Rob's Rapid Fire pt.4 (Albums reviews from Alchemist, Lil Boat, DJ Khaled, Yasuke Anime.)


 

Hello, Hi, Hola everyone. This new thing I am doing for the blog is pretty cool, gets my creative juices floating. I was planning to do one of these again last week but had personal matters to take care of and wanted to mourn my uncle's passing. nothing new again going on in my life. Hope yall enjoy this new piece. 





Michigan Boy Boat by Lil Yachty 

I'll admit I've been pretty harsh on Yachty for the past couple of years. Since Lil Boat 2, yachty's music has just been on a huge decline. He will have songs here and there ill fuck with but overall a whole album? I am just not feeling it. Lately, he's been on this whole run of doing features with a lot of up-and-coming rappers from the Detroit/Flint scene that's been bursting in the last year. It is dope that Yachty, who a household name in the mainstream would work and give shine to this entire scene, so when it was finally announced that he was doing a whole Michigan tape this delivered. Babyface Ray, Baby Tron, Veeze, Rio, Sada, Baby Smoove, and more appear on here and they all killed it. I do wish there were certainly one's that could've been on the album but I'm fine with the selection. Boat's flow on this entire mixtape is fantastic and improved over the years, beat selection isn't super flashy buts get the job done. For something he did just for fun and appreciation, this is up there for my favorite projects so far this year. There isn't much to break down since it's a pretty simple album but if you want an album with funny lines and great flows, this is the one for you. 





Khaled Khaled by DJ Khaled

This is just....wow. BAD! I think it is honestly time for Khaled to hang it up at this point. His whole shtick and appeal wore off years ago, the era of him being a goofball on Snapchat was cute and all but this dude can't put together albums or even hot singles like he did many moons ago. My main issue here is how and why does he mesh together rappers and singers that are clearly not gonna sound good? for explain, the Migos and HER song, like what is this? the sampling and recreating the hook for "Dey Know" by Shawty Lo is so lazy and pathetic. I know he's not producing these tracks, just more of have an AR-type who puts this shit together but man, at least make it sense. Khaled at that point in his career where everything just feels force and not just natural when's he trying to chase the next big hit. One of the drake tracks that dropped I think last summer? Was dope and the Durk and Lil Baby works despite that lackluster beat and the song with Tiller and Roddy was cool. 21 and Beiber track made no sense, Timberlake's track wasn't bad but it was also not good? put it this way, it was way better than that folk album he did. Nas and Jay's track was ok, but I think I would've liked it more if we were in 2003. Yeah, this just was another bad album from Khaled, I'm not expecting him to go back and make songs he did in the 2000s since he's in a different space but come on man......THIS STINKS! 





What I've been listening to, what new artists, and upcoming releases. 

As far as what else I've been listening to, Conway dropped an album. Not good as his album he did with the mysterious Big Ghost but it is still a fine listen. Porter Robinson is I was introduced via my timeline. I'm starting getting into more electronic music as the past year, I am still into the whole 'EDM" section but the album is very chill and also spellbinding. Very relaxing, The album is getting tons of spins as of late whenever I read some manga. Alchemist dropped an EP and worked with guys like Navy Blue, Earl, Boldy, Pink Siifu, and Maxo. Al assembled a great cast in the current crop of the underground scene and this was just solid. I did shed a tear at the Navy and Earl track, crazy I've got to see them grew up in front of my eyes, honestly insane. Slime Language 2, Just wasn't a fan. Better than the first but I rather get solo Thug or Gunna's albums right now. 

Billie Eilish dropped a new single and is dropping an album, I am curious where she goes here. The single "Your Power" was fantastic and if the whole album gives me these sounds, I am really gonna enjoy this. She's a great artist and a very interesting person. Baby Keem announced the title of his new "Melodic Blue". I know about the name cause he sold a hoodie with that name and there was a tracklist on the sleeve, hoping it stays the same, otherwise the hoodie is super outdated. His new track with Travis has grown on me, I can tell this will be huge on Tik Tok. Young Nudy and Mach-Hommy dropping albums in the same week and that has me hyped as fuck. Cordae's EP teaser was dope and Bladee and Charli's XCX song finally dropped! shit was good! 

I've checked out some new artists recently too and would like to suggest them. Rx Papi and Rx Nephew, it is hard to explain both of them but it is true of the funniest experiences I have listening to these guys. Lil B does have a huge influence, American terrorist is just Newphew rattling off conspiracy theories and question life. it is fucking hilarious. My guy Yami has put me on into the whole Memphis rap scene and honestly is solid like it was back in the day. I can this scene gain more attention in another year or hopefully sooner. One artist he suggested was Lil Double O (I think 0), dude's got potential. Big Kahuna Og is another one from the current underground scene I've been fucking with a lot, I think he's from DC (correct if I am wrong please) and he's solid, plus he fucks with chainsaw man! major plus!  




 

Yasuke Anime

When this was announced I'll admit, I was pretty excited. Sure, a lot of Netflix original anime is usually hit or miss, mainly with the quality and overuse of really bad CGI but this one. I had hope. LeSean Thomas created this one and he was a great resume. He worked on the boondocks, legend of Korra, Black Dynamite, and Cannon Busters which was also an original Netflix anime. Flying Lotus handles the soundtrack and Lakeith Stanfield plays the lead role. Yasuke's story is based on a real person, a black samurai from the 16th century and was one of the many Africans to come to Japan with a trade from the Portuguese, served as a bodyguard for high-rank lords, and fought in a couple of big battles during that time. So, he's a very important figure with japan and African culture, So when this dropped I was excited to tune in and ten seconds I saw a mech......

So in an interview, I've read a day it came out this wasn't gonna a true and historical adaption about the man himself but an alternate reality. I shook my head, Don't mind mech or sci-fi anime but the trailers and vibes I got felt like this were gonna be in for a samurai anime and a true historic take on Yasuke. I know some don't see it as an issue and I was excepting an "Afro Samauri" clone but man. I still gave it a watch but I dropped this halfway through. Honestly, this just is boring and the pacing is just horrible. I think trying to cram 24 episodes into 6 wasn't a good look. They could've done it in 12 but the pacing would've been off. The writing and story don't engage me at all, to me it was just noise. Lakeith voice acting was very subpar, he sounded bored or sleepy when he was delivering his line, well more like just reading them when he was probably recording these via a zoom call. MAPPA did an excellent job with the animation and the fight scenes were solid plus FlyLo did an amazing job with the OST, would suggest giving it a listen. This anime wasn't it, Highly disappointed with this. Sucks cause I love everyone who worked on this but it is what it is.            



 






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