Top 5 FAVORITE Hip Hop Albums of 2013

Because it's near the end of the year, I thought that I should post a blog about some of my favorite albums that came out this year.  So let's get started with my top five favorite Hip Hop albums of 2013!

5.  Danny Brown - Old

I'll admit, when I first listened to Danny Brown's previous album, XXX, I wasn't really feeling it.  The excessive songs about drugs and such are what killed my buzz for that album.  The reason why I listened to Old is because even though I didn't like that album, I REALLY liked to hear Danny Brown whenever he was featured on other Hip Hop artist's songs.  Because of that, I decided to give Danny Brown another chance and oh man, was I blown away by this album!  I liked that Danny Brown not only put his usual drug/club banger type songs on here, but he also had a group of songs where he was more introspective.  It was that balance that attracted me to listen and it was that balance which hooked me into the album.

4.  Kanye West - Yeezus

The reason why this album is number four is because I enjoy when music artists push boundaries.  No matter what your feelings for Kanye West are, you can't deny that he really is a creative genius!  The reception for this album is split but, in my opinion, pushing the boundaries worked out for this album.

3.  Mac Miller - Watching Movies With The Sound Off

I like the overall mood this album delivers whenever I listen to it.  This album is a great improvement from Mac Miller's debut album, Blue Slide Park.  This album delivers everything that I want from an album:  An experience that sucks the listeners into the Hip Hop artist's imagined world.

  

2.  Hopsin - Knock Madness

One of the main reasons I like this album so much is because Hopsin gets REALLY honest.  Hopsin doesn't hold back any of his feelings to the point where he comes off as condescending and even misogynistic on some songs.  Even though I didn't like the way he presented himself on some of the songs on this album, a part of me is sympathetic to his sentiments because I can understand where he is coming from.  It also helps that this album is REALLY catchy.  I-JUST-CAN'T-GET-THIS-ALBUM-OUT-OF-MY-HEAD!  AAAHHH!!!  At the end of the day, I appreciated his honesty and how he kept it real, which made me appreciate this album even more.

1.  Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP 2

Even though there are some songs that I felt could have been left off of this album, the good songs on this album massively outweigh those "bad" songs.  In my opinion, this is lyrically the sharpest album I've heard by Eminem yet and it helps that he knows how to fuse rap and pop in order to make an album that is approachable yet hard enough for long time fans of his music.  The Marshall Mathers LP 2 proves that Eminem is truly a Rap God.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Childish Gambino - because the internet

The only reason this album isn't included in my list is because I've only recently started listening to this album.  Don't get me wrong, I really do like this album!  As a matter of fact, I think this is Childish Gambino's most well thought out album he has released yet!  But because I haven't had enough time to listen to this album in order to see how I truly feel about it and because it came out very late this year, I decided to put this album in my honorable mentions list.  If you're a fan of Childish Gambino's music, go ahead and support the album! 

Talib Kweli - Gravitas

Again, this album came out very late this year so I didn't have enough time to assess the longevity of listening to this album, but for now, I think this is a VERY slept on album that came out this year.  In my opinion, the production and lyricism delivered on this album are great, so go ahead and give this album a listen.  If you like what you hear, support it!



No Malice - Hear Ye Him

Unlike the other two albums I previously mentioned, I did have time to assess how I truly felt about this album.  I still think this album is great but I'm not really compelled to play the whole album as much as I like playing a few of my favorite songs from it.  Nonetheless, don't sleep on this album!  This album is full of positive messages, and catchy, but the beats hit hard!  Please listen to it and if you like what you hear, support it!

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David Hayder, Independent Rapper and Internet Radio DJ

Official Website:  http://www.davidhayder.com

Listen to my latest songs here:  http://www.davidhayder.com/listen.html

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/davidhayderofficial

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/davidhayder

David Hayder’s Marshall Mather’s LP 2 Review

The Marshall Mathers LP 2 is the seventh studio album by Detroit rapper, Eminem.  In this review, I will be explaining my likes and dislikes for each track on this album.  Before you continue, I must warn you that this will be a LONG review, so if you would like a summary of my thoughts, please refer to the SUMMARY section, which is at the end of the review.  Thank you for reading my review!

The Story Behind Loving All My Demons: Part 1

Because my debut album Loving All My Demons will be coming out in November 2013, I thought I should talk to you about what went into creating it in order to give you some context before listening to the album.

Loving All My Demons is a story of my life from my senior year in high school to my first year of college and beyond school.  As tame as that sounds, it was the darkest period of my life.  This is a story of loneliness, betrayal, and enlightenment. 

Now that I’ve come out of the darkness, I felt that I had to share the lessons I’ve learned during that time with others who are in similar situations.  I wanted to let you know that you are not alone.

In the next part of these series of blog posts, I want to share with you where the idea of Loving All My Demons came to be.

Here’s a hint:

Loving All My Demons (Debut Album Release) - November 2013

My debut album, Loving All My Demons is set to be released in November 2013.

Until then, check out the final single I've recently released called "Let You Go" on Soundcloud.

No Malice – Hear Ye Him (Album Review)

Before I get into this review, I must say that I am not a Christian nor do I listen to a lot of music made by Christian rappers.  The songs that I heard before this album was released (Smoke & Mirrors, Bury That, June, Shame The Devil) made me want to review this album because those songs sounded great to me.  With that said, I would like to say that I have nothing against people who are religious.  I consider myself a very open-minded individual.  I’m approaching this review as an avid Hip Hop music fan.  Now that’s out of the way, let’s get into the review!

Before you listen to this album, you have to be aware that this is NOT Malice from Clipse.  This is No Malice.  If you wanted to hear him talk about chopping up Cocaine (Which there is plenty of in this album except in a repenting way) and glorifying the sins of his past, you will be disappointed.  No Malice has gone through significant life changes since the last Clipse album and it is evident that he has put God at the forefront of his life and this album.

With all of that in mind, this may turn off people who are not into “Christian Rap Albums.”  It is evident by the interludes and underlying messages on each song that this album is religiously themed.  Based on this album, many may say that No Malice has turned into a Christian Rapper.  After listening to this album several times, I agree.  Throughout the album, No Malice mainly talks about serving God and reflecting on his past and how he was before.  I feel like he’s REALLY trying to get across that he is a changed man, which isn’t a bad thing, but it can get tiring because it’s the same message over and over again.

As for beats, I LOVED most of the beat chosen by No Malice.  The majority of the album definitely bumps in the whip (Maybe on your way to church? Hehe...).   My only issue with the beats is that the album starts to lose its momentum after the last three full songs because the beats start to slow down compared to the first half of the album.  Maybe No Malice wanted to solidify the messages for those last three songs or maybe he wanted to signify the end of the album by slowing it down.  Nonetheless, I still enjoyed those last three songs because of the powerful messages presented.

Personally, I enjoyed the album.  My most favorite tracks are “Smoke & Mirrors,” and “Hear Ye Him.” I thoroughly enjoyed the first part of the album.  Although I consider myself very open-minded, I could have done without the preaching No Malice gets into at the end of the album (Maybe he should’ve made it into a separate interlude?) but it’s bearable and I expected it because this album is religiously themed so I can’t be mad.

In conclusion, if you were a fan of his past work under Clipse but can accept the fact that he has become more religious, and you like Hip Hop music that isn’t about money, hoes, and drugs, go ahead and listen to it.  If you like it, support the man by buying the album! 

Buy Hear Ye Him on Amazon.
Buy Hear Ye Him on iTunes.

-David Hayder, Independent Rapper and Internet Radio Station DJ for Brainy Hip Hop Radio

Listen to my music I've released so far!  http://www.davidhayder.com/listen.html

Brainy Hip Hop Radio:  http://www.live365.com/stations/davidhayder

Biggest Mistake Beginner Rappers Make

If you have been following my blog, you know that I am not only an independent rapper, but I also host an internet radio station on Live365 called Brainy Hip Hop Radio.

Because I host an internet radio station (And because I’m a fan of Hip Hop music), I like to search for the newest Hip Hop music by rappers in order see if there is a rapper out there who deserves more recognition because of the quality of their music.  With that said, most of the music that I mainly search for happens to be made by beginning rappers.

Although I mostly find Hip Hop music that falls below my standards, I do occasionally find a gem that meets my high standards, sometimes even exceeding those standards.

When I happen to find this incredible Hip Hop music made by this independent rapper, the first thing I want to do is contact him or her in order to provide them with the opportunity for more recognition!.....and this is where a lot of independent rappers make a HUGE mistake.

THEY DO NOT PROVIDE A WAY FOR PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THEIR MUSIC TO GET IN CONTACT WITH THEM!

And this frustrates me SO much because I want for them to get more recognition because they deserve it!

Sure, I’ll try to find a way to contact them through some research, but I’m not going to waste my time doing this all day long.  And I’m sure I’m being VERY patient because I bet A LOT of people would simply overlook your music since there is no way to contact you.

So if you are an independent rapper reading this blog, I URGE you to set up a way for your fans and other people who could give you great opportunities to get in contact with you and connect with you!

You should set up a Facebook fan page, set up a Twitter profile, and make sure your email is included with all of these social media sites and where you post your music.  You should also be sure to FILL OUT YOUR PROFILES on each of these sites. 

This is crucially important to your success as an independent musician so please don’t forget to do this!

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-David Hayder, Independent Rapper and Internet Radio DJ of Brainy Hip Hop Radio

Go ahead and listen to my music:  http://www.davidhayder.com/listen.html

Brainy Hip Hop Radio:  http://www.davidhayder.com/radio.html

Would you like to download my debut album for free when it comes out?  Go here!  http://www.davidhayder.com/download.html

Brainy Hip Hop Radio Breaks Top 50!

On August 9, 2013, Brainy Hip Hop Radio finally broke the Top 50 in its genre in only one month thanks to your support! 

For this blog post, I wanted to dedicate this week to simply saying THANK YOU for supporting positive, intellectual, and introspective Hip Hop music!  I am so honored that people actually take time out of their day to listen to my radio station.  I am not only passionate about creating that type of Hip Hop music, but I also love sharing that type of Hip Hop music as well. 

This milestone simply shows that people actually WANT to hear this type of Hip Hop music and with your continued support, we can reach out to more people who love to hear this type of Hip Hop as well and then we can showcase MORE Independent Hip Hop artists who DESERVE more recognition in return!

So thank you for continuing to support Brainy Hip Hop Radio!

David Hayder – Hip Hop Music, Hip Hop artist and Internet Radio DJ of Brainy Hip Hop Radio

Listen to music I’ve released so far:  http://www.davidhayder.com/listen.html

Brainy Hip Hop Radio: http://www.live365.com/stations/davidhayder

Respecting Hip Hop Culture

 

This blog post is basically a response to three interview videos by Hard Knock TV.  If you need a little background information about what I’m talking about, check out these three videos below.

How Kid CuDi Changed My Life

The first album that I listened to by Kid CuDi was actually his first album, Man on The Moon:  The End of The Day.  I don’t quite remember how I was introduced to Kid CuDi, but I do remember listening to this album in high school.  I also remember how greatly this album affected my life during those dark times.  This album was literally the soundtrack to my life.  Kid CuDi’s first album affected me so profoundly because of its overall tone, sound, and message.  

When I first listened to this album, I was initially attracted by how dark this album sounded.  I had never before heard such a rapper go so deep into specific human emotional states and translate it so well through music.  I also appreciated how this album unfolded like a story that Common was narrating.  It was like I was going through an emotional experience as I listened to each song play.

I also loved how the sound of this album was SO different from traditional Hip Hop music I’ve heard before.  I loved how Kid CuDi did his own thing and actually made it work out in the end!  It was as if Kid CuDi wanted to go beyond Hip Hop music and wanted this album to transfuse different sounds in order to create the album that HE wanted to make. 

What I appreciated the most about this album was Kid CuDi’s message throughout the album.  Although I now realize that most of the songs on this album were REALLY drug influenced, what I took away from the album during that time that I listened to it was that Hip Hop music could be more than just about money, hoes, and clothes.  Kid CuDi delivered an album that spoke to the soul of loners around the world.  This album was sad, trippy, upbeat, and inspiring.

Man on The Moon:  The End of The Day has greatly influenced the making of my debut album, Loving All My Demons, in many ways.  It had taught me to create not just a great album, but an experience for the listeners to relate to.  It taught me reach beyond traditional borders that we think are hindering our progress and to think outside the box.  Finally, Kid CuDi’s album taught me to write about my story, because THAT’S what people want to hear.

If you would like to listen to some of my music I have released so far, you can listen to my music on my Soundcloud or my official website.  If you would like to stay updated with the progress of my debut album, subscribe to my email list.

Thank you for reading this blog post!