The Listening Room

We're going with a fresh drop this week! Super excited for a new Vince Staples album. I'd put him up there as one of the most ambitious Hip-Hop artists since Big Fish Theory came up. It feels like he's always searching for a new sound. Not sure a new sounds for him, but new sounds in modern music, It's led to some of the more interesting tracks in the genre over the last 10 years. (Acknowledging my relatively limited scope of hip-hop, in general.) It's also led to some flops. Let's see how Cry Baby plays out!

Just got through my first spin. With the recent releases from Cole and Drake, this feels like a substantial album despite its short play length. (There’s some to be said for brevity.) I love the direction he went musically. His critique of culture and society is on point. His iconic conserved delivery sitting inside such lush organic sounds is awesome. Already looking forward to the next spin.

Final comments as we wrap up this one tomorrow. This is by far my favorite release of the recent heavy weight drops in hip-hop. It feels novel. It's a cohesive thought. There's clear intent to the music and the words. It has replay value. It's fucking fantastic. I keep coming back to The Big Bad Wolf. Musically it takes what's old and makes it new again. So many little easter eggs of sounds. Endlessly interesting.

@Rolodex in case you want to check it out after watching the Bonnaroo show!