Oxymoron - Schoolboy Q (2014)

Ideated from: March of years past. Also on the March 2014 list: Elbow, Beck, and an interesting comp of 60s and 70s Hatian jazz.

Schoolboy was friends and labelmates with Kendrick Lamar, but that was just one of his many connections in the universe of LA hip hop. By the time he got to making this record, he was working with a wide array of talent. Kendrick features on one track, as do 2 Chainz and Raekwon. Pharrell, Tyler the Creator and the Alchemist each produced a track.

I’m not expert on west coast rap, but to me most of this record sounds non-standard. The lazy, menacing synth bass and trappy drums show up a few places, but for the most part the beats are hard, concise, and heavily processed. The whole thing sounds claustrophobic in places, but always drives and manages a lot of drama.

Tracks I Liked

Los Awesome - a fantastic beat

Hoover Street - alternately menacing and playful, if a couple minutes longer than it needs to be.

Blind Threats - A Rekwon feature and a glassy smooth Gary-Burton-sampled beat.