In this new music landscape, it’s not unusual for rappers to release independent albums that are better than most mainstream releases. One of the artists to catch this wave has been Schoolboy Q.
Hailing from the left coast, he’s given fans two stellar releases: last year’s Setbacks and 2012’s prequel Habits & Contradictions. Along with Kendrick Lamar, he and his Black Hippy collective are giving a more serious offering than what other youthful rap groups like Odd Future are bringing from L.A.
It would be easy to throw Schoolboy Q in the stoner rap category given the many declarations of love toward Mary Jane in his songs and interviews, but that would be a bit hasty and dismissive. His catalog thus far is more complex.
He’s a chameleon. He can play aggressive, laid back, menacing or whatever he needs to fit in with the track. Whether it’s trading rhymes with frequent collaborator A$AP Rocky over a thundering bassline on songs like “Brand New Guy” or doing something a little more soulful and introspective with songs like “I’m Good,” he shows that he’s able to wear the many hats that being a well-rounded MC calls for.
Said versatility came from Jay-Z. “I got [my rhyme style] from Jay-Z though. If you really listen to Jay-Z, he has a new sound every time he raps. It’s never the same. He might use a little swag, but it’s always like a different flow. So that’s all I try to do,” he told Complex Magazine last month.
If his verses are any indication, Schoolboy Q seems to be pretty girl crazy. Not in a sucker for love, emo way, but women are definitely one of his favorite things to rap about. His love for the ladies translates well for his more female-friendly material. “My Hatin’ Joint” is an ode to dirty mackin', as Q finds himself rapping to other dude’s girl over a bouncy backing track. Fellow Cali native Jhene Aiko lends her voice to a couple of tracks on his last two mixtapes. The two make for a fiiting hip-hop and R&B pairing, especially on "Fantasy," where he goes more monotone to match her soft singing voice.
While older west coast hip-hop acts have capitalized on a sound that borrows heavily from '70s funk, Schoolboy Q and the rest of the new guys have a sound that’s reminiscent of what used to be called backpack rap filled with soulful simplistic, sounding backing tracks.There are also some interesting sample choices. Q and his Black Hippy collective join up to rap over a sample of The Zombies’ classic “Time Of The Season.” It’s pretty trippy, which goes right along with the group’s name.
The group recently signed a deal with Interscope, so it will be really interesting to see how Schoolboy Q flourishes in the parameters of the mainstream. With two solid projects under his belt, he shouldn’t have any probiems getting the rest of the rap world on his team.
