Rick Ross - Mastermind ethered AGAIN by another review, this time by Needle Drop

[WEKetchum]

Schoolboy Q & TDE in general are popular among hipsters though. You go to a Kendrick or SBQ concert there's going to be a lot of hipster (& white) people. SBQ & Ross don't appeal to the same demographic. SBQ is a more street Asap Rocky or Kendrick but he's not in that lane where he could do songs with Young Scooter & Guwop.

I'm not basing my opinion on one review. I've peeped his stuff for 2 years at least. I'm at the stage where I can predict what he won't like based on name alone. It's not that he doesn't like Mastermind. Its' not that he doesn't like Rick Ross (he doesn't fwiw). He doesn't like music that aims to appeal to the streets and black women.

Same thing with those Dead End Hip Hop guys. They shouldn't bother reviewing commercial hip hop or street based hip-hop. They won't like it.

At this stage, very few people can talk knowledgeably on all hip-hop. It's too diverse. And if you can talk knowledgeably on all hip-hop, even fewer will be able to do the same for indie music & dance music etc.

I've been to predominantly indie festivals. I've been to Coachella/hipster festivals. I've been to big and small hip hop shows. I' ve been to hip hop club shows. Jazz shows. If there's a person to can knowledgeably talk on all of the above. it's not Needle Drop.

You still didn't change my mind (even though you had a good point RE: the different street rap lanes, but for how well you stated your points. I can respect your point of view

 

[SunZoo]

You can't just view art in a vacuum..Thats where these city slicker cac reviewers lose me most of the time...Even if you do digest it in high volume ....Empathy, enviornment and life experiences help mold your level of expertise...It's the same reason why me as a Southerner that grew up in the late 90's is less likely to take the opinions of a Black New Yorker that came up on 80's Golden Era rap seriously on Southern hood shyt...

I mean I can watch Goodfellas and think its the greatest film ever.. But a real Italian Mob guy that lived the life in Bensonhurst in the 70's might be able to point holes in it and point out all of the flaws...The authenticity and little nuance that I might not recognize might be glairing strengths or weaknesses to one of them..

Unless you were in a Jook Joint in Southern Tennessee back in '96 soaking up the enviornment and spending quality time with the people you might not be able to truely recognize the greatness of Kingpin Skinny Pimp... Your ear isn't as trained as you think it is.. Because you don't really know exactly what you're listening to, so its easy for you to just dismiss it..

This guy obviously isn't Ross' target audience...He's obviously not a fan (even of his hood approved classic work) So he's gonna attack him from a much more academic perspective and be more cold and detached than someone Ross is TRYING to reach....

I would much rather hear J. Prince's or Big Meech's opinion on a Ross album (or even my cousin that just came home from a 4 year bid).. Even though they wouldn't be able to articulate it with all the limousine liberal comic book geek hipster snark as an Anthony Fantano...At least I would know that THOSE are the type of people that Ross is trying to impress.. If he failed them, THEN I'd be interested in hearing why..But not from this cat....

Thing is you can take whoever's opinion however serious you want. I don't have a problem with people hitting Fantano with the based on the fact that anybody who actually is a pro/semi-pro "critic" is probably a pretentious piece of shyt. But this whole mobbsters/goodfellas analogy kinda falls flat when you consider that these "mob guys" who catch all the nuances actual mob life may not know shyt about actual film. Frankie Fast hands can catch/miss all the nuances he want's, him being close to the subject matter doesn't hold more weight than someone who actually studies/makes film when it comes to what makes a good movie. Well regardless of how familiar he is with the very specific lifestyle of a delusional rapper who thinks he's a king pin, Fantano knows his rap music, including the kinds he does/doesn't like.

It's like do you gotta be from the Bay to have an opinion on mac dre? If the nikka comes off wack to you, are you disqualified or somehow to be taken less seriously than a nikka from there? How you answer that depends on how much of a dikkhead you are I suppose

Crazy shyt is if we abide by this criteria then 90% of the nikkas for this album should be cast aside as they are about as far removed from the shyt Ross raps about as Fantano is.

my opinion on mafia movies is somewhat worthless compared to the people who actually grew up in that shyt.

Mafia guys opinion of movies is somewhat worthless to people who actually know shyt about film.

 

[OG Talk]

Assuming the mob guy knows nothing about film, then his review would be limited strictly to issues of authenticity in how the mob world is presented in the film. He would serve the same function for a shytty mob movie as he would a classic one. He might think a shytty movie (for reasons of plot, acting and direction) is better than Godfather bc there were a few nuances in godfather that didn't ring true. That's why this whole idea that you must be a street dude to critique street music falls apart.

My point is people like and dislike art for different reasons...

I'm not saying that you have to be a street dude to critique street music.. I'm not saying you have to be a NBA player to give commentary on basketball..I'm saying that certain people have resumes and perspectives that give them more credibility..

Now I'm asking this because I don't know.. What gives Fantano the credibility that his opinion should be valued? He's a fan of music? Sh1t me too..

 

[OG Talk]

Crazy shyt is if we abide by this criteria then 90% of the nikkas for this album should be cast aside as they are about as far removed from the shyt Ross raps about as Fantano is.

It's not just about living the life of a drug dealer... It's about living the life of a fan of a particular kind of music and lifestyle..

We see it all the time on these boards.. Dudes that haven't been to a club since the Clinton era will say sh1t like "Migos and Future are trash" and just 'drop the mic'....There is two ways to view that statement...

1-He's right, because he knows hip hop and has crediblity because he's been listening since PE and Slick Rick were poppin...

2-This music isn't for him and he's out of touch with the core audience of who the music is MEANT to connect with...

#2 is the point that most people are making about Fantano...And of course they are doing it with harsh slurs and reckless race based talk becauses its the coli.. But they are 100% right...

It's like me sitting my daughter and her friends down and lecturing them about how Katy Perry and Miley Cirus ain't sh1t...And they are gonna be looking at me like "This music ain't for you anyway you old n1gga" and they would be right...

 

[SunZoo]

I don't think he understands street hip hop though. A lot of hip hop fans don't really understand street music.

Some people can appreciate the visceral, raw aspect such as the dudes who review the stuff at Pitchfork. But it's a niche genre - it's not for everybody to enjoy. Because you like Kendrick, Kanye (Fantano doesn't like anything from him in the last 8 years) & Danny Brown doesn't mean you know what you're talking about when it comes to trap, drill or street based music.

1. Are you supposed to only review things that you know you'll like?

2. I'm not from Chicago, nor am I all that hip to their particular brand of nikkadom, drill music sounds like shyt to me though.

 

[DF is BUSY]

Fantano looks like a lesbian.

opinion not needed already.

 

[OG Talk]

1. Are you supposed to only review things that you know you'll like?

If you don't like something, why would you spend the time and effort to really try to understand it?

This has been the issue with white guys from outside of the street culture revviewing urban art for years...

Go back and read some of the mainstream media reviews on movies like Friday before it was released in theaters...The sh1t has a 56 metacritic score...And I'm certain that most of those critics really "know" film like Fantano "knows" music...The issue is, they don't know Black folk.. So why should I care?

 

[mobbinfms]

I don't think he understands street hip hop though. A lot of hip hop fans don't really understand street music.

Some people can appreciate the visceral, raw aspect such as the dudes who review the stuff at Pitchfork. But it's a niche genre - it's not for everybody to enjoy. Because you like Kendrick, Kanye (Fantano doesn't like anything from him in the last 8 years) & Danny Brown doesn't mean you know what you're talking about when it comes to trap, drill or street based music.

What doesn't he understand?

 

[SummerNights]

listening to fantano when it comes to music, come the fukk on man

real gangsta

 

[mobbinfms]

What product has Fantano produced that involved complex rhymes or creative production? I'm not aware if his resume...

Are we assuming that all street dudes are producing complex rhymes and creative production?
My point was that there are certain things about hip-hop that do not require a full and complete understanding of the streets.
I have no idea about Fantano's qualifications or his background, if any, as a musician in any genre. From the few reviews that I've seen, it seems that he takes a critical, thoughtful approach to what he's reviewing and studies up on the artist that he's reviewing (if he hasn't already been following them). Check out his review of hte last Ghostface album (which he liked) where he goes into detail about Ghost's previous work. Again - from very limited views of his reviews - he doesn't seem like the most knowledgeable person on hip-hop, but he seems to know enough to justify doing the reviews. Check out the list he provided in his "I hate hip-hop?" video of classic hip hop albums he loves. A lot of good stuff on there.

 

[FlyRy]

is their a brutha equivalent to these video review blogs? You can see this dude on the take

only black video reviewers i know review sneakers

 

[Ronnie Lott]

Thing is you can take whoever's opinion however serious you want. I don't have a problem with people hitting Fantano with the based on the fact that anybody who actually is a pro/semi-pro "critic" is probably a pretentious piece of shyt. But this whole mobbsters/goodfellas analogy kinda falls flat when you consider that these "mob guys" who catch all the nuances actual mob life may not know shyt about actual film. Frankie Fast hands can catch/miss all the nuances he want's, him being close to the subject matter doesn't hold more weight than someone who actually studies/makes film when it comes to what makes a good movie. Well regardless of how familiar he is with the very specific lifestyle of a delusional rapper who thinks he's a king pin, Fantano knows his rap music, including the kinds he does/doesn't like.

It's like do you gotta be from the Bay to have an opinion on mac dre? If the nikka comes off wack to you, are you disqualified or somehow to be taken less seriously than a nikka from there? How you answer that depends on how much of a dikkhead you are I suppose

Crazy shyt is if we abide by this criteria then 90% of the nikkas for this album should be cast aside as they are about as far removed from the shyt Ross raps about as Fantano is.



Mafia guys opinion of movies is somewhat worthless to people who actually know shyt about film.

people who make mafia films, know more
about the mafia, then actual mobsters?

 

[Ricky Church]

fakkit ass Cac boi.

Mastermind was trash tho

 

[Digga38]

fakkit ass Cac boi.

Mastermind was trash tho

nikka please

 

[RTF]

1. Are you supposed to only review things that you know you'll like?

2. I'm not from Chicago, nor am I all that hip to their particular brand of nikkadom, drill music sounds like shyt to me though.

1. You are rarely certain you'll like a particular album. You are more likely to know what you won't like based on the type of music/artist it is. Back to point: Fantano makes reviews for hipsters in his own vein. Those people don't like Ross music in general.

2. Exactly. So you're not an authority on that type of music. Your opinion on a Lil Durk mixtape means very little. It's not made for you & you don't understand. The only value your opinion holds on a Lil Durk mixtape is for people that have similar tastes in music to you. Fantano doesn't have similar opinions to the average Coli poster, or someone that potentially could like the Ross record.

My beef isn't with this one review. I don't even like the Ross album. It's with Fantano and music generalist experts. It's difficult to be.