Pharoahe Monche - Lost In Translation mixtape.
P. Reign - You Know video.
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First Impressions - CyHi The Prince's BHP2: N.A.A.C.P.
Sort of going over stuff I've mentioned already but I don't feel like we needed this, unless CyHi really wants to make himself a black empowerment act in general (he kind of already was, but he's already running the risk of ruminating over the same concepts over and over). Can't fault the rapping itself really, I still think CyHi does a good job of making you want to listen to what he's saying, but the production is more chill and less heroic (Mannie Fresh what have you become
) and inspirational as BHP was, you could say. I imagine the sound might have gone over well if he put this out before BHP, but even still the 808s are kind of in places where you don't need them here, compared to BHP which had some pumping modern drums but never felt trap in the slightest. Plus, it uses a lot of popular songs as samples but without using them like something like The God Complex did.
Standouts for me are Weak People, Forever, and One Woman Man. Overall, despite having a number of good songs, it just gives you a pretty underwhelming feeling, making you it for either something more or something different.
First Impressions - Your Old Droog's KINISON EP
This is the first project I listened to from Your Old Droog. Starts out pretty cool with that intro about how rap sucks, etc. and it got my hopes up, and the first few songs definitely had #bars but the production never really excites you. It actually kind of sounds like some Nas album cut that you'd get 3 minutes into out of respect for Illmatic and then hit skip. Just nothing particularly memorable, and I say this having gone back to it a week later, and I don't even feel confident calling the songs I relatively like more standouts. The way he spits over these beats also make a lot of his punchlines fall flat too; not sure how to describe this better.
First Impressions - Yung Lean's Unknown Death 2002
Interesting to say the least, some serious stream of conscious shit. I want to seriously hate on it but the production is funky and I definitely caught myself singing along to OPTIMUS PRIME, DO IT FROM BEHIND and EMOTIONSSS, MY POKEMON LOTIONNN. Standout is definitely Lightsaber - Saviour. I feel like most of the other songs just fall flat or are too obnoxious in some way or another. But its cool, just sounds like some young dudes screwing around with everything they like and cranking knobs to 11 to make it sound as wavy as possible. One of those acts I wouldn't mind following if they get something right every once in a blue moon, but I have a hard time imagining people just throw this on from time to time.