MUSIC: 2014 Popular Music Wrapup

2014 was a transitional year as far as mainstream music was concerned. Some of the biggest rap acts in the world (Kendrick, Jay-Z, Kanye) managed to NOT drop any new albums in 2014. However the bar mitzvah’ed lord of rap, Drake, found a way to stay in peoples mouth’s from his surprisingly popular self-leaked soundcloud tracks to fighting with P.Diddy over said leaks. Rick Ross released two albums this year to an audience that seemed more interested in his weight loss as opposed to his music (however “Sanctified” was still one of the years great singles). Nicki Minaj found herself valiantly trying to serve 3-4 different versions of herself to the different audiences (pop fans, hip-hop purists, aspiring trap lords, etc) but connecting with none of them (even though the Pinkprint was a solid release). Pharrell was still everywhere to the point where he is now annoying. Everybody was twerking. Or doing the Smurda dance. On the pop side female artists ruled, mainstream R&B continued to suck, and underground soul music stayed strong as it usually did because it always goes back to the essence. Here are the year’s winners (and losers)...

THE TRINIDAD JAMES NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD – Guaranteed to be played at the nearest club in the hood when the ball drops into 2015, guaranteed to never be heard again 31 days later. Secretly tho, I hope fake accent rap becomes a thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vYnas6q3Sg

THE KANYE WEST INTERVIEW OF THE YEAR AWARD - It may come off at crazy, but at the end of the day nothing she says is actually that far off base...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFDS-VEEl6w

THE GUCCI MANE STACKED PRISON COMMISSARY OF THE YEAR AWARD –

On or about June 2nd, 2014, in a telephone conversation, a member of GS9 told the defendant DAVON RODNEY a/k/a "Slice" that the defendant ACKQUILLE POLLARD a/k/a "Chewy" a/k/a "Bobby Shmurda" and the defendant JAVESE POLLARD a/k/a "Fame" got into an argument in front of the Barber shot and that the defendant ACKQUILLE POLLARD a/k/a "Chewy" a/k/a "Bobby Shmurda" retrieved a firearm and shot at the defendant JAVESE POLLARD a/k/a "Fame" shattering the glass in the barbershop."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6urRX_szKQ

THE KURUPT “XXPLOSIVE” MISOGYNIST OF THE YEAR AWARD – What makes the Weeknd’s current output disappointing is that he introduced some new influences to mainstream R&B and is a solid songwriter. His lyrics tho…there’s gotta be more interesting corners of the human psyche he can go into as opposed to “I make all of them swallow”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXBcwyMUrcU

THE 90’s ICE CUBE AWARD - Vince Staples entered the music biz as Odd Future’s BFF but in 2014 he lapped them showing a weary and timely world view of someone twice his age.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJLfCBBcZAo

THE OLD DIRTY BASTARD NON SINGING SINGER AWARD – With everyone biting (and if we have to be honest with ourselves) improving Lil Wayne’s auto tuned sing song warble and vocal rapping tics like Young Thug there were plenty of nominees, but there can only be one winner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avFq9errZCk

THE ETHEROUS SONG OF THE YEAR AWARD –Tyga started a beef with Chicago’s Lil Durk for no fucking real reason earlier this year which was as entertaining as clipping toe nails. That is until LA’s Game hops in the ring WWF style two minutes in his “Chiraq to LA” diss song and proceeds to drop a zillion bars of pure distain and anger that almost redeems his mediocre career.

https://soundcloud.com/seketaanru/tyga-chiraq-to-la-feat-game-lil-durk40-glocc-diss

ALBUM OF THE YEAR – You’re going to see D’Angelo’s Black Messiah and Run the Jewels sophomore record top most of the big bloggers list and for good reason; those are good ass albums. But more so then the quality of the music, or the fact that acts decades into this music shit can still pump out great records. In year where we found ourselves back in a cold war, post-racial became a forgotten world as police brutality cases took over our newsfeed, and protestors across the world took the streets…they became soundtracks to a frightening, but oddly optimistic, future. Goodbye 2014, let’s do better next year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dqGLhW3VVA