NICE AS F*CK! : The Songs, 2016.

02/anderson .paak/the bird

I'll never forget the first time I heard anderson .paak & his "the bird". I'll never forget the moment because as a music fan it was just too perfect and contained so many of my favorite things: cooking, a relaxed state, and an intriguing musical discovery.

It was just another day, in another month, in the kitchen, again. KCRW supplying the tunes and atmosphere music. This one grabbed me instantly. So much so that I had to stop what I was doing and just listen. I was intrigued. Captivated.

Here was this song. This origin story. This bluesy, jazz infused soliloquy so honest, so open; familiar, and aware. A self-assured rhythm & blues number heavy on the inspiration from the latter half of that equation. Almost a call back to all of the great blues & soul music that came before it, but not mimicry.

And not a tale of woe or hopelessness. It's a confident, lo-funk affair with a smooth bass line riding underneath and thumping along as the song's heartbeat and lifeline familiar, welcoming for this soothing tale of how he got over, inspired by what the Black greats did and always do. It's an introduction for the new and a reminder for those familiar that change done come. It's time to celebrate and make it through. He's got his patience and he's making do, and he's here to share that light; Produce it in song form and give it back. Just like the greats did and will always do.

Doing the best he can, Anderson makes do and impresses by doing him and embracing all that has gotten him here and inspired him in life and in sound. And you hear that, feel it, and get inspired to make such a feeling constant in your life as he does here.



03/solange/cranes in the sky

04/childish gambino/zombies

05/schoolboy q featuring kanye west/that part

06/danny brown featuring schoolboy q/pneumonia

07/frank ocean/nikes

08/beyonce/sorry

09/blood orange/chance

10/jessy lanza/never enough

11/kaytranada featuring syd/you're the one

12/dirty projectors/keep your name

13/britney spears/private show

14/devendra banhart/fancy man

15/angel olsen/shut up kiss me

16/parquet courts/i was just here

17/badbadnotgood feat. samuel t. herring/time moves slow

18/of montreal/it's different for girls

19/nice as f*#k/door

20/flume featuring beck/tiny cities

21/the weeknd/false alarm

22/amber coffman/all to myself

23/bruno mars/that's what i like

24/car seat headrest/destroyed by hippie powers

25/savages/adore

NICE AS F*CK! : The Albums, 2016.

03/angel olsen/my woman

At the heart of My Woman lies a simple request. A dare actually. A dare that is explicitly stated during the late album highlight, Woman. In this space, as is the case during the entirety of My Woman's back half, Ms. Olsen gives herself the time and space that is needed for this request to be heard clearly and be understood. Her demand? That you understand what makes her a woman. This woman. That you, me, us, Him simply take the time to notice and understand exactly what it is that makes this woman tick. Take stock of her wants, and her needs, and her hangups, and all the ways in which she works to let a little light shine in.

Take her up on this offer.

Take a few minutes to understand why she still wakes up and strives to be somebody, day in and day out. Listen and take note of why she won't give up and can't help feeling the way she do. Press play and find out + understand why it is she chooses to "go where nobody knows" and follow her heart down that wild road. Listen and immerse yourself in the creative energy and bliss of a strong-willed singer songwriter whose presence and musical output brings to mind the fire and spirit of a young PJ Harvey or Liz Phair. Listen and vibe with why she opens up and screams for you. Press play and find yourself in the presence of one of the best solo rock records of the year from a woman who is speaking to and coming at us with her heart on her sleeve, unguarded.

Go on and take her up on that offer, and get familiar. 

Press play and take the dare. 

KEY TRACKS: Shut Up Kiss Me/Sister/Woman

04/danny brown/atrocity exhibition

05/blood orange/freetown sound

06/kanye west/the life of pablo

07/radiohead/a moon shaped pool

08/anderson .paak/malibu

09/helado negro/private energy

10/car seat headrest/teens of denial

11/beyonce/lemonade

12/a tribe called quest/"we got it from here... thank you 4 your service"

13/nxworries/yes lawd!

14/nice as fuck/nice as fuck

15/childish gambino/"awaken, my love!"

16/rihanna/anti

17/parquet courts/human performance

18/kaytranada/99.9%

19/devendra banhart/ape in pink marble

20/david bowie/blackstar

21/the julie ruin/hit reset

22/jessy lanza/oh no

23/junior boys/big black coat

24/majid jordan/majid jordan

25/badbadnotgood/iv

NICE AS F*CK! : The Songs, 2016.

03/solange/cranes in the sky

"Sometimes you ask yourself 'where's the peace?' Everybody always talking about peace, but as long as you find peace in what you are doing then you successful. You gotta do stuff to where you can go to sleep at night because the glory is in you..." - Percy Miller

You can seek salvation in a hairdo, that new dress, or travel over 70 states, but that glory is in you. You can attempt to drink away your troubles or roll them all up and away in a spliff, but that glory you seek can only be found within you. 

And it is in her. And in Cranes in the Sky, a timeless on arrival meditation on finding inner peace and casting out all those things which keep you from maximizing the momentous glory that is within you. What's most beautiful about Cranes in the Sky is listening to Solange reach that mountaintop within herself. She composed and arranged this gorgeous, contemplative R&B track (with a smooth, sensual assist from Mr. Raphael Saadiq) so that she can go to bed each night feeling successful. So that she can go to sleep at night and feel whole. When those euphoric Minnie Ripperton like falsetto harmonies arrive and begin their ascent into the heavens at the song's end, the euphoria and her release feels earned. Her glory has been activated and peace has been found. It is, again, an inspiring, incredibly warm and stunning reminder of the beauty and clarity that awaits each and every one of us once we fully tap into the glory and potential that lies within us all. 



04/childish gambino/zombies

05/schoolboy q featuring kanye west/that part

06/danny brown featuring schoolboy q/pneumonia

07/frank ocean/nikes

08/beyonce/sorry

09/blood orange/chance

10/jessy lanza/never enough

11/kaytranada featuring syd/you're the one

12/dirty projectors/keep your name

13/britney spears/private show

14/devendra banhart/fancy man

15/angel olsen/shut up kiss me

16/parquet courts/i was just here

17/badbadnotgood feat. samuel t. herring/time moves slow

18/of montreal/it's different for girls

19/nice as f*#k/door

20/flume featuring beck/tiny cities

21/the weeknd/false alarm

22/amber coffman/all to myself

23/bruno mars/that's what i like

24/car seat headrest/destroyed by hippie powers

25/savages/adore

NICE AS F*CK! : The Albums, 2016.

04/danny brown/atrocity exhibition

Present day Danny Brown is sitting pretty. He's got four bank cards and a crib that attracts deer in the front. He's living good and selling out shows from Cancun to Spokane, but all of that's not important. Those are just material things, the trappings of celebrity. And Danny is not here for just that. What's more important are the things that got him to this point. What matters most is the reason why all the bitches know his name from Cancun to Spokane: that talent. Those bars. "I just wanna make music, fuck being a celebrity, cause these songs that I write leave behind my legacy!". And what a legacy the man continues to build, as Atrocity Exhibition is another unfuckwitable entry into the man's catalog. Atrocity Exhibition is yet another fearless showcase from a man rapping as if he is (a) the best rapper alive, without peer (b) the most adventurous & creative rapper alive (c) Hip-Hop Personified, and (d) his life depends on it. The beat selection, the energy, and that flow are truly unique, and of top shelf quality that few of his peers in the game can match. And he knows it, feeds off of it in order to eat other rappers alive like a fucking last steak. But Atrocity Exhibition is not just about them or that. It's about the love of the rap game, and the joy of creating and cooking in the lab. It's an exhibition for seizing the moment and going in; diving into the deep end; that get on up, up on the floor, please believe.

Really doe, like really doe.

KEY TRACKS: Ain't it Funny/Pneumonia/Dance in the Water

05/blood orange/freetown sound

06/kanye west/the life of pablo

07/radiohead/a moon shaped pool

08/anderson .paak/malibu

09/helado negro/private energy

10/car seat headrest/teens of denial

11/beyonce/lemonade

12/a tribe called quest/"we got it from here... thank you 4 your service"

13/nxworries/yes lawd!

14/nice as fuck/nice as fuck

15/childish gambino/"awaken, my love!"

16/rihanna/anti

17/parquet courts/human performance

18/kaytranada/99.9%

19/devendra banhart/ape in pink marble

20/david bowie/blackstar

21/the julie ruin/hit reset

22/jessy lanza/oh no

23/junior boys/big black coat

24/majid jordan/majid jordan

25/badbadnotgood/iv

biebs in the trap.

a video.

starring travis scott & nav. 

the choir.

a short film.

from dvsn.

NICE AS F*CK! : The Songs, 2016.

04/childish gambino/zombies

The Zombies are all around us. They can smell your money, and they want your soul. These hounds, those leeches, them blood suckers. They're everywhere and there's no place to hide from them. It's an often heard message of utmost importance, presented here in a cinematic, silky smooth Blaxploitation scope. That era's Black art is a huge influence throughout "Awaken, My Love!", but it is not until Zombies, arriving at track number four, that all of that inspiration + Donald's creative muscle and showmanship falls into place, seamlessly. Zombies announces itself like a Lion's roar, stomping in and around the sounds and vibes of 70s funk & psychedelic soul with the same strength and confidence of a classic soul song that has been tasked with enhancing a scene of old school Black cinema, while also elevating the culture. It's a sexy, funk laced survival guide whose main goal is to ensure your survival via a baptism of funk. And it succeeds. Another job well done, Mr. Glover. Good looking out.



05/schoolboy q featuring kanye west/that part

06/danny brown featuring schoolboy q/pneumonia

07/frank ocean/nikes

08/beyonce/sorry

09/blood orange/chance

10/jessy lanza/never enough

11/kaytranada featuring syd/you're the one

12/dirty projectors/keep your name

13/britney spears/private show

14/devendra banhart/fancy man

15/angel olsen/shut up kiss me

16/parquet courts/i was just here

17/badbadnotgood feat. samuel t. herring/time moves slow

18/of montreal/it's different for girls

19/nice as f*#k/door

20/flume featuring beck/tiny cities

21/the weeknd/false alarm

22/amber coffman/all to myself

23/bruno mars/that's what i like

24/car seat headrest/destroyed by hippie powers

25/savages/adore

NICE AS F*CK! : The Albums, 2016.

05/blood orange/freetown sound

One of Freetown Sound's most arresting moments comes at the tail end of the late album highlight Juicy 1-4.

"...Heat you felt when you were cold/Real as gold/Chains and all/All the things that make us bold/Make us bold/BLACK IS GOLD/RIGHTLY SO..."

These lines are repeated twice to close out the song. And on that second go round Dev -presented here again to you and yours as the enchanting musical polyglot Blood Orange- lets his voice go up a register til those last lines are almost a shout, as if they are his dying words. 

He sings them cause he needed to hear them. He let the words come to life because he needed the reminder.

That Black is light.

That Black can get you over; can let you move forward.

And with Freetown Sound he shares this reminder for us and lets this light color his ambitions and ground him. Along with these gorgeously arranged rhythms and movements courtesy of his father's birthplace of Sierra Leone and contemporary black music. It gives him the confidence and the strength to tell you why we mad. Not only in his voice, but also from the voices of others: Brothers, Sisters, Queer, Different, Black.

Calmly, beautifully.

Repeated until it sticks cause it needs to. Repeated until it sticks cause it has to.

The reminders enclosed here.

Repeat them as needed.

Repeat them cause it's necessary.

KEY TRACKS: But You/Hands Up/Juicy 1-4


06/kanye west/the life of pablo

07/radiohead/a moon shaped pool

08/anderson .paak/malibu

09/helado negro/private energy

10/car seat headrest/teens of denial

11/beyonce/lemonade

12/a tribe called quest/"we got it from here... thank you 4 your service"

13/nxworries/yes lawd!

14/nice as fuck/nice as fuck

15/childish gambino/"awaken, my love!"

16/rihanna/anti

17/parquet courts/human performance

18/kaytranada/99.9%

19/devendra banhart/ape in pink marble

20/david bowie/blackstar

21/the julie ruin/hit reset

22/jessy lanza/oh no

23/junior boys/big black coat

24/majid jordan/majid jordan

25/badbadnotgood/iv

NICE AS F*CK! : The Songs, 2016.

05/schoolboy q featuring kanye west/that part

The best rap songs touch instant classic status after the first run through. And after your first experience with this song right here, you soon come to realize that (a) this is one of those songs, and (b) it is a certified banger. And like the best Hip-Hop Joints, That Part doesn't concern itself with that fake shit. With Schoolboy Q behind the wheel & Mr. West in the passenger, That Part comes dripping with style on top of style. From that low, gangsta leaning intro forward it's all repeat worthy bars on top of bars and punchlines for days. It's that crack music; Stadium Status Superhero AND Villainous music. They feel like Jordan in his prime, fresh like a new fit, and reloaded, harnessing all the fun and looseness of a superb freestyle joint, no matter how much work went into the song behind the scenes. As do you whenever it plays. You too go gangsta and wild out. You too lean back and rock with it. You too feel like a walking living legend, or O'Shea wreaking havoc on the ignorant and uninformed. You too revel in and aspire to reap the blessings on blessings on blessings earned, lived in, and reflected upon in this spare, bass heavy ride with the top down. Bang it in ya hood, while you're vibin' switching lanes, or just need to feel like you're twenty feet tall while walking down the street and doing you (as I did far too many times to count this year). Let it do its part and get you lifted cause it will, every time. Trust.



06/danny brown featuring schoolboy q/pneumonia

07/frank ocean/nikes

08/beyonce/sorry

09/blood orange/chance

10/jessy lanza/never enough

11/kaytranada featuring syd/you're the one

12/dirty projectors/keep your name

13/britney spears/private show

14/devendra banhart/fancy man

15/angel olsen/shut up kiss me

16/parquet courts/i was just here

17/badbadnotgood feat. samuel t. herring/time moves slow

18/of montreal/it's different for girls

19/nice as f*#k/door

20/flume featuring beck/tiny cities

21/the weeknd/false alarm

22/amber coffman/all to myself

23/bruno mars/that's what i like

24/car seat headrest/destroyed by hippie powers

25/savages/adore

NICE AS F*CK! : The Albums, 2016.

06/kanye west/the life of pablo

Here goes that new Kanye, mixed in with the old Kanye. A beautifully chaotic, far reaching, and slightly messy Kanye. The chop up the soul Kanye, chop up the beats Kanye. That always rude, 38 year old 8 year old spaz in the news, behind the boards, and on the mic Kanye. The Ringleader Kanye. Master of Ceremonies Kanye. The Kanye that writes songs about Kanye missing the old Kanye. Here goes that sweet Kanye, that dark and hilarious Kanye. The still vocal, too black, and too flagrant, Kanye. The mad scientist Kanye, Cooking Soul Kanye, The fragmented, fleshed out, and brief thoughts of Kanye. There goes that id of Kanye, all consuming ego of Kanye. That forever moving, tinkering, ever expanding mind of Kanye. Shifting the idea of what a Hip-Hop album can feel and sound like, Kanye. Just letting his guests have fun with it, Kanye. Mind altered, higher power seeking, ultralight beam Kanye. The "I know you wish I would go ahead and fuck my life up!" Kanye. Still living life without limits Kanye. Pouring out his feelings, rich slave in the fabric store picking cotton, Kanye. The top 10 Kanye. That still got it Kanye. Still loving music, pushing boundaries, and reminding you of why you still love Kanye like Kanye loves Kanye.

KEY TRACKS: Ultralight Beam/Waves/Real Friends

07/radiohead/a moon shaped pool

08/anderson .paak/malibu

09/helado negro/private energy

10/car seat headrest/teens of denial

11/beyonce/lemonade

12/a tribe called quest/"we got it from here... thank you 4 your service"

13/nxworries/yes lawd!

14/nice as fuck/nice as fuck

15/childish gambino/"awaken, my love!"

16/rihanna/anti

17/parquet courts/human performance

18/kaytranada/99.9%

19/devendra banhart/ape in pink marble

20/david bowie/blackstar

21/the julie ruin/hit reset

22/jessy lanza/oh no

23/junior boys/big black coat

24/majid jordan/majid jordan

25/badbadnotgood/iv

NICE AS F*CK! : The Songs, 2016.

06/danny brown featuring schoolboy q/pneumonia

On Pneumonia we learn that Danny Brown can make 30 bands in 30 minutes. We hear how he was once prone to getting locked up on charges, but is no longer bout that life (he's too busy monitoring expenses across four bank cards from his crib in the forest with the deer in the yard for all that right now). We listen to him speak on his talents, and how he has half a key of raw lying inside his verses. How, like a surgeon with a scalpel he can (and most certainly does) bring a track to life. And we believe him and take him at his word, cause Pneumonia, like most Danny Brown joints, talks a lot of shit and backs it up right in front of you in real time as you listen. Pneumonia is another menacing & icy "if you don't know, now you know" sneer from Danny to every man, woman, and child who steps into his arena and dares to question his stature or authority. It's hip hop with no filter riding dirty atop a dark cacophony of sounds (bottles clacking, chains and fences clanking, the gruff of domineering canines, boots hitting the ground, Schoolboy Q's largely wordless taunts and grunts and nothing more), all going hard in the paint and showcasing why the flow, like man behind the mic, is indeed, sick like pneumonia.



07/frank ocean/nikes

08/beyonce/sorry

09/blood orange/chance

10/jessy lanza/never enough

11/kaytranada featuring syd/you're the one

12/dirty projectors/keep your name

13/britney spears/private show

14/devendra banhart/fancy man

15/angel olsen/shut up kiss me

16/parquet courts/i was just here

17/badbadnotgood feat. samuel t. herring/time moves slow

18/of montreal/it's different for girls

19/nice as f*#k/door

20/flume featuring beck/tiny cities

21/the weeknd/false alarm

22/amber coffman/all to myself

23/bruno mars/that's what i like

24/car seat headrest/destroyed by hippie powers

25/savages/adore

father figure.

a moment of clarity.



words.

"There weren’t many major male pop stars who were openly gay back then. (Scarcely any are now. Elton John said he was bisexual in 1976, and officially stayed there for more than a decade. He could hold a pose.) Lots of men hinted. Lots of men messed around with masculinity, and not just the megastars. For every David Bowie or even Boy George, there was a Jermaine Stewart or a Good Question, many rungs down the fame ladder. And for reasons that make no cosmic sense, a few of those men — Prince, David Bowie, Prince Be of P.M. Dawn, and now Mr. Michael — died in 2016, a year in which dismaying ambivalence about aggressive, invasive male behavior was matched by the reinstatement of duller performances of masculinity in both our pop music and our politics. The Princes and the George Michaels seem as radical as ever.

 ...Last spring, Key & Peele’s stoner, shoot-em-up comedy, “Keanu,” came and went. But there’s a running gag that’s stayed with me. It’s just three Los Angeles thugs and one uptight bureaucrat named Clarence (Keegan Michael Key) pretending to be a thug (long story; a good one, though) chilling in Clarence’s minivan. To pass the time, they turn to the fake thug’s iPhone for music, and up comes George Michael’s “Freedom! ’90.” One dude says, “That sounds kinda white.” And Clarence begins a quick defense of his taste, studded with the n-word, that also makes a flashy British pop star sound like a gangsta from Crenshaw.

The sequence culminates with their being oblivious to the shootout in the house they’re parked in front of, belting “One More Try” like a pack of wolves baying at the moon. For about 25 minutes, “Keanu” is smarter than the bad action comedy it turns out to be. And one thing it’s brilliant about is the partial meaning of George Michael.

Who knows if Mr. Michael found that annoying. Who knows if he was aware that “Keanu” existed. But the crush this movie has on him is the crush almost everybody did. At some point, Clarence takes a hit of some hot new street drug, and the first place his high takes him is dancing with Mr. Michael in the “Faith” video. He’s up where even Mr. Michael’s slowest, saddest music could take you. He’s in heaven."

THE NEW YORK TIMES: George Michael Mattered Beyond the Music

NICE AS F*CK! : The Albums, 2016.

 07/radiohead/a moon shaped pool

If you take Thom Yorke's words to heart then A Moon Shaped Pool is a "low flying panic attack". A place where worlds come crashing down and you feel cold, "from the inside out". It's a place where panic comes on strong, and "broken hearts make it rain".

Lyrically. On paper.

Elsewhere, A Moon Shaped Pool is a place where the 'serenity now(!)' call is answered and applied to the gorgeously warm soundscapes and textures that underline the chaos and heartache that is present in the lyric sheets. Comfort is sought in the melodies, and A Moon Shaped Pool finds its solace in its quiet yet open and expansive moments. You see it in the way each song seems to be awakened by our pressing of play, stretching and coming alive at a slow and steady pace, letting things fall into place as they may and are meant to. You see it in the brooding, and contemplative string laced exit that attaches itself to Daydreaming; In the entirety of True Love Waits. In their darkest hour Radiohead do what they continue to do best: bend rock music to their will in order to center themselves and bring things back down to earth.

KEY TRACKS: Daydreaming/Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief/True Love Waits

08/anderson .paak/malibu

09/helado negro/private energy

10/car seat headrest/teens of denial

11/beyonce/lemonade

12/a tribe called quest/"we got it from here... thank you 4 your service"

13/nxworries/yes lawd!

14/nice as fuck/nice as fuck

15/childish gambino/"awaken, my love!"

16/rihanna/anti

17/parquet courts/human performance

18/kaytranada/99.9%

19/devendra banhart/ape in pink marble

20/david bowie/blackstar

21/the julie ruin/hit reset

22/jessy lanza/oh no

23/junior boys/big black coat

24/majid jordan/majid jordan

25/badbadnotgood/iv

NICE AS F*CK! : The Songs, 2016.

07/frank ocean/nikes

These bitches want Nikes. Or a check. Him? He wants to connect; Exist in the moment outside of material things, see the future first. He wants to be chill about it. Do it on his own terms. Catch a feeling, an emotion, stretch it out over the course of a swampy & cosmic lo-fi southern R&B kickback. He wants to tell you about yourself, seek something deeper. Walk us through a day in the life, the missed connections, and the ups and downs that comes with being young and actually trying to succeed at the game of hearts. He will present this to us from a narrator whose voice is familiar, but also similar to that of Prince's Camille alter ego. He will make us wait to hear from him directly, in the voice that we came to hear from in the first place. But we won't mind. Cause he will bring that knowledge. That wisdom. These observations. This groove. So we don't mind. Have not minded. We here. Been here. Listening, in awe of the fresh Nikes swirling in and around his yearning for something more on his own terms. Still.



08/beyonce/sorry

09/blood orange/chance

10/jessy lanza/never enough

11/kaytranada featuring syd/you're the one

12/dirty projectors/keep your name

13/britney spears/private show

14/devendra banhart/fancy man

15/angel olsen/shut up kiss me

16/parquet courts/i was just here

17/badbadnotgood feat. samuel t. herring/time moves slow

18/of montreal/it's different for girls

19/nice as f*#k/door

20/flume featuring beck/tiny cities

21/the weeknd/false alarm

22/amber coffman/all to myself

23/bruno mars/that's what i like

24/car seat headrest/destroyed by hippie powers

25/savages/adore

NICE AS F*CK! : The Albums, 2016.

08/anderson .paak/malibu

Malibu is for the California dreamers. For those who have made it over the hump and are now seeing brighter days. It's for all the little dreamers. And the ones who never gave a fuck. The products of the tube and the free lunch. For those who enjoy some of the old and some of the new, and that fine balance that exists between the two. It's for those who like Hennessy and record players; Teddy Pendergrass and Sammy Davis. And Rick James. And Ray Charles. Curtis Mayfield, Kool and the Gang, Prince; the vibes of DJ Quik. It's for those who like rhythm, and for those who find solace in the blues. For the old heads and the young bucks. For the parking lots, the roller rinks, and the kick backs. It's for those who have let it go and are over sitting back and talking about what could have been. It's the party and the soundtrack, brought to you by Mr. Anderson .Paak, so get up on the good foot and celebrate as he wants us to, and while we still can.

KEY TRACKS: the bird/am i wrong/come down


09/helado negro/private energy

10/car seat headrest/teens of denial

11/beyonce/lemonade

12/a tribe called quest/"we got it from here... thank you 4 your service"

13/nxworries/yes lawd!

14/nice as fuck/nice as fuck

15/childish gambino/"awaken, my love!"

16/rihanna/anti

17/parquet courts/human performance

18/kaytranada/99.9%

19/devendra banhart/ape in pink marble

20/david bowie/blackstar

21/the julie ruin/hit reset

22/jessy lanza/oh no

23/junior boys/big black coat

24/majid jordan/majid jordan

25/badbadnotgood/iv

NICE AS F*CK! : The Songs, 2016.

08/beyonce/sorry

She tried to tell y'all way back in 2006 that she was not one to be messed with. That she is not the one to be played. Nope, you must not know bout her. She can have another you in a minute, cause you are not irreplaceable. Nope, he must not have heard her. Must not believe that "fat meat's greasy" cause here we are again in 2016, and you done gone and bumped your head. Out here playing games and being foolish as if you're invincible, as if this is all a game. And here she is with the quick, sharp reminder that two can play this game and be just as petty and indifferent. But where Irreplaceable almost felt too put on and maudlin -a "Tyler Perry presents Beyonce in Tyler Perry's 'I Can Do Bad All By Myself'" in song form- Sorry takes on a more joyous tone for the situation at hand, with Beyonce taking a slight gangsta lean into the beats and rhythms currently bubbling up from the hip-hop scenes in the South. Dipping back with no fucks to give, Beyonce ain't picking up her phone, ain't thinking bout yo' trillin' ass, is throwing up middle fingers, and shouting "BOY BYE!" "Ashes to ashes, dust to side chicks."

And you, my dude. Sorry.

You better call Becky with the good hair.



09/blood orange/chance

10/jessy lanza/never enough

11/kaytranada featuring syd/you're the one

12/dirty projectors/keep your name

13/britney spears/private show

14/devendra banhart/fancy man

15/angel olsen/shut up kiss me

16/parquet courts/i was just here

17/badbadnotgood feat. samuel t. herring/time moves slow

18/of montreal/it's different for girls

19/nice as f*#k/door

20/flume featuring beck/tiny cities

21/the weeknd/false alarm

22/amber coffman/all to myself

23/bruno mars/that's what i like

24/car seat headrest/destroyed by hippie powers

25/savages/adore

mood.

NICE AS F*CK! : The Albums, 2016.

09/helado negro/private energy

His skin glows in the dark, shines in the light, empowers him to stand tall, shine bright. Shine bright like a diamond. Like the Tinsel Mammal dancer being embraced on the album cover up above. And on album number five, Helado Negro comforts and inspires by tapping into that private energy and projecting it back out at us to feed off of and vibe with. Combining the sounds and textures of his Ecuadorean + South Florida roots with the rich tapestries of lo-fi folk-pop, Helado's PE emits a calm, psychic energy that radiates from every track. It's the work of a man who is young, latin and proud, and eager to share this with you so that you too can reflect on the joy that comes from looking within and standing tall; fully aware of who you are, and thankful for that which has groomed you and shaped you, and gotten you to this point. his private energy. our private joy.

KEY TRACKS: young, latin and proud/it's my brown skin/we don't have time for that

10/car seat headrest/teens of denial

11/beyonce/lemonade

12/a tribe called quest/"we got it from here... thank you 4 your service"

13/nxworries/yes lawd!

14/nice as fuck/nice as fuck

15/childish gambino/"awaken, my love!"

16/rihanna/anti

17/parquet courts/human performance

18/kaytranada/99.9%

19/devendra banhart/ape in pink marble

20/david bowie/blackstar

21/the julie ruin/hit reset

22/jessy lanza/oh no

23/junior boys/big black coat

24/majid jordan/majid jordan

25/badbadnotgood/iv

mood.

NICE AS F*CK! : The Songs, 2016.

09/blood orange/chance

"Everybody wanna be a nigga but nobody wanna be a nigga." 

Everybody wants to be able to use the word without consequences and wonder what the big deal is. Everybody wants to dread their hair, rock braids, shout Thug Life, be surrounded by the culture, but not exist within it. Be free to maneuver in and out of Blackness, have the chance to do you, even if this "you" is not rooted in your ancestry or community.

Him too.

We too.

And then there are those others who are curious to know why so many of us Black folk are so hung up on being Black or talking about being Black. Why all we see is race and color (As if they don't). What is our problem? (As if none exist here involving them) Why are you so mad? ("It's 2016!")

They want to tell you how to grieve, how to dress, how to speak, where you are and aren't accepted, still, in 2016, but often don't want to ask why we see what we do, act how we act, do how we do, or how we got here. Nor do they seek to find out why.

Cause some are scared of the answer that awaits them following such a question. But there's no need for this fear cause the fact of the matter is, as Dev plainly & exquisitely says here without a trace of anger or disgust in his voice:

"All I ever wanted was a chance for myself..."

Even in 2016.

To exist. To be young, gifted, and black and not be challenged because of that. To do you doing Black which for us is just us being us. Point a finger or just ignore that which disturbs you or doesn't fit, fine, but Dev's gonna speak on it while he has your undivided attention. And he's not going to beat you over the head with that knowledge or lecture you. He will come at you as an adult, a human being; calm and steady; telling you why he's mad, and ask that you simply understand and let him do him; exist in this space and have a chance to just do him, as you do you. Help you understand why we fight, why this is complicated, and why for us, this is not a game, still, in 2016.

"All you ever wanted was a chance for yourself..."

Him too.

We too.



10/jessy lanza/never enough

11/kaytranada featuring syd/you're the one

12/dirty projectors/keep your name

13/britney spears/private show

14/devendra banhart/fancy man

15/angel olsen/shut up kiss me

16/parquet courts/i was just here

17/badbadnotgood feat. samuel t. herring/time moves slow

18/of montreal/it's different for girls

19/nice as f*#k/door

20/flume featuring beck/tiny cities

21/the weeknd/false alarm

22/amber coffman/all to myself

23/bruno mars/that's what i like

24/car seat headrest/destroyed by hippie powers

25/savages/adore

impatient.

a video.

starring sammie.

with me/do it well.

a video.

from dvsn.

not the actual events.

starring nine inch nails.

stream here. 

NICE AS F*CK! : The Albums, 2016.

10/car seat headrest/teens of denial

Early in this album's run our narrator Will Toledo finds himself out and about at a social gathering with his peers. Drugs are being popped and conversations are being had, but our narrator is bored and over it, feels nothing. This one guy keeps asking him "how does it feel?..." and he doesn't even know how to begin to answer that question, so he just replies "I don't wanna talk about it" and retreats to his place of solitude in a social setting, content with being a fly on the wall event though he rather be sleeping or just wants to go home. It's a theme and situation that repeats itself over and over again on Teens of Denial, where Mr. Toledo and company go through the motions of being young and participatory when in fact they rather not be faking the funk. With Teens of Denial, Car Seat Headrest are hilarious and astute social commentators moving through the ridiculousness of being young and on while consciously glossing over the fact that the "good times" are killing you. These entertaining day in the life vignettes come wrapped in the modern indie rock trappings and fanciful guitar wizardry that is reminiscent of pre-Odelay Beck or Pavement at the height of their popularity. Lying atop this is everything Mr. Toledo and company won't say or refuse to say out loud and choose to instead share with us in private. They may not be the most outgoing party goers or participants in the game of having a social life, but when left to their own devices in the studio, Car Set Headrest allow themselves to be present and talkative, with plenty to say and show off.

KEY TRACKS: Vincent/(Joe Gets Kicked Out of School for Using) Drugs with Friends (But Says This Isn't a Problem)/Drunk Drivers - Killer Whales

11/beyonce/lemonade

12/a tribe called quest/"we got it from here... thank you 4 your service"

13/nxworries/yes lawd!

14/nice as fuck/nice as fuck

15/childish gambino/"awaken, my love!"

16/rihanna/anti

17/parquet courts/human performance

18/kaytranada/99.9%

19/devendra banhart/ape in pink marble

20/david bowie/blackstar

21/the julie ruin/hit reset

22/jessy lanza/oh no

23/junior boys/big black coat

24/majid jordan/majid jordan

25/badbadnotgood/iv

to be without you.

starring ryan adams.



ROLLING STONE: Hear Ryan Adams' Lonesome New Folk-Rock Song 'To Be Without You'

NICE AS F*CK! : The Songs, 2016.

10/jessy lanza/never enough

Jessy Lanza is anxious. She's anxious and hopelessly devoted. She anxious and hopelessly devoted and busy taking part in something that may very well prove itself to be a fool's errand: trying to sway the man in front of her who can't see that she's giving her all & has got these real intense feelings for you; that this could be an everlasting love. It's unrequited puppy love that is never too much or overbearing because Never Enough does what Jessy Lanza and the album that it's pulled from does best: takes an all encompassing feeling and elevates it by reducing it to a level of slow burning intimacy, drawing you into her space and easily forging a connection. Never Enough goes down like a fine wine, cascading on a glossy and shimmering melody that bounces like the beat of her heart, rock steady. The words may come from a place of overbearing anxiousness and excitement, but Ms. Lanza and her silky smooth composition keeps it calm so that her suitor can hear her loud and clear, and we can relate and never lose sight of the other important matter at hand here: catching the beat.

11/kaytranada featuring syd/you're the one

12/dirty projectors/keep your name

13/britney spears/private show

14/devendra banhart/fancy man

15/angel olsen/shut up kiss me

16/parquet courts/i was just here

17/badbadnotgood feat. samuel t. herring/time moves slow

18/of montreal/it's different for girls

19/nice as f*#k/door

20/flume featuring beck/tiny cities

21/the weeknd/false alarm

22/amber coffman/all to myself

23/bruno mars/that's what i like

24/car seat headrest/destroyed by hippie powers

25/savages/adore

-INTERLUDE-

with kendrick lamar.

faith.

a video.

starring stevie wonder & ariana grande.

NICE AS F*CK! : The Albums, 2016.

11/beyonce/lemonade

The Beyonce we're presented with in Lemonade is a woman scorned. She's been victimized, lied to, and is all up in her feelings. And for good reason. And yet, when you press play on Lemonade, what you encounter is not a pity party, nor do you ever feel sorry or sad for the woman wading through the trials and tribulations of dealing with a heart now broken. And while there are many things to take apart and champion on Beyonce's latest, this refusal to stand down and not be heard, and wallow in the deep waters of depressive solitude is Lemonade's greatest triumph. Lemonade is not the night of where you first found out about the betrayal. It is not the sweatpants and ice cream + netflix and chill while dancing on my own with tears running down my eyes period either. No, Lemonade is that moment where B hops up out the bed, turns her swag on, and decides "you know what? Fuck him, Fuck this, Fuck the drama!" It's an album long reminder and shout of "THAT'S RIGHT I'M DA BADDEST BITCH!" to herself and to he who shall not be named. She may not have asked for or wanted any of this pain and heartache, but she's prepared for it. Been groomed on how to spot trouble and how to deal with it. And deal with it she does. They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Lemonade is living proof of how on point this statement can be when applied correctly. With Lemonade, Beyonce takes her fury and anguish and channels it into her music and the "NOT TODAY!" (CAUSE I AM NOT THE ONE!) attitude she settles into throughout the album, even in the we gotta work this out/let's work through this/true love can't be denied/I forgive you moments that pop up near the album's end. Most importantly, Lemonade presents a fearless Beyonce that is hard to deny or ignore and not love. She can be your rock goddess or your trap queen; Adopt hip-hop b-boy stances; go soft, ride slow, or go high. Life handed our heroine lemons, and she responded with this: the sweetest of all teas for us to devour.

 

KEY TRACKS: Hold Up/Sorry/Formation

12/a tribe called quest/"we got it from here... thank you 4 your service"

13/nxworries/yes lawd!

14/nice as fuck/nice as fuck

15/childish gambino/"awaken, my love!"

16/rihanna/anti

17/parquet courts/human performance

18/kaytranada/99.9%

19/devendra banhart/ape in pink marble

20/david bowie/blackstar

21/the julie ruin/hit reset

22/jessy lanza/oh no

23/junior boys/big black coat

24/majid jordan/majid jordan
 
25/badbadnotgood/iv

burning bright (field on fire).

starring nine inch nails.



ROLLING STONE: Hear Nine Inch Nails' Explosive New Song 'Burning Bright (Field on Fire)'

NICE AS F*CK! : The Songs, 2016.

11/kaytranada featuring syd/you're the one



12/dirty projectors/keep your name

13/britney spears/private show

14/devendra banhart/fancy man

15/angel olsen/shut up kiss me

16/parquet courts/i was just here

17/badbadnotgood feat. samuel t. herring/time moves slow

18/of montreal/it's different for girls

19/nice as f*#k/door

20/flume featuring beck/tiny cities

21/the weeknd/false alarm

22/amber coffman/all to myself

23/bruno mars/that's what i like

24/car seat headrest/destroyed by hippie powers

25/savages/adore

for your consideration...

words.

"At the heart of many of the works released by major black creatives in 2016 is a clear-eyed vision of the future, unflinchingly honest yet ultimately hopeful. Forgoing the camp and fantasy associated with the aesthetics of Afrofuturism, the artists who shone brightest this year – even as the political climate attempted to dull their luster – released epic-scale commentaries on a painful past and ominous present. In a year when one of our lifetime's biggest elections was won by someone who cannot fathom or understand progress, these artists transformed harsh truth into hard-won optimism for the trying days ahead.

With this trio of powerful albums, Beyoncé, Rihanna and Solange infiltrated the mainstream, demonstrating that supposedly niche narratives of black femininity carry urgent messages for all of America. In the face of what looks to be a dismal four years for many communities, the songs on Lemonade, Anti and A Seat at the Table feel like rays of light, signifiers of a hopeful resistance and a uniquely personal revolution."

ROLLING STONE: For Us, by Us: How Black Women Radicalized Pop in 2016

NICE AS F*CK! : The Albums, 2016.

12/a tribe called quest/"we got it from here... thank you 4 your service"

Time and time again in this Black American's life, I've been told or heard way too many times to count that all I have to do in this here life is "eat, sleep, stay black, and die." Sustenance, rest, self-care, PRIDE. Pride that'll help me stand tall. PRIDE that will keep me grounded. PRIDE present in you, me, and everyone we know with the melanin. But it's hard. Cause when you're Black in America the struggle is often indeed real, and you'll also often find that the task of staying Black can be, for some reason, much harder than it should or needs to be. Masters, it seems, ain't listening to the streets, and keep doubting our smarts. The Media appears untrustworthy and the President elect is installing fear in the heart of many (of us colored folk). It's all enough to make you shout THIS IS ENOUGH(!), WE THE PEOPLE want more, NEED more. Sure, "everybody running when they see the storm coming, but whatever will be will be". We all we got, THIS RIGHT HERE is all we got.  "There ain't a space program for niggas", so we gotta buck up, get together, make moves and make something happen, TOGETHER, in this space; in America. Be informed, get involved, and keep it together. But how do we do it, and what can we do to keep it together? Who do we turn to or look towards for guidance and hope outside of ourselves in this here game we call Black Life?

 

HERE. With them. With the tribe. They got you.The midnight marauders still on a mission to uplift and inspire; acknowledge that the struggle is real, but not let that keep them or us from standing tall, being prideful, and most importantly, staying black. It is not a place where fuckboys reside, touching mics with flows uncertain. It is not a place where forward momentum is stifled, but is, instead, highly encouraged, reminding you to "Don't be no backwards ass nigga."  "We Got it From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service" is not only Hip-Hop personified, but musical creativity and ingenuity personified, too. It's a welcomed soapbox in a sea of believers, doubters,  the mothers, the fathers, the sistahs, and the brothas looking for reassurance, a place of belonging, and a reminder to stay strong, and stay BLACK, no matter the strength of your struggle's hand. "We Got it From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service" is the Tribe we have always known, and the Tribe the people need: Sharp and correct, as if they never left, making something happen. Much obliged, A Tribe Called Quest. Many thanks.

KEY TRACKS: The Space Program/Mobius/Black Spasmodic

13/nxworries/yes lawd!

14/nice as fuck/nice as fuck

15/childish gambino/"awaken, my love!"

16/rihanna/anti

17/parquet courts/human performance

18/kaytranada/99.9%

19/devendra banhart/ape in pink marble

20/david bowie/blackstar

21/the julie ruin/hit reset

22/jessy lanza/oh no

23/junior boys/big black coat

24/majid jordan/majid jordan
 
25/badbadnotgood/iv