<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>rap – Pop Press International</title> <atom:link href="https://www.poppressinternational.com/tag/rap/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://www.poppressinternational.com</link> <description>Music Blog, Music News, Tracks, Reviews, Live Music, Photos & More</description> <lastBuildDate>Wed, 17 Feb 2016 22:17:23 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2</generator> <item> <title>Fresh Hip-Hop from Tron & DVD: “Magma”</title> <link>https://www.poppressinternational.com/2016/02/17/fresh-hip-hop-from-tron-dvd-magma/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Bryan Parker]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 17 Feb 2016 22:17:23 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[BLOG]]></category> <category><![CDATA[TRACKS]]></category> <category><![CDATA[VIDEOS]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hip-hop]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kiam Records]]></category> <category><![CDATA[rap]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Tracks]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Tron & DVD]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.poppressinternational.com/?p=21594</guid> <description><![CDATA[Rapping about everything from the Vice President to Darth Vader and rhyming “fallacy” with “audacity,” duo Tron & DVD deliver a new track filled with literate lyricism that finds the intersection of comic book nerds and...]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/tron-and-dvd.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-21595" src="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/tron-and-dvd-150x150.jpg" alt="tron-and-dvd" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/tron-and-dvd-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/tron-and-dvd-120x120.jpg 120w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/tron-and-dvd-50x50.jpg 50w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>Rapping about everything from the Vice President to Darth Vader and rhyming “fallacy” with “audacity,” duo Tron & DVD deliver a new track filled with literate lyricism that finds the intersection of comic book nerds and hip-hop heads and insists they have “magma flowing through [their] veins.” The duo also dropped the first episode of a new web series, “Boys Get Lost, Men Explore,” that follows the rappers around, provides a glimpse at some of their creative processes, and chronicles some of the making of the recently released single. Head “Magma” and watch the web episode below. Keep up with Tron & DVD happenings via their label home, <a href="http://kiamrecords.com/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Kiam Records</span></a>.</p> <p><iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/243203481&color=ff5500" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qfu0DEXVOaQ" width="460" height="259" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Gon’ Be Alright: Kendrick Lamar ACL Taping Review</title> <link>https://www.poppressinternational.com/2015/11/02/gon-be-alright-kendrick-lamar-acl-taping-review/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Eric Braden]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2015 22:41:40 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[BLOG]]></category> <category><![CDATA[FEATURES]]></category> <category><![CDATA[LIVE MUSIC]]></category> <category><![CDATA[#acl]]></category> <category><![CDATA[#Review]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ACL Taping]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hip-hop]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kendrick Lamar]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Live Music]]></category> <category><![CDATA[rap]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.poppressinternational.com/?p=21344</guid> <description><![CDATA[The crowd last Friday night was younger than usual for an Austin City Limits taping. As the floor filled with people and smokers on the patio hurried to finish their pre-show cigarettes, a...]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_21347" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 150px"><a href="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ACL_Kendrick_Lamar_by_Scott_Newton_1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-21347" src="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ACL_Kendrick_Lamar_by_Scott_Newton_1-150x150.jpg" alt="Kendrick Lamar performs on Austin City Limits; photo by Scott Newton / KLRU" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ACL_Kendrick_Lamar_by_Scott_Newton_1-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ACL_Kendrick_Lamar_by_Scott_Newton_1-120x120.jpg 120w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ACL_Kendrick_Lamar_by_Scott_Newton_1-50x50.jpg 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a></p> <p class="wp-caption-text">Kendrick Lamar performs on Austin City Limits; photo by Scott Newton / KLRU</p> </div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The crowd last Friday night was younger than usual for an Austin City Limits taping. As the floor filled with people and smokers on the patio hurried to finish their pre-show cigarettes, a day of heavy rain across Central Texas was just starting to clear up. Fans of the night’s performer, rapper Kendrick Lamar, eagerly took selfies and strained to read setlists taped to the TV camera rigs. Now in its forty-first year, the PBS program had only previously hosted one hip-hop artist– the Brooklyn-born rapper/actor Mos Def, in 2009. Like Mos, Lamar brought a full band with him. Dressed in all-black, they spread out on risers across the back of the stage and started to play an instrumental version of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Can’t Hide Love” before Lamar took to the stage. Lamar began with a version of “For Free,” an exercise in ecstatic slam poetry over wilding out jazz, and you could feel the room melt.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Is there another figure in American music so intellectually restless? Anyone else who’d made a song like “i,” a career-defining, jubilant ode to self-love and an exquisite example of pop songcraft, would have built their next album around it. But the version of “i” that showed up on this year’s universally acclaimed </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">To Pimp A Butterfly</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was not the single. It was the fifteenth song on the album. Upon first listen, fans may have been surprised to hear what sounded like a live version of the song. But it wasn’t. It was something much more adventurous: a studio simulation of a “live performance” (complete with “flubs”), which Lamar pauses to address people fighting in the crowd. “Not on my time,” he says. He says he loves them, but their behavior is “petty.” He asks a question. “How many we done lost? This year alone?”</span></p> <div id="attachment_21345" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 150px"><a href="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ACL_Kendrick_Lamar_by_Scott_Newton_3.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-21345" src="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ACL_Kendrick_Lamar_by_Scott_Newton_3-150x150.jpg" alt="Kendrick Lamar performs on Austin City Limits; photo by Scott Newton / KLRU" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ACL_Kendrick_Lamar_by_Scott_Newton_3-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ACL_Kendrick_Lamar_by_Scott_Newton_3-120x120.jpg 120w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ACL_Kendrick_Lamar_by_Scott_Newton_3-50x50.jpg 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a></p> <p class="wp-caption-text">Kendrick Lamar performs on Austin City Limits; photo by Scott Newton / KLRU</p> </div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During Friday’s performance, the stakes seemed to get higher with each song. How could he top </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">that? </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Key songs from Lamar’s career were represented, with an emphasis on his most recent album. “Complexion” was reduced to just an appreciation of the chorus: “Complexion/ Complexion don’t mean a thing/ Complexion/ It all feels the same,” over and over. “Just listen to those words,” he said, getting everyone in the house to sing, even people who’d never heard a note of his music. He often looked lost in thought, which was right on. He was inviting us into his mind.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Every song had something about its arrangement changed, some more than others. “The Blacker the Berry” was more hypnotic than the version on record. He started “These Walls” with the band subdued, bursting into a vibrant chorus only after a full verse without them, the better to appreciate his wondrous lyrics about the light and dark sides of being with a woman whose husband is spending his life in prison: “If these walls could talk they’d tell me to swim good/ No boat I float better than he would/ No life jacket I’m not the god of Nazareth/ But your flood can be misunderstood.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hip-hop has been ascendant in popular culture since at least 1990, but how respected is it? Only two hip-hop albums have won the Grammy for Album of the Year: Lauryn Hill’s </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">in 1999, and OutKast’s </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speakerboxxx/The Love Below</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (aka Outkast’s </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">The White Album</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">) in 2004. (If anyone at all can beat the pop juggernaut that is Taylor Swift’s </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">1989 </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">in the 2016 Grammys, Lamar’s </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">To Pimp A Butterfly–</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> a complex, political, musically adventurous masterpiece with no obvious singles– is by far the only hip-hop album that stands a chance at becoming the third.) When music critics talk about the greatest songwriters of all time, do they think first of Dylan, or Rakim? McCartney-Lennon, or Chuck D-Flavor Flav?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After Kanye West pretended to interrupt Beck at last year’s Grammys during Beck’s Album of the Year acceptance speech, a debate ensued on social media. Who really was better, Beck or Beyonce? One meme that made its way around pitted the lyrics from Beyonce’s “7/11” (opening line: “Shoulders sideways, smack it, smack it in the air”) next to Beck’s “Blue Moon” (“I’m so tired of being alone/ These penitent walls are all I’ve known”), with the implication that a good vocabulary alone makes for great art. Nevermind that “7/11” was just a bonus track, or that the two songs have entirely different vibes. Comparing those two songs is unfair because every kid knows that singing along to Beyonce’s voice is </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">fun</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">. And not just that– it’s empowering. It feels powerful.</span></p> <div id="attachment_21346" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 150px"><a href="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ACL_Kendrick_Lamar_by_Scott_Newton_2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-21346" src="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ACL_Kendrick_Lamar_by_Scott_Newton_2-150x150.jpg" alt="Kendrick Lamar performs on Austin City Limits; photo by Scott Newton / KLRU" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ACL_Kendrick_Lamar_by_Scott_Newton_2-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ACL_Kendrick_Lamar_by_Scott_Newton_2-120x120.jpg 120w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ACL_Kendrick_Lamar_by_Scott_Newton_2-50x50.jpg 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a></p> <p class="wp-caption-text">Kendrick Lamar performs on Austin City Limits; photo by Scott Newton / KLRU</p> </div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kendrick Lamar makes you feel powerful. Kanye West is probably his closest peer in this regard, but his vibe is much more closed-off and abrasive, less effortlessly warm. Drake is as talented at constructing constant hooks, but doesn’t have the gravitas to reach into the heart of the human experience the way Lamar does. Lamar said on Friday night that making </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">To Pimp A Butterfly </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">was “therapy” for him. And as he performed, this too felt like therapy– a million ideas trying to fight their way out of the low-key leader of a jazz fusion/rock band, his face again and again connecting with individual people in the audience, making each one of them feel strong and capable and loved. In a way, he’s this generation’s Marvin Gaye. He has effortless cool and charm, technical virtuosity, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">and– </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">this is the unusual part– a tendency to grapple with big, complicated themes, and to revisit them from different angles, over and over. He is political. He is intellectual. He is “conscious,” but not in a “This needs to happen, that shouldn’t happen” sense. He grapples with things. There were other Motown singers who got political, but none but Marvin Gaye made the political feel so </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">personal. </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">That’s what Kendrick does.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The jubilant refrain “We gon’ be alright,” from the song “Alright,” has been popping up this year as a chant at political protests around the country, especially those protesting police violence. A moment of hope in a dark couple years. At the Moody Theater Friday, some people in the middle of the crowd started chanting it before the band could even start the song. Kendrick broke into an amused smile, then led the whole crowd, telling us to get louder, then softer, then louder, then softer, then louder– it was hard, yelling as loud as he was making us, for as long as we were yelling it– and the effort felt profound, like we were all true believers, and that the use of our voices meant something.</span></p> <p> </p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Childish Gambino Brings Deep Web Tour to ACL Live at the Moody Theater</title> <link>https://www.poppressinternational.com/2014/10/10/childish-gambino-brings-deep-web-tour-to-acl-live-at-the-moody-theater/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Bryan Parker]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 10 Oct 2014 20:32:57 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[BLOG]]></category> <category><![CDATA[FEATURES]]></category> <category><![CDATA[LIVE MUSIC]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ACL Live]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Childish Gambino]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Deep Web]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Donald Glover]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hip-hop]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Moody Theater]]></category> <category><![CDATA[rap]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.poppressinternational.com/?p=18146</guid> <description><![CDATA[Although the wait for Childish Gambino to emerge for his late night ACL show seemed interminable, the crowd had plenty to keep them occupied. As part of the Deep Web Tour, Childish Gambino had...]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-4.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-18150" src="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-4-150x150.jpg" alt="Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-4" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-4-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-4-120x120.jpg 120w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-4-50x50.jpg 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>Although the wait for Childish Gambino to emerge for his late night ACL show seemed interminable, the crowd had plenty to keep them occupied. As part of the Deep Web Tour, Childish Gambino had an official app that allowed concertgoers to log in and draw pictures or tweet messages, which would then show up on a projected screen. The inevitable dick drawing or “fuck you” would crop up, much to the lament of Holden Caulfield, but there were plenty of messages of excitement and enthusiasm as well.</p> <p><a href="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-3.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-18149" src="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-3-150x150.jpg" alt="Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-3" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-3-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-3-120x120.jpg 120w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-3-50x50.jpg 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>Finally, Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, took the stage to wild applause and sat at a piano. The set was decorated to have the feel of an old living room, a projected backdrop of windows and bookshelves along with two physical couches onstage where a few folks sat casually. This fact would make sense when Gambino dropped the line, “Man, get the fuck out my house!” prompting the couch-sitters to get up and disgustedly walk away. If you didn’t know yet, Glover is an incredible performer, not surprising given his history in acting. As his popularity has grown, he seems to have become increasingly energized in live performances, and his shows have more power and emphasis than his recorded material.</p> <p><a href="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-8.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-18154" src="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-8-150x150.jpg" alt="Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-8" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-8-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-8-120x120.jpg 120w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-8-50x50.jpg 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>Often, I’m simply not convinced or persuaded by an artist’s lights and visuals. They can certainly enhance the performance, and I’ve seen incredible stage shows complement music I love (Flaming Lips I’m looking in your direction). But I try to be wary of being swayed to like an artist based on elements that aren’t an immediate part of the art. That said, Childish Gambino’s projections and stage antics are impeccable. It helps that Glover himself bounds about the stage relentlessly like a kid on a sugar rush while spitting cerebral rhymes. Gambino is a good rapper, he’s not yet great. But his live show is incredibly solid, and his fans adore him. The future will reveal whether that love will push him to excel at the rap game or simply continue to put on visually stunning performances. Either way, my interest is piqued, and I’ll be following the new mixtape and subsequent recordings with interest. <a title="Worshiping at the Fest: Day One of ACL 2014" href="http://www.poppressinternational.com/2014/10/06/worshiping-at-the-fest-day-one-of-acl-2014/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Read our coverage of his set at ACL here</span></a>.</p> <p>Check out a few photos from the night below. All photographs © <a href="http://www.bryancparker.com" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Bryan C. Parker</span></a> & Pop Press International. Click any image to open set in slideshow viewer.</p> <p><a href='https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-1.jpg'><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-1-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-1-120x120.jpg 120w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-1-50x50.jpg 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a><br /> <a href='https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-2.jpg'><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-2-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-2-120x120.jpg 120w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-2-50x50.jpg 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a><br /> <a href='https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-3.jpg'><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-3-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-3-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-3-120x120.jpg 120w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-3-50x50.jpg 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a><br /> <a href='https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-4.jpg'><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-4-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-4-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-4-120x120.jpg 120w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-4-50x50.jpg 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a><br /> <a href='https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-5.jpg'><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-5-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-5-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-5-120x120.jpg 120w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-5-50x50.jpg 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a><br /> <a href='https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-6.jpg'><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-6-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-6-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-6-120x120.jpg 120w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-6-50x50.jpg 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a><br /> <a href='https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-7.jpg'><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-7-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-7-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-7-120x120.jpg 120w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-7-50x50.jpg 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a><br /> <a href='https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-8.jpg'><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-8-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-8-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-8-120x120.jpg 120w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Childish_Gambino_at_ACL_Live_by_Bryan_Parker-8-50x50.jpg 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a></p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Video: Paul White feat. Danny Brown – “Street Lights”</title> <link>https://www.poppressinternational.com/2013/04/16/video-paul-white-feat-danny-brown-street-lights/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Bryan Parker]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:08:57 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[BLOG]]></category> <category><![CDATA[VIDEOS]]></category> <category><![CDATA[animation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Danny Brown]]></category> <category><![CDATA[indie-rap]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Paul White]]></category> <category><![CDATA[rap]]></category> <category><![CDATA[videos]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.poppressinternational.com/?p=7747</guid> <description><![CDATA[Rapper Paul White has released a video for the Danny Brown collaboration track “Street Lights.” Creatively and impressively animated by Plastic Horse, the video includes a series of visual representations for the song’s...]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Rapper Paul White has released a video for the Danny Brown collaboration track “Street Lights.” Creatively and impressively animated by Plastic Horse, the video includes a series of visual representations for the song’s lyrics. The song itself is a indie-rap gem with raw drums and reverbed hooks. Watch “Street Lights” above.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Album Review: Tyler, The Creator – Wolf</title> <link>https://www.poppressinternational.com/2013/04/03/album-review-tyler-the-creator-wolf/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Bryan Parker]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:03:03 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[REVIEWS]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Frank Ocean]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hip-hop]]></category> <category><![CDATA[indie-rap]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Neptunes]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Odd Future]]></category> <category><![CDATA[OFWGKTA]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Pharrell]]></category> <category><![CDATA[rap]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Tyler The Creator]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Wolf]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.poppressinternational.com/?p=7275</guid> <description><![CDATA[Even one of my close personal friends who considers himself virtually unoffendable has cringed with distaste upon hearing a few of rising hip-hop star Tyler, The Creator’s sickest rhymes. Tyler lives to push...]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/tyler_the_creator_wolf.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-7277" alt="tyler_the_creator_wolf" src="http://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/tyler_the_creator_wolf-150x150.jpg" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/tyler_the_creator_wolf-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/tyler_the_creator_wolf-300x300.jpg 300w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/tyler_the_creator_wolf-120x120.jpg 120w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/tyler_the_creator_wolf-50x50.jpg 50w, https://www.poppressinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/tyler_the_creator_wolf.jpg 400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>Even one of my close personal friends who considers himself virtually unoffendable has cringed with distaste upon hearing a few of rising hip-hop star Tyler, The Creator’s sickest rhymes. Tyler lives to push the boundary of what’s socially acceptable. This week, he dropped his third studio album, <i>Wolf</i>—a highly anticipated record from a guy who is considered the central force in Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA), the indie-rap collective that also contains recent Grammy winner Frank Ocean (more on that relationship later).</p> <p>On <i>Wolf</i>, Tyler shakes off the haters, sets the record straight on a number of issues such as his own attitude towards homosexuality, showcases his production skills, gives feature spots to names like Pharrell Williams and Erykah Badu, and still manages to drop a few killer bars in his spare time—admittedly impressive. But the record is not without its inescapable stumbling blocks. Chronicling the arrival of the character Wolf at camp Flog Gnaw (an anagram of Wolf Gang), the album’s events lead to his eventual conflict with another camper, Sam, over a girl, Salem. These consistent narrative elements emerge as an impressive dimension of the record.</p> <p>However, even more impressive is the cohesiveness of the production. Angling toward a Neptunes style, the album is full of crisp drums and a plethora of dark, minor synth lines that twinkle and buzz. Tyler even name-drops N.E.R.D. on the chorus of “Slater,” a track that features the smooth croon of Frank Ocean. With each repeated listen, I’m in awe at Tyler’s ability to manage such a seamless storyline and production value across 18 tracks. As impressive as this feat may be, the record could still be tightened by dumping some of the dead air and loose ends in favor of the album’s strongest songs—“Answer,” “Slater,” “Rusty,” and “Colossus” to name a few. Despite my personal love for Laetitia Sadier of Sterolab, “PartyIsntOver/Campfire/Bimmer” feels like a series of sketches, as one might assume from its name. I’d love to hear a more fully realized treatment of the last two parts as both have strengths, but the first section is a throwaway.</p> <p>The honest introspection about father issues on “Answer” is emotionally affecting even through all of Tyler’s angst. “Rusty” offers streamlined rhymes as Tyler’s talent laid bare provides words of inspiration for the social outcasts, celebrating drama kids and skaters in high schools around the globe. For a second, he almost sounds like a role model. Conversely, while we can all respect the privacy Tyler seeks from a rabid fan on “Colossus,” his off-hand gay slurs don’t impress much. The format of the song feels unmistakably like Eminem’s “Stan.” In fact, the similarities don’t end there—both were once-outsiders in the rap game, vying for credibility; both have garnered attention by spitting some of the most foul, abrasive, and violent lyrics imaginable. Which really brings us to the more imposing issue with <i>Wolf</i>—and with Tyler, The Creator.</p> <p>At some point, shocking statements for the sole purpose of inciting an audience begins to wear thin and feel played. For quite a few, that may have happened two records ago. I mean, “Bitch Suck Dick,” the single from Tyler’s previous album <i>Goblin</i>, sounds like a title made up by a reaching critic trying to make a point. Even if you’re one of the patient ones, Tyler seems to be asking a lot of us as he continues to reach a wider listening base. Eminem’s most substantive rhymes came after all his angry flailing, perhaps even as late as his recent comeback. For Tyler’s sake, I hope he can avoid the same career crash.</p> <p>In the meantime, we still have before us yet another Tyler, The Creator record riddled with misogyny and gay epithets. I’m not sure which I find more sigh inducing, the frequent use of <i>fag</i>, Tyler’s flippant demand that a girl swallow after performing oral sex, or his implication that he’d offer up to the waitress his “dick for gratiturity [sic].” Tyler frequently tosses off any criticism, categorically dismissing those who are “offended.” Well, what if we aren’t offended in the least? Simply unimpressed by the same old trick of caustic, thoughtless childishness.</p> <p>The case can be made that some merit exists in pushing cultural boundaries and motivating the complacent to evaluate their environment. For me, <i>Wolf</i> has inspired perhaps more conversations with friends about music’s social impact, homophobia, shock value, and hip-hop than any other record in recent memory. However, in one of those conversations, a friend made the excellent point that these cerebral conversations and astute responses may have more to do with us as listeners than Tyler as the creator.</p> <p>Beyond generally taking offense, Tyler addresses the homophobia accusations directly on the album, rapping, “Look at that article that says my subject matter is wrong, saying I hate gays even though Frank is on 10 of my songs,” referring to friend and colleague Frank Ocean, who is featured twice on the album and who also recently announced having sexual feelings for another man at age 19. But having gay friends doesn’t make you not hate gays any more than having black friends makes you not racist.</p> <p>Further, even if it meant you didn’t hate gay people, it doesn’t mean that the slur isn’t still potentially damaging. Even if Ocean himself isn’t bothered, the usage of the slur by a person adored by young people has effects beyond the spheres of Tyler’s control. The lack of maliciousness won’t stop high school kids from adopting the term <i>faggot</i>, which has a very real possibility of causing gay teenagers to continue to hate themselves. As a high school teacher of seven years in urban schools, I’ve seen this on an almost daily basis. I heard it today, and that’s not an exaggeration. It wasn’t in a song or said in jest. It was directed at another human being.</p> <p>So, here is the real issue. I’m not personally offended, and clearly, neither is Ocean. And Tyler “[doesn’t] give a fuck.” Maybe neither of the high school boys, the one delivering the slur or being attacked, found it offensive today. But the culture of heterosexism isn’t about individuals or even individuals being offended or hurt. Specific rappers, bands, or video games can’t ever be liable for widespread cultural problems, although they sometimes shoulder the blame for attention. No, the issue is bigger than all of that, but these sorts of statements and standpoints do uphold the systemic marginalization of gay people and of women. It’s a problem as large as the world, but it isn’t carried singularly by some Atlas-like figure. Rather, it is supported by a countless number of splintered forces such as the commonplace usage of the word <i>faggot</i> and the routine objectification of females.</p> <p>With all of its assets, of which there are many, <i>Wolf</i> still grates on me because of these concerning aspects. All morality or social implications aside, these viewpoints and techniques are trite. Perpetuating stereotypes of black culture and hip-hop culture isn’t becoming of indie-rap. As fresh as the storytelling and beats are, I’d like to hear a fresher take on lyricism and attitude. Tyler is talented and <i>Wolf</i> showcases those skills, but to become great and to be an icon of a new movement in rap, he’ll need to reflect on his game moving forward.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> </channel> </rss>