Top 20 Albums of 2014

Yo, what's good... it's been a minute. I've been busy and truthfully kina lost the zeal for this blog. As such I haven't reviewed for like 5 months on here at least. But I still listen to the music, more now than before. 2014 was a decent year in music, I appreciated a lot of shit and I decided to mesh all genres of this list,so you would see some Neo-Soul and RnB with the traditional HipHop. I do hope 2015 my creative juices flow more into this blog honestly, I miss feeling excited to write a review. But I'm optimistic though, I have a goo feeling about hiphopmade. So with out further adieu...


TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2014

1. PRhyme - PRhyme

2. J. Cole - 2014 Forest Hills Drive

3. Ghostface Killah - 36 Seasons

4. Vince Staples - Hell Can Wait

5. Logic - Under Pressure

6. D'Angelo and Black Vanguard - Black Messiah

7. Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2

8. YG - My Crazy Life

9. CyHi Da Price - Black Hysteria Project

10. Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron

11. Pharell Williams - GIRL

12. Ab-Soul - These Days

13. Azealia Banks -  Broke With Expensive Taste

14. Jhene Aiko - Souled Out

15. Bas - Last Winter

16. Mac Miller - Faces

17. Sam Smith - The Lonely Hour

18. Common - Nobody's Smiling

19. SZA - Z

20. Stalley - Ohio

Common - Nobody's Smiling TRACK BY TRACK REVIEW

I knew you thought I was done with this shit, but nahhh b, I still gonna be droppin reviews like once every “whenever the fuck I feel like”… or thereabout. Anyways let’s do this COMMON – NOBODY’S SMILING TRACK BY TRACK REVIEW.

1.       The Neighbourhood (ft. Lil Herb & Cocaine 80’s)

This track was a perfect intro track to the album. Lil Herb and Com were spitting vivid lyrics detailing “tales” of just the general scenes of the average Chicago neighbourhood and how they saw it from their eyes. Really smooth beat too by super producer No ID. No ID Produced the ENITIRE album FYI so when I mention beats, just bare that in mind. He flipped a sample of a Curtis Mayfield track called “the Other Side Of Town” so subtly, way really great shit from No ID. Lil Herb blew me away with is aggressive delivery and lyrics, and his story telling was on point. Great album opener!

PS. He does this interlude at the end of a Chicago news reporter giving minor reports on the raio, sort of highlighting the theme of giving you a journey through Chicago which is essentially what the album is about. This was repeated on a number of tracks throughout the record, interesting concept.

2.       No Fear

Continuing with the story-telling theme, Common details the mind set of someone (presumably his younger-self in Chicago), speaking about how he has no fear about anything he faces and talks about how he really approaches some of the ills of his past and current life, and advises that you should to. There is a sample flip here on the beat too, but I wasn’t able to track the credits… so fuck that, it was a great beat that’s all you really need to know anyways.

3.       Diamonds (ft. Big Sean)

This is the second single from the album… but ubnfortunately, sighhhh. BIG FUCKIN SEAN, why Lord why? Sean is crooning on the chorus like a frog my g. It’s terrible. Common flow and lyrics are stellar as usual though. On the bridge between Com’s first verse and second Sean absolutely FUCKS the track all the way UP with a horrid Migos flow and lyrics like a pre-schooler, yo this track apart from Com’s flow is real ASS my nigga, I don’t fuck wit it!

4.       Blak Magik (ft. Jhene Aiko)

At first I thought this was trash, to be honest. But bruh after the third listen, this shit blew me away. Common’s lyrics and flow are wayyy to on point to ignored yo. The beat is what turned me off initially, but it grew on me. Whatever lyrics are looping that is driving the beat is kina annoying at first, but once you get accustomed to it, you gonna love this track. Jhene Aiko was perfect as fuckin usual, her voice is so soothing and infectious, it kina gets my dick hard  :/ but anyway…

5.       Speak My Piece

THIS THAT CLASSIC CHI TOWN GOD LEVEL COMMON!!! This track is perfect hip-hop, the Biggie sample from Hypnotize… yooo, No ID cooked up some cocaine here. Common came so correct with his lyrics too, phenomenal track. It has no real theme just one of them raptiy rap tracks, showcasing flow and lyrical ability, so fucking raw. I FUCK WITH THIS HARD.

6.       Hustle Harder (ft. Snoh Alegra & Dreezy)

Yo this track’s theme was actually refreshing. Common put together a not really explored concept by a male rapper, detailing a female that hustles harder than most males. He really went in lyrically with the concept depicting her lifestyle so vividly. Fellow Chicago rapper, Dreezy came SUPERRRR HARDDD WAT THE FUCK. I have no idea who she is but I back tracked her entire catalogue after this verse of flames! This track was that classic, male female hip hop duo, Great stuff.

7.       Nobody’s Smiling (ft. Malik Yusef)

This is easily my favortie song and in my opinion the best song on the album. Off the bat, the beat is so fucking dark and hard… JEEZUUS. No ID made this in some kina underground MMA training facility with no ventilation or light, barely had oxygen down there or sumn yo, fuck. Common’s lyrics were 10/10 again and flow so slick too. He raps about basically that nobody is smiling in Chicago, and shit is real out there. Really embodies what the album is about essentially, clearly it’s the title track of the record. MALIK YUSEF my worddd, closes the track with a fantastic Haiku, some dense metaphors about Chicago street life, absolutely perfect… He been doing that tho. He signed to good music and he’s just a poet, so his is THAT GOOD, check him out he did a similar haiku on the track Sin City on the Cruel Summer compilation.

8.       Real (ft. Elijah Blake)

This track is clearly for the ladies, and man Common really executes it so smoothly. Basically detailing what a “real” nigga is and the he essentially is a real nigga. Elijah Blake’s voice definitely gonna get dem female panties all moist n what not. But back to the raps, I really love Common’s flown he rides the beat so perfectly, and comes with raw lyrics that makes this fee like a throwback from the “Like Water For Chocolate” era of Com sense. This track should be a single, with accompanying visuals, really top notch stuff.

9.       Kingdom (ft. Vince Staples)

LET ME GET TO THIS BEAT THO!!! Kingdom contains a sample from "O Yes My Lord" by Voices Of Conquest & "Is There Any Love" by Trevor Dandy, and it absolutely take the track to a heights I never imagined. Can somebody give No ID a fucking Grammy? This really just a story detailing a man  struggle on the streets of Chicago trying to make to, and make a better Chicago hopefully getting to what he deems the “kingdom”. He simultaneously compares this kingdom to getting into heaven and contrasting street life to what it takes to get there. Really deep stuff. Vince Staples is lowkey one of my favourite rappers right now, and yo he SHINES ALL OVER THIS TRACK. His flow was fucking GODLIKE, better than Common’s and that is saying a lot. The lyrics fit the theme perfectly, I’ll go as far as saying he outshone Com here yo. But the beat and uplifting feel of this track couple with Com’s raspy voice was something straight from a movie, fucking theatrical shit, 11/10!!!

10.   Rewind That

This track was Common detailing his come up as a rapper. Common’s lyrics are so vivid and powerful, it’s almost unfair. The first time I heard this I saw a movie in my head of exactly what I was hearing. The first verse was an ode to No ID(his cousin and first producer as a rapper) and twilight tone his manager. The second verse details Common’s days working with the late great J. Dilla, as a rapper and producer duo. He even compared them to rap super duo Gangstar. Essentially this track is Common rewinding time and reliving everything that helped him make it as a rapper in the early days, really emotionally powerful stuff. The track ends with a sample of an interview of Common talking about J. Dilla and J. Dilla talking about what Common’s music is to him. It was a perfect album closer.

BRIEF THOUGHTS ON BONUS CUTS

11.   Out on Bond (ft. Vince Staples)

Superb beat and flow by both rappers. Again Vince outshined Common, fantastic track prolly top 6 on the record on a whole.

12.   7 Deadly Sins

This track should have been on the original!!!! The lyrics on this track are so fucking relatable it’s almost as if Common wrote this for us al. He details and applies the seven deadly sins from the bible to real life, in this case street life. It was done so well yo, really one of the best lyrical Common tracks in years.

13.   Young hearts Run Free(ft. Cocaine 80’s)

Really smooth track, good as a bonus cut really, no need for this to be on the dark, raw overall.  Feel on the original tracklist. Cocaine 80’s really adds this vintage blues feel to records that I super appreciate, really nice stuff.

Finally thoughts:

Clocking in at 41 minutes, this album is short and oh so sweet. This album is the new stamp for Chicago, a new feel to Common’s music. Common is a very clear, exciting lyricist. Exciting in that he sounds so fucking raw, and good over a beat… and he paints these perfect pictures to get the emotional intangible aspect of the track to the listener perfectly. This album was really refreshing, one of my favorites of the entire year so far, second prolly to Ab-Soul’s these Days maybe. I thoroughly enjoyed this album, bar that Big Sean track which sucked global dick.

I recommend this to ANYONE, this is WILD FIRE!

MY RATING: 8.75 OUTTA 10

Follow me on twitter @jellzman

Stay tuned for more reviews and anything HipHop!

Peace bruh!

#OXYMORON

GUESS WHO? o_0

After much absence... Hiphop-made reviews is back in FULL EFFECT! Tell your mother and her friends!

Look out for Classics Weeks in 2 weeks and more reviews on a regular basis.

Formalities out of the way, let’s dissect this Schoolboy Q  #OXYMORON. Preferred not to do a track by track for this one, you’ll understand why at the end.

The album starts off with a classic intro for the hiphop books as Schoolboy’s daughter goes, “Fuck rap, my daddy a gangster!” I mean, come on... we need not discuss how hard that first track “Gangster” is. The beat on this track starts of on a hype that lasts for the first four tracks and sets the mood for Q’s story. Los Awesome, featuring Jay Rock has a really infectious beat produced Pharell Williams, the imperial Skateboard P! Aka King of Music(right now). This track just goes into some of the general day to day activities of Schoolboy and his friends, and is very different from what we’re accustomed to from him. “What They Want” was another BANGER. The track features 2Chainz and has a stellar trap beat to accompany the braggadocious lyrics from Q and 2. “Hoover Street” is one of those tracks that really details Q’s past and what was happening during his pre-rap days. Along with “Groveline Street Pt. 2”, “Break The Bank” and “His and Her Friend”, this backdrop to Q’s mentality and why he is who is today is well painted. The singles from the album are all well crafted songs and have such a unique “schoolboy” feel to them. “Hell of a Night”, “Collard Greens”, “Break The Bank” and “Man Of the Year” serve to highlight the new schoolboy Q, the one who utilized this “Oxymoron” to make it and provide for his daughter. The oxymoron basically is Q’s doing bad to do good, in a nutshell. From selling drugs before rapping, to doing drugs while rapping all culminating in making money to support his daughter. His most introspective moment on this album come at track seven (7), though not one of my favourites “Prescription/Oxymoron” is the pandora’s box(if you will) of what this album stands for. The voals from his daughter on the track serve to invoke an emotion that really makes you understand schoolboy’s story. Following that track with “the Purge” ft. Tyler The Creator and Kurupt was damn near perfect. It also introduced you to the portion of the album that transitions from old schoolboy to new schoolboy. Though some key tracks didn’t make the record, analyzing it really makes you grasp what schoolboy wanted listeners to feel and understand. The track “Blind Threats” was in my opinion the best track on the album. Aside from the fact that rap legend Raekwon is featured on it, the lyrics are so real it’s almost scary. The track battles with religion and that fact that though schoolboy believes in God, sometimes he doesn’t get the answers that he wants from God and in turn, turns to his “gun” which is like a symbol for the gangster life to help him in life. He puts his faith in his tech and the drugs etc.. He highlights the “blind threats” that religion gives us to keep us from sinning but acknowledges that he has to commits these sins in order to make it in life. The closer to the album was perfect. Much like Kendrick’s  “Compton” track on GKMC, Fuck La is schoolboy’s ode to his city, but more in a braggadious way stating that all that he is, is what LA is, basically that the streets made him, and he is the streets.

#OXYMORON was the perfect title for this album. Schoolboy Q put his life on wax and painted a picture for us, though majority of us won’t be able to directly relate to it, especially not as much as Habits and Contradictions. We probably didn’t live the same life as Q, but his story and struggles are so real that what we can take from it are invaluable life lessons. The songwriting skills and productions on this record was top notch. Q was never known for lyrics, but he indeed turned it up a notch on this record. Fantastic debut album indeed!

My rating 8.75-9/10

#OXYMORON

Follow me on twitter @jellzman

Stay tuned for more reviews and anything HipHop!

Peace bruv!

WINNERS OF 2013 IN MUSIC

YOOOOO....

Hey wassup followers of my blog. I been away for a while but truthfully those who know me just know i been too busy to really put time behind some of these reviews, but I still always been listenin to the music tho... so my tweets like mini reviews themselves. But again I apologise, hopefully 2014 is way more productive HipHopmade wise. Much love still though, the blog lives one.

THAT BEING SAID, I couldn’t close 2014 without givin yall my end of year lists. Yea PLURAL, “LISTS”

CRITERIA FOR SINGLES LISTS:

• Impact
• Potential Longevity
• Song Writing Skills
• Overall Song Quality

CRITERIA FOR ALBUM LISTS

• Impact
• Concept
• Potential Longevity
• Production
• Skippable Tracks (skipability)
• Overall Album Quality

So, without further adieu...

TOP 15 HIPHOP SINGLES OF 2013

15. Tom Ford – Jay Z

14. Started From The Bottom – Drake

13. Fuckin Problems – A$AP Rocky ft. Drake and Kendrick Lamar

12. Rap God – Eminem

11. Numbers On The Board – Pusha T

10. Bad – Wale ft. Tiara Thomas

9.  Picasso Baby – Jay Z

8. New Slaves – Kanye West

7. Work(remix) – A$AP Ferg ft. French Montana, Schoolboy Q, Trinidad Jame$ and A$AP Rocky

6. Bound 2 – Kanye West ft Charlie Wilson

5. Bands A Make Her Dance – Juicy J

4. Shabba Ranks – A$AP Ferg ft. A$AP Rocky

3. U.O.E.N.O. – Rocko ft. Rick Ross, Wiz Khalifa and Future

2. Nosetalgia – Pusha T ft. Kendrick Lamar

1. Power Trip – J. Cole ft. Miguel

TOP 15 HIPHOP ALBUMS OF 2013

15. Born Sinner – J. Cole

14. Nothing Was The Same – Drake

13. Wolf – Tyler The Creator

12. Innanetaape – Vic Mensa

11. Gifted – Wale

10. Peep: The a PROcalypse – Pro Era

9. Doris – Earl Sweatshirt

8. Long.Live.A$AP – A$AP Rocky

7. Magna Carta Holy Grail – Jay Z

6. The Marshall Mathers LP 2 – Eminem

5. Run The Jewels  EP – Run The Jewels (Killer Mike and El-P)

4. Acid Rap – Chance The Rapper

3. My Name Is My Name – Pusha T

2. Because The Internet – Childish Gambino

1. Yeezus – Kanye West

TOP 10 NON HIPHOP SINGLES OF 2013

10. Beautiful – Mariah Carey ft. Miguel

9. Q.U.E.E.N. – Janelle Monae ft. Erykah Bahdu

8. Life Round Here – James Blake ft. Chance The Rapper

7. Bed Peace – Jhene Aiko ft. Childish Gambino

6. Lose Yourself To Dance – Pharell Williams ft. Daft Punk

5. Get Lucky – Pharell Willams ft. Daft Punk

4. Blurred Lines – Robin Thicke ft. Pharell Williams

3. Happy – Pharell Williams

2. Royal – Lorde

1. All Of Me – John Legend

 TOP 5 NON HIPHOP ALBUMS OF 2013

5. Beyonce – Beyonce

4. Overgrown – James Blake

3. Random Access Memories – Daft Punk

2.  Sail Out EP – Jhene Aiko

1. Love In The Future – John Legend

TOP 10 OVERALL ARTISTS OF THE YEAR

10. Jhene Aiko

9. Pusha T

8. Justin Timberlake

7. Robin Thicke

6. Kendrick Lamar

5. Eminem

4. Drake

3. Jay Z

2. Kanye West

1. Pharell Williams

IF YOU AINT LIKE MY LIST LET ME KNOW ON TWITTER, IF YOU LIKE IT GET AT ME ON TWITTER

@jellzman

NEW SHIT COMING 2014, ALL THA BEST FOR THE NEW YEAR.

#HIPHOPMADE