95 North. . . The Newspaper

I've been on a hip-hop kick for a few months now, and since it doesn't seem to be abating I might as well discuss two songs from my two favorite rappers: 1. "Tale of Two Citiez": J Cole There's been plenty of chatter about our favorite curmudgeon J Cole's identity as a rapper rooted in boredom, tedious seriousness, and "eh-ness" . That's why we like him. Whether he's rapping about folding laundry, enjoying almond milk, or braggin' on his success and fame only to later chastise himself for doing so, J Cole is a relatable, reliable MC who makes his own beats, and yes, went platinum with no features . He's on a solo journey. Cruising the rap-sphere all alone, Cole often spins introspective tunes like "Tale of Two Citiez"- simple documents that chart his easily traceable, and relatable internal thoughts about growing up without much money and then having it. In typical Cole style, in the end, he asserts that what goes u...

Here at 95 North , we love Bob Dylan and Kendrick Lamar. While Bobby won a Nobel Prize for literature in 2017, we were all elated to discover that Kendrick Lamar's got one now, too. Recently, Lamar won the Pulitzer prize for music. Noticeably, he is the first non-jazz/non-classical musician to win the prize, according to the  New Yorker . To honor the occasion, click  here  to read 95 North's overview of the best of Kendrick Lamar, who, along with Bob Dylan, write some of the best American music my ears have been lucky enough to take in. I've been educated, enthralled, mystified, appropriately saddened and enlivened (emotional intelligence?), and generally enriched by the music of these two human beings for a long time. Educated: Lamar-"Institutionalized" Enthralled : Lamar- "DNA" Mystified : Lamar- "Duckworth" Saddened : Lamar-"Sing About Me (I'm Dying of Thirst) Enlivened : Lamar- "Money Trees" Enriched : Lamar- ...

Recently, I've been drawn to the Esbjorn Svensson Trio's jazz 2003 jazz album Seven Days of Falling , thanks to a sample used by Kendrick Lamar in his song "How Much a Dollar Cost". I'd like to highlight two tracks from the album worth noting. First, the quiet, understated opener "Ballad for the Unborn" features a meandering piano that's headed somewhere, painting landscapes that are both musically interesting and emotionally evocative. I found myself wandering down a trail, fascinated by the paths that the piano took. Sometimes it retraced its steps. Sometimes it didn't. Barely noticeable cymbal flushes come through, as the song picks up a degree of crescendo toward's its conclusion. A fuzzy, big bass looms in the background, but the piano remains as the leader of the pack.  "O.D.R.I.P", the albums conclusion, starts on a sharp note. The drums and bass make themselves immediately known, slanting sideways, only to have...

There's too much to say about Kendrick Lamar. I don't know where to begin. Some brief history? The 30-year-old rapper from Compton, CA has recently released an accompanying album to the movie  Black Panther , kicking off what promises to be a big year for our man Kung Fu Kenny. Kendrick packs a lot of punch. In his 2017 album DAMN , his short, jumpy, and bold mini-essays on identity and spiritual quest over tight-knit beats earned him a place in the spotlight. Per Kendrick, the album is designed to be listened to  either forwards or backward . 2015's To Pimp a Butterfly was sprawling, artistic, free-form jazz that found its heart in Harlem, California, Israel, and South Africa in equal parts. Prior to Butterfly , Lamar (he always has been) was big on concept albums- g ood kid, m.A.A.d City  and Section 8.0 were both like novels. While kid  was Kendrick's autobiography, Section 8.0 looks at a generational struggle through the lens of two ...

"How Much a Dollar Cost" is perhaps the emotional exclamation point to Kendrick Lamar's 2015 magnum opus  To Pimp A Butterfly . This gem of a track encapsulates nicely Kendrick's strengths as an artist.  Something about Kendrick's cadence is moving- the pitch of his voice and his phrasing carry a certain intensity. Here, that intensity is paired with  Kendrick's masterful flow (and poetic phrasing) -"deep water-powder blue skies that split open"- and narrative structure.  It is also worth noting that Kendrick has always had a sharply tuned ear for great samples. It's these samples that effectively set the mood and tone of the song as if it was an interactive short story.  First, few notes on the samples: "How Much a Dollar Cost" makes heavy use of a Sweedish Jazz trio's song "Seven Days of Falling", where sharp, simple drums meet a reflective piano that has a flair for the dramatic at all the right moment...