G.O.O.D. Music - Cruel Summer

Kanye Wests' G.O.O.D. Music label has been steadily gaining momentum over the past few years. Astute signings such as Kid Cudi, Big Sean and Pusha T, as well as forging close relationships with artists as diverse as Common and 2 Chainz has seen the Def Jam subsidiary appeal to a broad audience, chiefly through the 'G.O.O.D. Friday' scheme, a constant flow of new music that has effectively maintained the attention of fans. Though originally scheduled for a Spring 2012 release, West has just about managed to prevent his album title becoming redundant by releasing Cruel Summer just before the official close of the season.

Album opener 'To The World' is a bombastic, auto-tuned tour de force, R Kelly dominating the song as he screeches through a fantastically overwrought chorus, Kanye hardly needed as he offers a token verse towards the conclusion of the track. The collection kicks into gear properly on 'Clique', Jay Z dropping by to assist his protege with mature, sophisticated rhymes. Kanye strikes the characteristically confident pose that will carry him throughout the rest of the album, boldly proclaiming divine help for the second time in only two songs. The only negative is in the weak Big Sean-provided hook, his voice failing to command the beat in the same way as his two more experienced collaborators.

Perhaps unwisely, the same artist is immediately back in the fray, given the task of kicking off lead single 'Mercy'. Kanye is on top production form, the unsettling, ice cool beat overwhelming Sean as he spits some poorly thought out, corny punchlines. The track is saved by some intense work from Pusha T and finished off expertly by the charismatic 2 Chainz. The two rappers have received a similar career boost in aligning themselves with G.O.O.D. and both are utilised well in posse cut 'The Morning'. Enlisting Raekwon proves to be a masterstroke, his cinematic montage complemented with shorter, sharp vignettes from the other features, Cyhi The Prynce attempting to rectify his status as the forgotten man of the label with an entertaining appearance.

Second single 'Cold' becomes the crux on which the listener will decide how to respond to the album. West has always been known for his gargantuan ego, his meteoric career rise accompanied by an inflated sense of self worth he does little to hide. The song features a chorus jabbing at Kris Humphries:
"Want to talk about clothes I motherfuckin' embarrass you/ Want to talk about hoes I motherfuckin' embarrass you..." along with suggesting he will get "Jay to drop him from the team" (unlikely as Jay Z owns less than 1% of New York Nets). Catchy, offensive and braggadocios, the track encapsulates the best and worse of Kanye West. The listener can either accept it or deride the flamboyant eccentricities of a flawed genius.

Taking a break from West, the album then moves into smoother R&B territory. The Dream croons over relaxing production as 'Higher' slows the pace. A surprising verse from Mase captures the mood of the track perfectly, the slick, soothing rhymes becoming another entry in the incremental, steady career revival of the former Bad Boy. A triumphant, powerful hook from Marsha Ambrosius lifts 'The One' as Kanye recites his most hilarious lines on the LP:
"Everything around me got me underwhelmed/ Best way to describe my position is at the helm/ Best way to describe my new whip... NYAOOOOOW"

Kid Cudi is mystifyingly absent for much of the album, a tiny appearance on 'The Morning' and a whirling, dervish-like appearance on the 'Mercy' video being his only contributions to the project until the tenth track. His solo spot on 'Creepers', however, is worth waiting for. Evidently still in Wzrd mode, Cudi infuses catchy production with his trademark lonely, spaced out yearnings. John Legend and new signee Teyana Taylor collaborate less successfully on 'Bliss', the track seeming better suited to another collection.
'I Don't Like (Remix)' also seems out of place, a strange decision to use another's work for a figurehead usually noted for his individuality.

Track By Track:

01. Kanye West and R. Kelly - "To the World" (8/10)
02. Kanye West, Jay-Z and Big Sean - "Clique" (8/10)
03. Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha-T and 2 Chainz - "Mercy" (8/10)
04. Kanye West, Pusha-T - "New God Flow" (8/10)
05. Raekwon, Pusha-T, Common, 2 Chainz, Cyhi the Prynce, Kid Cudi, D'Banj - "The Morning" (8/10)
06. DJ Khaled - "Cold" (8/10)
07. The-Dream, Pusha-T and Ma$e - "Higher" (8/10)
08. John Legend, Travi$ Scott, Teyana Taylor, Cyhi the Prynce and Malik Yusef - "Sin City" (7/10)
09. Kanye West, Big Sean, 2 Chainz and Marsha Ambrosius - "The One" (8/10)
10. Kid Cudi - "Creepers" (9/10)
11. John Legend and Teyana Taylor- "Bliss" (6/10)
12. Kanye West, Chief Keef, Pusha-T, Big Sean and Jadakiss - "Don't Like" (7/10)

The Verdict:

Kanye West has thrown the gaudy excesses of hip hop into sharp relief, embodying the urgent, captivating style that is missing from much of mainstream chart rap music. Much critical response to Cruel Summer will focus on personal opinion of the figure of West, but this would be to miss the point of the LP. At different times raucous, boastful, sophisticated and sultry, Cruel Summer ranks as one of the year's best albums.

8/10

2 Chainz - Based On A T.R.U Story

It has been a good year for 2 Chainz. Musically active since the mid 90's, his previous 'Tity Boi' stage name proved to be a hindrance as his Playaz Circle group attained middling success through the early 2000's. A quick change of moniker and Tauheed Epps has suddenly become one of the most prolific featured artists of 2012. Mixtape acclaim has been followed by feverish anticipation for his debut solo album. It's all going so well that, if his frequent boasts are to be believed, Chainz is now charging $100,000 for each guest verse. With the backing of veteran label Def Jam, fans are now able to see for themselves whether Based On A T.R.U Story is able to maintain his stratospheric rise to the top.

Things do not get off to a great start. Album opener 'Yuck' is patchy, with an unpleasant, entirely unnecessary chorus from Lil Wayne. Thankfully, following efforts 'Crack' and 'Dope Peddler' find the Georgia resident in comfortingly familiar territory. The simplistic, bouncy rhyme schemes that have brought Chainz such success are present and correct, with bombastic production from Southside and Bangladesh respectively. 'Money Machine' and 'Wut We Doin' follow the same pattern, not exactly reinventing the wheel but sure to delight fans looking thumping, raucous beats.

Lead single 'No Lie' is next up. The Drake assisted track is well chosen, becoming easily the strongest cut on the project. It is important to note that the song belongs entirely to Drake, bringing the energy and charisma that has been sorely lacking since his mixtape days. 2 Chainz effectively becomes a featured artist on his own song, but it is no less enjoyable because of it. A second high profile guest follows immediately after, Kanye West handling production duties on 'Birthday Song' while also dropping by to spit a verse. The track is fun, if a little repetitive, the two artists failing to recreate the chemistry found on recent collaborations such as 'Mercy'. The slinky 'I'm Different' is perhaps the most ironically titled song in hip hop history, but has catchy, subversive piano keys for the MC to push forward his shit talking agenda.

To his credit, Chainz does risk breaking from the formula that has reaped so many rewards. 'Extremely Blessed' featuring The Dream is a nice change of pace, though including R&B tracks catering for females seems slightly absurd for an album that constantly extols the virtues of strippers and hoes. 'In Town' is similarly relaxing, but the Chris Brown featured 'Countdown' becomes a little turgid.

'I Luve Dem Strippers' is by far the poorest offering on the LP. Derivative to the point of inertia, the repetitive, misogynistic content is hardly enlightened by an irritating verse from Nicki Minaj. Though a more serious approach can be found on 'Ghetto Dreams', there are still some severe limitations on show.  The track is predominantly an examination of the problems facing the poor neighborhoods the rapper grew up in, but he simply cannot resist throwing in some trite rhymes:
"Used to dream about a bigger couch, woke up in a bigger house/ Commas in my bank account/ So much money, I had to let the banker count."
The refusal to take the subject seriously comes off poorly when compared to an earnest Scarface guest spot. The track demonstrates how, by pushing himself out of his comfort zone, Chainz often comes up short.

Track By Track:

01. Yuck! (feat. Lil Wayne) (6/10)
02. Crack (7/10)
03. Dope Peddler (7/10)
04. No Lie (feat. Drake) (8/10)
05. Birthday Song (feat. Kanye West) (7/10)
06. I’m Different (8/10)
07. Extremely Blessed (feat. The-Dream) (7/10)
08. I Luv Dem Strippers (feat. Nicki Minaj) (4/10)
09. Stop Me Now (feat. Dolla Boy) (610)
10. Money Machine (7/10)
11. In Town (feat. Mike Posner) (6/10)
12. Ghetto Dreams (feat. Scarface & John Legend) (6/10)
13. Wut We Doin? (feat. Cap1) (7/10)
14. Countdown (feat. Chris Brown) (5/10)

The Verdict:

2 Chainz isn't going to win any new fans with Based on a T.R.U Story. This is not necessarily a bad thing, the former Playaz Circle member providing a fun, trunk rattling album for the late summer. Though he has charisma in abundance, his limitations as an MC come to the fore a little too often for his solo debut album to be recommended to those who are yet to be convinced.

7/10