Album Review: Lil Yachty-Teenage Emotions

Of all the pop/trap rappers that have drawn the ire of "real" hip-hop fans recently, Lil Yachty has arguably received the most criticism. Seemingly every bitter old-timer (Joe Budden, Ebro and Charlamagne tha God,  who dubbed Yachty the "poster child for wack rappers") in the hip-hop community has come out of the woodwork to yell at Lil Boat about the quality of music and his "lack of respect" for the genre's legends (Yachty famously said in an interview with Pitchfork last November that he believes Notorious B.I.G. is overrated).

As ashamed as I am to admit it, I'm also guilty of hopping aboard the trendy Lil Yachty hate train. I spent the latter half of 2016 extensively ripping his Lil Boat mixtape and declaring him the worst rapper in the game right now. However over the last few months, I've completely changed my tune on Yachty. He's a festively jovial 19-year old kid that is solely focused on having fun with his music and hating him because of that is a dick move. This personal Lil Boat renaissance has culminated with my enjoyment of Yachty's strange, messy and wildly infectious debut studio album Teenage Emotions.

If Yachty intended Teenage Emotions to be a metaphor for the perpetual confusion that defines adolescence, then he pretty much nailed it. Despite having no clear musical direction and enough poorly-mixed AutoTune to fill 12 Brokencyde records, this 21-track behemoth managed to win me over with its disarming charm. Whether Yachty is crooning about lost love behind '80-inspired synthfunk beats ("Bring it Back", "Girl in the Yellow"), throwing his hat into the increasingly crowded tropical pop arena ("Better", "Forever Young") or making club bangers that showcase his poor knowledge of woodwind instruments ("Peek a Boo"), this record manages to be consistently loose, catchy and engaging. Given how many stone-serious, borderline depressing hip-hop releases I've heard over the last few months, it was honestly cathartic to hear something that was as pleasant and beautifully unhinged as Teenage Emotions.  

The ability to make such a scattershot record work without any truly crippling hiccups is a testament to Yachty's immense likability. There's so much organic joy behind what he's doing that it becomes very easy to forgive all of the tonal inconsistencies and questionable production choices that would've otherwise derailed this record. Even the lesser tracks ("Made of Glass", "Moments in Time", "No More") have a strange, radiant quality that prevents them from being serious missteps. As long as Yachty can retain his positive energy and lovable weirdness, I'll continue to have a blast listening to his music. 

It might not be the most cohesive or essential hip-hop release to come out in 2017, but Teenage Emotions injected some much-needed sunshine into a year that has been full of dread, mass hysteria and alarming amounts of hate. While I'm sure that plenty of people will find this record to be an obnoxious disaster that insults the integrity of the hip-hop genre, it put a huge smile on my face for hour and in the world of music, sometimes that's all you need.  

3.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Peek a Boo (feat. Migos)
2.Forever Young (feat. Diplo)
3.Priorities

2017 NFL Position Rankings: Top 30 Tackles

30.Eric Fisher (Chiefs)

29.Demar Dotson (Buccaneers)

28.Ryan Schrader (Falcons)

27.Branden Albert (Jaguars) 

26.Alejandro Villanueva (Steelers)

25.Taylor Decker (Lions)

24.Ronnie Stanley (Ravens) 

23.Jake Matthews (Falcons)

22.Marcus Cannon (Patriots) 

21.Ricky Wagner (Lions)

20.Morgan Moses (Redskins)

19.Nate Solder (Patriots)

18.Lane Johnson (Eagles)

17.Jack Conklin (Titans)

16.Zach Strief (Saints)

15.Duane Brown (Texans)

14.Taylor Lewan (Titans)

13.Bryan Bulaga (Packers)

12.Marcus Gilbert (Steelers)

11.Anthony Castonzo (Colts)

10.Joe Staley (49ers)

9.Terron Armstead (Saints)

8.Cordy Glenn (Bills)

7.David Bakhtiari (Packers)

6.Jason Peters (Eagles) 

5.Donald Penn (Raiders)

4.Andrew Whitworth (Rams) 

3.Tyron Smith (Cowboys)
2.Trent Williams (Redskins)
1.Joe Thomas (Browns)

Concert Review: Boston Calling (Day 3)-- Allston, MA-- May 28th, 2017

Lineup: Tool/Weezer/Major Lazer/Cage the Elephant/Run the Jewels/Flatbush Zombies/Converge/The Hotelier/Numerous Others
Venue: Harvard Athletic Complex, Allston, MA
Date: May 27th, 2017

The Hotelier: As someone who hadn't heard a note of their music prior to seeing them live, I can say that the hype The Hotelier has picked up in indie/emo circles over the past few years is completely justified. The emotion that drives every one of their songs reminds me of The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me-era Brand New and vocalist Christian Holden has a really distinct voice that fits the melancholy tone of their music incredibly well. After blindly ignoring the praise for their last two LP's (2014's Home, Like Noplace Is There and 2016' Goodness), this set was all the convincing I needed to finally check out The Hotelier's studio material.

Converge: Mathcore pioneers Converge they didn't let their status as an extreme metal outlier on an indie rock-heavy festival prevent them from wreaking their typical levels of havoc. Despite playing on a massive stage in front of a pretty scarce crowd, this show contained every ounce of the beautiful, unrelenting chaos that defines their headlining shows. Even though this was my third time seeing them, the level of intensity that Converge brings to the stage continues to floor me. They're one of the few acts whose I would describe as a force of nature and that gift for creating pure musical destruction paired with their mind-blowing technical prowess makes them one of my favorite bands to see live.

Flatbush Zombies: Screw trying to be eloquent, Flatbush Zombies are fuckin LIT live. The New York hip-hip trio's 50-minute set was exactly the type of non-stop party I wanted at a big festival like this. The rapping from Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice and Erick the Architect was spot-on, the setlist was full of bangers and perhaps most importantly, they possess the authentic punk-rock aesthetic that so many other rappers right now try to emulate with little-to-no success. I've rambled on and on in the past about how frustratingly erratic live hip-hop performances can be, so it's always great to see an act that doesn't fuck around and puts forth 110% effort the entire time they're on stage. If it wasn't for the crowd's relatively low energy level, this would've been my favorite set of the day.

Run the Jewels: Death, taxes and Run the Jewels kicking all sorts of ass live are life's only guarantees. The dream team of Killer Mike and El-P delivered an hour-long set of hardcore hip-hop perfection and unlike Flatbush Zombies, the crowd matched their energy every step of the way. The near-identical setlist and rehashing of a majority of the stage banter from their headlining tour in February made this the least enjoyable of the four times I've seen them, but RTJ was still dope as hell.

Cage the Elephant: I only watched these guys because I needed to kill some time before Weezer went on, but they ended up being pretty decent. They had some solid bluesy riffs and their singer's Mick Jagger-esque mannerisms were entertaining to watch. I don't envision myself ever becoming a Cage the Elephant fan, but their live show was a perfectly adequate, inoffensive way to spend 45 minutes at a festival.

Weezer: In my eyes, Weezer was the biggest wild card on this entire festival. I've been nothing more than a casual fan of theirs since my teenage years and they've released a grand total of two albums that I've enjoyed (2014's Everything Will Be Alright in the End and 2016's The White Album) since Y2K hit, so I wouldn't have been the least surprised if they ended up not making much of an impression on me. Not only did Weezer not underwhelm, they ended up putting on one of my favorite sets of the day. Their set was essentially a 75-minute journey through the biggest hits of their nearly 30-year career and while you could certainly accuse of them pandering to the festival crowd, it was an exhilarating blast of pure nostalgia. The combination of the band's musical precision and frontman Rivers Cuomo's geeky energy made me feel like I was seeing them on the Blue Album or Pinkerton tour. I'm a moron for doubting Weezer's ability as a live act and I would go see them again without hesitation.


Tool: On a day that was full of excellent performances, a letdown was bound to happen. Unfortunately, that letdown came in the form of Boston Calling's top headliner Tool.

To be fair, the issues that bogged down Tool's set had pretty much nothing to do with the band itself. The combination of the spot I was standing in near the back right of the festival's main stage area (I wasn't willing to skip out on Weezer and Run the Jewels in order to secure a spot near the front) and a wonky PA system made around 90% of Tool's set an auditory nightmare. The first two songs of the set ("The Grudge" and "Parabola") were borderline inaudible and after they turned the sound up to a more reasonable volume prior to the start of "Schism", the guitars and vocals alternated between being super loud and really quiet for the next hour or so. By the time these issues subsided shortly after the start of "Vicarious", the set was pretty much over and the damage had already been done. Tool clearly can't be blamed for problems with the festival's sound system, but those issues with the PA still put an undeniable damper on the quality of their set.

Of course for a band of Tool's caliber, a shitty sound mix wasn't enough to completely derail their performance. Tool is the closest thing the metal community has to a jam band and their live show emphasizes why they are the biggest psychedelic weirdos in heavy music. The parade of inexplicably strange imagery that floods their wall-to-wall video backdrop and vocalist Maynard James Keenan's minimalist, oddball stage presence (he stood in the back of the stage next to the drum riser for the duration of the set) perfectly matches the trippy, instrumental-driven vibe of their music. The restrained, hallucinatory vibe that drives Tool's shows is the complete antithesis of the genre's traditionally high-energy atmosphere and I doubt I'll ever experience anything like it from another metal band as long as I live. 

Tool's musicianship was also unsurprisingly outstanding. Their rhythm section of bassist Justin Chancellor and drummer Danny Carey was among the tightest I've ever seen play live and when I could actually hear him, Keenan's vocals sounded fantastic. I've always admired Tool as musicians, but seeing them pull their material off without any hiccups has sent that respect level into the stratosphere. While it was far from perfect, it was cool to finally get to experience Tool's renowned visual/laser show and superb musicianship in person.

Scores:
The Hotelier 7.5/10
Converge 9.5/10
Flatbush Zombies 9/10
Run the Jewels 9/10
Cage the Elephant 6/10
Weezer 9/10
Tool 8/10

Setlists:
Converge:
Dark Horse
Aimless Arrow
The Broken Vow
Trespasses
All We Love We Leave Behind
Worms Will Feed/Rats Will Feast
Reap What You Sow
Glacial Pace
Eagles Become Vultures
Concubine
Jane Doe

Flatbush Zombies:
The Odyssey
Bounce
New Song
This is It
Trade-Off
New Song
Glorious Thugs
New Phone, Who Dis?
New Song
Bath Salt (A$AP Mob cover)
Palm Trees

Run the Jewels: 
Talk to Me
Legend Has It
Call Ticketron
Blockbuster Night Part 1
Oh My Darling Don't Cry
Nobody Speak (DJ Shadow cover)
Hey Kids (Bumaye)
Stay Gold
Don't Get Captured
Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)
Panther Like a Panther
Lie, Cheat, Steal
A Report to the Shareholders
Down
Run the Jewels


Weezer:
Hash Pipe
My Name is Jonas
Pork and Beans
Feels Like Summer
Memories
Hey Ya! (Outkast cover)
(If You're Wondering If I Want You to) I Want You to
Perfect Situation
Troublemaker
Thank God for Girls
Beverly Hills
Dope Nose/Back to the Shack/Keep Fishin'/The Good Life/Surf Wax America (medley)
Undone-The Sweater Song
Island in the Sun
I Took a Pill in Ibiza (Mike Posner cover)
King of the World
Say it Ain't So
Buddy Holly

Tool:
The Grudge
Parabola
Schism
Opiate
Aenema 
Jambi
Third Eye
Forty Six & 2
Sweat
Vicarious
Stinkfist

The Best and Worst of Zac Efron

The "Best and Worst" series profiles the best and worst work of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week I take a look at the filmography of "Baywatch" star Zac Efron.

Films starring Zac Efron that I've seen:
New Year's Eve
The Paperboy 
Parkland
That Awkward Moment
Neighbors
We Are Your Friends
Dirty Grandpa
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates 

Best Performance: Neighbors (2014)
When I the first trailer for Neighbors came out in October 2013, I was absolutely puzzled by the casting of Efron in a prominent role alongside proven comedy heavyweights Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne. Up to this point in his career, he was merely a former teen heartthrob with a resume that almost solely consisted of subpar performances in mediocre movies (The Paperboy, Parkland, That Awkward Moment). Efron ended up making me eat my words by being the single best part of Neighbors. This scene-stealing performance generated no shortage of huge laughs and went on to help Efron finally find his niche in the world of comedy. 

Worst Performance: New Year's Eve (2011)
After watching New Year's Eve, I was strongly considering permanently writing off Efron as an actor. Efron was a charmless bore every time he appeared on screen and the alarming lack of chemistry he had with his much older love interest (Michelle Pfeiffer) made their scenes together feel super creepy. 

Best Film: Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)
Out of all the great comedies that have come out over the past several years, this is easily one of the most underrated. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is essentially just 90 minutes of funny people getting into insane situations and firing off largely-improvised dialogue at each other. The four leads (Adam Devine, Efron, Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick) play off each other incredibly well and the freewheeling vibe allows the laughs to keep coming at a machine gun-clip.

Worst Film: New Year's Eve (2011) 
The late Garry Marshall (Happy Days, Pretty Woman) was a Hollywood legend that consistently produced beloved works over the course of his nearly 60-year career. However, none of his widely-praised comedic and storytelling talent was on display in New Year's Eve. While I didn't hate it as much a lot of professional critics did, it's still an overstuffed, over-the-top sappy ensemble romantic comedy full of characters that are hard to care about.

Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next week, I'll take a look at the best and worst work of "Wonder Woman" star Chris Pine.  

Concert Review: Future-- Mansfield, MA-- May 23rd, 2017

Lineup: Future/Migos/Tory Lanez/A$AP Ferg/Zoey Dollaz ("Nobody Safe Tour")
Venue: Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA
Date: May 23rd, 2017

Zoey Dollaz: Arrived late and missed his set.

A$AP Ferg: Arrived late and missed his set.

Tory Lanez: Tory Lanez is an artist that I've been indifferent on since he first garnered attention with his hit single "Say It" back in 2015 and after seeing him live, I feel exactly the same way. Lanez is the type of artist that is easy to tolerate, but really difficult to get excited about. He has an alright singing voice, his rapping is competent and he's half-decent at working a crowd, which makes his shows as aggressively mediocre as his studio material.

Migos: What a difference year makes. Last March, I saw Migos headline at a dingy 575-capacity club just outside of Boston. Last night, they were the direct support act at a sold-out amphitheater show. It was honestly surreal to see 20,000 people collectively lose their minds for Migos a mere 14 months after I saw them play in one of the most intimate venues in Massachusetts. As a longtime fan of Migos, it's amazing to see them finally achieve massive success after spending years grinding it out on the club circuit. Some sound issues with Quavo's mic and the often overpowering backing tracks made this performance not quite as good as the last time I saw them, but it was still a super fun performance that showcased the charisma, energy and underrated technical chops that has led to their overdue explosion in popularity.

Future: Like pretty much every other trap artist I've never seen before, I had absolutely no idea what to expect from Future's live show. My opinion on his projects have been all over the map and given the level of success he's enjoyed since Monster dropped in October 2014, I wouldn't have been the least surprised if he put minimal effort into his performance. Thankfully, this didn't ended up being the case as Future eviscerated my skepticism by putting on a very entertaining show. 

Although his rapping isn't flawless and he often cuts his songs way too short (the last four songs of the set were the only ones he played all the way through), Future is such a natural, exciting performer that you can easily forgive these issues. Outside of Kanye West, he's the only rapper I've whose shows translates well to a huge stage. His massive stage presence and constant energy allows him to make a mostly-seated amphitheater feel like a wild club atmosphere. The setlist almost exclusively consisted of fan-favorite tracks that generated a huge reaction and his obligatory "make some noise, Boston how we doing tonight, etc." crowdwork was some of the most effective I've ever seen. He might not be most the ambitious or consistent rapper on the planet, but his boatloads of charisma and infectious joy for what he does makes him one of modern hip-hop's only undeniable superstars. While it's highly unlikely to go down as one of my favorite performances of 2017, Future put on a fun-ass show that left me with a huge smile on my face.

Scores:
Tory Lanez 5/10
Migos 8/10
Future 8/10

Setlists:
Migos:
Get Right Witcha
Slippery
What the Price
Deadz
Kelly Price
Cocoon/Hannah Montana (choruses only)
Fight Night
Call Casting
T-Shirt
Bad and Boujee
Handsome and Wealthy
Pipe It Up

Future:
Draco
Rent Money
Super Trapper
Chosen One
Karate Chop
Itchin'
Bugatti (Ace Hood cover)
Same Damn Time
Move That Dope
Sh!t
Thought It Was a Drought
Freak Hoe
Real Sisters
Love Me (Lil Wayne cover)
Trap Niggas
Stick Talk
Groupies
Blase (Ty Dolla $ign cover)
New Level (A$AP Ferg cover) (w/A$AP Ferg)
Jumpman
Incredible
I'm So Groovy
Comin Out Strong
Good Dope
My Savages
Wicked
I Serve the Base
Peacoat
Used to This
Low Life
Fuck Up Some Commas
March Madness
Mask Off

2017 NFL Position Rankings: Top 20 Tight Ends

20.Zach Miller (Bears)
19.Charles Clay (Bills)
18.Eric Ebron (Lions)
17.Hunter Henry (Chargers)

16.Jack Doyle (Colts)

15.Cameron Brate (Buccaneers) 

14.Dennis Pitta (Ravens) 

13.Jason Witten (Cowboys)

12.Antonio Gates (Chargers)

11.Coby Fleener (Saints)

10.Kyle Rudolph (Vikings)

9.Zach Ertz (Eagles)

8.Tyler Eifert (Bengals)

7.Martellus Bennett (Packers)

6.Delanie Walker (Titans)

5.Jimmy Graham (Seahawks)

4.Jordan Reed (Redskins)

3.Greg Olsen (Panthers)

2.Travis Kelce (Chiefs)

1.Rob Gronkowski (Patriots)

2017 NFL Position Rankings: Top 50 Wide Receivers

50.Mohamed Sanu (Falcons)
49.Cameron Meredith (Bears)
48.Adam Thielen (Vikings) 
47.Kenny Britt (Browns)
46.Randall Cobb (Packers)
45.Cole Beasley (Cowboys) 
44.Tyreek Hill (Chiefs)
43.Terrelle Pryor (Redskins) 
42.Jamison Crowder (Redskins)

41.Tyrell Williams (Chargers)

40.Kenny Stills (Dolphins)
39.Willie Snead (Saints)

38.Stefon Diggs (Vikings)
37.Jordan Matthews (Eagles)

36.John Brown (Cardinals)

35.Allen Hurns (Jaguars)

34.Davante Adams (Packers)

33.Mike Wallace (Ravens)

32.Rishard Matthews (Titans)

31.Michael Thomas (Saints)
30.Pierre Garcon (49ers)
29.Kelvin Benjamin (Panthers)
28.Eric Decker (Jets) 
27.Jeremy Maclin (Chiefs)
26.Marvin Jones (Lions)
25.DeSean Jackson (Buccaneers)
24.Keenan Allen (Chargers)

23.Sammy Watkins (Bills)

22.Golden Tate (Lions)

21.Michael Crabtree (Raiders)

20.Julian Edelman (Patriots)

19.Brandin Cooks (Patriots)

18.Allen Robinson (Jaguars)
17.Emmanuel Sanders (Broncos)

16.Alshon Jeffrey (Eagles)

15.Brandon Marshall (Giants)

14.Jarvis Landry (Dolphins)

13.Doug Baldwin (Seahawks)

12.Amari Cooper (Raiders)

11.Demaryius Thomas (Broncos)

10.Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals)

9.Jordy Nelson (Packers)

8.DeAndre Hopkins (Texans)

7.T.Y. Hilton (Colts)

6.Mike Evans (Buccaneers)
5.Dez Bryant (Cowboys)
4.A.J. Green (Bengals)
3.Odell Beckham Jr. (Giants)
2.Julio Jones (Falcons)
1.Antonio Brown (Steelers)