Religiously titled, seemingly Illuminati-driven hip-hop albums have a stranglehold on this summer.
And I love it.
Jay Z’s bass-knocking “Magna Carta… Holy Grail,” Kanye West’s tyrannical “Yeezus” and J. Cole’s humble “Born Sinner” attempt to steer hip-hop away from the twerking, ass-clapping anthems that flood the radio.
Jay Z took the most commercial route of the three artists. He enlisted certified hit-makers to produce each song on the album, which made it the best of the three. Hov seemed to take a lyrical break, however, and didn’t delve into deeper subject matter, except on “Oceans,” “Heaven,” “Jay Z Blue” and “Nickels and Dimes.” Jay Z also pulled “Mommy Dearest” samples out of left field in the self-conscious “Jay Z Blue,” in which he worries about the type of father he will be. He has a few obvious club jams such as “Tom Ford” and “F–kwithmeyouknowIgotit,” but otherwise, the album is a solid effort from the aging icon.
Meanwhile, “Yeezus” shows Kanye West at his most creative and controversial. He’s obviously angry, ranting about everything from racism to relationships. The standout “Blood on the Leaves” bravely juxtaposes Nina Simone’s version of the legendary anti-lynching song “Strange Fruit” with a trap TNIGHT beat and interpolates lyrics from the C-Murder anthem “Down 4 My Niggaz.” The song is clearly about self-pity and a bad break-up but may inspire many different interpretations. Although Kanye’s is the most innovative of the three albums, he ran a minimalist marketing campaign and willfully disqualified himself from reaching the same commercial success as “Magna Carta… Holy Grail.” A single after the album is released? You know better, ‘Ye.
On “Born Sinner,” J. Cole barely tries to cross over like he did in his last album. Even his radio hits such as “Power Trip” and “Crooked Smile” have remnants of the old J. Cole that people crowned as the savior of hip-hop. Instead of rapping about his riches and influence like Jay Z and Kanye West do on their albums, J. Cole talks about how he is not used to having money, fame or even straight teeth. On “Rich Niggaz,” he raps over a sad, harpy beat about how he hates wealthy people because most of them did not have to work for the fame like he did. Some critics have likened listening to “Born Sinner” to watching paint dry, but the album stands out among the summer’s three major hip-hop releases as the most truthful and lyrically sound.
All three albums play off of their rappers’ personas as well. Jay Z, of course, is the Michael Jordan of the industry, the undisputed legend and ruler of everything on and off rap’s court. Kanye West is Kobe Bryant, the controversial face of an era who constantly produces whenever he steps foot in the gym. J. Cole is more of a Paul George. He’s a future superstar (if he is not considered one already) who doesn’t brag much but isn’t afraid to throw down on Chris Andersens if need be.
As a self-crowned hip-hop head, I’m liking the direction in which the genre is going. The highest-selling albums are the more lyrically complex and creative ones. Even though the highest-charting songs are the ones that are dumbed down to appeal to all audiences, I will take good album sales over simple single sales any day.
Jay Z moved the most units of the three artists because he basically sold out to Samsung and earned platinum status before his release date. J. Cole shocked the hip-hop world by outselling Kanye West, whose team decided putting out a single before his release date was unnecessary.
This summer has been great for hip-hop. Let’s all wait to see what happens when Drake’s album comes out.
Junius Randolph is a rising Medill junior. He can be reached at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this column, leave a comment or send a letter to the editor to [email protected].
