2009 Wrap #8: Langston Wilkins

UGK 4 Life While far from the year’s best album and definitely not its best story, UGK’s (possible) final album is by far the most important musical anything in my world this year. Pimp C is probably the only artist for whom I consider myself a fanboy, and his death has left a major void in my sonic landscape. Though it took me a while to get into it, 4 Life soon became one of my favorite UGK releases. Akon feature aside, the album remained raw as hell (check “She Luv It” and “Harry”), letting me know that the group had years of Trill Azz music left. Sad.

Drake A junkie for teenage-geared TV programming, I was very familiar with Aubrey Graham because through his portrayal of Jimmy from the Canadian show Degrassi. I even knew that he had an unremarkable–if not fledgling–career as a rap artist. But I was shocked and dumbfounded when he, as Drake, became the hottest thing in hip hop this past spring. Unlike previous Golden children (50 Cent in 2002 and Kanye West in 2004) Drake’s somewhat perplexing stardom developed overnight. A mediocre MC and a mediocre singer, Drake presented nothing that separated him from the pack. Maybe he was the cream of a shitty crop. Either way, both male and female groupies dick-rode him to epic proportions. Unfortunately, an idiotic video and his inability to maintain physical balance did some damage to his exorbitant buzz. Hopefully he has some more hyper-ordinary music to regain the pedestrian attention he lost. (I actually like Drake…just not as much as your average kid.) 

Freddie Gibbs Something of a foil to Drake, Gary, Indiana’s Freddie Gibbs has been the biggest thing in the rap blogosphere over the last few months. Influenced by everyone from UGK to Ice Cube to the Wu-Tang Clan, Gibbs’ music is straight dope. While NY Times and LA Weekly features may be a bit too much, Gibb’s talent is undeniable. Midwestcadillacboxframemuzik was dope, but I can’t wait to check out his proper debut.

Whole Wheat Bread Whole Wheat Bread is an all-Black pop-punk band out of Jacksonville, Florida. Heart of Hoodlums stayed in my deck for about two months (nowadays, a very long time for me). It was pretty nice listening to rock artists with a gangsta tinge and not hip hop artists posing as rock stars. Though not classic or legendary by any means, I could really get with their content and the instrumentation wasn’t terrible. They have projects with Murs and Lil Jon coming up, so check for them in the next year.

Hood Videos: Pill – Trap Gon’ Ham/Beanie Sigel “The Ghetto”/Boosie “Back in the Days” For a hardcore/gangsta head like me, these “reality” based videos were absolutely refreshing. They offered a sketch of ghetto life that is increasingly becoming hidden by hip hop’s middle class facelift. I recently showed Pill’s video to a group of Black IU students during a lecture on the current state of hip hop. It was met with much disgust and embarrassment as if the vid was some sort of malicious fiction. Hip Hop was once a vehicle to expose such realities to communities either adverse to or unaware of it. It has a core of rebellion. More and more its losing its nature, and at the same time, losing me.

Michael Jackson’s death Nothing new to contribute here. Michael Jackson was the most important artist of my time. His death rocked the world and will continue to do so for God knows how long.

Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II I remember being so disappointed by 1999’s Immobilarity, Raekwon’s follow-up to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. So disappointed that I completely gave up on the Chef. OB4CL2 has been in the works for at least 5 years, and I was completely disinterested the whole time. Though his countless mixtapes over the last two years received much praise, I was absolutely taken aback by how the final product actually turned out. Cuban Linx II is a classic in every sense of the word. Rae kept his ear to the street, delivering an album that was able to retain the vibe of its predecessor, while updating the style and sound. Mad props.

Gucci Mane I’ve been intrigued by Gucci for a while. His stuff was so devoid of anything even remotely healthy that for the first time in my life, I found myself a bit frightened, just a bit, by an artist’s music. In 2009, Gucci rose out of the underground and became a mainstream sensation. I was surprised to see him on so many commercial releases, even some R&B ones. Of course, he did this by removing a lot of the darkness from his music, which, in my opinion, makes him just another run-of-the-mill trap rapper. Naturally, I lost interest in his music, but his rise remains one of the most interesting stories of the year.

Langston Collin Wilkins is a PhD student in the department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology where he focuses on hip hop music and culture. A native of Houston, Texas, his blog, Straight Gangsterism, features commentary on hip hop and popular culture.

Filed under: 2009 Wrap  Beanie Sigel  Boosie  Drake  Freddie Gibbs  Gucci Mane  Langston Wilkins  Michael Jackson  Pill  Raekwon  UGK  Whole Wheat Bread