Kevin Abstract’s: Arizona Baby Album review

Coming into this album, none of us here at Blonded knew what to expect from the 22-year-old American rapper “Kevin Abstract.” American Boyfriend was a great project for someone so young but our expectations were a little wobbly for this next album. A lot of us didn’t know if he could top his last solo project, but boy were we wrong. Brockhampton is one our favorite modern rap groups of this time so we were excited but didn’t want keep our hopes up too high. As you can tell, our hopes were rightfully seen through with this album about the rapper’s growing life in Arizona and coming of age story within this album. Kevin goes hard on most of these tracks with meaningful verses about his life and also provides us his melodic voice as well as rhymes and hot takes over some tracks as well. He’s stated before that OFWGKTA and it’s mastermind, Tyler The Creator have been a heavy inspiration for him in his music and it can clearly be seen in these tracks which makes this album stand out so much more than your average indie rappers new albums coming out today. Every song in this album is different which shows his creative ability and genius when it comes to producing music. You can tell Kevin wasn’t chained back by anything when creating this album and it reminds me of how diverse and controversial Tyler’s album Flower boy was and the story that came along with producing that album. Not a single song in Arizona Baby is repetitive and the sound design is remarkable. You can tell how much work Kevin put in to make this album happen and this goes to show really no matter how young he may be, his effort shows that he can produce great music that’ll be remembered for the rest of time. This makes all of us here at Blonded very excited for the next project that Brockhampton produces.

Favorite songs: “Baby Boy”, “Peach”, “Boyer”

Album Rating: 8.6/10

Some Fun facts about Kevin, his actual name is Clifford Ian Simpson, he is rapper, singer-songwriter, director, and he actually live streamed himself on a treadmill for 10 hours straight. If that ain’t “abstract” we don’t know what is.

Lil Dicky’s:“Earth” Current Music Events

On April 18, 2019 Lil Dicky released a very controversial but heavily inspiring single titled “Earth” to celebrate the modern environmental movement birthed on April 22, 1970 called: Earth Day. While Lil Dicky is a rapper who is known for his many gags and entertainment stunts, this song was created to promote a message in that we need to be more environmentally friendly or else our planet will suffer the consequences of pollution and all other forms of well, extinction. Lil Dicky states how our planet will be uninhabitable if we don’t change the way we act within 12 years. Instead of just being a boring PSA about global warming, Lil Dicky ingeniously reached out to 25 popular artists and actors to be featured in this song as well as Leonardo DiCaprio and his foundation sponsoring the protection and well being of all Earth’s inhabitants. From the likes of Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Adam Levine, and even Kevin Hart this song was bound to be an instant hit. It has only been one week since the music video has premiered and it has already gained over 44 million views and continues to grow day by day. The music video was also animated to look like a Pixar animation which could be pretty misleading to little children on YouTube who might happen to stumble across this video. The lyrics are definitely not fitting for a younger audience but in the end, it does provide a good message, albeit very raunchy. Were not going to lie here at Blonded but, a lot of us here didn’t really listen to Lil Dicky all that much for he seemed to be extremely full of himself in all of his music videos and recorded performances. He obviously doesn’t take the rap game too seriously but rather focuses more on his risque and comedic take on music which is definitely respectable but not what most of us here look for in music. Though, after seeing his newest single, most of us here have changed our opinions on him. We all fully appreciate the message he is trying to send to his fans and everybody about our world. His version of satire isn’t the style we favor but we do appreciate it, and fully respect the grind he has started.

What do you guys think of Lil Dicky? Do yall like his style of comedy in his songs? Do you think his message was impactful or was the message drowned in the many sex jokes and innuendos in this song?

Who influenced them? #1 Kanye West

This is going to be a new series on our blog and Instagram page where we talk about who influenced some of the most prominent artists we have in music today. What better way to start this series off than discuss Kanye West, one of the most popular figures in hip-hop, music, and entertainment as a whole. Like him or not, even the president of the United States today is good friends with him and is apparently helping him with a presidential campaign of his own in 2020. How crazy is that!? Kanye has started out as a producer-first artist who drew most of his influence from rappers like Mase and his Roc-a-Fella counterpart Jay-Z. Now, Kanye’s roots may have started with hardcore rap but he really blew up once he started taking on Hip-Hop and mixing a little bit of everything into his music like soul, house music, indie rock, electronic, bit of dub step, mumble rap, the list really just goes on and on. A Tribe Called Quest, the Wu-Tang Clan, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, and Stevie Wonder are some famous groups and artists that he has specifically thanked for his sound and production. In terms of rock, Kanye’s music has been inspired by bands and artists of this genre as much as hip-hop. Radiohead, The killers, Daft Punk are some of those bands as well as stating how he drew a lot of influence from famous singer/songwriter John Mayer, a true lady killer might I add. Kanye west has drawn from so many popular artists as well as some Japanese animations I forgot to mention like the 1989’s Akira. This just shows how diverse and respectable his influences are. Kanye has also obviously influenced so many different artists over the course of his music career and is undeniably changing the face of music as we know it. Without these artists and groups, the Kanye West we all know and love today in 2019 may not even have existed! For this we thank you Kanye, for revolutionizing the game of music.

Who would you guys want us to talk about next?

Tyler the Creator’s Flower boy Track list Ranking

Tyler the Creator’s fourth studio album Flower Boy was released in the Summer of 2017 and received mountains of critical praise and is our personal favorite album from the young and crazy American rapper. All of these tracks are filled with such heartfelt meaning unlike most of his previous projects where he just lets his thoughts run wild on the microphone. This album was so groundbreaking and controversial that the only way we here at Blonded can do it any justice is by making a countdown of the top 14 tracks on the album!

14. “Sometimes…” This song serves as a 30 second segway into the tracks on the album which is good for it establishes the feeling that all the songs are interconnected and are playing through a radio. Does a great job with aesthetics.

13. “Enjoy right now, Today” This is the last song on the album which is mostly just electronic music playing and really gets you wondering about life. A good song to zone out to or look at the stars to.

12. “Droppin’ Seeds” This song is only a minute but it features legendary rapper Lil Wayne so basically the song goes hard and presents the quick lyrical genius of Wayne and Tyler.

11. “Garden Shed” A classic Tyler rap piece which sounds a lot like of his older works.

10. “Glitter” More of a singing plus rapping type song and is very catchy to boot. Everyone who listens will have the lyrics “You’re the one, that I needed in my life” stuck in their head for a while.

9. “Who Dat Boy” The most popular song in the album that also features Asap Rocky and has the best hook in all of the songs in this album, but sadly this is probably the most overplayed song so it gets repetitive after a while.

8. “Foreword” The song that starts off this album and serves as a great beginning for what is in store for this album.

7. “I Ain’t Got Time” The most hype song in the album by far. It just makes you want to go crazy and do some wild stuff. Good adrenaline pumper.

6. “Pothole” A great rap song that features the vocal talents of Jaden smith which just makes it even more of a bop. The sound design is also top notch and very funky.

5. “See You Again” This song features Kali Uchis who has such a beautiful voice that helps compliment Tyler’s rap about love. Very meaningful song.

4. “Where this Flower Blooms” Passionate song full of Tyler’s unhealthy but impactful lyrics.

3. “November” Just take me back to November already.

2. “911/Mr. Lonely” The beat switch in the middle of the song is just perfect. You can hear Tyler just go off at the second half and it really shows his creativity.

1. “Boredom” SImply a masterpiece. This song has the vocal talents of Rex Orange County which just makes for a perfect duo with Tyler while displaying the message of boredom and how we need to wake up, get up, and get out there.

Overall album rating: 9.5/10

Let us know what you guys think about the album and what you would change on the list! This album is our personal favorite album ever created by Tyler the Creator and the alternative covers are just simply amazing.

Rex Orange County

Who is Rex Orange County? Well Rex is a new, young, and very talented artist that most people don’t really know by name but could be recognized by his voice in an instant. Rex is an Englishman who’s true name is Alexander O’Connor and he really blew up in America in his terrific inclusion in Tyler the Creator’s hit album Flower Boy. Rex can be heard as the chorus in most of the songs in that album as well as having co-wrote the songs “Boredom” and “Foreword”. Only after hearing these two songs, I immediately searched up all of his work prior to his feature on Flower boy and was so pleasantly surprised that the projects he created on his own, rival the “other artsy, post-genre teen artists” here in America. While Rex doesn’t have a huge library of music to listen to, the songs that he has created have been very enjoyable to us here at Blonded and we couldn’t recommend him any further. Since then, Rex has released a single titled “House” back in February and if you haven’t listened to him yet, this song is a good place to start. Rex creates very laid back music that you can just relax, vibe, mellow out to, or maybe even listen with a special someone. Some interesting facts about Rex is that he actually plays all the instruments in his songs, then records them, and then sings over those recordings. In January of 2018 Rex came in second in the BBC Sound of 2018 award after Norwegian singer Sigrid. Rex Orange County got his stage name from a nickname one of his teacher’s gave him with the OC, after O’Connor.

I hope he releases another project soon. Do you guys listen to Rex Orange County? What do you think of him?

Controversial Music Topics: Drake

Ah, Drake, What a controversial and influential figure in the music industry. While so many mainstream listeners adore him and feel as if every project he touches can do no wrong, there are also the people who try and stray away from the mainstream and dive deeper into the community. These brave souls either hate drake or like him but are too afraid to actually say something cause most of the hardcore music fans have roasted him to pieces. Our opinion on the artist now has changed since his claim to fame with Thank Me Later in 2010. At first we all thought he was this up and coming rapper who had game and could back it up, but in these recent days it has been revealed that drake had used ghostwriters for most if not all of his projects as well as starting pointless “beef” with other famous artists and kind of just ruining his image. Well, at least for us he was ruined. Besides these setbacks, no one can deny that drake still had impacted the music community and although he had ghostwriters, he had the voice to back himself up. When you think of 2010, every young adult thinks of Drake’s famous single “Headlines.” It was catchy, dope as all hell, and had some pretty meaningful lyrics about being in the spotlight, a very relate-able dream pretty much every listener thinks about. Drake in his golden age had produced Take Care to Nothing Was the Same to If you’re Reading This It’s Too Late all in short stretches in a short amount of time. In these albums, Drake did have a ghostwriter but Drake had a fire and a purpose while making these tracks. These albums are so good because he just goes at anybody who he chooses and he doesn’t seem to care about the consequences. At the time we thought it was cool and granted, it did sound really dope but that’s the reason why the community started to hate him as well as us at Blonded. In the end, all of us here enjoy the old Drake as more of a guilty pleasure and respect the grind and change he brought to this community. What do you guys think of Drake?

Side Note: Drake would have never existed if 808’s didn’t exist so this is more evidence as to why Kanye is such a good artist and genius.

Why Frank Ocean Is a Lyrical Genius

So as you can all see, our name is Blonded Reviews but we haven’t talked about Frank Ocean himself in a pretty long while. (Besides that one post on Instagram we have about Blond and why it’s my favorite album of all time) So here’s some background info about his life, the tracks he produced, becoming the influential artist he is today, and some of the reasons why we love him so much. To begin, Frank Ocean was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1987 and once he turned 17-years-old he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career in music. He started off as a ghostwriter and a stand-out member of the now very popular rap group called Odd Future. Frank, Tyler the Creator, and Earl Sweatshirt are all regarded as the big three of the group and they really are pure genius’ of wordplay and rhythm. Though Frank doesn’t focus too much on rap, he can still rap, he probably could even make a rap album of the year if he really wanted to. After his success in writing for Odd Future, Frank began his solo career with exceptional lyricism being showcased on an album of his very own titled Channel Orange. While the album wasn’t very cohesive as his future projects turned out to be, Frank’s vocal talents came into full fruition as well as his excellent showcase of wordplay and rhyme style. Then in 2016, Frank finessed the heck out of Def Jam and it’s parent company; Universal records, for $20 million to put out his new solo album Endless on apple music then for him to break off from the clutches of these music companies and make his very own label called “Boys Don’t Cry.” Then, it happened. Frank released probably one of the greatest hip hop and R&B albums of our generation titled Blond. Everything about this album is top notch. The vocals, the lyrics, the cohesiveness, the production, the rhythm, the overwhelming amount of details, and message, baby. Frank was so focused on this one album after creating his own label and going solo that this album turned out to be a nothing less than a masterpiece. No other R&B artist has come close to his skill in any project before. (maybe Malibu or Trilogy are the only albums that come close to rivaling Blond) His terrific lyricism is why we love him so much and why he is regarded as the king of R&B and Hip Hop.

Our Very First Blog Post!

What better way to start Blonded Reviews’ blog debut than with a rap countdown of the “Top five rappers who are 25 and under”. After acclaimed rapper Earl Sweatshirt’s birthday has just passed and him now being the big 25, everyone at Blonded thought it would be really fun to celebrate by listing some of the youngest and most talented rappers in the game right now along with our favorite projects by them! Let’s jump right in, shall we? Starting off this list is Chance the Rapper who is currently 25 making him the oldest rapper on this list but one of the most noteworthy and influencing rappers here. There is no denying that Chance is one of the most popular or mainstream artists on this list amassing a huge following once his album “Coloring Book” had dropped and his one track “No problem” sky rocketing up music charts and even being nominated for the 2016 Grammy award for best rap song of the year. Even with all this praise, his best work has to go to his classic album titled “Acid Rap.” Stumbling into the number four spot is original rapper Saba who is only 24-year(s)-old. Definitely the most underrated or unheard of rapper on this list. His best album to date has to be “Care for me” with every song being an instant hit as well as them all hitting home with most audiences because most of the tracks on this album deal with the struggles many young adults face today. Coming in at number three on this list has to be Denzel Curry who is also 24-year(s)-old. Still referred to by many as “underrated” and “deserves way more attention.” Denzel is one of those rappers who puts on a crazy persona in the stagelight and that definitely helps capture the vibe of the songs he puts out. Kind of comparable to famous deceased rapper X in a way. Denzel’s most notable album being TA1300 for constant “bangers.” Sliding in at number two is Joey Bada$$ who is now 24-year(s)-old. His best album by far is the mixtape he created when he was only 16-year(s)-old! 1999 is probably one of the most vintage albums you will ever hear with every track just screaming throwback vibes and filling your ears with nostalgic tunes. To no surprise, the number one spot goes to Earl Sweatshirt. Now just turning 25 and being an OG member of the OFWGKTA, Earl never disappoints with any of the albums he produces. His newest album “Some Rap Songs” hits harder than any other album we’ve heard this year and has way more meaning than what most people think. With that, this wraps up our list for some of the youngest and skilled rappers out there, it pains me not to put on all members of Brockhampton because Dom McLennon is the only one older than 25.

Honorable mentions:
Kevin Abstract (22)
Vince Staples (25)
Playboi carti (22)

Blonded Reviews’ Very Own Blog Page! Here’s a Little Something About Us!

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Reviews, debates, top tens, fervent discussions all about music with a main focus on hip-hop and r&b. All of this, ran by five life long friends and music enthusiasts. What more can you ask for? A little background perhaps? Our little band of nerds started a music page on Instagram back in November of 2018 and since then, we felt it was the best option to expand to blogs too! So now you can hear all of our extended thoughts and opinions! We got the name Blonded after all of our profound love for the rap artist Frank Ocean and his magnum opus: Blonde. His latest and greatest solo album to date. Blonded’s founders are Luke, Jake, Kevin, Drury, and I John. With all that being said, we hope you enjoy our fiery hot takes!