The year 2016 has been a great year for rap. It’s only October, and we have new albums from Chance The Rapper, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Kanye West, Drake and Schoolboy Q. We’ve seen the rap industry grow and evolve to continue to connect with audiences. The surprise album drop and visual albums have been prevalent. While rap is most commonly heard at fraternities, bars and house parties in Tuscaloosa, certain rappers have started to turn towards message-centered rap. Their albums discuss important topics. This new breed of rap music provides more listening opportunities. I study while listening to the Kendrick Lamar album “untitled unmastered;” I drive listening to Frank Ocean’s “Blonde;” I run to Chance The Rapper’s “Coloring Book.” Here are a few rappers that are doing something exciting.
Frank Ocean: Fans have waited for Ocean’s new full-length album for four years. Released in 2012, “channel ORANGE” was Ocean’s first album and this release garnered a lot of attention. His gentle voice and powerful words created a huge following for the artist. After “channel ORANGE,” rumors began to circulate about his new release date. Each year there would be a new rumor, and I fell for them every time. I would tell my friends the supposed release date, but it never happened. On Aug. 19, Ocean released “Boys Don’t Cry,” a visual album, and my hopes were up again. The next day, “Blonde” was released and, let me tell you, it was worth that wait. Finally, the world had Ocean’s perspective again and a lot has changed since his first album. “Blonde” opens with “Nikes,” a song that reveals Ocean’s sadness over Trayvon Martin’s death, which occurred four years ago. The rest of the album revolves around sadness, but about different things. The track “Facebook Story” is a man speaking about a ruined relationship because of Facebook. The girl he was dating broke up with him because he would not accept her friend request, but he did not want to because he wanted to be face-to-face and not phone-to-phone. “Blonde” is Ocean’s response to the changes in the world in the last four years and it is one that everyone should hear.
Chance The Rapper: Before I discuss the music on “Coloring Book,” I need to explain how cool Chance is. “Coloring Book” was released solely on music streaming sites. It is the first album to make it on the Billboard 200 chart based solely on streaming, and it reached number eight. Chance announced the album’s release after performing on “The Tonight Show” in May. He performed “Blessings” on the show with a gospel choir, Ty Dolla Sign, and Raury. The gospel choir is a constant theme throughout the album, which connects to the underlying theme of faith and religion found throughout. In “Blessings,” it feels like Chance The Rapper is having a conversation with God, expressing his sincere gratitude for his success. The most outstanding aspect of this song is the harmony towards the end of the song with Chance, Ty Dolla Sign, Raury and the gospel choir. Another standout track on the album is “Same Drugs.” Throughout the song, Chance sings, “We don’t do the same drugs no more.” This line is used to explain that a woman that he used to have a relationship has changed. They no longer have the same interests or experiences and they are unable to connect like they used to. He uses a reference to Wendy in “Peter Pan.” He explains that like Wendy, this girl promised to never grow up, but she did. At the end of the song, he asks, “When did you start to forget how to fly?” Chance The Rapper uses “Same Drugs” to explain the crumbling of a relationship because of increasing differences. Chance The Rapper has created his newest album with passion and his evolution as an artist is apparent.
