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Results for Compton

specials

Revisiting 1991

1991

Though it seems like just yesterday for many, it's been 25 years since 1991. Along with 1964, '67 and '76, 1991 was a landmark year for music. You can hear its influence everywhere from neo-grunge band Bully to Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar. While Bryan Adams and Garth Brooks topped the charts, there are even more musicians that made groundbreaking strides back in '91. For Jim and Greg, 1991 was all about:

  • Nirvana and the birth of grunge
  • My Bloody Valentine and the growth of shoegaze
  • Lollapalooza and the rise of the Alternative Nation
  • N.W.A. and the reign of gangsta rap
  • Massive Attack and the birth of trip-hop
Go to episode 538
reviews
good kid, m.A.A.d cityGood Kid, M.A.A.D. City available on iTunes

Kendrick Lamar Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City

At 25, Kendrick Lamaris shouldering some pretty heavy expectations for his major label debut, Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City. The Compton rapper caught the attention of Dr. Dre and rap tastemakers with his independent debut Section.80. Does Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City live up to all the hype? Jim acknowledges Kendrick's skill as a lyricist - he says his rhymes are almost novelistic - and he understands he is taking on characters in his songs. However he's troubled by the gangsta clichés. No amount of self-awareness, Jim says, makes it OK to indulge in 50 Cent-style misogyny. Jim gives Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City a Trash It rating. Greg couldn‘t disagree more. He thinks Lamar has yet to meet the rap cliché he couldn’t upend. Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City is wrestling with Compton's legacy in a way that eludes sound bites and lyrics-quoting. Greg says it's a Buy It record that requires close listening.

JimGreg
Go to episode 362
untitled unmastered.untitled unmastered. available on iTunes

Kendrick Lamar untitled unmastered.

Last year, Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar released the groundbreaking album To Pimp a Butterfly. Both fans and critics enjoyed the record, and it earned him numerous Grammy awards just a few weeks ago. Now he's back with untitled unmastered., his new album full of“leftover”tracks from Butterfly. To Greg, the polished songs hardly seemed like leftovers. He admires Lamar's fusion of different musical styles and poignant lyrics and says Buy It. Jim is also enthusiastic. While contemporaries Kanye West and Drake have also recently released“unfinished”material, this is a bigger achievement.“Short, but sweet”and a double Buy It.

JimGreg
Go to episode 537
ComptonCompton available on iTunes

Dr. Dre Compton

Dr. Dre's Compton is the hip hop legend's first album since 1999, released as a companion to Straight Outta Compton, the new biopic of his former group N.W.A. Dre has been one of the most influential figures in hip hop, equally due to his own albums, his production work for artists like Snoop Dogg, and his history of grooming new talent like Eminem and Kendrick Lamar. Jim always thought Dre was overrated as a producer and is disgusted by the misogny in much of Compton's lyrics, which takes away from some of the more interesting political tracks. For Jim, it's a clear Trash It. Greg, on the other hand, praises Dre's production work, noting that by collaborating with younger producers King Mez and Justus he is reentering the conversation as a relevant figure. But Greg agrees that some of the lyrical content is stomach churning. Still, there are enough brilliant tracks to earn it a Try It rating.

JimGreg
Go to episode 508
Anderson

Anderson .Paak Oxnard

Singer, rapper, and drummer Anderson .Paak stole the hearts of critics and fans alike with his debut solo album, Malibu, in 2016. But, Greg argues that his half dozen features on Dr. Dre's 2015 album Compton initially put .Paak on the map for many listeners. Dr. Dre returns the favor here, producing Oxnard: Anderson's ode to his hometown of Oxnard, California. Both Greg and Jim agree that the production shines here, and Jim is happy that the sound returns to the groovy, old-school roots of West Coast G-Funk. He thinks the album has a "wonderful, sunny vibe"; but, Oxnard is ulimately“a letdown.”According to Jim, tracks like "6 Summers" sum up“everything that's wrong with the record.”He laments that lyrically, .Paak has“nothing to say”and can‘t decide whether he wants to be a“mack daddy”or“woke.”Greg complicates that idea, noting that the conflictedness of the album reflects .Paak’s upbringing: he was raised in church in a community surrounded by a darker street element. They both agree that the record loses steam by the end, and that it's propped up by big-name cameos from rappers like Kendrick Lamar and Q-Tip. Greg adds that .Paak is a better artist than that and should be making records that don't need those kind of crutches."

JimGreg
Go to episode 679
dijs

Jim

“The Oogum Boogum Song”Brenton Wood

It was movie night recently in Jim's“Critiquing the Arts”class at Columbia College. He and his students sat down to watch Almost Famous - still the only feature film he knows about rock criticism. The film's opening number "The Oogum Boogum Song" blew his students away, so this week Jim pays homage to this hidden gem with his Desert Island Jukebox pick.“The Oogum Boogum Song”is the work of R&Bsinger Brenton Wood, a Compton native and fan of Sam Cooke who narrowly avoided being a one hit wonder with his other hit, "Gimme Little Sign." Jim puts“The Oogum Boogum Song”alongside other nonsense rock classics like "MMMBop" and "Tutti Frutti."

Go to episode 363