1/5 stars

Those familiar with Schoolboy Q are aware of the raw physicality in his lyricism, his aggressive beats, his role as a Top Dawg Entertainment signee and his signature bucket hat. But apart from hardcore hip-hop fans, Schoolboy Q is relatively unknown. He has only one radio hit and his music gravitates towards a particular crowd. As the second member of rap group Black Hippy to release a solo album, after Kendrick Lamar’s  “good kid, m.A.A.d. city,”  one can see why many would want to draw comparisons between the two artists.  Despite the pressure placed on Schoolboy Q, he certainly performs in his new album, “Oxymoron.”

Make no mistake — “Oxymoron” is no “good kid, m.A.A.d. city.” While both albums are autobiographical, “Oxymoron” articulately delves into the conflict between the pleasures and dangers of the gang-banging world. While Lamar uses his words to paint vivid and sensual reenactments of his life, Schoolboy Q rather plainly lays out both the ugly and beautiful aspects of his experiences. Nevertheless, his straightforwardness and somewhat blase attitude about his dangerous life resonate in the listener’s mind.

As a former gang member, Schoolboy Q gives actual insight into life as part of a California gang. His album opens with a line in the song “Gangsta” from his young daughter Joy as her sweet voice confidently says, “Hello? Hello? My daddy’s a Gangsta.”

The song immediately continues with Q’s brash, incessant voice, hypnotically chanting “Gangsta, Gangsta, Gangsta.” On the one hand, Schoolboy Q sees himself as a hardened man who is simply the product of his environment. On the other hand, his daughter is a consistent reminder of the man that he can and ultimately wants to be. This moment sets up the tone for the rest of the album as his daughter continuously interjects instrumental lines in his story.

“Los Awesomes,” “Hoover Street,” “The Purge” and “Grooveline Night” create a distinct manifesto of the life of a gang member. Each track has a powerful beat that drives the lyrics along.  In these songs, he seems to laud the reputation, sex and  power that being a gang member provides. However, in “Hoover Street,” he also gives an honest portrayal of the effects of this lifestyle. He tells the story of his drug-addicted uncle, his love for his grandmother and his loss of innocence when he was inducted into the gang world.

He states, “Gangbanging was a ritual and Grandma would help / She should’ve never left her gun on the shelf / This little piggy went to market / This little piggy carry chrome.”
The use of the popular nursery rhyme as a metaphor for his loss of innocence creates a jarring and unsettling image. While Q tends to have an ambivalent view on gangs as a whole, he does not question the negative effects of abusing drugs and alcohol. “Studio Nights” explores the consequences of using drugs in a sexual relationship. In “Prescription,” he offers a poignant recounting of his catastrophic fall into drugs and its effect on him and his daughter. Still, the most emotive part of maybe the whole album comes from his daughter.

At one point she says, “Daddy, Daddy? What’s wrong? You tired? You mad? Okay, I love you daddy.”

This soft voice heard over the hard beat and after Q’s rant about his inability to connect emotionally to his daughter’s pain creates a tragic and bone-chilling scene. No doubt, “Prescription” is his most effective attempt in the album to contrast his harsh persona with the love he has for his daughter.

Overall, this 17-track album does not appeal to a very wide audience. Except for “Collard Greens” and “Hell of a Night,” there are no clear songs on the album that would have radio appeal. However, he has a created a decent album that not only maintains the caliber of Black Hippy, but also puts an end to comparisons.