ScHoolboy Q – Blank Face LP (2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/48 kHz | Time – 01:12:26 minutes | 874 MB | Genre: Rap
Studio Master, Official Digital Download – Source: Qobuz | Artwork: Front cover | © Interscope
Fourth album from Grammy-nominated, Los Angeles Hip Hop artist. The album features guest appearances from several prominent artists, such as Kanye West, Jadakiss, Tha Dogg Pound and Miguel, among others. The production was handled by various high-profile record producers, including Swizz Beatz, Metro Boomin, Southside and Cardo, as well as frequent collaborators Nez & Rio, The Alchemist, DJ Dahi and members of TDE in-house production team, Digi+Phonics.
By 2016, anything associated with the Top Dawg Entertainment/Black Hippy crew was considered “highly anticipated” by the hip-hop faithful, but no one in the posse had come close to the crossover success of superstar MC Kendrick Lamar. Team member Schoolboy Q was the crown prince, although his mix of gangsta rap and left-field production had failed to make him a household name, something The Blank Face LP holds dear. This sprawling, cumbersome, and often psychedelic effort feels like a glorious clearing house for the diverse and deep rapper, offering giant, cinematic, and challenging efforts like the Anderson Paak-featuring title track and the opening epic, “Torch,” then shifting gear and getting flippant with oddball throwaways like the ultra-nasty “Studio” sequel called “Overtime.” “Overtime” at least goes off-the-charts, sounding as if R&B porno artist Blowfly was mimicking R. Kelly’s or guest vocalist Miguel’s sexy styles, and while the beat Tyler, the Creator crafts for “Big Body” could be his silliest to date, Tha Dogg Pound still act if it’s prime strip club stuff, and it’s as fascinating to hear as it is odd. If “By Any Means” sounds like an important anthem for a year when race relations are at a new low, it begins “You can f**k my b*tch/You can have my ho” and goes more gutter from there, and while that makes it arguably disposable compared to the proud anthem “Ride Out” or the wonderful rumination called “Kno You Wrong,” this 17-track, almost-mixtape is no slog on first listen. Fully-formed stunners like the Jadakiss feature “Groovy Tony/Eddie Kane” and “Tookie Knows II” are cold-blooded classics, and even if return visits require some dropped cuts, there’s an awesome, tight album hiding inside this set of tracks, a set where the B-sides sneak in. As a release born firmly in the age of streaming, playlists, and The Life of Pablo, it’s a sprawling album to argue about and examine. In Schoolboy Q’s discography, it’s the experimental LP with an attitude, and a giant Magical Mystery Tour that will dazzle his fans.
Tracklist:
01 – TorcH
02 – Lord Have Mercy
03 – THat Part [featuring Kanye West]
04 – Groovy Tony / Eddie Kane [featuring Jadakiss]
05 – Kno Ya Wrong [featuring Lance Skiiiwalker]
06 – Ride Out [featuring Vince Staples]
07 – WHateva U Want [featuring Candice Pillay]
08 – By Any Means
09 – Dope Dealer [featuring E-40]
10 – JoHn Muir
11 – Big Body [featuring Tha Dogg Pound]
12 – Neva CHange [featuring SZA]
13 – Str8 Ballin
14 – Black THougHts
15 – Blank Face [featuring Anderson .Paak]
16 – Overtime [featuring Miguel and Justine Skye]
17 – Tookie Knows II [featuring Traffic and TF]
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