hip-hop - Nullrouted Space

2023-05-072025-06-05

The Live Hip-Hop Album

This is a republishing of a post I wrote for my now defunct music newsletter. Substack sucks so the post is here now.

Recently I was talking about the concept of the live hip-hop album on Mastodon and since that thread was followers-only I want to elaborate here on what favourites are in that specific genre. To clarify, when I mean “live hip-hop album” I mean a recording of a hip-hop album performed live in concert or with a live band and instrumentation.

So here they are!

2023-05-062023-12-27

Living Large with Larry June

This is a republishing of a post I wrote for my now defunct music newsletter. Substack sucks so the post is here now.

Hip-hop has always had the element of flashing one’s material success. Gold chains, expensive cars, stacks of cash etc. Larry June with his latest album The Great Escape demonstrates a less flashy but still extravagant kind of lifestyle rap. Larry is more about buying property and diversifying your investments.

I have been lowkey obsessed with this album since it came out and its been on repeat.

2022-04-102023-12-27

Review: Tana Talk 4 by Benny the Butcher

This is a republishing of a post I wrote for my now defunct music newsletter. Substack sucks so the post is here now.

Each of the Griselda crew has their particular style. Conway the Machine’s slower introspective verses always pack a punch. Westside Gunn’s adlibs add much needed levity to any track he is on. Benny the Butcher brings the grime.

I don’t mean the UK hiphop sub-genre but the dirt you would find on well worn city streets. Every Benny verse drips with a grit that only feels authentic but also has the confidence of someone who truly understands the subject matter they are rapping about.

Hip-hop verses are often filled with braggadocio which in the hands of the best rappers in the game don’t feel like kayfabe but instead the real lived experiences of the rapper turned into words.

Benny is without a doubt one of the best rappers in the game and in Tana Talk 4, the Butcher delivers album filled with one gritty song after another.

Let’s dive into the album some by breaking down some individual tracks.

2018-07-15

Vic Mensa – 16 Shots

2016-12-09

First Impressions: J. Cole’s 4 Your Eyez Only

J. Cole has done it again. I think this one is going to be another platinum with no features.

Favourite tracks

Immortal – Hard hitting track about our mortality. Favourite lines:
Nowadays crime pays like a part time job
And the drought got me prayin’ for a car time vibe
Deja Vu – That “Exchange” beat is fantastic and works really well .
Change – Continuing the theme of mortality and death. I love the Ari Lennox bits in the bridge.
4 Your Eyez Only – A nine minute, 4 verse monster with a theme akin to 2Pac’s Letter 2 My Unborn and Words 2 My First Born. This one almost made me cry.

She’s Mine (both Pt. 1 & 2) both get a shout out as well. Deeply personal tracks about his wife and daughter.

Conclusions

If you are looking at the track list right now and comparing it to my favourite lists up there, it is basically the entire album. If you are a hip-hop head, this is probably Christmas coming early.

Yeah, I really like this album. I’m on my third listen as I type this.

2016 has been a really good year for music, damn.