Before releasing his third studio album, Top Dawg Entertainment’s ScHoolboy Q took to Reddit for an AMA where he answered fans' questions, many of which gave us insight into his first major label album release, Oxymoron. Q revealed hints about the new project to his eager fans, revealing collaborations with 2 Chainz, Raekwon, and production by Clams Casino, among other collaborative efforts to appear. Throughout the AMA, Q didn't hold back, anwering all questions, even confessing to owning 300-bucket hats or stating that the coolest people he’s ever got high with were Snoop Dogg and his mom. Besides that, he mentions banging Kathy Griffin a whole bunch, and we can all sleep at night knowing the most chicks he’s ever slept with at once is five, but who can blame him? There’s no question this guy is an open book, a true "zero fucks given" approach to life that I and a lot of others can really get behind. Oxymoron is definitely an ode to both a darker past and a fatter wallet. Hit play and you dive straight into “Gangsta”, a track so hard you’ll get the feeling that you’ve just walked into the wrong room at the wrong time. The imagery personifies the onset of vibes Q induces right away on the album, and some “YAWK!" helps the body of work blossom in proper Black Hippy fashion. After streaming the album on iTunes days before its release, fans got a free listen to Oxymoron in its entirety. The most memorable part of the album is Q’s ear for beats, we believe, as the entire body of work has on-point production value throughout. With an all-star team working on the project (Pharrell, Boi-1da, Mike Will, The Alchemist and Tyler the Creator [who produced and featured on “The Purge”]), Q is able to use his quick tongue and descriptive, yet punishing verbiage to lay claims to a life of sex, money, marijuana and guns. The gritty TDE artist spits both laid-back and sometimes abrasive bars, unearthing stories of a former Oxycontin dealer-turned-2014-gangsta rap dad into one cohesive project. “Studio” featuring Bj The Chicago is definitely an HD favourite. Other tracks like "What They Want" ft. 2 Chainz proves he can outshine some of today's most mainstream rappers, while also showcasing his ability to work well with Rap royalty on “Blind THreatz” featuring Raekwon, (apparently the two sparked the conversation of working together after meeting briefly in an elevator). Other guest appearances include Black Hippy teammate Kendrick Lamar, Kurupt, Jay Rock, Suga Free, and TDE’s first lady, SZA. After the amount of hype this album was getting, you would think we were all awaiting the next Rakim to emerge, and although the album is indeed tight, we don’t see his more notorious labelmate, Kendrick Lamar, budging from his throne just yet.
ScHoolboy Q