Schoolboy Q has come to be known as the bucket hat wearing, slippery tongued, course rhyming flow member of current hip-hop king, Kendrick Lamar’s, Top Dawg Entertainment (T.D.E.) label. Over the past half year, Schoolboy Q has garnered significant buzz for his latest album, “Oxymoron.” His pre-album singles, “Collard Greens (feat. Kendrick Lamar),” “Man of the Year” and “Break the Bank” have been lighting up hip-hop message boards and radio charts, creating hype and some of the largest anticipation for a new hip-hop album in some time.
Just like every album that’s ever been released with a large amount of hype, it doesn’t hold up. Schoolboy Q is an above average rapper in terms of skill, rhyming and wit, but Schoolboy has trouble standing tall and standing out with this release. However, the album isn’t bad. Here are reviews of some of the album’s best and worst tracks:
“Gangsta” – Gangsta, gangsta, gangsta. Those words replay over an ominous, bass heavy drum kick and fiddling guitar beat. Schoolboy puffs his chest on this track, talking about his “gangsta” upbringings. Most notably, his grandma “showed him his first strap.”
“What They Want” – 2 Chainz joins Schoolboy for this track. The song chronicles the desires of a young woman in a purely physical sense. All in all, it is a forgettable number.
“Hoover Street” – Schoolboy’s grandmother comes up again in this track. “My grandma said she loved me, I said I loved her more.” A sweet moment in a song filled with memories of growing up in a bad neighborhood and joining a gang. The song chronicles the illegal activity that frequented Schoolboy’s childhood and upbringing. The beat takes a step back to the lyrics on this track; a simple drum beat accompanies a dark and disturbing tale of life in modern day African-American society.
“Studio” – B.J. the Chicago Kid croons a slow jam hook over a soothing drum pad high hat and bass drum beat. A graphic love letter is penned by Schoolboy for a woman who is not yet his. It’s one of the smoother tracks on the album, one of my favorites too.
“Prescription/Oxymoron” – At seven minutes and 10 seconds, this is the longest track on the album. As such, this is also where we find Schoolboy at his most vulnerable. He raps about his addiction to prescription medication. Schoolboy chronicles the lowest of lows that occurred as a result of his addiction. The second half of this track shows the change in Schoolboy’s life. “I stopped selling crack today,” the hook rings. This track is one of the album’s brightest spots, as dark as it may be.
“Hell of a Night” – One of the better party anthems on the album, this is a track to get people partying and out on the dance floor. Schoolboy calls for the women of America to, “Get up off your feet, you can be my freak, let me see you dance.” I certainly got up and danced to this one.
“Man of the Year” – This track is Schoolboy at his best. A catchy, yet unorthodox tune flows over a beat with grooves not seen or used by any other. A sure to be car-cruising anthem, the beat samples “Cherry” by the band Chromatics and is one of the better beats in recent hip-hop. Unfortunately, this track dwarfs the remainder of the album in quality; this song would have been the perfect closer to a strong album.
“His & Her Friend” – This was the strangest selection for the album, that’s for sure. A constant, overwhelming bass drones on throughout the track. Additionally, Schoolboy adds a haunting overdub of his voice pitched down several octaves that plays simultaneously with his verse. At times, the pitched down voice begins to take over, making for an unnerving experience.
“F--- LA” – The last song begins with a menacing intro of a synth choir of Gregorian chants, laying out the foundation for this album. This is Schoolboy’s declaration of superiority and reign over the LA rap scene. It is a song with a lot of potential, showing bright spots, but ultimately it falls short.
