The Headphone: Big Sean > Kendrick?

Hold up… What?

Hear me out. I happened to tweet something a day ago, after giving Sean Don’s latest drops a little listen. Some people agreed, some others literally exhausted their 140-character limit laughing. If you haven’t yet, I suggest you line up both of those tracks – No More Interviews and Bounce Back – and give them ears while you read through this argument for Sean’s chops vs “Rap’s Saviour”.

Kendrick Lamar is top 5 rapper alive right now. Of that, there is little doubt in my mind. The man hasn’t got a single weak project in his discography, and even his B-Sides get more sales than highly anticipated gangsta rap. He has a technical range seldom seen in modern rap, and his delivery and performance is second to none. So why is Sean even being mentioned in the very first post for The Headphone?

Big Sean just might be Rap’s most underrated lyricist right now

Why doesn’t anyone seem to have Sean in their top 5? Sure, K Dot has a flawless discography as compared to Sean’s own rather checkered release list. Also, Sean is a much more conventional lyricist in terms of his subject matter…. Or is he?

I usually take liberties when discussing music, and to that end I’m not going to explain myself in words. I’m going to leave a playlist of Big Sean’s nuttiest lyrical flexes for you to listen to at your leisure, along with some essential Kendrick. Sean ain’t no punk fam.

He handles real subjects in a simple, yet technically impressive manner, with flows that no one else would even dare tackle. His quick rapping technique is still one of the most interesting out there, and he still manages to have one of the coldest slow flows in rap. How? Kendrick’s best (most talked-about) lyrical flourishes are when he packs insane amounts of rhymes in small spaces. He’s celebrated for this technique, as is (arguably the best rapper of all time) Eminem. But Kendrick doesn’t really say much when he does this, does he? Kendrick’s best work is when he slows down and lets us hear his complex thoughts and diction delivered via his raspy voice. How Much A Dollar Cost? is a prime example of this. Hard-hitting, beautiful, and paced perfectly. 

Sean, on the other hand, gets celebrated for his jiggy aesthetic and bangers. That’s fine, he’s getting his papers and that’s great, but knowing Hip Hop heads? They may just shy away from deep-dives into Sean’s catalogue and miss some of Sean’s relatable, clever social commentary – the exact thing that peer Vince Staples receives near endless praise for.

Sean is witty and smart

I’ll admit it, Sean is more fun to listen to than Kendrick even though Kendrick holds a special place in my ears. He’s fun. He’s funny, and even though I would like to term myself a “proper” Rap fan, Sean’s mix of sheer technical ability, diverse subject matter, ign’ance, and wit makes him both approachable and pleasing to analyse. Paradise is a Big Sean doing Rap better than most  underground backpack rappers, over a hot beat, with witticisms and sheer fuckery. It’s SO GOOD.

If you’re a fan of sheer musicianship, this assertion that Sean is overall better than Kendrick Lamar will grate. But really, I think as a rapper, Kendrick Lamar is no better than Sean. Kendrick says and does shocking things that set blogs alight. Control is an example. Take away all the name-dropping and you’re left with a pretty average verse. Holy Key? Get over a guy doing what Eminem did for 8 minutes on Campaign Speech (rhyme a whole lot without really saying much) and you’re left with the obvious question – what are you looking for? Someone making an impression on how he says things, or someone who make an impression based on what he says?

It’s all love, though… Right?

People say Sean took a few pot shots and K Dot on Bounce Back and No More Interviews. Well if he really was aiming at Kendrick – check Genius for the bars in question – I’m glad he did, in the spirit of competition. Sean’s biggest problem is that he’s always seemed content to play the background role. He shouldn’t. He’s a much, much better rapper than his label boss, Pusha T. He had the harder verses on both Control and Holy Key for me. He’s on par with or better than Kendrick Lamar as a rapper. Maybe not as a complete artist but when it comes down to bars? I’m betting my money on Sean Don to say more to me than TDE’s Rap hero.

Review: Meyniak: The Werther Effect.

I Hope You Kill Yourself.

It’s been a minute since I listened to any new Zimbabwean rap. That has changed recently, as there has been a little movement on the scene, with Alpha Centauri rebooting his Centauri Saturdays drops and a few other moves. One of my favourite drops is the one I’m reviewing now. Meyniak’s “The Werther Effect”.

Firstly, the beat!

I love the beat on this tune. It’s the type of beat that resonates with me, especially at a time when everything is 808s and too much mumbling on beats. While I enjoy listening to Future Hendrix just as much as the next guy, I’m a big fan of beats that don’t take precedence over, y’know, rapping. So I’m glad Meyniak went for this beat. Question is, was it the right choice? Well, yes. It was, because Meyniak can rap, and can do so quite well!

So, what’s The Werther Effect anyway?

While I’d like to claim I had a clue what this was, I really had no idea what Meyniak was on about with the title of this track. A quick Google search (and a glance at the helpful material he sent through to the blog) gave me the info I needed. Simply put:

“A spike of emulation suicides after a widely publicized suicide is known as the Werther effect, following Goethe’s novel The Sorrows of Young Werther. The well-known suicide serves as a model, in the absence of protective factors, for the next suicide.” – Wikipedia. (Don’t do your college assignments with this as a source. Please I beg you).

Interesting. That quick search gave me the context I needed to give Meyniak’s raps the appropriate degree of attention. It’s certainly an interesting topic for a tune, and one that deserves more treatment, especially from an African perspective. We treat suicide and depression like they’re the reserves of demonic presences. This is obviously untrue, and I’m glad someone from Zimbabwe’s rap scene decided to discuss it in his own way.

Meyniak does away with intensive rhyming and patterns on this one, instead opting for simple, meaningful and accessible lyrics and a flow that sits well with the beat. There are no insane quotables here, and the flow and lyrics match the melancholic tone of the tune as a whole. If the idea was to deliver a sombre look at the psyche of someone going through depression and the thoughts that fill up one’s head at that point, then Meyniak has achieved his goal.

It’s also well-produced. This isn’t usual.

While I’d like to say Zimbabwean artists put out consistently great-sounding work, they just don’t. The mixing is almost always off in favour of the beat, and there is almost always volume fluctuation. It’s weird and annoying, especially if it’s coming from someone who claims to be a full time rapper. I don’t know if rapping is Meyniak’s only hustle, but I will say that his tune shows that he cares about how he sounds. He’s one of a very small group (including the like of Simba Tagz, Kapital K, Alpha Centauri and ASAPH) who have figured out how to make music sound good on a wide variety of audio outputs. Most of the others just haven’t, sadly.

Okay so what’s the deal here? Good or Nah?

I like it! It won’t be a smash or anything because it isn’t jumpy hoppy music, but as at the time of writing, it has a decent (for Zimbabwean Hip Hop) amount of plays on SoundCloud. I enjoy mellow, pensive music, and this tune fits right into the Lens Blur African Hip Hop Playlist which we started a while ago, and has been growing slowly. Will it make it onto my playlist? Probably not, but that’s because I can’t stream it off of Google Play. Enjoyable tune!

There’s an E.P coming too.

I’m kind of interested in what Meyniak is doing. He has an E.P coming, that’s eerily titled “Suicidal Ideation: Ideation”, and slated for a May 2016 release. If, like me, you’re interested in that project, hit Meyniak’s e-mail, meyniakmusic@gmail.com. Otherwise, follow him on Twitter or Facebook.

Listen to Meyniak’s “The Werther Effect” below!

Lens Blur Playlist: African Hip Hop

This wasn’t easy. Which is kind of telling.

You’d expect music to be easier to find in one place, wouldn’t you? No? I did. I wanted to post a link to an Apple Music playlist for the Apple folk, and a Google Play Music link for the Android users. Then a SoundCloud link for the folks who can’t pay for these subscription services. No such luck!

Be that as it may, here we are! I haven’t put many songs on this playlist, because to be honest, I got fed up searching and scrounging. There are a number of gems on here, from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ghana and more. There are none of the usual pop hits you’ll get from AKA and his ilk, unfortunately, but well. There are about 40 odd songs here that should help any African Hip Hop newbie find his or her way into the interesting underbelly of Hip Hop on the African content. Enjoy, share, and suggest more playlists!

YouTube. It’s Free and you can download these videos

SoundCloud. Because not everything is on YouTube

Lens Blur Playlists: UK Hip Hop & Grime.

The UK has what I believe is one of, if not THE most vibrant scenes in terms of black music right now. I personally have been a fan for quite a while, but only recently have we been seeing young black Grime and Hip Hop artists from London, Manchester and others gain recognition in the mainstream.

The cool part? They’re usually independent, and they’re making a splash.

UK Grime and Hip Hop pioneers such as Skepta are also experiencing swift career upturns thanks to Drake’s new-found affinity for the UK scene and its lingo. In fact, from the Drake co-sign, Skepta has already carved out a significant niche for his brand of slick, lyrical grime. Younger upstarts like Stormzy have been doing nothing but make waves, bending even the iTunes chart to their viral will by beating out the X-Factor to dauntingly high positions on there. How? YouTube, memes and Snapchat banter. Maybe African scenes should take a look? Anyway, here’s the latest Lens Blur Playlist, pilfered from yours truly’s Soundcloud account.

Notable artists here include:

• Stormzy
• Skepta
• J Hus
• Mostack
• Avelino
• Giggs
• Wretch 32

Here’s the playlist for you. Share your thoughts and retweet/share/re-post it to share the music!

 

New Music: Kylo’s Freestyle.

Hi, I go by the nickname Nifty, and sometimes I make music. I will be attempting to do that this year, and everything I make will be for a collection of songs I’ve decided to name “Ren.” Star Wars fans will relate. Anyway, here’s a freestyle. If you enjoy it maybe Ren. will be worth watching out for. If not, oh well shame. Let me know what you think though, good and bad. It interests me. Listen below. If you want it on your phone, let me know via my Twitter and we’ll make a plan.

An Intro To: Meyniak.

Lens Blur certainly benefits from its wide array of subject matter and art forms. This blog accommodates a lot of stuff, meaning I, being the guy who sees everything that goes up on the blog, get to see a lot of stuff. Among that is music. Lens Blur isn’t a music blog, it’s a blog that accommodates music, and as such we now present to you, Meyniak.

I won’t lie to anyone and say I’m the purveyor of all things Zim Hip Hop, so this intro is an intro for Lens Blur. Let it not be said that I thought I was introducing a guy who 98% of Zimbabwe’s Hip Hop fans already know.

It’s an interesting intro, too!

Meyniak sent me two tracks – The first being a Trap-based trunk assaulter entitled Michelle Chaminuka, and the second entitled P.D.R. I’m a big fan of Trap, and truth be told not many people do Trap well outside of the UK and the US. The first good Trap I heard from Zim was done by the South Samora cats, whose article on LB can be found here.

I’m inclined to be intrigued  by P.D.R because the instrumental is a sample of one of my favourite songs from one of my favourite bands – Of Monsters And Men’s King and Lion Heart. The folk band made its name from honest and naive folk ballads about love and monsters (duh), and it’s such a nice surprise to find a Zimbabwean rapper hopping on this.

The song itself is well-rapped. Meyniak has cool bars and delivery, handling a beat that not many rappers would want to get on because it isn’t particularly catchy. It’s pretty damn good!

This isn’t a review. So just listen to the tunes embedded below, and pass your feedback on to Meyniak by following him on Twitter by clicking here

CAIJO: Average Jo (Reson8) ft. Tatmyster

Caijo and Tatmyster are to Hip Hop in Harare what The Underachievers are to New York’s scene. Woozy, interesting, and possessed by the indigo and third eye, these guys put a really interesting spin on their cuts that won’t appeal to everyone at first listen, but will definitely leave a mark on those who do stick around. Hopefully this latest cut makes more of you stick around. Enjoy!

LISTEN NOW: THE LENS BLUR CYPHER.

FINALLY. After a few weeks of sly marketing, heckling, and being annoying, Lens Blur has finally done and dusted the very first cypher! We have five dope emcees (I’m a narcissist, okay) who have given their time and talents to this first foray into the lyrical side of Zim Hip Hop, and I’m so happy it was them and myself. Diversity, linguistic tricks, punchlines, metaphors and a triple entendre here and there for you Hip Hop scholars to dissect! This won’t be the last, but it’ll probably be one of the best cyphers out of Zimbabwe in terms of technical skills on display. I already explained the cypher, so click here to see what it is, and who’s on it. Below, you’ll find a Dropbox download link and an embedded SoundCloud stream that you can download. Listen and please give us feedback in the comments or on Twitter. Follow us on @__LensBlur for discussions on these bars!

The Emcees

Alpha Centauri | @iamcentauri | Remember this name. He’s coming, and you aren’t ready.

Tru North | @emiliatrunorth | She’s done cyphers before where she’s completely torn it up, and I’m ready to say she’s at it again.

Pharaoh | @Thee_Kuda | Forward thinker, smoker, maverick. He’s also got punches cleverer than Floyd Mayweather’s.

Sharky | @iAmSharkyZim | A complete beast who’s turned Shona into a weapon of mass destruction. Clever metaphors, punches and rhyme schemes to make any Head let out a “oooooh!”

Nifty | @__Nifty | That’s me. I rap some.

And here it is.

Download the Lens Blur Cypher from Dropbox by clicking here!

Love begets a review.

Lens Blur exists to give people a platform to share their art. In the case of track reviews, it also exists to let me be honest about music. If it’s good for me, I’ll say so. If it sucks, I’ll say so. Here’s our second Lens Blur track review (the first was the hilarious Go$h song, which ended up being a snowball to avalanche situation…)

Tamba neni, ndokusetera ma standards

I’m a fan of Zim Hip Hop. I like some of it. I dislike 90% of it, to be quite honest, but here is a track that was a pleasant surprise. AbNorm (first time I’ve heard of him, to be honest) teamed up with F.T.R (I have heard his stuff), Chyllur and Vicshaee (your guess is as good as mine) to deliver a smooth, well-produced cut which deserves a spot on your Zim/African playlist. I’m playing it right now, actually.

AbNorm flits between bars on a track that’s less about the lyrics, and more about the vibe, delivering clean, quick bars leading into the chorus, which is easily the song’s high point. Not to say that AbNorm’s bars are weak – they just aren’t what the song as whole focuses on. The verses actually remind me of a bridge to a strong chorus, and with a panty-dropper like this, that’s a compliment.

I would have uploaded the song onto the LB SoundCloud account, but since Ab has his own link up, I think it makes sense to funnel all his numbers that way (numbers count).

But, who is AbNorm?

Listen, I won’t blame you for not knowing – Like I said, I first heard of him when this tune came out. A quick read of the press release sent through with the track highlights that Ab was/is part of an African crew called Hard Hustle crew, which formed in Australia. Ab is based in Zimbabwe now, and works closely with F.T.R on a number of projects.

Okay, great, and Chyllur and Vicshaee?

Chyllur is probably well known to those who followed urban grooves back when it was the wave. I didn’t, so I had absolutely no idea that Chyllur was part of Major Playaz, and was the RnB/chorus singer of that trio. He does a great job on this track which, like I said, has its chorus as its focal point. Vicshaee is an upcoming rapper, whose slot of bars on this tune were largely bridge/filler. We want to hear her own stuff before passing a yay or nay.

Who’s this track for?

For the ladies. Definitely. There aren’t a whole lot of quotables, double and triple entendres etc for us rap-heads to decipher and pore over, but the quick flow and decent rhyme scheme will interest anyone who wants to discover Ab’s talents. Also, anyone who generally enjoys laid back cuts will appreciate what was done by F.T.R and Ab here.

Does it make the Lens Blur Playlist?

In case you didn’t know, Lens Blur will start making and sharing a playlist (curated by myself and a number of other people whose opinion of music isn’t generic and daft) which we will share on a regular basis. I won’t ask artists to go the extra mile like Ab did, but it would help. No big deal, but yeah. Anyway, I think AbNorm, Chyllur and the upcoming rapper Vicshaee deserve a spot on the first LB Playlist. The track is good.

So, rate it then…

It’s an easy 7/10 for me. I’m a lyrics man when it comes to Zim Hip Hop, but the smooth, well-done production and the crisp centre stage chorus lifted this from an initial 6. Good!

Listen to the track “Love Begets Love” by AbNorm ft. Chyllur & Vicshaee, prod. by F.T.R by clicking here!

Follow the artists by clicking their handles: @AbNormus | @chyllur | @vicshaee | @ftrftrftr

THE LENS BLUR CYPHER: A LITTLE TASTE.

Here is a very short clip, giving you a taste of what’s to come in the Lens Blur Cypher. Rappers, think you have bars? Step up and read this post on how to get involved with the upcoming cypher to join Alpha Centauri, Phvrvoh and Nifty in something that could be killer for Zim Hip Hop.