Bas & The Hics – “Melanchronica” review

New collaborative LP between Sudanese-American rapper & songwriter Bas alongside London, England, United Kingdom alternative R&B duo The Hics. One of whom began in 2011 by putting out his debut mixtape Quarter Water Raised Me & the 2013 sequel Quarter Water Raised Me 2 would catch the attention of J. Cole, becoming the 2nd act after Omen other than Cole himself to sign to his Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records. Bas would introduce himself more to the Dreamville fans the next spring on the moderately received full-length debut Last Winter & the sophomore effort Too High to Riot couple years later won them over, as it’s still the most critically acclaimed body of work in Bas’ discography to date. Milky Way was also treated to mild reception as were the couple of EPs that he’s given us since then Spilled Milk & BUMP (Pick Me Up), returning a year & a half after We Only Talk About Real Shit When We’re Fucked Up to team up with The Hics on Melanchronica.

“Out of Sight” was a soulfully orchestral trap fusion were 2 lovers talk about being down & out for each other whereas “Norbit” featuring Ab-Soul references the shitty Eddie Murphy movie that came out at the beginning of 2007 on top of mentioning that they want no parts with politics. “4 Walls” brings the alternative R&B & pop rap vibes they’re both known for in full effect wanting to get to know each other by telling war stories of their worst times while the cloudy “Everyday Ppl” reunites both acts for another R&B/hip hop duet talking about not wanting to fight anymore.

I found “San Junipero” to be a decent 2-parter with a beat switch during the final couple minutes pleading to hold onto love & “Comfort Levels” after the “Roxanne’s Interlude” acoustically talks about never seeing his squad going under since only God knows his hunger. “Mine” featuring Domani finds the quartet going for a tropical direction not wanting to let each other go while “Erehwon” featuring SABA talks about having tons of problems to pay for. “Sometimes” ends the album with a 7-minute closer split in 2 different halves observing tangible qualities in one another.

Breaking free from Interscope albeit staying with Dreamville much like the EARTHGANG did, Melanchronica feels like a longer version of the SNAKEGANG’s eponymous debut EP with the exception of The Hics’ production fusing Bas’ pop rap style with the indietronica/alternative R&B elements of the British duo’s own music. It’s concept is based around the longing of a lost love as well as the battle between our own duality & the pensive self reflection of one’s own shortcomings satisfying fans of both artists encompassing the stories of their lives from pre to post COVID.

Score: 3.5/5

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Bas – “We Only Talk About Real Shit When We’re Fucked Up” review

Bas is a 36 year old Sudanese-American rapper & songwriter born in Paris, France & raised in Queens, New York who emerged in 2011 by putting out his debut mixtape Quarter Water Raised Me. The 2013 sequel Quarter Water Raised Me 2 would catch the attention of J. Cole, who shortly after helped Bas become the 2nd act after Omen other than Cole himself to sign to his Interscope Recordsimprint Dreamville Records. He would introduce himself more to the Dreamville fans the next spring on the moderately received full-length debut Last Winter & the sophomore effort Too High to Riot couple years later won them over, as it’s still the most critically acclaimed body of work in Bas’ discography to date. His previous LP Milky Way in 2018 was also treated to mild reception as were the couple of EPs that he’s given us since then Spilled Milk & [BUMP] Pick Me Up, but the highlights on those last few projects had me holding out hope that Bas would reach the heights that Too High to Riot did once again.

“Light of My Soul” starts the LP with a drumless loop from Boi-1da sampling “We’ve Got a Way Out Love” by The Originals confessing that he has a problem makin’ other people’s problems his own whereas “Black Jedi” likens himself to Mace Windu shifting gears with it’s trap instrumental. “Choppas” talks about going round like the helicopter working in a cloudy backdrop & hi-hats just before “Home Alone” featuring J. Cole produced by T-Minus & Cubeatz serves as a vibrant dedication to the people that switched up on them, the women they miss, the ones they I love, the ones that stayed & the seeds that we growin’ although Bas feels like he’s been featured on his own track.

Meanwhile, “Risk” takes a smoother approach sonically detailing a relationship with a woman in which he took a risk with because she was almost too perfect at first until distancing herself from him leading into “Decent” featuring Amaarae talking about being 100% the same as they were when they started over a spacious trap beat. “Ho Chi Minh” gives a look at Bas’ emotional & mental state as well as his experience with substance abuse over a solemn instrumental, but then “179 Deli” featuring AJ Tracey dabbles with the UK drill sound a bit telling y’all to stay with them for the ride.

Cole returns on “Passport Bros.” for a mediocre pop rap/dancehall fusion with some afrobeats undertones & I say it’s mediocre because my biggest problem with it personally is that both of Bas’ verses feel underwritten although I’ll still take it over “Testify” featuring Sha Sha since it continues to expand on that dancehall vibe singing that they’re gonna “fuck each other right”. The atmospheric “U-Turn” featuring A$AP Ferg & Blxckie breaks down a woman who had them running back with Ferg having the better of the 2 guest performances prior to the final J. Cole appearance on the album “Papers Cuts” groovily asking if you dumb.

“Diamonds” looks to take a leap as artist have to continually explore & give more of themselves to feed the insatiable appetite of the audience on top of some summery acoustic passages while “Yao Ming” boasts that he got racks as tall as the iconic Houston Rockets player of the same name over soulful background vocals. The song “Dr. O’blivion” is more stripped-back thanks to Cole himself explaining that “she don’t want none of the madness you come with” while the penultimate track “Khartoum” is a powerful ballad about the ongoing war in Sudan featuring Adekunle Gold on the hook. “Wait on Me” ends the LP on a melodic note singing that he loves the moments you spending with him.

I remember upsetting a couple Dreamville fans after the Milky Way review because I still believe it’s the most commercial body of work I’ve heard from Bas, but We Only Talk About Real Shit When We’re Fucked Up happens to be the most I’ve enjoyed a project from the guy in about 7 & a half year. Those pop rap/trap elements from that previous album make their way over here once more except this time, he’s mixing them with some new sounds that he’s trying out like dancehall or afrobeats.

Score: 3.5/5

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Bas – “[BUMP] Pick Me Up” review

This is the 2nd EP from Paris, France born albeit Queen, New York raised emcee Bas. Breaking out onto the scene with his debut mixtape Quarter Water Raised Me a little over a decade ago, he eventually signed to J. Cole’s very own Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records at the beginning of 2014 & his full-length debut Last Winter a couple months after. His sophomore effort Too High to Riot would go on to become one of the best albums that Dreamville has ever put out, but his last album Milky Way wound up being a bit of a mixed bag for me. That being said, I was very much looking forward to [BUMP] Pick Me Up given the singles he teased us with.

“[Eyes on You]” with Galimatias is a decently spacey R&B duet that kicks off the EP taking about being entranced by one another while the song “[Admire Her]” with Gunna of course goes into rubbery trap territory describing their admiration for bitches who be fully loaded & it’s slightly better than what we heard at the beginning. The penultimate track “[The Jackie]” with J. Cole & Lil Tjay finds the trio over a melodic yet bouncy instrumental from T-Minus telling motherfuckers to stop playing with them sharpshooting like former 7-time WWE world champion, 3-time WWE tag team champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart while “[The Others]” ends the EP with a peppy ballad encouraging listeners to be grateful for all they have.

Even though [BUMP] Pick Me Up happens to be significantly shorter than Milky Way, I happen to think it’s a tad bit more superior than Bas’ last album & certainly fits as a short batch of summertime jams. The production is a lot more fun & the performances from the features alongside Bas himself are a lot more catchier.

Score: 3.5/5

Dreamville Records – “D-Day” review

This is the 4th showcase compilation from Dreamville Records. Founded in 2007 by J. Cole & his manager Ibrahim Hamad, the label has proven itself to be a dominant force in the mainstream hip hop world for the past decade with the Revenge of the Dreamers trilogy even though the last installment was a bit of a disappointment. However after giving a 24 hour notice & with Dreamville Festival returning this weekend, the crew is having DJ Drama host D-Day.

“Stick” by J.I.D, J. Cole & Sheck Wes finds the trio over a triumphant araabMUZIK & Beat Butcha instrumental talking about being strapped whereas the “Ghetto Gods Freestyle” by the EARTHGANG & 2 Chainz goes into a more skeletal direction even though I do enjoy the battle bars. “Lifestyle” by Bas & A$AP Ferg has a lot more meat on the bone thanks to Cole behind the boards with both MCs talking about the lives they live currently leading into the jazzy “Starting 5” by Cozz, Lute & Omen talking about having shooters.

Meanwhile on “Coming Down”, we get a full blown Ari Lennox solo cut asking when her mans is coming over J. Cole & Wu10 sampling Mary J. Bilge’s rendition of ”I’m Goin’ Down” just before “Hair Salon” by Cozz, G Perico & Reason finds the trio over a psychedelic Chuck Inglish beat pondering why anyone would talk shit about them. “Freedom of Speech” by J. Cole goes into chipmunk soul territory with the help of Jake One talking about the energy switching whenever he pops up, but then “Blackberry Sap” is yet another Ari Lennox solo cut that I find to be inferior to “Coming Down”.

“Like Wine” by Lute comes through with a dusty boom bap banger full of braggadocio while “Jozi Flows” by Bas & the EARTHGANG works in a flute to talk about being misunderstood. “Barry from Simpson” by J.I.D & 2 Chainz mixes some horns with snares encouraging listeners to get shit done while “Everybody Ain’t Shit” by the EARTHGANG follows it up with a fun “fuck you” anthem.

The song “Ballin’ in Newport” by Omen over a piano instrumental from Ging & !llmind while the “Big Trouble” by Cozz comes through with an impressive freestyle accompanied by samples from Doug E. Fresh, David Porter & The Trammps. The whole thing ends with “Heaven’s EP”, where Cole freestyles over the “Pipe Down” instrumental & killed it harder than Drake did.

Even though I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this compilation, I actually happen to like it more than Revenge of the Dreamers III. The production’s much better, they relied less on features given how inconsistent they were almost 3 years back & the whole roster come through with improved performances too.

Score: 3.5/5

Dreamville Records – “Revenge of the Dreamers III” review

Dreamville Records is a record label founded in 2007 by J. Cole & his manager Ibrahim Hamad. They released their first showcase compilation in 2014 & followed it up at the tail end of 2015. But now with an ever-growing roster, they’re coming through with a 3rd showcase comp that was recorded in only 10 days.

The album opens up with “Under the Sun”, where J. Cole gets with Lute & DaBaby flex over a soulful trap beat. The next song “Down Bad” by Cole, Bas, J.I.D, the EARTHGANG & Young Nudy talk about their origins over a Bomb Squad-inspired instrumental from Pluss while the track “LamboTruck” by Cozz & Reason talk about being underappreciated over a decently relaxing instrumental. The song “Swivel” is a chilled out preview of the EARTHGANG’s upcoming 3rd album Mirrorland while the track “Oh Wow…Swerve” sees Cole talking about his current spot over an atmospheric beat, but then Maxo Kream talks about trapping over a gritty trap beat. The song “Don’t Hit Me Now” by Bas, Buddy, Cozz & Yung Baby Tate spits that gun talk over a mellow beat while the track “Wells Fargo” by Buddy, the EARTHGANG & J.I.D talks about robbing a bank over a vibrant beat.

The song “Sleep Deprived” by Lute, Mez & Omen talks about coming up from nothing over a somewhat funky boom bap beat while the track “Self Love” by Ari Lennox, Baby Rose & Bas is an ode to just that over a mellow beat. The song “Ladies, Ladies, Ladies” by J.I.D & T.I. is basically the modern version of JAY-Z’s “Girls, Girls, Girls” while the track “Costa Rica” by Bas, Buddy, J.I.D, Jace, Mez, Reese LAFLARE, Ski Mask the Slump God & Smokepurpp sees everyone getting boastful over a lavish trap beat. The song “1993” by Buddy, Cole, Cozz, the EARTHGANG, J.I.D & Smino talks about alcohol over a fittingly intoxicating boom bap beat while the track “Remembrandt…Run It Back” sees J.I.D & Cole paying homage to the iconic YoungBloodZ joint “Damn!”, but I also really love how the beat switches from a druggy vibe to something more energetic as soon as Vince Staples starts rapping.

The song “Sunset” by Cole & Young Nudy fire back at those who want smoke over an eerie trap beat from Pyrex Whippa while the track “Got Me” by Ari Lennox, Dreezy, Omen & Ty$ is a decently moody love anthem. The song “Middle Child” is pretty much J. Cole taking a jab at doing a Drake joint while the penultimate track “PTSD” by Mereba, Deante Hitchcock & Omen sees the 3 talking about simply just kicking it over a fitting instrumental. The compilation then finishes with “Sacrifices”, where Cole & the EARTHGANG team up with Smino & SABA to talk about their sacrifices over a funky beat.

I don’t know what else to say beyond that, this was disappointingly mediocre. The production was just decent & while I can appreciate they brought outside features in on this one, but it doesn’t help the fact that there are WAY too many cooks the kitchen.

Score: 2.5/5

Bas – “Milky Way” review

Bas is a 31 year old rapper from Paris, France who broke out onto the scene with his 1st mixtape Quarter Water Raised Me in 2011. He eventually signed to J. Coles’s Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records at the beginning of 2014, dropping his debut album Last Winter a couple months after & then following it up in 2016 with what I believe to be his magnum opus: Too High to Riot. Then earlier this month out of the blue, Bas announced that he would be releasing his 3rd full-length album.

Things start off with “Icarus”, where he talks about an ex over a mellow instrumental. The next track “Front Desk” has a very funky instrumental, but Bas’ singing is horrendous & it’s concept is really corny. The song “Tribe” is all about making it over a creative sample of “Zum-Zum” by Edu Lobo & the J. Cole verse is probably my favorite feature on the entire album while the track “Boca Raton” with A$AP Ferg sees the 2 talking about partying in the titular city over Sango’s “Para a Luz”. The song “Barack Obama’s Special” takes a jab at his old racist neighbors over a jazzy boom bap beat from Ron Gilmore while the track “Purge” talks about killing people off from his life & the instrumental on here is just decent. The song “Fragrance” talks about this woman who won’t leave him alone over a smooth instrumental with rattling hi-hats, but Bas’ predominately sung-execution ruins it.

The spoken word “Infiniti” skit leads us into the next song “Infiniti+2”, where Bas tells this woman to get her head right over a spacey trap beat. It’s ok, but I don’t get why these 2 tracks weren’t merged into 1. The track “Sanufa” tells this woman that she knows better over a house instrumental from J. Cole & after the “Great Ones skit, we go into the song “PDA”. Here, Bas is about making up lost times with his girl due to his newfound success over a moody beat & the hook is absolutely God awful. The penultimate track “Designer” gets braggadocious over a settle instrumental & then the album closes with “Spaceships + Rockets”, which is a weird EDM/trap fusion.

For the most part, I found this to be just average. There are quite a few interesting ideas being presented, but Bas’ attempts at being melodic fall flat on it’s face & the romantic themes tend to wear thin after a while.

Score: 2.5/5