The Chuckness

Donald Glover might be the most unlikely rap personality to be making waves in the 2011 hip-hop game. Initially, he was a comedian who also rapped. After he went to NYU, he wrote and appeared in several sketch comedy skits for a crew called Derrick Comedy (note this instant classic of theirs). Afterwards, he became a writer for The Daily Show, then 30 Rock, and then landed a full-time gig as Troy Barnes on the NBC show Community – solidifying his path as Donald Glover the actor. The problem is, the dude is so obscenely talented that he can’t stick to … Continue reading →

Aubrey Graham’s sophomore album Take Care is arguably the biggest record release of the year. The Toronto native is coming off one of the more impressive stints in recent memory — seemingly having a feature on any and every Billboard smash you can think of. On the hype scale for 2011 hip-hop albums, I think it’s only fair to say that this is right up there with Watch The Throne and the highly underwhelming Tha Carter IV. Sure, people love to rip on Drake for being from Canada, being too emotional, starring on Degrassi, and wearing unbelievably obnoxious sweaters.That’s all fair game. … Continue reading →

Mac Miller walks a fine line. On one side is the well-respected, elite hip-hop world, on the other is the land of aggravating, mind-numbing frat rap. So far, Mac’s managed to establish himself as more than a legitimate hip-hop artist, his absurdly loyal fan base is the number one testament to that. At the same time, there are people out there who don’t think he belongs in any conversation with note-worthy hip-hop up and comers. The general reception of Blue Slide Park, his debut studio album, will establish which side of the line Mac falls on. Not that he cares in … Continue reading →

Today marks the moment of J. Cole’s introduction to the world on a grand scale, with the release of his debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story. The first signee to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, Cole has had a significant buzz behind him since people first got their hands on “Lights Please” back in 2008. It’s been a grind for the North Carolina native to come full circle since getting signed by Jay-Z, but today is the day that he can sit back and admire the work he put into making this moment happen. From the get-go, one thing is undeniably … Continue reading →

Things have changed since 2008. Three years ago, Lil Wayne was just about reaching the zenith of hip-hop stardom. With his unlimited mixtape releases and his never-ending features on Billboard smash hits, the hype for Tha Carter III‘s release could not have been bigger. It goes without saying that the album debuted at number one on the US Billboard Chart, selling well over one million copies in it’s first week. ONE MILLION COPIES.  Teenybopper girls from the white suburbs and cornerboys on the streets of West Baltimore alike went out and bought the album. Wayne had every demographic in the palm … Continue reading →

I’ve been feeling guilty lately, because I’ve been sitting on this album for the last week and I haven’t posted anything about it yet. Nero’s new album Welcome Reality was released on August 15. After listening to the album and seeing Nero live at Identity last Saturday, I can confidently say it is AWESOME. It’s an amazing blend of drum and bass and dubstep that I think will appeal to a large audience. Some singles included on the album are their dubstep hit “Innocence” (released April 26, 2010) and “Promises” (released earlier this month, which Skrillex promptly remixed). I’ve included … Continue reading →

Watch The Throne, the highly anticipated collaborative effort between Kanye West and Jay-Z , was released last night exclusively via iTunes. I shacked up the $15 for the deluxe version, added it to my iPod, and awaited my flight from Chicago to Boston before pressing play. After listening to the album four times front to back, I felt the need to put the initial reaction into words. Before we get too far into this, let’s get one thing straight: Kanye West and Sean Carter are just two human beings who make music for a profession. With the immense, over-the-top hype behind … Continue reading →

Lupe Fiasco’s Lasers is arguably the most anticipated album of 2011. It’s definitely the most hyped album of the year thus far…I don’t think anyone would argue with that. The controversy surrounding Lupe’s position with Atlantic Records and the fact that this was originally going to be the third and final release of his career both have fueled the hype tremendously (It’s no longer his final album). This past week articles surfaced detailing how he himself hates Lasers. According to him, several of the beats were given to him by people at Atlantic, refusing to release the album unless he … Continue reading →

After several weeks with Kanye’s new album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, I’m finally comfortable writing a couple words on it. As South Park put it, the self-proclaimed “mothafuckin’ lyrical wordsmith mothafuckin’ genius” is back with arguably the most hyped album of the year. I’m just gonna cut to the chase here and tell you that I don’t care how much of a egocentric dickhead Kanye’s perceived to be (or actually is). From the opening sequence of “Dark Fantasy” to the closing segments of “Who Will Survive In America”, his fifth studio album blows everything out of the water, and … Continue reading →

KiD CuDi’s sophomore album, Man On The Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager has been one of my most anticipated releases of the year. The guy’s one of my favorite artists out there, and to say that I was heavily into his mixtapes and first album is an understatement. If we still lived in the day and age of records or CD’s, my copies of A Kid Named Cudi and Man On The Moon: The End of Day would be scratched and out of commission.  Both are pieces of work that I keep coming back to and continue to obsess over. With … Continue reading →