Melt Session #1 is an all time classic. Absolutely blew me away. Most Hip hop artists aren’t real enough to spit shit like that. This is pinnacle emcee shit.
Bob just so you know, The North Face is the name of a popular clothes brand specifically known for their cold weather jackets, so I'd imagine he meant that, but it is cool how your perspective allows you to see it differently based on your experiences.
Yeah, the company name comes from what I was describing. Why I didn't think about a jacket is beyond me 🙄 My brain makes no sense sometimes. I think I just get too excited when it comes to trying to solve lyrical puzzles (even if they don't exist). I was happy to somehow link that strange story about North Face to Money Trees though :)
1:02:32 "Jah" Is the nickname of his friend who passed. His real name was Jahseh Onfroy. He was actually a very popular artist as well and went by the stage name Xxxtentacion. A lot of his music was similar to Denzel's older music (very abrasive and in your face).
I can't speak for the modern hip-hop part, but I do agree that it's very refreshing. I love hearing this amount of honesty and openness from an artist.
LMAO I love that you were able to enjoy an in-scene reference to Kendrick completely on your own without help. I love those click moments in music when you feel like part of the culture in a small way.
Best line on album - "Of all the things my mental suffers greatly, They draw guns so how could lead erase me" Good play on lead in the gun and also in the pencil
I just saw Denzel live last night in Portland and i have to say out of the near probably 50-60 concerts I’ve been to, hearing this album live was a top 10 musical experiences ever for me. If you ever have the chance defiantly see one of his shows, he’s an amazing performer!
i went to see him in denver, his first stop for the tour, that was my first time going to a concert and it was so good, i was nervous at first but his openers are all amazing performers, even tho the only one i knew about beforehand was zay, and denzel himself did amazing, he seriously got everyone’s attention after everyone was going crazy over the openers
Would love for you to do the full album rollouts. Not for every artist , but when a big one or one you particularly like is dropping an album it would be cool to see you experience it all. Side note…PLEASE react to Vince staples. He released an album today and it’s currently my AOTY. Also he is probably the only rapper in Denzel’s generation that has a catalogue of albums that rivals his when it comes to quality and innovation.
I haven't listened to the new LP but his self titled was maybe my favourite album from last year and its sick. That would be a great album to react to.
For upcoming albums - The Forever Story by J.I.D, to me he’s got some of the best flows and beats of anyone out rn to He has a few singles out for it, I’d highly recommend Crack Sandwich/Raydar and Surround Sound
I need to listen to some JID, for sure. I doubt I'll get to the new album though. This transition to new releases is going to be extremely slow (like 12-18 months) as I want to keep exploring hip-hop albums. As I become familiar with more artists, I'll start doing new releases from those I've heard.
Such a great album, so glad you've gotten into Denzel. As for the others you mentioned in the video, I definitely agree you gotta get to some Run the Jewels soon, as well as more Jpegmafia (his newest album is his best imo), but I also think you REALLY gotta get into some JID (who was featured on this album as well as TA13OO), easily one of the best of the new generation of rappers, and both of his albums (The Never Story and DiCaprio 2) are so so great.
The best reaction video I’ve ever seen and I’ve watched a lot of them. I really like your thoughts and ideas about the album. I also really liked the way u filed and presented this bud with the lyrics and going through each song and discussing them as opposed to these other reaction channels that just Bob their head and go on to the next song. I also really liked the long style of video because it allows you to fully develop ideas and thoughts about the album. To me this album is a 10 because I can relate to every lyric and it sounds amazing, no complaints. Again great vid and you just got another subscriber
Congrats on 50k man! Melt My Eyez is beautiful. The more I’ve listened over the past couple weeks, the heavier the topics on this album felt. John Wayne has quickly became one of my fav Denzel Curry tracks. I really started thinking about it and now the track literally brings me to tears. The lyrics are so real and his delivery seems mad but he’s not yelling and the beat felt eerie and spacious but there was a lot going on at the same time. So goood Also, the new Vince Staples album came out if you’re still in the mood for new stuff
If you want some context/to learn more about how the album came together and Denzels thoughts on some of the songs, he did a really good interview with Anthony Fantano that is now up on youtube somewhere in the past couple weeks
Definitely a reaction to an entire rollout would be great. Especially for a heavyweight like Kendrick or Frank who are both slated to drop within the year.
YEAH DUDE! Denzel has been one of the most consistent artists out there and currently stands as one of my favorites. He hasn’t released a project I didn’t like and it’s hard to pick a favorite.
The rollouts sound like a fun idea, although i would definitely pick and choose which artists actually have a rollout worth caring for. In regards to listening to a single again during the full album, I certainly would as the context of a full album can really shift your perception of a single in the long run and i find that pretty interesting
Damn this comment made me check his tour dates. He is supposedly gonna perform in Moscow and Kyiv? Not sure if that is gonna work. Also fuck yeah he is doing my country too in his tour
Even if you ended up doing reactions to singles during the rollout, I’d imagine that hearing the songs in the context of the album could dramatically change how you perceive them. This is especially true for someone like Kendrick. i was a single that sounded very different on the album for example. Also you’re unconsciously familiar with Robert Glasper, he’s a piano player and he played a lot of the crazy piano stuff you heard on To Pimp A Butterfly .
What I would do is react to the music videos, no lyrics, and only listen to the single once. Then, when the album drops, the song is still new-ish to me and then I have the lyrics in front of me and can keep the album reaction mostly intact.
Bob you 1000% need to do run the jewels (specifically run the jewels 2 or 4) The lyrical content is right up your alley and in run the jewels 2 it has that nice aggression you like so much
@@bobthepoppop is there any chance you will do some Mac in May? 😅 if you don't wanna spoil the May setlist that's fine with me tho but I'm really curious as a Mac fan 🤣 may I also suggest you start with an earlier album like WMWTSO?
lol, please do! I'd do it myself, but I always find it to be so cringe when someone spams a page looking for attention. I do think Denzel would enjoy seeing this reaction though.
In case no one else has left a comment about it yet: the phrase you were looking for when a line extends into the next measure is “crossing the bar line.” Great video, as always
as for the outro on mental, he’s talking about taking the sounds of death and war and making it into music. that’s what he means when he says he samples and loops it. he’s dancing to the sound of death great reaction man!
when you re-listen to this you're definitely gonna catch the few of great seemless transitions, such a pleasure listening to this album without pausing, cohesive masterpiece by denzel
Before even starting, I want to say I love the idea of waiting for a bit after an album comes out. Lets you come into the discussion of it where people have already gone past first impressions and then we can all have more in-depth convos overall. Also the outros on all the songs are so damn good. Its insane.
I've never done DMT, but I've read a lot about it. Something I'm interested in once my professional life gets to a place where it's allowed. Someday, someday. I also have a friend who told me about his experience with it, and holy shit... what a ride.
The new Billy Woods album is fantastic. Very dense but absolutely brilliant. Although I feel Hiding Places or maybe Armand Hammer would be a better intro to him. Regardless would love to see you react to something like that!
One of the best albums of all time and noone can say that’s an exaggeration. Yeah, Bob if you’re reading it you need to hear it. Just since 2019, Billy Woods has had 5 masterpieces that are all arguably the best album of the last 5 years Armand Hammer - Haram Billy Woods - Hiding Places Billy Woods & Moor Mother - Brass Armand Hammer - Shrines Billy Woods - Aethiopes But really this new album Aethiopes is something else
I'm glad to see Billy Woods getting more mentions as it helps me understand more of what his music is about. Him and Armand Hammer are both moving up the list 👍
I know you already have a million suggestions but I really recommend giving “Under Pressure” (the album) by Logic a listen, I think you’d love it. It’s extremely powerful and lyrical with straight bars and is my personal favorite album by him. Thanks!
couldn’t wait for this one lol I also can’t wait til you react to 17 by XXXTentacion which Denzel was close with and references plenty times in his music. Denzel is one of the most consistent artists, he always delivers good music
Agreed. I remember Kendrick posted it on Twitter saying “listen to this album if you feel anything. raw thoughts.” yet a lot of music critics hate on it hehe
@@jakmak94 okay well first of all it’s “could have” and second of all, it’s like you’re talking about someone playing in the game while you’re sitting on the bleachers lol you can’t say that it’s not the best he could have done just because you didn’t like it, just say you didn’t like the album 💀
Now that Rico Nasty is on your radar id recommend whenever you've got a free album spot to react to her collab album with kenny they've got great chemistry and made great music together. :)
Hell yeah, I started watching your content with the Illmatic review and I'm a big fan of the way you approach these videos. Big fan of this album, I really enjoy the perspective you share
Hey Bob! Love that you found the time to get to this amazing album, already a really high contender for me personally. Hope you caught that Kendrick reference in the Ills, when Denzel says “‘Cause the last guy was nice, but he end up dying of thirst,” perhaps saying he’s surpassing that era and moving into his own echelon. Fantastic breakdown as always!
we need him to listen to "17" & "?" by XXXTENTACION or X, pronounced "X X X Ten Tah See On" real sad vibes for 17 and ? is so diverse, you'd be surprised! RIP X
This was my first time actually sitting down and reading the lyrics along with you, before I had some doubts about a few songs, they were just not hitting it for me but after reading the lyrics oh man. X-Wing made me tear up from that first verse. Great video as always Bob, I love how passionate you are about music.
Yeah... how I missed that as a way to say jacket while also describing how the company came to create its name is beyond me. Strange brain waves, sometimes
@@bobthepoppop lol!! Still a classic vid. I will say, i had no idea prior to your video that THATS why they are called north face. So, each one teach one, right? HOOTIE HOOOOOO!!
I think it would be cool if you did a rollout for artists you already know but it's your choice, most of us are already doing it anyway so it couldn't hurt to join in with the hype. It's up to you though and if you don't have time or don't want to I'm happy either way
It’s cool to see you evolve and learn how to listen to hip hop as you start catching on to the lyrics and themes of the songs faster.. you’re a true fan now! P.S. The Eminem Show will blow your mind, he’s one of if not the best to ever do it
Absolutely love this album and reaction! I love Worst Comes to Worst. He is describing everything he was feeling and what his thoughts were during the pandemic (They smacked us in the face with that bullshit)
What I noticed and think is so clever is that on Mental Saul Williams says "Repetitive gunfire got bass in it, but the cries drowned it out" and "Sorrow streamlined into story dancing alone in front of speakers my whole life", he is painting the picture of dancing while listening to music on a destroyed speaker while all these massacres are happening, and on the next track, Troubles, the hook is distorted and sounds like it's playing from a destroyed speaker. Troubles didn't fit on the album for me before I realized this, it's like that song is a break from all the horrible shit going on in the world.
Outstanding review!! You're an extremely underrated reactor, i hope you get the recognition you deserve because you analyze projects so well and articulated wow. I loved this album. In melt session 1 i want to point out that the producer that worked with Kendrick on some of TPAB was also the producer for that song. Being a huge kendrick fan i picked up on that right away. How similar it sounds in terms of its aesthetic. Definitely giving kendrick his flowers in this album. But anyways, this has gotta be album of the year i feel. If Kendrick doesnt drop... 😂
This album is so fucking great, the versatility that Denzel displays is amazing. Doing everything from mumble rap to poetry with ease and confidence. Really enjoyed your reaction and analysis !
maybe your strongest review yet. i loved every second of the album and your commentary was fire! love the class consciousness talking points, and love even more how you highlighted denzel's personal growth and openness throughout. A+
I just saw him live on Tuesday! It was an amazing show, he's the sweetest guy and really knows how to work the crowd. This album is definitely more mellow than his previous stuff, but the content is a lot deeper and the emotions are much higher in my opinion. Really shows how much he has matured as an artist
U need to do faces by mac miller, it's my fav mixtape of all time. It's on streaming services but it's missing a lot of samples so i'd recommend listening to the mixtape version and once u finish it, go listen to the bonus track added at the end of the streaming services version titled "Yeah", it's just so good
He said he wants to do Swimming but he should really start with an earlier project since one of the best things about Swimming is how much he evolved in his sound and how mature he got in a short time
Your energy and passion for exploring new music is amazing,love everything you do. Trust me,you need to listen to RTJ and do all their albums,you can dissect lyrics and production for days on all their albums.
I think you should listen to singles right when they come out and then listen again on the actual album reaction, it’s always fun to see how your opinions change over time and can be a great predictor of how the album will age
Great reaction as always. This is one of if not my favorite Denzel Curry album right now. You should also check out JID, he’s got bars and an album coming out in the near future.
React to Billy Woods and Preservation Aethiopes, Billy Woods propably the greatest Alive alongside Elucid and very few others speaking that conscious abstract rap/ hip hop experimental , new album Just dropped. Don't miss them aka Armand Hammer
Mindblowing. Definitely the greatest alive, there’s hardly even an argument for otherwise, but his greatness isn’t even the point, the music is just so important. Him and Moor Mother are my favorite artists. Bob, you’ll wanna react asap
"I'ma give them what they gave us on the first grade" The first thing that came to my mind was murder as in first degree murder. (I might be completely off with this though, as english is not my native language.)
I really loved this album front to back too, and now watching your reactions and commentary, I’ve confirmed that I think this is album of year. This is the best writing I’ve heard from him and he brings something different in each track to the overarching theme of “melting your eyes”.
Rico Nasty had the best verse on the album, and my favorite songs are The Ills, Angelz and Melt Session. Saul Williams is also a really really great artist, any fan of rage against the machine or any revolutionary leaning lyrics (Saul Williams is even more), would love his album MartyrLoserKing. 30 minutes left in the video but. Billy Woods of Armand Hammer released a truly incredible album last night called Aethiopes, and it features El-P of Run The Jewels too. The production is outstanding and his lyrics are way more amazing than anything you’ve heard yet (even Andre, DOOM, Kendrick), and the sound is something you haven’t heard. Theres so much to look into in his lyrics, and a lot of people who know Armand Hammer agree that hes the best rapper of all time. I strongly, strongly suggest either going straight to the album or playing Armand Hammer - Haram then onto this (though Billy Woods & Moor Mother - BRASS is a mustlisten too, and he has more incredible albums). I’ll give a couple random previews of his lyrics just for an idea: From Haram: “The pavement gave way to a thicket of thorns where the body lay naked as the day I was born” From the new album Aethiopes: “Asleep at the wheel Gently over the guardrail, flipped heads or tails One died, she survived Asked her why, I replied, ‘God's not real’” From Haram: “MPC Brooklyn, the rats is gorgin Kill one, only bring more and more like dead explorers I put a hole in Indiana Jones’ fedora” (for Dora) These still give you no idea at all of how great he is lyrically. Him and Moor Mother are my two favorite artists and i really really hope you react to Armand Hammer /billy woods soon. Even sonically its mindblowing. There’s a lot of abstract and free jazz in it but even then, the sound can’t be described
Glad this showed up when it did, I gave it a couple of spins in the week following its release but it didn’t really click and accumulate full spins until week 2
