I’ve never been a fan of eating alone. I’ve always liked someone opposite me when I’m eating. That way I’m not just sitting behind a screen for about 20-30 minutes watching YouTube videos about Magic the Gathering or some video essay on the way rappers rhyme. I am also a firm believer that food is one of the best way to form or strengthen friendships. It brings people closer together. Those who know me from my Instagram know that I post what I like to call my “foodventures”, which are adventures to a restaurant in Miami I’ve never been to with a friend. I’d say about less than a handful of them feature me going alone, such as my first pilgrimage to Knausberry Farm. No one likes to go anywhere at 8 in the morning if they don’t have to, even if it means having some of the best food in town. Go figure. Luckily for today’s entry in Cafe Society, I had two buddies tag along.

The Story:

It was 12:30 in the afternoon. I was dead set on going to Ariete, a restaurant in Coconut Grove. I heard many things about it and even went to Chef/Owner Michael Beltran’s newest eatery, Chug’s. I got in my car, pulled out of my driveway, drove down 8th Street for at least thirty blocks before a friend of mine texted me saying Ariete doesn’t open until four. I may have saved a couple of bucks because they weren’t open, but that left me wondering where to go. I pull into an empty parking lot, pull up Google Maps on my phone and check out every restaurant I have saved under “Want To Go” or “Loved”. I’m not above driving far distances for a good plate of food. I looked at what was in the Biscayne area: Pinch Kitchen, Dogma Grill, Blue Collar, Moshi Moshi, Jimmy’s Eastside Diner, and- oh? Cream Parlor. It had been in my mind recently. Perhaps Pinch Kitchen for lunch and a scoop of ice cream afterwards at Cream Parlor? I then remembered my friends Aislinn and Karol went there for a bite to eat a few days prior. From the footage she put on her Instagram story, it looked really cute inside, and the ice cream looked even better. Karol even told me they served savory food in addition to the ice cream. That was it. No need to drive anywhere else. I’ll have my lunch and ice cream from the same place. I approached the Palmetto Expressway and drove for about ten seconds before I decided to make a detour and fill up on gas. The drive was going to be long, the traffic coming back was going to be longer, and my tank needed it.

I call up my buddy, Gio, to see if he’d want to join me. He’s not the type of person who spends more than fifteen dollars at most for a meal, but I’m sure he’d be down for some ice cream. He was, surprisingly, and I made my way to his house. He asked for a moment to take a shower before we left, which I had no qualms with. While alone in his living room, I got a call from my buddy, Garvin, who also wanted a bite to eat and offered to drive both of us. More company, to me, was always a good thing. I asked Gio if it’s okay that he joined us since they don’t know each other. He gave me the all-clear and we were off. By the time we were on our way, it was already 2 and we had a thirty eight minute drive ahead. This led to a conversation between Gio and Garvin that I can only describe as “lewd”, as most topics of conversation with Garvin inevitably become. While they spoke, my mind raced around what kinds of ice cream they’d have.

Driving down Biscayne Boulevard is always chaos. Everyone is fast at all times and no one stops for anyone. When we found where Cream Parlor was, we already passed it. We quickly turned right and parked in a lot across the street. Though, to be fair, a sign that signaled we’d be towed was nowhere to be found. I’m sure it was fine. We crossed the street, walked past the barber shop next door, and make our way inside. If I thought what I saw in Aislinn’s story was cute, seeing it in-person was something else.
Stepping into Cream Parlor for the first time is experience in of itself. The walls are mounted with all kinds of ornate teacups and their respective plates. Some of the tea cups were glued onto the plates, others were glued without them. You couldn’t find more porcelain in an antique shop and to begin to describe each one would be insanity. So many colors, so many shapes, so many designs, my mind was filled with questions. Where did they come from? Were they donated? Were they all bought by the same person? Did she own them all prior to opening this fascinating place? I wish I knew the answers, but I liked not knowing.
Above all the coffee equipment were the menus written on blackboards; all housed in pretty wooden framework painted in metallic colors like bronze or gold. The water dispenser had a tag that hung around the top and read “City Juice”. Next to a few of the tables were large mirrors mounted to the wall. I’m sure they greeted many people before me. All of the tables were ordained with an odd lamp; the one that Gio and Garvin sat at had one with the top half of a gumball dispenser filled with (what I can assume because they didn’t look old) not-expired gumballs. Some of the chairs had interesting seat cushions. One of them was of a pin-up model in a tight leather police uniform.
Look to your left, adjacent to the counter, and there’s a record player with records to play on. Most of them were good, too. Dreamboat Annie by Heart, Business as Usual by Men At Work, Led Zeppelin II and III and Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin, Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity by The Police, Thriller by Michael Jackson, 1999 by Prince, the selection was excellent. The condition was questionable, but the selection was, indeed, excellent. It made me feel like they wanted people to play the records instead of having a selection of bargain bin garbage they found at someone’s garage sale. (Yeah, I know you can strike gold at some of those. I can hear you through the computer screen.)
The most notable aspect of this restaurant, by far, were the sheer amount of trinkets and toys that encompass you. Close your eyes, spin around, open them again and you’ll find something new you didn’t notice before. When I reached the counter, there was a name display that read “Girl Boss”. Just before the coffee equipment hung a kitchen pan with a display on the cooking surface that advertised their homemade cold brew coffee; a Thor action figure stood on one side of the base. Look toward the ceiling and you’ll see things like an LP of Ernie’s Hits from Sesame Street or a picture of Cure lead singer Robert Smith drawn in the likeness of the X-Men’s Nightcrawler. Look elsewhere, you’ll see an Ontario license plate, a chromed out statuette of a camera, and a plushie of cereal icon Frankenberry. Though, of all the trinkets, there was one consistency among quite a few of them: Prince. Yes, Prince Rodger Nelson. That Prince, whose name was also legally an unpronounceable symbol you can type in Unicode as “Ƭ̵̬̊”. There’s the original first press of Purple Rain on vinyl. There’s the tiny framed little picture of Prince that’s near the counter. There’s a stuffed Prince doll mounted on a wall. Oh, and there’s the ice cream flavor Purple Rain, but we’ll get to that in a little bit.

After marveling at the interior of the space, I get the attention of the one person who wasn’t letting Garvin and Gio try every flavor of ice cream they had available. I told her this place was magical, that it felt like I walked into a child’s room, and I hadn’t even eaten yet because I was enamored by every nook and cranny of it. I’ll probably visit five times and see things I didn’t see the previous four. She said this was her hang-out spot before she started working there. She also said the best way to describe the interior was that everything I saw was an extension of the person who owns the place. Those words rang in my head for my entire meal. “Who owns this place?” That’s all I thought for about half an hour.
I asked her what she recommended and she responded with the Cream Cuban. I told her, being Cuban, that I was quite picky about my Cuban sandwiches. My favorite is done at Sarussi, a Cuban landmark here in Miami. It’s hard to top them. She said that it’s simply their take on a Cuban and it sells well among their sandwiches. After some deliberation to myself, I was sold. She also said that if I loved the place so much, that I had to go to the outside patio. By the time I run it by Gio and Garvin, they were both going off on their respective plates of ice cream. I couldn’t tell you what Gio had, but Garvin… He created this monstrosity of a sundae with an indistinguishable amount of flavors; topped off with whoppers and Swedish Fish. The absolute madman. They both declined to sit outside given how hot and humid it was, which was fair because Florida. My food was served to me and I decided to sit at the outside patio without them.

I walked outside and continued to be amazed by this place. It looked like I stepped into the wardrobe and into Narnia. The outside patio, surrounded by wooden planks and thin bamboo chutes, had tables lined along one side of the wall. Some of them draped with their own vintage tablecloths. A section of the wall next to the door I came from had an elaborately framed vintage mirror . The wall straight ahead of me had five vibrant colored cushions on a more elevated portion of the floor. Above my head were paper lanterns of assorted colors hung up via wires that crossed all over the area. Above the lanterns are a bunch of different colored and patterned bed sheets and/or curtains that make up an awning. Garvin and Gio were worried about the sun being uncomfortable, but this place has every possible inconvenience covered. I was also, in the end, all alone to myself, which I guess kind of defeated the purpose of them coming in the first place.

The first I noticed when I placed the Cream Cuban in front of me was the bread. It’s on sandwich bread, unlike the traditional Cuban Sandwich that uses Cuban bread. On appearance, it appeared to be a comfort food-inspired take on the classic. The next thing I noticed was the shape of the sandwich; the two halves make up a heart. A cute touch. I pulled it apart to examine the cross-section; thinly sliced pickles, mayo, yellow mustard, Swiss cheese, ham, and pork. Not a single trace of salami to be found. I took my first bite and, man, it was delicious. Everything was even and I didn’t get too much of one note. A lot of joints tend to overdo one aspect of the sandwich. Sometimes it’s too much cheese, sometimes it’s way too much mayo, sometimes the bread is so goddamn crispy that the entire sandwich fades away like the snap of Thanos’ fingers. The flavor of the ham and the pork were rich and tasty, the pickles were crisp and slightly vinegary, and the flavor of the mustard had a subtle lingering tang at the end. The flavor of the bread was probably my favorite part. It was toasted well, it had a great flavor, and it paired great with the mayonnaise. If I had to nitpick anything, it’d be when I am on the last two bites of each half of the sandwich and it begins to fall apart. Again, those are on the last one or two bites of the sandwich. Not much of a negative at all. The Cream Cuban is a damn good Cuban sandwich and an overall pleasant plate of food overall.

I bus my own table and go back inside. I then see the figure of a tall blonde woman with a Southern accent speaking to Gio and Garvin. I couldn’t give you exact details, but I wanna say she was wearing a red flannel shirt that day. Being the only pair of footsteps walking toward them, she looks at me and asks “Is he part of your party? Did you guys all come here together?” Garvin then goes “Yes! This is Julian! I’m his chauffeur for the evening.” I wanted to knock the shit out of him with the closest knick-knack I could get a hold of. She then asked me what I ended up eating. When I told her I had the Cream Cuban, she said, “Oh, honey, wasn’t it delicious? I always thought I could take that sandwich to a competition because it’s so good. Did you like it?”
“Yeah, I loved it! I mean, shoot, I’ll be honest with you: I bet it’d do well, too.”, I said.
“Thank you! That makes me so happy to hear, darling. Did you wanna try some ice cream now that you finished eating? I know your friends got a head start.”
It was in this moment, it clicked for me. I didn’t need an introduction. I knew she was the owner. She was cheery, she was vibrant, her outfit was youthful, and she took credit for the sandwich I just finished eating. She matched the atmosphere of the restaurant with her presence alone. I’m sure she’d give me her name eventually, but for now, I wanted to finally try the ice cream. It was what I came all this way for.
She introduced herself to me and said her name was Ainsley. She then went over to the other side of the counter and the first thing she asks me before I chose a flavor was “Tell me, honey, do you like Prince?” She handed me a sample spoon of the Purple Rain, a raspberry ice cream filled with raspberry-filled chocolate cups. The notes of raspberry were strong but not too strong due to the creaminess of the ice cream itself, and the dark chocolate cups were an excellent texture. I loved it. She then told me to try the Truffle Kerfluffle, which she described as the yin to Purple Rain’s yang. (Not to be confused with the flavor of the same name offered by Ben and Jerry’s, which has completely different ingredients) It is a vanilla bean ice cream that was swirled with dark raspberry and chocolate truffle filled cups. This one tickled my fancy a little more because it isn’t as overt in its raspberry flavor, and y’know what? It was even better than the Purple Rain. If anything, it’s even more raspberry forward due to the presence of actual raspberries in the ice cream instead of being a raspberry ice cream. I also tried her take on pumpkin ice cream and I swear on every fiber of my bones it tasted like pumpkin pie. Not straight pumpkin. Pumpkin pie. I also tried her chocolate ice cream, which was more on the softer side but still very rich and even fudgey. Any sample she let me try was delicious. Nothing was just okay. On top of that, this woman was an absolute joy to be around and talk to. She is caring and attentive and puts a lot of love into what she does. She even complimented my DIY dip-dyed Chuck Taylors. I’m sure she can brighten anyone’s day with purple no matter how blue they feel. I ended up going with a half scoop of the Purple Rain and the Truffle Kerfluffle. It was a no-brainer.
After I finished my ice cream, Ainsley said she was leaving to have a nice evening with her son. She thanked us for coming, wanted to see us back, and hoped we had a wonderful time. I walked up to the counter to pay and told the woman at the register that she was a sweetheart. She said, without hesitating, that Ainsley is the best person ever and an awesome boss. You don’t hear that a lot with that kind of enthusiasm. That warmed my heart. With that, I paid for my tab and thanked everyone present for my meal.

I could tell she put a lot of work into Cream Parlor. Every detail adds up. It makes it so unique. I would even say that Ainsley was such a presence before I met her and after she left. She couldn’t have been there for more than fourty minutes, but still, I was humbled.

Cream Parlor is a must go. It’s worth the drive. Everything I had was delicious. I wish I could bring everyone I could here. More than anything, the service was as enjoyable as the ice cream itself. If you find yourself with a day off, going to Cream Parlor is one of the best ideas you can make.

The Pairing:

It would be a huge disservice if I didn’t pair Cream Parlor with a Prince album. Cream Parlor’s owner, Ainsley Sheppard, is one of the biggest Prince fans I’ve ever met. There is all sorts of Prince memorabilia around the restaurant and even a Purple Rain ice cream flavor. The real question is which one? An album as vibrant as the store and it’s number one fan. I want to say Purple Rain, but my heart points to an album that people underrate very often. Moreso than 1999, my personal favorite of his. No, if I had to pick one album to pair with this restaurant that’s as vibrant in his performances and production as Cream Parlor’s entire vibe, it’d be Controversy. Prince’s vocal work here oozes desire, thrives off your attention, and dares to test your limits. Its sexual appetite is gripping. “Private Joy”, “Let’s Work”, “Do Me, Baby”, “Sexuality”, the title track, it’s criminal how often this album goes under people’s radar. I say: no more. Controversy is one of Prince’s best and it, like most of his 80s material demands your attention. Whichever song you fall in love with, make sure it’s played loud and up the Turnpike North to Cream Parlor.

The Review:

Noname, Saba, and Smino lead the pack in quality hip hop coming out of Chicago. No, I didn’t say Chance the Rapper, thank you for noticing.

They’re some of the most talented emcees of the last couple of years. Noname’s debut mixtape, Telefone, was an excellent showcase of her talents as a rapper, and her debut album, Room 25, only saw her improve moreso in beat selection, flows, and metaphors alike. After a pair of mixtapes that flew under the radar, Saba released his debut album in 2016, Bucket List Project, to modest reviews. A solid effort that saw him deliver competent performances over some unremarkable production. Though, his sophomore album, 2018’s Care For Me, was one of my favorite albums of that year. It was vulnerable, raw, depressing, and honest; many of the project’s ten tracks tell the story of his late-cousin and former Pivot Gang collaborator Walter Long (aka John Walt). A pair of mixtapes and an EP later, Smino put out his debut, blkswn, in March of 2017. Of the three, Smino is the most melodic far and away. The album’s instrumentals weren’t very memorable, but the biggest takeaways were the performances from Smino and his guests (which included Chicago native Ravyn Lenae). 2018 saw Smino putting out his sophomore project, NØIR. It is a clear improvement on blkswn, but the rapper is still trying to find that sweet spot. He inches closer; the singles were strong, the production more interesting and not nearly as quiet, and his performances were on par, if not better than those off blkswn.
The two songs that see the three of them come together are some of the best songs (if not the best) on their respective records: “Shadow Man” off of Noname’s Telefone, and “Ace” off of Noname’s Room 25. All three of them bring the best out of each other, delivering excellent verses, showing off their amazing chemistry, and having fun. Hearing them on “Shadow Man” is like that line in Step Brothers. They’re all rapping together and, all of a sudden, it clicks in each of their heads: “Did we just become best friends?”
For fans of these rappers, this was a long time coming. I’m sure if you talked to anyone about those tracks last year when Room 25 was fresh off its release, someone would say it. “‘Shadow Man’ is fire, this new song ‘Ace’ is fire… When the fuck are they gonna do an album together?” Ladies and gentlemen, Ghetto Sage answers that burning question.

A teaser for what’s to come, “Häagan Dazs” is the first song from the trio’s upcoming album. Comparatively to the other two songs they’ve made together, this song is okay. They’ve set a high bar for themselves. It’s not as catchy as “Shadow Man” or “Ace”, the instrumental isn’t as layered or ornate, and there aren’t as many quotables or takeaways. On its own without any context, it’s still a good song. Smino referencing The Roots and their emcee, Black Thought, is welcome in this catchy hook. “I get the bag like the Roots/Black out all my thoughts, request the love, revenge the youth.” It, along with the the beat, sets the tone of this fast pace rap banger. It demands to be played loud.

The chemistry is there, but they’re not trading bars or anything. When Smino finishes his hook and passes the baton to Saba, it’s seamless. When he passes it to Noname, she picks it up with ease. The only notable aspect of the track I can nitpick is that it does take a little bit for her flow to find some footing in the beat. However, when she does, which doesn’t take long at all, she’s skating to the groove.

Some lines stick out, but none more than Noname. Smino’s hook is the best part of his performance on this track, and him and Saba both have a good flow; but man, they’re are going to have to try a little harder if they’re rapping with Noname. The way she puts an image in the listener’s head and adds onto it. With so little, she leaves a lot to the imagination:

“Grateful for my everything, his body’s a casket/
The lining cherry wood/
The pussy turned him ashes to ashes”

Sometimes, though, she can be cheeky:

“I’m sucking dick cause black lives matter”

“I scatter roses on my metaphor, ’cause the world shot Nipsey/
When a girl got tipsy I went to Ben and Jerry/
Got my berry on”

“Häagan Dazs” is an enjoyable song while we wait for the album that follows. It’s not bad by any means. The three of them do what they do best: rap alongside each other. Smino’s hook was a nice touch, Saba had the slickest flow, and Noname had the best verse hands down. The instrumental is just okay, but I’m also not going to expect something so grandiose like “Shadow Man” from every track. It does what it needs to do for them to shine, and shine they do. I’m excited for the rest of the album. Hopefully, an announcement with a release date comes soon enough.

The Pairing:

Seeing that picture of them with the caption “Ghetto Sage” put the biggest grin on my face. I couldn’t handle the excitement. It was a treat to finally see their talents collide again and promise us that a record is coming soon. Such a treat that I would pair this single with a Matcha Chocolate Chip Cookie from specialTEA Café & Lounge.

Smino lays down the foundation of the song in its hook, the same way the cookie itself is the foundation of its adjunct ingredients. Saba maneuvers the song with the quickness; his sharp, acrobatic flow matching the tempo of the song. Just like chocolate, his appearance hits that sweet spot. Noname’s verse finds her in her element. It’s teeming with personality. She’s forward, poetic, and charming; in a similar vein to matcha’s earthy flavor. When the three come together, a unique experience forms. Ghetto Sage in their music and specialTEA’s Matcha Chocolate Chip Cookie in its flavor. Adding matcha to a chocolate chip cookie isn’t 100% revolutionary, but they’re ingredients that always knew they could do great things together.

The Review:

Daniel Sewell, also known as Detroit rapper Danny Brown, has released his fifth project, titled uknowhatimsayin¿ From November 2017 to April 2019, he was pretty tight-lipped about details. The only thing he mentioned was that it was “being produced by one producer, who’s legendary in hip-hop. And it’s gonna be a big deal.” This kept fans guessing for many months until further information came out. I, myself, threw around the idea of someone like The Alchemist or No-ID or DJ Premier being behind the boards. On April 30th 2019, Brown announced that the person in-question that would go on to executive produce his album was none other than Q-Tip of the legendary hip hop collective A Tribe Called Quest. On September 5th, he released the single “Dirty Laundry” alongside its accompanying music video, the title of the record, and announced an October 4th release date less than a month away. A week and a half later, he put out another single, “Best Life”, and revealed the cover art.

His previous album, Atrocity Exhibition, was an absurdist full-frontal assault on how far he can take a sample. It is a unique experience from top to bottom, one of the most forward thinking hip hop albums of the past decade, and one of the best albums to come out of 2017. Songs like “Ain’t It Funny”, “Downward Spiral”, “Lost”, and “Golddust” would push the boundaries of his vocal tones, his flows, and distort the reality between his rapper persona and the person behind the mic. Despite the accolades the album accumulated, Danny went on to claim the album didn’t make any money, quoted in a since-deleted tweet as saying “Never spend $70k on samples for an album no one buys.” Fast forward two years later, uknowhatimsayin¿ probably isn’t going to crack the Billboard charts either, but those who desire a laid-back hip hop album that isn’t afraid to experiment and provide hard hitting instrumentals need not look further.

Easily one of the best hip hop albums of the year and true to his zany brand of hip hop, uknowhatimsayin¿ is one of the oddest and most interesting forays in Danny Brown’s discography. From his beat selection, to the production, to his performances and delivery with every track, to his guests, to the quotables, there is little that is lacking across these 11 tracks. If Atrocity Exhibition’s sound is absurd and cacophonous, uknowhatimsayin¿’s sound is hypnagogic and psychoactive. Some beats shake your body, some beats tickle your soul, some beats take you to a parallel universe where Danny is Mister Rodgers and you’re already his neighbor…

Danny Brown doesn’t pick beats lightly. The production throughout his albums is adventurous. It varies in tempo and fits the energy of the record and his persona. Some songs see Danny as a drug-addled sexually-driven party animal; some see him more introspective and unafraid to be emotional. It is because of this that Danny has garnered a reputation of rapping over just about anything, even if it doesn’t sound like hip-hop. The production on uknowhatimsayin¿ is jazzy, surreal, trippy, hard hitting, sometimes funky and/or groovy, but I want to focus on ‘surreal and trippy’. This whole album feels like I’m a guest on a variety show in Danny’s dreams. It’s full of colors and his friends pop up every once in a while, but, for the most part, it’s Danny calling the shots.
“Theme Song” couldn’t be any more fitting. It’s eerie, there’s someone whispering, and the subtle A$AP Ferg sample will haunt you long after it finishes playing. “Dirty Laundry”, produced by Q-Tip, is 8-Bit psychedelia; robotic kazoos provide the track its melody while a wah-pedalled bass guitar loops every measure. “3 Tearz” sounds like the kind of weird banger Danny and Run the Jewels would rap on. Thump thump, thump thump, thump thump. The way the bass line follows the snares, the warped slide guitar sample, the glitchy sound effects layered on top of the drums, it shows just how inventive using a heartbeat to frame a hip hop instrumental is. It is hands down one of the best beats on the entire album and displays JPEGMAFIA as one of hip hop’s rising producers. However, to put a spotlight on just how creative the production on this album can get, let’s look at “Belly of the Beast”. It begins with an off-kilter violin sample on top of a 4/4 drum pattern with some subtle reverb, but then the actual beat kicks in… No, seriously, it’s just kicks. In a similar fashion as “3 Tearz”, “Belly of the Beast” also uses a heartbeat for its percussion with two kicks in rapid succession. If that wasn’t enough, a very creepy chant appears in every measure during Danny’s verses. The sole switch-up on the whole album occurs in the end of the song as he finishes up his second verse: as the beat thump thumps, it then changes to this strange descending synth as if the beast itself approaches. And this is only the first of a few left turns in the album’s production that make for great surprises. Aside from “Belly of the Beast”, there’s the jazzy drum solo at the end of “Savage Nomad” and the way Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes creeps in with his singing on “Shine”. Even if it’s not as experimental as Atrocity Exhibition, the production on uknowhatimsayin¿ gives Danny more than enough space to be back on his bullshit.

Danny Brown is a true showman. He uses his voice in such a way where he doesn’t need an audience in front of him to perform, which has been a big part of his act since the Detroit State of Mind mixtapes. Given Atrocity Exhibition was so intense all-around, uknowhatimsayin¿ is, naturally, a more laid back record. Though, that doesn’t mean his performances here are in short supply.
His flows on this album are familiar, but still true to his sound. They’re nothing a seasoned fan hasn’t heard before, with perhaps “3 Tearz” being the most unique considering the way he raps and changes his vocal inflection over those heartbeat drums. However, he always provides a steady stream of quotables. His sense of humor follows him from album to album. It’s something you expect, but when it shows up, it catches you off-guard:

“Your bitch like a leech on my scrotum” (Belly of the Beast)

“N***a, this the theme song for bitch-ass n****s
Got a little richer, now their head all bigger” (Theme Song)

“The way she slurp slurp, she’s the quicker picker upper” (Dirty Laundry)

“Fuck a stripper for some change, actual change
dimes, penny, nickels, actual change” (Dirty Laundry)

“I’m just trying to hear a beat like a stethoscope” (3 Tearz)

“Hoes on my dick cause I look like Roy Orbison” (Belly of the Beast)

“Back up in this bitch like I just fucked my ex ho” (Savage Nomad)

“It’s the microphone magician, make the rappers disappear” (Negro Spiritual)

“If it smell like syrup, you gon’ get this work
but if it smell like perch, gotta disperse” (Belly of the Beast)

“Henny got me wetter than whale piss” (Combat)

I am positive, at the very least, one of these stuck out on the first listen. If it isn’t the string of lines that narrate his escapade with a stripper for the change in his pocket, it will be one of his wacky quips on songs like “Combat” or “Negro Spiritual”. Perhaps a completely different pair of lines on “Savage Nomad” or “Theme Song” or “Change Up” will call to you. There’s always enough Danny to go around.

In addition to executive producer Q-Tip, there are other collaborators present on uknowhatimsayin¿. Flying Lotus produces the track “Negro Spiritual”, which, when Danny begins to rap, sounds like what it must feel to hit the ground running. Thundercat’s groovy and fast paced bass provides the main melody of the track, and just as you are introduced to the beat, Danny demolishes his performance. JPEGMAFIA, who also produced “3 Tearz”, appears as hook support and evenly breaks up the intensity Danny adds rather than give it a hook. Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes appears on “Shine” to supply a funky, fuzzy performance on the hook, which is a pleasant surprise to what initially begins as a rather empty instrumental by Danny Brown standards.
The only featured guest rap verses on the entire album are from El-P and Killer Mike of Run the Jewels. If you’re familiar with the duo’s music, their verses are almost scary consistent in terms of quality. Their energy and chemistry is unparalleled by other duos in hip hop. They’re funny, bombastic, sharp, confrontational, and witty. On “3 Tearz”, however, they both deliver a merely solid performance. The energy is still present, their chemistry is not anything notable, but the verses here lacked the oomph factor that verses on their own records do. Sometimes, a quotable line comes through here and there: “Danny is dangerous, Run the Jewels is chaos in arrangements/Shit’ll give your fuckface a facelift” and “True DOOM eat up the crew like MM…Food” from El-P. “That’s goddamn right, I’m goddamn Mike, win in the end like Tina did goddamn Ike” and “I got an Einstein mind and I still tote irons” from Killer Mike. Mike and El set the bar so high for themselves with their past work that anything below their best is average. Nonetheless, their performance is entertaining.
The biggest surprise of the album comes in the form of a feature from Q-Tip and Tribe-affiliate Consequence trading bars, as their names are not listed as featured artists. Their verse brings the album full circle. Not only does Tip lends Danny his talents, he also lends his legacy as hip hop royalty to one of the genre’s most game changing veterans. A sweet surprise for fans who thought 2016’s Thank You 4 Your Service, We Got It From Here was the last we’d hear from A Tribe Called Quest.

Danny Brown has been pushing the extremes of what hip hop is for the better part of the decade since his sophomore record, 2011’s XXX. On uknowhatimsayin¿, it seems that he’s okay with not taking much risk, as the few risks he does takes on this album yield great reward. More laid back than its predecessor, it’s still one of the most hard hitting and creative hip hop albums of the year. Even if it won’t win over new fans, Brown’s performance and personality, as it always has and always will, make uknowhatimsayin¿ such a satisfying listen.

8.5/10

Listen to uknowhatimsayin¿ on Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play.

The Pairing:

Danny Brown reps Detroit like it’s everyone’s business and rightfully so. They’re home to some pretty incredible food. Food that is, unfortunately, just not gonna be found here in Miami. Detroit-style pizza (it’s all about the crust), Boston Coolers (a vanilla ice cream float with a local brand of ginger ale), the Big Boy (the Big Mac was not the first to put another bun in the middle), and Asian Corned Beef (that one deserves a Google search). However, one of the biggest foods celebrated in Detroit is the Coney Dog. Yes, the Coney Dog hails from Coney Island, but some contest that Detroit reps the famous hot dog way harder. While I can’t fly you all the way to Detroit to have one, I know a place here in Miami that makes a mean one. For this week, I’ll be pairing Danny Brown’s uknowhatimsayin¿ with Dogma Grill‘s take on the Coney Island, also known as the Coney Dog.
Dogma Grill is a ways away from Mainland Miami at 7030 Biscayne Blvd, but let me make my argument before you tell me about the traffic it’ll take to get there. They have hot dogs of all kinds, the option to sub it for any of their other sausages, and if you’re not up for a dog of any kind, they have burgers and cheesesteaks. Their Coney Dog, however, keeps it simple; a tasty beef frank with spicy brown mustard and sauerkraut atop a long bun that’s cut down the middle. Their sauerkraut is a little more vinegary than others, but that’s a-okay. Some people like it that way. Danny Brown is a bit of a freak and at $4.25 a dog… Guess who I seen at Dogma Grill next morning?

Dogma Grill is located on 7030 Biscayne Blvd Miami, FL 33138. Check out their menu here.

My name is Julian Balboa. For months, I was hunting for a good name for my blog. If you’re thinking of starting yours, good names don’t materialize out of thin air very often. The trick is to make sure that they sound natural and, of course, relate to what you wanna do with the blog.

With Taste Notes of Miami, I wanted to combine my passions for music criticism, food, and beer into one. Thus, there are three main columns that specialize in different areas.

What’s Cookin’: With each passing release, I will pen a music review with my honest thoughts as I would review any album, but I will also pair it with a dish that I feel parallels the experience of listening to said album. These will be posted every Monday and Friday as a way for me to stay up to date with every passing release.

For example, To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar is a very focused blend of sounds and ideas that take from a variety of influences with an exceptionally strong maestro bringing it all together. Bebop jazz, hip hop, funk, spoken word, all of this comes alive within the album’s 78 minute runtime. Much like this, Finka Table & Tap’s Cuban Bibimbap is a wonderful blend of Cuban and Korean cuisines. A fairly simple plate that captures the many complex flavors of both countries’ food cultures. Rice, black beans, vaca frita, kimchi, carrots, zucchini, bean sprouts, maduros, and a fried egg on top of it all. Cuba and South Korea both incorporate rice in quite a bit of their dishes as a base to build around. Without going into the history of each part of the dish, a lot of the traditions Cuban and Korean cuisine share come together in a fascinating fashion. A fried egg will often accompany dishes from both countries, just as a meat will always balance out the rice. Growing up Cuban, I can testify that fried eggs were always an option offered with every plate of food leaving my grandmother’s kitchen. Just as the different genres of music bring out something new from each other when worked into the songs of To Pimp a Butterfly, the Cuban ingredients that are fused into the very Korean dish of Bibimbap bring a new angle to fans of both styles of cuisine. Feel free to blast “Institutionalized” as you take your first bite, and time it well when the beat drops.

Cafe Society: Just as I would review albums and pair them with a plate of food from a Miami restaurant, I will also review restaurants around the city and pair them with albums that I feel parallel the experience of dining there. From the location, to the ambiance, to the service, to the presentation, to the food itself (all three courses), all will be scrutinized. Hopefully, I won’t feel I have to pair a restaurant with Total Xanarchy. I’ll be adding these every Wednesday.

One Beer: The same will be applied to local beers from all the breweries in town. The Tank Brewing Co., Biscayne Bay Brewing, J Wakefield Brewing, MIA Beer Company, Lincoln’s Beard Brewing Co., Wynwood Brewing Company, Beat Culture Brewing, Concrete Beach Brewing, Veza Sur Brewing Co., Nightlife Brewing, Spanish Marie Brewery, Bouza Brewing, Tripping Animals Brewing Co, and any other breweries that open. These will be posted monthly on the last Sunday of every month.

Taste Notes of Miami will bridge the gap between music and food/beverages, but moreso, will put a spotlight on Miami’s food scene. It’s absolutely wonderful and not enough people give enough credit to the truly special places that exist within a 25 mile radius of their homes. There is always good food to be had. There’s a restaurant that serves Israeli breakfast. Hell, there’s even an Uzbeki restaurant here. The city is large, yes, but Miami’s palette is even more vast.

Taste notes are in everything. They are picked out from everything that makes up what you enjoy. It becomes your criteria of enjoyment. Certain taste notes are not palatable to you, but they are to me. In your food, taste notes are key to your enjoyment of a dish. Is it too sweet, smokey, bitter, spicy, sour, etc. In music, the way the notes are arranged in a song are crucial to whether it fits your taste or not. Is it too fast, slow, simple, complex, heady, pedantic… Is it just not your style? That’s okay, too. Nothing in the world of food and art is objective.

If you compare your taste notes to someone else’s, they will always be different.