Very Velocious Verdicts, Vol. 1 - Future, Oddisee & Mozzy

Albums I'll be covering in the first installment of this new series!

Okay, so as most of you probably already know. I write a lot. Covering each track on each album at first, on paper, seems like a great idea. But the problem with hip hop (and music in general nowadays) is the over saturation of tracks on albums. It seems like the art of short, and concise albums is lost in 2017. Every rapper, it seems, just loads their track lists with upwards of 16+ tracks, with runtimes of up to one hour and 30 minutes.  1 HOUR AND 30 MINUTES FAM. THAT'S 3 EPISODES OF "SEINFELD" WITH THE COMMERCIALS INTACT, THAT'S INSANE AND UNNECESSARY. There are literally movies out there that can be watched and re-watched in that time period. The point is, I don't like overly long musical albums. Doesn't matter who it is. Let Michael Jackson & 2Pac come back and release a joint album together. If that project is 25 tracks or more, they can BOTH go back to the graves they dug themselves up from (RIP though, I love both artists, no disrespect)...

I can't help it when artists decide to go all "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" on me and make the decision to release albums with the equivalent runtime of full length, feature films. I can't do anything about that...but what I CAN do is change the way I review these certain overly long albums, as well as other albums I may have listened to but wouldn't have gotten to review otherwise (those track by track reviews are work, people.).

Introducing "Very Velocious Verdicts" or VVV for short (I want this series to become such a regular thing that I can start abbreviating it regularly and most people will know, more or less, what I'm talking about) and this is the first edition of what (hopefully) will be a prosperous, ongoing series.

Basically, with this series, I'm going to summarize my overall thoughts on each album in a more concise way than I usually would in one of my typical track by track reviews.  I might mention key songs on the project, or I might not reference any songs at all (in the actual review, I'll still have the score, favorite tracks, least favorite track, etc.) but one thing I can guarantee is that these type of reviews will definitely be shorter than my average track by track reviews.

Now that we've gotten the introduction out of the way, let's get into the first installment of my new series called VVV (see? I'm already implementing my alliterated abbreviation)

Written by Joseph Sanker II in February 2017

• Future - FUTURE

Cover Art for "Future"

Future (AKA Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn) is a popular hip hop artist from Atlanta, Georgia. Future is probably most known for his breakout, street-oriented singles like "Codeine Crazy" and "March Madness" as well as his 2 breakout projects "Dirty Sprite 2" (commonly abbreviated as DS2) and "What a Time to be Alive" (a collaboration project with fellow rapper Drake). Since the summertime of 2015, Future has hopped on to a lot of people's radars, and fast forward to 2017 and he hasn't taken a break yet. It's undeniably obvious that him doing a TON of features keeps his name afloat in the ever evolving hip hop world (seriously, from Maroon 5 to 21 Savage, Future has sang with artists from literally all walks of life). However, Future's style lies in the fact that he switches between singing, rapping and sing-rapping very effortlessly, some fans of hip hop however, have taken offense to Future's style and lyrical ability, some even coining him "The Godfather of Mumble Rap". There are also those who criticize his subject matter and all too familiar production choices.

But none of those naysayers matter now, because "FUTURE", the self-titled album from the man himself is upon us. The (surprisingly) first project from Future this year in 2017 has no features and is 17 tracks of Future doing what he does. Let's see how Future did this time in 2017...

Let's start with The Good:

~ If for whatever reason, you needed 17 more tracks of Future sing-rapping over bass heavy trap beats, then this project is for you.

~ There are certain subtle creativities within these beats, especially in tracks like "Mask Off" and "Feds Did a Sweep".

~ If you have a nice stereo system in your car, you're in for a treat, cause this album was made to be played loudly in a car with a nice sound system. Or as Feefo from Dead End Hip Hop says, this is "bump in the whip" music.

The Bad:

~ Future takes absolutely no creative risks on here, everything you hear on this album you can hear on previous Future projects.

~ Majority of the songs on here are very generic in terms of subject matter or lyrical content. This album is filled to the brim with typical rapper tropes. Future's never been a conscious rapper or anything like that but come on. Can I get more subject matter like on "Feds Did a Sweep"?

~ The production does most of the work for Future on here. All Future has to do is say sentences on beat, that's it. It's like Future only has vocals on this project so he can put his name on it and sell it for $11.99 on iTunes.

Overall though...

My general reaction to Future's "FUTURE" in gif form

Eminem represents me in this Gif. As ignorant and as thoughtless Future seems to be on this project, I don't think this album was intended to be anything more than something to play in the background as you're hanging out with your friends. The beats do knock on here and Future, on a surface level, sounds good over these beats. This project works best when you just want something ignorant to turn up to. Let me paint the scenario where this project works best: It's 8:00PM on a Saturday night, you get a text from your friend saying him and the homies are "hittin up the clubs", and he asks if you want him to come "scoop you from the crib". You reply "Fo sho" and start gettin' ready. Fast forward to you in the car with the homies. One of the homies passes you the AUX cord. What do you put on? Songs from this album that's what. Put on songs like "Zoom", "POA" or even "Poppin' Tags" to get the vibe of ghetto debauchery, and general ignorance right in the car as you make your way to the club.

Closing Words: 

This entire album is a message to all other artists out there. That statement is this: Future's sound is FUTURE'S, no if's, and's or but's about it (That's also why I think Future just named this album "FUTURE". He wanted to reinforce the idea that this is his sound. That's also why he had the skit on the end of "Zoom" that clearly makes fun of Desiigner [another rapper who has been heavily compared to Future]) Anyone else doing Future's sound is simply copying and paying homage to the mumble rap godfather.

Favorite Track(s): Zoom, Mask Off, Scrape, When I Was Broke, Feds Did a Sweep (AKA the best song on the album)

Least Favorite Track: Massage in My Room

Score: 5/10

Listen to Future's "FUTURE" here.

Written by Joseph Sanker II on 3/18/17

• Future - HNDRXX

Cover Art for "HNDRXX" 

This is the same Future from the first review above so, don't worry about any background info as I already gave it to you.

The Good:

~ Future is WAYYYYYY more melodic on here and it WORKS WELL. R&B Future > Super Trapper Future any day.

~ Future manages to show vulnerability to his audience as well as express positive sentiments toward the girl he's with while still coming across as the same jaded man that he was on "FUTURE".

~ "Sorry" (the final track on this album) is a top 5 track from Future, debate me if you disagree.  

The Bad: 

~ If you don't like Future doing a more accessible, sing song, pop music like sound, and prefer the trap soaked sounds of FUTURE than you are not going to like this project.

~ While very consistent in sound, there are certain songs that clearly stand above others (like "Use Me", "Incredible", "Solo", "Sorry" etc.) in terms of quality.

~ Aside from a couple key songs, if you want rapping like this. Then you won't find that here, it's strictly about melody, tone and most importantly, feeling on "HNDRXX".

In general though...

My overall reaction to Future's "HNDRXX" in gif form

Future's strength has always been in his melodies and tones. In "HNDRXX" the atmosphere in the production is perfect for the emotions he's trying to convey. Almost like being outside, in your 360 wave building durag cap with a breeze blowing through it. That's how "HNDRXX" makes me feel and it's a really good feeling. Introspective, reflective, yet still slightly positive in the end. That's how I took in "HNDRXX". He does have lyricism at certain times, but that's not the main strength of Future. Future's chemistry with the production on here is a match made in heaven and the real draw of "HNDRXX". Remember the club scenario I mentioned back in the "FUTURE" review? Well, picture the continuation of that scenario. You meet a nice person in the club, you two hit it off and end up spending the night together back at your place. If "FUTURE" represents going to the club with your homies, as well as getting amped and excited before you step foot in that club. Then "HNDRXX" represents the morning after. The aftermath, the hangover, that moment when reality sets back in from the living fantasy that was last night. You and whoever you met at the club last night are both in your bed, and you decide that you really like this person. Dare say, you have caught feelings of affection for this person. Those feelings of affection are personified through Future's "HNDRXX". 

Closing Words:

The more R&B inspired, vulnerable side of Future is such a nice change of pace from the "bang, bang shoot em up, I'll call my shooter and end you" talk that Future was doing on his self-titled effort. Everyone is in good and bad places at certain points in their lives. This album is Future when he's at a good place in his life, and he's all the better for it. Even if he still fights off some demons from time to time.

Favorite Track(s): Lookin' Exotic, Use Me, Incredible, Fresh Air, Hallucinating, I Thank U, Selfish, Solo, Sorry (The absolute BEST song on "HNDRXX" and top 5 Future track of all time)

Least Favorite Track: New Illuminati

Score: 7/10

Listen to Future's "HNDRXX" here. 

• Oddisee - The Iceberg

Cover Art for "The Iceberg"

Oddisee (AKA Amir Mohamed el Khalifa) is a rapper and producer from the DMV (Washington D.C., Maryland & Virginia) area of the United States. If Future is your lean drinking classmate who constantly skips school and tempts you to do bad things. Then Oddisee is the guy in school doing well, you always see him here and there. He's generally cool with everybody, keeps it low-key, gets good grades, but doesn't necessarily give off a nerd vibe. That's Oddisee in general if I had to describe him to someone. Oddisee has been active in music since as early as 2002 and he has actually made a concerted effort to stay improving on his musical craft rather than chasing that mainstream success that so many other people seem to want. Oddisee is a very self aware artist. He's muslim, he doesn't smoke, drink or have multiple sexual partners (he's married). When he stated all this in an interview with Peter Rosenberg, he also mentioned that since he doesn't have what is basically vices to lean on to rap about, all he has is his reality to rap about.

What I like most about Oddisee is that he makes music with a message, but it DOESN'T sound you're being preached to, it sounds nice just on a purely sonic level first and foremost. From the production, to the way Oddisee rhymes over the instrumentals, it all sounds great on first listen. On repeated listens however, you can pick up on little messages Oddisee has in music as well as just his technical wordplay as a rapper. It's actually quite great. Oddisee has been consistent for a while now, and now he's back in 2017 with *DJ Khaled Voice* Another One! titled "The Iceberg".

Let's see how Oddisee did this time, did he stay consistent? Let's see, starting with...

The Good:

~ Nice, smooth, jazz inspired production that allow the listener to just mellow out and feel the music.

~ Oddisee writes in layers, so his lyrics can be related to people from many different walks of life. Whether you're a recent college graduate or a person still involved in the seedier side of life. Oddisee makes sure not to alienate the listener.

~ Oddisee doesn't talk down or condescend to the listener either. He talks about his life, and gives his philosophy on what he thinks is right and wrong. It feels like a homie just kickin' it with you, rather than a teacher or church preacher giving you a long, drawn out sermon.

The Bad:

~ It's too easy to tune out Oddisee sometimes. The instrumentals are nice and Oddisee is rhyming well, but the music can end up being very forgettable if you let it.

~ Tracks tend to blend together, there are a few key stand out tracks, but front to back, you can easily let 2 songs play and not even know that they were 2 different songs.

In short, however...

My general reaction to Oddisee's "The Iceberg" in gif form

I'm convinced Oddisee cannot drop a bad project, like at all. The man has a formula that never fails and he continues to release quality project after project. It's a good project, from all aspects, on a technical level, everything about the Iceberg is sound. So...why don't I feel it as much as I think I should be? Oddisee, I think suffers from what I like to call "Big K.R.I.T." syndrome. Where, he does everything just good enough to be a well rounded artist, but he never truly excels at one thing. He remains overlooked cause it's so easy to look over his music. You can play Oddisee's music in a Nordstrom's or a TJ Maxx and no one will bat an eye. But say, if you play Danny Brown, or even like, Maxo Kream, people will take notice and either gravitate or be repelled by the sound. Oddisee's music simply doesn't connect to me on a visceral level. It's more like "Oh that's nice" and that's it. I forget the "The Iceberg" the next day. There's nothing wrong with the music, but it doesn't grab me and smack me up a couple of times. The music is accessible to a fault where it's too easy to tune out. It's good (I can't stress that enough) but it doesn't move me emotionally in any sort of way. And that, more than anything else, is why I think Oddisee doesn't find that buzz or hype that a lot of other rappers seem to get when they consistently make good music. Cause his music is pleasant, but it's not gripping.

Closing Words:

Oddisee can rap and make beats. No question. Along with enjoyable production and lyrics with a conscious message, Oddisee crafts another album that's technically great. But emotionally, it fails to register. "The Iceberg" leaves a shallow impression on you, even though you know the well is deep. You simply don't have the motivation to look deeper cause the music doesn't pull you in enough to do that. It's a nice little tug, but not a yank. 

Favorite Track(s): Digging Deep,You Grew Up, Like Really, Want to Be, Rain Dance

Least Favorite Track: Hold It Back

Score: 6/10

Listen to Oddisee's "The Iceberg" here. 

Written by Joseph Sanker II on 3/19/17

• Mozzy - Fake Famous

Cover Art for "Fake Famous" 

Mozzy (AKA Timothy Patterson) is a rapper from Sacramento, California. Mozzy has been bubbling locally in the Sacramento hip hop scene for quite sometime (he actually went by Lil Tim back in 2004 for a little while before changing his name to Mozzy in 2012) but his hype seemed to have really increased ten fold in 2015 when he released multiple projects, both solo and collaborative. But the most prominent album being "Bladadah". With the release of "Bladadah" Mozzy gained buzz worldwide. So much buzz that notable magazine Rolling Stone ranked Mozzy's "Bladadah" as the 22nd best rap album of 2015 . Complex magazine, another well known publication, published an article stating that Mozzy had the best run of any rapper in 2015. So, with all these accolades as well as new attention, Mozzy continued dropping project after project. Whether it be a solo project or a collaborative project. Mozzy released a whopping 11 projects in 2016, and it doesn't seem like he's slowing down in 2017 either as he's back with his latest effort "Fake Famous". Mozzy basically stated that he named the album "Fake Famous" because even though he has a little bit of notoriety in the game of hip hop, he doesn't feel like he's at the level of fame that constitutes someone as truly famous so he's "Fake Famous" (which makes sense for a LOT of other rappers).

Any-who, like everyone else, let's start with...

The Good:

~ Mozzy's beats bang, plain and simple. If you enjoy that West Coast, North California/Bay Area type sound than look no further than "Fake Famous".

~ Mozzy's lyrics are never lacking. He's not necessarily conscious but you can tell all his lyrics mean something, both on a street and a poetic level.

~ Mozzy is at his best when he's just going off. No hook, bridge or anything like that. He's at his best when he's straight rhyming throughout the entire track.

The Bad:

~ It's inaccessible in that, if you don't like that modern, north California sound with the banging bass, 808s and finger snaps in the beats then you won't like this album.

~ Certain tracks are better than others. Don't get me wrong, the whole album sounds good, but it's like when parents have 2 or more kids. If you look closely, you can tell the parents spent a little bit more time on one particular kid than the other(s). Mozzy played favorites on his tracks and it shows which tracks he took his time with, and which ones he just turned out.

~ The 3 bonus tracks at the end weren't needed at all on the album. I think the quality of the album would've been slightly increased had the album ended at the "Outro". 

In general though...

My general reaction to Mozzy's "Fake Famous" in gif form

Mozzy's smart, he's not letting his hype die down in any way, shape or form. Ever since he broke through to more people's radars in 2015 with "Bladadah" he has not let up. He's kept the "streets fed" as the young people say nowadays (even though I'm young myself lol) and for the most part this is another solid release from the Sacramento native. After listening to "Bladadah" and then this again, I can tell with "Bladadah" he was really trying his absolute best and it payed off. "Fake Famous" is not Mozzy at his absolute best, but he does show flashes of it (especially on that opening track [Ric Flair Voice] WOO! THAT'S how you open up an album). But one thing I appreciate about this album and Mozzy in general is how he keeps a mix of consciousness and street, gangster talk within his bars. Mozzy's a contradiction in that he knows better and is trying to do better, but sometimes it just feels good talking that street talk. 

Closing Words:

Will this album change ya life? Nah, but it's definitely worth listening to one of the hottest upcoming artists out of California right now. There's a reason why so many people are gravitating toward Mozzy, and I think it's because that he knows that he's a walking contradiction, just like everyone else. But unlike everyone else, he's comfortable with that, and his music reminds you that you should be too.  

Favorite Track(s): The People Plan (Best track on this album), My Eyes, Live, Get Em, Hold On Me, Line It Up, Outro

Least Favorite Track: Anti Freestyle

Score: 6/10

Listen to Mozzy's "Fake Famous" here.

Written by Joseph Sanker II on 3/20/17

Well, took me long enough to get this series out! I hope you enjoyed the change in review format! I want to make VVV a regular thing. Cause SOOOOO MANY hip hop projects get released throughout a given year and it would take forever to do a track by track review on every single project I listen to. What VVV allows me to do is give my opinion on not extremely talked about Hip Hop projects that I think are worthy of talking about.

I'm still doing track by track reviews, but just know Very Velocious Verdicts (VVV) are also a thing now.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

Drizzy "Chune 4 Ya Headtop" Drake's "More Life" is next. And oh boy, reviewing Drake is ALWAYS fun for me. I'll try to get this one out in a timely matter and I know I always say that, but my father always told me "if you say you're gonna do something...do it."And rest assured, I'm definitely getting my review of rap's most interesting, Canadian recording artist out to the public.

Aight, Peace

~ Very Velocious Verdict, Vol. 1 written by Joseph Sanker II in March of 2017.