The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
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    A Little Bit About Jay-Z's "Crown"

    By Orion on Tue, 07/09/2013 - 11:08am |

    Another repost from Blood Is One:

    I got an early glimpse at Jay-Z's new album via Keith Ancker, my former editor at Seaspot Magazine and a contributor here at Blood Is One. I was pretty impressed - Jay-Z and Kanye West are obviously friends going back a decade and it makes alot of sense that their sounds have evolved alongside one another. The lyrics and attitudes are pretty similar to Kanye's - talk of being a God and bragging about how famous he is. His vulgar braggadocio is offset by the fact that Jigga drops some brilliant one liners - stuff like "Fear is your only god, fearing me is your only job." One thing I like about Jay-Z is that he is able to make his haters - and we all have them - look deranged and stupid in comparison.
     
    What's really amazing is this beat. Wow! I think the evolution of hip-hop, the birth of Dub Step and a more complex songmaking process for one of the most significant rappers is on display here. Alot of people still say hip-hop is dead - which is bizarre in that there at least as many acts, if not more, than ever before. It is just evolving as you would expect any genre to do.
     
    Yeah, that beat for "Crown" is amazing right? What if I told you it was actually written by a 16-year-old Canadian black female producer named Wonda Girl (real name is Ebony Oshunrinde). There isn't alot of information about her up - it may have been her first real break in to mainstream hip-hop/music production. It's definitely worth looking out for her - this is some very original, skillful work.
     
     
    It gets only better throughout the entire album, Magna Carta Holy Grail - Jay-Z seems to have made the album that Kanye may have been trying to make with Yeezus. It's really good and shows that hip-hop as a genre can and has grown up. 
     
    If you are genuinely curious, listen to "Oceans" with outspoken bisexual R&B singer Frank Ocean. Listen closely to the lyrics that him and Jigga voice out and how those lyrics flow with the beautiful synth backdrop. This is quality material.

    Comments

    Heh... stumbled across somebody saying that liking Jay-Z at this point is like rooting for PRISM.  It's tough to be the self made king.


    by Michael Maiello on Wed, 07/10/2013 - 6:30am

    Jay-Z is nowhere near the most talented rapper - he is similar to 50 Cent in that it is obvious that monetary success was a big part of his becoming involved in music at all. Nonetheless, I mean wow. He really helps move the culture along - this is like a different planet from what he started out with.

    BTW the views are really bad on this one. I posted it to Twitter - hopefully that should help.


    by Orion on Wed, 07/10/2013 - 7:20am