Top 5 Albums of 2013 So Far...

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay (caused by exams and travel) but I'm back with a relatively short entry on my top 5 albums of the midyear so far (albums released before the end of June). To be honest, 2013 has not been that great of a year for Hip-Hop so far. After a much anticipated wait for both Kanye West's Yeezus and J. Cole's Born Sinner, both projects ended up being disappointing on some level and there has been a very small amount of albums that have wowed me this year; especially compared to last year (midyear releases included: El-P's Cancer 4 Cure, Lushlife's Plateau Vision, ScHoolboy Q's Habits & Contradictions, Death Grips' The Money Store, Ab-Soul's Control System, Killer Mike's R.A.P. Music, etc...). However, my picks for this year so far have been incredible albums, all worth your time and money. So without further adieu, I give you my top 5 albums of the midyear so far!

5- Twelve Reasons to Die - Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge:

Ghostface Killah has always been my favorite member of the Wu-Tang Clan for his immaculate flow and vivid storytelling. For these traits, its no surprise that this album would land on my list. Twelve Reasons to Die is a concept album that truly shows how great Ghostface can tell a horror story with incredible detail. He allows you to be transported into the storyline of the concept and witness the murders and drug deals that occur. He portrays a character that's very violent, gory, inhuman but strong and determined. Adrian Younge handled the production on this album and did a fantastic job. His production is stellar and sounds like he's orchestrating an opera or scoring a movie. The chemistry between him and Ghostface seems natural and I hope they collaborate more in the future. The features were all great, adding more depth and character development to the story. If you're a Ghostface Killah fan, I highly recommend you listen to this album. It truly is a great listening experience. I hear Ghostface is dropping the second installment of the Supreme Clientele series and a collaborative album with MF DOOM which should both be dope as hell. So keep your eye out for those. 

Favorite Track: Beware of the Stare - I Declare War - Enemies All Around Me

4- King Remembered in Time - Big K.R.I.T.:

Continuing his streak of incredible albums, Big K.R.I.T. came back with yet another stand-out self-produced mixtape. To be honest, I wasn't feeling this mixtape from the first listen, however as I sat with it longer and started dissecting it, I grew to appreciate it a lot more. Big K.R.I.T. is still as lyrical and personal as ever, if not more, yet he still manages to not repeat himself. He continues to make quality albums, all of which are distinctively diverse. The production was stepped up a lot more this time around, with Big K.R.I.T. experimenting with different sounds yet yielding lots of success. Big K.R.I.T. continues to impress me with his awesome albums and I'm looking forward to his collaborative album with Yelawolf. Be sure to check this mixtape out!

Favorite Tracks: WTF - R.E.M. - Banana Clip Theory - Bigger Picture 

3- Czarface - Inspectah Deck & 7L & Esoteric:

Czarface has been an album that I have repeatedly played over the months. This album brings back the 90s feel of Hip-Hop, especially with 7L's dope production. Inspectah Deck and Esoteric spit incredible verses, incorporating super hero and comic book references that are sure to bring out the nerd in all of the comic book fans. They show how they can lyrically go back and forth on tracks like World War 4, It's Raw and Rock Beast. You'd think after years of them being in the game, they would run out of things to say. But they prove themselves by delivering some of the best verses of the year. They're both very underrated artists (people forget Inspectah Deck was on Wu-Tang's classic C.R.E.A.M.) and I hope many people listen to this album. The guest features play a large role to the success of the album, with Action Bronson, Roc Marciano and Vinnie Paz dropping dope verses and Ghostface Killah killing his verse. Overall, this albums is absolutely incredible and is sure to entertain with all of the spastic flows, delivery, pop culture references and hard hitting punchlines. 

Favorite Tracks: Savagely Attack (Feat. Ghostface Killah) - Rock Beast - World War 4 - Cement 3's (Feat. Roc Marciano) 

2- Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels (Killer Mike & El-P):

With the success of Killer Mike's R.A.P. Music and El-P's Cancer 4 Cure and their new found chemistry last year, the duo teamed up and joined together to create a collaborative album that I cannot stop listening to (along with my number 1 album). With only 10 songs, this album is doing what 18-track albums are failing to do which is; create a project that appeals both lyrically and sonically. El-P and Killer Mike have clearly not missed a step since last year and have spit some of the illest verses of the year. The chemistry between these two surpasses any collaborative project released in a while (ex. Bad Meets Evil, The Throne etc...). Never does this album bore or drag, and the punchlines the rappers spit are dope as hell. El-P hitting you with the complex rhymes that require decoding to fully appreciate and Killer Mike hits you with the straight up clear meaning but still "don't fuck with me" lyrics. Lines like Killer Mike's "Producer gave me a beat, said its the beat of the year/I said El-P didn't do it so get the fuck out of here" show the chemistry and passion these MCs got. El-P's production is incredible, creating a vibe that doesn't sound like neither R.A.P. Music nor Cancer 4 Cure. He creates a sound that is uniquely yet strictly just Run the Jewels. Me talking won't do this album justice. Its up for free download so go and download it asap! You won't (or shouldn't be) disappointed. 

Favorite Tracks: Run the Jewels - Banana Clipper (Feat. Big Boi) - Sea Legs - DDFH - Get It - No Come Down - A Christmas Fucking Miracle 

1- Legends Never Die - R.A. The Rugged Man:

To be honest, this is the first R.A. the Rugged Man album I have ever listened to. I wasn't familiar with his music until this album was released. Turns out he had verse of the year on Jedi Mind Trick's Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story, so I checked that out and I was overly impressed with his lyrical ability, the imagery he uses in his storytelling and the unbelievable dopeness of his flow. So I copped his album and listened to a masterpiece. I don't know why but it seems like this album has been slept on hard this year. No one seems to be talking about it much or hyping it up to the extent that it deserves. From track one, R.A. spits hot fire, putting together the best verses this year. They aren't super complex but they can be very emotional, hard-hitting, political and even funny. The production is pretty good, but your focus is on his flow the whole time so it almost doesn't matter what beat he's on. The features are all perfect, with the exception of Hopsin (he was good, but not as good as the others). Tech N9ne killed his verse but Brother Ali, Talib Kweli and Vinnie Paz all went.the.fuck.off. "Two of my bars are more lyrical than two of your verses". Couldn't have said it better myself! So if you haven't checked out this album yet, be sure to do so. You will not be disappointed. 

Favorite Tracks: The People's Champ - Definition of a Rap Flow - Learn Truth (Feat. Talib Kweli) - Bang Boogie - Legends Never Die (Daddy's Halo) - The Dangerous Three (Feat. Brother Ali & Masta Ace) - Sam Peckinpah (Feat. Vinnie Paz & Sadat X)

Top 10 Lyricists in the Game

In March, XXL released their popular Top Ten Freshmen list that includes, to them, the rappers to look out for this year. Also, MTV compiles a list of its "Hottest MCs" in the game every year. I personally think the lists they put together aren't reliable because it seems like all they are doing is putting rappers that they think will make them look like a more reliable source onto a list. If it were in my hands, I'd show the rappers that in my opinion are the top lyricists in the game. People need to see which rappers are the ones to look out for when it comes to quality Hip-Hop with substance and meaning. So for the past few days, I was formulating a list that has the top ten rappers I think are the most lyrical who are active and dropping albums soon. This list will be in no particular order as each of these rappers has their own style, flow and content. So without further adieu, I present the Top 10 Lyricists in the Game!

*Note* I really wanted to place EL-P, Killer Mike, Aesop Rock, Brother Ali, Immortal Technique and other rappers like them on this list. However, they only drop music every once in a while (With EL-P dropping albums every 5 years) so I don't wanna place them when they could potentially not put out music any time soon. They are however top lyricists that you guys should check out! I want this list to have rappers active and dropping albums soon.

10-  Elzhi:

Also known as "Detroit's Best Kept Secret", Elzhi has proven the strength of his lyrical ability to everyone in the Hip-Hop community. With the release of Elmatic, everyone (including myself) started paying attention to Elzhi waiting for his next release. Not only did he make each song and the whole album his own in the process, but he was able to incorporate his own life story into his music. His version of One Love is to me better than Nas's and that's saying something! While The Weather Man has been scrapped off, Elzhi still promised a 2013 release and I'm looking forward to that, as you should be as well. To see my previous article on Elzhi and his originality, click here. If you haven't checked out Elmatic or The Preface, be sure to do so!

Notable Lyrics: "The hood is like a glass house the devil throws stones through." - Detroit State of Mind

9- Big K.R.I.T.:

For those of you who don't know (which you should by now!), Big K.R.I.T. is a southern rapper who has been putting out nothing but consistently fantastic music since K.R.I.T. Wuz Here (K.R.I.T. stands for King Remembered in Time). He has repeatedly shown us his roots through 4 great mixtape and a well put together studio debut. He is the epitome of what Southern Hip-Hop should be and is helping keep what made UGK and OutKast so legendary back in the day. He is able to draw you in with his simplistic hooks to make you memorize and vibe to them and then you start to pay attention to his deep lyrics. Big K.R.I.T. isn't afraid of getting personal in his songs and talking about conscious topics such as religion, life and hardships. He released his mixtape King Remembered in Time earlier this year, which I loved, and is working on a collaborative album with Yelawolf called Country Cousins. Big K.R.I.T. is planning a big year and I am very excited to hear his new music. Most importantly, he's very lyrical and with his smooth flow, you can't deny his talent.

Notable Lyrics: "Be a better man in the world of negligence/Pedophilic malvolence, don't trust your reverend/When they settling for settlements/Lock your doors, shut your windows, don't let the devil in." - Rich Dad, Poor Dad.

8- Danny Brown: 

Danny Brown is a Detroit based rapper who's rise to fame got kick-started through the release of his highly acclaimed album XXX in 2011. XXX put Danny Brown on the map, getting Spin's Album of the Year and Metro Time's Artist of the Year. I personally loved the album and still listen to it to this day. Danny Brown was able to present serious topics such as drug and alcohol addiction using incredible storytelling on songs like Die Like A Rockstar and mocking the radio with Radio Song. Danny Brown has some of the funniest as well as the most put together lyrics. He presents himself as the modern Ol Dirty Bastard or even early Eminem in his Slim Shady days. The problem with Danny Brown is his flow. I personally love his flow, but it takes a minute to get used to it. If you were to give him a chance and listen to his music a lot, you'll start to love his weird voice. But if you give up from the first song, then you'll be missing out on something special. His lyrical ability got him featured on A&AP Rocky's 1 Train, EL-P's Oh Hail No and Ab-Soul's Terrorist Threats. He's built a great fanbase and I'm highly looking forward to his upcoming album Old.

Notable Lyrics: "I'm a borderline porcupine, A step from drinking turpentine/Just to wash down a plate of these wack rappers rhymes." - Detroit 187

7- Joey Bada$$:

When Joey dropped 1999 last year, it propelled him to the top of the game immediately and gave him wide-spread acclaim instantaneously. And can you blame him? His lyrics on that album mirrored a modern Nas spitting on 90s sounding beats. That's the main reason I loved that album (taking the number 5 spot for favorites of last year). It brought back old-school sounding Hip-Hop into this generation. What makes Joey Bada$$ so entertaining though is not only his lyrical ability but his immaculate flow. The guy can ride any beat he's thrown at, whether its old-school or new school. And the most impressive part is that Joey is only 18 years old, 17 when 1999 dropped! That's incredible! Joey Bada$$ announced that he will be dropping an album this year by the name of B4.Da.$$, with the single Unorthadox produced by DJ Premiere dropped earlier this year. He claims he got Premo, Q-Tip and Pete Rock to produce for the album so you can expect something amazing to drop. Check out 1999 if you haven't (its a free mixtape damn it!).

Notable Lyrics: "Cause when ni**as start equipin' and throw the clip in/Your blood drippin' and got you slippin' Under the victim, don't know what's hit them/Through his spinal, just another man who defeated by survival" - Survival Tactics (R.I.P. Capital STEEZ)

6- P.O.S.:

This is a rapper you might not be familiar with, however he possesses a great amount of talent. P.O.S. is known mostly for being part of the Hip-Hop group Doomtree releasing an amazing album back in 2011 called No Kings (be sure to check it out) but he really caught my attention last year with his incredible solo effort We Don't Even Live Here. I was blown away by that album and still listen to it on a regular basis to this day because of how P.O.S. handled the production of the album. He puts dancy-pop but layered beats while adding dope rhymes consisting of deep and social commentary type lyrics. He's what Lupe Fiasco is trying to do except he's doing it 100% better. His lyrics are very personal, relating to drug addictions, society, corruption and materialism (which he does incredible on the song Fuck Your Stuff). I'm highly looking forward to anything this guy drops from now on because he gives you the deep lyrics while making beats that get you moving. Be sure to check the album or Get Down, How We Land or Fuck Your Stuff. Dope music!

Notable Lyrics: "No one gives a fuck about shit, so fuck your shit/We fuck shit up cause shit's fucked anyway." - Get Down 

5- J. Cole:

I know some of you guys are wondering why I have J. Cole on here but lets be real for a minute; the songs J. Cole has on the radio are made intentionally for the radio (Work Out, Power Trip etc.). However, if you dig deep into his album, you will see that J. Cole is a damn good lyricists. He has an incredible rhyme scheme and can go toe-to-toe with rappers on his level or even above (I'm On 2.0, We Ready). And to top it off, J. Cole is also a very good song-writer. He is able to craft positive  as well as socially conscious songs and leave his signature flow like on Lost Ones or Dollar & A Dream III. Not only is he a great rapper, but like Big K.R.I.T., J. Cole raps over his own beats making him a double threat. I heard Miss America earlier this year and that got me psyched for his next album he's dropping this year entitled Born Sinner. He has dropped two EPs to build anticipation for his next album and I'll be there to pick it up. Also, if the rumors are true, I can't wait for his collaborative album with Kendrick Lamar. That album would destroy the game right now!

Notable Lyrics: "Overcame a low life status to blow like Gladys/Ahead of my time like I live my whole life backwards" - Dead Presidents II

4- Macklemore:

I don't care what anyone says, Macklemore to me is the next rapper that can make lyrics super popular while spreading a positive message in his music. The Heist was an incredible album that showcased Macklemore's lyricism and depth as an artist, touching many different topics such as violence, discrimination and homophobia. Same Love is probably the best song I've heard that tackles the topic it represents, and I commend Macklemore for doing that song because it shows that you don't have to be super hard-core to be respected as a rapper. Macklemore is a personal dude, but not to the point where it gets too over the top (coughs-Drake-coughs). He is a great songwriter, being able to have incredible song structure and giving us probably the catchiest hook of last year - y'all know I'm talking about Thrift Shop. He does have other fantastic songs that I wished got more recognition like Make The Money, Starting Over, Neon Cathedral and one of my favorites Wing$. Macklemore has a great future ahead of him and I highly recommend you listen to this guy's music. And shout-out to Ryan Lewis too for supplying Macklemore with beats that suit him 100%. 

Notable Lyrics: "Bartender, please give me a confession/Exchange fear for courage in the form of a well drink/There’s a heavy current, got a long way to swim/Closed the Bible a while ago, I need some shots for this sin" - Neon Cathedral 

3- Black Thought:

Who's Black Thought you ask? Well reader I'll tell you who he is. For those of you who know who he is you got mad props from me. For the rest of y'all, Black Thought is the lead MC of the legendary Hip-Hop band/group The Roots. Still not familiar with them? If the answer is yes, I feel bad for you... But Black Thought to me is probably the most underrated rapper in Hip-Hop, period. He keeps spitting incredible bars on every album The Roots have dropped since 1993's Organix!. He's the type of rapper that never lost his lyrical ability and is still able to leave your jaw dropped by the time his verse is done. He has some of the best flows I've ever heard and his rhyme scheme is immaculate. If you want something to confirm this, check out the BET Cypher with him, Mos Def and Eminem and see how he holds his own and even surpasses them. How I Got Over in 2010 was amazing and so was Undun that was released late 2011. The Roots plan on releasing an album this year hopefully but even if they don't, Black Thought is working on a solo album anyway so its a win-win for me! If you're not familiar with The Roots and Black Thought, I recommend you check Things Fall Apart, Phrenology, or Illadelph Halflife to start off and make sure to thank me later. They probably have the most perfect discography in Hip-Hop. 

Notable Lines: "Who knows what you snorted? Or who support what you recording? But don't get it distorted, in this orbit you're aborting.This authentic shit's imported, exported/Styles, they get sported my paragraphs aortic/Behold, the illest medley lock you in the choke hold" - No Alibi 

2- Ab-Soul:

How can you go wrong with Ab-Soul? To me, Ab-Soul is one of the few rappers out right now that can out-do Kendrick Lamar on a song and if you're not convinced, check out Ab-Soul's Outro, Rapper Shit and Illuminate and make the decision yourself. Ab-Soul is a rapper with multiple personalities, but not to the point were it gets annoying like it does with rappers like Nicki Minaj. He has multiple flows because he's so diverse with the beats he chooses, and that is show-cased on his album he released last year called Control System; which took the number 2 spot of favorites. When you listen to Ab-Soul, you get who he is 100% because he's real all the time. For example, before last year, he'd rap about how poor he was living with his mom and now he raps about how he remembers being poor. His lyrics are incredible as well, making any song catchy as hell while still spitting deep bars on songs like The Book of Soul. Also, Ab-Soul, like Kendrick Lamar, is one of the few rappers that make songs about women's issues. For example, on his song  Double Standards, he talks about the expectations women have from men and how its unfair to them. So be sure to check out Ab-Soul's music. You might find yourself listening to your new favorite rapper. I'm looking forward to his collaborative album with JMSN coming out this year called Unit 6. That'll be dope.

Notable Lines: "Lord forbid The homie got wet, so we trying to soak it in/The president is black, but you can't vote for skin You vote for the better man/Come to our show you can see the diversity/Unified people they going to peep it universally/We might not change the world but we going to manipulate it I hope you participating." - Ab-Soul's Outro

1- Kendrick Lamar:

Don't act like you didn't see this one coming. Kendrick Lamar should be on top of every lyricists list anyone is making right now. I know I said this list is in no particular order, but Kendrick to me is the top dude in the game right now. Not only is he able to cross over and appeal to the mainstream, he does it without sacrificing dope lyrcis, catchy hooks and stellar production. From his Kendrick Lamar EP to Overly Dedicated to Section.80 and finally good kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick Lamar has proven he's a force to be reckoned with. Never has he had to dumb-down himself to appeal to a new audience because he makes everyone else change to suit his music himself. Even when he wants to do stereotypical boom-bap songs like Michael Jordan, he does it by adding his own flavor surpassing anyone else who tries to do that type of music. But what makes Kendrick the best lyricists is he always has a concept behind the music he's putting out and he paints a picture of the stories he's telling so well. Section.80 was a perfect album telling us the life of fictional characters Keisha and Tammy and good kid, m.A.A.d city showed Kendrick stepping up his game a bit with telling his own personal story. His flow is perfect. His rhyme scheme is immaculate and the acclaim he's getting is worthy of all the praises. I predict good kid, m.A.A.d city bringing home many Grammys next year. I recommend you check out all the albums I mentioned here.

Notable Lyrics: 

"See a lot of ya'll don't understand Kendrick Lamar
Because you wonder how I could talk about money, hoes, clothes, God and history all in the same sentence
You know what all the things have in common
Only half of the truth, if you tell it
See I've spent twenty three years on the earth searching for answers
Til' one day I realized I had to come up with my own I'm not on the outside looking in
I'm not on the inside looking out
I'm in the dead fucking center, looking around You've ever seen a newborn baby kill a grown man
That's an analogy for the way the world make me react My innocence been dead So the next time I talk about money, hoes, clothes, god and history all in the same sentence
Just know I meant it, and you felt it
Because you too are searching for answers I'm not the next pop star I'm not the next socially aware rapper I am a human motherfucking being, over dope ass instrumentation Kendrick Lamar" - Ab-Soul's Outro

What do you think of my list? Do you think there's anyone missing or a rapper that should be on this list? Please keep in mind that this is my opinion and there's only 10 spots. I know there are a ton of other dope rappers but I chose the ones that will be active for a while and that are still active. Black Thought was an exception because I feel he deserves more recognition. But anyway thanks for reading! Who are your top lyricists? Leave a comment and let me know!

Notable Mentions: Action Bronson, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Aesop Rock, Eminem, EL-P, Killer Mike, Immortal Technique, Logic, Roc Marciano, Ghostface Killah. (Hope I'm not forgetting anyone).

2Pac Vs. The Notorious B.I.G.: Which Legend Takes the Top Spot?

Hello everyone. Big topic today! I remember when I wrote about Frank Ocean and The Weeknd, I had a tough time figuring out who was better because of the close competition. I stated it was almost as hard as trying to make a decision on who is the better rapper between the revolutionary Tupac "2Pac" Shakur and the masterful storyteller Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace. With the latest blog post by the lovely The Enigmas Asian (excellent blog filled with diverse topics, check it out here) about which rapper is better, I started formulating my own opinions and perspectives about the two rappers. First of all, there's no denying that both 2Pac and Biggie have both revolutionized Hip-Hop and the way its perceived globally. Throughout their careers, they have produced classic after classic and with their conscious lyrics have produced vivid images of topics that face the world. Both have collaborated with legends such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and P. Diddy (or whatever name he goes by) and were also successful with taking Hip-Hop and crossing it over to the commercial side. Hypnotize and California Love dominated the radio and still gain replay value to this day. Both have inspired basically every rapper to have ever emerged in the game after them such as Eminem, 50 Cent, Kanye West, and more recently Kendrick Lamar, Logic, Joey Basa$$ and J. Cole. Overtime, comparisons have been made and a spot for the best of all time between the two has been debated for years after their unfortunate deaths (R.I.P.). So which rapper is better? Who, to me personally, has more appeal and diversity to be known as the best? I will go on record to say that I consider these two rappers as the best, and the better rapper to me beats the other by a hair. I do have to confess that this wasn't hard for me because I always favored one over the other, and the rapper I favor is Tupac Shakur. 

First of all, I don't believe that this is a fair comparison between the two. Tupac recorded five albums throughout his lifetime while Biggie only recorded two. The significance of this is that Tupac released a good amount of work in his lifetime to see his progression as an artist. Tupac dropped the incredible 2Pacalypse Now in 1991 and has continued to improve until The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theoryin 1996. You can see how Tupac changed over the years, how his sound was renewed from Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. to Me Against the World and how his lyrics have changed as well. With Biggie on the other hand, we - unfortunately - never had the opportunity to see how his career would've played out after his first two albums. I mean look at what happened to Eminem after The Eminem Show. We don't know if Biggie would've fell off or dumbed down and we never saw much change (remember this is all my opinion - this is subject to debate whether he progressed). But I'm gonna forget about that and look at what I have and not what I could've had. 

I will go on record and say Biggie had the better debut album with Ready to Die. Ready to Die was raw and innovative. It placed such a big impact on Hip-Hop and quickly gained popularity. Tupac's 2Pacalypse Now had to wait a while to receive the recognition it deserves. But just because Biggie's debut was better doesn't mean anything. To me, Life After Death is a bit overrated (here comes the hate). Maybe overrated isn't the right word. I believe Life After Death took away much of what made Ready to Die so special, which was Biggie's raw lyrics. I also didn't hear Biggie rapping with the same energy. If you listen to Ready to Die, Biggie's monstrous flow and volume on songs like Juicy and Me & My Bitch was spectacular. On Life After Death, Biggie's flow was more laid back like on Big Poppa, which was hot but not as impressive to me. I wasn't too into Hypnotize and Mo Money Mo Problems. I was more into Notorious Thugz (Biggie's flow on that was one of the best flows I heard), Sky's The Limit, and I Got a Story to Tell. With Tupac on the other hand, he improved more and more on each album. 

Tupac Shakur's Me Against the World is to me the best rap album ever made (tied with Nas's Illmatic). He really showed his passion for supporting conscious topics in the world and therefore dropped some of Hip-Hop's best songs: Me Against the World, Fuck the World, Old School and the heart warming universally acclaimed Dear Mama (even though I prefer Old School by far but that's not the point). This albums showcased the realness in Tupac's lyrics and desperation to get the message out.When Tupac crossed over to All Eyez on Me, he didn't have to sacrifice his skills as an emcee. His flow actually improved, he lyrics remained as complex and incredible as always and he was able to put songs that can appeal to anyone such as California Love, I Ain't Mad at Cha and Heaven Ain't Hard to Find. For these factors, Tupac always came more compassionate to me. Not everyone loves a compassionate rapper as some people love aggressive lyrics, but that's not me. When I want to listen to something, I want to take away something from it. I want to feel the power and the impact of the lyrics presented and vibe to the production. This is were Tupac surpasses Biggie in my opinion; to me Tupac was always the more compassionate guy I can relate to.

Let's talk about the two rappers' technical aspects for a minute. Biggie has hands down the better flow, no denying that. Biggie probably has the best flow ever produced by a rapper which was so easy for him to execute he made it look easy with his signature "uh" (Better than Rick Ross' by far :P) Storytelling wise, I think they are at an equal position. Both of them can tell a story with their lyrics so perfectly you find yourself visualizing the events as they are spoken by the rappers. I Got A Story to Tell and Me & My Bitch come to mind from Biggie and Brenda's Got A Baby and Me and My Girlfriend from Tupac. (Although I gotta say Nas has huge respect from me for telling some of the best stories - Rewind, One Love, Memory Lane, I Gave You Power etc.) Sure Biggie told more stories, but Tupac was the more conscious rapper and that for me beats everything. Also, for me, Tupac had the better produced tracks and more memorable songs. Dear Mama is respected by not only every Hip-Hop head but by all music critics. He is the only rapper, besides Grandmaster Flash and Public Enemy, to be inducted into the National Recording Registry. While Biggie is universally known for his voice, I think Tupac's voice fits perfectly with the content of his songs and it matches his energy incredibly. Tupac's flow is usually overshadowed by Biggie's, but I say Tupac gives Biggie a run for his money on songs like Thugz Mansion and Old School. Yeah Biggie was probably better at freestyling, but that doesn't matter much to me. I'm not gonna go into the whole beef and each rapper's legendary diss tracks Who Shot Ya and Hit Em Up because one wasn't even eligibly a diss track (coughs-bullshit Biggie-coughs) and one was just a sign of anger and frustration (not cool Pac, not cool) while both were hot and furious! To me, Me Against the World was better then Ready to Die and All Eyez on Me was better than Life After Death.

Now just because I favor Tupac over Biggie does not mean that Biggie isn't a great rapper at all. Biggie to me is second best right after Tupac, and for the reasons I stated in this blog entry. I have eternal respect for both of them for not only putting out classics that have made my love for Hip-Hop greater but both have inspired hundreds of other rappers that put the game where it is right now. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have the many talented rappers we have now. Even if a rapper doesn't place one of them as an influence, they owe them something for shaping Hip-Hop into a respectable art form. They have produced some of my favorite songs and albums and I can listen to them any time, any place! Rest in Peace to both rappers (yes, I don't believe Tupac is still alive somewhere in Cuba or whatever conspiracy theories are out there) and again, thanks for reading!

10 of Tupac's Best Tracks: Old School, Dear Mama, Thugz Mansion, I Ain't Mad At Cha, Trapped, Fuck The World, Keep Your Head Up, 2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted, California Love and Brenda's Got A Baby.

10 of Biggie's Best Tracks: Juicy, Big Poppa, Me & My Bitch, Machine Gun Funk, Ready to Die, Ten Crack Commandments, Notorious Thugs, I Got A Story to Tell, My Downfall and You're Nobody (Til Someone Kills You).

What do you guys think? Is Tupac or Biggie the better rapper and why? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think!

Childish Gambino's "Camp": A Wonderful Journey

Originally, I was going to post a blog about Lil B regarding his music and appeal and my point of view on that, but that has to wait for the next time because last Monday, I was exposed to something very special that had me occupied throughout the whole week. I was going through the Dead End Hip Hop Youtube channel (which is a dope channel for Hip-Hop conversations, check it out here) and I saw their review of Childish Gambino's 2011 album Camp and they gave it really positive reviews and I wondered how I never heard of this album. I looked up Childish Gambino online and I found out its the name actor/comedian Donald Glover uses as a music artists. Donald Glover is mostly know for portraying Troy in the show Community; one of my favorite shows and one of my favorite characters on the show (along side Abed)! I was very surprised to see that he actually raps as well, having released many mixtapes. That put me in an unsure position; Is he just like the other actors who try to rap but fail miserably OR is he a force to be reckoned with and uses his comedic stance to his advantage? So I decided to take a chance, got the album and listened to it and I'm so glad I did.

I have listened to a lot of Hip-Hop in  my life, with music ranging from the 80s Golden Era, the 90s that produced some of the greatest of all time, and the 2000s that gave Hip-Hop the commercial strength it has now. However, rarely have I ever felt an emotional connection to the artists as much as I did with Camp, considering the fact that its only two years old! Childish Gambino's lyrics are so moving, and his delivery is very believable because he doesn't portray himself as a hard, agressive, and "gangster" character; when you listen to Childish Gambino, you get Childish Gambino. A nerdy, young and versatile person. He admits to being who he is, and wants you to accept that. Gambino is also not afraid to sing on his songs, and in doing so leaves a powerful effect. Many have compared him to Drake for that, but Drake and Childish Gambino are very different. If you can't connect with that and are looking for something materialistic, Gambino isn't your dude. But if you want something substantial and real, I highly recommend you check him out.

So back to the album! The album opens up with Outside, possibly the strongest intro to an album in years. There is a chorus humming in the background and the instrumentation clashing together is beautifully done. Then Gambino just goes off! He starts rapping from the perspective of his younger self, how his father lost his job and his mom had to take double shifts, how his youth played out with people having high expectations for him. And the chorus... Oh my God! Imma go on record and say this album has some of the best choruses an album can have. The chorus goes "There's a world we can visit if we can go outside" over and over as the instrumentation gets stronger and stronger throughout. Its a powerful introduction to a stellar album.  Then, you have Fire Fly, a song that chronicles his success. It creates an incredible juxtaposition effect from the previous song where he rapped about the hardships in his life, while in this one he raps about the success he's achieved. It has an incredible hook (that goes: When they see me on the streets, all they wanna do is take pics and I'm like OKAAY - Hilarious) that I love and some background vocals. So once you got all the background information from the first two incredible songs and you feel ready for the rest of the album, you get Bonfire, a song that will leave you in aww.

On Bonfire, Gambino rhymes his ass off! Its one of those songs with continuous braggadocios Hip-Hop but executed perfectly. He has some of the best punchlines I've heard in a while, such as "You can fuckin' kiss my ass: Human Centipede.", "Black and white music, ni**a that's a mixtape!" and "Made the beat then murdered it: Casey Anthony". Gambino goes HAM on this track and shows his "don't fuck with me" side. Like they said on Dead End Hip Hop (DEHH), Gambino admits he's a nerd, but he knows he can rap better than you! Now I don't wanna bore you with details with the rest of the songs and make this feel like an album review, but I do want to go through them briefly. The beautiful sounding All the Shine comes next expressing his love-hate relationship with fame but appreciates how his music has helped make insecure kids feel better about themselves. The chorus is absolutely breathtaking, giving such an inspiring and positive vibe showing how the buzz surrounding Hip-Hop doesn't drown him; that he can shine all by himself. It is followed by the song Letter Home, stripped down from the instrumental of All the Shine including just the violins. Its a very touching song, resembling Marvins Room by Drake, but being a hundred times better and more effective, while being three times shorter. He sings about an ex he's still in love with and says how he writes her letters, as his mom always recommended he do to girls he loves. Its very touching and emotional and a great interlude to the album. It makes you appreciate his honesty and is very great to listen to him sing and admit his love, saying how alcohol and other substances don't effect his feelings. 

From the moving Hearbeat to the nostalgic Kids, Childish Gambino continues to hold you tight with great lyrics, beautifully sung hooks (especially L.E.S.), and his unique character. But to keep from the mushy stuff overflowing (which I don't mind but I know a lot of people do), he comes back with a banger called You See Me. This song, like Bonfire, is a lyrical assault! Gambino has excellent worldplay and on his third verse, he goes... the fuck... off... spitting faster and faster. And the beat on this thing is monstrous! Sunrise follows and is another great song but we're one away from the great conclusion that ties the entire album together. That Power is one of the strongest outros to an album I've heard in years. Gambino first off raps for about three minutes about how he feels he doesn't get the recognition he deserves because people ignore him for being another actor turned rapper. Its a very powerful starter for a great outro. When the song hits the three minute mark is when things gets serious. I honestly feel like I don't want to give anything away, but he tells a story about some experiences he went through in camp that caused him to learn a valuable lesson. When you connect all the dots together and see the deep value in his spoken word story, you can start to value him as an artist and see how much he values you as a fan. It truly is a touching finale and I love to revisit the last five minutes just to be transported into that camp bus sitting behind him telling the story. He does it so perfectly that I can talk about it on and on and it wouldn't do it justice. It truly is poetic!

So in conclusion, Camp is by far the best album released in years in my opinion. It has everything that makes an album memorable; great lyrics consisting of both emotional and punchline material, a great intro and outro, and absolutely stellar production. Childish Gambino collaborates with Ludovin, the composer of Community, which is an excellent choice because it gives the album a grander and classical feel rather than the poppy sound which clashes with the lyrics and hooks perfectly. What the album succeeds with most is creating a connection between the artist - Gambino - and the listener which is something that rarely happens these days. I cannot choose a favorite song because each is important in bringing the message of the album alive. I have praised this album enough for y'all so I highly recommend you check it out. Also, check out his EP and his previous album Culdesac, those are dope too! From now on, Camp will rank as one of my favorite albums, NOT best but favorite. I do believe there are a lot more sonically consistent and deep albums, but what this album does that the other don't is touch me personally. So what are you waiting for? Cop it! 

10/10 - Classic

What do you think about Camp and Childish Gambino? Did you love it or hate it? Keep in mind the people that didn't like this album criticized the points I and many others enjoyed, so its basically black or white; no grey area. Leave a comment and tell me what you think! Also, if there's a topic you want me to voice my opinion on, please leave it in the comment section. Also follow me on twitter: @firasdarwiche96  for updates.

Where is Lupe Fiasco's Career Heading?

As a big Lupe Fiasco fan, the second installment of Food & Liquor II was a highly anticipated album for me for 2012. While Lupe has been through a lot of things through his career, he has still managed to impress me with his lyrical ability. However, a few weeks back, Lupe tweeted that Food & Liquor II: Pt. 2  is cancelled but another project would be released instead. This caused me to question why Lupe Fiasco decided to cancel his album. Did the failure in sales of the first one cause Atlantic to pull the plug on his album? Was he not pleased with the final product? I went back and forth and decided to revisit his entire discography to relive the greatness of his previous albums. While listening to his albums, I started noticing something very irregular that caused me to question my liking of Lupe Fiasco's newer material...

First of all I went through his three Fahrenheit 1/15 mixtapes and the original Food & Liquor and it felt like a breath of fresh air to hear Lupe Fiasco rap in his youth when he wasn't exposed to the fame and wealth he has now. Lupe Fiasco was a nerd, and a damn cool one at that! Kick, Push was as smooth as always, with the Soundtrakk produced beat sounding as fresh as always. Daydreamin' was as mellow as always and the Kanye West produced track The Cool was as mesmerizing as the first listen, with the beat sending chills down my spine as Lupe rapped one of the best stories to be told in a song. I then moved on to his second album The Cool, which was a blast to listen to because most of the songs were produced by Soundtrakk giving the album a Lupe Fiasco-ish feel. The Cool remains to be one of the my favorite concept albums, with Lupe rapping from the perspective of a cheesburger to describe society and the ghetto life on the track Gotta Eat and spitting complex and intertwined quadriple entendres on his best song (in my opinion) Dumb It Down. Re-listening to these albums kinda made my perception of Lupe Fiasco switch back after his release of Lasers, Friend of the People and  Food & Liquor II. When I got to those albums, everything changed.


Going through Lasers was a harder task than I expected. All of the tracks with the exception of All Black Everything  felt very Pop oriented (while Beautiful Lasers and Coming Up were pop oriented, they were good songs). The album sounded very off, and then I realized that none of the songs were produced by Soundtrakk. Next up was Friend of the People and that was an easier listen lyrically but tougher listener sonically due to the intense Dubstep and Techno influence he's picked up from Soundclash. Lupe came back with Friend of the People as a sorry mixtape apologizing for the  poor quality of Lasers. Lupe claimed that the reason why Lasers turned out the way it did was because of Atlantic Records' involvement and manipulation of the material. I believed that for a while and Friend of the People was a bit better so it made sense. After listening to Food & Liquor II, I welcomed it with glowing acclaim because of my disappointments with his two previous records. Food & Liquor II sounded like the old Lupe Fiasco coming back to give us (the fans) what we wanted, neigh what we needed. After 5 months of release, I kinda started to dislike his latest effort for several reasons.



With Food & Liquor II, Lupe came back lyrically. He was spitting positive lyrics that described the problems America faces these days relating to politics, economy, and social life. Throughout the album however, I noticed that Lupe didn't rap in the most charismatic flow he could. Outside of his music, he always preaches the messages he talks about but when it came to his music, he sounded less interesting. Then came the four songs that made most people (or at least me) turn off completely from this album; Heard Donor, Braveheart, How Dare You and Battle Scars. When I listen to the album and get to those songs, I think to myself "What the f**k just happened?". Not only were those songs terrible, but they felt very misplaced and the fact that they were consecutive made it worse. Then came Form Follows Function and that saved the rest of the album. So did Atlantic force him to do these songs like with Lasers? I don't think so because he said he had total creative control over this album. Also, he blamed Atlantic for the Poppy sound of Lasers while this album exhibits more Pop and Techno beats as well such as tracks like Lamborghini Angels, Put Em Up, Bitch Bad and the four other mentioned songs (Note: Bitch Bad might not have been the best example because the production on that song could've been intentional to match the message). Its clear that Lupe wanted to produce these songs they way they turned out and he has no one to blame now. Also, Lupe had no songs on this album produced by Soundtrakk with the exception of Strange Fruition (which was one of the best songs on the album). Lupe seems to have forgotten his roots and what made his music stand-out. I mean sure his lyrics and substance are still there, but the execution has declined.

Now I don't want this blog entry to make it sound like I'm bashing Lupe Fiasco to the ground. I hardly judge music based on production but the shift in musical style Lupe is doing now really bugs me. I mean there are songs on Friend of the People and Lasers I would only play once or twice, but songs like Double Burger with Cheese and All Black Everything are so genius I can replay them all day without question (I'm being dead serious, I once went into listening to Double Burger with Cheese for about 30 times in a row because of how smart the metaphor and the allusions to those movie were). Lupe's spontaneous flashes of brilliance keep me coming back and looking away from the music that isn't as strong that he puts out. As a devoted Lupe Fiasco fan, I hate to say that I don't like the direction he's taking in his career because it makes me feel like a traitor. I have loved Lupe Fiasco's character and message for years and I definitely will continue to do so forever. Food & Liquor will forever be placed in my top 5 favorite albums of all time and Lupe Fiasco will forever remain a legend for the way he took the rap game by surprise in 2006 and brought conscious Hip-Hop to the mainstream in a highly effective way. But if Lupe Fiasco really wanted to go into a Techno/Club sound like what he's doing with Soundclash, I have no right to criticize him. Artists change and that's what makes them so loveable. What I do have a problem with however is Lupe claiming he is returning to his roots but incorporating the sound he likes into it intentionally. That wouldn't be fair to his fans or the Hip-Hop genre. So Mr. Jaco, I got lots of love and respect for you, and hopefully with your 2013 untitled release and Skulls we can see what direction you want to take. Until next time, I will be continue to root for you and your music as a fan and good luck at the Grammys. For now, I leave you with this classic song that made me a fan of Lupe Fiasco's music forever:

*Note* Lupe Fiasco released the title of his upcoming album and it is Tetsuo & Youth which sounds freakin' awesome. Hopefully this is will give Lupe the respect he truly deserves.

*Note* I didn't hate Battle Scars but after the constant replay and the error in the sequence it lost its power to me, but nevertheless its still a good song on its own.

What do you think? Do you like the direction Lupe Fiasco is heading with his career? Do you think that I am wrong when it came to his latest efforts? Why? Please leave a comment below and tell me what you think!

Why A$AP Rocky is a Genuis

You guys probably already know who A$AP Rocky is because you probably heard Fuckin' Problems with Kendrick Lamar, Drake and 2 Chainz on the radio a few times, but A$AP is way more than that.Whether you like his music or not, A$AP Rocky is a force to be reckoned with. A$AP Rocky is a New York rapper who rose to prominence through his 2011 mixtape Live. Live. A$AP and the single Purple Swag. What made that album so great was not A$AP's lyrical ability, but the strong production assisted by mostly Clams Casino. I'm not saying that lyrics aren't important, but with A$AP Rocky, his strong point is the sound of the music. This type of music became very popular among the public and A$AP's major label debut became very hyped up. Now with the release of his debut Long. Live. A$AP, A$AP Rocky has proved to me he is a very smart rapper when dealing with the appeal of his music for several reasons. 

A$AP Rocky has a great ear for beats and production. When Live. Love. A$AP came out, everyone was in love with the catchy music he picks. He combines sonically consistent modern beats with old-school samples that satisfy not only the modern listener but the listeners used to old-school Hip-Hop. While the production is fantastic, A$AP makes his songs better by being able to "ride" the beats with his charismatic flow. He is very mellow and his attitude and delivery will leave you with great satisfaction. What I love about A$AP Rocky is that he learns from the small mistakes he commits from previous projects. In Live. Love. A$AP, he was able to provide with a lot of great production, but a lot of it sounded similar. On his new LP however, A$AP uses his old style but also allowing more commercial producers like 40 and Hit-Boy to add their taste of music into his album. He also made put more effort into his lyrics giving his music stronger stems. His genius is being able to pick up ideas by keeping his ear to the streets and the music industry and therefore puts out the best music he can, and that is very impressive!

The second reason I think A$AP Rocky is a genius is his picks on featured artists. The guy is so smart when choosing who to collaborate with. When Fuckin' Problems came out, I was happy to see Drake and Kendrick Lamar as feature artists but was skeptic when it came to 2 Chainz. I didn't know how his inclusion would affect the overall song. Nevertheless, I put on my headphones, pressed play and listened to the song and I was not disappointed. What struck me with the song is how smart he was to choose the featured artists. A$AP Rocky took two of the most respectable, lyrical yet commercial artists, Drake and Kendrick Lamar, on verses while he only used 2 Chainz, the hypest rapper, on the hook. That was a smart move because you get the great verses from three great lyrical rappers while enjoying a catchy hook from someone who really knows how to make a song feel more enjoyable (sonically speaking). 

Continuing on his choice of features, A$AP Rocky continues to prove he has a great ear from lyricism with the song 1 Train from his album Long. Live. A$AP. If you're a Hip-Hop fan and haven't heard this song, I highly recommend you check it out asap (no pun intended). If you want a reason to why you should check this song out, I'll give you six: Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Danny Brown, Action Bronson, Yelawolf and Big K.R.I.T.. A$AP Rocky took a perfectly produced song, with great strings and violins, and puts six of the top acclaimed rappers in one song. I think this song is perfect because with no chorus, each rappers comes up, spits several bars, brings their own taste and style into the song, and diversify the song. With all the heavy weights in one song, A$AP Rocky is still able to hold his own with a great verse. Big K.R.I.T. (one of my favorite Hip-Hop artists right now) absolutely murders it, with Yelawold in a close second and Joey Bada$$ in third. But that isn't fair because all the rappers are awesome and different in their own way. 

With collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Big K.R.I.T., Joey Bada$$, Drake and even Skrillex, A$AP Rocky proves his devotion to appeal to as many different audiences as possible while still putting his own style into his music. A$AP would appeal to old-school fans, modern Hip-Hop fans as well as non-rap fans by collaborating with artists like Skrillex and Rihanna. He truly is a genius in how he spreads his music and will no doubt remain in the game for a while. 

What do you think? Is A$AP Rocky overlooked or overrated? Can he even be called a "genius"? Let me know in the comment section below! 

Is Detox Ever Coming Out?

 Dr. Dre is in my opinion one of the best Hip-Hop producers of all time. He has produced for artists like N.W.A., Snoop Dogg, The D.O.C., 2Pac and many others. He is a former member of the Hip-Hop group N.W.A., making him one of the originators of the Gangsta Rap genre. Besides his legendary production, Dr. Dre has released two classic albums; The Chronic and 2001, the former being regarded as one of the best Hip-Hop albums of all time, bringing widespread fame for both Dre and his protege Snoop Dogg. His productions fees range up to $250,000-500,000 per song and he has introduced the world to Eminem, 50 Cent, The Game and most recently Kendrick Lamar. I will forever be thankful to him for dropping my favorite album of all time: Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP. But let's be honest here, most people now-a-days only know Dr. Dre for his overpriced headphones (Beats by Dr. Dre) and that is unfortunate to see. Modern Hip-Hop fans overlook what made him a legend and instead focus on his headphones. Dr. Dre is a great rapper, producer and entrepreneur.The main topic of this post however is not his legacy, appeal or success. It is focused on the his final album Detox and if it is ever going to be released.

For those of you who are unaware of what Detox is and what the dilemma is, Detox is Dr. Dre's "upcoming" third and final studio album. Dr. Dre has been working on this album since 2001 believe it or not! And year after year, Dr. Dre keeps giving release dates that are never met, which pisses off a lot of his fans. For years, nothing from the album has been leaked and the only thing we know about this album is who is rumored to be working on the album. Slim The Mobster, Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, RZA, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Alex Da Kid, DJ Khalil and even Lil Wayne claimed to be in the studio with him and as contributors to the album. It wasn't until 2011 when Kush and I Need A Doctor were released and some songs got leaked that fans got excited again. His fans finally gained faith again and the release of Detox didn't seem so impossible anymore. Well it's 2013 and we're still stuck where we were before! When some of the songs leaked, Dr. Dre found himself removing them from his album and making newer songs. For those of you who don't know, Dr. Dre is a perfectionist, which would explain his actions. He wants to make Detox the best album it could be and its taking him 12 years to do that! For these reasons, many fans seem to wonder if Dr. Dre is ever going to release Detox in this lifetime. So will Detox ever be released? Unfortunately, I have to say Detox will never see the light of day.

To be honest, I haven't cared much about Detox  for a long, long time. With so many delays, I kinda lost hope that it will ever drop. Kush was pretty dope (No pun intended) but I Need A Doctor seemed just made for the radio. Kush brought me back to 2001, with the production being far from excellent and the chemistry between Dre and Snoop seemed all natural again. But after all the years of waiting, Dr. Dre seems to be keeping the legend behind Detox alive merely for his own publicity. We have no new material, no stable release date and he has way to many distractions. The 2Pac hologram reportedly cost Dre 10 million dollars and a lot of time to make! With that being said, I believe there are three main reasons why Dre won't drop Detox. 

1- He's too busy producing Kendrick Lamar, Eminem & 50 Cent: 

This past year, Dr. Dre has been in the studio helping out his new Aftermath member Kendrick Lamar on his major label debut "good kid, m.A.A.d city". Thankfully the album went Gold (600K + sold), was universally acclaimed and brought Kendrick to stardom and Aftermath back on the map. So Dre has a lot of time left to work on Detox right? Wrong. 2013 will bring 50 Cent back to the game with his new album Street King Immortal and will also feature a new album by Eminem as well. Dr. Dre will probably be very busy bringing these albums on the shelves rather than working on his own album. For this first reason, I don't think Dr. Dre will continue to work on Detox anymore.

2- His involvement in the modern Hip-Hop scene might be overshadowed by a lot of competition:
Hip-Hop now-a-days seems to be dominated by commercial artists like Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Drake and a few other rappers. Other than those few, no other rappers seem to receive the exposure as others because Hip-Hop fans are only focused on a small group of rappers (Cash Money, Maybach Music and G.O.O.D. Music members). 50 Cent and The Game returned but with little success because Hip-Hop fans feel this period of Hip-Hop is way different from what it was 8 to 10 years ago. The only rappers to maintain success over the years are Eminem and Jay-Z and that's for remaining consistent with their fans. To be honest, if Dr. Dre drops Detox now, not a lot of Hip-Hop fans would be interested except Dre's die-hard fans. Let's face it, Kush was a minor hit while I Need A Doctor was only successful because of Eminem's involvement. That being said, not a lot of people would care for Dr. Dre's music in this generation, so delaying the album 12 years was probably Dre's biggest mistake.

3- He's too focused on his line of Beats:
Like you didn't see this one coming! Dr. Dre revolutionized the music industry with the way you listen to your music with his successful line of Beats headphones. No matter where you go and ask what headphones people want, the number one answer will be Beats by Dr. Dre. But how successful are these headphones? Well let's put it this way: According to Forbes, Dr. Dre made 110 million dollars from May 2011 to May 2012 solely based on his sales off Beats. Every rapper wants to make more money in the best possible way and for Dr. Dre, this way is by selling 300 dollar headphones instead of music. There's nothing wrong with that, but it does make the release of Detox seem more and more unlikely as the headphones become more popular. Hell, he even put out "Limited Edition Detox Beats" which to me proved Detox is just a marketing scheme!

With the mentioned three and other countless reasons why Detox continues to be delayed, I believe that Dr. Dre will never drop Detox EXCEPT under one condition. I believe Detox will only be released until after Dr. Dre's death as a compilation. They can use Dre's death to market the album to increase record sales no matter how good, bad, consistent or inconsistent it is. To be honest there is a plus side to Detox taking a damn long time to be released and that is all the memes being made about it. Those are too hilarious! Either way, Dr. Dre will always remain to me as one of the most influential Hip-Hop figures of all time, releasing two classic solo albums as well as producing some of the most commercial and critically acclaimed Hip-Hop albums in the past few years. Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP remains to this day as being the best selling Hip-Hop album of all time, selling an estimated 11 million copies thanks to Dr. Dre! As long as Dr. Dre is around and involved in the music industry, some of the elements of the old-school Hip-Hop can continue to survive.

What do you think? Do you think Detox will ever drop? Why do you think its taking too long for Detox to be released? Let me know by leaving a comment below! Until next time, I leave you with this meme: