Metal Lungies

Production credits are the main draw on albums like For The Record. As in, “It’s got a Premo joint, a Pete Rock joint, and some Illmind/Khrysis shit.” Torae’s new album is better than that. He’s consistent enough that the beats serve him and not the other way around.

Torae is a no nonsense rapper from Coney Island with a strong voice and a vintage flow. He’s a logical poster boy for rap revivalists and owns whatever DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and Marco Polo throw at him with aggressive battle raps. He avoids the darker stuff in favor of ever elaborate boasts. For The Record has a loose narrative about the delusions of rap stardom, but it never becomes a concept album. Sonically, it’s all over the place. There’s the expected boom bap, but also plenty of shiny studio finish and R&B hooks. “You Ready” is rumbling and gritty while “What It Sound Like” is just as hard but more futuristic. “Over You” finds Torae in a crossover moment, albeit comfortably so.

For The Record has something for all kinds of rap fans without stretching itself too thin. More than a stolid Illmatic clone

Listen to the whole album here and grab the title track below.

Download: Torae – For The Record (produced by DJ Premier)

If it were up to me, Lil Wayne would only rap over these Bangladeshi 808 beats.

Rounding out this week’s deluge of mixtapes (Cold Day In Hell, LiveLoveASAP) is L.E.P. Bogus Boys’ Now or Neva. It’s street rap by the book, but not without its moments, which I’ve cherry picked for you. Keep that in mind when our telethon rolls around.

Download: L.E.P. Bogus Boys – Closer (ft. Dion Primo) (produced by Frank Dukes)

Download: L.E.P. Bogus Boys – Last Dance (produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League)

via Fake Shore Drive

Post-regional hip-hop gives us ASAP Rocky, a Harlem born rapper who sounds like he grew up in Houston with codeine mixed in his Sunny Delight.

Syrupy, sallow, and ethereal, ASAP immediately conjures a few comparisons, but he disposes of them on “Leaf”: “They say I sound like Andre mixed with Kanye / Little bit of Max, little bit of Wiz / Little bit of that, little bit of this / Get off my dick.” This is the young, flashy, indignation that pervades LiveLoveASAP. Songs are slow, bass-heavy, and hypnotic. He puts Clams Casino and DJ Burn One beats to better use than everyone before him. The lone wilting trumpet on “Keep It G” and the druggy stupor of “Kissin’ Pink” are highlights.

ASAP’s blog buzz has already materialized in a deal with RCA. He’s poised to do big things. I just hope that three years from now, we won’t be saying, “Man, I wish ASAP would make another like LiveLove…”

Download: ASAP Rocky – LiveLoveASAP

via ASAP Mob Worldwide

The beats are shinier and the guests are bigger but Freddie Gibbs still raps better than nigh everyone in possession of a microphone. Best song? “Neighborhood Hoez” with monsieur 2 Chainz.

Download: Freddie Gibbs – Cold Day In Hell

via LRG

Last night, I was in the building to Watch The Throne in Baltimore, MD. While I didn’t see any actual thrones, I did see arguably the two best live performers in hip hop. Since I never typed up my Watch The Throne album review (I wrote it on a back of an envelope, while on the metro), this is me making up for that..because no one else wrote about that album on the internet or anything. This isn’t a review as much as it is random thought/observation drop. First off, the doors opened at 6:30, and the showtime on the ticket was 7:30, so I scrambled to get down to Baltimore from the DC area. There is no opener (none is needed, AT ALL), and the duo didn’t hit the stage till 8:48. So if you are going to another tour stop, feel free to add an hour to whatever your ticket says. The arena was full a good hour before hand, which people spent hollering a girls in their best club outfits, getting concessions (nothing like some arena fries to get in the mood for The Throne!), or taking pictures with backdrops (cost: $15).

Kanye & Jay came out to ‘HAM’, which I’m not the biggest fan of but it is a great intro song, especially on the impressive sound system setup the tour uses (the building was shaking most of the night). I actually came to this realization a few months back when I heard used as an at bat intro song by a Washington Nationals player. As ‘HAM’ was rattling the arena, I noticed the mad engineer scientist Mike Dean was really into the music and was through out the whole night, which is plain neat to see. Next thing you know, Kanye & Jay were on top of LCD screened “shark tanks” 2-3 stories high, rapping. This was luxury rap in the flesh, the lighting, pyrotechnics, the soundsystem are probably as good as it gets for a rap show. When Kanye was doing ‘Diamonds are Forever’ it was dope to see Hov reemerge out from the back to do his remix verse, “Yup, I got it from here ‘Ye, damn”. That was a small example of the perfect sequencing of tracks and the rotation of both rappers having the stage to themselves, intertwined with sharing it with cuts they are both on.

Both rappers seemed really into the others songs as they would walk backstage, not just lazily giving up the spotlight. When these two guys combine their catalogs, you are almost overwhelmed at how many songs of theirs are ingrained into your memory.  Unlike many 2 hour shows, there was no lull, even when Kanye & Jay-Z, getting emotional, sitting next to each other on the stage steps for ‘New Day’. To be honest though, I did notice a lot of the “hungry fat dudes” demographic of the audience make a bee-line to the food & beer concessions during ‘Runaway’. I just hope they were back in time for ‘Stronger’ which Kanye followed with and did a good 1 minute of shifting his eyes left to right as the song opens (something you have to see in person). When Jay was running through ‘Big Pimpin’ Hov dropped a few “hold uppp (Pimp C Voice)” before doing C’s verse acapella with the crowd, great stuff.

The show wrapped up with ‘Dudes In Paris’ done… 3 times (which the crazyness of was kind of spoiled for me by the blogs/tweets since it also occurred in Atlanta), followed by Encore. A good amount of the crowd started to leave the building after the 2nd rendition of ‘Paris’, probably thinking there couldn’t be anymore left.. only to scramble to the aisles a minute later.

All in all, if you are fan of at least one of the artists in general, you would enjoy catching the tour.

Three random thoughts: Have kids start wearing Givenchy leather kilts yet? Can I retire Gold Digger? How hot must the duo’s two suit wearing security dudes (I saw Steve!) have been in the stuffy arena?

If I’m not mistaken, this uses the same sample as Ahu’s “To: Love.” Edgar Allen Poe rap.

El-P remixed his smash from this Summer with a familiar sample. According to the press release, sales of this track will benefit DJ Mr. Dibbs who is battling liver disease and doesn’t have insurance.

Moar beats! Paul White remixed some of the vocal tracks from his album and spun some more instrumentals for a new EP. Jump down the rabbit hole once again below.

via One-Handed Music

“Did You Miss Me” is a natural follow up to “Hot Sex and Cold Wine” and boasts one of Yung Clova’s strongest appearances. The contrast of delicate piano and booming 808s just agrees with his whispered cadence. G-Side don’t need to venture too far left to make great music.