Albums to watch

Oxymoron

Schoolboy Q

Oxymoron

Third album but first on a major label from the West Coast rapper includes collaborations from Kendrick Lamar, ASAP Rocky and Tyler, The Creator

ADM rating[?]

7.3

Label
Interscope
UK Release date
24/02/2014
US Release date
25/02/2014
  1. 9.1 |   Consequence Of Sound

    It deserves the term “rap opera” more than most “rock operas” deserve theirs. It’s something special, just like it was always planned to be
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  2. 8.5 |   The 405

    Make no mistake, Oxymoron is rather brilliant, and provides a perfect foundation to build upon in later releases. An exciting release from an exciting artist
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  3. 8.2 |   Billboard

    Cold cynicism comprises 99 percent of Q's worldview, and he's going to do his best to synthesize that gloom into barking anthems. But that one percent of romance still exists within Quincy Hanley's heart, and he wisely makes room for it on "Oxymoron"
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  4. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Unlike his previous efforts Oxymoron picks a brand of momentum and sticks to it, avoiding the peaks and surprises that have so often signified a ScHoolboy Q project
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  5. 8.0 |   The FT

    Boasts an ecumenical range of styles, from the gothic East Coast menace to the dirty south bounce
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  6. 8.0 |   FasterLouder

    Oxymoron is still a cracking album, and sure to sit near the top of the tree for hip-hop albums in 2014
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  7. 8.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Unflinching first-person dispatches from the front lines
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  8. 8.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    ScHoolboy Q pits image against reality and myth against misery, trying to make a space for himself among the densely tangled contradictions of existence
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  9. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    The real rumble is provided by Hanley’s keen eye for detail and his knack for turning his observations into distinctive verses
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  10. 8.0 |   Clash

    All killer, no filler – and despite some tracks here not quite translating to radio, in the album context nothing feels out of place
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  11. 7.8 |   Pitchfork

    Oxymoron is a victory in that Q’s sound has made the jump to the majors fully intact in an era where major label debuts often take a chop shop approach to assembly
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  12. 7.5 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    The height at which Oxymoron’s target is set is not very impressive, but the precision and showmanship with which it’s hit deserves commendation
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  13. 7.5 |   A.V. Club

    Like Lamar, he’s a big-ideas rapper with an ear for immaculate production and a rare sense of artistry, but unlike his prestigious pal, he’s an unrepentant deviant, a former Crip who plays the bad guy all too convincingly
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  14. 7.0 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    Oxymoron is so heavily riddled with great tracks, its only major flaw is that it sometimes tries too hard to make hits
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  15. 7.0 |   All Music

    This LP requires a surprising amount of patience, especially for an album with "featuring 2 Chainz" on its track list
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  16. 7.0 |   Spin

    Full of well-rapped and witty lyrics about doing dirtbaggy things over top-shelf, endlessly fascinating, forever-morphing beats
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  17. 7.0 |   No Ripcord

    It’s an album more to enjoy than analyse, with Q’s elastic voice and verbal gymnastics a sheer pleasure to listen to over an excellent production that's widely varied
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  18. 7.0 |   Fact

    While Oxymoron is never dull, thanks to Q’s indisputable skills as a rapper and beat selector, by its conclusion you’ll wish he’d given less of its runtime over to his gangsta persona and more to exploring his own identity
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  19. 6.0 |   The Quietus

    The problem is that for all the clever moments – and there are a notable number – the album drags too often
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  20. 6.0 |   State

    Oxymoron proves there’s life in the genre yet, and the latest gangsta rapper with his eye on the big prize gives way more than his 50 Cent’s worth
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  21. 6.0 |   The Music

    An impressive debut, and very much of its time
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  22. 6.0 |   The Guardian

    The production is usually fantastic, from the wall of elastic electronic noise conjured by Pharrell Williams on Los Awesome to the reggae-influenced bassline of single Collard Greens
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  23. 6.0 |   Slant Magazine

    In spite of how good it all sounds, there's a rehearsed quality to Oxymoron, the sense that the artist is checking boxes instead of just letting it rip
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Schoolboy Q: Oxymoron

  • Download full album for just £9.99
  • 1. Gangsta £0.99
  • 2. Los Awesome £0.99
  • 3. Collard Greens £0.99
  • 4. What They Want £0.99
  • 5. Hoover Street £0.99
  • 6. Studio £0.99
  • 7. Prescription/Oxymoron £0.99
  • 8. The Purge £0.99
  • 9. Blind Threats £0.99
  • 10. Hell Of A Night £0.99
  • 11. Break The Bank £0.99
  • 12. Man Of The Year £0.99
  • 13. His & Her Fiend £0.99
  • 14. Grooveline Pt. 2 £0.99
  • 15. Fuck LA £0.99
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