{"id":15839,"date":"2016-02-18T14:41:02","date_gmt":"2016-02-18T20:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.imsa.edu\/acronym\/?p=15839"},"modified":"2017-06-28T21:47:27","modified_gmt":"2017-06-29T02:47:27","slug":"family-matters-in-hip-hop-reviewing-broad-shoulders-by-taylor-bennett","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.imsa.edu\/acronym\/2016\/02\/18\/family-matters-in-hip-hop-reviewing-broad-shoulders-by-taylor-bennett\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Matters in Hip-Hop: Reviewing Broad Shoulders by Taylor Bennett"},"content":{"rendered":"

In December of 2015, Taylor Bennett shook off the ties to his older brother Chance the Rapper and spread his own wings by releasing his debut full-length album Broad Shoulders.<\/em> The question on everybody\u2019s mind was: could Bennett stand on his own in\u00a0the shadow of his brother\u2019s career?<\/p>\n

For those who don\u2019t follow hip-hop, in the city of Chicago and throughout the hip-hop world, Chance the Rapper (Chancellor Bennett) has become something of a household name. Since his start in 2012 writing rap lyrics for his first mixtape while on a 10-day suspension from high school, he\u2019s taken the scene by storm. Chance made waves with his album Acid Rap<\/em> that went diamond in 2013, and he went on to make headline appearances at Pitchfork, Lollapalooza, making guest appearances with artists like Madonna, Kanye West, and Justin Bieber, as well as penning lines for a new project called The Social Experiment that released the critically acclaimed album Surf<\/em> in mid-2015.<\/p>\n

Suffice it to say, Taylor Bennett has the whole scene watching in anticipation to follow his brother\u2019s extraordinary reputation. But this album isn\u2019t about Chance at all \u2013 Taylor took the reins on this project and steered it in his own direction completely. With Broad Shoulders,<\/em> Taylor paints a picture of his life as a teenager growing up in the south side of Chicago, and all the growing pains that come with.<\/p>\n

Taylor brought friends and family together to appear with hooks, background vocals, and verses on each of his tracks. He features several artists who are even more famous than himself, such as King Louie, Donnie Trumpet, Joey Purp, and Jordan Bratton; even his own brother, Chance the Rapper, makes an appearance on the last track Broad Shoulders<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Working with the Detroit-centered producer Ludlow, Taylor\u2019s goal was to create a full-length, sample-free album that stood on its own. Many hip-hop artists nowadays use samples, or sound recordings, from other artists to make up the backing tracks that they rap over. This common practice has produced some of the hottest tracks in today\u2019s scene. The Grammy winning To Pimp a Butterfly<\/em> by Kendrick Lamar, for example, features several tracks that sample artists like Michael Jackson, Detroit Emeralds, and even 2pac. Taylor\u2019s decision to make his album sample-free might show an even stronger desire to stand on his own, or that he simply wanted to stay away from any possible copyright issues that come along with sampling. But one thing\u2019s for sure \u2013 Taylor and Ludlow managed to create some organic, modern-sounding, tight beats for this album.<\/p>\n

The backing tracks for each song feature rapid and punchy percussion that mirrors Taylor\u2019s flow well; he raps most of his verses more quickly than Chance fans would be used to. Each song is carefully produced to capture a wide range of emotions; there are several tracks like Wasting Time <\/em>and Broad Shoulders<\/em> that are more beautiful, slow, and melodic, and several tracks like Happy Place <\/em>and Favorite Drink <\/em>that are fast, upbeat, and fun.<\/p>\n

The themes Taylor ties into his 37-minute album cover aspects of his adolescence, such as partying, relationships, and most importantly growing up. There\u2019s a certain youthful carelessness that comes along with Taylor\u2019s tracks, which portrays these common themes through a more focused lens and allows the listener a clear window into his life. About half the songs in the album focus on a girl and the different aspects of a relationship from Taylor\u2019s lifestyle. In fact, a good portion of the album comes across like a kind of love story: he meets a girl at a party in Happy Place<\/em>, begins to develop more serious feelings in Wasting Time<\/em>, fights and breaks up with her in Cake<\/em>, comes across her again in How You Been Lately<\/em>, and the track Dancing in the Rain <\/em>is sort of a beautiful, nostalgic ballad to her about putting aside all the things they fought about and remembering what made them fall in love in the first place \u2013 while dancing in the rain: \u201cBaby \/ Can\u2019t we \/ Drop our worries and dance in the rain.\u201d It would seem that Taylor\u2019s perspective on life is much more laid back than other hip-hop artists. He just wants to have fun and make music, and listeners will really get that vibe when they listen to his tracks.<\/p>\n

The key theme of Taylor\u2019s debut album seems to be growing up. In the final track, Broad Shoulders<\/em>, Taylor and his brother trade verses about the fleetingness of time and the importance of passing on wisdom. In the hook, Taylor says \u201cTeach what you learn, speak what you heard \/ Hear what you’re told\u201d to emphasize the weight of criticism and advice given to him in his life, as it will be the same advice he passes on to those he teaches. This song is really about Taylor and Chance\u2019s family, their parents, and even Chance\u2019s new baby daughter. Nothing lasts forever: \u201cWatch it get old, it only gets old.\u201d Chance\u2019s verse covers a similar thought that Taylor pointed out: \u201cHead on his shoulders ain’t his own \u2026 \/ Who forced the hand to make the clone? \/ Who stands in line to take the throne?\u201d Much like Taylor was saying, the son eventually becomes the father whether he likes it or not. It\u2019s just a matter of what you teach, what you show, that makes the difference.<\/p>\n

Taylor Bennett set out to forge a name for himself in the hip-hop community. He wanted to become his own artist separate from Chance. He touched on this in an interview with The Rolling Stone:<\/p>\n

\u201cMy thing with my brother is that he always wanted me to work on myself and create my own name before we got to work together. He always knew that I was great enough to get a fanbase and sell out shows and get a lot of views.\u201d (http:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/news\/hear-chance-the-rapper-join-brother-taylor-bennett-on-broad-shoulders-20151119<\/a>)<\/p>\n

With this goal in mind, Taylor has created an admirable album with his own flair. It highlights many themes that are important to him through eloquent, skillful verses accompanied by strong organic backing tracks. It\u2019s likely that I never would have heard of this album if it wasn\u2019t for Chance, but in retrospect, I\u2019m glad this gifted rapper was given a jump start in the hip-hop community. It only goes to show how much talent there is out there, just waiting to be discovered.<\/p>\n

You can find Taylor Bennett’s SoundCloud, including\u00a0Broad Shoulders,\u00a0<\/em>here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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