asap rocky – Radio Laurier

July 31, 20170 Comments

Album Review: Flower Boy

Officially known as Scum F**k Flower Boy (hereafter SFFB), the latest album by Tyler, the Creator is making waves on charts everywhere. It was named “Best New Music” hours after its release on July 21, and the single “Who Dat Boy” ft. A$AP Rocky was the #1 streamed song on Spotify that day, as well.

I have to admit that after Tyler’s last album, Cherry Bomb, I had very low expectations for SFFB. Now don’t get me wrong… I didn’t hate Cherry Bomb. I really loved a few of the songs, such as the jazzy “FIND YOUR WINGS.” However, given how I normally respond to Tyler’s work, I was incredibly underwhelmed.

With every listen of SFFB, I like the album more. Some of my favourite tracks include:

“Who Dat Boy”
“Boredom”
“I Ain’t Got Time”
“See You Again”

There’s been talk about the lyrics of tracks like “Garden Shed” being an admission of Tyler’s homosexuality. If that’s the case, more power to him; love is love. Although as a long time listener, I get the feeling that the lyrics could literally just be in place to spark interest and conversation. In “I Ain’t Got Time,” he says that he’s “…been kissing white boys since 2004.” Who really knows besides Tyler?

If you haven’t already, Tyler fan or not, give this album a go. If you like mellower rap, this is the direction to go in. There are quite a few soft vocals and piano samples sprinkled throughout, which definitely adds to my list of reasons why I enjoy it so much.

Watch the video for “Who Dat Boy” here:

Shows/The RapUp

January 8, 20150 Comments

2015 In The Building!

Wudddupp friends?! Everyone feeling good about being back at school? Us neither. BUT the good news is that we get to give y’all some more very dope rap and hip-hop. We had an exciting past couple days with tons of new music sooooo lets get right to it!

Kanye brought in the new year in a very emotional-random-sporadic way. He dropped a new track called ‘Only One’ on new years day. In short, it’s an ode to his daughter North but rapped as his mom. Seems kind of like inception but trust us, it’s actually very well done. Did we mention it features the legendary Beatle front man Paul McCartney. It’s also Kim’s favorite track. Check it out right here.

We also got new music from A$AP Rocky which is an extension of his last single ‘Multiply’. This new one however is called ‘Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye’ and sounds right up any “trill” “expensive rap” fan’s alley. We are very much looking forward to A$AP’s new album which is due out some time in 2015. Take a look at the track below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q6pvIA9UyQ

We also got a new project from Brooklyn’s very own Fabolous. The album is called ‘The Young OG Project’. It has some new sounds and concepts but also brings that good ;ol Fabo that we know and love. Check out our fave track below. Niiiiiiiiccceeee *Fab voice*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLslTe8dJwA

We moved on a little later to some very dope music we were sent back in the summer. If you’ve listened a few times these past 8 months then you will know him 100%. Detroit/Miami rapper Kidd Wes chopped it up with us for more than 20 minutes. We talked all about his upbringings in Detroit, his move to Florida, his newest project ‘Young World’ and much much more. If you haven’t yet heard his stuff peep the LP below and be on the lookout for more from him very very soon.

Well, that’s all from us this week. Make sure to tune in next. Rumor has we’ve got Konfiident back on. Ahh Ahh Ahhhh.

Peace, Love & The Dipset Reunion

Shows/The RapUp

October 12, 20130 Comments

#BuyRapMusic

Wuddduupp yall?! What a week eh? We had some prison releases, some album drops and of course a new little beef/battle that we NEED to discuss. This is a good one…

There is a guy in hip-hop today that seems to be killing everyone. He’s been on a relentless lyrical slaughter since October 22nd, 2012. He’s from the west coast. He’s short. His last name rhymes with ‘bar’. Can’t guess? ha! Okay then, it’s Kendrick Lamar and he is currently taking NO prisoners. The latest rapper on his hit-list is none other than Drizzy Drake. WHAT!? I know, it’s crazy. But yes, it’s true. In KDot’s BET cypher verse he called out Drake and called him a “sensitive rapper”. Yikes! Check out the battle-esque bars right here. Hopefully we can see this all resolved quickly. I NEED Poetic Justice Pt. 2!

Opposite of that lil battle beef, Naya Rivera and Big Sean are getting married. So yeah, that will be a fun wedding. Open bar? ALSO! West coast MC, Nipsey Hussle dropped a free mixtape entitled Crenshaw. However, he released 100 copies that he priced at $100 a pop. He did this in attempts to promote the purchasing of hip-hop music in an era where free downloads are literally everything. Jay-Z actually bought 100 copies. Thanks Hov!

ps: Lauryn Hill is outta jail. Time to start killing them softly…

Sooo we got things poppin’ with some new Pusha T. Yuuuuggghhhhhh. The dropped his album this week and man is it raw. Pause. It’s called ‘My Name Is My Name’ and it displays the skillful lyricism to help Pusha T attain more mainstream recognition, but it often comes up mediocre on the production front. Don’t get it twisted, I love the beats BUT I feel as if Pusha can only rap over one type of beat. Annnnd that’s just how I feel. Check out our favorite right here called ‘Nostalgia’ featuring King Kendrick.

GLAYSH’S GUILTY PLEASURE this week was a tad different. This week it came from a hip-hop favorite buuuuut check the turn up. A$AP Mob frontman gave us a little bit of ratchetness with his GTA 5 original entitled ‘r – Cali’. The song is perfect for riding around So. Cal whilst robbing, riding and living the tug life. Ha! Check out the chuuunne right here.

Keeping the ratchetness going, we swerved onto REAL OR RATCHET. This week we took a look at some of the outrageous things that rapper’s have purchased with all that guap. Certain items include BUT are not limited to diamond teeth, experience showers, iced out whips and of course big ass chains. Check out the full list here and let us know which ones you think are real or ratchet! Word to Young Buck and the IRS. Ha!

The REALNESS this week was featuring some minors. French Montana (28 years old) just signed Lil Niqo (10 years old) to his ‘Coke Boys’ label. No joke. Mr. Pop That saw a ton of potential in the youngster and inked him to a development deal with plans on a studio album + tour on the way. Why is this our realness? Ohhh I don’t know, maybe because he’s 10 YEARS OLD!!! In our opinion, this is a little too young to be signed to a rap label; especially one named ‘Coke Boys’. Let’s take a look at his labelmates real quick. For one there is Chinx Drugz. I think that says enough. He will also be surrounded by the likes of Lil Durk, Chief Keef and Lil Reese (when he gets out of jail). We think to be taken seriously as a rapper you gotta be at least 15 or 16. We don’t wanna knock Lil Niqo for his hustle because lord knows we need hip-hop in the yuuuut but c’mon French. He’s 10. Check out his biggest hit ‘Ok Then’ right here and let us know what yall think. Too young? Or his he the perfect grooming age? You tell us…

Last but certainly not least VERSE OF THE WEEK! This week we kept it a little more PG 13. Our theme was ‘The Best Verse To Play Around Your Parents’. Now, the criteria was for it to be as hip-hop as possible BUT acceptable around your parents. I went with Lil Wayne’s verse on Lloyd’s Girls All Around The World while Kamo went with Wale’s spoken word verse on Diced Pineapples. We took to and let the people decide. The verdict? Weezy Wee and his very 14A – esque verse about girls and they make him smile. Ha! I wish we still had that Wayne around. ps: I’m currently 3-2. Feel it Kamo…

Well, that is ti from us this week. Make sure to tune in next week for more of the same hip-hop goodness. Also, hit us up on Twitter @RLRapUp for all that good ishhhhhh.

Peace, Love & The Playlist At Naya Rivera & Big Sean’s Wedding

Shows/The RapUp

October 2, 20130 Comments

In These Streets Like…

Wuddduupp gangstas?! Wow. I’m never saying that again. Sorry. But on the real, we are live and direct this week. We are glad yall are back because there is some stuff we GOTTA talk about.

As always, we kicked things off with some headlines. Soooo Kanye vs. everyone continues. This week he is gunning for Jimmy Kimmel. JimKim made a little spoof on Kanye’s BBC interview and Kanye did not take it well. Let’s just say it resulted in an all-caps Twitter rant. Buuut in other news, Lil Weezy Wee, cut his dreads back to ’06 length. Will this maybe bring back some ’06 rhymes? Doubtful.

I guess it wouldn’t be a complete show without a full criminal rapper update. Well, Gucci got sentenced to 6 months in federal prison and Young Buck just got out! One in and one out. That’s just how I feel…

Okay. Back to the meat and potatoes. Glaysh’s Guilty Pleasure this week comes outta the A$AP camp. Ferg and Rocky link up to give us a little ode to Mr. Shabba Ranks. The song is extra synthy and a perfect turn up track. Check out the video right here and enjoy your new Phils pre drink go-to.

Now we’ve got you stuck off The Realness and we’re taking this one to the mean streets of Philly. Meek Mill has been a mixtape killer for a while now and his latest installment of the Dreamchasers series certifies that. Just yesterday, Milly dropped Dreamchasers 3. This tape is a slew of hot beats and rhymes that 100% put on for the streets. There is no one I REPEAT no one that is living more what they rap about than Meek. He keeps it 100% hip-hop and you will never hear this guy on a track with David Guetta or Jason Aldean. In Meek we trust…

Now, as real as Meek may be, there is also some ratchetness we gotta touch on. We dug up 10 embarrassing moments in hip-hop and decided whether they helped the culture or hurt it. Most of ’em hurt. Check out the list for yourselves right here and let us know what you think. They are up for debate.

Our underground king this week was a little strange. BUT please don’t call it a comeback. Mr. North Carolina has been on the underground for a while. 15 years to be exact. We’re not talking about Jermaine Cole either. Can’t guess? Think ‘lil’. Still nothing? Okay, well we are talking about Phonte. Phonte is a Grammy nominated rapper, formerly of the now defunct North Carolina trio Little Brother. He is a famous underground king due to his rhymes which tend to be no-frills perspectives on working-class. Check out a RapUp favorite right here. Keep fighting the good fight Tigallo!

Now… time for Verse of the Week. Since this whole NWTS buzz hasn’t died yet, we had to pick the best verse on Drake’s new album. I went with Drizzy’s last verse on Wu-Tang Forever and Kam went with his first verse on Poundcake. The winner? It’s youuuursssss, nobody else’s! That’s right. Glaysh took this one. Finally. The semester score is currently 2-2. Someone tell Kamo it’s comfortable at the top. Ha! Check out the winning verse right here.

Well, that is it for us this week. Make sure to catch us next week same time, same place. Oh yeah, follow us on Twitter @RLRapUp and let us know what you wanna hear cause we do this for yall… and the streets.

Peace, Love & Juicy J’s Parenting Skills

Album Reviews/The RapUp

September 9, 20130 Comments

A$AP Ferg’s ‘Trap Lord’ Review

Just like the rest of A$AP Mob, young gun A$AP Ferg’s debut LP has a pretty good handle on the classic lean-soaked ego builders the Harlem crew in known for. After a slow-rolling intro courtesy of A$AP Yams, Ferg’s, Trap Lord, opens with an array of gunfire. Ferg aggressively cuts through the backing synths of “Let It Go” with ease. The real album theme becomes clear in the Bone Thugs-featuring single “Lord” which suggests, when you are raised with nothing, there are really only a few choices to survive a neighborhood littered with violence. A) find peace or B) take over the community with drugs and violence. Ferg juggles both in his own trill way.

On top of the cavernous bass rolls of “Dump Dump”, Ferg displays an overdose of masculinity. He essentially uses sex as a weapon against “ratchets” and the feuding fellas that he stole them from. Bricksquad rapper Waka Flocka Flame creates an even more vivid image of hood violence on the bombastic festival-trap beats of “Murda Something”. While we’re talking about features, the A$AP Rocky assisted singles “Shabba” and “Work Remix” (also featuring Schoolboy Q, French Montana, and Trinidad James) add a sense of comedic relief to these acts of violence, and in turn, make them more digestible for a suburban fan base.

However, Ferg begins to distinguish himself from Rocky and the rest of the Mob in his ability to compose truly heartfelt ballads. Ferg possesses an obvious and useful street-wisdom that must be shared to balance the many verses about guns, money, and power. When sorta-singing the verses of “Hood Pope” and “Make Sense”, Ferg really allows the listener to sneak a glimpse of his softer side.

Originally planned to be a mixtape, there’s a little bit of an unfinished feeling to Trap Lord, which in turn leads me to believe that there will be an eventual follow-up. If Ferg can harness his trap sound and mix it with a little more melody sprinkled throughout a full project, the Trap Lord follow should prove to be just as strong (if not stronger) than his debut.

The RapUp/The RapUp

March 16, 20130 Comments

You Gotta Live Your Lines!

Wuddduuppp friends? I bet you are all wondering why I am blogging literally one day after I blogged for this week’s show. It’s because of RadioLaurier’s second annual 24 Hour Broadcast. Thankfully we were able to snatch up a slot at 11pm on Friday and again at 6am this morning.

Our 11pm time slot was extra trill because we had our main man Trevor from RL’s ‘Verses from the Abstract’. We decided to use his hip-hop expertise to judge another Verse of the Week. We went with the ‘Best Verse of 2013’. And if yall know Trev like we do, he doesn’t give out wins very easy sooo we had to bring our best.

I went with Kendrick’s verse off 1Train. Kamo went with J Cole’s first verse off Tears For ODB. And finally Cutz went with 50’s first verse on his new track We Up. After a heated debate and some chirps thrown, Trev announced that I WON AGAIN! That’s right, Glaysh took it again. #2TimesInOneWeek ! I knew that I could count on Compton’s finest to bring me the second in of the week. A big shout out to Trevor for coming thru and judging. Yall can check out the winning verse here.

After a little 7 hour break, Kamo and I hit the studio and air some shit out. We called this segment 6AM in Waterloo in honor of Drake’s 5AM in Toronto. We talked that real, played some trill tracks and definitely got tuuuurnt up. Even the homie DJ TigerPants came on and rocked with us.

Buuutttt yaaa, I just thought I would let yall know what was goin’ on and stuff. Check us out next week at Night School for our first annual Hip-Hop Hangout. Yall do not wanna miss it.

Peace, Love & Weezys medical staff