On the socially conscious song “It’s All Bad,” 40 addresses his then-five-year-old son, who asks “Daddy sprinkle me with some more game,” and even raps bars of his own. The track is not the strongest off In a Major Way, that honor belongs to the silky “Sprinkle Me” or ...
“Watch me blueprint rec centers,” Brownsville’sKamutters on a song just called “$,” fromHonor Killed the Samurai. This is the soul of the prematurely wise rapper’s work. LetRick Rossbuild “a dream with elevators in it,” letKanyefly a jet over personal debt; Ka’s dreams are ...
“I consider myself a right-now rapper,” Lil Baby recently toldThe Breakfast Club. “Most of the time, my music is going to be about what’s going on right now.” True to his word, four months after releasingMy Turn, he dropped Complex’spickfor the best song of 2020, “The Bigge...
There’s a certain eeriness and sense of unease to “good kid” that makes it brilliantly understated on an album with so many songs that are potential singles. To the point where it’s a song that’s easy to overlook. But much like the TV show The Wire, all the pieces m...
Though the themes are heavy, Kendrick is able to make the concepts light and relatable (an issue he’s struggle with on later projects) with hyperactive delivery and radio-friendly cuts. Where else could a song that seemingly celebrates drunkenness is actually a cautionary tale AGAINST alcoholism...
“Thought she was dancin’ on the dick, that’s the clip” might be one of the best lines of the year. This song about murder and gang ties couldn’t sound any more like a candy store; it is kinda amazing to witness. Sahbabii’s cutesy “throwaway” record undersells itself for ...
The signature song is “The Greatest,” a delightfully off-kilter ode to Muhammad Ali: It’s no wonder Prince spoke so highly of these new Los Angeles royals. –Paul A. Thompson Listen: KING: “The Greatest” 36. Jamila Woods: HEAVN On the first Tuesday in July, police killed Alton ...
Dream Theater's magnum opus and one of the greatest stories ever told on an album. Every song has a hand in telling part of the story, partly set in the present, other parts set in 1928. Fantastic songs, melodies, and of course playing from the powerhouses of Myung, Petrucci, LaBrie,...
ofTPAB. Thundercat's bass floats on the track, his lines firm, funky and grounded, asfrequent collaborator Anna Wise and first-time feature Bilal engage in a cool call and response vocal delivery in the song's chorus. "These Walls" went on to win Best Rap/Sung Performanceat the 2016 ...
What saves Kendrick from the incredibly tired cliches of many 2010 conscious rappers is that TPAB weaves a clever mosaic of what it means to be a black American. Each song serves as a piece of the musical and racial history they have struggled, and Lamar (with the help of an amazing ...