Back in 2009, I wrote a blog post for XXL in which I wondered if mixtapes were becoming better – and more important – than albums. My contention was that there are certain artists – Jadakiss, for example – that are better suited for the mixtape circuit, so they should really be judged on their work therein as much as for their retail releases.
Kendrick has been releasing music since the age of 16, back when he was still known as K-Dot, so there is a quite a bit of material of his out there that was not released on any of his studio projects and I decided to put together a list of some of my favorites.
I’m going into Manhattan for a close friend’s birthday party tomorrow night. I’ve lived here for over a year and I’m only a half-hour train ride from Penn Station, but I still have only gone into NYC a handful of times. It’s weird.
Jay Electronica’s “Exhibit C” was a masterpiece, “a magical moment—one he nor any other rapper in the past five years could top,” but it came out in December, 2009. We’re approaching the sixth anniversary of its release and all Jay has given us in the intervening years are some (admittedly pretty great) guest appearances and songs.
The Passion of Christopher Pierznik 