The Future of TDE
Isaiah Rashad isn’t the only TDE member who’s appeared to have wisened up and become more creative with backing vocals. ScHoolboy Q’s Oxymoron, which is his first proper retail release and has now sold hundreds of thousands of copies, is a more lush and In a genre where sampling and remixing music of the fleshed out version of his previous records. The album past is so commonplace, hip hop often feels caught follows typical gangster rap themes (A concept Q is between two distinct objectives: harkening back to eager to assert from the first track “Gangsta”), but the the artists and movements of yore, and pushing the themes are tackled in a more honest way. Q parties soundscape through innovative production and rap hard throughout the album, but will occasionally show styles. Part of the appeal of Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 remorse when reminiscing about the past, like when release good kid, m.A.A.d city was in the balance of he recalls being shaken awake by his daughter in the these antagonistic elements: Kendrick and the pro- midst of a prescription drug fueled coma on “Preduction is birthed from Dr. Dre West Coast-era rap scription / Oxymoron.” Schoolboy explores creative that usually should be blasted from a car with the rhythms and hooks, such as in “Hoover Street”, where windows down, yet the final product gives a more Q recalls growing up around criminals as a child. The multi-dimensional view of life in Compton through intentionally skippy and glitched rhythm syncs and relentless self-reflection and dedicated lyricism. Afswells with Q as his voice echoes, “Sunlight, night ter Kendrick’s explosion to fame after the release of fall / Summertime, gotta ball.” Although perhaps the GKMC (not to mention “Control” and his BET cypher catchier moments of the album are also some of the verse) as well as the growth of lyric site Rap Genius, least lyrically interesting, the album’s use of sparser focus on lyrical content has once again entered the and stranger instrumentation on such a major release collective conscience of mainstream hip hop. pays off.
By Ben Wedin
Kendrick’s fame has also brought the label he is signed to, Top Dawg Entertainment, front and center as one of the most active and widely recognized rap collectives. All solor artists signed on the label are set to release albums this year, of which three of six (ScHoolboy Q, Isaiah Rashad, and SZA) are already out. These records have all been met with positive reviews, and follow the established pattern of honest lyricism combined with a synergy between singer and beat that feels incredibly organic.
The most recent release by TDE, SZA’s Z, extends the fusion of singer and production to the point where SZA seems to have sublimated into the ether and has become the beat, echoing and resounding throughout the album. SZA brings in others (Isaiah Rashad, Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper) to do the actual rapping on the album, and instead floats between R&B and hip hop in the same way that Frank Ocean might do on occasion. Gone are the themes of gangbanging and prescription drugs, although the album is equally self-examining. SZA instead focuses on selfdoubt and loneliness in the abstract and direct. “Fuck reality, do you want to know / Know me?” “Don’t have much to write about / Got a shitload to cry about” “Long live, lonely thoughts on Thursday nights.” SZA presents herself in a confident yet unassuming way where the lyrics really start to be something the listener wants to understand.
The first release from Isaiah Rashad on TDE, Cilvia Demo, is highly introspective and explores themes of substance abuse and fatherhood. From “Ronnie Drake”: “I real life it / I spill vices.” Rashad communicates his shifting emotions not only through lyrical content but also versatility in his flow. He’s laid-back and melancholy during “Tranquility”: “I’ve been on pills since a little one / Start with Advil then we level up”. In “Menthol”, his delivery is aggressive but also All of TDE has the desire to be understood and recdistraught when he hollers, “Baby hold my hand while ognized. The careful attention to voice and the beats I stumble up these fucking stairs.” The album is held that support them has done just that, expanding the together by backing vocals, an exasperated version emotional palette and making the message feel much of Rashad that is crackled and distorted. The effect more direct. As this approach becomes more fleshed sounds like Rashad broadcasting from the frontlines ofout with new releases from Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and his inner psyche, and makes the production feel much Kendrick Lamar later this year, it will be interesting more like a part of his music and aesthetic, instead to see how other crews choose to react and develop of simply him hyping up his own punch lines their own sound. with doubled vocals.
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