Young Money Entertainment
4.0 out of 5
Demevolist
2.5
4.0 out of 5
Demevolist
2.5
XXL calls them the '09 Freshmen. The internets calls them "revolutionary (nhjic)", and the hood seems to think that they're straight up gay.
It's clear to all, however, that artists like Kid Cudi, Blu, Mickey Factz, or Charles Hamilton (Drake is only unofficially in this group), represent a drastic change of direction, a veritable tipping point of hip-hop. Imagine Asher Roth trying to break into the game ten, five, even two years ago.
The new direction, however, is somewhat unclear. Common themes abound--heavy use of the internets (whatchu know 'bout A.T.G.), among others, but significant questions exist in the important areas. As much as the semi-concurrent release of Drake's So Far Gone and Charles Hamilton's Well Isn't This Awkward (WITA) clarifies the themes that tie the new generation of hip-hop together, it also presents an opportunity to identify divergent traits which may persist throughout the '09 Freshmen, in the areas of: subject matter, raps and beats.
The commonalities between the two artists reflect their status as vanguard artists in what critics call "hipster rap." First, both are more suburban than street. "Drake" Graham is known to the general public for playing the only disabled character on the Canadian "90210", "Degrassi." Charles Hamilton lists among his influences Marilyn Manson and Korn.
Second, both indicate a strong commitment to artistry, in stark contrast to the materialism of the mainstream. Charles Hamilton has released 24 mixtapes to-date, and includes his own piano composition on WITA. Drake, an actor, singer and rapper, has already risen beyond the ranks of his original Toronto, Ontario imprint (October's Own) to work with artists like Lil' Wayne, Bun-B and even Dr. Dre. Thirdly, their fame has grown not by drops on albums but by internet hype, which theoretically gives artists the ability to remain relatively independent, free from the dictates of A&R's as well as the heavy-handed advice of label-mates. To put the revolutionary nature of these three things in perspective, try to imagine a Canadian actor, famous for playing the disabled guy on a teen drama, getting signed to Bad Boy circa 1995 (Is Brooklyn in the houuuseeee?!).
The differences between the two are most striking in their choice of primary subject matter. Both rappers address much of their mixtapes to the rather hipster theme of love, but while for Hamilton it is a primary topic, Drake separates the love songs from the rap songs. Hamilton states the theme of his mixtape as the paranormal love story between a homeless musical drifter and a wealthy, well-to-do socialite, but for all intents and purposes this is all bullshit.
Ultimately, the work is about Charles Hamilton's documented crush on Rihanna, as tracks called "Re-Anna" indicate. This is, of course, a well-known Hamilton fact, but it lends some method to the madness that is WITA.
So Far Gone, by contrast, deals with far more aggressive subject matter than WITA. On tracks like "Successful," the mixtape asks the somewhat stock question of whether the trappings of success are worth the effort. "Ignant Shit," "Let's Call It Off," "A Night Off" all support this theme. Yet the real subject of So Far Gone is almost corny: it's about the journey, for Drake. "Lust For Life," the first track, indicates this subdued theme, and "The Calm" makes it clear that Drake, who describes himself as "born-to-entertain," is content with his efforts, even though "All my first dates are interrupted by my fame."
The second significant difference between the two artists is found in the means they utilize to advance their messages. Hamilton spends much of his time treading the line between talking and rapping, seen clearly on songs like "Romantic Vents," "Neverland" and "Re-Anna." Drake, on the other hand, is a double threat in the more conventional sense, and showcases his (somewhat auto-tuned) singing ability on tracks like "Houstatlantavegas," "Bria's Interlude" and "Brand New." As any Hamilton stan would tell you, the sing-song talk-raps Hamilton deploys can be very effective delivering his message, especially over a frantic sampling style. "Romantic Vents" is a prime example, where he blurs the line between chorus and verse, progressing seamlessly from Rihanna-inspired raps to Rihanna-inspired melodies, all fitting seamlessly over a beat made from, you guessed it, a sped-up and drummed-up Rihanna song ("Say It"). "Psycho Bitch," which features a "I'm sorry Rihanna" vocal echo during the final fade, also illuminates this odd, stilted style, before breaking into fast-paced syllabic rhymes reminiscent of some kind of bizzaro-Eminem, who is deeply in love with Kim and wants to let her know in his raps. Hamilton's odd duck flows don't always work, however, and many songs would be better off if he just spit normal raps, a few less what-the-fuck raps.
This in-between style is contrasted with Drake's more conventional separation of R&B verses and rap verses. Drake combines the thoughtfulness of his message with a threatening sort of boasting, on tracks like "Ignant Shit" and "Unstoppable." Drake, either as a product or a cause of his association with Cash Money, even goes so far as to portray his untimely death as a constant threat: "Any award show or party I'll get fly for it/I know it's coming I just hope that I'm alive for it" (from a killer verse off "Successful").
Tracks like "Unstoppable," "Uptown," and "Ignant Shit," all of which are held together by sick Drake raps, clarify his style. He seems more comfortable with long distances between rhyming words than fast, Kane-esque structures, relying on the matching rhythms of his lines to hold a listener until the rhyme. Although this hungriness and ability is manifested in his R&B tracks as well, the auto-tuned melodies are much less listenable, and after only a few spins start to sound rather tedious. In this, Drake is a sort of backwards Kid Cudi: both are able to both rap and sing, but with Drake it is his rapping rather than his singing that really holds down the music. Ultimately, Drake sings hard and raps harder, but the technical skill combined with the thoughtful message creates a refreshing and talented rapper unconfined within clichés.
The last significant difference between the two artists lies in their beat selection. The beats they pick reflect their differing plans for their respective albums: Drake wants success, while Hamilton wants to creep out Rihanna. Hamilton pursues his goal by creating nearly all of his beats out of Rihanna tracks. Some are easily identifiable: "In Case I Actually Get Her" is a cut from "P.S. I'm Still Not Over You," and "Romantic Vents" is made from "Say It." Others however, just sound like her: "You Too" must be a Rihanna sample, "Neverland" probably, "Re-Anna" almost definitely. With respect to his production, Hamilton lets the sample do most of the work. All these songs (except for "Scorpion," a Saadiq sample) are simple cuts from Rihanna tracks, sometimes tempo or pitch altered, looped and augmented with well-sequenced drums. As a result, the beats have a tendency--like Hamilton's raps--to become rather tedious after only a few spins.
Drake's beats are a who's-who of the developing international hipster scene, seen through the neo-soul lens of his melodic aspirations. The hipster aspect, which I define as anything that could be on 808's and Heartbreak, is seen in tracks like "Unstoppable," a Santigold track, "Little Bit" by Lykke Li (Swedish), and "Let's Call It Off," by Peter Bjorn and John (also Swedish).
I envision Birdman sitting behind a desk, coldly calculating which hipster tracks will get Drake the most hipster love; "how can I cash in on this shit," he blankly ponders.
Augmenting this, however, is Drake's neo-soul influence, seen in electric piano chordal loops on "Lust for Life and "A Night Off", as well as more conventional R&B tracks like "Bria's Interlude" and "Houstatlantavegas." In the end, the sparse beats and clear, direct melodies of Chicago's '08, tight jeans suburban scene boom sync well with the R&B flavor, supplementing Drake's verses with bold, new textures.
It would be easy to characterize Hamilton and Drake as the worst and best ways to look at the internet, respectively. Hamilton likely nurtures his celebrity crush through TMZ.com, creates simple and over-looped security blankies via his pirated copy of Fruity Loops and, in his refusal to spit a full verse of real raps, resembles that guy who keeps posting "FIRST!!1!" even after everyone tells him it's dumb. Drake finds little of substance in the average NahRight.com track, uses international and multi-cultural influences to create his beats, and, in his refusal to stick to one genre, resembles the innovative approaches to well-established business models displayed in viral marketing, or Wikipedia. I get the feeling, however, that this is one of those "different strokes for different folks" situations. Indie fans who dabble with rap, your place is with Mr. Hamilton. For the rest of us rap motherfuckers, Drake is one more reason why hip-hop won't ever die until it stops evolving.
- Cass Luskin
It's clear to all, however, that artists like Kid Cudi, Blu, Mickey Factz, or Charles Hamilton (Drake is only unofficially in this group), represent a drastic change of direction, a veritable tipping point of hip-hop. Imagine Asher Roth trying to break into the game ten, five, even two years ago.
The new direction, however, is somewhat unclear. Common themes abound--heavy use of the internets (whatchu know 'bout A.T.G.), among others, but significant questions exist in the important areas. As much as the semi-concurrent release of Drake's So Far Gone and Charles Hamilton's Well Isn't This Awkward (WITA) clarifies the themes that tie the new generation of hip-hop together, it also presents an opportunity to identify divergent traits which may persist throughout the '09 Freshmen, in the areas of: subject matter, raps and beats.
The commonalities between the two artists reflect their status as vanguard artists in what critics call "hipster rap." First, both are more suburban than street. "Drake" Graham is known to the general public for playing the only disabled character on the Canadian "90210", "Degrassi." Charles Hamilton lists among his influences Marilyn Manson and Korn.
Second, both indicate a strong commitment to artistry, in stark contrast to the materialism of the mainstream. Charles Hamilton has released 24 mixtapes to-date, and includes his own piano composition on WITA. Drake, an actor, singer and rapper, has already risen beyond the ranks of his original Toronto, Ontario imprint (October's Own) to work with artists like Lil' Wayne, Bun-B and even Dr. Dre. Thirdly, their fame has grown not by drops on albums but by internet hype, which theoretically gives artists the ability to remain relatively independent, free from the dictates of A&R's as well as the heavy-handed advice of label-mates. To put the revolutionary nature of these three things in perspective, try to imagine a Canadian actor, famous for playing the disabled guy on a teen drama, getting signed to Bad Boy circa 1995 (Is Brooklyn in the houuuseeee?!).
The differences between the two are most striking in their choice of primary subject matter. Both rappers address much of their mixtapes to the rather hipster theme of love, but while for Hamilton it is a primary topic, Drake separates the love songs from the rap songs. Hamilton states the theme of his mixtape as the paranormal love story between a homeless musical drifter and a wealthy, well-to-do socialite, but for all intents and purposes this is all bullshit.
Ultimately, the work is about Charles Hamilton's documented crush on Rihanna, as tracks called "Re-Anna" indicate. This is, of course, a well-known Hamilton fact, but it lends some method to the madness that is WITA.
So Far Gone, by contrast, deals with far more aggressive subject matter than WITA. On tracks like "Successful," the mixtape asks the somewhat stock question of whether the trappings of success are worth the effort. "Ignant Shit," "Let's Call It Off," "A Night Off" all support this theme. Yet the real subject of So Far Gone is almost corny: it's about the journey, for Drake. "Lust For Life," the first track, indicates this subdued theme, and "The Calm" makes it clear that Drake, who describes himself as "born-to-entertain," is content with his efforts, even though "All my first dates are interrupted by my fame."
The second significant difference between the two artists is found in the means they utilize to advance their messages. Hamilton spends much of his time treading the line between talking and rapping, seen clearly on songs like "Romantic Vents," "Neverland" and "Re-Anna." Drake, on the other hand, is a double threat in the more conventional sense, and showcases his (somewhat auto-tuned) singing ability on tracks like "Houstatlantavegas," "Bria's Interlude" and "Brand New." As any Hamilton stan would tell you, the sing-song talk-raps Hamilton deploys can be very effective delivering his message, especially over a frantic sampling style. "Romantic Vents" is a prime example, where he blurs the line between chorus and verse, progressing seamlessly from Rihanna-inspired raps to Rihanna-inspired melodies, all fitting seamlessly over a beat made from, you guessed it, a sped-up and drummed-up Rihanna song ("Say It"). "Psycho Bitch," which features a "I'm sorry Rihanna" vocal echo during the final fade, also illuminates this odd, stilted style, before breaking into fast-paced syllabic rhymes reminiscent of some kind of bizzaro-Eminem, who is deeply in love with Kim and wants to let her know in his raps. Hamilton's odd duck flows don't always work, however, and many songs would be better off if he just spit normal raps, a few less what-the-fuck raps.
This in-between style is contrasted with Drake's more conventional separation of R&B verses and rap verses. Drake combines the thoughtfulness of his message with a threatening sort of boasting, on tracks like "Ignant Shit" and "Unstoppable." Drake, either as a product or a cause of his association with Cash Money, even goes so far as to portray his untimely death as a constant threat: "Any award show or party I'll get fly for it/I know it's coming I just hope that I'm alive for it" (from a killer verse off "Successful").
Tracks like "Unstoppable," "Uptown," and "Ignant Shit," all of which are held together by sick Drake raps, clarify his style. He seems more comfortable with long distances between rhyming words than fast, Kane-esque structures, relying on the matching rhythms of his lines to hold a listener until the rhyme. Although this hungriness and ability is manifested in his R&B tracks as well, the auto-tuned melodies are much less listenable, and after only a few spins start to sound rather tedious. In this, Drake is a sort of backwards Kid Cudi: both are able to both rap and sing, but with Drake it is his rapping rather than his singing that really holds down the music. Ultimately, Drake sings hard and raps harder, but the technical skill combined with the thoughtful message creates a refreshing and talented rapper unconfined within clichés.
The last significant difference between the two artists lies in their beat selection. The beats they pick reflect their differing plans for their respective albums: Drake wants success, while Hamilton wants to creep out Rihanna. Hamilton pursues his goal by creating nearly all of his beats out of Rihanna tracks. Some are easily identifiable: "In Case I Actually Get Her" is a cut from "P.S. I'm Still Not Over You," and "Romantic Vents" is made from "Say It." Others however, just sound like her: "You Too" must be a Rihanna sample, "Neverland" probably, "Re-Anna" almost definitely. With respect to his production, Hamilton lets the sample do most of the work. All these songs (except for "Scorpion," a Saadiq sample) are simple cuts from Rihanna tracks, sometimes tempo or pitch altered, looped and augmented with well-sequenced drums. As a result, the beats have a tendency--like Hamilton's raps--to become rather tedious after only a few spins.
Drake's beats are a who's-who of the developing international hipster scene, seen through the neo-soul lens of his melodic aspirations. The hipster aspect, which I define as anything that could be on 808's and Heartbreak, is seen in tracks like "Unstoppable," a Santigold track, "Little Bit" by Lykke Li (Swedish), and "Let's Call It Off," by Peter Bjorn and John (also Swedish).
I envision Birdman sitting behind a desk, coldly calculating which hipster tracks will get Drake the most hipster love; "how can I cash in on this shit," he blankly ponders.
Augmenting this, however, is Drake's neo-soul influence, seen in electric piano chordal loops on "Lust for Life and "A Night Off", as well as more conventional R&B tracks like "Bria's Interlude" and "Houstatlantavegas." In the end, the sparse beats and clear, direct melodies of Chicago's '08, tight jeans suburban scene boom sync well with the R&B flavor, supplementing Drake's verses with bold, new textures.
It would be easy to characterize Hamilton and Drake as the worst and best ways to look at the internet, respectively. Hamilton likely nurtures his celebrity crush through TMZ.com, creates simple and over-looped security blankies via his pirated copy of Fruity Loops and, in his refusal to spit a full verse of real raps, resembles that guy who keeps posting "FIRST!!1!" even after everyone tells him it's dumb. Drake finds little of substance in the average NahRight.com track, uses international and multi-cultural influences to create his beats, and, in his refusal to stick to one genre, resembles the innovative approaches to well-established business models displayed in viral marketing, or Wikipedia. I get the feeling, however, that this is one of those "different strokes for different folks" situations. Indie fans who dabble with rap, your place is with Mr. Hamilton. For the rest of us rap motherfuckers, Drake is one more reason why hip-hop won't ever die until it stops evolving.
- Cass Luskin
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