Welp, that’s it. The year 2010 is over, and what a rollercoaster it was. We lost many great musicians (R.I.P. Guru, Teddy Pendegras, Jay Reatard, Gregory Isaacs), but just as many stood up to take their place as the leaders of the next generation (Justin Bieber, Jackie Evancho, Odd Future). T.I. got out of jail, made a terrible album, and then went back to jail. Lil’ Wayne and Gucci Mane got out of jail, while Lil Boosie got invited to stay a little longer. Erykah Badu & Ke$ha got naked, and Miley Cyrus acted like a bitch. Justin Timberlake did some acting, and Joaquin Phoenix did some rapping. Don’t ask or tell about Lady GaGa’s dress. M.I.A. got in trouble for eating truffle fries, and Willow Smith suffered a neck injury. Kanye West had a busy year: he apologized to George Bush and Taylor Swift, then un-apologized to Taylor, never apologized to Matt Lauer at all, made a movie, showed his dick, and joined Twitter. Susan Boyle emerged from the depths of… somewhere dark… and Bruno Mars failed. Cee Lo said “fuck” a lot, and Jay Electronica drank Mountain Dew. Pomplamoose made commercials, and Earl was kidnapped/died/incarerated/no one is really sure. Taylor Swift sold 1 million (bad) albums in a week, Eminem sold 3 million in 52 weeks, and no fucks were given. Oh, by the way, Lil B looks like Jesus. Phew. Glad that’s over. (more…)
Year in Review: Top 10 Albums of 2010
31 DecSongs of the Week (18 Jul – 25 Jul)
19 JulCheck out our recommendations to get you through your Music Monday… Enjoy!
Album Review: Big Boi “Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty”
12 Jul
Remember when you popped Speakerboxxx/The Love Below into your CD player for the first time? If you like music, you probably had the eargasm of a lifetime & then put the whole disk on replay for about a month, right? Well, before you get this album, you better prepare yourself for the same exact experience. This album isn’t just good, it’s Make-You-Thankful-You-Spent-Your-Money-On-It good. The intro alone is better than most singles I’ve heard this year. You know the difference between Big Boi and every other rapper? He can tell you the answer:
“I write knockout songs, you spit punchlines for money.”
When I heard about General Patton’s first solo album in seven years, I was doubtful that he would still have the same magic, especially without André 3000 at his side. But my doubt was quickly replaced with anticipation as leaks off the album started hitting the web. Now my anticipation has been answered with the Album of the Year.
The star-studded lineup of guest appearances delivered a great performance, but Big Boi was not to be outdone on his own album. Working to the strengths of each artist, he was able to build off of the features to make each song better. Much to his disappointment, all songs featuring 3-Stacks were blocked from being on the album, but Big Boi delivered this message to his fans:
The production is futuristic, in that Big Boi is ahead of his time, not just because he’s trying to sound futuristic. And just like Speakerboxxx, most of the production is done by Big Boi himself, with only one song coming from André 3000 and four songs from Organized Noise, among others. It’s a mix between the old OutKast and nothing you’ve ever heard before. Tracks like “Daddy Fat Sax” harken back to the days of “Land of a Million Drums”, but at the same time feel like a breath of fresh air in an industry of stale sounds.
Give this album a listen, even if you go download it for free first. It’s fluid and cohesive, but still keeps you on your toes through all fifteen songs. Mark my words, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Song of Chico Dusty will be a hip-hop classic.
[download] on iTunes
And in case you missed it before…
[download] Big Boi – Mix Tape for Dummies
