Woy's Album Reviews.

[Woy]

Str8 Killa EP - Freddie Gibbs

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In my opinion, Freddie Gibbs is the most underrated and most under-appreciated rapper in the game today. He has a ridiculous flow, very good lyrics, the ability to tell a great story and nice beats on his tracks. He doesn't always get recognition as one of the best up and comers like a J. Cole, but he's as every bit as good as him. (Note: Even though I'm fans of both, I still would listen to J. Cole nine times out of 10 over Gibbs, but that's not the focus of this review.)

He released two mix-tapes last year - The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs and midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik (a spin off of Outkast's album southernplayalisticadillacmuzik) - and I enjoyed both, which had me hyped for this EP. I had high expectations for Str8 Killa...could he meet them? In one word; definitely.

1.) Str8 Killa No Filla ft. Big Kill - 3.5/5
- Big Kill kills this song, and I don't mean in a good way. Luckily, the hook and Gibbs' verses keep it afloat.
2.) Rep 2 Tha Fullest ft. Jay Rock - 3.5/5
3.) National Anthem (F*** The World) - 5/5
- The way Gibbs throws his flow in this track is unreal. Hook's catchy too; this is truly an anthem. One of my favorite tracks of 2010 for sure.
4.) The Coldest ft. B.J. The Chicago Kid - 4.5/5
- This B.J. dude does a great job on the hook.
5.) Personal OG - 4/5
6.) Live By The Game - 4/5
7.) Rock Bottom ft. Bun B - 5/5
- Both Gibbs and Bun B kill it. Bun's one of my favorite rappers on guest appearances.
8.) Oil Money ft. Chuck Inglish, Chip Tha Ripper, Bun B & Dan Auerbach - 4/5

Overall Grade: 4.2/5

After Oil Money ended, I started wishing there was more tracks. Unfortunately, this is an EP and not a LP or mix-tape, but that doesn't diminish the quality of this release. It's up there for me with Pilot Talk by Curren$y and More About Nothing by Wale as one of the best this year so far.

I can't say enough how much I love National Anthem (F*** the World). The beat just fits perfectly, the subject matter is great, and like I said before, his flow is incredible on that track. Rock Bottom would be my second favorite from the EP, and even though I gave 3.5's to Str8 Killa No Filla and Rep 2 Tha Fullest, they were just a few changes away from 4-4.5's (hint: the guest appearances). Oil Money kind of disappointed me because I saw Bun B and Chip Tha Ripper on the track and although they did well, I don't care for the beat on it for some reason. It's still a good song though and finishes off the EP nicely.

Hopefully he'll pick up some more fans from this release and people will actually go out and pick up the physical copy of this. I know I would if I can find it; highly doubtful though. Gibbs hasn't hit his peak yet and if I think he's dope now, then I'm excited for what the future brings him.

 

[Fox1994]

I'm gonna plug your blog in an article I'm writing for the school paper about this year in music.

 

[Lumpkin]

Definitely agree with your view on National Anthem (F*** The World) been blasting that in my car for a while now

 

[Woy]

I'll start a review for Passion, Pain & Pleasure by Trey Songz soon.

 

[KNUBB]

I came in here thinking you had the review up already

 

[Cody]

I came in here thinking you had the review up already

:yep:

 

[Fox1994]

Jeez. Not at all interested in this. But I can appreciate you doing another review.

 

[Woy]

Jeez. Not at all interested in this. But I can appreciate you doing another review.

Gotta expand your horizons, man. Everyone loves a little R&B, especially from one of the best upcoming artists in the game, Trey Songz.

 

[KNUBB]

Gotta expand your horizons, man. Everyone loves a little R&B, especially from one of the best upcoming artists in the game, Trey Songz.

:yep:

Trey is pretty much the best R&B artist around right now. Usher selling out for pop(SEE OMG) and everything after that is pretty much garbage. There is always the diamond in the rough. Keri Hilson album was a surprise and turned out to be very good.

 

[Woy]

:yep:

Trey is pretty much the best R&B artist around right now. Usher selling out for pop(SEE OMG) and everything after that is pretty much garbage. There is always the diamond in the rough. Keri Hilson album was a surprise and turned out to be very good.

Exactly. I can't think of someone doing it the way Trey has the last few years. Hopefully he can continue to progress and become the next Kells.

 

[KNUBB]

Exactly. I can't think of someone doing it the way Trey has the last few years. Hopefully he can continue to progress and become the next Kells.

Funny you said that. I made that comparison and today when I was bringing this chick home from class and I had PPP in the CD player she asked if that was R. Kelly. Dude is well on his way to Kellz status

 

[Fox1994]

Eh, when I listen to R&B, I listen to either Alicia, The Temptations, or some other old group... I have no real use for 'modern' R&B. I could care less about all the different ways Trey wants to fuck your girlfriend.

Matter of fact, if the neighbors know your name, maybe you should keep that shit down.

 

[Rudi]

Funny you said that. I made that comparison and today when I was bringing this chick home from class and I had PPP in the CD player she asked if that was R. Kelly. Dude is well on his way to Kellz status

Did you bang her?

 

[Woy]

Passion, Pain & Pleasure - Trey Songz

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Before last year, I didn't take Trey Songz as a serious artist. I hated both of his first two albums and didn't want to give his third album, Ready, a listen until I heard Neighbors Know My Name off of it. That song right there changed my entire opinion on Trey and he's now one of my favorite artists, with Ready being one of my favorite albums ever.

With that being said, I was very excited about his upcoming album Passion, Pain & Pleasure. I had very high expectations for it and was really hoping it would be near or surpass the quality of Ready. Did Trey do that?

1.) Here We Go Again (Intro) - 1.5/5

- What is up with this intro? It doesn't fit the theme the album whatsoever. Not to mention, it had enormous expectations to live up to with one of my favorite intros, Panty Droppin'. (Later Note: This fits in perfectly for one of the iTunes bonus tracks, Love Me Better, however. I don't review songs that aren't on the actual physical copy of the album though.)

2.) Love Faces - 5/5

- Thank God this makes up for the horrible intro though. This track leaked a few weeks ago and I've been playing it non-stop. The hook is perfect, and the lyrics are perfect for a love-making track; they look deeper into the act of sex. It's one of my favorites this year.

3.) Massage - 4.5/5

- Another sex track, but you expect this from a R&B album; especially from Trey. This song is another winner, focusing on what a woman wants, how they feel and such. It's just a hair under Love Faces, but that's probably because I've listened to Love Faces so much more than this. Another winner here.

4.) Alone - 3.5/5

- Very catchy, but nothing special. I don't skip it though.

5.) Bottoms Up ft. Nicki Minaj - 4/5

- I thought this would get extremely old to me, but it hasn't. It's a club banger and was the first single off the album. Hook is catchy, like most club songs, and Nicki's guest appearance was nice.

6.) Pain (Interlude) - 4.5/5

- Before getting into this interlude, let me just mention that the interludes on Ready were absolutely money. Ready to Make Love, Hollalude and if you want to add the intro Panty Droppin', made that album so much better. This is a great interlude as well, setting up perfectly for the next track.

7.) Can't Be Friends - 5/5

- I've gotta be honest; I don't exactly know which song is my favorite on this album. One day it's Love Faces, one day it's this, one day it's a song later on in the album. This song leaked a while ago and it really hit me beside of the stuff I was facing at the time. This reminds me so much of Yo Side of the Bed (I know, there I go making comparisons to Ready again) and that was my favorite song on the previous album. The video is amazing as well; just a powerful song.

8.) Please Return My Call - 4.5/5

- Can't Be Friends shifts right into this one, as Trey wants the previous girl to return his calls. Another song that fits perfectly into the album's theme and the interlude, and the vibe of it seems like it's a song from the 90s. I like that a lot.

9.) Made To Be Together - 5/5

- I can't even explain how much I like this song. Everything about it is on point.

10.) Pleasure (Interlude) - 4/5

- Another solid interlude here, but it didn't reel me in like Pain did.

11.) Red Lipstick - 4.5/5

- You had to figure the Pleasure section was directed towards sex. Obviously, the title isn't misleading, as this song focuses on the kissing action. The hook is another one I've had stuck in my head for a while.

12.) Unusual ft. Drake - 4/5

- Trey Songz and Drake? This screams major radio play. The lyrics are definitely not PG-13 rated, however it's another good song. Drake's verse is much better than the last guest appearance of his I heard (Made - Big Sean).

13.) Doorbell - 5/5

- Way to finish off the Pleasure section of the album. Everything about this song is great, I can't even start to explain.

14.) Passion (Interlude) - 4.5/5

- The interludes are just as good as Ready's after hearing this one.

15.) Unfortunate - 2/5

- There's a reason why this is called Unfortunate...it's unfortunately on the album. Too slow and boring for this project, compared to the rest of the tracks.

16.) Blind - 3.5/5

- I at first hated this song, but it's grown on me a little bit. I'll skip it every now and then, but it's definitely not in the category of Unfortunate (the category I originally lumped it in). I really like the chorus.

17.) You Just Need Me - 3.5/5

- I could see this one being a single as well. It's upbeat and just a very fun track, without straying too much from the album's theme.

18.) Already Taken - 4.5/5

- I honestly didn't know this was on the album, but I liked it already when I heard it in previews for Step Up 3D. This actually has the most listens out of all the songs on my iTunes, but the part after the second verse brings this down from a 5/5. I honestly think this song would fit Ready more though.

Overall Grade: 4.1/5

Trey did it; he put out another great album just a year after putting out a classic. The way he set up the track list was perfect with the sad/lonely tracks after Pain, the sex tracks after Pleasure and so on. A few things could have improved this to put it up in Ready-category, but it's still going to be an album I'll be listening to for a while.

If he continues at this pace and puts out another great album within the next two years, I'll have no problem calling him the R. Kelly of this generation of music. He's already near that level, but one more album will cement it for me. Some of R&B's biggest stars have fizzled out lately, like Chris Brown and Mario (don't hate on Mario, I was a big fan of his a few years ago) but it looks like the brightest star of them is here to stay.

 

[BigBucs]

Eh, when I listen to R&B, I listen to either Alicia, The Temptations, or some other old group... I have no real use for 'modern' R&B. I could care less about all the different ways Trey wants to fuck your girlfriend.

Matter of fact, if the neighbors know your name, maybe you should keep that shit down.

Solid post. You are an old soul. That shit is geared towards your generation.

 

[Rudi]

Great review....tbh, the more I listen to Unfortunate and Blind, the more they grow on me. I'm LOVIN Doorbell so far too.

 

[Fox1994]

I simply can't believe Trey Songz's album is - in your apparent opinion - the album of the year. Fucking Atlantic. Lupe would blow this out of the water. Two fucking ablums done and Atlantic won't release them... Kanye better release whatever the fuck he changed Good Ass Job to.

 

[Woy]

I simply can't believe Trey Songz's album is - in your apparent opinion - the album of the year. Fucking Atlantic. Lupe would blow this out of the water. Two fucking ablums done and Atlantic won't release them... Kanye better release whatever the fuck he changed Good Ass Job to.

Different tastes, that's why. And besides, Pilot Talk is still higher rated.

And no he wouldn't, because I don't like him, remember? This is all subject to MY opinion; read XXL or somewhere if you want a professional one.

 

[Fox1994]

Different tastes, that's why. And besides, Pilot Talk is still higher rated.

And no he wouldn't, because I don't like him, remember? This is all subject to MY opinion; read XXL or somewhere if you want a professional one.

Dammit, Woy, if you weren't so damned adorable I'd be pissed at you right now. :wub: lol.

Fuck XXL. The difference between a man giving his opinion for free and giving his opinion for money is that one is getting paid. They're still just opinions.

 

[Pitty]

The Trey Songz review was for the lulz, right?