The Weeknd

Ulala

Ulala

Awkward Woodward
New Mixtape

So the new Weeknd mixtape/album is out now (here), another great cover image.

I've had a cursory listen whilst doing other stuff and the formula seems largely unchanged, unusual (for r&b) production and sample sources (this time it's the Cocteau Twins (I think, title seems to suggest so but I haven't heard 'HOLV' in years) instead of Siouxsie), and somewhat dubious lyrics. Long songs, too, only two are under 5 minutes. It took me a few goes with 'House Of Balloons' to pick up on the nuances so doubtless this will grow on me.

Of slightly more concern is The Weeknd's patronage of Tommy Hilfiger's rapping son (no, really), whose LP, presumably in a move designed solely to antagonise the Dissensus Hip Hop '11 thread, is entirely Lex Luger-produced. Modern life is unspeakably sordid.
 
Last edited:
Leo

Leo

Well-known member
Ulala said:
Of slightly more concern is The Weeknd's patronage of Tommy Hilfiger's rapping son (no, really), whose LP, presumably in a move designed solely to antagonise the Dissensus Hip Hop '11 thread, is entirely Lex Luger-produced. Modern life is unspeakably sordid.
Click to expand...

is an artist inherently "bad" and to be automatically scorned simply because they have a rich and famous relative? i've never heard rich hill, he may totally suck, just curious.
 
Ulala

Ulala

Awkward Woodward
Leo said:
is an artist inherently "bad" and to be automatically scorned simply because they have a rich and famous relative? i've never heard rich hill, he may totally suck, just curious.
Click to expand...

I didn't explicitly call him bad, it was more annoyance at the way famous relation automatically equals profile (hence the 'sordid'), but, er...(thinks)...fuck it, yes. I scorn him. I'm sure his music probably isn't the abomination that (for instance) Paris Hilton's was - like you, I've not yet heard any - but working with Swizz Beatz for several years and not getting anywhere doesn't bode well, eh?

I suppose I expect rappers to have to have had day jobs and work towards their success and not be bankrolled by daddy. That probably makes me a snob, but there we are, I was being flippant and trying to add some other interest to a post that said "the new Weeknd mixtape is out".

Anyway, had a second play of 'Thursday' and I liked it more. The thrill of the new from 'House Of Balloons' is missing but it's still distinctive, and that's almost as important as being good in my book.
 
Leo

Leo

Well-known member
no problem, ulala (great name!). didn't mean to be a dick, i understand yr point. cheers.
 
S

stephenk

Well-known member
i loved house of balloons but thursday, on first listen, is kind of tiresome...the woaaah yeaaaaah thing and the guitar and the lack of big pop hook samples...ehhhh. also pretty sure "heaven or las vegas" doesn't sample cocteau twins (at least not that song/album...or not any instantly recognizable part of it), which is a huge letdown for me because i love that lp and i think it would be perfect for him...
 
Ulala

Ulala

Awkward Woodward
stephenk said:
... also pretty sure "heaven or las vegas" doesn't sample cocteau twins (at least not that song/album...or not any instantly recognizable part of it), which is a huge letdown for me because i love that lp and i think it would be perfect for him...
Click to expand...

It doesn't? Balls. I couldn't place it and was just being presumptuous from the title. You're right, though, it would fit perfectly. Need to dig out some Cocteaus, haven't listened to them for years.

Hmm... I do agree about the guitars being a bit too prominent, on reflection. It's probably telling that 'The Zone' is the least guitar-y and also my favourite. (And is that Drake, uncredited, on it? I think so, which makes sense given the Toronto connection.)
 
Tentative Andy

Tentative Andy

I'm in the Meal Deal
Heard bits from this guy via Oneman playing some stuff by him lately and I can't say I like it very much. It feels very maudlin, which is really not where my head is with music right now. Perhaps I need persevere a bit more though because it seems like almost everyone that I know who I usually respect taste-wise is into him.

Edit: Ok so some of the stuff on this thread is growing on me. Lol this always happens.
 
Last edited:
Corpsey

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
I dunno, heard a few bits by him... it's nice enough stuff. It's like Frank Ocean - I can see why people love it but to me it all sounds a bit bland and samey. I've been turned against Drake - his whole self-pitying/mythologising schtick - by reading Noz's review of his album (and listening to the album) and they both sound a bit like Drake to me. Maudlin, like Andy says.

Admittedly I haven't really given him much of a chance and I'm not really into RNB the moment anyway (apart from old stuff i.e. Aaliyah, Brandy, Urrrsher, R KingofRNBelly...). But my opinion must be written and read, cos I does it like this.
 
Ulala

Ulala

Awkward Woodward
CrowleyHead said:
Rape has a face. And it's most certainly not Tyler or Abed.
Click to expand...

The questionable (actually, no - extremely unpleasant) lyrical content doesn't appear to have hurt his progress one bit, though. Either people don't care or don't even register, and as I've been singing his praises, it appears I fall somewhere between these camps. I've got some violently homophobic dancehall records, too, and I wouldn't try to defend them, either, but I still enjoy them - I feel slightly remorseful, but not enough to stop. The timbre or melodic quality of the vocals outweigh the lyrical content, I guess, and I really like the haziness of the production on The Weeknd's stuff.

Getting blind drunk and doing dubious things (or getting others blind drunk and doing dubious things to them) is a pretty common theme even in mainstream pop these days. As proof, I'll raise you: the actual new (chubby, gormless) face of rape is this guy. Absolutely wrong.
 
C

CrowleyHead

Well-known member
I was actually referring to Rich's face.

Rich isn't too drastically different from most 'Frat Rappers', though with an added degree of misogyny that the Sam Adams, Mac Millers & other nameless fucks wouldn't dare utilize for fear of isolating their audience. Somehow though this kid's getting buzz, though I imagine it's mostly off of the fact that he's got money to spend on PR.

His whole prescence in the world just seems so unbelievably cliched though... Rich kid spending dad's millions on a transient musical career and destroying himself with drugs, and people are going to be fascinated with that because of the cliche, nothing to do with the rapping (which is mediocre at best, and that's the best compliment I can muster).
 
Corpsey

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
Yeah I was completely fucking wrong about the weeknd.

I am now rapidly becoming obsessed with ''House of Balloons''.

He and you all deserve my sincerest apologies.

Of course within a week I'll be admitting that I got overexcited and it isn't really that good anyway.

That's how I roll.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top