Spring Music Roundup

Summer's just getting started (unless you live where I do and it's been 105 degrees for a month already), which means it's time for everyone to get their summer jams ready. I selflessly listened to a bunch of this spring's music releases so you didn't have to. Here are some of the things -- some are singles, some are full albums -- that'll be on my playlists this summer.

Jay Rock - Redemption

For years, Jay Rock was the most underappreciated artist on Top Dawg Entertainment. Dudes actually liked Ab-Soul more than him, which seems crazy in 2018, but that's a testament to how much Jay Rock has developed as an artist since his debut album. No longer content to just outshine people with blistering guest verses -- he outshone Kendrick on "Money Bags" and he so thoroughly made "King's Dead" his own that he went and put it on his own album -- with "Redemption" he's put out a project that measures up to anything else from this month's flurry of splashy album releases. "Redemption" has hard-hitting, high-energy tracks like "The Bloodiest," "Wow Freestyle," and "Rotation 112th" and more introspective cuts like "For What It's Worth" and the title tack. Oddly enough, the only track that doesn't quite work for me is "WIN," the lead single, but everything else is pretty much uniformly very good.

The Carters - Everything Is Love

When I heard a celebrity married couple -- even though they're both two artists I really like -- were making an album together, I couldn't help not being particularly excited. This album could've been extremely corny. Fortunately, Beyoncé, who does most of the heavy lifting on this album, is undeniably magnetic right now, and she elevates this album far past where it could've been. The "we're way richer than all you peasants" braggadocio on "APESHIT" works almost entirely because of her charisma. "BOSS," with its soaring horns and rich harmonies, is fantastic, and "713," the closest thing to a Jay-Z song is very good, although the highlight of the track is Bey doing a her own take on the "Still D.R.E." chorus and repping Houston. "Everything Is Love" wouldn't be the strongest entry in either artist's solo catalog, but it's well worth a listen.

Pusha T - Daytona

The first entry in Kanye's series of 7-track albums on G.O.O.D Music is so good that it inspired a series of "KANYE BACK" reactions on the internet. That feeling was short-lived, as his solo album was mediocre and Nas's album got Beyonce'd, but Daytona still stands as one of the best releases of 2018. Pusha T gets some flack for being a bit one-note -- after all, how many different ways can somebody rap about being rich and selling cocaine? -- but when the one note is this good, why should he stop? Daytona features the best and most focused production Kanye has made in years, with lavish soundscapes like the beats on "Hard Piano" and the low, gutteral bass of "Baby Come Back" serving as the perfect backdrop for Pusha T's menacing delivery. 7 tracks ended up being the perfect length for the album, as the material never overstays its welcome or gets stale.

Black Thought & 9th Wonder - Streams of Thought Vol. 1

If I have a favorite musical subgenre, it's probably "Black Thought raps incredibly well for three straight minutes with no interruption." Long a fixture of Roots albums, we've seen less of that kind of track as the band has gotten older and moved on to artsier fare like concept albums. So, Black Thought, probably the most talented lyricist alive, has had to turn to guest features and other producers to get chances to show off his prodigious marathon raps, as he famously did earlier this year on Funkmaster Flex's show in what many called the greatest freestyle of all time. On "Streams of Thought," alongside production from 9th Wonder, he showcases a veteran's mastery of his craft, spitting dizzying bars with ease. "9th vs Thought" is the kind of back-to-basics rap shit that'll have purists going nuts. Verses like his on "Making a Murderer" make you feel bad for any guests artists who have to go in the booth after him, even if Style P actually put in solid work. Somehow, this isn't even the best line on the song:

More championship rings than John Salley

I traveled to Tijuana and smacked a Federali

Who packin' avocado toast like Mario Batali

I'm a ocean without a coast, goin' back to Cali, nigga

Kali Uchis - Isolation

Kali Uchis managed to pull off a difficult feat -- sounding retro while not sounding dated or like an imitation. "After The Storm," the lead single, is probably the best example, as it sounds like a modern update to a song from the 70's. "Nuestro Planeta," the album's lone Spanish-language song, is excellent, and "Your Teeth in My Neck," is easily one of the best songs of 2018 so far.

Freddie Gibbs - Freddie

I was actually done writing this last night, but then Freddie Gibbs dropped a tight, cohesive 10-track album, seemingly out of nowhere, which he announced with a wild late-night infomercial parody video. It's not as personal as his last album, but it goes hard. It's music that demands to be played at full volume. "Weight" and "Death Row" are the highlights, but the rest of the album manages to keep the momentum going.

Royce Da 5'9" - Book of Ryan

"Book of Ryan" is Royce's most personal work yet. There are still bangers on here -- the beat on "Woke" is fucking bonkers -- but the most striking part of the album is its emotional core. Throughout the songs and the skits that sit between them, Royce grapples with his struggles with alcoholism, his fraught relationship with his father, the difficulty of raising a son as someone who's engaged in self-destructive behavior, and the way all of those issues are interrelated. "Strong Friend" and "Cocaine" are must-listens.

Cardi B - Invasion of Privacy

People who were expecting to Cardi to disappear like a one-hit wonder were probably dismayed to learn that, hey, her album's pretty good! And she's probably not going anywhere anytime soon. No, she's not the greatest rapper in the world, but she's not trying to be. And who cares? The music's fun. She's got a great delivery too, and generally doesn't take her material too seriously. If none of the goofy lines (like the entire second verse) in "Bickenhead" make you smile, I don't know what to tell you, man. You need to lighten up. Especially since "I Like It" might be one of the biggest songs of the summer and you'll be hearing it everywhere.

A$AP Rocky - Praise the Lord

Unfortunately, A$AP Rocky's new album is sloppy and mostly forgettable, but I could probably listen to this all day. There's just something about rap beats where the flute's the melody. Skepta, representing the (very underrated) grime scene over in the UK, is featured on the track and drops a crazy catchy chorus.

The Internet - Come Over

Get your dancin' shoes on.

Pac Div - Stoked

I need to stop listening to this song before I do something irresponsible.

Tyler, The Creator - OKRA

Same to this one.

Bishop Nehru - Elevators: Act I & II

Despite being just 21 years old, Bishop Nehru has respect from rap music veterans, earning production credits from some of the best around since his teenage years. This album is no exception. Act I (Ascension) is produced entirely by KAYTRANADA and Act II (Free Falling) is handled by DOOM. KAYTRANADA's on a wild hot streak right now and it continues throughout his half of "Elevators." "The Game of Life" is about as flawless as instrumentals get -- that vocal sample is hypnotic -- and "Get Away" fits the mood of the song perfectly. DOOM's half is as eclectic as you'd expect, but Nehru flows over his off-kilter production like a veteran.

PRhyme - PRhyme 2

The sequel to PRhyme, a collab between Royce Da 5'9" and the legendary DJ Premier, is better than the first. Preemo has managed to expand his sound while still maintaining his signature style. Any rapper working with him knows they need to step their game up, and Royce, with clever quips like "I'll put your whole family in boxes like y'all The Brady Bunch" is up to the task. Oh, and when the beat switches up on "Loved Ones?" Good lord.

Bobby Feeno - Flamingo & Koval

Most people probably know Bobby Feeno as former NFL running back/podcast host Arian Foster, and that might turn some people away from this album because, well, how many albums by former pro athletes have actually been good? 1? 2? Remember when Kobe tried to rap?

Anyway, this album is good, not just in the "athletes rapping" category, but in general. "Watermelon Sunrise" -- I can't believe I like a song called "Watermelon Sunrise" -- "gawd," "a friend a fan a kid," and "joy" are all very good, and "lips" would be one of the highlights of just about anybody's album. Dude's a pretty capable rapper, but more impressive is that he's able to actually write good songs.

Anderson .Paak - Bubblin'

2016 was undoubtedly Anderson .Paak's year. Between the release of his solo album, "Malibu," and his "NxWorries" collaboration with Knxwledge, plus guest appearances on damn near everybody else's album, the guy was absolutely everywhere and he was on fire. And if the first single from his upcoming album is any indication, he hasn't cooled off. The beat sounds like somebody sampled a James Bond-esque spy thriller and the music video takes the energy to a whole other level.

Aminé - Campfire

MIGHT CATCH ME AT A WHOLE FOODS. IF YOU SEE THAT RED MERCEDES THEN YOU KNOW WHO

Smoke DZA & Joey Bada$$ - The Mood

Is saying "big mood" a little too on the nose for this one? Whatever the case, it's hard not to vibe to a track from Joey Bada$$ and the wildly underrated Smoke DZA, who shows once again that he's always good for a few gems, like:

Had a bunch of losers tell me I couldn't win

See you takin' off, that's when the hatin' shit begins

Watch you walkin' on water, they say it's cuz you can't swim

Protoje - No Guarantee

Protoje, one of the leaders of the new wave of reggae and dancehall artists, has been rolling out some very good singles from his upcoming album, "A Matter of Time," set to drop next week. Here, he hooks up with Chronixx, who he's done some of his best work with, again.

J Hus - Dark Vader

J Hus is back with another infectious, danceable single, where he, as "Dark Vader" is checking out a girl who's "lookin' like a Tomb Raider." Hey, I never said it'd be anything profound. It's fun as hell though.

Phonte - No News is Good News

This might not be the album you use to test out your subwoofer, but it's possibly Phonte's finest solo work (he's best known for being a former member of Little Brother and current member of The Foreign Exchange). Hip-hop as a genre is entering its forties, and rappers entering middle age is still a new enough phenomenon that there's no clear-cut blueprint. Jay-Z went from continuing to chase trends on Blueprint 3 to rapping about 401Ks and rich people shit. Snoop Dogg hangs out with Martha Stewart, then reinvented himself as a (bad) reggae artist, then re-reinvented himself as a gospel singer. Kanye dyed his hair blonde and started chasing wild conspiracy theories. Phonte, though, just put out a whole album that's truly for grown-ass people.

In the early days of the genre, I'm sure nobody imagined hearing a rapper talk about high cholesterol and blood thinners would be compelling, but he pulls it off expertly on "Expensive Genes," the strongest cut on the album.

We got a oceanfront view but the scope is so limited

Cuz young niggas be dyin' of old nigga shit

Wifey sleepin' in the guest room cuz you snore at night

It's like 40 years old is three-quarter life

Our biggest fears were shots and armed robberies

Now the biggest fears are clots and oncology

It's not all aches and pains though. "So Help Me God," has Phonte flexing his lyrical abilities, which are still among the absolute best in the game, and "Change of Mind" and "Sweet You" are smooth midtempo jams, and a strong reminder that, as well-regarded as he is in the rap game, his Grammy nomination a few years back was actually for his singing.

#Music #hiphop #rb #TheCarters #PushaT