no room for a G

question: who is this person, schoolboy q?
answer: someone who's about to blow your fuckin mind.

a little harder than i'd normally go. i'm not yet g enough for this kind of swag. i don't even have the linguistic capability to explain it. like i said, pathetically not g. i'm a kid from the prairies. i have no fucking idea what i'm doing in this sort of atmosphere. i would be so lost at one of these shows.
but i'll have a long way to travel before i can see that, so. moot point.

all my lack of g-ness aside, this is one of the best albums i've ever purchased, with some restrictions. it's not perfect. some of the songs are such contradictions to the over all album feel. some are hopelessly radio-geared songs. some of them are songs i would only blare if i was in some murdered out caprice of some sort in california. bullet proof windows though. i don't like playing with a flame i don't know the characteristics of.

each song is unique. the beat count might be the same, but it's the atmosphere that it creates in my brain that changes. it's as though q wants us to believe that naratives don't belong in rap (and we'll see this in the review of kendrick lamar later on.... i have some choice fucking words), and that's okay with me. he's got some quirky lines, some fucking catchy hooks. the creative drive behind each track gives each one individual merit, though as a whole album it feels disjointed.

yet, when thought of in this context, the album wouldn't work-- if it were some commercially driven release with radio tailored sounds the content of the album wouldn't be the same. it would take away from the arching themes, the hardness for lack of better word. there wouldn't be that element of 'g' if all the songs were less unique and less disjointed on the album.

i'm on the fence about this album. i like it, don't misunderstand my prose. i have my obvious favorites on my playlist, and i feel that these are the singles on the album that outshine some of the other tracks that get lost in the schema of the album. it's a shame-- the beats and lyrics are one of the more creative submissions in recent days.

i'm still learning. i don't know much about the black hippie crew or anything. i just know this album came recommended, and i'm still trying to grasp wtf i'm listening to.

overall, proceed with caution. i can't necessarily recommend it because after 2 weeks of listening to it, i'm still not sure i like it. it has some strong moments (there he go, hands on the wheel, sacreligious, gangsta in designer (no concept)) but falls flat, in my opinion in some of the other songs (grooveline in particular irks me). give it a cursory listen, and if you like what you hear, by all means do it. it's like lichen-- it grows over time, in the right circumstance.

quick listen:
there he go
sacreligious
nightmare on figg st
hands on the wheel (ft a$ap rocky)
sexting
gangsta in designer
blessed (ft kendrick lamar)

ok. so this is like half the album. perhaps i like the album more than i thought i did.... fuck it. get it. it's awesome.

don't think i could write a negative review if i tried.

xoxox filthy fucking hipster