5. Hopes & Dreams

6. Wake Up

7. The Race

8. Star Of The Show (Feat. Chevy Woods)

9. No Sleep

10. Get Your S**T

11. Top Floor

12. Fly Solo

13. Rooftops (Feat. Curren$Y)

14. Cameras

When I'm Gone - This is cool. The beat is nice. I don't like the hook at all. I think this may be the first time I ever cringed when hearing a Wiz hook. It doesn't really feel like an intro. It's not bad but it's not really good either.

Get On My Level - I know this song is old but I never bothered to listen to it because it features Too Short (Can you blame me?). This has a cool little vibe. I love the synths Jim Jonsin uses. The hook is nothing special but it works. The verses aren't anything special. I can listen to this one, though. Right after I remove Too Short's verse.

Black & Yellow - Double Platinum.

Roll Up - I take back what I said about the intro. THIS is the first Wiz hook that made me cringe. I understand why the song exists but, damn, this shit is corny. It will probably sell just as much as Black & Yellow.

Hopes & Dreams - This beat is dope! I don't really care for the hook but it's not trash. I like everything else about the song. Smooth vibe. 

Wake Up - Another StarGate beat. I'm going to go cry in the corner now. What the fuck is this? I guess they had him make a pop album. He has used the same flow on every song thus far. Yeah, this pretty corny.

The Race - I heard this before the album and is the only song from the album that I like so far. Smooth track. Great production and a dope hook. Definitely a stand out.

Star Of The Show - Let me start by saying Chevy Woods is pure garbage. This sounds like a 40 (Drake's producer) beat. The hook is okay. Honestly, it sounds like he's trying too hard on this one. Either that or he's not comfortable with the music. It's lacking emotion.

No Sleep - This is garbage. I knew he was going to make some pop shit but not a pop album. I am highly disappointed. 

Get Your Shit - This beat sounds dope but it's ruined by another cheesy, pop, hook. Again, he's using the same flow. This beat is nice, though.

Top Floor - I can't stomach this shit anymore. I literally feel sick. This guy has so much talent but he chose to sell out.

Fly Solo - LOL. "Same song to a different beat." He knows he's making bullshit. This is one of those generic pop rock songs. 

Rooftops - This track features Curren$y so hopefully it won't be pop. This hook sucks too. Curren$y delivers a solid verse which, besides "The Race", may be the highlight of the album.

Cameras - You know this is going to be pop as soon as it comes on. This is SUPER pop. This is garbage as fuck. 

Overview

I can't believe it. I knew his sound was going to change but I don't think the change in any artist's sound has ever been THIS drastic when going from underground to mainstream. This shit is absurd. He went from a weed rapper to a pothead pop singer. This album has NO soul whatsoever. None of this is real. Like he says on "Fly Solo", "Same song to a different beat." That's all this album is. You can argue that his old shit was the same way but at least they were rap beats. At least the hooks were good. This is watered down GARBAGE. The highlight of the album is "The Race" and by highlight I mean the only song worth listening to. The album has great (pop) production and that's where the positive things to say about the album run out.

Thou Shall Know When The Fuck To Retire. Is Your Favorite Rapper Listed?

Bored so I compiled a list of rappers who currently need to hang it up.  This is no particular order.

It's the king of your local state cell block.

"AH-HAA" sums up your career perfectly.

You got Geico nigga. Fuck music.

We're lasers. You're a fucking loser.

You should have stuck to the battles, bro.

Hypocrite.

No rapping and no more making the same beat over and over.

Calm down.

Take your ass to Africa so you can stop rapping about it.

Anybody ever affiliated with Wu Tang needs to sit THE FUCK down.

Hope you're praying for a hit.

Yep.

It's Slim Thugga mothafucka always rappin' the same.

Please do. If you can't tell that is Game.

GOOD riddance.

Just stop. Please.

Cool peoples. Terrible rapper.

Matter of fact, the entire state of Cali should just stop making that trash they call music . Just enjoy the weather and whatnot.

I should "roll up" to Pittsburgh and kick your ass for making that gay ass song. 

Get this gimmick away from my speakers NOW!

Someone let me know when he runs out of coke to rap about.

Curren$y Vs. Wiz Khalifa: Friendly Competition

Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y, everyone's favorite rapping stoners. That is in the new era. We can't forget about Snoop, Red, and Meth. I'm not really talking about who's better in this, it's more of a comparison of their strengths and weaknesses and how they compliment each other on tracks.

Curren$y is more of a rapper than Wiz. He focuses on always having some nice lines and wordplay in his verses. He also has a more unpredictable flow, which is a good thing. He's sort of like Wayne how he can effortlessly switch up his flow mid verse and not lose you. He raps with a little more aggression than Wiz too. He attacks the beat. Curren$y has a lot of songs that are one verse and may or may not contain a hook but somehow they still feel like complete songs.

Wiz is more of an artist. He focuses on hooks and concepts but by no means is he weak as a rapper. He has a very versatile flow and can go from singing to laid back rapping to a more aggressive flow similar to Curren$y's. He usually raps with a more laid back approach, though.  The one area where Wiz and Curren$y are miles apart is hook writing. Curren$y isn't bad but he isn't nearly as consistent or as versatile as Wiz when it comes to hooks.

It seems that Wiz has the bigger fan base and he is now on a major label but listening to Curren$y you can tell he's right where he wants to be career-wise. I heard that Atlantic wouldn't allow Wiz to be on Pilot Talk 2 and I sincerely hope that's not true. It would be terrible if there could be no more Wiz x Curren$y collaborations. I really need How Fly 2 right about now. Hopefully Atlantic let Wiz put Curren$y on his album which is due out in March. Spitta has a few different projects in the works and Wiz needs to appear on at least one if not all of them.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Conspiracy Theory

Okay this blog covers a few things. First, my theory of why the album is all over the place. Second, my theory of why everyone thinks this is the greatest thing since sliced bread. My third and final point will be revealed when I get to it so go ahead and continue reading.

I don't believe that this is the same album ass Good Ass Job. I think Kanye was focusing on his movie more than the album. I believe that he made a few songs (the ones in the movie) to go along with it. During this time I think Jay was in the studio a lot with him hearing the records for Good Ass Job. I think they secretly decided to take whatever songs he had ready GAJ and use them for the collaboration album Watch The Throne. So, the GAJ songs are gone and he's left with only the songs from the movie for his next album. Jay-Z and Kanye are no longer label mates so WTT would have probably been put on hold until Kanye released another album. He had one album left in his Def Jam deal before MBDTF so I'm thinking that he took the songs from the movie and made a few more to go with them in order to fulfill his contract.

Cue GOOD Fridays. Kanye "fans" worldwide rejoice after learning that their lord and savior will be dropping a new song every Friday until the album releases. He proceed to drop some of the most lackluster songs I had ever heard from him. The best thing about any of them we're the Jay-Z features sans "Don't Look Down". Most of them had nice beats but they were ruined by wack features. Why is Ryan Leslie rapping on ANYTHING? Then you have songs that just sound like pure bullshit ("See Me Now"). At this point I thought dude was losing his mind or something but looking back it was the beginning of him creating the rest of his album. By the way, "So Appalled" might be the biggest waste of a beat EVER.

Only the songs that were featured in the movie actually fit the concept. The album as a whole is all over the place. It features great production but the subject matter and consistency is almost nonexistent. The best song, in my opinion, is the intro ("Dark Fantasy"). I still have NO CLUE why "Don't Look Down" wasn't included on the album. It was EASILY the best GOOD Friday song and it actually fit the theme of the story VERY well.

Fast forward to the album leaking. The hype begins. People are rejoicing in unison on internet forums everywhere. You can't go anywhere without reading "This might be the best album I've ever heard!" or some other dumb shit like that. This isn't even Kanye's best album. Actually it's his worst. That brings me to my next point which is why the album is receiving so much hype.

Kanye fans are loving the fuck out of this album for one reason and one reason only. He's rapping. Most of the people who hated his last album 808s and Heartbreak seem to overly love this simple ass album. Like I said before he isn't really talking about anything on here. The rest of his albums actually have substance and subject matter. 808s was much more personal and had music you can feel. This is just a commercial rap album with no real direction.

My final point is that it seems to be people who don't know music well that are hyping this album up beyond belief. If this is the best album you ever heard in your life you literally would've had to been born yesterday (the day it dropped). It seems that whenever I talk to someone who loves music as much as I do that they feel the same way about the album while all the casual listeners are in love. You can't possibly listen to any other genres of music if you proclaim this as great. It's just not possible. You kids need to listen to some metal, jazz, soul, or something.

This all just fits in with the way Hip-Hop is right now. Fans are forcing themselves to like everything their favorite artists make. I know rap sucks right now but damn. There are too many people dropping half assed material. I expect more from you Mr. West. I also thought you had smarter fans but I guess not.

Currensy - Pilot Talk 2 (Album Review & Download)

Download and listen with me.

Airborne Aquarium - I like this from the moment it comes on. The beat is crazy and Currensy comes off with a lot of energy which is rare for him. It's the same old Currensy subject matter of marijuana, bitches, old school cars, kicks, and, of course, JETS fool but you already know that before you listen. He raps straight through with no hook on this. This is a dope intro.

Micheal Knight - This was the first single from the album. The beat has an old school feel to it but it's very smooth. Again Currensy comes off with a nice high energy flow. When I first heard this song I didn't care for the hook and I feel like Currensy's hooks are his main flaw but listening again I like this hook and it fits the song well. He kicks some player shit for a couple verses on this one and the beat rides out. Perfect fit for the perfect late night driving song. The video fits the vibe of the song perfectly.

Montreux - This beat is nasty (that's slang for "very good"). Once again the flow is on point. I am pleasantly surprised. This is a short track with no hook but it works. This album is sounding good so far.

Famous - This beat grabs you from the moment that it starts. The sample is super smooth (I'm thinking Sade). I guess I can say it now. Currensy has progressed a lot since Pilot Talk. He switches his flow up on this riding the beat effortlessly. This track has two verses and a very smooth hook (YES!).

Flight Briefing (Featuring Young Roddy & Trademark) - This track starts off real smooth. Currensy starts rapping to just the sample. When the drums dropped in it threw me off for a second but I caught back on quick. The "hook" is a "flight attendant" talkin about smoking on the plane and what not. I'm not feeling Young Roddy. Don't really have much else to say about him. He wasn't OJ status but his style isn't polished. Trademark is OK. He's better than Roddy but I still don't care for him. This track would've been better with different features or none at all. They kind of ruin it.

A Gee - I got halfway through this song before I remembered I was supposed to be reviewing it. This track is real hypnotic. I was visualizing the picture Currensy was painting on the first verse. The hook isn't the greatest but it doesn't ruin the song or anything. He goes in the second verse as well. I'm feeling this joint a lot. I don't have the production credits but whoever produced it did their thing on this. They bring some piano in right before the last hook and have it playing throughout the rest of the song.

Real Estates (Featuring Dom Kennedy) - Damn, the production on this album is top notch. It sounds very industry but the blend of old and new school makes it stand out a lot. Currensy goes in on this as well. The hook is on point. Very smooth. Next up is #NT's own Dom Kennedy. This is the perfect type of track for him. He goes in as well. I like this song a lot. This album is shaping up to be a sleeper.

Silence (Featuring McKenzie Eddy) - I wasn't expecting this at all. Its a smooth piano and bass track with a very smooth singing hook. It only has one verse but the singing at the beginning and end give it sort of an interlude feel. That's not a bad thing at all. It changes up the feel of the album for a bit.

Hold On (Featuring Young Roddy & Trademark) - I don't really care for this beat. It's not bad but that guitar gets annoying pretty fast. I like the hook and how the beat changes up on that part. And here's Young Roddy to remind me why I didn't mind the song having a bad beat. Because I'm never going to listen to it again. The only reason it's still playing is so I can be fair to Trademark. His verse is cool he just has a really simple flow and lyrics. In my opinion he keeps the same rhyme scheme for too long.

Fashionably Late - I don't care for this beat or hook either. It sounds like a poor attempt at copying The Neptunes. The entire beat isn't bad now that the verse comes on. It's the horns. Fuck this song. Skipped.

Highed Up - I like the beat on this even though it is kind of weird. Currensy falls off with the flow a few times on here but it's not that bad (RZA/Silkk LMFAO). This is a cool little track. I like the hook at the end.

O.G. (The Jam) (Featuring Fiend) - I don't really care for this beat. It sounds like some old No Limit shit that would've been given to Big Ed. This song sucks but I'm listening to hear how Fiend (of No Limit fame who I think produced the song) comes off. This nigga is still stuck in the 90s. His verse is terrible. Wow. I understand that him and Currensy are probably friends but damn.

Michael Knight (Remix) (Featuring Raekwon) - Currensy keeps his original verses from the song and adds Wu-Tang Legend Raekwon to the mix for a third verse. Why does Raekwon's verse sound like he recorded it on a cell phone? I don't really care for his verse at all. He went off on a tangent talking some gangster shit that had nothing to do with the song.

Overall the album is pretty solid especially since I wasn't expecting much. It starts off very strong and kind of falls off towards the end. It is definitely a good look for Currensy, in my opinion, as this is his best album to date. He just has to keep growing as an artist and he'll be fine. This album could've been much better with only a few slight changes. Young Roddy and Trademark should not be heard on here. Fiend's verse was VERY forgettable as was Raekwon's. Dom Kennedy did his thing as well as ol' girl McKenzie Eddy. I'll definitely be putting most of these tracks on my MP3 player. Check out the album and review. Comment and let me know what you think.