I think I have a pretty good ear for music. I love listening to hip hop songs that have tight lyrics. Lyrics that actually make you think. I think as far as the rap game is concerned so many people get caught up in the beat of a song and hook that they believe this makes a quality record. The craftsmanship of actually writing a verse that makes the listener think was starting to become a thing of the past.
With the freshman class (Wale, Drake, J. Cole, Kid Cudi, etc) the art of writing dope lyrics is making a comeback. One of my favorite up and coming rappers is J. Cole out of Fayetteville, N.C. At first I slept on son but then I took a hard listen to his latest mixtape, The Warm-Up. Two verses stuck out to me on that mixtape. The first is his verse off of The Badness ft Omen:
Believe in God like the sun up in the skyScience can tell us how but can't tell us whyI seen a baby cry and seconds later she laughsThe beauty of life, the pain never lastsThe rain always pass, the sun don't always shineWhen its gone I'm lonely but when its there I'm fineI hate the winter time because the nights come quickerThe light make the whites think I'm a nice young n***erBut at night they think twice and walk a little fasterFunny 100 years ago I woulda called this n***er masterHow the tables turned but still the fire's burningI feel the heat, the world is a dryer turning (turning)I'm looking for some higher learning (learning)Girl you what I desire, yearning (yearning)You say I'm easily distractedI think the problem is that I'm easily attractedby the dark side,the temptation got me questioning where my heart liesI'm trying to separate myself like apartheidBut hey the liquor keep swallowingI swear I walk with God but the devil keep following
The second verse is off another track that i am really feeling. Its called Losing Your Balance. I love guitar in the background and the song is a song meant to uplift. The entire song is dope but I really feel the first verse:
Ms. High Profile, caught you shopping on CanalI guess it make sense, it seem as phony as your styleYour hair and your nails just as phony as your smileFake eyelashes you drew your eyebrowsMake a brother ask do you pride yourselfYour makeup like a mask trying to hide yourselfIt seem on the outside you thinking you the sh*tBut its a soulless inside that you ain't even knew existSo you so out of touch that the world mistreat youRich n***as f*ck you and broke n***as beat youHope that this will reach you and you understandThat your value ain't determined by another manCuz right you let them brothers get the upper handAnd you just tell 'em go deep like CunninghamAnd just let em OD like Len BiasAnd that pussy so good he let his friends try it
If you want to download The Warm Up mixtape click here.
7 comments:
very nice...definitely feeling the guitar...has an india.arie feel to it..
and yes...lyrical content has definitely fallen off...but artists like this remind me why i love hip hop
I understand what u mean about people getting caught up by the beat or the hook. Some people look at me funny when I tell em I listen to some country(just a little cuz I can't too much of the accent LOL)
I'm really feeling these lyrics. They are the truth. I might have to see what mix tapes I can find this Weekend when i go home.
J Cole is serious son. Definitely check him out [||] on Wale album. He renegaded whale, lol #noshots to Nigeria!
yeah he really killed him on that track. "pac said fuck the world and i ain't come yet". nuff said
he sampled the track from portugues singer 'sara tavares' ...it's called 'balancĂȘ'
The live guitar at the start of Losing My Balance sounded a bit ropey and was overdubbed at 0:17. I would have prefered the live acoustic, even if the guitarist was making mistakes. The guitar is the best part of the song.
I just started reading your blog and I must say that I LOVES IT...and out of all post i've read this is the one i had to come it on...these lyrics go hard!
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