#New-releases

Curated list of the best new hip-hop releases
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  • 220
    Travis Scott - UTOPIA
    Well, it's here. I'm not sure if it was just the hype built up from Astroworld, but I'm not feeling this one. It just doesn't sound good. The beats feel very experimental and hard to listen to. Dare I say annoying. One of my least favourite albums from him to date.
    
    Tracklist:
    1. HYAENA [prod. Travis Scott]
    1. THANK GOD (feat. KayCyy) [prod. Travis Scott, Kanye West, Allen Ritter, Boogz Da Beast, FNZ & WondaGurl]
    1. MODERN JAM (feat. Teezo Touchdown) [prod. Travis Scott & Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo]
    1. MY EYES (feat. Bon Iver & Sampha) [prod. Travis Scott, Justin Vernon, Wheezy, WondaGurl, Vegyn & Buddy Ross]
    1. GOD'S COUNTRY [prod. Travis Scott, 30 Roc & Dez Wright]
    1. SIRENS [prod. Travis Scott]
    1. MELTDOWN (feat. Drake) [prod. Boi-1da, Vinylz, BNYX, Tay Keith & Coleman]
    1. FE!N (feat. Playboi Carti & Sheck Wes) [prod. Travis Scott]
    1. DELRESTO (ECHOS) (feat. Beyoncé & Bon Iver) [prod. Travis Scott, Hit-Boy & umru]
    1. I KNOW? [prod. Travis Scott, OZ & Coleman]
    1. TOPIA TWINS (feat. Rob49 & 21 Savage )[prod. Travis Scott, Wheezy & Cadenza]
    1. CIRCUS MAXIMUS (feat. Swae Lee & The Weeknd) [prod. Travis Scott & Noah Goldstein]
    1. PARASAIL (feat. Dave Chappelle & Yung Lean) [prod. Travis Scott, Jahaan Sweet, Buddy Ross, Vegyn & Noah Goldstein]
    1. SKITZO (feat. Young Thug) [prod. Boi-1da & Jahaan Sweet]
    1. LOST FOREVER (feat. Westside Gunn & James Blake) [prod. Travis Scott, James Blake, The Alchemist & Dominic Maker]
    1. LOOOVE (feat. Kid Cudi) [prod. Travis Scott & Pharrell Williams]
    1. K-POP (feat. Bad Bunny & The Weeknd) [prod. Boi-1da, Illangelo, Jahaan Sweet & BNYX]
    1. TELEKINESIS (feat. Future & SZA) [prod. Travis Scott & Boogz]
    1. TIL FURTHER NOTICE (feat.|21 Savage & James Blake) [prod. James Blake & Metro Boomin]
    
    220
    I think I was too harsh on first listen. Still not my favourite from him but there are some good songs:
    1. I KNOW
    2. FE!N
    2 months ago
  • 220
    Post Malone - Twelve Carat Toothache (Review)
    This album, like his rest play well as a singular piece. There's certain records, like Mac Miller's "Swimming", or Cordae's "From a Birds Eye View" that sound well as a whole. Each song compliments the one preceding it where the tone and flow blends into a complete sound. This album is definitely an exemplification of that.
    
    Upon first listen, I wasn't initially thrilled with the album. Independently I found some of the tracks were a bit of a miss. There were definitely some stand out songs such as "Insane" that kept me intrigued. After giving the album another listen, many of the songs I initially didn't like actually grew on me and I appreciated more. I found that a lot of the songs were getting stuck in my head as a testament to how catchy some of them are. This is an album you can put on in the background and generally listen to start to finish without needing to micro the skips. That to me is ultimately a sign of a good album despite the fact that many of the songs won't independently be something I'd reach for to listen to.
    
    While it's not Post's best work, it's certainly a solid addition to his discography. I feel like this album is something I'll be reaching back to from time to time when I want something unobtrusive to throw on in the background.
    
    My favourite songs are:
    
    1. “Insane”
      • This was is the standout song on the album for me. Added straight to the playlist.
    2. “Cooped Up”
      • This was the featured single of the album. Very catchy. I suspect this will get a ton of radio play.
    3. "New Recording 12, Jan 3, 2020"
      • The original outro song of the album (before the deluxe version). I love the acoustic of this. A nice way to close off the album.
    4. “Hateful”
      • This one was a bonus song released with the deluxe edition of the album.
    
    Verdict: (7.5/10)
    
  • 220
    [Review] Logic - Vinyl Days (album)
    Logic has gone through a lot of up and downs throughout his career with a lot of his recent work being ill-regarded. Fortunately he seems to have re-found his stride. Logic hopped back onto my radar when he first dropped “Vinyl Days” a few weeks ago in anticipation of the release of this album. Chatting with some friends of mine who have been long-time fans, we all agreed he sounded a lot like his earlier self. Following up that release, he dropped “Breath Control” featuring Wiz Khalifa which got me all in on my hype for this album.
    Perhaps the most notable thing about this album is its length. Clocking in at staggering 30 songs, it's definitely one of the longest albums I’ve listened to. Although the production remains strong, I still think it would have benefit from being shorter. The length makes difficult to digest as one piece. There is a copious amount of filler in the form of interludes that I find detract from the listenability of the album. I almost always find myself skipping these, and the sheer amount of them in this album makes the listening experience require a lot of microing. This could be more of a subjective critique as some people might enjoy them, but for me one of the biggest factors that I use for gauging the quality of an album overall is the ability for me to “set and forget” it as I listen through.
    I found that this album lacked a bit of continuity as a whole which I think is partially caused by all of the filler. Some albums like Mac Miller’s “Swimming” are meant to be listened to from start to finish where each song was designed to lead into the next as the entire album was crafted as a singular piece. This album doesn't match that level of listenability for me.
    Fortunately, there are quite a few songs that stand strong independently on this album. As I mentioned above, “Vinyl Days“, and “Breath Control” immediately made the rounds onto my playlist. “Introducing Nezi” was one of the surprising highlights. That girl has mad talent. If she can match the same quality with her other work, she will easily become one of my favourite artists. She reminds me a lot of early Wayne.
    Overall this album is a treat for fans of old school hip-hop. It’s easily one of the better releases for this style of hip-hop this year.
    
    Favourite songs:
    1. “Vinyl Days”
      • The feature song on the album. Premier killed the production as always. Logic goes HARD for like 4 minutes straight.
    2. “Breath Control”
      • Nice to hear from Wiz. Logic absolutely kills this one. Very chill beat.
    3. "Porta one"
      • Probably my favourite verse from Logic on the album. The “Bring Da Ruckus” sample was dope.
    4. “Clouds”
      • Very smooth sound with strong features.
    5. “Introducing Nezi”
      • Never heard this girl before but damn, she immediately hit my radar after hearing this. Might be the hardest verse on the album. Sounds like early Wayne.
    
    Verdict: (7.5/10)