Hip-hop is hardly the most popular genre of music on Gamespot and gets bashed a lot in the forums (honestly don't care). I can tell it's not popular among the people on my friends list either since I get virtually no comments on anything I talk about hip-hop related (which is fine of course). This is my blog so I will talk it about anyways.
Today, I wanted to focus on a young rapper who has rapidly become one of my favorites, not just of this year, but all-time. Charles Hamilton. Such a proclamation will be met by at least 1/2 of the knowledgable portion of the hip-hop community saying my opinion is wack, 1/4 agreeing, and the remaining 1/4 saying he's hot, but let's wait for 10 years before deeming anything he has done as c.l.a.s.s.i.c and also have him keep his mouth shut once in awhile. All fine stances and completely understandable since the general consensus seems to be that you either love him or hate him.
This kid has put out sick mixtape after mixtape. Most of these could pass for albums if retooled a bit, that's how strong his material is. Checking my iTunes, I have 266 of his songs in my library spread out over probably 15-20 mixtapes. Currently, he has put out one album, The Pink Lavalamp, which was released only for download. His first studio album, This Perfect Life, well...I don't know where this is because the kid has fallen off the face of the Earth lately. I don't know what's up with him, other than a bunch of issues that have decreased his popularity by the month, since he says and does a lot of questionable things.
Lots of people love his music, but the ones who don't dump on him for so many reasons, some legit, most stupid. Personally, I don't really care what he is about, other than the fact that he makes dope music...and the only time I wonder what may be affecting him personally is when he disappears and I can't get my hands on his new album legally.
Even though I'm a Hamilton stan as some would say, I have to admit that some of the things his name has been mixed up in are a bit strange. Supposedly jacking beats and channeling the late J Dilla's spirit are among them. They don't bother me personally, but what does bother me is that people won't give his music a chance after hearing some of this stuff, true or not. Normally, who gives a f*ck right? Well, he is an underground, hopefully up and coming rapper and since I'm so high on him, I try to spread the word as much as I can and running into haters is driving me. For every success story I have with turning people on to him, it seems I take a step back with the next person for whatever reason. Who cares if he sucks at freestyling (at least in the the dissing sense), or if some girl fan punched him in the face (seriously...what should he do, punch her back?....), or if he wears the color pink and digs Sonic the Hedgehog (I think this gives him even more character personally).
Most importantly, he makes good music. His flow, his lyrics, his beats, his voice...everything is on point.
Because of the immense size of his material out there on the net, it might be daunting for someone looking to check him out. Originally, I caught this song, November 10th, which is awesome and made me aware of him. Downloading the My Brain Is Alive mixtape put him on the map for me. It remains my favorite mixtape to this day.
Top 3 Favorites:
3. Truth Kills Opposition (Love TKO)
Pretty much the whole mixtape is worth listening to. The beats are incredible, particularly in those three songs. I'm still unclear if Hamilton produces most of his beats, but if he does, he is even greater than I thought.
The download only album, The Pink Lavalamp, is a c.l.a.s.s.i.c. in my eyes, every bit as deserving as being mentioned among other amazing debuts like Nas' Illmatic, Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt, and Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. Call me insane, I don't care. I have bumped this album over and over since downloading it a few months ago. I listen to a lot of music all the time, but The Pink Lavalamp has been one half of the equation day after day. Every song is fire, not one skippable. Not one.
Top 3 Favorites:
3. Shinin'
This was so hard to pick my favorite 3 from. Like I previously mentioned, every damn song is great. 1-15, I could bump in straight rotation all day, all week, for the rest of my life. So dope.
Picking 5 songs from the rest of his catalog is equally as hard.
5 Other CH Tracks I Love:
Superman(rips this Lupe Fiasco beat apart...I would have preferred putting "Supernatural Vacation" here, but it's not listed on Youtube)
In the end, despite every controversy surrounding this kid, I love the music he puts out. He's fresh, creative, and something that is very welcome in hip-hop these days. I'm not shoving my opinion down anyone's throat, but I'd love to be able to talk about his greatness with more people, haha.
