WWW.WHITEGIRLRAP.COM

For Christmas, I got money to buy a domain name for my blog. So I switched all my posts to WordPress and bought the damn thing. So I will only be posting there from now on. www.whitegirlrap.com Still the same great rap and R&B posts, just with a new look.

The Weeknd - Echoes of Silence

A couple of days ago, Canadian R&B singer/producer and Drake homie The Weeknd dropped his new mixtape Echoes of Silence. As a follow up to both Thursday and House of Balloons, it measures up to his past projects. The first track "DD" will surprise younger fans because it's a cover of "Dirty Diana" by Michael Jackson. It's an excellent approach to a classic, yet underrated MJ song. The rest of the tracks sound like a slowed down hybrid of Drake and The-Dream. The production value of tracks like "Initiation" which consists of the slowing down and speeding up of his voice, without adjusting the background music, stands out. However, the vocals are coupled perfectly with the beat and underscored bass lines. I really like his use of wailing guitar solos as track intros and overall samples. Maybe it's because he's Canadian, but I've really never heard anything like this before. The lyrics are raunchy and explicit, yet Weeknd's smooth and wide-range vocals make them seem more tame. "Same Old Song" features  Weeknd belting out what seems to be a heartfelt and emotional diss at a girl. "Next" highlights the strength of his voice and showcases his interesting production techniques. I'm pretty sure he produces everything himself, but I could be mistaken. I know he produced some of Take Care. The closing track is a piano-driven bookend to what will surely be a critically acclaimed mixtape. 

Out of all three of his mixtapes, I think this one is the best to date. I wasn't too impressed with Thursday, but I'm a huge fan of House of Balloons so I guess I really like this new one. He's just such a dynamic singer. I definitely think he's going to get huge next year. I think with the help of Drake and the rest of Young Money, this dude is gonna be a superstart. It's impossible that with his talent, he won't get noticed.

As someone who gave The Weeknd half a chance because of certain dumb blogs praising him, I must say I'm really impressed. This is a pretty great early Christmas present. I'm excited to see what 2012 holds for this guy. 

Download for free here.

Young Jeezy - TM:103 Hustlerz Ambition

So last week, Jeezy put out a mixtape (which was pretty good) and everyone thought his album would be pushed back. But today, after many push backs and about a year of me sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for this album, TM: 103 Hustlerz Ambition finally came out. I guess before I dive right into this review, I need to explain that Jeezy is my #2 favorite rapper, second only to Nas. I think he's encompasses everything that hip hop stands for. He represents the streets, but he tries to make them better. MTV just aired a really great documentary about him. He's been doing a lot of really amazing charity work for more than ten years, even when he wasn't famous. I also think Jeezy is the most "real" (for lack of a better word) rapper, probably ever. He's like a way more talented and smarter Gucci Mane. That's not even a good comparison, but I'm only doing it because they're both hood as fuck. Anyway, after three years of countless mixtapes and push backs Hustlaz Amibition is now out.

I was worried that Jeezy wouldn't be able to follow up 2008's The Recession, but so far this album is an excellent end to the Thug Motivation series. Radio hits like "Ballin" and "I Do" (feat. Jay-Z and Andre 3000, what an amazing lineup) are indicative of the rest of the album's greatness. There are some really great songs buried within the star-studded hits. ".38" and "Nothing" are typical synthed up Atlanta rap songs with hard hitting bass lines and firearm references. "Leave You Alone" featuring Ne-Yo is a fusion of soulful R&B and Jeezy's gritty rapping style. Songs like "OJ" featuring Fabolous and Jadakiss feature a fast-paced and a piano background sample. The hook is "killing that white bitch, OJ." I mean, whatever, take hip hop lyrics with a grain of salt. You know he's just talking about selling coke, not actually killing women. I love Jadakiss, so I was excited to see him team up with Jeezy and Loso. Ah ha!     (That's my attempt at verbalizing Jada's signature high-pitched laugh). "F.A.M.E." featuring T.I. is a heartfelt rap ballad about the bad things that come with being famous. It's on the radio so I hear it all the damn time; it's really not my favorite. I was surprised to see that J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League only produced two songs on this album, with the principle producer being Lil Lody. The album is full of guitar and piano samples, with hard hitting bass lines and fast-paced synths. It's pretty typical of Jeezy, but somehow it's different and innovative.

I don't think any rapper has so explicitly chronicled the life of an everyday drug dealer besides Young Jeezy. His personal stories of the streets, matched with original rhyming and excellent production, puts him at the top of the list of influential and truly impacting rappers. At face value, his music is just dirty rap about selling drugs, but once you delve deeper into his lyrics, you'll understand his conflicting and remorseful attitude about his past. This album is the last chapter of his soon-to-be legendary Thug Motivation series and I think it's an excellent end-cap. It details a new turn of events in Jeezy's life, with (hopefully) his complete dismissal of illegal activities. It's hard to tell, but dude is making millions of dollars legitimately, he doesn't need to flip birds anymore. Jeezy, who famously said "who the fuck cares about friends? If you mix the baking soda with it, you can get a Benz" is an icon for making tons of money from selling coke and chronicling his illegal activities over dope beats in an original and innovative way. Considering the fact that Jeezy has been linked to the actual Black Mafia Family (not the "Blowin Money Fast" shit Rick Ross talks about), no other rapper has been involved in such large scale drug distribution. Not saying that's why he's so good, but he raps about what he knows and what he's seen to provide white kids like me authentic hip hop about something we'll never quite understand.

Slim Dunkin Murdered in Atlanta

Today, 1017 Bricksquad member/associate Slim Dunkin was shot and killed in Atlanta. What the hell. First of all, he was on a bunch of songs on BAYTL and Lock Out. Both of those came out this week. He was a talented dude and had a lot of potential. It just sucks that rappers are still involved in inner-city violence. I feel like, if you're making money legitimately through music, then why associate yourself with people and things (drugs) that can get you killed? Especially when you're talented and could have gotten pretty big. It just sucks. Not all the details have been released, but still. Shit's crazy.

Lil B - Green Card *NEW VIDEO* *WOW* GOES SUPER DUMB!! WOW DOPE!

I just watched a video from 2008 where he learns how to shoot an automatic rifle so I find it funny that he's kissing his AK-47 in this video. I mean, this is a great song. Love the Bay Area/hyphy style of this song.

Various Things

I haven't been able to write as much as I'd like to because of finals (only one more semester of college!) but I have a few things that I need to get off my chest real quick:

• BAYTL came out yesterday. It is literally the biggest disappointment of 2011. I've read a lot of reviews (all bad) and they all basically say the same thing: Gucci Mane's rapping has significantly improved but it's totally overshadowed by how wack V-Nasty is. She's really bad. I really can't believe that this is a major label studio album. It would make more sense as a mixtape, but what the fuck. Who would ever buy this? I think Gucci and V-Nasty are sleeping together. They're both pretty gross, but cool in their own right, so whatever. I was really looking forward to this too.
• Waka's new mixtape Lock Out with French Montana is so damn good. Thank God at least one member of 1017 Bricksquad (I think they're just Bricksquad or BSM, but I'm an OG fan and I know them as 1017) put out some good music this week. This should have been an album. I've been listening to it all night and it's amazing. Waka's rapping has also gotten a lot better and the production value is really good. I think this dude Chinx Drugz who's on a lot of songs (I gotta look him up because he's good) sounds a lot like Jim Jones or Cam'Ron. This mixtape kind of sounds like Dipset or even 50 Cent. I gotta look up French Montana because I bet he's from New York. I just checked and he is!! I knew it. This mixtape has a northeast feel to it. This dude is also signed to Bad Boy, so cool. Go listen to this tape, it's one of the best this year. I'll write a full review of it soon. 
• I think production value in today's hip hop has made it easier for mediocre rappers to get signed to major labels. I think a lot of kids are getting really good at Logic and are making dope beats and then they try to rap and it's like ....ugh stop. The first person that comes to mind is of course Tyler, The Creator. He's a pretty decent producer (he's the main producer of Odd Future) but his rapping just flounders. Also, guys like Lil B and even Soulja Boy. I'll be honest, I'm basically Soulja Boy's biggest fan but his songs are mostly good because of the production. I think his rapping isn't that great, but his songs are always amazing cause the beats are sick. A$AP Rocky is a guy that is both an amazing rapper and his songs are well-produced, but he's getting lumped into this "new wave of rap" bullshit. 
• Just wondering, but does Drake ever mention Degrassi in his raps? I really doubt he does (I even googled it) because I'm sure he doesn't wanna bring up the fact that his only street cred comes from when his token black character on a Canadian teen soap opera from the early 00s got shot and subsequently was paralyzed. It makes him seem a bit soft, no?
• I was recently reminded of this song (Drake mentions it in one of his songs off Take Care) and the video is so hood. I live a few blocks away from Magnolia St and this looks like it could be filmed in my neighborhood. Uptown New Orleans is my neck of the woods too. 

Meek Mill - House Party feat. Young Chris [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

I used to not really like Meek Mill, but he's from Philly so I gotta like him. This song is really dope. Tupac Back is like a guilty pleasure of mine also.

2012 Predictions/Hopes

So 2011 is almost over and I've written a few year-end lists about the best albums and songs. I think 2012 is going to be bigger and better for music. There are a lot of albums coming out and I really can't wait. Here are my predictions/hopes:

• A$AP Rocky is going to BLOW UP. He's going to become really big. He's already hanging out with Drake and taking photos with Terry Richardson. I bet he's putting out an album to follow up his popular mixtape. 
• I hope Odd Future slips into obscurity or Tyler decides to quit music or something. I would say "I hope they get into a plane crash with Mumford & Sons, with the plane being piloted by Jimmy Kimmel, and then they crash into Coldplay's tour bus" but that's really fucked up. I don't wish anything bad, but I just hope they stop making terrible, lame, white, nerdy rap. Unfortunately, those dweebs are probs gonna get hugely successful. FUCK. Somebody's gotta stop them!
• Soulja Boy's new album, possibly produced by DJ Drama or Cheers Club, is going to be FIRE. After a year of amazing mixtapes, this album is gonna be ridonkulous. 
• Kreayshawn and White Girl Mob are also going to pop off in 2012. V-Nasty is putting out an album with Gucci Mane tomorrow. Kreayshawn is gonna be on Soulja Boy's new album. 
• Other new rappers like Kirko Bangz and Vinny Cha$e are gonna pop off. 
• I hope Trey Songz puts out more rap mixtapes. He's a dope rapper and a great singer. 
• Big Sean is supposedly putting out a new album in 2012, should be amazeballs.
• Personally, I plan on getting more tattoos. I got 3 new tattoos this year, and I want like 10 next year. Also, I'm graduating college in 2012. I want to either get a full-time writing job or go back to my job at MTV. I just wanna be making that paper, y'all. 

Okay, 2011 was a GREAT year for music, but 2012 will be better! Let's goooo. 

Vinny Cha$e - Survival Of The Swag (Starring Souljaboy)

Just found out about this dude Vinny Cha$e cause he's in Soulja Boy's new video. He's really good. He's from Harlem and hangs around A$AP Rocky and people like that. He's part of this "Cheers Club New York" collective/group. I wanna listen to more of this guy's stuff; I'm downloading his most recent mixtape now. He's so good.

A$AP Rocky

I'm sure I've written about him before, but A$AP Rocky is where it's at. This dude is SO GOOD! The XXL 2012 Freshman Class list leaked out this week and he was on it (along with Kreayshawn and Kirko Bangz, who I also love). So cool. Rolling Stone wrote about him in their feature called "Rap's New Wave" called him "Harlem's Finest" which I disagree with, because hello, Dipset. But he's good.

He's from Harlem, but a lot of his songs sound chopped and screwed and he even says that he's "Texas trill" which is pretty cool. His style is so different and unique; rap hasn't seen anything like this dude. His main producer, Clams Casino, is really amazing and I've known about him for a while because of his shit with Lil B. He makes some seriously dope beats.

I can't stop listening to this dude. He's definitely gonna pop off and become super huge in 2012. YOU HEARD IT HERE ON WHITEGIRLRAP!! Jk, but seriously. He's about to blow the fuck up.

Elephant in the Sand

Man, I really love this mixtape. I've never been a huge G-Unit fan, but I've enjoyed their stuff. This is a great tape. It's basically a big diss to Fat Joe and the title is a play on his "Elephant in the Room" which came out on the same day in March 2008 (Yeah this is an old tape). Also, that's him on the beach on the cover, which is another play on the title. So cool and funny. 50 Cent doesn't play when he has a beef. He forced Ja Rule into retirement!

I listened to this a lot my senior year in high school. I bumped it in my '95 Mitsubishi Eclipse (which had some pretty good speakers btw). I especially loved "I Fucked Your Girl" which is a remix of The-Dream's "I Love Your Girl" which subsequently got me to listen to The-Dream. "Hollow Thru Him" is a dope jam with a bumpin beat. "Chase Da Cat" is a 50 love song, very similar to "Candy Shop." It's so good. All the tracks are dope as fuck. I wish they made mixtapes like this/I wish 50 still rapped like this. 

Chilldren

So apparently everybody at my school knows that I'm a huge rap fan. Yesterday, one of my professors stopped me in the hall and said "I need to talk to you about something." Thinking I was in trouble like I usually am (she follows me on Twitter and says some of the things I say are NC-17), I was like "Uh oh, what did I do/say this time?" She actually wanted to tell me about one of her students who is a rapper. She thought I'd like to talk to her because "rap is obviously your expertise" and that I like to discover new rap. So I listened to this group called Chilldren (I LOVE that name because I love to chill). First thing I noticed is that there are 2 white kids in the group and they were saying the n-word, which is not cool. But then I realized that one of their members is socially allowed to say that, so it's all good. Their stuff is a lot like White Girl Mob and goes with "rap's new wave" that's so in right now. I love this shit so much. I love local and upcoming rappers and to know that there are some seriously talented kids at my school makes me realize that Loyno isn't as bad as I thought after all. Whoever produced this stuff really knows what they're doing. I love the video game/chopped and screwed beat in "Super Effective." The best part is that I remember these kids were dancing and going buck to the music I played when I DJed a gig at Loyno a few weeks ago. They're playing a show this Saturday that I will be attending.

I just love that people know me as a music writer and come to me with new rap and for advice. Really makes all the writing that I do worth it.