On “Foto” Kota the Friend gives you a full story of his upbringing, his struggles, Fatherhood, Love, and how his life has changed. This album is a soulful body of work, full of bars and good vibes. Foto is filled with 19 tracks of mellow vibes that you can play on a long car ride, a night drive, in your room laying upside down, or even when life is getting too stressful Kota the Friend is here to help. This album is produced mainly by Kota himself, but he has features from Saba, Lizzy Ashliegh, and Hello Oshay.
The album isn’t something that has party bangers, but it is an actual project that skipping one song can mess up the whole vibe. Kota has songs for when you are with your significant other like ” Birdie“, “Chicago Diner“, and “Bagels“, these tracks will tell your significant other how much they mean to you without you saying a word. Its the time for love and Kota is helping us shy, tight lip, non- emotional people out. Kota makes his life so relatable and that is what really makes this album slap. On tracks like “Church“, “Hollywood“, “Solar Returns“, “Sedona“, “Mommy” and ” Good to Be Home“, he makes you feel like he’s no different from you. What really surprised me about this album was how much game Kota was giving the black culture throughout the project. Mainly on tracks like Alkaline“, “For Colored Boys“, and “Foto“, he really champions us but also encourages us to practice more self love, love our women more, make advancements for the culture, love the people around us, and to stop listening and following white people. Kota the Friend has an album that won’t receive much global attention until later on in the year or even until he drops his second project. but this has the making of being a classic album for him and many people don’t realize it.
Kota the Friend did exactly what he was supposed to do on this album and that was to make us feel like he was our friend. Kota is the best friend that everybody needs but usually doesn’t get. He’s the friend that will always ride for you with no problem, he is the friend that will keep you grounded but will also let you know when its time to turn up. The one who will call you out on all your bullshit but still love you for all your flaws. The friend that will stick by your side through the ups and downs of life. The friend that you grow up with and be able to share stories with your kids at the cookout. Kota the Friend, Foto is his personal letter to you to let you know everything will be ok even if he’s not there with you. You can listen to “Foto” on all major streaming platforms.
The true Tyler the Creator has finally appeared. When I say that I don’t mean he was somebody else for his other albums, but this has been the Tyler many people were waiting for sonically since Cherry Bomb released 4 years ago. Igor is basically a very mature Cherry Bomb.
Igor was kind of a surprise album with it being announced only a week before its release date. Many people including myself speculated who would be featured on the album and how it would sound. We were expecting Flower Boy, but we got something way better from the Pharrell pupil. Filled with 12 tracks all written, produced and arranged by Tyler himself. The night before its release Tyler posted on social media stating “This is not like any other album I have released, do not go into this thinking its a rap album. Jump into it don’t skip a song and don’t look for features, take a car ride or lay in your bed and just let the music paint the picture for you”, and honestly Tyler was right this album is a big storyline from beginning to end.
Igor is a story of the highs and lows of Tyler’s past relationship. It starts just like any other relationship you first fall in love with the person,( The honeymoon phase) and now you’re trying to show the person why they should love you. Then come the complications and hardships many of us go through. The next part of the album Tyler talks of having to share the person because not only was this person fronting on him but now there is somebody else in the picture. Disclaimer alert we don’t know if Tyler is talking about a boy or girl he is trying to fall in love with, so maybe this person is still hiding their secret and that’s the reason they are playing with Tyler emotional. Tyler then sees them together and has thoughts of killing him or her so he can have his lover to himself. Tyler afterward plea’s to his lover what they would like for him to do. Many of us have been in this position because we are so in love with the person we put their happiness above ours even though that isn’t mentally healthy for us. But soon after Tyler comes to his senses and realizes he’s better off without this person, and tells them I hope the person you with knows they will never be better than me( Classic line by ever heartbroken person). Tyler is ready to leave and is fine with how things played out because he finally found peace in the situation. It ends as most of these situations do, can we be friends? Tyler wonders if they can be friends after everything has happened. This is the comically sense of unhealthy relationships, the person hurt the most always wants to stay friends. But we both know it never works out that way.
This is sonically the best album Tyler has ever released. IGOR is cohesive and the story is relatable to everybody no matter their background. I reframed from listing the tracklist or even the features because some are more evident than others. If you ever been through a situation like this you will quickly be caught following the album like a book. Each track will evoke a different memory or emotion and that is what makes this a top 5 album of the year candidate. You can stream IGOR on all music platforms.
11 albums in and our favorite ad-liber is still giving us good vibes and good music. DJ Khaled has finally made his return to the music scene after a 2-year hiatus “Father of Asahd” is upon us. Khaled took a different approach to his rollout instead of releasing singles a week or two ahead of its release Khaled instead kept all the music until its release day. The only two singles we knew about were “No Brainer“, and “Top Off” which were released the year prior.
Now to dive deep into this star-studded album, that has 15 tracks with features coming from SZA, Meek Mill, Lil Baby, Cardi B, 21 Savage, Jeremiah, Big Sean, J Balvin, Travis Scott, Post Malone, Nas, Chris Brown, Jeezy, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Gunna, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Buju Banto, John Legend, and none other than the late Nipsey Hussle. Khaled has always been able to amass a good cast of artist for his projects the problem is more so putting everybody on tracks that allow them to shine.
Khaled may have finally blessed the music community with some jams before the summer actually starts with hits like “Jealous( Ft. Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, and Big Sean) that showcase yet again why Chris Brown is an R&B king and Lil Wayne still has it. We were also blessed with “Celebrate(FT. Travis Scott, Post Malone) which without listening to it you know its a autotune summer smash. Also, we receive our reggaeton music with “Holy Mountain(FT. Buju Banton, Sizzla, Mavado, & 070 Shake) and “Holy Ground( Ft. Buju Banton) which samples Jose Feliciano’s” And the Feelings Good“, Khaled did good with supplying us with BBQ/ Party music for the summer.
Whats a summer or even a Khaled album without some R&B tracks like “Just Us(FT. SZA) that samples Outkast hit “Ms. Jackson”, which gives this an even better feeling because the older generation gets to reminisce. Then you get a big mood with tracks like ” You Stay( FT. Meek Mill, J Balvin, Lil Baby,& Jeremiah) and “Freak N You(Ft Lil Wayne,& Gunna), setting the mood in the car with your girl should be easy with these tracks playing ( while the latter samples Jodeci Freek N You), so you know things are going to get spicy once you get home.
Khaled always does a great job of having the spitters and retrospective music to fit perfectly on his album. He does this with these tracks “Big Boy Talk(ft. Jeezy& Rick Ross) which is a surprise if you know their past history. You also Have Big Sean with his own track “Thank You” which honestly has me craving a Big Sean project this year. Then Khaled also put an idea of maybe having a Lil Baby and Meek Mill Ep because of the way they mesh on ” Weather the Storm“. But the best track and the most emotional one is “Higher(FT. Nipsey Hussle& John Legend) there isn’t a more complete track on the album than this. This track is literally the best last track we could receive from Nipsey Hussle, he tells his story from his grandparents to kids, You see the star he was becoming. Nipsey last verse hits harder because of the way he went out ” Dance with the Devil and test all faith, I was thinking chess moves, but it was god grace/ South central state of mind, high crime rate. Homicide, hate, gang bangin and get you all day“, To think his last verse foretold his fate. There is no beating the feelings this track and video make you feel whether you listened to Nipsey or not and John Legend hook was perfectly written.
This was a solid project from Khaled may actually be really good once the summer officially hits. “Higher” was the epitome of Nipsey, and the fact all the money from this track goes to his family makes it all the better to stream it all day. This isnt a top 5 album or anything but it will get us therough the summer because the music as been lackluster this year so far. You can stream this project on all media platforms and also check out the music videos for almost every track on youtube.
DJ Khaled long awaited album “Father of Ashad”, is here and the first single to get a music video is none other than the track that shows Nipsey Hussle living for the last time. It was no mystery that Khaled and Nipsey were working together on music, but money wondered if we would see what they working on since the sudden pasting of Nipsey. But today Khaled blessed us with the video and I promise you that nostalgic feeling will hit especially after hearing Nipsey verse.
2019 has been very slow music wise. So far many expected Lil Uzi to release his long-anticipated album “Eternal Atake”, after getting released from his record label contract but it’s been quiet. Many people predicted that Dreamville would release there compilation album but yet again we were disappointed. That’s why Pnb Rock has and very well may end up with a top 5 album this year.
I’m not saying that because the music market has been slow so far, but his album wasn’t overshadowed by everybody else so it can stand out better. This is technical Pnb Rock debut album even though he released many projects prior and his last project “Catch These Vibes” he said was his debut but Atlantic thought different. On “Trapstar Turnt Popstar” Pnb gives you melodically, autotune singing and rapping style that many of his peers use such as Fetty Wap, A-Boogie, Lil Durk. This wave of rapping has the industry on fire right now because almost every up and coming artist sounds like this. So Fetty Wap and Pnb Rock had a major influence on the culture. Now back to the album, the original is laced with 18 tracks while the deluxe comes with an extra 5 tracks. Pnb has features from A Boogie, Tory Lanez, Lil Skies, Roddy Ricch, Youngboy, Lil Wayne, XXXTentacion, and Lil Durk.
Pnb caught a lot of hate for switching his style on his projects but fans will be highly impressed and satisfied with the sound of this album. The Intro track ” Dreamin” sets the tone of the album with Pnb switching between rapping and singer and starting the album off with a banger. Pnb ability to keep the balance between the two is what makes this album that much better. With tracks like “Penny Proud”, “Put You On”, “I Need More”, ” Now or Never 2.0″ are some examples on the album were exhibit that balance. Pnb Storytelling is an underrated ability of his and you realize that on tracks ” Middle Child”, “Nowadays”, “Take My Soul”, and “Evolved”, Pnb tells his come up story. Pnb could cut this album in half and split it between rap and R&B with mood music like ” Choosin”, “My Ex”, “How It Feels”, and “HMP”, give the album that vibe for the girls to get ready too.
This is a very solid project for Pnb Rock, A lot of the features fit perfectly with the track they’re on without outshining Pnb rock. The album has some songs that you have to be in the mood to listen too but for that reason, the project will age well. Pnb picked the perfect time to release his project being as new music so hard to come by currently. You can check out Trapstar turnt Popstar on all major media platforms.
![[MUSIC] KOTA THE FRIEND “FOTO” ALBUM REVIEW](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/IMG_0189.png?resize=540%2C539&ssl=1)
![[MUSIC] IGOR ALBUM REVIEW](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/img_0184-1.jpg?resize=320%2C320&ssl=1)
![[MUSIC] FATHER OF ASAHD ALBUM REVIEW](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/IMG_0168.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1)
![{MUSIC] DJ KHALED DROPS VIDEO FOR “HIGHER”](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/IMG_0149.jpg?resize=700%2C467&ssl=1)
