Joey Badass "The Light Pack" (2020)

Stagnation is the word that comes to mind enjoying this chilled jazzy trio of Hip Hop tracks flying the flag for the 90s sound. From B4.Da.$$ to All-American Bada$$, young Joey made quite the impression, solidifying him as one to keep an eye on. The Light Pack marks three short songs in three years, all of which could slip into his previous records. It was underwhelming on first impression, his opening verse affirming style and stature, taking shots at Mumble Rap and pronouncing his successes. It sounds tired to these ears, with his established flow unchanged.

The second track brings on Pusha T, who's style is still rather fresh and interesting to me, a reminder to check his work out further. Its a brief bit of spice over a moody, slightly gloomy beat. The final track Shine brings some uplift in tone but again I just don't find Joey's raps that exciting beyond their obvious competence. The concept of mind, body and soul this project is supposed to embody doesn't leap out at this listener. It's ultimately a small release that hasn't advanced any musical prospects for Joey and ended up feeling a little dull in the shadow of his albums.

Rating: 2/10

Joey Badass "All-Amerikkkan Bada$$" (2017)

One of Hip Hop's young up and coming rappers is politically charged, Brooklyn based, Joey Bada$$ who made his name with a 90s inspired debut "B4.Da.$$" at the age of 19 back in 2015. Now a little older he putts a firm foot forward aiming to make a bold, relevant fiery statement while modernizing his sound, distancing himself from a strictly retroactive approach. A solid production and a daring album title, with the tipple k, sets the stage for a comparable likeness to America's most wanted, Ice Cube. The question is does it live up to ambitious persona?

In short, it does, much like a young O'Shea Jackson, Joey gets real and radical in a wild way, inciting acts of genocide by the American government against his color, race and his people. As a listener with an older head, it is easy to sympathize and understand his perspective however the complex reality of influences from social, economic and political systems feel glossed over in the raps as Joey pursues a much more simplistic and radical world view, with a lot of thoughtful commentary too. He also provides little answers or solutions and so the record takes on a rather nihilistic and self defeatist vibe which I think speaks volumes as a reflection held on the attitudes and feelings of the most unheard and underrepresented in society.

Diving into the lyrics is a journey of its own but Joey's flow is dynamic and varied enough to carry the record through its motions, switching gears from easy going spoken raps to hyped, pacey delivery with some dialectic inflections too. Taking a step back from the words, the record starts with a rather summery, fun group of tracks, promoting positive vibes with very welcoming hooks and choruses despite the heavy topics. It culminates with the uplifting "Devastated" a banging Trap influenced poppy track with catchy lyrics and a lick of auto-tune which sounds great being used subtly.

The second half takes on a leaner, slick, dark and diverse sound as Joey brings in guests on each the tracks with hard hitting instrumentals and the weight of heightened aggression. Joey takes the last track on his own, delivering an alarmingly paranoid and despairing message to end the record on a very vivid note. For all its components the record doesn't quiet solidify in my mind, the topics often misaligned with the instrumental vibes despite both being quality. Its a record that has a very loud and bold statement when the instrumentals are moody and charming. Thinking back to "Amerikkka's Most Wanted", the anger, ferocity and energy of Cube's raps where right in-sync with the bomb squads explosive beats.

Rating: 7/10

My Top 10 Albums Of 2015

So its nearly the end of the year and time to write about my favorite records released. Now that I think back over the year there have been some terrific records and compiling a top 10 wasn't too difficult as there had been about that many that stood out as being the most memorable and enjoyable. Alongside the best there were also a few stinkers, disappointing records I had been anticipating that unfortunately didn't deliver. Overall its been decent but not remarkable, of all that was great much of it was great within its own context with nothing ground breaking or revolutionary reaching my ears.

(10) Killing Joke "Pylon" Link

 Not a record I expected much from, having gotten to grips with Killing Joke's identity this one felt at home with everything they were about. The production and choices in the instruments tone really gave it a new dimension. Possibly their best since their first two records, however there still a lot of records for me to get through first.

 (9) Arcturus "Arcturian" Link

 

One of the most anticipated records I could ever think of. A decade of wait for the return of a band who's music has been both riveting and engulfing with their unique, distinguished sound and unforgettable songwriting that did not fail to deliver. It felt as if no time had passed, despite an awful production, the music shined bright and charmed once again with a familiar sound.

 (8) Izioq "My Own Private Video Game" Link

 

 Izioq second project was an interesting evolution from its predecessor. Moving away from the purist retro sounds of the debut, this sophomore record felt right at home while deviling into a more expansive and imaginative set of sounds that is full of charm and soul, creating nostalgic memories with the power of imagination.

(7) Joey Badass "B4.Da.$$" Link

I heard about Joey with a promise of a 90s nostalgia trip and boy did we get it! This record has the heart of the 90s spirit without being nostalgic or recreational, Joey brings his own style and flavor and it works. Solid record that's full of decent tracks.

(6) Iwrestledabearonce "Hail Mary" Link

I very nearly passed this one up. What a mistake that would of been! This has been the years most fun and "don't take seriously" record. Full of grooves, dichord abuse and maddening shredding, "Hail Mary" is an unrelenting onslaught of rhythmic aggression goodness that never lets the foot of the gas!

(5) The Underachievers "Evermore - The Art of Duality" Link

I like this duo a lot. They have a unique style and seem to be on their own path regardless of what trends are leading Hip Hop music. After checking out last years "Cellar Door" I had to pick this one up, turned out to be a real gem, conceptual and executed well this was full of food for thought and meaningful lyrics alongside tripy beats.

(4) Ghost "Meliora" Link

Heavily anticipated from one of the most exciting Metal bands active and they are going from strength to strength. Meliora gave a fan everything they could hope for and more with the classic "He Is" song. A true gem in one of Metals best records this year.

(3) Periphery "Juggernaut: Alpha/Omega" Link Link

A sublime double record with no shortage of inspiration. Periphery created possibly their best work to date with infectious grooves and lush harmonies bouncing back and forth from one another in the fold of progressive and creatively written songs that have been stuck in my mind.

(2) Marilyn Manson "The Pale Emperor" Link

 A stroke of genius, the return of a true musical great who's been drifting through obscurity in recent years. "The Pale Emperor" is one of Manson's strongest records, embracing a new introspective approach that works so well for the man who used to poke at anything else. Moody, dense and folk like, its a grabbing record that sucks you in.

(1) Enter Shikari "The Mindsweep" Link

From the first listen it was obviously a great record and possibly one of Shikari's best, but as the year went by this one wouldn't get out of my head. As a long time fan it made me realize how much the band had matured and progressed over the years. They have the same charm yet now their music has a greater sense of vision and clarity, a richer diversity of ideas and inspiration that keeps on giving. The band musically shape-shift through styles and aesthetics so effortlessly it has accumulated to the years most exciting record for the band who's future never stops looking brighter.

Joey Badass "B4.Da.$$" (2015)

"B4.Da.$$" or Badass, is the debut record of young rapper Joey Badass from Brooklyn New York who at the age of 15 made waves with a youtube video of himself freestyling and has since been active making several mixtapes leading him to a record deal that saw this drop on his 20th birthday. Its a strong debut that feels like the 90s was frozen on ice, as if we never moved on from that classic early 90s sound, that notably happened just before his birth. Its a surprisingly mature album, musically and lyrically Joey is smart, and offers a lot of substance on this one with no cheap thrills.

Production wise, this album uses hindsight and retrospect like an art. Track to track touches on many vibes from Boom Bop to Jazz Hop, theres grittier beats reminiscent of "36 Chambers" and Gangster Rap and uplifting soulful numbers with hints of RnB and Soul influences that can be heard in the choice samples. The quality is sublime, even with a modern production value these songs could easily fool you to what decade there from without closer inspection. The best of many styles of that era are cherry picked on this record that has 15 diverse choices, giving each one a flavor reminiscent of many classic beat producers. Towards the end of the record a few modern ideals creep into the mix, keeping things fresh and offering some new ideas as well as old.

As a young rapper, Joey's got a lot going for him, but its his potential to be truly great thats exciting. Hes got a chilled flow and great pronunciation and can change up his approach, pulling the aggressive style on tracks like "No. 99". With fantastic beats Joeys presence doesn't always find itself being the show, and as I played this over and over I found that a lot of his raps accommodated, more so than dominated. The most distinctive moments I remember where lines that are reuses of Nas's "Illimatic" and Wu-Tang's "C.R.E.A.M." with "Cash ruins everything around me", theres a couple of cool hooks like the "Check my style" on "Big Dusty" but most of his raps tell a tale without the articulation to really drive a home run. He's engaging in his moment, and pleasant to listen to, but I feel he has potential to improve and with this record has set himself up for great things if he can step his game up.

Another pleasant point to bring up is the maturity he shows and choice of topics, very little flash and a lot of substance, food for thought. You can tell he gets this wisdom from his mother hes so fond of, you can hear her offering him valuable advice on "Chicken Curry" about perspective and how he will known for how he's perceived, more so than who he thinks he is. Overall I felt the production and his attitude were the highlights on a very promising debut that will have me highly anticipating his second, whenever that comes around in the future.

Favorite Tracks: Save The Children, Piece Of Mind, Big Dusty, Christ Conscious, On & On, Escape 120, Curry Chicken
Rating: 7/10