While Oxymoron balanced chutzpah and remorse with the maturity of a gang banger who has made it out, Blank Face LP sees Q almost fully immersing himself into his old world, brazen and remorseless.
Blank Face turns away from the ambitious fusion of To Pimp a Butterfly, instead doubling down on a smoked-out atmosphere that points the listener’s focus toward rapping. That puts the onus on Q to hold attention for the duration of the record’s hour-plus running time, and he does so with a wide array of tricks.
With an impressive range of sonic and lyrical styles and numerous highlights, Blank Face LP stands as one of 2016’s most engaging rap projects.
Blank Face is occasionally too indulgent for his own good, as he also follows trap and net-soul trends in awkward fashion, but the amount of genuine, larger-than-life parables continue to expose an artist who still wrestles with his hard-knock past.
It’s not easy to homogenize the opposing forces at play, but everything here feels like a genuine rumble through a mind scarred and inebriated by the reality of gang life and chasing the American dream while the room spins. Like the title hints, Blank Face LP is dark and full of stone-grilled stares that lay things out in plain terms, and there’s very little, if any, glamorization at play.
Pulling no punches: Blank Face is the second best hip-hop album of 2016 so far, after The Life of Pablo.
As far as major label rap albums are concerned, Blank Face is one of the strongest, most consistently enjoyable in years, even if its glossy and misanthropic merits falls just shy of GOAT status.
Blank Face is still resolutely ScHoolboy Q in its misplaced bravado. In terms of pure thrills, though, it's difficult to argue against this being his best album yet.
Blank Face LP refines the slight missteps that Q's 2014 album, Oxymoron, made; where Oxymoron tried too hard at times to keep up with passing trends, Blank Face LP manages to be versatile without sounding desperate.
Schoolboy Q's 2014 major-label debut, Oxymoron, marked him as the most street MC in L.A.'s Black Hippy rap collective. No less stressed or conflicted than that crew's breakout star, Kendrick Lamar, he's reporting from deeper within the fog of war on his follow-up.
Blank Face LP is the end of the gangsta-rap arc. It might not be the most illuminating record for those who have heard the cycle play out before, but its execution has rarely felt this visceral.
Blank Face LP is ultimately an unfocussed album, one caught between reportage and repugnant opportunism—its violence and sexism alike an appeal to commerciality. Q has no responsibility to be conscious, but he veers so drastically in the other direction that he doesn't merely represent the bleakness of this reality, but actively stokes it.
A West Coast Gangsta Rap Musical.
REVIEW REPOST #085. I repost my old reviews, which got no attention, with updated thoughts. Posted this review 2 years ago, but I'm posting it again.
Blank Face LP is easily one of the greatest and my favorite Hip Hop/Rap albums ever released. It's a whole piece of art, an absolute masterclass, filled with experimentation, yet also direction and incredible production. I know I'm not a big fan of a lot of Rap anymore, but I have this album in rotation ALL THE ... read more
JPEGMAFIA moment
Blank Face LP. An album that is respected by many in the hip-hop community. While it's not seen as the best hip-hop album of all time, it is considered by others as Schoolboy Q's album, and I completely see why. It's very different from his previous albums. I wouldn't say it's experimental, but it's definitely way more unhinged and sometimes even off the wall. Its production is a lot more stranger and in your face, and Schoolboy himself is a lot more unhinged on Blank Face LP. ... read more
MickyT and Phillip present...
THE ALBUM SWAP, SEASON ONE:
Episode Two: Blank Face Impala
Welcome back to the ALBUM SWAP, a series where me and fellow AOTY user Phillip give each other an album to listen to, preferably an album we haven't heard. For the 2nd episode I have tasked Phillip with listening to Currents by Tame Impala and Phillip has tasked me with listening to 'Blank Face LP' by Schoolboy Q, Blank Face is the 4th studio album from California rapper, TDE and Black Hippy member, and ... read more
Never lets go of your attention. The last song in particular spoke to me a lot but I do not know why.
Everybody Has tHat one album tHat tHey tHink of for Summer '16. Some albums tHat come to most people's mind are THe Life of Pablo, Views, Coloring Book, etc. For me, Blank Face LP was THAT album. I recently bougHt and played tHis album on vinyl and it was a time. I love How experimental ScHoolboy Q was tHrougHout tHis LP wHile sticking to His roots. THe sounds are super gritty and entrancing at tHe same time, wHicH are cHaracteristics tHat normally do not mesH well togetHer. Blank Face LP ... read more
The best album released by ScHoolboyQ. The record is largely experimental with electronic tones reminding the The Big Fish Theory (2016) of Vince Staples, however it is less raw and more psychedelic. The melody line is consistent throughout the album staying more on the darker/abstract side. Very enjoyable record, much more ambitious and multi-layered than previous LPs of Q. To my ear, the second part after John Muir underdelivers a bit.
Best tracks: Groovy Tony/Eddie Kane, John Muir, That ... read more
1 | TorcH 5:34 | 90 |
2 | Lord Have Mercy 1:44 | 81 |
3 | THat Part 5:13 feat. Kanye West | 88 |
4 | Groovy Tony / Eddie Kane 6:19 feat. Jadakiss | 96 |
5 | Kno Ya Wrong 5:25 feat. Lance Skiiiwalker | 85 |
6 | Ride Out 4:47 feat. Vince Staples | 90 |
7 | WHateva U Want 3:50 feat. Candice Pillay | 80 |
8 | By Any Means 3:34 | 84 |
9 | Dope Dealer 3:42 feat. E-40 | 88 |
10 | JoHn Muir 3:39 | 95 |
11 | Big Body 3:43 feat. Tha Dogg Pound | 79 |
12 | Neva CHange 4:29 feat. SZA | 86 |
13 | Str8 Ballin 4:09 | 84 |
14 | Black THougHts 3:42 | 84 |
15 | Blank Face 3:14 feat. Anderson .Paak | 86 |
16 | Overtime 4:38 feat. Miguel, Justine Skye | 71 |
17 | Tookie Knows II 4:45 | 86 |
#9 | / | Complex |
#12 | / | Spectrum Culture |
#13 | / | The New Zealand Herald |
#14 | / | Gaffa (Norway) |
#14 | / | Stereogum |
#15 | / | Consequence of Sound |
#15 | / | Pigeons & Planes |
#17 | / | Hypebeast |
#17 | / | LA Music Blog |
#26 | / | SPIN |