The Life Of Pablo, which one?

"I know some fans who thought I wouldn't rap like this again, but the writers block is over emcee's cancel your plans"

After 4 weeks, a lot of information, one tired hip-hop head, and we've finally reached the end of the road. But of course, I have to leave something good before I decided to retire my services to this blog. I need to give you guys something sweet, something beautiful, something the kids are going to want to jump and sing when they here it. That's a college dropout reference, kudos if understood. Back to the topic.

        I decided to leave you guys with the last album that will definitely change how music is released. The Life Of Pablo by, the man everyone loves to hate, Kanye West. Kanye West has a reputation that often precedes itself. He's a house hold name, from his cockiness to being the best artist out no matter what, to Taylor Swift, to never smiling, Kanye West is surely the character, the "38 year old, 8 year old" himself.

        One thing that sets Kanye apart from artist's who attempt to act in a similar matter is his value as a rapper and producer, is that Kanye actually has the resume to back up his endless rants of him being an important figure in hip-hop.  Behind the board and the in the booth Kanye was one of the original dual threat artists, succeeding in both areas. Now, back to the topic once again.

        The Life Of Pablo is Kanye's seventh studio album, and will eventually follow suit to commercial and critical success like his last six albums. Pushing musical boundaries and thematically and sonically, TLOP was a different monster in entirety. From having start studded features, from Rihanna, to Kendrick Lamar, even to the mostly absent Frank Ocean, the album was a crazy clash of artists from all over the genre. What makes this album different is how it began. It started off as SHMG, So Help Me God, back in 2013. According to Kanye and many others who worked on the album, this album was going to be different because it will be closer to Kanye's heart and will be more personal like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The album was reported as nearly finished many of times through out the 3 year absence, he's played the album on set of Anchorman 2 during filming, practically forced Seth Rogan into a limo to hear Kanye perform the album, playing all the Paul McCartney tracks in random nightclubs, the album was his best kept secret and he kept it well.

        After his two released tracks of All Day and Only One, the album was later given a name change again to Waves. Kanye started becoming more active on twitter, taking a picture of the album track list, written on a notepad and signed by other artists and celebrity figures, who we assume are featured on the album as well. The notepad at one point looked like a Jackson Pollack painting filled with signatures and got many fans excited.

        The album was once again changed to TLOP, which he promised a free pair of his Yeezy sneakers to anyone who can guess the acryonym. Later he announced that the album would be released during his Yeezy Season 3 fashion show and anyone who buys a ticket for the show will receive a copy of the album when it's released. The show happened, the album took everyone by storm, but one thing remained. No one ever got a copy of the album. Turns out the album wasn't finished like everyone thought.

        Half a month and an SNL performance later, the album was eventually released as a Tidal exclusive, and Kanye himself announced that the album will not be released anywhere or will be available for sale. The album was still not up for download. Somewhere after weeks of it being released to stream, the album was actually given an update in terms or mixing and mastering, and in some cases for other tracks even an extra verse or two. He's added and subtracted almost every other week which was nothing no one had ever seen before. It essentially became an album with software patches like a video game. Nonetheless the album was a huge success, and definitely changed a lot of how albums will be released. Messy rollout or not, Mr. West is in the building.

Queen B still runs the hive.

"Who the fuck do you think I am?"

        That's exactly the type of attitude I expect from Beyoncé herself. Beyonce's reputation speaks for herself, from Destiny's Child, to her solo career, to Jay-Z. Beyonce has always been a powerhouse of an artist and is center of attention of the room before she even sets foot in it.

        Since her 2013 surprise power house of an album which was self titled, "Beyonce". She's been on a roll with her music releases, pleasing both the fans and the critics. Fast forward 2 years later, on April 23rd, a trailer for what would be her upcoming album "Lemonade" would be airing on HBO. Nobody had any clue to what the trailer could have meant, seeming as it was just a visual of a camera panning across a parking garage with a dreaded Beyonce leaning against an all blacked out vehicle. Still, the audiences were begging for more.
        Now, that trailer could have meant anything, a series that she could potentially be casted as a main or side role in, a movie she's been working on, or even a concert movie. But what nobody expected was that the trailer was actually a visual that belongs to another surprise album will be released on the same day.

       What makes this album different? Asides from the fact that it's another surprise album? Is the visuals that come along with the album, they all represent many different elements and theme's that surround the album. The album was also a Tidal exclusive. But most importantly, the album had one particular theme. Infidelity. The infidelity was very overpowering on the album, but really raises questions. Is she trying to tell the world that Jay-Z, her husband, cheated on her? Later the allegation would eventually be shot down, but it was a question that was up in the air for a good while. Some might even say, that the album was done as a marketing strategy to gain more Tidal and HBO subscribers and on top of that increase album sales with the whole infidelity situation. The very same people are saying that Jay-Z might be planning his very own album the same way but aimed at Beyonce for the allegations.

        The album was a commercial success  and she became the first artist to have her first six albums debut at number 1 on the billboard charts. She also became the first female to have more than 12 songs off the album chart as well. The album went platinum 2 months later. Beyonce played the market in a way that haden't been done before, and we were all just pawns on a chess board.

Wheelchair Jimmy going double platinum and we still make fun of Drizzy Drake.

"Looking at my first week numbers like 'WHAT ARE THOOOOOOSSSSEEEE!' I mean you boys not even coming close"

Aubrey Drake Graham, is a household name. Everybody knows the actor/rapper, coming up from playing Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi to being the second in command to Lil Wayne under Cash Money/Young Money records, Drake bloomed into an international sensation. From becoming acting to rapping to becoming a meme, ultimately to someone who is constantly mentioned in debates for "Top 5, best out right now", his persona is his brand and he's making a killing off of it.

        Drake has 3 released albums, and a surprise mixtape, before the start of 2016. Time has passed since his first hint at a new album, which begun somewhere around mid-2014, but in between that time he's dropped more hints and dropped a couple of songs always promising the album is right around the corner, only for fans to find out that they have to wait longer than expected. This is nothing new for any artists, every artist does this. The release can only be approved by the label after they have the master tracks in their hand. Drake at one point deal with Apple Music to host one of his own radio shows, which is nothing to make a huge fuss about…until he released Hotline Bling which became one of the first official singles off of his forthcoming album; Views From The 6ix.

        The song took the summer by storm in a positive way and became a meme in a matter of seconds. Drake was in full effect, but no word of when the album will be released eventually killed the hype again, and not even his beef with Meek Mill could reignite the hype flame. But things got interesting during the Austin City Limits festival in late 2015. Drake headlined one of the nights and said to the crowd, "This is going to be the last concert I do for the rest of the year. I'm going to finish my album, be on the look out". Now this is something that's going to get the crowd going, Blades of Glory sample or not, the crowd was ready.

        Early 2016, Drake released another single off the album titled, "Summer Sixteen" which was presumed to be a continuation of Back To Back, his diss track towards Meek Mill. The song was met with positive reactions and just like before and the hype was once again back on track. Fast forward to the first week of April, a billboard of the word "VIEWS" surfaced in Canada. Everybody knew what meant…Drake was getting ready for the rollout. Apart from the billboard, pop up shops selling OVO merchandise, which is Drake's brand, started appearing. Then it happened…40, Drake's main producer, confirmed the album was complete.

       On April 23rd, Drake said in an interview that the album was indeed finished, and will be released April 29th. What nobody expected is that the album was sold exclusively through Apple Music. Which, had not been done before, Chance did something similar a month later. Regardless of the exclusivity, Views almost went platinum in it's first week of being released. As of right now, Views is double platinum which is a HUGE deal in these times of streaming and piracy. This Drake deal will go down in history for being a first of it's kind.

Between Acid Rap and Coloring Book's, how does ChanceThe Rapper release an album all the labels want?

"Kanye's best prodigy, he ain't sign me, but he's proud of me. I got some ideas you gotta see"

(Bare with the background information I'm about to give.)

        Chancellor Bennett aka Chance The Rapper; Chicago's very own golden child of 23 years, has shifted the paradigm in more ways than one and took the entire hip-hop culture by storm. Stemming from a 10 day suspension back in 2011, Chance took the punishment as an opportunity to get a head start on his rapping career. What Chance didn't know back then is how far his stepping stone would take him. His debut mixtape 10 Day was an instant hit, but like every other modern musician, one hit is not enough to solidify yourself as a success.

        Back in April of 2013, Chance released his second mixtape titled, "Acid Rap". Acid Rap received critical acclaim and had fans and critics asking for more. The wondrous results  begged the question; which label will Chance sign to? What labels didn't know, is how important being an independent artist meant to Chance. Surely, labels thought he would cave in to the lucrative deals, the star power and connections, all in exchange for his name on a roster and creative control. However, as promising as it sounded…Chance The Rapper is an independent artist, forever and always.

        Being an independent artist is the most important thing about his persona, asides from his infectious optimism, goofy word play and rhyme scheme, his joyful, energetic dances, Chance is much more than a regular average joe rapper trying to get a deal. Chance is someone who HAS a deal in his back pocket, it's just a call away…but he refuses give up creative freedom and let his artistry fall in the hands of executives with a business model for an album release, he's turning his back on every artist's dream; being virtually wanted by all, but refusing to compromise his character. Although he admits to almost signing with Sony back in 2014, Chance's father reminded him of how far he's come and where's he wants to go, and ultimately refused to sign the paper in front of the same people who gave it to him.

        Fast forward three years later, from performing sold out shows, both in the states and overseas, to having one of his bandmates (Donnie Trumpet) produce a critically acclaimed and long awaited album, "Surf", Chancellor Bennett was a sure thing. A lot can happen in three years, but one question remained. When is Chance The Rapper dropping a new project? Surely, the answer is entirely up to artist, seeming how's independent, but it's amazing how many times Chance has put his fans on their toes when he would endlessly hint at shows and on social media that it was incredibly close.

        2016 started off with a bang following the debut and somewhat messy, release of Kanye West's seventh studio album, "The Life Of Pablo". Chance is a featured artist on the very first song, "Ultralight Beams". The verse was everything you expected, the gospel influence Chance showcases on his two albums, the witty and shifty wordplay, and most of all the rawness and rarity of  honesty he's always given his fans since day one. What makes this a notable verse, asides from arguably being the best verse on an entire album, his this particular lyric; "He said let's do a good ass job with Chance 3, I hear you gotta sell it to snatch the Grammy. Let's make it so free and the bar so hard that there one gosh darn part, you can't tweet!" This line was echoed across the genre for two reasons; 1) Chance gave another hint about Chance three, but includes a subtle nod to Kanye West in reference to his original idea of a fourth album "Good Ass Job" which was ultimately scrapped due to his mother's passing. 2) He just promoted the idea of a mixtape (which are pretty much albums released for free, normally consist of throwaway songs that did not make the final album) being eligible to win a Grammy award.

        Why am I focusing on the background of an artist? Reason is because Chance is becoming a household name to others outside of the genre. More importantly, Chance went somewhere other artists hadn't gone before. In the wake of officially announcing his album, Chance put up a set of 10 posters for sale at $20. When ordered, the posters came with instructions of putting the posters up where ever the buyer wants to, take a picture, send it to Chance on social media with the hashtag, "#Chance3". Based on the intake of pictures he would receive, that would determine how soon Chance 3 was to dropping. This is where things get even better.

        If you're not familiar with rules of being eligible for a Grammy nomination; the album has to be released commercially. Which pretty much means, that the album has to put for sale at one point or another. Well, little did people know, Chance 3; ultimately named Coloring Book, was released as a two week exclusive through apple music. Now even though the project is free, fans would have to already be paying for an Apple Music membership, or wait the two weeks before it's released on all other platforms. Since people would have to pay to be able to listen to the album, it became eligible for a Grammy nomination through a loophole, however at first the eligibility was denied. But after a few revisions of what should be considered eligible in a day and age were physical copies are becoming obsolete to streaming. Chance The Rapper's third mixtape; Coloring Book not only changed how albums are going to be released, but changed the Grammy's, and solidified himself in hip-hop history.