Your Old Droog - Your Old Droog LP - Album Stream Just came across this shit. Looks like its his EP along some new tracks and some other previously released shit that wasnt on the EP. I guess its official since its up on iTunes as a pre-order with a release date of a week from today. If this is the first time youre hearing of somebody called Your Old Droog, dont even trip. Some people know the name; those people spent the spring and summer speculating if an unknown entity who posted a better-than-it-should-be debut EP on Soundcloud was in fact Nas, our (hip-hops) Jeff Buckley, minus the tragedy. Those same people and a few more were vaguely titillated in late August when Droog officially revealed his face to, first, the New Yorker, and then performed in front of an audience in New York. Hes white, 25 and from Coney Island. Of course there was industry that knew that already; a few had encouraged speculation over his identity. Next week hes releasing YOUR OLD DROOG LP — the 10 songs from Aprils YOUR OLD DROOG EP, in order, two tracks he dropped later, including his ode to NBC correspondent Tamron Hall, and six new tracks, two of which are retakes of previously released songs. Its all you need to know. The songs are short and sharp, and all the hoopla around Your Old Droog has turned out to be decidedly beside the point. Its like MF DOOM wearing a mask in public. We understand it to be protective in some way. If its helped him or us get to some of the best rhyming ever, then great. And Droog reminded me of DOOM even before I remembered the mask: hes so virtuosic its funny, so insouciant Im embarrassed to use that word, indifferent to what he calls social events. Really, really smart. The music he chooses to pair with his words is melodic like we forget it can be; it feels good like Bobbito asking what youre supposed to say at the end of records. He makes me forget where I am, which is awkward when Im laughing on the train by myself or getting honked at for missing the light change. If Im honest, thats the gold standard. He reminds my roommate of Scarface. He reminds the security guard at my job of Game. Thats high praise from them, and what theyre saying is Droog has presence. He chooses production that has plenty going on all by itself, and wrestles it to a draw. The way this album is constructed lets you watch a talent mature. Impure to the limit; immature, demure. Im not so sure, looking swell as Notor[ious B.I.G.]. But what the hell is couture? he wondered on Loosey in the Store with Pennies. On the new version, called a remix, he cares less what you think, which always bodes well: You wont see me asking are you still down. Some cats just dont feel the sound. Its not my fault you dont have a spine to send chills down. The music is several degrees more laid back. Get shivers when they bring the piano in, he says, on Bad to the Bone (Remix), and thats the difference between the sound of the old and new here. Janglier, further off trend. On the new songs, Droog is not circumspect. The 70s teases young kids trying to sound like 1995. The chorus is words of advice for them: Practice. Practice. Burn your Ls, learn your skills. Forget technique and later watch it all come back. Dont forget to use a metronome or a drum track. 48th St is about a stretch of Manhattan where you used to go if you were in the market for an instrument. Why? Because this rapper plays guitar, too. Droog talks to the people who know whats transpired over the past few months. The lab sessions should not sound like Taxicab Confessions, he said on Nutty Bars, back when he wasnt trying to trade off his life story. Now, on Loosey in the Store with Pennies (Remix), when he catches himself reminiscing (or as he calls it, reflecting off progression), he calls himself out. Hold up, dog, I thought you wasnt gonna do the Cab Confessions. But we dont actually need the self-awareness. The bio isnt the good part. Im a slang slinger, he says on Droogs Anthem. Hes much more, and exactly that, and, yeah, to quote him again, lets drop the re-release and see how much bigger it could get. Album stream...
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 09:09:18 +0000