Editorial Review: Blank Face LP - @ScHoolBoyQ

Since Oxymoron, the announcement of Blank Face LP, and an amazing trailer I've been excited about this release. ScHoolBoy Q has grown and polished his sound. The trailer sets up like for a short film or movie. Question, did he entertain us in the theater? Is the follow up to Oxymoron going to hold enough water? Let's get to it.

The story begins with TorcH. Although not on the tracklist, it features recent XXL Freshman, Anderson .Paak. We'll hear more about him later. Lord Have Mercy is as it sounds. It's a prayer asking for forgiveness sharing his soul in being a rapper, gangster, father, son, and everything that makes Quincy himself. Swizz Beatz adds his signature sound and vocals throughout. Although an amazing producer, I've never liked his sound. It always sounds like there's way too much going on and I could say the same with this track as well. The lead single, THat Part grew on me like I predicted. I still don't like Kanye's verse. I don't know what it is but he's really been struggling recently with his flow. His first bar is trash, flat out. "Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, OKAY!" Sounds like my silly attempts at rapping in forth grade. I'm curious on why the Black Hippy Remix didn't make the final cut, but oh well. It's not all bad & I really like the beat. It's West Coast G-Funk meets modernity. The beat changes like how it does in Mercy and a lot of other G.O.O.D Music productions. Then Kanye freestyles again in the end and it sounds silly, if anyone else recorded that they'd consider it an outtake and never leave it in. Maybe it's arrogance, maybe it's art but I'm not feeling it.

Hip-Hop is unique because the rappers are the reporters of their time and era. Groovy Tony is Q's journalistic report of the hood sh*t goes through on a daily. Jadakiss takes it from the 323 to Yonkers and tells his New York tale. This track is a two part combined with Eddie Kane. Same BPM but different beat makes for an awesome audio crossfade. Ali mixed the hell out of this project and it shows. I also love the choral vocals in the back of the second verse.

Know Ya Wrong features TDE's most recent signee, Lance Skiiiwalker whom we heard a lot from on Jay Rock's last project. Most of the tracks on the project do duel sided sounds and production. This is the same. Ride Out is one of my favorites. It really speaks to the crip in all of us and even features Vince Staples. Gritty, gangsta, everything you'd expect from this song just reading the tracklist cuz.

WHatever You Want with Candice Pillay takes an unusual dance, EDM feel. It's definitely the most pop sounding song on the project. Not really much cup of tea but someone will drink it. By Any Means changes back to a darker mood. Although not listed in the tracklist or producer credits it sounds like Isaiah Rashaad and Kendrick lent their talents to sing background. I really like the bounce in this. Q gonna do what he needs to do by any means. 

"Get yours, get yours get yours, by any means. you can f*ck my b*tch you can have my heaux."  

Dope Dealer features west coast OG E-40 and is produced by Metro Boomin. Doesn't sound like anything he's ever made before. It's as if he left Atlanta trap to west coast funk and it's clearly catered and crafted for the Cali duo. JoHn Muir and Big Body with Tha Dogg Pound gives ScHoolboy a chance to show off his emcee flows on a more core hip-hop sound. Big Body was produced by Tyler the Creator and has the quirky sound you'd expect from him. Neva CHange is another fan favorite for me. SZA comes in assisting with vocals on the hook and DJ Dahi flatters us with simplicity over the beat and mix.

Str8 Ballin pays homage to 2Pac's THug life and All Eyez on Me. This is the climactic part of the album where we really really see the most of Q. Black THougHts is where Quincy addresses the black community in what's wrong. This song has the most content and holds the most sentimental value to me. That's to be expected when Kendrick, Q, George Clinton and Terrace Martin get together. I would have loved to hear a verse from Ab-Soul here. I think he would have something awesome to say here, even if it's a wild conspiracy theory. I side-eyed the "All Lives Matter" line until I realized he was talking about the unity of Bloods and Crips. Anderson .Paak returns like he never left in the self-titled track. It almost serves as a remix to TorcH. Miguel and Justine Skye join forces with Q on Overtime. The mood is slow and calm and I recommend the thugs to compromise and add this to their playlist for their shorty, she'll appreciate it. Overtime is to Blank Face as Studio with BJ the Chicago Kid is to Oxymoron. Blank Face concludes with piano keys and 16's from Traffic, TF, and Q on Tookie Knows II. 

Blank Face is one of the more musical rap albums I've heard recently. The production uses a lot of instruments over artificial synthesizers and other electronically produced sounds. I think this will make his live sets awesome. It will sound like a more intimate experience than a studio crafted listen. I don't know if this was the plan but it seems like every member of Black Hippy is dropping albums kind of telling their Day in the Life or Coming of Age kind of story. Good Kid Maad City, 90059, These Days and now Blank Face are all their perspective Californication Chronicle from different parts of the Los Angeles county area. Ride Out, By Any Means,Neva CHange, Black THoughts, and Overtime will be in rotation for a long time for me. Blank Face LP gets a 4.25 of 5 Stars on the Ramsey Rating Scale. Listen to Blank Face after the break.

Review: Genesis by @DamierGenesis {Written by @Natural_Nation}

Around this time last week Domo Genesis released his first studio album Genesis. Domo Genesis is a Los Angeles rapper who is currently a part of the Odd Future record label. For those that are not familiar with Odd Future Records, the independent record label was founded by rapper Tyler The Creator and is home to a number of artists as well as one of my favorite groups The Internet.
Genesis has had a number of other musical pieces before dropping his first album. Rolling Papers and Under the Influence are two of his earlier mixtapes. He followed both of these up by releasing Mellow High (a collaboration with group Mellow Hype, which he was a part of) and Under the Influence 2. Then, finally, Genesis was released. This is an album filled with boom bap influenced beats. I can easily say that it is different then any of the other rap albums I have heard so far this year. So, let's get into the album.

The collective is 12 tracks long featuring two previously released singles and some house hold names like Juicy J, Tyler The Creator, and Mac Miller. The album opens with Awkward Groove, the title being the only awkward thing about it. This groove is accompanied by light hearted vocals and provides a smooth entry into the album. Followed by One Below, this track begins with words of inspiration. Domo Genesis's mother is heard talking about feeling joy and pride when she thinks about her son. His mother seems to be confident in his musical abilities as well as his ability to stay true to himself. Utilizing the flute as part of the instrumental, track two continues with the warm theme.

I really enjoyed the vocals and the vibe of Wanderer. The song is just as the title suggests. His lyrics are similar to a steady flow of consciousness. He seamlessly moves from one thought to the other leading up to a hook by Tay Walker. Questions, track four, features vocals by Ms. Kendra Foster with rapper Da$h on the second verse. The whole ambiance of the song including Kendra's vocals give the track an erie and spooky feel. Genesis questions the path he is on in life as well as his place in the world. He wants to know our purpose and to know whether or not we're doing the right thing. I believe that is a universal struggle for us all. We are able to get a glimpse of Domo's vulnerability through this song.

My Own features singer JMSN. It's a classic come up story. Genesis expresses his thoughts on having to do things on his own with little support. He had to go through struggles and pay his dues to get to where he is now and continue to get to where he wants to be in the future. In all this he stresses the importance of being aware and knowledgeable. Go (gas) comes in at track number five. The song features Wiz Khalifa, Juicy J, and Tyler The Creator , and was the second single to drop from earlier this March. The instrumental has a subdued clapping beating with a tambourine and what sounds like a retro children's keyboard. The kind your parents used to get for you to put in your toy box. The one with only 16 keys and the C sharp that you can't push in anymore. Wiz takes the first verse followed by Genesis and the single closes with Juicy J. With the addition of Juicy J it's easy to see why this song made it's way to becoming a single with his commercial appeal. Just about any song with Juicy J on it seems to automatically make itself in to a feature.

Coming Back features rapper Mac Miller who brings his fluid delivery to yet another track. This song shows Genesis in a place of confidence. He knows that he is where he is supposed to be, doing the thing that he is supposed to be doing, and no one can convince him differently. Dapper, track nine, features jack of all trades Anderson Paak. Dapper was actually the first song to be released from the Genesis project. I'm not sure how much of a hand Anderson had in the production of the song but it sounds much more similar to his style than Domo Genesis. The beat is funky, similar to the r&b/neo-soul style of music we were hearing in the early 2000's late 90's from artists like Musiq Soulchild.

The album closes with All Night featuring King Chip, produced by Left Brain. Domo Genesis decides to leave on a more jazzy note, which is quite alright with me. Genesis lets his listeners know that it's his time and he's not going to waste it. You can tell that he really believes this is his calling and he plans to utilize his time and his talent in a positive way. There is no doubt in my mind that this man is determined and any other listener will get the same message. Genesis is available now for download on iTunes. Enjoy.
Rating: 3 out of 5

Listen: Where I'm From - @ALaSOLE_ ft. @DamierGenesis

If you want to be successful in baseball, you need to have a deep pitching rotation. This principle can be applied to rap crews, in this case Pro Era and Odd Future.

Both have their well known stars (Joey Bada$$/CJ Fly & Tyler, The Creator and Earl Sweatshirt respectively) but now some of their emcees deeper in the rotation are getting more shine. This is the case with Pro Era's A La $ole, who puts out a smooth banger in Where I'm From. Assisted by Odd Future's criminally slept on wordsmith Domo Genesis, the track sees these young dudes from two of rap's best crews speak on where they're from.

A is from Flatbush, Brooklyn and Domo is from Inglewood, California. This easygoing track shows that despite their geographical differences, they can find common ground in shared experiences and how they manifest in their artistic talent. Not sure if this song is a loose or off of A La $ole's upcoming project Elixir but either way it's perfect for warm weather and riding out.