MUSIC REVIEW: @SchoolboyQ – Oxymoron

Schoolboy Q has made a name for himself. Albeit is enormous personality and no-holds-barred attitude, Schoolboy is well equipped with making engaging music. This was proven though his previous released mixtapes/albums. Now that he is dealing with major label money (and politics), he still had to work out some kinks for the bipolar mentality that would be Oxymoron. Still, he had to put the album out.

Eventually, he put the album out. After giving this album a few WEEKS to absorb into my system, I can safely say that the album is extremely dope. It just isn’t as good as it could have been.

The beauty of this album is that, after much added production, direction, redirection, and major label tinkering, it is still wholly Schoolboy Q. With tracks like “Prescription/Oxymoron” and the ever bumpin’ “Hoover Street”, you can just feel the inescapable street parables ooze from the speakers. The singles that have been presented (“Collard Greens”, “Break The Bank”, and “Man Of The Year”) all work for what they are worth. With the regular album being only 12 tracks long, there was little room for error. As expected, Schoolboy Q crafted a playlist that was musically precise and concise.

Yet, the problem with the album deals with “expectations” and “previously set standards”. Many have noted that the album “played it safe” and I would tend to agree. The music is on point (as always). However, he could have gone deeper within the theme of the album (the oxymoronic state of doing thug activities for the benefit of being a worthwhile father) and with the production. Oxymoron could have easily been classic with some production tweaks and tracks tackling the oxymoron that is Schoolboy Q.

Still, this album goes hard. So, we are back to this being a dope album.

At the end of the day, Schoolboy Q did this thing on here. However, he could have easily done more. Plenty of people will be satisfied with the approach of this album while others will be slightly disappointed. Whatever the case may be, Schoolboy Q has not come anywhere near falling off. Thus, it will remain to be seen if he either takes it up a notch, or stays on cruise control, for the next project.