Here are several things worth checking out this week:
Nice docu-series on how the streets are a big part of hip hop.
Chloe and Halle dropped a visual for the banger “Ungodly Hour.”
Sylvan LaCue back.
Kirk Franklin brings the gospel to Tiny Desk.
J.I.D. gives a history lesson on the Tuskegee Study.
MWE = Music Writer Exercise. A challenge created by a writer on Twitter (@noyokono) for the whole month one must listen to a new album they’ve never heard and do one single tweet/review about that album. Here’s what I listened to for the second week.
#MWE Day 22: Finally getting around to hearing this whole album.Really fun. Dope rhymes and flows. Dope beats. Curious to why they weren’t bigger in the game. A new favorite for sure.
#MWE Day 23: I heard half of this album but never the full body of work in it’s entirety. Sounds like the Up In Smoke era that I remember. This is when X made the transition from underground to mainstream. West coast backpack to west coast gangsta.
#MWE Day 25: Its always good to hear a full album full of DJ Premier beats. Some of these beats I was familiar with, nice to hear words over them. Good lyricism. Made for the backpackers.
#MWE Day 26: Sounds like the little cousins of A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. But they have their own fun identity. The production is straight hip hop. Lyrics and flows are on point. No lazy attempts.
#MWE Day 27: Sounds futuristic. A nice batch of alternative hip hop. Del is top tier when it comes to the lyrics. There’s a sci-fi theme, a concept to the album that I don’t have all together based off one listen. But nonetheless sounds really good.
#MWE Day 28: Sounds like late Tribe, The Roots, Common, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo-and that’s because of Dilla’s production. Feels good, soulful and groovy. Nice chemistry between the trio. Classic material.
Here are several things worth checking out this week:
For the 25th Anniversary of Pokemon McDonalds is distributing Pokemon cards in the Happy Meals. Copped a meal, caught a Pikachu.
justine skye and timbo
the differece between white people and black people praying
MWE = Music Writer Exercise. A challenge created by a writer on Twitter (@noyokono) the whole month one must listen to a new album they’ve never heard and do one single tweet/review about that album. Here’s what I listened to for the second week.
#MWE Day 15: Sounds like growth from the debut album. A different spacey feel from Organized Noize on the production. Feels like a match between Big Boi and Andre on who can flow the best over the songs.
#MWE Day 16: Sounds like one of the architects of neo soul. Definitely soulful and jazzy. Erykah’s voice is incredible and very distinct. She was only getting her feet wet with this debut.
#MWE Day 17: Theo London is one of those hybrid artists who can rap and sing while switching styles and genres. Never knowing what you’ll get on the upcoming track. Fun ride from start to finish.
#MWE Day 18: Sounds like early Public Enemy and early Ice Cube. Pac in his political, social conscious bag. Revolutionary but gangsta. Pre-Death Row. ‘I Get Around’ is the only light, fun record.
#MWE Day 19: A very long listen. But entertaining, experimental and versatile. Peggy is very daring on things he says and also hilarious. Nice to see a newer artist with their own identity. Some songs probably could’ve been cut. Listening to this helps understand the recent art.
#MWE Day 20: Finally getting to listen to the whole entire body of work and man I slept. Great album. Various sounds and styles. Covers all the bases as a pop star. Definitely Rihanna’s best work.
#MWE Day 21: Now I understand why people don’t talk about this album. It just wasn’t it. You definitely see there’s talent but they sounded like so many other early 90s rappers. Super animated. No identity to set them apart from everyone else. Crazy growth from this to The Score.
Here are several things worth checking out this week:
Judas And The Black Messiah released on HBO Max and it’s phenomenal. Starring Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield, the movie tells a fictionalized version of a man who became a snitch and got close to black activist Fred Hampton.
Dave Chappelle drops a new short and updates us on him catching Covid-19 and getting his money and rights back for the Chappelle show.
Vic Mensa with his old friend Chance The Rapper and legendary Wyclef Jean for a new song.
MWE = Music Writer Exercise. A challenge created by a writer on Twitter (@noyokono)for the whole month one must listen to a new album they’ve never heard and do one single tweet/review about that album. Here’s what I listened to for the second week.
Lil Kim - Hardcore
#MWE Day 8: Sounds like the blueprint for women to talk hardcore. Whether it’s sex or street talk, Kim is the godmother. Love how she flows on everything. Hate that the version of “Crush On You” on the album is just Lil Cease.
Sonder - Into
#MWE Day 9: Sounds like when people say “it’s a vibe.” Love the dark, dreamy landscape production with Brent’s voice. This could leave you in a trance.
Steve Lacy - Apollo XXI
#MWE Day 10: Steve Lacy is the real deal. Love the production. The indie rock, the r&b soul. Good vocals and songs. His confidence on the album is cool, slick. Excited to see where he goes from this. Also excited for what The Internet does next.
Mach-Hommy - Mach’s Hard Lemonade
#MWE Day 12: Sounds like that New York 90s rap that we all love. Dirty and smooth at the same time. Sharp flows and lyrics from the mysterious Mach-Hommy.
Janet Jackson - The Velvet Rope
#MWE Day 13: What I like about this album is it’s variety of sounds/styles but it’s still cohesive. It’s mostly r&b but there’s some hip hop, rock, pop, world, dance/house production. Like her brother she can cover all the bases.
Missy Elliot - Supa Dupa Fly
#MWE Day 14: 1/3 of these songs I already knew. But hearing the overall album just solidifies what I already knew. Missy and Timbaland are a dangerous duo. Missy’s style as a rapper/singer/songwriter mixed with Tim’s off the wall production: perfection.
Here are several things worth checking out this week:
Malcolm & Marie released starring Zendaya and John David Washington. Written and Directed by Sam Levinson. A movie made during 2020 quarantine.
Common’s latest album is really dope. Here’s a live performance of “A Place In This World.”
One Night In Miami is a fictionalized version of a night where Sam Cooke, Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X and John Brown hang out. The casting of the four leads was great. And this was Regina King’s directorial debuts.
Your Honor is a series starring Bryan Cranston about a judge protecting his son who was involved in a murder. It’s near the end of the season and its really good. Cranston gets into his Breaking Bad mode.
MWE = Music Writer Exercise. A challenge created by a writer on Twitter (@noyokono) the whole month one must listen to a new album they’ve never heard and do one single tweet/review about that album. Here’s what I listened to for the first week.
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
#MWE Day 1: I’ve definitely heard pieces of music from this album before. Maybe from a film/tv. Feel like Lupe Fiasco sampled something. This is that clean the crib on Sunday music. Real jazz, abstract. Long songs where all musicians get to showcase their skills.
Prince - Purple Rain:
#MWE Day 2: An album soundtrack to a film I’ve seen a couple scenes from. Listening to this I can hear where Andre 3000 and Pharrell may have got inspiration for their work. Funky, alternative, soulful, pop. Oh yeah sexy.
A Tribe Called Quest - People’s Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm
#MWE Day 3: Solid debut from ATCQ. Surprised to hear Q-Tip alone on a lot of the songs. Was looking forward to hearing more from Jarobi since he left the group after the first album. Listening to this shows how much they grew artistically and lyrically.
Death - For The Whole World To See
#MWE Day 4: Sounds like the blueprint to punk rock. Punk before Punk existed. 3 brothers who are black and from Detroit. Formed in 1971. Before Bad Brains. Before Fugazi. It’s crazy that they’re not known to the masses!
Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
#MWE Day 5: Always knew her classic hit “Fast Car” growing up. Thought she was a one hit wonder but no the album is good. Strong songwriting. Soft rock/folk vibes. Smooth and soulful.
Westside Gunn & Mr. Green - FLYGOD is Good…All The Time
#MWE Day 6: If you heard a Westside Gunn project then you know what to expect. Fly beats, slick street talk, and ad-libs. I really like the choice of beats Gunn chooses to rhyme over. Something for the backpackers and street dudes. Short and sweet.
Santigold - I Don’t Want: The Gold Fire Sessions
#MWE Day 7: Santi mixes reggae and dancehall with indie pop. A real nice vibe. Angelic voice. The songs all blend together as if a dj is playing a set at a club, party or on the radio. In an alternate universe santi would be a mainstream star off this project
Here are several things worth checking out this week:
Watch Crack if you want to get educated.
The new Westside Gunn video featuring Armani Caesar.
The new Madlib album with Four Tet on the assist.
Palmer starring Justin Timberlake.
One of the best songs on Nas’ latest album now has a video. 27 Summers.
Have you ever came across a song that you forgot about? A song you probably heard as a youth but never knew the name of?? That was me a few weeks ago when I heard Joe Budden play Tracey Lee’s “The Theme,” on his podcast. This was a song I remember being played on the radio. It was usually played during a mix show so I never got the title of the song or knew the name of the artist. This thing of not knowing the name of an artist and song title happened a few times.
I remember hearing The Pharcyde’s “Runnin’” on the radio when it first came out. For years I didn’t know who the artists was until the song showed up on the second 8Mile soundtrack. The same thing for Camp Lo’s “Luchini,” didn’t find out exactly who they were until the end of high school. I’m showing my age but I was in elementary school during the late 90s.
It feels good to find old gems. I’ve been play “The Theme” a lot recently. And I even found out this guy Tracey Lee had a song with Biggie. A rare gem that I never heard in my life. Nuts!
Here are several things worth checking out this week:
A very interesting look on Tiger’s youth and career.
This is the deluxe edition of Chris Rock’s 2018 stand up special. There’s additional jokes weaved into the special that wasn’t in the original.
Rage Against The Machine drops a mini-doc on racism and race relations. A must watch.
Here is Louis Vuitton’s new collection by Virgil Abloh called E B O N I C S, featuring poetry/music from Saul Williams and yasin bey(Mos Def).
Netflix released a docu-series on the infamous Night Stalker. Don’t be like me and watch this at midnight.
Lou Phelps’s ‘Extra Extra!’ || I came across this on the internet because of a tweet from KAYTRANADA. KAYTRANADA produced the majority of the project. After digging what I heard and doing some research I found out that Lou and Kay are brothers.
It took too long for this to happen, but it finally happened, the third installment to the 'Bad Boys' franchise was released. This was the last movie I saw in theaters before the pandemic, and I had a great time. Story-wise, it's the best in the franchise and adds to continue the story potentially. The chemistry of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence is still top-notch. They're definitely in the top ten of buddy cop duos.
Stylistically you could tell this was a Sophia Coppola film. The tone felt like her movie 'Somewhere,' but this one is funny. Not laugh out your seat funny, but it wasn’t dry. A lot of the lightheartedness came from Bill Murray who else? Murray and Rashida Jones's chemistry is cute. And even though this was a comedy, Marlon Wayans played his role toned down. I would love to see him do more parts like the one in this.
This movie hits different now that Chadwick Boseman isn’t here with us. 'Da 5 Bloods' is about four Vietnam vets who travel back to look for their fallen friend's remains and buried gold. Chadwick played the squad leader who passed away. Great movie and cast. But Watching this will make you feel some way because of Boseman.
I saw someone on Twitter say this movie was the white 'Baby Boy.' That was pretty funny and true. This is a semi-autobiographical story based on Pete Davidson’s life, directed by Judd Apatow. Pete is mostly known for being a cast member on SNL, so it was great to see him do something that wasn’t so silly.
What if 'Groundhog Day' was a romantic comedy? That’s basically what this movie is. It’s fresh, and at the same time, it felt familiar. Entertaining and never dull. A hilarious cast led by Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti , this was great to watch.
I saw a notification for this movie on my phone, and I thought Netflix made a mistake. But no, it was no mistake, just a play on the '40-year-old Virgin.' And that's what we do in hip hop; we make plays on familiar things. This is basically a story anyone who has a dream that hasn’t reached them yet could relate to. A semi-autobiographical film based on Radha Blank’s life, which she also directs, stars, and writes, Radha decides to become a rapper at 40 to save her career and express her art having lows as a playwright.
To me, Beyonce is the Michael Jackson of today. She’s the most prominent artist, the queen of pop. And with this movie, a bunch of music videos for her curated 'Lion King' soundtrack, it was reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s 'Moonwalker.' It was a celebration of black people and Africa. Beautiful visuals, fashion, dances, art, and culture.
This was the black 'James Bond' movie we’ve been waiting for. And at the same time, the film was confusing. It may take a couple of rewatches and some youtube videos for you to understand everything that went on. Still, It’s action-packed and entertaining. John David Washington proves to continue he’s a leading man. And there’s the Christopher Nolan effect.
It was cool to see Pixar center the main character around a black person. With the music aspect, I saw some similarities between Jamie Foxx’s character and my dad. Like any other Disney Pixar movie, there was a lesson to be learned through the entertaining film. Appreciate the small things in your life, enjoy life in general.
Riz Ahmed is incredible in this film. A metal drummer who’s on tour with a girlfriend/bandmate loses his hearing. The movie makes you appreciate your hearing if you didn’t. It is also a beautiful display of the deaf community, with actors from that community playing the movie characters.
Westside Gunn- Pray for Paris
I’ve become a big Griselda fan in a short period. I wasn’t from the very beginning, but as the crew has made their presence known, I had to pay attention. And a lot of that is thanks to the mastermind behind the brand, Westside Gunn. And with 'Pray For Paris', he’s elevated with how he curates his projects. The beats, the features, the raps, add libs, wrestling skits, sound bites by his daughter, I love it all.
Gambino- 3.15.20
In true Donald Glover fashion, he had to do something different with his new album's release. So with everyone on lockdown, he released his new album on a website, donaldgloverpresents.com. On the site, you could only listen to the album all at once. There was no information on song titles, features, or production. Soon the music was gone, and the album was available on the streaming sites. Accept for the first two songs; the rest of the tracks are titled as time stamps. The album title is named '3.15.20', the date the album was released. And the cover is blank. Besides the non-traditional release, the album is excellent, and I think the way it was released, how the songs are titled puts many people off from enjoying a great work.
Jay Electronica- A Written Testimony
It was crazy to get an album from Jay Electronica after all this time. It had to happen in 2020. What was even more fantastic, Jay-Z featured all over the album. It was black excellence to the max. To be clear, this wasn’t the same album that was supposed to drop about a decade ago. This album was something different. And even though that long-awaited 'Act 2' album leaked later in the year, it was good to get some officially released music from Elect.
Tame Impala - The Slow Rush
It seems like rock music is dead. It’s not like back when I would hear a lot of commotion on the different punk, nu-metal, or grunge bands. With that said, Tame Impala is the current alternative band that stands out to me these days. The music isn’t hardcore rock. It’s groovy, psychedelic, smooth, and experimental. The songs are catchy, moody and Kevin’s voice is enticing.
Kehlani- It Was Good Until It Wasn’t
There’s a lot of women in the R&B space that’s killing it. And Kehlani is one of my favorites. On this album, she’s talking that talk when it comes to relationships: the good, the bad, and the horror of romance. Her voice is more potent than her last projects, and she seems more confident with her delivery. She could only go up from here.
Royce Da 5’9 - The Allegory
I have been a fan of Royce for as long as I’ve been a fan of Eminem. It just amazes me how the veterans continue to get better after all this time. Did you see Royce on the LA leakers? This album was different for Royce because he produced it entirely. Along with staying lyrically sharp with the guest, I loved the social awareness theme throughout the album. Whether it was the songs or the skits, this project will have you enlightened.
Run the jewels - RTJ4
This album was released during the summer when America was on fire. While everyone was supposed to be home because of the pandemic, many across the country and the world protested the unjust, racist acts of police, the system, and the deaths of Ahmed Aubrey, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and many more. This album was theme music and prophetic. It was energetic, socially aware, and just good music, something we’ve come to love from Killer Mike and El-P.
Nas - King’s Disease
A lot of us were let down by Nas's last project, which was produced by Kanye. So when it was announced that Hit-Boy, we were intrigued. And I’ve got to say; it’s one of Nas’ best albums in a long time. Is this Nas’ '4:44?' Nah, that was 'Life Is Good,' but he does continue to make mature music while still being the artist we all love.
Teyana Taylor - The Album
Along with that Nas/Kanye project, Teyana Taylor was apart of that GOOD music album rollout where they were releasing a project a week for about a month. There were issues with her release and even the finished product due to some Kanye meddling. But on 'THE Album,' this is what we expected. As someone who’s been putting music here and there for a reasonable amount of time, this project displays Teyana as the artist we all knew she was.
The Weeknd - After Hours
It had been a while since I liked a whole body of work from The Weeknd. I think since his first project, 'House of Balloons.' I don’t know, I just took a liking to this album—the album cover, to the collection of songs, the music videos. The character outfit The Weeknd stayed in during press and the music videos. It was the whole package.
Alicia keys - Alicia
I had kind of loosely paid attention to the current work of Alicia for the past years. With this album and especially the single “So Done," she wheeled me back in as a fan. The album is excellent. You get a piece of all the versions of Alicia from over the years, her different styles, the pop ballads, the soulful R&B piano cuts, and the smooth alternative side. With great collaborations with Sampha, Miguel, Khalid, Snoh Aalegra, and Jill Scott, Alicia has never sounded better.
Benny The Butcher - Burden of Proof
Another project produced entirely by Hit-Boy, this album felt like some vintage Roc-A-Fella music. Early 2000s era, to be exact. The beats here are different from what Nas was given, and that makes Hit-Boy super talented. And the collaboration with Benny puts him in the conversation of one of the top rappers out today. Benny is one of the three main guys from the Griselda camp. And if you asked who was the best, any one of the members would be a correct answer. Once this dropped, though, Benny was solidified as that guy.
Amine - Limbo
We knew Amine could make hits. We’ve all heard Caroline. But with this album, he proved that he could rap and create a well-rounded album. It was versatile as far as subject matter and production. You can tell he pushed his pen with this. There are songs where’s he’s kicking rhymes where the wordplay is presented—other songs dedicated to relationships with women in his life, whether it's a young lady or his mother. And even race and social issues. This album solidifies Amine being in the game a while longer.
Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Alfredo
Individually Freddie and Alchemist have been around for along time. But it was something about this pairing that was special. If you heard a Gibbs project, you know how he gets busy. Freddie had already made his second project with Mad Lib previous to this one. And The Alchemist in 2020 had already produced a whole EP with Action Bronson and another album with Boldy James. This collection of soul sampled beats feels great with Freddie’s effortless flows and lyrics and not to mention the features from Rick Ross, Benny The Butcher, Conway the Machine, and Tyler The Creator.
'I May Destroy You' was the best television show of 2020. When I first saw the tv promos, I thought we were getting a British version of 'Insecure.' But the limited series proved to be funny and vital on the things they touched on as far as sexual assault, consent, and more. Created, starring, written, executive produced, and co-directed by Michaela Coel must be watched for women and men.
Some spin-offs never become just as great as their predecessors. 'Better Call Saul' is not that. It’s a prequel to 'Breaking Bad,' and it’s just as great. We see how Jimmy McGill transforms into Saul Goodman. Bob Odenkirk gets to flex his acting chops dramatically, not being subjected only to comedy relief. And Rhea Seehorn is brilliant as Kim Wexler.
‘Desus and Mero’ was already the hottest late-night show, but with the coronavirus pandemic impacting the world, their performances were the ones I looked forward to the most to hear their takes on pop culture and the world. Zooming in from their homes and having the most illustrious guests made them the essential late-night hosts.
If you grew up in the 90s, you witnessed the Chicago Bulls dominating the NBA. This documentary series went in-depth with the team's key players: Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Phil Jackson, and Steve Kerr. The main focus was Jordan, and as the series went on, we got to see a lot of his personality displayed.
This show is so good. With all the content Netflix pumps out, competing with their content and other streaming companies, many tv series get lost in the shuffle. Don't let this one fly by you. This show is worth your attention. If you like 'Breaking Bad' or 'Justified,' this show is for you. Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, and Julia Garner are a great trio acting off each other.
There are a few things I like about Ramy. It centers around a Muslim family, something we don’t see on tv—the struggle of being an adult and following his faith in this society. And season 2 featured Mahershala Ali. The more television we get from different voices, the better off we will be. And I think whatever faith you subscribe to, you could relate to the character of Ramy in this show. Trying to wholeheartedly to be faithful to God and not of the world.
‘Betty’ is a show based on the movie 'Skate Kitchen' from the same creator, Crystal Moselle, and features the same actors and characters. But it’s a different story, almost like an alternate universe. This show is a massive improvement to the movie. We’re able to spend more time with the characters and understand them. And its women on skateboards, something that will encourage other women and expand the skating community. I’m excited to see more of this.
At this particular moment, I haven’t seen 'Call Me By Your Name,' but I know this premise. This show is from the same director and explores similar themes. It's an exciting coming of age story with an excellent cast set on Italy's military base. I was not too fond of Jack Dylan Grazer’s character and was impressed with Kid Cudi’s supporting role.
This show continued what Jordan Peele started with 'Get Out' and 'Us,' a new Horror wave with black characters as the main characters. It made sense that Peele was an executive producer. With a great cast led by Jonathan Majors and Jurnee Smollett we follow several black characters as they experience the 1950s in a crazy town. How were the white people the evilest things on the show when there were monsters, ghosts, and other wild things?
Every episode of Fargo starts with the tagline: “This is based on a true story.” But this is false. Noah Hawley, the showrunner, runs with the Coen brothers' aesthetic for the original film. The Fargo show is an anthology series that’s in the same vein as the film. A crime dramedy set in a period piece. This latest season had Chris Rock as a crime boss, a far way from Pookie.
This particular episode of ‘Euphoria’ was different from what we saw in season one. The whole cast wasn’t present. There wasn’t a lot of set locations with quick cuts. It was mostly Zendaya as Rue with her sponsor, played by Coleman Domingo. Filmed during the pandemic the 90% of the episode was the two characters talking at a dinner or Christmas Eve about life, addiction, and many other things.