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Album review by Jabril Power @myignorantshit

for now we’ll call her cleopatra…

Frank Ocean has by now surely mastered the art of creating the feeling of nostalgia out of thin air. And with his debut album Channel Orange you’ll remember places you’ve never been and miss the faces of loved ones you’ve never met. It’s this feeling in Frank’s music that will surely make his voice remembered forever. Of course it does help that he recently opened up to the world that his first love was with a man and now he has fans who haven’t even heard of his music yet….he’s become a hero, an icon as a freshman, and an influence to people who have never even heard any of his music. I, personally, am very proud of Frank Ocean for his act that may not be accepted by many, but in all honesty….all the gay/bisexual news regarding the soul singer’s sexual orientation isn’t really fair to his music whatsoever…of course he probably doubled his fan base, and will sell way more now, but now he may always be regarded as “the singer who came out as bi!” and people will say “I love that he came out gay and didn’t care what people may say about him” instead of saying he’s “the new singer that probably already has a classic on his hands” or “I love that he’s able to make some of the most creative and meaningful music of the last few years..” It’s sort of like when the “R&B Jesus” D’angelo was praised for his shirtless antics by women and less for his amazing music.

I guess it just sucks that women tend to get distracted by everything that has nothing to do with a man’s music…. Ah well.

Frank Ocean may have a classic on his hands with this new Channel Orange. And it all feels sort of weird right now because I remember playing Nostalgia Ultra (Frank Ocean’s first and only mixtape) and I didn’t’ even care for him to put out another album or anything, I mean, of course it would’ve been cool, but Nostalgia was more than enough….but he did release a debut album, and it’s playing in my Itunes…and right now “crack rock” is playing and every song is growing on me more and more.

Channel Orange clocks in at 55 minutes with 17 songs, a few of them only being about a minute or a few seconds long. Though they are all apart of this giant masterpiece that is Orange. In the “Start” of the album we’re reminded of the Sony Playstation and Street Fighter and right off the bat, we’re hooked. All the songs are good, they’re all the perfect length, and I couldn’t ask more from the features. We have Earl Sweatshirt (from OFWGKTA), Andre 3000, and John Mayer…and thats it….and it’s perfect, its just great. It’s not overwhelming and none of them take away from Frank’s talent, it all goes together so well and is literally the decoration for the album…and nothing more.

Frank sings about things all this album ranging from snobby rich kids, religious beliefs, and even through the perspective as a pimp. Though all of these songs in my opinion are meant to be enjoyed with someone else. You can tell every single song is not necessarily viewed as more heartfelt than the others by Frank, like you can assume with some artists…none of the songs on the album seem like they’re more “for the radio” while the others seem like they are composed for those who want more meaning…they all sound good and are all made for us to get to understand Frank better. I wish I could say that I wish there was something bad about this album, because I think it would fit how I feel about this album…but I find it to be too cliche and no one ever wishes that an album that they like is worse than it actually is…so i’ve chosen not to say it. I will say though, that for the generations that unfortunately missed out on the michael jackson’s and the marvin gaye’s are VERY lucky to be able to live where even though there is an overload of excess nonsense due to the internet…we still somehow managed to be able to bring pure gold back to the mainstream. When people got to experience Marvin Gaye’s “I want you” back in 1976 they got to experience that of greatness…older generations who experienced that often feel bad about today’s generation that didn’t get to experience that kind of amazing artwork….well i’m happy to say that they can now finally feel a little relieved.

Frank Ocean is here.

Kendrick Lamar was in town over the weekend for the Pitchfork Music Festival.

via @rapgenius instagram

This is so COLD!

Lord Finesse, legendary hip hop producer and member of the D.I.T.C. crew has sued Mac Miller, not legendary rapper and member of wearing fitteds with the bill up crew (okay I made that up) for “unauthorized” use of his instrumental “Hip 2 Da Game” on Miller’s “Kool Aid and Frozen Pizza”. The track appeared on Miller’s K.I.D.S. mixtape, which was a free release hosted by DatPiff. You can read more about the details on the lawsuit here. Basically what it comes down to is Lord Finesse is suing Mac Miller for getting famous off his instrumental. What makes this case more perplexing is according to few of Mac Miller’s tweets that he sent out the other night, Lord Finesse “was cool with the record” and they “cleared the air” after Finesse heard the record. I’m not sure when these conversations occurred, presumably sometime in 2010 when the mixtape was released but it seems there was a understanding between the two artists and now a lawsuit. What changed between then and now, if Miller is being honest about his conversations with Finesse.

I don’t know what Lord Finesse’s financial situation is. Maybe he thinks this is a way to get some money he wouldn’t otherwise see or maybe he’s being righteous and taking a stand against rappers using other people’s beats as their own. Maybe it’s both or neither. What we do know is the sample he used for “Hip 2 Da Game” was never cleared either, now he’s suing a young kid who wants to pay hommage to the past by using his beat. Seems hypocritical right? That’s why I think this lawsuit is strictly for financial reasons. Which is upsetting if proven true.

Arguments and lawsuits over beats is starting to become a trend this year. Earlier this year Kanye was sued for using his own version of the remix to “Girls Girls Girls” originally found on Jay-Z’s Blueprint on his Freshmen Adjustment mixtape. The song produced by West contained a sample that was cleared for The Blueprint but not cleared for the free mixtape. Another beat related feud happened a few months ago between producing legend Pete Rock and Lupe Fiasco over the use of the sample found on Pete’s classic “T.R.O.Y.”. A lawsuit wasn’t filed but the argument over whether Lupe should use the sample for “T.R.O.Y.” for his own song “Around My Way” was heated between the two artists. On one hand Lupe felt he was showing hommage to a classic and on the other Pete felt slighted and upset.

These situations are harmful for the future of hip hop and the mixtape game. Mixtapes have become the main platform for new artists to showcase their music. The business model of mixtapes is horrendous for the artist and everyone involved in the production of the mixtape because they are given away for free online. Sometimes these mixtapes are better than record label produced and manufactured albums but what mixtapes lack in financial gain they make up with promotion for the artist’s career. Arguably the most successful free mixtape has been Drake’s So Far Gone, which was later released as EP and sold in retail stores. So Far Gone contained Drake’s version of Kanye’s “Say You Will”. He used Kanye’s beat, added his own lyrics, and put it on his mixtape. Kanye didn’t sue Drake. It’s something that has become accepted within the culture of hip hop. Although I personally feel rappers freestyling over other people’s beats has become a stale form of promotion especially right after the original song barely has seen a day, it is a essential part of the genre.

The music business is a shady and unfair business. The Mac Miller/Lord Finesse situation shows the ugly side of the music business and puts the genre in a bad light. We should encourage the younger generation of hip hop to understand the older generation. We should want classic songs and beats to be celebrated and honored. We should want a young artist to hear those classic tracks and feel inspired to pay hommage without fear of a lawsuit or backlash from the older generation.

Just got this track in my email a few days ago and I liked it right away. I’m sure you will too. Check out “Church” from NY duo Ordinary Cool. Hit them up on Twitter @OC_Jay & @Ordinary_Ny

Download: Ordinary Cool “Church”

Should we care whether Frank Ocean is gay or bisexual? The short answer is no. Recently this week Anderson Cooper and Megan Rapino, a soccer player on the US women’s national soccer team came out of the closet but it wasn’t a big shock to anyone who followed their personal lives. The admission was more of a confirmation of what everyone knew or thought they knew about them. Earlier this morning Frank Ocean posted a message on his Tumblr and in the message, which would’ve been the Thank You’s section for his upcoming album, he admits that his first love was a man. The admission comes within a few days of a UK Radio host questioning his sexuality after listening and reviewing Channel Orange. Apparently in a few songs from the new album he uses “him” instead of “her” and it’s not from a women’s perspective either a la J. Cole on “Lost Ones”, it’s from his perspective.

When it comes to Frank Ocean, was there signs that he was gay/bisexual? According to Rap Genius, he has a few odd lyrics about his sexuality on the track “Oldie” that might have given us a clue. I wouldn’t have thought so before today’s admission but I don’t obsess over such things like certain people do. I just enjoyed his voice and his music. Personally after the initial shock, I’m over it. He’s doing something that he feels is right and it’s especially brave given the industry he is in, where the suspicion of being gay makes anyone double down on their masculinity. Drake has become a dart board for his “soft” approach to life and for being hip hop’s version of Chris Bosh, an NBA player with a equally soft reputation. Yet Drake writes songs exclusively about women and his relationship with women but his masculinity is always being questioned.

The real is question is how the overall public reacts. I’m sure his hardcore fans will support him no matter what but what about the people that are not invested in Frank Ocean, the musician and the person. Will he lose fans? Does he gain fans from the community that support his lifestyle? How does the music industry react? Does this decision cost him support? Would a rapper turn away working with him because he doesn’t want to be associated with someone who is considered gay? Does this confirm Fat Joe’s idea that hip hop is run by a gay mafia? Will more artists come out? I don’t know. These are all questions that I can’t answer but worth mentioning. It will be interesting to watch Frank Ocean’s career from here on because he’s still a relatively new artist to a lot of people.

When I think of Frank Ocean I think about his talent, his amazing songwriting ability, his terrific voice. I think of the first time I heard “Novacane” and how much I liked that song. I think of his feature on “No Church In The Wild” and how it made the track. I think of his upcoming album and how I can’t wait to hear it. I don’t think about how he fell in love with a man four summers ago or how anyone else feels about it.

This is the tracklist from Frank Ocean’s upcoming album Channel Orange due out July 17th, lyrics provided by Rap Genius.

Frank Ocean – Pink Matter Lyrics
Frank Ocean – Bad Religion Lyrics
Frank Ocean – Crack Rock Lyrics
Frank Ocean – Super Rich Kids Lyrics
Frank Ocean – End Lyrics
Frank Ocean – Fertilizer Lyrics
Frank Ocean – Forrest Gump Lyrics
Frank Ocean – White (Channel Orange) Lyrics
Frank Ocean – Lost Lyrics
Frank Ocean – Monks Lyrics
Frank Ocean – Not Just Money Lyrics
Frank Ocean – Pilot Jones Lyrics
Frank Ocean – Pyramids Lyrics
Frank Ocean – Sierra Leone Lyrics
Frank Ocean – Start Lyrics
Frank Ocean – Sweet Life Lyrics
Frank Ocean – Thinkin Bout You Lyrics

“New God Flow” is the second track to be released from the G.O.O.D Music compilation album, which is slated for a August 7 release according to Pusha T. The track features Pusha T and Kanye and is produced by Chicago producers Boogz and Tapez (UPDATE: Ye also is involved in the production, info via FSD ).”New God Flow” borrows heavily from Ghostface Killah’s classic track “Mighty Healthy”. You can listen to the track here.

1. So far I’ll say the G.O.O.D. Music album is 2 for 2. “Mercy” is an absolute banger and “New God Flow” is raw elite hip hop. I’m excited for this album to say the least. I like the Kanye x Pusha T collabs, hopefully there’s a few more on the album. There’s so many quotables on this track, I swear Kanye makes drops verses tailored for FB status updates and twitter hashtags, well probably not but there’s plenty to choose from his verse. Pusha just continues to amaze me. This is my favorite quote from the track. So far. Also both Pusha and ‘Ye shout out Ric Flair. Ye did it this time but Pusha did it on the remix to “I Don’t Like”. Trend?

2. It’s interesting in a age where pop music is cluttered by the Euro techno/house music sound Kanye and his G.O.O.D. Music team stick to what they do best and push the envelope of hip hop. I remember before ‘Ye’s MBDTF dropped he talked about wanted to do a raw hip hop album. I figured he was going to take it back to golden era sound but I should have known better, he took the classic raw sound from the golden era and added his own spin to it on the album. Watch The Throne continues on Kanye’s nouveau golden era sound but add Jay-Z and it goes to another level that many rappers or artists can’t touch. It’s funny when I hear people say “I want Kanye to go back to….” or “I miss Kanye” but completely ignore the fact that Kanye was even different back then. He justs more versatile now, able to do whatever your favorite swag rapper can do but only better, able to provide a lyrical firestorm, able to do whatever he wants.

3. Who is the best team in hip hop? G.O.O.D., YMCMB, or MMG? For me it’s G.O.O.D. but each camp has a strength . Despite their lackluster lineup after Drake (throwing bottles), Wayne (mailing it in for a years now, but that’s another article for another day), and Nicki (is she hip hop anymore?), YMCMB are pure pop/hip hop hit-makers. MMG has a fantastic lineup and are definitely trend setters within hip hop. I like the addition of Stalley to the group. For me the G.O.O.D. Music team is a perfect blend of lyrics, swag (forgive me for the use of swag), production, luxury, elite, and hype. Who provides more hype than G.O.O.D.? It’s always exciting when a new track drops or rumors of a new track dropping. It’s a fun discussion on who is the best (again another article for another day).

“I believe there is a god above me, I’m just the god of everything else” – Pusha T lyrics provided by Rap Genius. Check out their explanation.

Kanye West – New God Flow Lyrics

New music from Frederick Boom & Shellz. Produced DJ Kenz.

Download: Frederick Boom & Shellz “Club Flex”

The above video is NOT the latest single from DJ Khaled featuring Ye and Rozay, it’s just a reminder how silly Khaled is. These are the lyrics to Khaled’s single via Rap Genius. Check em out.

DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, Kanye West – I Wish You Would Lyrics