Cosmo Black – From The Sol
Cosmo Black – From The Sol
Hip-Hop is such a multi faceted art. There are so many different types of artists, production, even visual approaches to this craft. Cosmo Black strikes me as what I usually to refer to as a “Fashion Rapper,” with his odd yet confident style, self accepting sense of humor, vocabulary, and flexible flow. I’d say there’s a few hints of Kanye, Camp Lo, and Andre 3000 here, but for the most part Cosmo Black sticks to his own lane. I enjoyed most his honesty on “Gucci Slippers” where he at first comes off like any other rapper name dropping various brands, then flips the script to talk about being and dressing like himself. With only 7 tracks on this project he covers a lot of ground, though this isn’t for everyone (I for one wasn’t a fan of the singing and some of the production), but what is undeniable is that Cosmo Black is creative and puts his heart into giving you a good sense of who he is, like it or not.
O-Z The Great – Blacklight Album
When I put this one on I was confused. It started with what sounded like a 90’s uptempo RnB record, with one verse from OZ, leaving me to feel like this was nothing more than a feature. That’s not to say that these are bad songs, I just don’t get down with the singing. This approach does happen a few times on here though leaving you to wonder if this is more of a compilation than an album. Some records are clearly the Up north New York fare, others very west coast. I’m talking G Funk, as well as that gangster rap vibe, which is usually what Mack B’z brings very well to the table. In my opinion, the albums highlight “Same Difference” featuring Zhe Queen is the perfect balance of rhymes and a RnB hook, they really hit the nail on the head with that one and I almost ran it back. I really liked the different flavors this project had to offer but I wish it were arranged a bit better, and more of a central focus on OZ as he often ends up seeming like just another artist on here and after listening to the whole album I felt like I still didn’t know much about who he really is, leaving me to feel that we only got a glimpse of his talent.
