Anderson .Paak’s “Ventura” might be his magnum opus

On Sunday night, I lugged a big bag filled with recently-washed clothes into my dorm room. When I fold my laundry, I typically like to open my Spotify account and blast whatever music comes to mind just to break up the monotony of a mundane task. If I can play a new album I’m trying to listen to, then great. If not, that’s also fine.

However, this week, I knew ahead of time that I wanted to listen to Anderson .Paak’s newest album Ventura. Before I delve into the album itself, I must make it known for transparency’s sake that I’m a huge Anderson .Paak fan.

I’ve enjoyed his music since he was releasing loosies on SoundCloud with the likes of José Rios. He’s the only musician I went out of my way to markedly introduce to my previous significant other. His cover art has been my Twitter’s cover picture for over two years now.

Basically, I really like Anderson .Paak.

Based on that premise, I knew that I was going to like Ventura. Or parts of Ventura. Something about Ventura was going to be good. Admittedly, I wasn’t overly impressed with Oxnard last year. It was a fine album, but I expected either a bigger development from Malibu or for .Paak to really consolidate his persona.

Oxnard was caught somewhere in the middle of a progression and a consolidation. It was a very commercial album, which isn’t always bad but didn’t particularly work in this case. It was muddled with features that, as per the commercial drive behind the album, weren’t that effective.

As I started to fold my first couple of clothing items, part of me was worried that Ventura would run into the same problem that Oxnard encountered. Those concerns quickly dissipated as I was met with vibrant beat after vibrant beat and as Anderson .Paak’s melodic voice dripping with charisma poured out of my speakers and curled into my ears.

Ventura is Anderson .Paak at his best. It’s the beachy, R&B-fused, crooning sounds listeners were introduced to in Malibu combined with the impeccable production of Oxnard.

This album is lightning in a bottle–not in the sense of a lucky act being caught, but in that Ventura captures .Paak’s magic in 39 minutes (that feel far too short when dealing with an album of this caliber). His unmistakable magnetism oozes from every song. The features accentuate every song–take André 3000’s runner of a verse on “Come Home”–rather than away from .Paak (see: T, Pusha in “Brother’s Keeper” [a good song with genuine replay value, but one that feels more like Pusha T feat. Anderson Paak rather than the other way around]).

I could go into the specifics of the lyricism or the production values, but I truly feel like Ventura is something every listener has to experience for themselves and draw their own conclusions on. Few albums in 2019 feel like an experience.

After all, how many times have we seen an up-and-comer try to mimic Migos’ trap bangers? How many times have we seen Drake take a look at an unexpected name on the iTunes top 100 charts and CTRL+C, CTRL+V their vernacular? How many times can a SoundCloud rapper use the same Generic_SnareDrums_01.wav before people grow tired of it (apparently not enough)?

Ventura is an experience.

It’s the type of album you want to buy a vinyl of.

It’s the type of album that leaves you wanting more–come back to me at the end of 2019 and give me a better nine minutes and 34 seconds than “Make It Better” and “Reachin’ 2 Much.”

It’s the type of album that made me want to write about music again for the first time in two years.

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Best songs: “Make It Better” // “Reachin’ 2 Much” // “King James” // “Come Home”

Best feature: André 3000

Grade: A+

Listen to Eminem’s new single “Walk on Water” feat. Beyoncé

https://open.spotify.com/album/7FZHS9ztKP0gzQcyx9rsWa

Eminem released his new single titled “Walk on Water” featuring Beyoncé on Friday at noon EST ahead of his next album, Revival.

This is the first collaboration between Em and Bey.

“Walk on Water” was first announced Thursday night through Paul Rosenberg’s Instagram page. Rosenberg is the co-founder of Shady Records, Eminem’s record label.

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A post shared by Paul Rosenberg (@rosenberg)

The campaign for Revival has taken the form of fake drug advertisements. There is even a fake website up for the “REVIVAL” drug, stating that it’s the best cure for Atrox Rithimus.

The website also features Eminem’s characteristic lewd humor, reading, “REVIVAL is a non-injectable medication given through the ear canal, and is not intended for anal use.”

While no release date has been confirmed, Revival is expected to come out in November.

The influence of Queensbridge on hip hop

New York has been crucial in making the hip hop genre more well-known. Queensbridge, in particular, birthed many artists who delivered gems and classics to the game. From DJ Kool Herc and Kurtis Blow in the 80s to Jay Z, Biggie Smalls, and Nas in the 90s, the strong quality of music has been apparent from the start.

Among all the different themes and sounds oozing around New York, Queensbridge stood out for its intricate story-telling. Every bar, verse, and track had the common theme of rhyming about the thug life in the Queensbridge Houses.

Diving more deeply into the scene, the 41st Side (as it is commonly referred to) has shown to be one of the most prolific sectors in New York. The continuous emphasis on lyricism and production is what makes Queensbridge artists who they are. More mainstream rappers like Nas and Mobb Deep have continuously shown those qualities and proudly represented their sector.

When Nas dropped Illmatic in ’94, their credibility grew bigger as the rest of the hip hop fanbase noticed the lyrical skill brewing. Later on in ’95, Mobb Deep carried on that momentum with The Infamous.

In terms of new artists, the Bridge has taken a downfall in recent years as Atlanta-based rappers have taken over with the rise of trap. Prodigy, a hip hop from Queensbridge, passed away in late June, giving the 41st Side some short-tame recognition for the importance they had on the genre.

LISTEN: Flatbush ZOMBiES’ new track “Lava”

Flatbush ZOMBiES released “Lava” on Thursday afternoon at 4:20 p.m. ET.

The track was first announced Wednesday on Twitter.

“Lava” is a Zombie Juice solo track with Erick the Architect on production duties. The third Flatbush ZOMBiES member, Meechy Darko, is not featured. This is the first ZOMBiES release since “Still Palm Trees” with Snoop Dogg earlier this year.

Although this marks the official release of Lava, the Brooklyn group had already played it at prior music festivals. The East Coast hip hoppers rose into mainstream notoriety in 2016 with the release of their first album, 3001: A Laced Odyssey.

You can follow the Underground Flux on Twitter @undergroundflux.

Listen: Lil Wayne’s new mixtape In Tune We Trust

Lil Wayne released his new mixtape In Tune We Trust on Wednesday night through his YouTube channel.

The tape consists of four songs that he had previously teased on Instagram. The most anticipated one is his freestyle over the beat of Playboy Carti’s hit “Magnolia.” In Tune We Trust also includes “Loyalty,” “Fireworks,” and “Mula Gang,” featuring a myriad of other artists.

Wayne experienced somewhat of a career resurgence earlier this year with his appearance on DJ Khaled’s “I’m the One.”

The Louisiana native presumably has a number of other projects coming out this year, most notably Tha Carter V and Dedication 6.

K Camp Remixes SZA’s “The Weekend” To Profess His Feelings

Hey @sza this one for you. https://t.co/ASKTCzC8Hy

— RARE (@kcamp) July 3, 2017

TDE singer SZA is currently one of the baddest chicks in the game. This beauty has caught the attention of many other artists, one of those being K Camp. On the remix titled “Weekend (Wayy Freestyle),” the Atlanta rapper holds back nothing on expressing his intentions.

Can I see the pussy in 3D?
Shawty whatchu doin’ on the weekend?
You the realest bitch breathin’
[…]
Please tell SZA she can come and see me
ya know I got “Love Galore” on repeat

One day after the remix’s release, SZA took the time to acknowledge the effort and reply to K Camp via Twitter.

Ayyyyeee smoooove ✨✨🌹 https://t.co/XGDprk07V0

— SZA (@sza) July 3, 2017

Additionally, the lines in the very beginning of the song: “Make up your mind baby / You don’t wanna fuck with me for whatever reason, okay that’s fine baby” suggest that a previous encounter has already taken place.

The exchange ends there, but for all updates on K Camp, SZA, and all your favorite artists, stay updated to the Underground Flux.

Listen: Joey Bada$$ releases three new songs

Joey Bada$$ released three new songs on Wednesday morning via the Pro Era Radio SoundCloud page.

The three new tracks are called “500 Benz,” “Love Is Only A Feeling,” and “Too Lit.” Bada$$ had first teased new music on Tuesday night in a now-deleted tweet.

The Brooklyn-born rapper previously released ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$, an early contender for album of the year, in April. The aura of these three new songs is a lot mellower compared to the aggressive tones of AABA.

Song of the Day: July 1, 2017

Birds chirping: the first noise we hear from Lance Skiiiwalker’s debut album, Introverted Intuition.

“Forbidden Fruit” kicks off an extremely intricate piece of work from TDE’s newest prospect. While his unique sound makes him stand out from all the other names in today’s hip hop industry, his conceptual music matches well with TDE. After listening to his first album, and especially “Forbidden Fruit,” it is definitely certain he belongs there.

The song itself is a trip; a roller coaster of different sounds and energies. It starts off with a smooth, but odd melody behind Lance’s deep autotuned vocals. The reason I say it is odd is because it feels like you’re listening to a movie soundtrack, not another hip hop/blues song.

The first few verses are slow and moody. Skiiiwalker tells the story of a lady who is wildly into him. It is so much that she’s willing to go through the dangers of his life just to be along his side. This sets up the perfect metaphor to the Bible story of Adam and Eve.

She took the apple, from the tree
To be with me, whoa darlin’

Right after those verses and the chorus, “Forbidden Fruit” takes a complete different turn when an insane beat (produced by TDE’s very own Sounwave) drops in. It sounded absolutely amazing, and it left the listener astonished at the level of Skiiiwalker’s ability.

As a whole, “Forbidden Fruit” proved to be the perfect intro to the artist’s debut album. It set up the rest of the songs’ vibration extremely well and made the listener eager for more.

For all updates on Lance Skiiiwalker, the rest of TDE, and all your favorite hip hop artists stay updated to the Underground Flux.

Listen here:

Watch: Tyler, the Creator’s “Dat Boy” feat. ASAP Rocky

Tyler, the Creator released the music video for his new track “Dat Boy” featuring ASAP Rocky on Thursday afternoon.

After posting teasers on his personal Twitter page for a week, Tyler unleashed his new creation on his fanbase. “Dat Boy” features A$AP Worldwide’s A$AP Rocky, who has previously collaborated with Tyler.

It remains to be seen whether “Dat Boy” is part of a bigger project. Stay tuned to the Underground Flux for more.

WATCH: Kendrick Releases Music Video For “ELEMENT.”

Following April’s release for the video of “DNA.” Kendrick puts out another clip for DAMN‘s fourth track, “ELEMENT.”

“Amazingly well-produced” is the first thing that comes up to the viewer’s mind as soon as the video hits the first minute mark. Similar to the clip for “HUMBLE.”, Kendrick and the director noticeably put great effort into the visuals. The outcome was astonishing, and the entire thing is a gem because of its flawless production.

For Kendrick stans, the music clip is a blessing and the scenes captured throughout the video are undoubtedly worth a watch. Another great factor about it is how Lamar’s lyrics often capture the shot on the video. For example, when he is speaking on racism, a black man covered in blood is shown in a dramatic manner. Other times, when he’s rapping about gang violence, a scene of him and his homies running up on somebody else is played.

The outcome certainly kept up with the high standards for K-Dot music clips, and at this pace, we should be getting more of them soon.

For any other news regarding Kendrick Lamar and your favorite hip hop artits, stay tuned to the Underground Flux.

Song of the Day: June 14, 2017

Viral Childish Gambino hit “Redbone” gets remixed by Wiz Khalifa into “Stay Stoned.”

Aside from being known as the perfect song to make out to, listening to “Redbone” instantly causes a natural high, which is why a remix about smoking weed would fit flawlessly.

Unlike most others, what makes the remix special is not the lyricism or the chorus. Instead, it’s merely Wiz’s appearance as a whole. Just him being in the track and kicking rhymes about weed is what makes it feel even better.

You gotta smoke one to this
If you don’t it’s cool
But if you do…
You’re way cooler

He also manages to keep the track’s mellow essence while flowing into a different topic, which is amazing. It’s common to hear rappers ruining tracks by going into completely different routes in their remixes, and Wiz does the exact opposite. When he adds his own flavor about being high, the track gets another element while keeping its original vibe.

Song of the Day: June 13, 2017

Kanye West goes back to his 808s & Heartbreak style to dedicate a love ballad to Kim Kardashian in “Awesome.”

“Awesome” is unlikely to ever be released, but it’s always a treat to hear an unreleased track, even if it’s just to see unfinished products or songs that didn’t make the final product.

Set to a calm piano melody, Yeezy goes all out in proclaiming his love for his spouse, Kim Kardashian. He talks about how any new texts from her are unnecessary, as he spends his time reading their old conversations. She’s awesome and he’s making sure she knows it.

Stop everything you’re doing now
Cause baby, you’re awesome
So awesome

Kanye doesn’t want Kim to be worried about anything else, be it work or reputation. He deems his love “out of the park,” “after dark,” and “sleepless nights,” which are all emotions he feels when thinking about her.

While West’s lyricism is fairly basic in “Awesome,” as it’s not meant to be anything but a ballad, there are still a few instances of clever wordplay (“You’re so freakin’ tight / I know you must be tired” / “Can I come inside?”). They’re mostly sexual innuendos, but show how much he is attracted to her.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Kanye song without some self-loving. Although she’s awesome, he’s also awesome. This abrupt pat on the back is amusing given the nature of the song up to that point, as well as the fact that Kanye can’t resist giving himself some love as well.

Cause baby I’m awesome, also
I’m also awesome, also
I’m also awesome, y’all know

“Awesome” is still raw and doesn’t fit in with the theme of Kanye’s recent projects, making it clear why it hasn’t been released to the public in an official capacity. However, it’s another glimpse at Kanye’s versatility and a recommendable listen for those who enjoyed the heavily autotuned style of 808s & Heartbreak.