Fake For Real - Tag - EMPIREThe English written companion of Fake For Real: since 1997, reviews and articles about rap music2024-03-11T20:40:46+01:00Sylvain Bertoturn:md5:a035ff44a020bb716e18191580d6e9ecDotclearDEVIN THE DUDE - Soulful Distanceurn:md5:61eccfb46c539f75a08c1e8f1d1f77dd2021-03-18T23:21:00+01:002023-01-13T18:03:04+01:00codotusylvAlbums2021Coughee Brothaz EnterpriseDevin the DudeEMPIREHouston <p>What can Devin Copeland do, while locked-down during the COVID era? Well, smoke marijuana, of course. Relax and chill with his close ones, obviously. And record music. So pretty much the same as usual, more or less. Indeed, nothing new really transpires from these special times on his latest album. Except maybe in the first rhymes, where he says he can't wait for the pandemic to end, and with its title, through which the Houston rapper preconizes to practice some "soulful distance". This concept, actually, could easily summarize his entire production: on the fringe of rap music, but appealing, endearing, and quite touching. In one word: soulful.</p>
<p><img src="https://english.fakeforreal.net/public/Pochettes/2021/devin-the-dude-soulful-distance.jpg" alt="DEVIN THE DUDE - Soulful Distance" style="display:table; margin:0 auto;" title="DEVIN THE DUDE - Soulful Distance" /></p>
<p>Stuck at home, Devin is morose. He complains about the state of hip-hop on "To Each His Own". Keen on having a quiet family life, he is irritated by a jealous partner on "P.L.A.N.S.A". And on "Live and Let Live", he lectures young players, jointly with other Houston veterans, Slim Thug and Scarface. He reviews his life on "Discouraged", and he compares it to a long, tough, and thankless race. As a matter of fact, Devin the Dude is now in his fifties, so he raps like an old man. But he is of the cool weed-smoking kind, and this makes a difference. At times he has the blues. But nonetheless, he persists with his way of life. He spends time doing nothing, according to "Nothin’ Really Just Chillin’". Or having sex. Any kind of sex. Trivial sex on "My Left Nut Itch" and "Just Ridin’ By", romantic sex on "You Got No Time to Play" and the excellent "A Good Woman", or adultery sex on the suave "He Don’t Have to Know". And of course, he keeps on inhaling his substance of choice, with old pals like the Coughee Brothaz, on "We Smokin’".</p>
<p>Conceived with the help of Blyne Rob, like the previous one, this eleventh album delivers what we always liked with Devin the Dude: some warm music full of supple rhythms, generous organs, and languorous guitars. This is an ageless formula, that goes from boom bap to modern sounds, and it is always supported by a melodic and sweet voice. There's plenty of humor, as well. There's the prank call at the beginning of "My Left Nut Itch", when the rapper contacts his health insurance about an itching testicle. Or the storytelling on "BREAK-fast", when he says how perilous it is to go shopping in the ghetto. As always, this is entertaining, pleasant, and quite funny. It is, at the end of the day, some rap music for the sweethearts.</p>
<p>On <em>Soulful Distance</em>, the song, Devin says that he can't wait for the pandemic to end, and that he wants to hit the road again. He is not the only one, everyone is longing for this in 2021. But at least, with this new release, the Texan rapper delivers a solid remedy against boredom.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://amzn.to/3H2GPzG" hreflang="en">Buy this album</a></strong><br /></p>
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https://english.fakeforreal.net/index.php/post/2021/DEVIN-THE-DUDE-Soulful-Distance#comment-formhttps://english.fakeforreal.net/index.php/feed/atom/comments/3240AZJAH - Princess Diariesurn:md5:969871f000965d41bbee37a2ec1474c12019-08-10T16:32:00+02:002023-01-13T18:04:03+01:00codotusylvAlbums2019AziahEMPIRELos AngelesRocc Solid Ent <p>The contemporary rap scene in Los Angeles is not specifically known for its feminine faces. Recently, though, someone occupied this niche: a rapper called Azjah pretended that she was the "Princess of Compton". In reality, this young lady had secretly written raps and practiced freestyles for a while, as an amateur. But in 2017, though, things accelerated. After her brother Cholo was sentenced to prison for murder attempt, she dedicated a single to him, "The Warm Up", and it was a viral success. It was followed soon after by another one, the even more successful "Time For It". Thanks to these, Azjah gained some respect from DJ Mustard, YG, and Ty Dolla $ign, she got a distribution deal with EMPIRE, and she was praised by some media.</p>
<p><img src="https://english.fakeforreal.net/public/Pochettes/2019/azjah-princess-diaries.jpg" alt="AZJAH - Princess Diaries" style="display:table; margin:0 auto;" title="AZJAH - Princess Diaries" /></p>
<p>Released in April, <em>Princess Diaries</em> is her first album. Per the cover art, where the rapper shows up with a bulletproof vest and a dog on a leash, it delivers some street-oriented kind of rap. More a tomboy than a doll, Azjah is not particularly emphasizing her female identity. Her lyrics are mostly about the pain and responsibilities of her thug life, and they are gender-neutral. However, except for relentless tracks like the bouncing "Ride for Me", "On a Mission", a duo with another rising star from L.A., 1TakeJay, and the quite good "Play Bout Me", her style of music is leaning toward the sad and melancholic sort of gangsta rap typical of our times. It is some modernized blues, amplified by atmospheric sounds and Auto-Tuned words. Such is, actually, the rapper's formula on "Time for It", "Testimony", and "Back n Fourth", a love song.</p>
<p>The most definitive track in that vein is "Loved Ones". This is the expected tribute to her lost ones, some murdered in the street, others dead for different reasons. There, she sings in a melodic way, with the help of a guitar, and she closes it with a thrilling cry of pain: "tell me who you call when all you got is the streets". This track was originally destined to be her main single, and she had planned to turn it into a banger. But the death of Nipsey Hussle changed it all. It put the entire L.A. scene into a dark mood, and the co-called Princess of Compton with it. Musically speaking, though, it worked well: when Azjah is sad, she is at her very best.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QFD6XFZ/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07QFD6XFZ&linkCode=as2&tag=fafore05-20" hreflang="en">Buy this album</a></strong></p>
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