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Nocando – Tits ‘N Explosions

A new collection of tracks from West Coast MC Nocando on Hellfyre Club, which is that same label that dropped those great Milo EPs earlier this year. Don’t go into this project expecting even roughly the same thing, though.

What Nocando brings to the table are some odd and eyebrow-raising pop raps that feature some modern, noisy beats that bang with no shame whatsoever. I have to agree with the addition of “RAP GAME MICHAEL BAY MOVIE!” in the description.

Stream the release via the widget above, and grab it for whatever price you’d like on Bandcamp.

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Chance The Rapper – Acid Rap

Chicago rapper and singer Chance The Rapper comes through with a more ambitious mixtape with Acid Rap, improving upon his production, hooks, and recording quality. A lot of the beats on this project are impressive as hell, but Chance often puts hooks, ad-libs, and instrumentals ahead of the quality and cohesion of his lyrical content. Anyone listening deeper than Chance’s over-the-top persona will find there’s a little something missing.

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Big K.R.I.T. – King Remembered In Time

On his latest free album, Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T. bring some powerful tracks toward the end, but runs things a little too shallow around the middle.

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Pusha T – “Numbers On The Boards”

Southern hip hop veteran Pusha T lands on a brand new single that’s got a surprisingly textured beat. Noisy samples, strange vocals, and what sounds like a pretty generous Jay-Z sample all surround Pusha’s basic, but braggadocios flow. Enjoy!

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Watsky – “Strong as an Oak”

Watsky is a rapper and YouTube personality who initially made a name for himself thanks to his extremely speedy flow. While technical proficiency at this level is extremely impressive, it’s just not something I take that seriously when it comes to the craft of a song, honestly.

“Strong as an Oak” is one of the first tracks I’ve heard from this guy that feels like a legitimately great track that could potentially grasp the attention of people outside of his admirably dedicated fanbase. Plus, I’m sure just about everybody can relate to the unfortunately universal message of being broke as a joke.

Watsky’s also got a new album on the way titled Cardboard Castles. Release date: March 12th. Check a video for it here:

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A$AP Rocky – Long.Live.A$AP

A$AP Rocky comes through with Long.Live.A$AP with a surprisingly enjoyable commercial effort with loads of variation, catchy flows, and fantastic beats.

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Macklemore and Ryan Lewis- The Heist

On this new, collaborative album, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis bring some great pop rap tracks with a conscious edge, but don’t quite live up to the epic and ambitious expectations set by stellar singles like “Wings” and “Same Love.”

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B.o.B- Strange Clouds

On his sophomore release, B.o.B climbs further up the mainstream ladder by continuing to blend hip hop with some of the poppiest sounds imaginable. While a few singles in this style aren’t bad, B.o.B overdoes it a bit by making nearly every track shoot for some kind of pre-chewed, radio-friendly sound. The end result is an album that doesn’t feel all that personal or engaging. Rather, it’s pretty one-size-fits all.

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A$AP Rocky- “Pretty Flacko”

A$AP Rocky has delivered some new wave for the new year in anticipation for the A$AP crew album supposedly being released in February. This song is pretty much what you should come to expect from Rocky now after his last tape, which means strong original production, with little lyrical emphasis. The hook on this track is actually bit annoying after a while, but the beat by Spaceghostpurp is so original that it makes the track worth a few listens.

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Lil Wayne- Tha Carter IV

It’s a Lil Wayne album. What did you expect?

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