I’ll admit-I wasn’t much of a T.I. fan until fairly recently. Despite all the “King of the South” talk, I didn’t find Tip’s music all that thrilling. Shit, if the title is based on rhyme skills alone, I wouldn’t even put the guy in contention-not as long as Cee-Lo, Ludacris and both members of OutKast are still alive and rapping. On top of that, I’ve always felt that the whole trap-rapper thing is kinda exploitative and damaging to our people. […]
Posts tagged "T.I."
After Ingesting the Hype, Thank Drake for Making a Solid Album
Hype is a hard thing to overcome-I’ve said it before. As someone who follows the goings-on of the music industry, I certainly fall victim to heightened expectations and wind up getting disappointed every once in a while. No one’s been the beneficiary of more hype over the course of the past year than Drake. His story seems unlikely in the world of hip-hop. He’s biracial. He’s Canadian. His first name is AUBREY, for Chrissakes. Even more damning, he was a […]
The Intriguing "Adventures of Bobby Ray"
I think we’ve finally come to the point where mainstream hip-hop has become so insufferable that fans are willing to anoint anyone who goes even slightly off the beaten path as the next big thing. Atlanta rapper/singer/instrumentalist B.O.B. is the latest recipient of those next big thing conversations, and while his debut effort “The Adventures of Bobby Ray”, doesn’t totally live up to the hype, it’s certainly the most noteworthy hip-hop album of 2010 so far, and rivals last year’s […]
From "Yeah!" To "Oh HELL No!": Usher's "Raymond v. Raymond"
For a second, Usher was the King of Pop. He’d been successful by anyone’s definition of the word, but 2004’s “Confessions” sent him into the stratosphere. It spawned 4 #1 singles, won 3 Grammy Awards, and is the last album to be certified Diamond for shipments of 10 million copies. Not only had Usher officially made the leap from teen idol to adult superstar, but his follow up album, 2008’s “Here I Stand”, was widely expected to cement his megastar […]