Next Up To Bat...
What are we all listening to? Oxymoron that's what...
Humor me while I dole out a brief english lesson. An oxymoron is a figure of speech that juxtaposes apparently contradictory elements. For example big shrimp, dark light, and living dead.
OK, Tico. We don't care...
OK. Oxymoron is also the third album released by the OG himself, Schoolboy Q. The album dropped officially February 25, 2014, thanks to Top Dawg Entertainment and Interscope Records. This is the first album release that Schoolboy Q has released, backed by a major label. The recording for this project spanned 2012 and 2013 with singles such as Collard Greens and Man of The Year being available as early as June and November, respectively.
If you weren't privy to the Black Hippy rapper prior to his first major studio album release, let me remind you that Schoolboy Q is by no means new to the game. He is an XXL Freshman (Class of 2013), he has released two other albums Setbacks and Habits & Contradictions, and has done extensive touring. (#TheGroovyTour, Long. Live. ASAP. Tour, & Under The Influence Tour)
Content
Schoolboy Q uses rap and music as a medium to express himself and explain his life. Oxymoron is quite possibly the most authentic and straight-forward albums of late. Schoolboy gets dark and spins a twisted tale of a lost youth in the songs Hoover Street, Studio, and Prescription/Oxymoron. It is no secret that this rapper once was a gang-banger and whenever Q can, he shouts out his set, the 52 Hoover Crips (Figg Side/ Figueroa St). Q bares his life for all to listen to in this album that is properly named- he did all this wrong and tried to translate it to "right" for his daughter.
His daughter is featured on several songs and brings more even more honesty to Q's story. In my honest opinion, and I'm sure some will agree, Schoolboy Q has never been much for content especially compared to the rest of Black Hippy. In fact, there is next to no diversity lyrics on the entire album. The same story of being a banger is relayed on each track.
For some odd reason though, (maybe the authenticity in what he's saying?) We listen to each song...
Flow
Schoolboy Q's flow is that of a true west-coast artist. Not just hip-hop, but all music in general. The lofty and confident voice heard throughout the album is thankfully not a feature. Schoolboy Q shines on his own project and uses inflections to decipher between "Rapper That Made It" Q and "52 Hoover Crip" Q. His rhyme scheme is easy to follow and his articulation is a godsend in an era of young rappers that suffer from mush-mouth and mangled bars. Schoolboy Q also makes use of variation in the amount of words in a bar- for example in the song Hell of A Night Q runs through quickly in the first verse. By the second verse, however, he slows packs less words in each bar and allows the listener to go from being hype to just vibing.
Beats
Oxymoron's production was properly handled by high-profile producers such as Mike Will Made It, DJ Dahi, Pharell, Boi-1da, The Alchemist, and Tyler The Creator. The beats of Oxymoron can be summed up in one word:
Gangsta
Yes, you're correct. At random, look at Gangster, The Purge, Man of The Year, and Break The Bank. What do these songs have in common? They get the listener internally-hype. These are those tracks you play while driving to school or the office. You feel so hood she playing these songs. It is a crime to play these on volume 20... you have to max out the bass and really vibe!
True- these aren't the most convoluted or complicated beats- No Random Access Memories going on here. At best, these songs are catchy repeats of the hook played behind the enigmatic and gangster voice of Q. This is a positive though- there are few other artists that get to wholly shine through their (over)production. Oxymoron is hood in it's own right with just the right amount of tweaking: Q's voice isn't tampered with, the samples of his daughter are placed intelligently, and the beats of over half the album play into the gang banging demographic Schoolboy wanted to reach. Oxymoron is an oxymoron to me, being that it is Q's first major studio album, but it sounds like a authentic "homie mixtape" that I want to support... as if I were Figg Side too.
You're not though. No drive-bys for you.
All in All...
Oxymoron could've been the entire soundtrack to Grand Theft Auto V. This album is as gangster as its going to get and I'm proud. I won't lie: I didn't initially see Schoolboy Q following Kendrick Lamar in terms of commercial success. I felt like the rough and ruggedness of Q hurt his musicality and commercial appeal, especially in light of what Kendrick was doing with good kid M.A.A.D city. However, it appears that Schoolboy Q is hungry as hell for the TDE throne. This album was critically acclaimed- from Metacritic to XXL, everyone agrees that Oxymoron is one of the best stories ever told. Schoolboy Q does identify himself as a "gangster rapper" and while he claims he isn't trying to bring that style of rap back, rather just showcase its still alive... he is bringing it back.
He is bringing back bucket hats too,
Two Thumbs Up.
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