#AOTY 2015 10-6; A Niles P. Joint

2015 was a great year in hip hop and of course all good things must come to an end. Before I jump into the new year, it’s time for my installment of WTM’s annual Album of the Year (AOTY)  extravaganza. Going back to my original format, I’m doing a top 10 list. Only LPs are eligible for consideration (check my Best of the Rest list for more great stuff).  Criteria includes lyrics, beats, flow, creativity, uniqueness, and replay value. It’s all about the music for me, always has been and always will be. So let’s get to the list. Ten through six is now, Top Five in a few days.

10.) Pablo Frescobar by Raz Fresco 

Back when this album came out in the summer, I listened to it and said “This will be the number ten album when I make the AOTY list.”  Months later, this proved right. The Toronto wunderkind is part of the talented new wave of young rappers/producers that includes Kirk Knight and Bishop Nehru. The latter has a guest spot on Equinox, which is still as spooky now as it was during the first listen.  Up North is the album’s centerpiece in my opinion, a wonderfully multi-layered anthem for the Canadian hip hop scene. Pablo Frescobar was an ambitious debut at 17 tracks, and young Raz is still finding a balance in sound and guest stars. But you gotta love the fact that he swung for the fences on the first pitch.

9.) Mr. Wonderful by Action Bronson

Bronson had an up and down year. The first half was marked by a great major label debut that saw him successfully experiment with vivid instrumentation, like the 80’s rock of Only In America or foreign guitars turned psychedelic fare of Easy Rider. Couple this with the more traditional hip hop sounds of Falconry or The Rising and you have a stellar album. He took a bit of a PR hit with some ill-advised comments about Ghostface Killah on a Sports Nation appearance, earning him a verbal sonning from Starks himself. He’s kept a low profile the second half of the year. Still, music (generally) trumps all and he did some really good things on Mr. Wonderful. Plus the fact that it came out in the first quarter of ’15 and remained listenable throughout the year says something.

8.) Innocent Country by Quelle Chris

As I mentioned before, creativity & uniqueness play a part in my criteria for this list.  And nobody embodied those traits quite like Quelle Chris did with Innocent Country.  Flanked by his buddy/producer Chris Keys, dude created an album that is avant-garde without any pretentious dickishness.  Songs like We Want It Alive and The Ones To Watch are quite repayable.  As far as incredible concepts, I Asked God has depth most usually wont touch on as the Detroit musical auteur has a conversation with God and also ponders the meaning of life.  This album was pretty short and just made it over the EP threshold to get onto this list.  But it held its own and is unlike anything else you’ll listen to from 2015.

7.) Home Sweet Home by Rapper Big Pooh and Nottz

This is a testament to the strength of the WTM staff as I really got into Home Sweet Home after Zuri wrote a great review on the merits of the album. Having released a collaborative EP with Apollo Brown earlier in the year, Rapper Big Pooh hooks up with Nottz for a collabo LP this time. The entire project perfectly encapsulates the feeling you get whenever you return to your hometown, hence the title. Everything just flows smoothly from start to finish, which makes it hard to pick out standard tracks because everything more so functions as a unit. But it's Big Pooh’s lyricism along with Nottz’ super underrated beat-making ability makes this stupendous project one that cannot be ignored.

6.) Adrian Younge Presents: Twelve Reasons to Die II/ Sour Soul with BADBADNOTGOOD by Ghostface Killah

Ladies and Gentleman, we have a tie.  Ghostface is putting out some of the best work of his career and is showing no signs of slowing down.  Both of the albums he released in 2015 are different yet arguably equally good.  The former sees him collaborate with Adrian Younge and a plethora of other guests for another storytelling album, which is one of his best traits.  The latter is him over a live band that plays his preferred soul instrumentals with real instruments, giving a whole different feel.  Either one would be a good choice on its own but I made it a tie as I couldn’t decide which one I liked better.  I’ve always said that Ghostface has the best and most consistent solo career in hip hop and this just proves it.

Review: Pablo Frescobar - @RazFresco; A Niles P. Joint

Toronto is still forming an identity when it comes to hip hop. Kardinal Offishall had some success in the early 2000’s with his brand of rap infused with Jamaican influence. k-os has been active on the indie scene for quite some time. And of course, Degrassi alum Drake and his band of producers have been the most prosperous. Other than that and besides the MuchMusic set of underground Canadian emcees, T-Dot hasn’t produced any hip hop acts with huge potential. Enter Raz Fresco. The 20 year old rapper/producer has had success on the mixtape scene with this Bakers Club collective and recently released his debut album Pablo Frescobar with the help of Duck Down Records. I’ve been a fan since I saw him perform at the Duck Down BBQ in Brownsville last year so I was eager to hear and write about his inaugural album.

No More Fuckery is the intro. It uses vocal samples along with an interview with an irate Jamaican musician that was used on Sean Price’s last album. This leads to Live From Hades / Blood of Slaves. The first half of the song has lyrics that feature heavy conspiracy theory references.  The beat switches to something more mellow and is the better portion. Up North is the latest single and may be the best song on the album. It has a richly layered beat that shows every drop of talent that Raz Fresco has as a producer. The snapping snare punctuates the dreamy landscape of the instrumental. Overall it has the power lyrically to be a Canadian rap anthem of sorts. I hope it blows up. 4daGodz is much more laid back and sees Raz drop knowledge. He’s a member of the Five Percent Nation and thus has deeper lyrics than your average 20 year old. This could also function as a weed smoking song if that’s your thing. Influenza sees him trade bars with Raekwon. I previously wrote about it here and I’m happy to report that it still holds up.

Down is the first of few missteps on the album. Lyrically you don’t have to worry about Raz Fresco ever being a slouch. The beat was constructed to be more bouncy and club friendly almost.  It’s not awful but doesn’t fit with the rest of the album. Swervin in Bape features Tre Mission (the first Bakers Club appearance.) The violins on this song are beautiful but overall the song is kind of forgettable. I suppose it could be another weed song. New Pablo opens up with an interview with Raz’ mom telling how he got his name. Once it starts he talks about his ambition over a seriously underrated guitar. It’s unique as the beat doesn't drop until midway through the song. Fresco’s genius continues to show, both lyrically and production-wise. Another Nigga features more great guitar licks and sees Raz Fresco lament the overall structure of society. This is a bit of a concept track and Fresco’s best lyrical acrobatics are presented. Screwface City is a T-Dot rap anthem to complement the Canada rap anthem I mentioned before, albeit not redundant at all. You can feel the freezing Northern winds swirl past you as you listen to this track. It’s grown on me lately.

Raz revisits the split song concept on Warning Shots / Murda. Both sides feel more like a freestyle.  The second half features the grittiest drum/bassline combo you may see this year. Cortez Nikes has the most vintage feel on an album that periodically pays homage to yesteryear. The Slick Rick vocal sample is dope and Chuck Inglish steals the show with his guest verse. Godbody featuring Lo Thraxx is the weakest song on the album. The beat sounds like your run of the mill trap/drill joint.  Some will love it for that reason but it didn't seem to mesh with the fabric of the album. All Eye See brings things back on track. The beat keeps your head nodding and The 6th Letter adds a dope guest verse. Scarface Villas has the swankiest beat and some of the most vivid lyrics on Pablo Frescobar but is regrettably brief at a shade over a minute and a half. It was great while it lasted. Come & See Ya Nigga is the perfect choice for the penultimate song as it is contemplative and solemn. It’s the perfect setup for Equinox which features fellow hip hop wunderkind (and WTM favorite) Bishop Nehru. I wrote about it previously and months later it still retains it’s spookiness and snap.

I’ve always given props to these new heads that have the ability to both rap and produce exceptionally well. Raz Fresco is proving to be a prime example of this demographic. He isn’t even old enough to buy a drink in the US and is already wise beyond his years in a musical sense. His advanced lyrical insight comes from his background with the Nation of the Gods & Earths. Musically his beats are multifaceted and resonant. All of these make him a superb dual threat prospect in hip hop. This culminates on Pablo Frescobar. The album appropriately dropped on Canada Day and thematically is ambitious and sprawling just like the Great White North. In a couple of places Raz might have been a little too earnest in trying to combine both modern and classic sounds. 17 tracks is a lot for a debut and he may have been better served by keeping it at 13-14 songs. He’s at his best when he’s dropping jewels on his own or with an elder statesman (although the Nehru collaboration is a welcome trend that I hope continues). When he tries to keep up with the joneses and replicate what’s popular today on three tracks in particular, the album goes off the rails in consistency. However you can chalk this up to a function of youth. The older and more experienced he gets the better he will be at managing his music. He has plenty of time and has the ability to even pull a Statik Selektah and make an album of strictly guests rapping over his beats. No matter how you slice it, Raz Fresco has all of the tools needed to be a tour de force in hip hop and simultan Pablo Frescobar shows that Canada is no longer America’s hat but instead the exporter of one of the game’s most talented young rookies. Stream Pablo Frescobar below via HNHH.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Listen: Influenza - @RazFresco feat. @Raekwon

Apparently the East Coast hip hop revival has expanded its borders to Canada, which is fine by me.

Enter Raz Fresco, a 20 year old rapper/producer from Toronto.  In the past year plus, he's seen his stock rise in the game. He’s signed to revered label Duck Down Records, which of course enabled him to perform at the Duck Down BBQ in Brownsville along such hip-hop luminaries and up and comers such as Boot Camp Clik, CJ Fly, Joey Bada$$, Chelsea Reject and T’Nah Apex.  He also made an appearance on Buckshot & P Money’s BackPack Travels and released his own mixtape The Screwface Tape.

Raz Fresco has made a natural progression that is slowly culminating towards the release of his debut album Pablo Frescobar on June 2nd.  His new offering is Influenza stays true to his vintage sound without sounding too dated.  He produces it himself and masterfully intertwines these gorgeous sounding strings with a vocal sample.  It sounds crisp yet still dirty, reminiscent of a Wu Tang joint from ’93. Speaking of which, Raekwon makes an appearance and drops some jewels on the second verse which gives Raz another nice cosign from a legend.  It also seems to have a positive effect on Raz as he steps up his lyrics and flow (which were already good) even more after Raekwon’s appearance.  If the rest of the album maintains this level of quality, we’re in for a good one in an already stellar year for hip hop. Check out Influenza below and be sure to check out the #WTM review for Pablo Frescobar in June.