Review: Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday

Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday

Rating: 7/10

SO this was definitely one of THE albums I have been waiting for all year. Nicki Minaj has certainly earned the right to tout herself as one of the biggest names in pop music right now so it comes as no surprise that the hype behind Pink Friday was monumental. I had originally heard this album last week but waited to write this review because I wanted to hear it in its entirety including bonus tracks. Here is why I gave Pink Friday an average rating:

1) Lack of impressive production. By no means should this have even been an issue. I know for a fact that a) money was no object in terms of this project and b) there was a void of interest in working with Nicki. She's has the biggest buzz in the streets yet on Pink Friday, very few track deliver a bang. Nicki had a few big names under her belt: Swizz Beatz, Will.I.Am (even though I'm not the biggest fan of Check It Out), Bangladesh, and J.R. Rotem. But the majority of the album was produced by up and coming producers Kane Beats, Drew Money, T-Minus, and Pop Wansel. Even with the diversity of producers, the album failed to provide any true smashes sans the self-explanatory Roman's Revenge and Moment 4 Life which features Drake. The track Blazin', is decent but only because of Nicki's boldness to take on a rapid spit-fire rhyme pattern and of course feature Kanye West who does his thing as usual. Not so much because of the beat. The only other track that I really find impressive production wise is Here I Am, which was once again, produced by Swizz. Thus that is only 4 songs that I can truly say really stood out.

2) Lack of features. Out of ANYONE in this past year (and credit goes to my boy Mike D. on this train of thought) Nicki Minaj is the one person in 2010 whom many artists owe a favor to since she make their tracks hotter with her features. Nicki Minaj has garnered 7 songs on the Billboard Top 100 Singles charts, the first artist to ever do so. THEREFORE there is NO reason why there was a lack of impressive features on Pink Friday. Granted Eminem definitely raised the ante on Roman's Revenge, HOWEVER "Fly" which features Rihanna is honestly wack. As I stated earlier, "Moment 4 Life" with Drake is awesome. T-Minus (who produced the smash "How Low Can You Go" for Ludacris) definitely did a great job on this song so I applaud Nicki for getting this one right. "Check It Out" serves its purpose to get crossover appeal for sure but I still dislike it heavily. Nicki did come correct on the verse where she spits one of my favorite lines by her: "Pop up on these hoes on some pimple shit/And put the iron to your face you old wrinkled bitch". Other than Kanye and the mediocre "Last Chance" which features Natasha Beddingfield, the album is mostly Nicki. Granted I do appreciate the fact that she is standing on her own two feet seeing as the majority of her catalog is based on one-verse heaters, there is a lack of character in her topic choices which segues to my next section.

3) Lack of personality. Nicki Minaj has made a staple for herself because of her variety of accents and pitches but you don't really see that on this album. I was informed that in a recent radio interview, Nicki stated that she wanted to deviate from the "Barbie" persona and give people a different perspective. Thats all well and fine, on your SECOND album. You have to give the fans what they want. When Nicki spazzes out, she goes all the way in and I can't do anything but give her mad props on her approach. On the majority of the singles she featured on, she was as unpredictable as Gaga's outfits. However on Pink Friday, she tends to talk a lot about love and emotions which I can appreciate but only for a track or two. Overall, I think Miss Minaj really shorthanded her fanbase which was built on her crazy antics, not so much on her topic choices. Hell even the album cover makes one think that they are in for a crazy rollercoaster ride. However, it turns out that it was only a few big thrills and a lot of filler. I hope that with Wayne home, he will chime his two cents in because if Young Money as a camp is nodding and agreeing that this album is crack, they must be on it. I still am very much a big supporter of Nicki and I hope she does great numbers the first week out. The future of other up and coming femcees are depending on it. Sadly I must say, Pink Friday is only worth a few songs, and not an entire album.

I will say in closing that all you Nicki haters and Kim Stans out there should not use this as fuel to say why Kim is better than Nicki. I refer you to this link to sum up what I have to say in regards to that: http://rapradar.com/2010/11/19/nicki-minaj-ethers-lil-kim/

The Thoughtful One has spoken

Review: Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager

Kid Cudi - Man on The Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager
Rating - 7.5/10

So its been a while since I've reviewed an album but I felt it fitting to jump it off again given all these fall releases. I'll be honest, when I first heard Cudi's music, I thought Day N Nite was dope but when I listened to his mixtape "A Kid Named Cudi", I slept hella hard. It really just didn't hit me. So naturally when he released his second mixtape "Dat Kid From Cleveland", I passed. Then came MOTM1. I finally saw the true artist that lies in Scott Mescudi. It made me really appreciate the honesty and emotion that exuded from Cudi's music. Thus I was extremely anxious to hear MOTM2: The Legend of Mr. Rager.

UNFORTUNATELY, on MOTM2, its quite evident that Cudi is struggling with his addiction to drugs. Anyone who is a casual listener can tell that Cudi's music is very much stoner music, however, on the first album, there was a clear musical journey that Cudi seemed to take the listener on. With his latest album, it is not as cohesive of a concept album as the last one was. Rather it is a collection of songs, some peering into the darker side of Cudi's life with the addiction to heavy drugs but others just kind of fall flat.

I will say that the album does start off very strong. Cee-Lo makes an appearance on the first track "Scott Mescudi vs. The World" and sounds off quite beautifully. REVOFEV (which stands for Revolution of Evolution) has always been an interesting song to me. Its probably the most eclectic song on the album and I applaud Cudi for taking the chance and doing an excellent job of sticking to his style. The next track, "Don't Play This Song" features Mary J. Blige and basically is telling the listeners whom wish to hear a song by him where he's sober to skip that song. Catchy but nothing terribly meaningful.

From there the album sort of veers with an ode to Cudi's favorite drug of choice, Marijuana. Honestly, I figured a song dedicated to something that Cudi loves so much, it would have been much more amazing, but it really wasn't. I could go on and on about each track but honestly, the album doesn't warrant it. I will say this though, the middle of the album is actually quite good. From Mojo So Dope (where Cudi gets on his shit saying how ill his style is) to Wylin' Cuz I'm Young (where Cudi flaunts his youth and justifies his raging), Cudi reminds me why I like him.

When he focuses, Cudi is on point. But its right towards the end of the album that Cudi loses this focus. I hope for his fans (I included) that he really re-evaluates his substance consumption when it comes time for him to create. Otherwise I feel like he is going to deviate from his musical vision and the resulting music will sound like a drug trip, a random series of events with no sense of direction.

The Thoughtful One has spoken

Paper Magazine - Sounds Like Paper Show

Yours truly will have the esteemed pleasure of attending the Paper Magazine Sounds Like Paper show tonight featuring Ke$ha, Rye Rye, and Spank. Most of all I'm excited to see Rye Rye (M.I.A.'s protege for those who aren't familiar). I got the chance to see her a few weeks ago at Hardfest NYC along with Skream + Benga, Sleigh Bells, Die Antwoord, and M.I.A. All was well til M.I.A. hit the stage as the sound was complete crap. Once they finally got it together, the skies opened up and rained like there was no tomorrow. Needless to say the show was cut short and I was soaked. But I digress and will post pics later.

Not only will I be at the show but I have VIP tickets thanks to Paper Magazine! Hopefully I will have glorious stories to post after the show! Follow me @thethoughtful1 to catch updates from the show!

Live Fast Die Young

So last Saturday I randomly crashed the Def Jam Rapstar Video Game party. Def Jam Rapstar is basically a rap karaoke game coming out in October. I was out at a bar called Slate with my brother and the vibe was wack so heard music bumping next door and went to see what was going on. Little did we know it was a Def Jam party but I soon learned that some stars were in the house.

Manning the ones and twos were DJ Webstar & DJ S&S so that explained the hype music. Next thing I know, I see Jaslene from America's Next Top Model Cycle 8. Me being the fan that I am got a photo opp.

Later on in the night, a friend of my brother points out that DJ Clue is there, and immediately I was on the lookout. Because I'm such a hip-hop fan, sitings like these really are one of a kind to me and its just an ill thing to physically see the people who were responsible for fueling my love for hip-hop as I was growing up. I luckily got a photo with him as well

I also saw the great AZ in the house too but was unable to take photos. Nonetheless, just sharing my experiences as I move from the bottom to the top. Stay tuned!

Skills vs. Swag

The Thoughtful 1 here once again to share my 2 cents about things. Today's observation is brought to you by the letter S. Skill as defined in the dictionary is "competent excellence in performance". Swag (as according to Urban Dictionary) means "the way one carries their self". Ironically, the actual definition of the word swag is "to cause to sway, sink, or sag" but I'll come back to that later.

So swag seems to be the new "thing" that every rapper must possess in order to win the masses over. Technically I guess it was always the "it" thing that it took but now it has an actual definition. Yet it seems that swag is confused for skill when it comes to emcees. True enough that making a hit record does take a certain "skill" to make it happen but when it comes to actual show and proving on the mic, swag is NOT the same thing as skill.

Here's an example. Rick Ross. When you break down his lyrics, what he says in his verses are not particularly thought-provoking. Yet HOW he delivers his lyrics (or the way he carries himself over the music) seems to have an appeal for people to really enjoy his music. Another example, Souljah Boy. To date, I have heard ONE song by Souljah Boy that I was actually impressed by what he spit. Yet he is doing quite successful despite the fact that his music isn't very skillfully written. Why? Because whether you will admit it or not, they have swag.

On the converse, artists like Joell Ortiz, Lupe Fiasco or J. Cole are very skillful when it comes to their delivery of their verses. When you listen to them (and obviously this is just my opinion, the comment box below is your chance to give your perspective) you seriously have to pay attention to what they are saying. The metaphors and similes that artists of their caliber employ are at times complex and cause the listener to really dissect the verse and analyze whats being said.

Now let me be clear, I am in no reason downgrading artists who don't give off a skillful delivery, I am just coming to understand their place in the game. In life your going to have those who are successful because they are truly legitimate in their ability to do what they do best (aka skill) and then there are people who are successful because they have the ability to handle themselves in any situation regardless of actual know how (aka a demeanor of carrying oneself aka swag). Hence the reason why both artists like Jay-Z or Lupe are successful in their own rights as are artists like Plies, Roscoe Dash, and a myriad of other combinations of artists.

Whether you admit it or not, even though the artists who don't have skill necessarily but the swagger to pull their verses off, the music they make isn't half bad. You may want to hate or say that such and such artist shouldn't have a record deal but guess what? They DO. And the reason they do is because they seem to have a knack for making music that is semi-aesthetically pleasing to the ear. I can't say I will support some of these "swag" artists, but I at least have come to terms with how it is that they are making it happen.

Now as I stated earlier, the funny thing about the true definition of swag (meaning to cause to sway, sink, or sag) it seems that with the influx of "swag" artists into the game comes the swaying away from the traditional definition of what Hip-Hop really is. I can't say that Hip-Hop is dead... Actually, it is alive and well world wide in ways that nobody could ever have imagined. BUT it has changed. Yet it wouldn't be the real world if things didn't change or evolve. It seems that we Hip-Hop purists have turned into what we always said we wouldn't be. Critics. Just like our parents were.

The Thoughtful 1 has spoken

Eminem Recovers Rare First Week Numbers

For as long as I can remember, record sales have always been a very big deal. So much buzz went with seeing how many albums an artist could sell in their first week of sales, everyone wanted a platinum plaque (a million records sold). What wasn't so apparent back then is that the livelihood of the artists and the labels that promote them rested on these sales.

Enter now a time where selling 300k out the first week is commendable. Dreams of going GOLD are a stretch for new artists and shockingly even a task for veteran artists. Man have things changed.

In case you haven't heard already, Mr. Mathers sold shy of 750k albums in his first week sales for his newest album Recovery. Applause is certainly due given the dismal nature of the record industry. Even with the most stellar buzz, Drake couldn't go gold his first week out.True first week sales are not the end all be all, but usually the first week sets the tone for overall album sales. If you bomb the first week, chances are the remainder of the time will result in poor sales as well.

This brings things into perspective that despite all the love an artist may receive (with Drake being the most popular of the new school artists), consumers simply cannot be depended on to BUY music anymore. Oh they will "support" your movement but actually buying into it? Fuggidaboudit

What is it about Eminem? Is it the fact that he has a real life survivor story? Or maybe its the fact that he's one of the most revered lyricist in Hip-Hop bar none? Many may speculate but in my honest opinion, I think it goes back to a pre-blog era of music that such genuine support was fostered.

Before blogs ruled the world, new music was a treat bestowed upon us consumers. Thus those of us who were lucky enough to be of age and to be aware of this now extinct luxury, we tend to be loyal and support the heavyweights who were doing it major back then. It's a sort of comfort that we have that says yesterday is not that far gone away. We do what we can to keep those reminders present in the new age. Unfortunately it seems that this only happens for the big timers of the past.

Jay-Z was thriving before the new era fully took off (and by new era I mean the new marketing model that many artists come under i.e. viral marketing through YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and so on and so forth), so was Eminem and other staple artists like Kanye West. They are all that is left of the event album phase where when these artists drop albums, and major stir is created and pushes consumers to actually support these artists with not only their ears but their money as well. I truly believe that this is because they represent a nostalgia of sorts that they continue to receive huge volumes of support. They made their mark and people remember that.

Many of the newcomers are forced to prove that they are worthy of our attention. No longer do they leverage to the consumer. We have options. We decide if you are going to blow up. There is new music being released every few hours so we don't HAVE to listen to your music. We have developed musical ADD and thus we cannot dedicate our time and money to just anyone. We have to know that what we're going to get is something worth splurging for. With the aforementioned artists (and there are several other examples that fall under this notion, just using them as primary examples), the consumer has the assurance to know they will deliver. So anyone else who hasn't already solidified this trust, good luck.

A friend asked me what is it about Eminem that drives people to the stores over Drake? Well there you have it.

The Thoughtful 1 has spoken

Drake and First Week Sales

So the numbers were revealed and Drake didn't go platinum or even gold in his first week. Some predicted that he could do the unachievable and sell a million in his first week but it was pretty much a known fact that he would sell some where around 460k after the first day of sales.

Thus this is a sobering dose of the reality that the music industry faces. I applaud Drake for his success, 470K ain't so bad. Yet many might consider this a failure given the high standards that were placed on him. I disagree. Music consumption has been on a steady decline since the early 00's and its just going to get more dismal. Sad to say but first week sales are slowly becoming an extinct thrill. I admit that I had high hopes for Drake but not much can be done about the fact that consumers don't buy music anymore. It has shifted from being a luxury to a commodity and thus people treat it as such.

I'm not even sure why this saddens me... Maybe it is a change that is hard to accept. Music isn't just as important as it once was. To me, as a music aficionado, its like my passion is losing its fire. Sure its still exciting to get something new, but I no longer can share this excitement with as many people as I once did. Usually a front runner and trend setter in being the first to have the hot new music, I'm usually the 2nd or 3rd to know that something has been leaked.

I have exhausted breath telling friends to buy music and support the industry, but it seems like that falls on deaf ears. The industry is slowly losing its exclusivity and its ability to present fresh new ideas. It's not necessarily a bad thing that the artists, who are now in the driver seat control how things come and go, but as we move further and further away from the traditional nature of the industry, I think the newer artists are losing sight on what made music such a big deal. I understand that you as an artist are anxious to share your message with the world, BUT with your lack of patience comes an expectancy to get music immediately and when it can't be acquired, it is taken. Thus the consumer is less enthused by new projects and sort of haphazardly listen but are not truly connecting with the music anymore.

I guess the point of this post is for you artists to exercise a bit more control and have a little more restraint when it comes to your music. Blogs are equally responsible too. It is a beautiful thing to see so many artists getting the chance to get their music heard but with ALL of you dropping new music EVERYDAY, the consumer is now overwhelmed with music and has developed ADD of sorts and cannot give your music an honest listen like they used to. So please, do yourself a favor and fall back just a touch, make us wait a while, it will be beneficial not only for yourself but for the industry as well.

The Thoughful 1 has spoken

State of the Industry Address

So I started this on my twitter (@thethoughtful1 to follow me) but after listening to Drake's Thank Me Later, it inspired these tidbits of knowledge from this industry insider:

Hip-Hop is so devoid of great quantities of quality music that unrealistic expectations & pressure are being put on artists, especially new comers like Drake, J. Cole, etc.

Seeing things from the industry perspective, its a business and priority for business is to make money. When the business lost their monopoly, pubic corporations had to invest in them in order to keep them financially productive. Thus the higher ups in the labels have to report back to their investors and since no one can truly predict what the music consumer wants given their finicky nature coupled with the fact that filesharing is the monster that it is, the MAIN REASON why they put out this cookie cutter crap is to make a quick buck so that they don't lose their financial back to keep their labels in business.

Therefore if you don't support the good music with your money, the lack luster commercial crap will continue to get pushed for a quick sale. Stop thinking that your contribution isn't benefiting anyone and that other people will make up for what you don't buy. THEY ARE THINKING LIKE YOU! If no one supports the good music, the labels don't make enough money to keep funding projects and all that it takes to make them fly (marketing, promotion, etc.) Thus if they have to decide what is the first to get cut, it will be the shit that doesn't sale (aka the good music that no one buys) and they will put out whatever will make them money (aka the cookie cutter BS). We as music lovers decide what the labels put out. We are their demand and they only supply what we demand (simple economics).

Therefore if you don't support the good music with your money, the lack luster commercial crap will continue to get pushed for a quick sale

If great music is being supported then the labels will endorse it

The Thoughtful 1 has spoken

Respect My Hustle

Ok ok, I know its been about a week since I blogged last but I've been busy grinding. Charge it to my head and not my heart folks.

This blog is dedicated to the rappers. Not the emcees but the rappers. As the past few years have gone by, you've seen rappers rise to the forefront of popularity within mainstream music. A few to be noted are Soulja Boy, OJ da Juiceman, Gucci Mane, Plies, and Rick Ross, and Young Jeezy (note, I will credit Ross and Jeezy for being lyricist at times but at the core of their artistry, they are rappers).

I will be honest, initially, I completely detested what these guys represented. It wasn't so much the content of their music, each are entitled to tell the story that they wish to tell. (And for those who knock them down because you feel their content sends the wrong message to kids, its simple, turn off the radio and BET LOL.) My distaste came to the lack of lyrics and diversity in their content. There are one of 3 things you are guaranteed to hear in their songs depending who you listen to: money (how much they have, what they bought, their clothes, the ice), drugs (weed and liquor mostly, as well as actually distributing it), and finally woman (hell even emcees rap about them though lol). Now many could argue that some of the emcess do the same thing but I counter that by saying that though it is a common topic in hip-hop in general, it is the prime source of subject matter specifically with rappers and not so much with emcees.)

Now to show that I have in good faith given rappers a fair shot (minus Jeezy, I support that dude 100% and I'll explain why later), I recently listened to Gucci Mane's new CD The State vs. Radric Davis as well as parts of Soulja Boy's iSouljaBoyTellEm. This is such that it is not believed that I'm speaking from a biased point of view and that I haven't given rap a chance but merely a spectator making comments.

Heres the thing, I have to come realize that while I will probably not be a big supporter to most rappers, I do respect them. I used to rap so I know what its like to put some emotion behind the pen and spit how you feel on the microphone, and believe me, it takes skill to convey your thoughts over a track. Thus I won't discredit anything that these guys do. Hence the name of this blog, Respect My Hustle. For most rappers, it is a hustle. You look at their background and their story, they will tell you that rapping for them was a way to get off the streets or to keep food on the table, so for that much respect is due.

Some of my friends openly distaste rappers, saying how much they suck and how they are "ruining" hip-hop. My thought is this, evolution is inevitable regardless of what your talking about, all the world turns, things change. So has Hip-Hop. I can't necessary say its change for the worst... It has come to represent the new school consumer. I don't quite know how it come to be that they got conditioned to care less about the actual words spoken and more about the music behind the voice, but it is what it is. It just so happens that rappers do a better job of making a song that you can vibe to and dance to. The lyrics suffer at times but I can't be mad because they are doing their thing and doing it well. The proof is in the pudding, people are buying it so there is something to it, though hip-hop heads will argue not much. As I mentioned before Jeezy is one of the rare exceptions for me. I give Jeezy props 100% and have bought his last two albums. He has a demeanor and delivery on a record that I can't deny, its just plain ill. Though a lot of his rhymes are coked up, he often times will come with some punch lines and metaphors and prove that he's truly a student of the game. Ross too, even though he's not quite lyrical, he does his thing. But thats just me. My boy Silas is quite the hip-hop aficionado and he digs Gucci Mane. Thus there is something out there for everyone

Though I will never understand what it is about rappers like Soulja Boy & OJ Da Juiceman (just examples, not them specifically, well ok, maybe a little specific lol) that people like, they are doing their thing and are successful at it so I can't hate too hard. If Soulja Boy was a one hit wonder then I'd have reason to hate but he's dropped several songs since Crank Dat that have been crowd pleasers through and through. All this to say, though I won't ever be a die hard rap fan, I will never knock them for their hustle. If you do what you do and you do it to the best of your ability and your successful, who am I to judge?

***Just to clarify for those who are confused, there is a BIG difference between hip-hop and rap music. Hip-Hop in itself is the culture that birthed rap. It consists of four main elements: The DJ, The Emcee, The B-Boy, and Graffiti, even these days fashion. Hip-Hop music is the cultivation of these elements, telling the stories of struggle for respect, and going from rags to riches. The difference is that Hip-Hop is more so poetic than rap. Rap more so is the commercially-glorified version of Hip-Hop.***

William the Thoughtful has spoken.

Song of the Day 12.10.09

Had to take it back on this one and shout out to King James for the inspiration. Many may not know who the group Jim Crow is but you def know who Polow Da Don is. He's responsible some of the dopest bangers from the past few years (London Bridge - Fergie; Get Buck - Young Buck; Throw Some D's - Rich Boy; Turning Me On - Keri Hilson) among others including Robin Thicke's soon to be single featuring Nicki Minaj "Shaking It For Daddy". Anywho, he was the production mastermind behind Jim Crow and crafted the song below which was my jam. Enjoy.