my tendency to give Denzel the benefit of the doubt is bc of how much i liked n64 when it came out in 2013 lol nothing has ever been that good to me since

This was a fun detour but I'm curious to see where he goes with the true follow up to Taboo.

Album Rating: 3.5

Fucks me up that some of you guys won't just enjoy a good hip hop record lol. This definitely isn't his best, but an enjoyable addition to Denzel's catalogue nonetheless. Some Rap Songs isn't garbage either. I think there are great textures in the production, despite it not being anything new in that experimental/alt hip hop realm. And it might be underwritten, but as reich said, if you're in the mood for it, it has a lot of raw charm and emotion. I find it a little overkill to pan it as "insultingly derivative". Sounds almost mean spirited.



I feel like there's too much pressure on the fringe realms of genres to be game changing at all times instead of people just doing what they what they want. Always room for both.

Album Rating: 3.0

Some Rap Songs is a mess, dude. It's an album that I really wanted to see the value in, but it just is not there. Part of me can even see the intention, the emotion that he was trying to convey, but as a musical package it just does not work at all, and I even think Earl knew! I think it was a "I'm going to make the weirdest, most unlistenable project I can think of, and people will still eat it up, due to it's intrinsic weirdness." Just look at that troll-ass album art, he is laughing at you.



Whenever anyone says anything positive about the album, its always vague descriptors. "Experimental" "Raw" "Dark" "Brooding" or the absolute worst "Relateable" (fucking eyeroll). Well let's talk about the actual sounds we are hearing for once, shall we?



The vocals on Earl albums have historically been the most important factor. Listen to Doris. His voice is always the most prominent factor in the mix, as it should be. Now listen to SRS. His vocals are ALWAYS muffled, covered, unannunciated. On any other album in existence that would be considered a negative. But for some reason, people say his vocals that you can't even make out half the time have a charm to them, just on this record? Give me a fucking break. It's bad sound design.



And how about the production? It sounds to me like "Throw shit at a wall, and leave it all there, regardless of whether it sticks or not." Half the beats on the album literally sound like broken records, repeating, repeating repeating until you go fucking CRAZY. The use of samples on SRS is so fucking off-putting. The songs somehow sound too short and too long at the same time. They always leave me thinking, "Where's the hook? Where's the meat to the bones? Why should I give a shit about that whirlwind of random sound and inaudible mutterings that just passed my eardrums?" And then at the same time I'm praising God that the tortuous, repetitive beat is finally fading out, even if it was a minute long track.



So yeah, it's "insultingly derivative." Sounds almost mean spirited.

Album Rating: 2.0

some rap songs is gud and thats my analysis

Album Rating: 3.0

I'm just gonna repost that comment as a review lmao. too much effort to be thwarted by a page break

Album Rating: 2.0

"Some Rap Songs is a mess, dude. It's an album that I really wanted to see the value in, but it just is not there. Part of me can even see the intention, the emotion that he was trying to convey, but as a musical package it just does not work at all, and I even think Earl knew! I think it was a "I'm going to make the weirdest, most unlistenable project I can think of, and people will still eat it up, due to it's intrinsic weirdness." Just look at that troll-ass album art, he is laughing at you.



Whenever anyone says anything positive about the album, its always vague descriptors. "Experimental" "Raw" "Dark" "Brooding" or the absolute worst "Relateable" (fucking eyeroll). Well let's talk about the actual sounds we are hearing for once, shall we?



The vocals on Earl albums have historically been the most important factor. Listen to Doris. His voice is always the most prominent factor in the mix, as it should be. Now listen to SRS. His vocals are ALWAYS muffled, covered, unannunciated. On any other album in existence that would be considered a negative. But for some reason, people say his vocals that you can't even make out half the time have a charm to them, just on this record? Give me a fucking break. It's bad sound design.



And how about the production? It sounds to me like "Throw shit at a wall, and leave it all there, regardless of whether it sticks or not." Half the beats on the album literally sound like broken records, repeating, repeating repeating until you go fucking CRAZY. The use of samples on SRS is so fucking off-putting. The songs somehow sound too short and too long at the same time. They always leave me thinking, "Where's the hook? Where's the meat to the bones? Why should I give a shit about that whirlwind of random sound and inaudible mutterings that just passed my eardrums?" And then at the same time I'm praising God that the tortuous, repetitive beat is finally fading out, even if it was a minute long track.



So yeah, it's "insultingly derivative." Sounds almost mean spirited."



-noler's review of some rap songs, thwarted by a page break

Album Rating: 3.5

@noler: You and Pots have entirely different critiques, you realize? You're saying it's too weird, which it just isn't. And Pots is saying what it's doing is boring and redundant. Derivative means it's just ripping off other people, which isn't what you're saying. And either way, I don't see that very much at all, however sleepy or off putting someone might find it.



Your takes are all subjective too. I don't see why you talk about your takeaways like facts when the site still has it sitting at a 3.8. I don't mind distant and fuzzy vocals. Idk, people do stuff like that in roughly produced rock, lofi, & metal releases all the time. Shoegaze always does that. It's not "bad" sound design, it's just an artistic choice you don't agree with.



"Where's the hook?" It wasn't ever meant to be the kind of hip hop that's hooky.

Album Rating: 3.0

ty, ily

Album Rating: 2.0

the mint is soooo good man. idk why but i love that song

Album Rating: 3.0

I definitely realize that me and pots have very different takes on things. Pots is generally the wrong one.

Album Rating: 3.0

it's meant to be the type of hip-hop that sucks, on purpose

Album Rating: 3.0

the vocals sound awful, on purpose

Album Rating: 3.0

it's derivative of 15 year-old white-boy Terry Smith on soundcloud who thinks his self-produced beats are both "good" and "different"

Album Rating: 3.5

I'm just saying you seem upset that it doesn't resemble more normal hip hop and want say that it's bad because of that and Pots is calling it utterly not unique. Both of which I don't feel are exactly fair. But you guys can feel however you want, obvi.



" sucks, on purpose" Maybe you just prefer more standard hip hop. I love really out there shit with experimental music vibes and I love stuff that plays it completely straight too, and everything in between. But then again, I listen to harsh noise recreationally so my perspective may be skewed also lol. And you saying it sounds like some nobody on Soundcloud means you don't really listen to lots of "experimental" hip hop anyway, which is fine. Including myself, there are people that truly enjoy music like that. People that want to see how far you can bend and break an artform. They're just not you.

Album Rating: 3.0

yeah he broke the art form alright



it doesn't resemble pleasurable music.

Album Rating: 3.0

"I listen to harsh noise recreationally"



unsurprising

Album Rating: 3.5

Who's to say what is and isn't pleasurable? Like not everyone likes pickles, but some people love pickles. No one person's perspective is the only perspective, y'know? Nothing wrong with either of you disliking the project, it's just that both of you sound closed off in different ways when you speak about it.

Album Rating: 3.0

okay Confucius

Album Rating: 3.5

Lol I don't see the problem with embracing nuance. Nothing's binary.