Top Compilations of 2009 (Parle approved)

Top 10 Albums of 2009

Mixtapes were as crucial as albums this year. It would be asinine not to incorporate a few pieces of free art that outshone the compilations that were sold. In 2009, the branded new artists of the game quickly attained names for themselves. Be advised, this is my opinion, but granted this is still a list coming from the mind of a student of hip-hop music. This is my analysis…

10 - Slaughterhouse is the debut album by the super-group, including Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I and Royce da 5’9”. Although pressed for time, the album made a serious mark on hip-hop’s radar and revitalized the essence of witty lyricism.

9 - Back to the Feature is a mixtape by Wale and 9th Wonder, which exemplifies the talent of multiple artists as well as showcases Wale’s aptitude as an MC.

8 - Melanie Fiona embraces the divinity of R & B on her debut album The Bridge. She makes a fine distinction in her sound from the main.

7 - Epiphany is one album that should be in any fan of Soul music’s collection. It’s something you can just listen to and not bother to press the skip button.

6 - The Dream had the ladies wanting to be with his chubby ass and the gentlemen wanting to recite a melody as sweetly as he did when he dropped Love vs. Money. As a college student, I assure you that his voice was coming through every dormitory on campus this year.

5 - Loso’s Way definitely proved the relevance of the artist and told you Fabolous is an immovable attraction in this rap game. Point blank.

4 - Most critics might put this album in the #1 spot, but it is not an album of that magnitude. The Blueprint 3 is a good album, but is not better than any of Jay-Z’s other albums. The only reason in my opinion why many see it as a worthy album for the top slot is because of the name Jay-Z. We as listeners have to strip the artist from his accolades and judge him by the music. Commercial-like songs and a New York anthem are the components that get this album on my list.

3 - Deeper Than Rap was a strong, solid album. Unfortunately, because of the “50 Cent antics” on YouTube and any other media out there that may have injured the rapper’s reputation, people failed to hear the music. Instead they listen to the sales, which every true student of hip-hop should know quantity does not equal to quality. Rick Ross gave us a thorough album from start to finish with critical singles. And yes, I believe this album is better than Jay-Z’s.

2 - J. Cole’s second mixtape entitled The Warm Up is certainly a compilation that resembles a well put together album. A key song on the piece is "Lights Please", which gained the attention of Jay-Z and quickly acquired him a home at Roc Nation. I wish the guy much success. He has a nineties Hov style to him and hopefully attains the same status. Please do not stifle an artist under you that has the potential to be over you Mr. Carter.

1 - The #1 spot has to go to October’s own. Whatever you have to say about him, you cannot deny that Drake has changed the sound of a mixtape and turned the heads of signed artists putting out half-ass albums. No offense. So Far Gone has established a fan-base that has fans so far gone. Besides Lady Gaga, Drake was definitely a major factor for 2009. And he deserves it. This mixtape was undoubtedly the hottest and nicest (there is a difference) set of 17 tracks out this year.

Front Page of Parle

I'M BACK! No I'm not, not yet. I know I've been gone for a minute. I have been M.I.A. on the blogging scene. The semester has been a busy one, but I have been writing and this is Winter break. I have material to post, so sooner than later I will have another entry for the Sappleton Journal. Stay tuned, but for now...

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The feature story on the front page is written by yours truly.

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Let me put you on (part 3)

You might have heard them, but you're not listening... (this one is long overdue)

Two albums in and he still isn't getting the recognition he deserves. Even Vibe's 2009 "Best Rapper Ever" bracket, which any true fan of hip-hop should realize was a big joke, did not mention Lupe Fiasco as one of the elite MCs. They rather give Bow Wow and Plies a position on a 32 by 32 by 32 by 32 bracket. Anyway, that's another story. I'll leave that for another blog. This is about Lupe Fiasco, a Chicago-bred hip-hop artist exemplifying what real rap is. I honestly cannot express how significant he is to the game nor can I explain how underrated he is without becoming frustrated with those who say he's not nice. YOU have to determine it. So in this burp of a blog, I have to let the music speak. Fiasco's credit is due. Listen and give it...

(no mention of singles)

Lupe Fiasco's The Cool [album]: "The Coolest" , "Streets On Fire" , "The Die"

Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor [album]: "Just Might Be OK" , "He Say She Say" , "American Terrorist"

Touch The Sky Mixtape [mixtape]: "Twilight Zone" , "Switch (Science Project)" ***

It Was Written [mixtape]: "Failure" , "Tilted" , "Ignorant Shit"

Overlooked Vol. 1 [mixtape]: "My Sneakers" , "We On (featuring Lupe Fiasco)"

Overlooked Vol. 2 [mixtape]: "Swang On 'Em (featuring Lupe Fiasco)" , "U, Me, Him, Her Freestyle"

Loosies [miscellaneous tracks]: "And He Gets The Girl" , "Pens & Needles" , "Kids With Guns"

... Drake vs. J.Cole Coming Soon...

VIBE Magazine collapses and folds

As of June 30th, 2009 it has been reported that VIBE is shutting down. The recession has finally hit the magazine and the lack of ads by automotive clients as well as fashion advertisers played a big part in it (we all know why GM isn't in the advertising spirit). However, my beef isn't with them. Although it should not be expected, you would think with all the support that a magazine like VIBE displays for the hip-hop culture, maybe some well-off entertainers would do their part to help fund the empire. For 16 years, VIBE has been promoting MCs, producers, actors/actresses, and even presidents (Barack Obama for starters). There is no doubt that VIBE has been a irreplaceable influence on hip-hop music and the culture. In a way we have been recently paying tribute to Michael Jackson by playing non-stop videos and performing his many hits, maybe we can pay homage to... let's say a magazine that has boosted careers. Unfortunately, people, even legends do not live on this earth forever, but publications can. We just have to nurture it.

Now, I have been told that maybe I am the only one who feels this way and maybe that's true, but I should not be alone. Without any intention on singling these superstars out, I think the likes of people such as Jay-Z, Diddy, Nas, etc., should lend a helping hand because they have the financial means to do so. They should give back to such an establishment that has furthered hip-hop and mentioned their names plenty of times over more than a decade. Give back. VIBE is a vital chunk of hip-hop history/culture and without that hip-hop may not die, it may not even be dying, but it will certainly be injured.

Moment of Clarity for Michael Jackson

R.I.P. Michael Jackson...

We loved him. I loved him. It's hard to see a legend go, almost unbearable. He was the last person you were expecting to die. There hasn't been anything in the news about him recently so his pasting definitely came as a shock to the majority of the world supporting him. I mean, I thought he would outlive me. It's Michael Jackson and those three little words mean so damn much.

However, I think the people are losing comprehension of what Rest In Peace really means. It is a shame to see fans cry pools of tears over a celebrity, not wanting to let him go, refusing to accept his death. It's selfish. The man was an icon for multiple generations, but no one is immortal, regardless of the many accomplishments that man makes. Death is our fate. We live and we die. I do not mean to sound so cold or insensitive by any means, but we need to learn how to celebrate the life that Michael Jackson had on this earth. Unfortunately, the man was sick and that resulted in a cardiac arrest. A large number of deaths end up in that fashion, but that's just it. He was not killed, he did not commit suicide, he just died. It happens to the best of us and every one of us.

Do not mourn his death so long that you become unable to appreciate what he has done for the pop culture, music, and so on. It is also sad to see that Jackson is gone at only 50-years-old. That life span does not seem fair for anyone. It is only ten years after midlife. It's unfortunate, but we have to learn to accept it. In cases of Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace, I can see how hard it is to accept their deaths because they were each murdered at such a young age, nowhere near the peak of their careers, and neither of their murderers were found. That is tough and forgive me for saying, but much more difficult to swallow.

I read someone's status on Facebook yesterday. It said, "Life is hard and death is peaceful...it's the transtition that is most difficult." Let's try to make that transition as serene as the clouds in the heaven up above that Michael Jackson is resting his head on, free from the haphazard world that we still live in.

R.I.P. Michael Jackson August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009

Let me put you on (part 2)

You might have heard them, but you're not listening...

Mickey Factz...I first heard Factz on a track with N.E.R.D., a song called "Locked Away." He caught my attention immediately. I was surprised at his flow on the particular song because I had heard countless "semi-alternative" songs with a feature of some artist reciting a mediocre 16 bar verse, trying to establish an urban connection (many failed attempts). But Factz embodied the style and ran with the melody, which influenced the flow. The reason he made such an impression on me was due to the fact I never heard of this man and he was utilizing the mic like a professional with ease. I'm one who prides himself on knowing what's out there and what's raw. So in this actual segment, it's safe to say that N.E.R.D. put me on to a rising star.

Anyway, I did my research. He was an MC from the Bronx part of NY and I discovered later on he used to be a ghostwriter for Remy Ma, another lyricist of the area. Remy Ma at that time was one of my favorite female rappers. I was definitely feeling her and after looking up Factz's history I understood why.

Flashback Vol. 1: Back to the Future was the first mixtape I downloaded after the background check. From the intro this man went in. Like most people, comparisons are the first things you look for in an artist, but the voice, the flow, and the variety of lyrical content this hungry MC was delivering, captured my ears in an instant. He made his own name. "It's Mickey!"

Naturally, the search went on. What else can I find from this dude? I was certainly a fiend for some good music, some better music than what I was hearing in these walk it out streets. Heaven's Fallout was the next mixtape I came across. I was already aware of Factz gift to rhyme on topic and stick to it. In "Mona Lisa," a fly rendition of Slick Rick's classic, he embodied the pattern of the rhyme, but proved his talent with every verse, altering each line. Then he presented a more serious side on the two tracks "Buck em down" and "Hey young world." Versatility was his friend and I was ready to hear more. However, the return was even better.

Heaven's Fallout caught me so off guard. For a week, I was trying to figure out what to type in as the genre of this mixtape. The music was so different. Maybe it's a cross between hip-hop and electro. Maybe it's alternative. Maybe I couldn't figure it out, but I liked it and I listened. I loved it. It was a total package, equipped with the feel good music you could jump in your car and ride to as well as the thought provoking tracks you've been waiting for since Nas. I felt like everything I could ask for was in this one mixtape, not even an album. It was fun, serious, vivid, and therapeutic all simultaneously. I was on the bandwagon.

When the two volumes of The Leak series came out in 2008, I was convinced I had to encourage others to listen. I got nothing but good feedback from my own peers and Factz was still giving me more to appreciate. His track with The Cool Kids, "Rockin' & Rollin' ," obtained such a buzz that students on my campus started asking me if I had more of what Factz had in the catalog. The fans were growing and I hope they still are. He's one artist we have to support for the fact that he understands versatility and acknowledges not only the hip-hop audience, but other cultures outside of it. We have to support him because he is a vision of innovation and even Barack Obama let us know how important change is to our future. Mickey Factz is the future of good music.

Now, I can't force my opinion upon the rest of the world, however, I can offer it. Here are a selection of tracks from the artist that an open-mind might find intriguing. Check it out, see for yourself...

Flashback Vol. 1: Back to the Future [mixtape]: "Streetwear Story" , "Scarfaces"

In Search of the Nerd [mixtape]: "Rockstar Posers"

Heaven's Fallout [mixtape]: "There's Nothing Left" , "Living Dead"

The Leak Vol.1: The Understanding [mixtape] "Robot Rock" , "Be Free" , "Another Star"

The Leak Vol.2: The Inspiration [mixtape]: "6 Letter Words" , "Machine Gun"

It's so hard narrowing these down. Listen and learn.