Are you ready? Because the new Schoolboy Q album dropped two days ago and South Central L.A. artist pulls no punches.
The 29 year old rapper started writing rhymes when he was 16 but didn’t become serious about his career until around 2008. A year later he joined forces with Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock to form Black Hippy and released his first solo album, Setbacks in 2011.
However, it wasn’t until 2014 with the release of his first major label debut, Oxymoron, that the press HAD to pay attention. In Q’s own words, “Kendrick [Lamar] left me no choice but to drop a classic.” Four years later, it’s hard to find anyone who wouldn’t put it on a list of best hip hop albums released this decade. Of course everyone was wondering what else Schoolboy had waiting.
Blank Face is here and goddamn, it’s good. I’m usually wary of modern hip hop albums with a list of guest artists, but this one includes E-40, Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Jada Kiss and others that masterfully add icing to this cake of an LP.
Musically, the beats are fresh and the lyrics are as dark, introspective and as real as anything on Oxymoron. Go listen to it now on Spotify. Seriously. It’s not just what hip hop needs right now, but could supply some of the soundtrack for what’s currently happening in the streets of America.
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