- Romaro Franceswa – Mirror
Seattle hip hop artist Romaro Franceswa put out an incredible follow up to his 2015 release Balance with his latest efforts on Mirror. Where former looked to explore themes of personal balance, the latter turns inward on a journey of self-realization and becoming comfortable with whom you truly are. I really like that Franceswa seems to remember the lessons that he learned on his previous album and incorporated them on Mirror, as exhibited in lines like “Church and dope are all I’ve known my whole life” on the track “Right Now,” showing that he’s using his music as a growing process. And that’s not even talking about the quality of the music. “No Enemies (Free Nino)” is probably one of the hardest bangers of the year, Ro’s flow on the subdued “Never Been Late” is sleek and easy to listen to. All in all, Mirror is yet another win for the local rapper, it’s exciting to watch his growth as a perform on this project.
Notable Tracks: Never Been Late, No Enemies (Free Nino), Faces
- Vic Mensa – There’s A Lot Going On
The biggest weakness of There’s A Lot Going On actually can play as a strength. On an album who’s central theme is the stress that the current social and political climate has on Mensa’s mind, he loses focus of his theme with “New Bae” and “Liquor Locker”. While that might normally be a problem, I think drifting away from his main message before picking it back up again on the self-reflections of “Shades of Blue,” I find that this approach actually makes the album feel like it’s coming from the mind of a person that is so overwhelmed with all the injustice he sees, he doesn’t know where to begin. Mensa is comfortable enough to not only point out the shortcomings of his community, but he will also speak frankly to his own short comings with “Now here I am talking ‘bout a revolution. /And I can’t even spare a dollar to the movement. /But I’m in the strip club spending dollars on that movement.” The shortcoming of this album is its length compared to the amount of material Mensa wishes to cover with it, I’d love to hear more about many of the stories that he covers in the closing 6 minute track. He brings up plenty of stories that sound like they deserve their own track (like the physical fight with his girl, the time he attempted suicide, etc.), but the fact that he runs past each story can make each tale lose its emotional impact.
Notable Tracks: Dynasty, Shades of Blue, There’s A Lot Going On
- Jon Bellion – The Human Condition
In his short career, Bellion generated quite a bit of buzz online by making writing contributions to tracks like Eminem’s “The Monster”, or Jason Derulo’s “Trumpets,” and scoring features on songs from artists like Zedd and B.o.B. All this hype leads up to the release of Bellion’s debut album The Human Condition. From front to back, this project is sugar-coated Disney, it’s unapologetic in it’s positivity, and it offers an array of brightly colored production to match the tone of the lyrics. Bellion wears his heart on sleeve as he raps and sings through topics like high school love, his dedication to New York, and the comfort in not knowing all the answers. One thing I love the most about this project is Bellion’s candid Christianity. He displays a comfort with in his faith and shares it amidst his many flaws that many archetypical Christians would likely shame him for. Given how by the numbers popular Christian music feels, the self-righteousness, the safe production, and the ambiguous “struggles” that these artists often profess, Bellion’s music feels like a genuine human being that lives his life for his faith. Whether you agree with Bellion’s beliefs or not, you’ll find the way he shares his message to be authentic and a joy to hear.
Notable Tracks: New York Soul – Pt. ii, Maybe IDK, The Good in Me
- Frank Ocean – Blond
I’ll just come out and say it, “Nikes” could have been a great song if Ocean didn’t use that stupid chipmunk voice. Now that that’s out of the way, if channel ORANGE was all about falling in love, then Blonde is about falling out of love. Frank Ocean takes a minimalist approach; most of the songs almost feel empty (and it serves the album well). These tracks feel similar not to the heartbreak itself, but to the process that comes afterwards as you’re picking up the pieces. That moment where the heart aches less, but you’re far from feeling “good”. Ocean’s ability to capture that feeling is masterful. The best example of this is Frank’s performance on “Solo,” the track that deals with loneliness, the struggle for self-love, and the feeling of uncertainty that comes with waiting for somebody you care about. Some people aren’t a fan of the skits on this project, but I must admit that I love the “Be Yourself” skit, it’s all too relatable to anybody how grew up with a protective/concerned mother. I don’t think this is the best “love” album to have come out this year, but I do admire that it covers an interesting part of the love process that often doesn’t get discussed in media.
Notable Tracks: Pink + White, Solo, Nights, Futura Free
- Chance the Rapper – Coloring Book
With his performance on “Ultralight Beam,” Chance captivated the American public as he upstaged Kanye West with his passionate, Bible infused, verse on the Saturday Night Live state. Throughout the year he gave the spotlight little reason to stray as he continued appear in commercials, at White Sox games, and of course, releasing his long anticipated Coloring Book (formally referred to as Chance 3). What draws me the most to this album (and to Chance in general) is the authenticity with which it presents itself. With moments like the heartfelt goodbye on “Same Drugs,” the optimism on “Finish Line/Drown,” and the final rapped verse on the album in “Blessings,” every time Chance has something to say, his emotions bleed through the tracks. While most critics gushed over this project, I find myself frustrated that Coloring Book downplays its greatest strength: Chance himself. On previous projects like Acid Rap or Ten Day, there’s no question that it is a Chance project. Compared to Coloring Book, the album is so jam packed with features; they end up suffocating Chance’s contribution to the project. And when Chance says it’s an album to his newborn daughter, it feels a little odd that he decided the best messengers were a bunch of other musicians.
Notable Tracks: Same Drugs, All Night, Finish Line/Drown, Blessings (the second one)
- Vince Staples – Prima Donna
The emotional distance that Vince Staples typically puts forward is shed on Prima Donna, the most recent efforts by the Long Beach artist. We caught glimpses of it on songs like “Summertime,” on Vince’s debut studio project, but he never addressed it head on. Now with Prima Donna, Staples seems perfectly comfortable with presenting his emotional, even broken side that he often buries beneath his sassy personality. Prima Donna takes the listener through Vince’s life after fame and the drawbacks that come with notoriety. James Blake and DJ Dahi are incredible producers to pair with Vince’s signature, disinterested flow. They both created these crisp, yet chaotic sounding tracks that really capture the feeling of stress that Vince tries to display throughout the project. While I found Summertime ’06 to be a pretty bloated album, Prima Donna is an excellent follow up project that is short enough to make you want to learn more about the Long Beach emcee.
Notable Tracks: War Ready, Smile, Big Time
- Carly Rae Jepsen – Emotion (B Sides)
Carly Rae Jepsen holds a weird place in the music scene (and dare I say, my heart??). After catapulting to the top with “Call Me Maybe” in 2012, the Canadian pop starlet disappeared from public consciousness. But during that same time, she has cultivated a dedicated core of online fans that can’t get enough of “Run Away with Me” memes. Personally, I fell in love with Emotions last year and couldn’t get enough of the tracks that ended up on the cutting floor in Emotions (B Sides). This album bops (the pop music version of bangs/bangers) and that’s all there is to say. If you enjoyed 80s pop music, then you’ll likely find the track list of this EP to be an enjoyable trip down memory lane.
Notable Tracks: Body Language, Store, Roses
- Mick Jenkins – The Healing Component
Mick Jenkins has generate quite a splash as his mixtape The Waters captivated conscious hip hop fans all across the country in 2014. He rode that wave into 2016 with the release of his first studio album The Healing Component, a project that aims to take an all-encompassing look at the idea of love. The problem that many similar hip hop artists (think Hopsin or J. Cole) struggle with their music can feel so self-righteous that their message gets drowned out by the tone in which it’s delivered. The interludes between Mick and his woman counterpart help make the delivery of The Healing Component’s message feel more like a conversation than a lecture. Mick isn’t preaching as other conscious rappers are prone to do, although he does hope that his listener walks away learning about the importance of self-love, religion, selflessness, and any of the other topics that fall within the broad subject range of love. All things considered, come for Mick’s bars and liquid delivery, but stay for the hydrating message.
Notable Tracks: The Healing Component, Daniels Bloom, Drowning, Angles, F*cked up Outro
- Banks – The Altar
Banks followed up her debut album Goddess, a heart breaking project about a woman coping with her failed relationship, with a triumphant roar in The Altar. From the onset, she sets the tone with two ballads of independence in “Gemini Feed” and “F*ck With Myself” where she is looking her past lover in the face and saying, “I love me, and you will not have power over me.” Of course, like any emotional recovery, with the victories come defeats. Banks uses her sultry, breathy voice to remind us of the valleys on tracks like “Lovesick” and “To the Hilt”. The Altar feels like a human experience of overcoming adversity on a not-so-perfect path.
Notable Tracks: F*ck With Myself, Lovesick, 27 Hours
- D.R.A.M. – Big Baby D.R.A.M.
First off, Big Baby D.R.A.M. has the best album cover of the year. D.R.A.M. strikes me as the type of guy that practices what he preaches, as evidenced by “Get It Myself,” the opening track of Big Baby D.R.A.M.. “I had to tell myself to go and get it myself/‘Cause I got tired of waitin’ on everyone else.” Is a testament to D.R.A.M.’s rise in spite of his “Cha Cha” losing recognition to Drake “borrowing” the sound for his own successful “Hotline Bling”. Rather than letting the opportunity pass him by, D.R.A.M. came back and created one of the year’s biggest singles “Broccoli”. As a debut project, Big Baby is about as good as it gets, and who has enough sway in the industry to already get creatives like Young Thug AND Erykah Badu onto the same project? Big Baby D.R.A.M. is full of earworms, powerful vocals, and introspective lyrics about relationships, D.R.A.M.’s own hypocrisy, and the feeling of finally making it.
Notable Tracks: Monticcello Ave, Cash Machine, Cute, Outta Sight/Dark Lavender Interlude, Sweet Va Breeze
Open Mic Thoughts 