ScHoolboy Q season is here, folks! After a three year hiatus, the “Blankface” Rapper has decided to release “CrasH Talk” — A fourteen track project that has some really good guest features, legit club bangers, and its fair-share of mobbin’ ass music. 

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TOP 5

 

5. DANGEROUS

While “Dangerous” is short, it succeeds in reminding the world that ScHoolboy Q still has demons he’s battling — an aspect that was talked about heavily on “OXYMORON.”

Powered by this tumultuous/unorthodox instrumental, ScHoolboy Q brings out his introspective side in “Dangerous,” beating himself up about mistakes he’s made in the past. Personally, I think the song tugs at your heart, only letting go when you realize that Q finally found a drug that let him block his problems out at the conclusion of his verse, or when Cudi gets to do some humming at the very end.

 

 

4. FLOATING

ScHoolBoy Q is gassed up on “Floating.” In my opinion, the beat took him there, as it boasts this bass boomin’/wicked sound to it that literally forces the TDE rapper’s evil side to come out. Luckily for us, that evil side of Q allows him to bring out a catchy hook, reckless/savage bars, and an aggressive delivery that will remind you that his South Central roots are the real deal.

21 Savage is featured on “Floating,” and on his contributions, he reminds individuals why his name has ‘Savage’ in it by dropping this heinous/braggadocios/immoral ass verse that never lets up in coldness. Personally, I believe he fits in perfectly with what the rest of the song had to offer, even if ICE says he doesn’t.

It’s always a pleasure hearing UK artists unite with US artists on songs (Is that joke too soon?).

 

 

3. CHOPSTIX

I eat my Chinese with forks, but I can f**k with Chopsticks for a day.

Slept on fact: ScHoolboy Q’s gangsta tracks are fire, but his commercial ones might be even better! Don’t you love “Studio,” “Collard Greens” and “THat Part?” Well, I think “CHopstix” is in the same lane as those three, which means ScHoolboy has just gone 4/4.

“Chopstix” features a very melodic contribution by featured guest Travis Scott, and a pretty exuberant performance by ScHoolboy Q. When you combine their two styles together, along with the hard-hitting/gentle instrumental they rap/sing over, you get a catchy/pleasurable banger that reminds you how playa these rappers can be when they feel like being.

ScHoolboy Q is actually spitting hard on this joint!

 

 

2. CRASH

I think “CrasH” is the perfect blend between gritty and introspective. On the real, I can see it being a song that gets you in your feelings, while also being a song you would want to hear in the club.

“CrasH” features a soulful, yet heavy-hitting instrumental that provokes Q to bring out a version of himself that is motivated to succeed, provide for his family and overcome obstacles. Q also schools (no pun intended) n***as on how to move on the song, reminding us all what prioritizing the right things looks like. Notes taken!

Aren’t you proud to see how much growth some of these rappers have been able to show in their music?

 

 

1. LIES

I’m not sure I’ve ever heard ScHoolboy Q make a song as commercial-sounding as “Lies.”

“Lies” features this laidback instrumental that has a few club-hit vibes attached to it. Over this instrumental, featured guest Ty Dolla $ign drops this highly infectious hook that is raw as f**k, but at the same time, even kill. As for the other n***as on the track (ScHoolboy Q and YG), they are the complete opposite of Ty on this song, as on their respective verses, they come across as belligerent, braggadocios, gangsta and animated. When you combine the three individuals together, what you get is a musical version of one of those nice ass clubs that has debonair-looking guests on one side, and reckless guests that arrived there at 2AM with baggy clothes and a weed-smelling stench to them on the other side.

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SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN

1. GANG GANG (3.5/5)

2. TALES (3.5/5)

3. CHOPSTIX (4.5/5)

4. NUMB NUMB JUICE (4/5)

5. DRUNK (4/5)

6. LIES (4.5/5)

7. 5200 (3.5/5)

8. BLACK FOLK (4/5)

9. FLOATING (3/5)

10. DANGEROUS (4/5)

11. DIE WITH EM (4/5)

12. CRASH (4.5/5)

13. WATER (4/5)

14. ATTENTION (4.5/5)

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OVERALL RATING

(B)

 

ScHoolBoy Q gave us a little bit of everything on “CrasH Talk.” From start to finish, I heard club bangers, emotional cuts, and even experimental efforts. In some songs, Q came across as exuberant and cocky, peeling through his bars with a level of confidence that was glaring; in others, he sounded vulnerable, displaying humility, thankfulness and bewilderment. What I loved about his approach to all of the sounds on this album was that they came out sporadically throughout, which resulted in a body of work that was just as unpredictable as it was adrenergic.

On some real s**t, I feel like Q put up one of his best rap performances on “CrasH Talk.” I thought he rapped with a purpose on literally every song on this album, never wasting bars on his verses (A good chunk of rappers waste bars in their music these days). He also had a level of appeal to him that forced you to be locked in to his every word, which ultimately made you feel invested in his content — even when it was meaningless like on “CHopstix.” All in all, I love how Q continues to be himself when he hops on the mic, leaving the mumble rap and over-singing to his younger peers.

The guest features on this album were pretty random. Never in a million years would I have guessed a ScHoolboy Q album would have Lil Baby as opposed to Kendrick Lamar; 6LACK as opposed to BJ The Chicago Kid; 21 Savage as opposed to Ab Soul; Travis Scott as opposed to Anderson .Paak. Fortunately for us, everyone puts up great verses or hooks on their respective songs, which I believe translates to versatile music that fair-weather fans of the rapper will truly enjoy.

An aspect that is usually slept on about ScHoolboy Q’s albums is the production on it. In my humbling opinion, Q is usually laced with beats that are hard-hitting, soulful and multi-faceted on his projects, which typically prompts a myriad of sides of the rapper to come out. In “CrasH Talk,” you get the same s**t, as it features everything from club bangers to sappy sounding instrumentals. Because of this, “CrasH talk” will feel equivalent to driving on a highway that switches between high and low speed limits throughout. (I don’t mean that in a frustrating way)

I really like “CrasH Talk” a lot! I know, it’s not as deep as “Blankface” or “Oxymoron,” but I do believe it is a lot more exciting than those two albums. My big takeaway from the project is that these days ScHoolboy understands he’s a top artist that is capable of having our emotions on a string — so what does he do? Play with that s**t, jerking it around like we were in an unfaithful relationship with him. While I don’t appreciate my emotions being jerked around, I do enjoy the fact that Q has a way better grip of the power he has to inspire, motivate and excite.