S. Samuel
Drake's "Shut It Down" producer Omen has discussed Charles Hamilton's return to rap and said his new album will surprise a lot of fans.
According to O, the New York-based rapper already has over ten records in the books.
“Charles’ focus right now is putting out really clever records, but joints that can bump in the club,” the Harlem-bred producer says. “As far as his pen game, Charles is a genius in his own right. His whole vibe is left-field and he’s one of the quickest artists I ever worked with. We did like 14 songs in two days. This might be the first time where he doesn’t really produce the bulk of the album. I think people will be really surprised… that dude has a lot of good joints lined up.” (VIBE)
The rapper’s “I Hate Parties” single landed online earlier this week.
Two years ago everyone loved Charles Hamilton’s cheeky Sonic the Hedgehog steez and heartfelt odes to “Brooklyn Girrrrrls.” Then everyone turned on him after that chick wailed on him in that internet video and he falsified Dilla-bro status. Hamilton went half-milk carton for a little while, popping up here and there for a comeback. Now apparently people are down with him again, if Last Night’s Tweets (TM) are to be believed, after he charmed/rapped himself back into everyone’s good graces with his recent performance with B.O.B. in New York. Perhaps to combat the fickle nature of his once and future fanbase, he just dropped this party song about hating parties, interpolating The Cars’ “Just What I Needed” with a little 808 jangle and rapping about, what else, being jacked up in the head. We think his voice got a little deeper but his flow is still nice and he’s still an amiable weirdo. Chicken wangs/ candy paint/ the color of my drank is the color of the pain. Charles and Lil B collabo? (The FADER)
Former Hamilton rap rival, Rhymefest, recently spoke with SOHH and gave some advice to the young emcee.
“I mean, I don’t have anything against the brother, like, I don’t hardball, I just feel like you diss me, I diss you,” Fest told SOHH referring to his past beef with Hamilton. “That’s just the way it is, I don’t hold no animosity but I see the brother is punishing himself. You know what I’m saying? He thinks there’s something, he may think it’s something Jesus-like in the self-sacrificing that he’s doing but he’s punishing himself and he has to, in his heart, he has to decide to stop doing that, not just with me but with everything. With the J-Dilla, the girl he hit on — all the stuff, I kinda feel empathy, I think that would be the correct word, not sympathy but empathy, I’m like man bro, whatever depression, he gotta find happiness and stop punishing himself.” (SOHH)
Last January, Hamilton explained his recent disappearance from hip-hop.
“Here I am, out of my protective external bubble, and into my own,” he wrote. “I have made mistakes, angered some, confused others, fought guidance and embraced chaos. At the same time, I learned about self-growth, got acclaim for my work, touched hearts and developedpositive relationships…My time out of the proverbial limelight had many different motives. The first and most important was to make sure that my own sanity and health was in tact…Second, I had to get things right with my mother and family. Some things were in print and in music that required the family to talk in person. I wasn’t always around, and every family has their skeletons…When the news broke about me being released from the label, I wasn’t mad. Just frustrated at the fact I would be asked a million pressing questions about it. My emotions were already numb at personal stuff, and I knew that being the (insert adjective here) of the music business would make me a humor target. Whatever I thought. All I wanted to do was release my music to the masses and be heard on the scale of legends…I am appreciative, and I am working on making this year and every other as progressive and CALM as chances allow.” (Statement)
Check out Charles Hamilton’s “I Hate Parties” below:
