Music can give us the party, the indulgence, and the afterparty, the reflection. Some music is meant to slam us into the mirror and shatter illusions, but tapes showing life at the bottom of a pit are captivating, too. That darkness would actually contribute to his rise. Songs such as the title track and “The Morning” have the veneer of pop with a dark underbelly. Looking at the raw content of his music on House of Balloons, it doesn’t make sense that Abel Tesfaye would eventually fill the role of “starboy.” How that persona is delivered on this mixtape, though, suggests he would one day build his empire on a foundation of pill bottles and condom boxes (or lack thereof). I rest my case for the universe’s absurdity. It’s 2017, Donald Trump is president, and The Weeknd is a pop star. Music wasn't just one of modern rap's most lethal duos drawing first blood, it was holy matrimony. The dark pulses and breakbeats El-P brought to the table proved that they were a greater match than anyone could've realized. Rarely were they as potent as the paranoid history lesson of 'Reagan' or the Wu-Tang-fueled day-in-the-life-of 'Jojo's Chillin,' where Mike's commanding baritone hit the perfect note between pusher and pastor. Killer Mike may have first started his grind in 2000 and officially pledged his allegiance in 2006, but his years of hard work paid off in 2012 when he and fellow rap underdog and jewel runner El-P bottled righteous lightning in Atlanta. Following in the footsteps of his Atlanta brothers OutKast, both politics and pleasure have always shared space on Killer Mike records. Music grabs listeners with five simple words: ' Rap music is my religion.' The kind of religion where communion is goblets full of Hennessey a true player’s Pentecostal.

Somewhere in the nexus, Isaiah Rashad scored the soundtrack for anyone who’s been stressing for a blessing.

Cilvia Demo is a deeply personal and perfectly crumpled self-portrait of a 20-something rapper recognizing his father’s flaws in his own behavior while striving to be a better man for his own son. Over crunchy Southern-fried soul, Zaywop delivered smooth flows and introspective rhymes that wrestled with issues like suicide (“Heavenly Father”), addiction (“Cilvia Demo”) and falling in and out of love (“West Savannah”)-most, if not all, of which can be traced back to his father’s alcohol-fueled absence. Cilvia Demo, released just months later, was Isaiah’s first official project, but it was obvious Top Dawg Entertainment-a label known for carefully nurturing under-the-radar talent into long-term success stories-had found themselves another diamond in the rough. When TDE unveiled Isaiah Rashad as their newest member in late 2013, the Chattanooga, TN native had yet to build up a much of a catalog, let alone a buzz. 3 Standout Selections: 'Cilvia Demo,' 'R.I.P.

Pyramids frank ocean rap genius