Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron ALBUM REVIEW

In these last few years, it's been made quite clear. Kendrick Lamar and TDE are here to take over the game. Not only are they a group of super dope MC's but have managed to heavily impact the mainstream airwaves. It's a balance that doesn't show too often when it comes to these rap cliques. Jay Rock and Kendrick Lamar have already put their foot through the door already and now it's Schoolboy Q's turn. Probably the more aggressive, wild and flat out gangsta of the group. My first introduction to him was when I heard his 2012 digital album Habits & Contradictions. Hands down one of my favorite projects from that year. His rough, gritty and gangsta attitude combined with his dark, menacing and haunting tales of the hoods in LA immediately drew me to liking him and that album. Of course that would let to me, as well as many others, eagerly anticipating this. His debut studio album Oxymoron. Like I said I loved Habits & Contradictions and I was expecting something just as good. Concept, production everything. Turns out, I didn't get that. However, I still enjoyed this project. Like Habits & Contradictions, he brings that dark and gritty gangsta tone and still tell a few stories along the way. The reason why I feel like this was a slight step back from his last project was mostly because of the missed concept. He touches the "oxymoron" concept a little bit by basically showing that he does these random criminal acts all for his daughter (who's on the other album cover and on a few interludes). I'm assuming that must be the oxymoron he speaks of. I felt like he should have went deeper with that theme like he did with the habits and contradictions theme on the last album. Also I felt the production this time around was a bit, just a bit, toned down to more hype and high energy beats to "turn up" to. Obviously done to appeal to the mainstream listeners so it's not really that big of a deal. So now let me get into all that I liked about this album. It took a minute but the intro track "Gangsta" became likeable. The repeated "gangsta gangsta" hook becomes quite catchy after a while. It also is the perfect type of out-of-the-ordinary thug track to start the album off with. Though it's months old now, I'm still a fan of the single "Collard Greens". The beat is infectious as is the hook. Kudos to the producer THC there. I also enjoy the newest single "Man Of The Year" which also has a very infectious beat. Though I think the hook could have been a bit better the overall song is enjoyable. Next is the two-in-one track "Prescription/Oxymoron". It starts off with "Prescription" which is the more calmer track where he continues to touch on addiction to drugs, prescription pills in this case, and how he basically needs it to keep him going. Then it turns into "Oxymoron" which is this high energy track with a trap influenced production. It's really nothing but him rapping loudly and more aggressively over what is again a trunk blasting trap beat. Cool two part track. "Studio" was a cool groove track for the ladies. Swiff D put together a really dope beat filled with more settled trap styled drums. BJ The Chicago Kid does a very catchy sing-a-long hook that I believe is the real highlight of the song. Speaking of "cool groove", the track "Grooveline Pt. 2" was that as well. What drew me to this song the most what how it took me back a bit. It kinda reminds me of some old school Devin The Dude mixed with the funkadelic sounds that Snoop Dogg does so well. Suga Free's verse I think fit the song's ora more than Schoolboy's did but still it wasn't bad. I loved the hard, head nodding production on "Break The Bank". It actually felt more like a east coast New York track because of the beat but Q made it work good. The piano's on the beat mixed his eerie and haunting hood lyrics makes you feel like you're walking through South Central LA at night filled with fear. I loved it. Now on to my dislikes. Right off the back, the song that I had a problem with was "The Purge". It wasn't that it was a bad track. Just disappointing. I was looking forward to hearing this track the most because it features Tyler, The Creator and Kurupt. The song was produced by Tyler but it's one of his more plain weaker beats that really didn't have any life at all. Not to mention he was only on the hook and didn't have a verse which was also disappointing. Still I feel like this track might grow on me. The second track "Los Awesome" was the most weird and erratic song on the album. The beat was completely all over the place and was just plain weird. The rapping on it was as well. Not even Jay Rock as dope as he is could save this one with his guest verse. Speaking of weird, Q does some experimenting on the track "His & Her Fiend". He dapples in the psychedelic sounds or what I call that "acid trippy rap". I don't think he did it quite as good as others have done it. It just sounds like a normal southern chopped-n-screwed song with just a sprinkle of "trippiness". A song that had potential but it wasn't quite met. Tracks like "Fuck LA" and "Californication" are good songs to blast in your car but become headaches after a while. Something I probably wouldn't put on repeat. Now "Pusha Man" I actually did like. It has this retro 1970's influenced beat. The problem? It's a minute and a half interlude. This really should have been a full song. I feel like that was a dope beat wasted. Anyway, overall I did enjoy this album a lot. Just not to the extent that I enjoyed his last project. I give it a final grade of a B. Schoolboy Q I think has all the tools to be successful. The charisma, character, sound and who he rolls with. He has potential to be just as big as Kendrick Lamar is now. This could hopefully be the push to put gangsta rap back on the mainstream airwaves just like the hay day of The N.W.A. Maybe the radio will allow more "fuck the police" to be played in the future. Now that's an oxymoron for you. End.

Final Grade: B

CREDITS

Executive Producers

Quincy Hanley

Anthony Tiffith

Lead Artist
Quincy Hanley

Production

Pharrell Williams

Nesbitt Wesonga

Mario Loving

Axel Morgan

Mark Spears

William Brown

Michael Williams

Tyler Okonma

Dacoury Natche

Alan Maman

Donte Perkins

Michael Volpe

Matthew Samuels

Collaboration

Johnny McKenzie

Kendrick Duckworth

Tauheed Epps

Bryan Sledge

Tyler Okonma

Ricardo Brown

Corey Woods

Solana Rowe

Dejuan Rice

Rakim Mayers

Label

Top Dawg Ent./Interscope Records