Thankfully, the project arrives as ScHoolboy Q is in good spirits again, confirmed by the celeboratory Instagram caption he posted the moment of the album’s long-awaited release: “THis tHe Happiest I eva been wit a album dropping... tHank y’all soo mucH #CRASHTALK OUT NOW... positive vibes today... literally smiling ear 2 ear... until tHe next cHapter.” Although Kendrick Lamar doesn’t have a feature on the new album, his name still appears throughout the project in the form of writing credits. In a recent interview with The Breakfast Club, Q explained his TDE labelmate will always have a heavy hand in all his work. “He have credits on all my shit because I’ll do the lyrics and I do everything, and he’ll hear something [like], "Drop the beat out hard. Cut this verse off. You did this verse too long,‘” Q said. “I used to be his hype man, so I think he just feel like he’s obligated to always help me or some shit. He pretty much do all my ad libs and song placements and stuff like that.” Listen to CrasH Talk below.<doc-sep>Groovy Q is back. Nearly three years since Blank Face LP, ScHoolboy Q drops his third major-label album CrasH Talk. In addition to “Numb Numb Juice” and the Travis Scott-assisted “CHopstix,” the 14-track set includes appearances from Kid Cudi (“Dangerous”), 21 Savage (“Floating”), 6LACK (“Drunk”), Ty Dolla $ign and YG (“Lies”), Lil Baby (“Water”), and Kendrick Lamar, who provides ad-libs throughout. During an interview with GQ, the TDE signee revealed that he discarded two albums (“They were trash”) and completed a third, but scrapped it following advice from his labelmates Kendrick and Jay Rock. Unlike his previous albums, Q says he’s not looking to please anyone with CrasH Talk. “When you work on something, you just want people to hear it, whether they like it or not,” he told “The Breakfast Club.” “I always catered to people on all my albums, Oxymoron and Blankface, but I was just looking for a certain audience. This album I was just being me. This is what I’m on. This is how I’m rocking.” Rock with Q below.<doc-sep>This morning, ScHoolboy Q delivered his fifth studio album at long last, the vaguely titled CrasH Talk. Having explained that the project is the culmination of three attempts, it's safe to call this one a highly personal effort from Q. Yet with beloved artists of Q's nature, it's always possible that expectation can work against him. After all, both Oxymoron and Blank Face have long withstood the test of time, aging gracefully with every passing year. As such, CrasH Talk was met with somewhat of a divisive rollout, as singles like "Numb Numb Juice" and "Chopstix" left fans confused about the project's direction. Yet Q stands firmly behind his work, explaining that it's the project he wanted to make, the result of allowing himself room to have fun making music. Despite being mere hours old, many have already put forth their opinion across social media, including users from our own comment section. It's clear that Q is one of those artists who inspires devout loyalty off the combined strength of his charisma and musical ability. While it's difficult to say whether these feelings will shift over time, it feels like CrasH Talk is proving enjoyable enough in the 2019 hip-hop landscape. Yet not everybody is convinced that Q pulled it off. Some of the Check out some of the opinions from our own userbase below.<doc-sep>Photo Credit: iTunes I have no idea what to expect from ScHoolboy Q’s long-awaited fifth studio album CrasH Talk. But that’s how Q's label Top Dawg Entertainment operates—a soundless warhorse rather than a loud tank; everything strategic, everything in silence. To their credit, excitement is the natural reaction when that silence is broken. Tonight, I’m excited. CrasH Talk feels like a chance to be reacquainted with a friend who has become something of a stranger. It has been three years since Groovy Q released his GRAMMY-nominated, Gold-certified curveball, Blank Face LP, but it feels much longer in retrospect. “Numb Numb Juice,” the lead single from CrasH Talk, is a short, explosive record; a perfect match for the speed at which the sand moves in the industry’s hourglass. It’s a song that says: Q knows time is of the essence, and to leave a mark, he must be swift and effective. May the return of ScHoolboy Q follow in the footsteps of “Numb Numb Juice,” and present a swift and effective mark that we remember. In usual 1-Listen fashion, the rules are the same: no skipping, no fast-forwarding, no rewinding, and no stopping. Each song will receive my gut reaction from start to finish. 1. "Gang Gang" A voice. "Take 1." The build-up is like lava simmering to the top of a volcano... And the volcano just exploded. My floor is trembling to the repeated phrase, “Whip clean, dope boy.” I like this flow. My favorite trap beats sound like you would have a hard time escaping them in a foot race. “Gang Gang” would run me down. I’m not engaged by Q’s rapping, his voice isn’t projecting with the same force as the production. An odd choice for an intro… “Gang Gang” would have been a solid surprise in the middle, but not as a commencement. Will revisit later. 2. “Tales” A nice change of pace. I love these drums. Q has unlocked a new level to his artistic brevity. He’s going for short phrases and vivid imagery. I like retrospection, but it doesn’t seem focused. Q is loose. It reminds me of Kendrick's approach to "Yah"; in the ring shadow boxing instead of entering with gloves on and prepared to knock us out. He’s sneaking in a few heavy gems. Especially the second verse. The imagery is striking. I wonder how much of this verse is inspired by survivor's guilt. There's a dark cloud raining over this record. This song sounds like how the album cover looks. Hidden, distant, refusing to be seen. “Tales” might be the answer to what ScHoolboy Q is hiding behind that million dollar sense of humor. A keeper. 3. "CHopstix" ft. Travis Scott ScHoolboy Scott. On the heels of “Tales,” this one is already feeling banal. The beat has a nice bounce to it, but Travis sounds like he’s harmonizing in a plastic bag. Q arrived with the type of energy that suggests the label gave him a check to write this song. Some songs are hits, while others sound like they’re supposed to be hits, and “CHopstix” is the latter. Man, I wish he left this one on the cutting room floor; this beat and hook are interchangeable with just about any rapper. And what the hell are the chopsticks that Travis loves so much? Oh, her legs? That’s weird, bro. I’ll have to skip this one. 4. “Numb Numb Juice” Here we go! The combustion! Q is an ascending rocket and the production is the flame pushing him out of the Earth’s orbit. If I went to the gym, “Numb Numb Juice” would have me ripped by summer. The tricks he pulls off are impeccable. Every line, every flow, every pocket, not a single second is wasted. “Numb Numb Juice” is a flawless single, a flawless record, and a song I’ll be playing for years to come. Go watch the video, I was told Jay Electronica is hiding his album in there. 5. "Drunk" ft. 6LACK An R&B feature and it isn't SZA or Miguel? I like the idea of 6LACK taking Q somewhere new. Oh yeah, day drinkers will appreciate this one. I love how slow and unwinding it feels. A beat that’s stumbling. Q’s verse is transparent, unraveling that’s inspired by too much whiskey. The grandmother and cousin both losing their lives hit me in the heart. Something about “Drunk” feels like an unfinished demo. It’s a dirty record; no color, no unnecessary sheen. 6LACK is here. This is his world. He is the master of the melancholy universe. I would play an album's worth of 6LACK verses over this shifting, woozy soundscape. Ah, and he’s already gone. That wasn’t a feature, it was a fea... This second verse doesn’t have the effective, vomit truth of the first, but it’s still a solid offering. I’m here for the “Just a little buzz, just a little buzz” hook. I’ll happily recite that all summer. Keeper. 6. “Lies” ft. Ty Dolla $ign & YG Okay, a summery song. Ty Dolla $ign always sounds happy to sing. He’s like the friend who no matter what will show up for $3 drinks and appetizers on any given Sunday. We need more friends like Ty. Did Mustard make this beat? I don’t know what it is, but Q’s voice just isn’t as prominent as I remember it being. His flows are cool, but there’s just a lack of passion in these verses. He sounds too much like YG for my liking. I’d like this song if it was on Beach House 4, but not a ScHoolboy album. YG’s drunk uncle verse will sound great with a pint of Hennessy, but stone sober, I'm pretty disinterested. This one didn’t strike any chords. 7. "5200" I’m not sure where this album is supposed to be taking me. Ah, there’s Kendrick. I like this build up. Q’s voice is such an incredible build up tool. Eh, what is this? Guys, didn’t they already make this song? Sounds like a Black Panther Soundtrack leftover. What's the song with Travis and Kendrick? "Big Shot?" Imagine that record—but a karaoke version by Baby Keem.<doc-sep>
ScHoolboy Q’s latest album, CrasH Talk has finally arrived. Some were quick to dub it a classic within hours of its release, which time will tell, I suppose. The album arrives roughly three years after Blank Face LP, his critically lauded follow-up to his major label debut, Oxymoron. Ever since the rollout began, there’s been nothing but a cloud of ambiguity hovering over what Q had in store. From the short and boisterous lead single, “Numb Numb Juice” to the pop-friendly Travis Scott-assisted, “CHopstix,” it was impossible to predict what ScHoolboy Q would come with on his fifth studio album. Filled with bangers from top to bottom, Q’s latest is his most fun to date, but the introspection on CrasH Talk delivers a continuation of the narratives from previous projects. His gang ties are forever, but he’s wiser -- not only as an artist but as a father. On the third single, “CrasH,” the rapper dives into the Jay-Z 4:44 bag with some game for the youngins, a precautionary measure for the men his 10-year-old daughter will eventually meet. Christopher Polk/Getty Images Christopher Polk/Getty Images Lil' rappers ain't impressive Your tax bracket ain't impressive You buy a chain, but won't buy no land That hashtag should say, "Desperate" I'm kickin' game for these young n***as 'Cause one day they'll meet my daughter, uh All that bullshit I taught her, huh Way too blessed to be normal, uh Upper echelon, but we stand that So, girl, be proud that your skin black And be happy, girl, that your hair napped 'Cause the school system won't teach that Where your father been, you gon' reach that Q’s discography is filled with vividly detailed accounts of his experiences as a gangbanger in South Central Los Angeles drawn from first-hand experiences. CrasH Talk plays out like a cautionary tale far more than any other one of Q’s albums, and it goes deeper than gangbanging. Q lays out the possible direction his life could’ve gone if he didn’t decide to pursue a different route in life on “Tales” which he later reiterates on “Black Folk.” My baby mama paid the bills, I ain't have shit on the smoke The homies tell me I'm a burden but never threw me a rope They left me hanging on the corner, my whole life is my stash One more strike, I'm with the lifers, split the fifty in half I watch a nigga lose his life right in front of his kids We keep the cycle back and forth, the demons smother our gifts They put percentages in front of us, wouldn't give us a chance “Dangerous” with Kid Cudi is a hazy banger that deals with self-medicating from the paranoia and anxieties stemming from their lifestyles as famous people. Q’s history with substance abuse has been well-documented in the past, specifically on “Prescription/Oxymoron” off of his debut album. The theme of intoxication is prominent on the album. The aptly titled song, “Drunk” featuring 6lack has Q drunkenly spilling out emotions that have been held inside for way too long. Never had enough, pass me the mask, ayy Are you down for me? Girl, been on my last, ayy See the sirens pulling up, pigs on my ass, ayy Even when the money come, gone way too fast, ayy Why my grandma couldn't live? Gone way too fast, ayy Cousin murdered in the field, gone way too fast, ayy Got a liver full of 'yac, weed in the back, ayy Got Cîroc for the hoes, chill on the stash, ayy Uh, pass me the gas 488, stunt man, blast from the past Got my damn trunk in the front, Top in the back, ayy Hell yeah, nigga drunk, buzz if they ask, ayy Although he dives deep into the heavy subject matter throughout the project, he does allow Groovy Q to shine through.