#StiktothePoint on Charles Hamilton's "Hamilton, Charles"

In 2008, I accidentally stumbled upon a rapper who believed God was a woman, was in love with Sonic the Hedgehog and used blogging to promote himself before many people even thought about doing so. Most people would gloss over this but I decided to give the kid a listen. It would be a quick blip on the radar and I could move on to find other artists. That rapper's name was Charles Hamilton and for the last eight years, I have followed his career, From the amazing highs of his deal with Interscope and his XXL Freshmen cover to the discouraging lows of losing that deal and getting arrested, I feel like we have grown up together, albeit at a distance. He's overcome so much and continues to do so (which reminds me: check out the Charles Hamilton documentary. VERY powerful stuff). The one thing that I've waited for and I can only imagine it had to be something that weighed on his mind heavily, was his debut album. After 8 years of waiting, December 9th marked the debut retail album of Charles Hamilton and I for one left satisfied.

The opening track "Oh Well" sets off the record well as it has that vintage Charles Hamilton feel to it. His verses feel like he's just unloading everything that's been on his soul over the years. The production on the album is very polished. I will admit I missed CH and his ability to take many different random samples and create othewordly beats but that doesn't mean the beats on here aren't really good. Each song sounds clean and makes for a great listening experience whether through headphones or speakers.

There is a substantial portions of the album dedicated to societal issues such as police brutality and life as an African American in the United States. Charles isn't known for his conscious lyrics but it speaks to his ability as a writer/rapper to be able to rap about the world around him so easily. The rest of the album is vintage Charles Hamilton, telling his personal story through his lyrics and still giving us these fun records to jam too. "Only Christina Knows" is SUCH a good song, which should come as no surprise as I think CH makes some of the best songs about love in the business. Records like "MVP" and "Ugly Supermodel" are just so to run back over throughout the day.

I would have liked to see Charles Hamilton connect with some artists on this album. Over the years, he's shown interest in connecting with other artists and I thought maybe this album would be the perfect opportunity for it. But the roll out of this album by his label and management was head scratching so I wouldn't be shocked if they didn't put any effort in reaching out for potential collaborations, which is sad really.

Here's the thing: After years of waiting to give my money to a Charles Hamilton album, I can honestly say I was pleased with the outcome. From a personal standpoint this is all I ever wanted. I enjoy my lyrics and he definitely gave us that. There was a bit too much of a conscious feel for a Charles Hamilton album and I wish I could have gotten more anecdotal tracks but there is enough here to get consistent spins in the future.

Pros: Clean sound, powerful bars throughout, the entire Charles Hamilton redemption story

Cons: Missed out on potential collabs, I would have liked more story telling, missed out on letting Charles show off his production

3 Must Hear: Ugly Supermodel, Only Christina Knows, Stay There

#StiktothePoint