Good Kid, Cole World

2 things first:

1. This is not a blog post about Kendrick Lamar's Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City. To me it is a huge album. Maybe it is even the best of this year besides Coexist, but since everybody and your mother already wrote about it, the internet doesn't need another article bragging about how great this thing REALLY is. For a random review go to one of your favorite DJ's favorite blogs; I mostly agree with mighty Pitchfork's version.

2. I will write this article in my lousy pidgin english, because I think that it could matter to people beyond the German speaking borders. Dear grammar nazis, if you find any mistakes you can keep them!

1 week ago, Jermaine Cole released a trailer in order to announce his sophomore album "Born Sinner". (Why do albums have trailers anyways? Probably Yeezy taught 'em...) It will see the light of day on january 28.  After the usual label braggadocio I'm sure that it will be released somewhere in spring 2013.
1 day ago, the very same guy released the first single called "Miss America" through iTunes. This was the kick off to the usual promotion madness of nowadays releases.



My "elaborated" opinion was even to be heard in the song lyrics:

"...and they'll never play this shit on the radio."

 ...Dude, if you have recognized the problem already by yourself:

Sure one could argue, that he never aimed for radio google airplay with this track. ("Google is the most powerful force in music nowadays, not radio.") He probably did this record for the rap music heads who care more about lyrics and song concepts than about the next David Guetta smash hit. I'm with you! But to praise it as such a great event (you know? Trailers and stuff?) and release it as a first promotional life sign for your album...strange marketing.
With the stuff this guy has on his harddrive, he could easily take the (desperate?) A$AP Rocky route; at least feature wise: There must must be more results from the 2011 tour overseas with Drake, than the (quite nice) "In the Morning" track. AND he is frequently working together with Kendrick.
3 weeks ago, this guy released Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City, under surveillance of Dr. Dre, which propelled him to long avaited and well deserved stardom: 241K of first week sales, 2nd best first week sales in the rap category in 2012 (thank you, Nas), number two on the billboard 100 (thank you, Taylor) and magazine covers, magazine covers, magazine covers.
2 weeks ago, Kendrick threw some mean verses over a J.Cole production and called the outcome "The Jig is up", probably to thank his fans for the support:


Quite radio unfriendly as well, but the whole artistic potential of this song is a different one.
Which led me to a quite obvious idea:
2 years ago, Kendrick and Jermaine found out about their collaborative chemistry and made up plans to release a full length project together. During an in-store signing event in CA, Kendrick presented 2 rough versions of songs for their collabo project:
Temptation @ min4.38
Shock the World @ min7.10

After that video emerged, the internet went crazy (of course), but concerning the project, there didn't happen anything at all, until...
5½ months ago, not only Jermaine confirmed being back in the studio with Kendrick and working on the project again, but also pictures of the studio sessions emerged. Back then, they had "4 or 5 songs together".

Back then they decided not to rush that whole project and to make Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City top priority.
Today, this album, close to completion, must be somewhere on Cole's harddrive, patiently waiting to see the light of day...

To state the obvious:
Don't you guys think that releasing it now would be the optimal timing? I mean, Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City blew up, just as expected, and with Born Sinner, Cole got his second album in the pipe line. Currently the guys at Dreamville/Rocnation are half-assing the promo run with this mediocre "Miss America". This Kendrick/Cole collabo album at this point of time could help both artists: Kendrick Lamar to cement his status in the game and J.Cole to promote his sophomore properly! Even money wise it would make much sense: Interscope decided to let Kendrick be Kendrick on his major debut, and people thanked the label with huge sales. Don't you think that the very same people (me included) would be willing to pay good money for that Kendrick/Cole project?
Just take the same route, you took with Section.80/Habits&Contradictions/Control System, and release that project via iTunes. 
Santa Claus and everybody who cares about real music would appreciate this.
Dear Kendrick Lamar and dear J. Cole, could you please shock the world?

The Lost Tapes: Cruel Summer

2 Entwürfe, 0 Posts, 10+ Konzerte...gar keine so schlechte Quote für einen nebenberuflichen (Möchtegern-) Blogger Konzertgänger. Ich weiß gar nicht, ob die 2012(jährige) Abstinenz vom bloggen mit dem Skrillexkoolsavasdieorsonsmarsimotokraftklubtotallyenormousextinctdinosaursdrakesantigoldtheophiluslondonjayzkanyewestmacmillerthexx Live-Wahnsinn zusammenhängt, aber Gründe zu schreiben hätte es jedenfalls genug gegeben. Wie dem auch sei, ich bin jetzt à la Staiger wieder back am Blog. 

Da Def Jam ja eisern durchgehalten hat so zu tun, als ob die GOOD Music Compilation "Cruel Summer" erst heute erscheint, hier der Versuch einer Review:

Heute ist also höchstoffiziell der große Wurf von Kanye Wests GOOD Music Donda West Thinktank veröffentlicht worden. Es wurde (natürlich) komplett anders als erwartet...

Ab dem 17.12.11 war ich angefixt:

(ab Min. 5.43, to be exactly...)

Es hat sich angefühlt, wie die Promophase zu My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy:

Ein Haufen talentierter Musiker, die aus Bock zur Musik Musik machen...dieses Mal inklusive James Blake und Mannie Fresh (UND Q-Tip UND Mos Def)!

Letztendlich übrig geblieben ist davon nullkommagarnix. 

Kein Mr. Hudson, kein Q-Tip, kein Mos Def, kein Hit-Boy am Mikrofon und James Blake und Mannie Fresh sowieso nicht.

Und 5/12 des Album laufen schon seit Monaten auf Dauerschleife.

Cruel Summer ist alles andere als schlecht geworden und dies ist vielleicht meckern auf hohem Niveau. Wo man von Kanye West allerdings seit 5 ½ Alben unvorhersehbare Geistesblitze erwartet, ist dieser Wurf ziemlich vorhersehbar ausgefallen. Bei seinen Soloalben hatte ich zwar auch ein Problem damit, dass man einen Großteil der Tracks bereits aus unfertigen Leakversionen kannte. Allerdings haben diese sich dann im Albumkontext überraschend erfrischend in das Gesamtkunstwerk eingefügt. Die Albumversion von "Devil in a New Dress" ist so ein Beispiel. 

Songs wie "Creepers" oder "To the World" sind für sich genommen Hits, die bleiben werden wie "Gold Digger" oder "Stronger". Allerdings fehlt der rote Faden in Cruel Summer völlig. Auf dem Papier existieren die Überraschungsmomente:

• Hudson Mohawke an den Reglern 
• Ghostface auf seinem eigenen Sample

In der Realität hört man den TNGHT Mohawke allerdings nirgendwo raus, und dass Ghostface als Externer  den besten Part auf dem gesamten Album hat spricht auch irgendwie für sich.

Wo sind Tracks wie 

,

  oder , 

auf die der gemeine Kanye-Stan eigentlich sehnsüchtigst gewartet hat?!

Mehr Q-Tip, Jay Electronica, Mos Def und Mister Hudson,

weniger 2Chainz, Chief Keef, Dj Khaled und Ma$e.

Nichts desto trotz werde ich mich weiterhin versuchen in die CD reinzuhören und sollten die besagten Dinger auf der Deluxe Version auftauchen, lohnt es sich Cruel Summer auch auf Vinyl in den Schrank zu stellen. Die Kanye West Sammlung will schließlich komplett gehalten werden. 

Perfect Show! Flawless victory! 

...bis dahin bin ich aber eher:

P.S.: UND bis dahin: GOOD Fridays Collection > Cruel Summer.