Music News
Pay3God Releases Visual For His Breakout Single “Direction”
The New York drill sub-genre has easily been a highlight of 2020. Artists such as Fivio Foreign, Sheff G, and Sleepy Hallow, among countless others have really blown up this year using this sound. The next drill rapper coming out of NYC is Pay3God.
“Direction” is the New York MC’s biggest track to date, and earned him appearances on Elevator Mag, Hip-Hop Weekly, and now Dead Presidents. The track is self-produced, which displays that the drill rapper is also a dual-threat. The visuals are directed by Roberto Perez. Pay3God is seen rolling around the city in foreign cars, posted up in mansions, and flaunting his bust down jewelry. “Direction” is out now on all streaming platforms, and the music video is out now on YouTube.
“Direction” is the New York MC’s biggest track to date, and earned him appearances on Elevator Mag, Hip-Hop Weekly, and now Dead Presidents. The track is self-produced, which displays that the drill rapper is also a dual-threat. The visuals are directed by Roberto Perez. Pay3God is seen rolling around the city in foreign cars, posted up in mansions, and flaunting his bust down jewelry. “Direction” is out now on all streaming platforms, and the music video is out now on YouTube.
21 Savage & Metro Boomin Release One of the Best Albums of the Year in Savage Mode 2
It’s been four years since the first Savage Mode. An album that catapulted 21 Savage’s career to the mainstream audience. It included standout tracks like “No Heart” & “X” featuring Future, that highlighted a nine track EP. Staying relevant over four years in today’s hip-hop scene is difficult to do, however both Metro Boomin & 21 Savage have not only maintained prominence, they’ve exceeded most people’s expectations. 21 has a GRAMMY, if you said you predicted that back in ‘16, you’re a liar. As for Metro, he has been one of the most consistent beatmakers of the past decade, and he took nearly two years off.
Savage Mode 2 has been one of the highest anticipated projects of the year. There’s a clear reason behind this. 21 Savage is one of the most authentic mainstream rappers the game has seen in recent memory. His authenticity is the main reason why his fan base has only grown these last four years. This marks the return of both 21 Savage & Metro Boomin who have both been fairly silent these past two years when it came to releasing new music.
Savage Mode 2 has been one of the highest anticipated projects of the year. There’s a clear reason behind this. 21 Savage is one of the most authentic mainstream rappers the game has seen in recent memory. His authenticity is the main reason why his fan base has only grown these last four years. This marks the return of both 21 Savage & Metro Boomin who have both been fairly silent these past two years when it came to releasing new music.
When the official announcement that the sequel was on the way, the slaughter gang fans couldn’t wait. The album’s rollout might be one of the best the game has seen this year. The Morgan Freeman-narrated trailer for the album, the affordable album merchandise, and the release of the cover that’s reminiscent of 2000s Juvenile. This album was destined for success before a lyric was even heard.
Savage Mode 2 is 15-tracks long, and it didn’t have any lead singles released prior. 44 minutes of never before heard 21 Savage lyrics on Metro Boomin instrumentals is nothing to complain about. The album starts off with Morgan Freeman “talking that real sh*t” on “Intro”. Freeman narrates throughout the entirety of the album, which really adds an iconic element that we didn’t know we needed. Hearing an 83-year old man talk about street terms is legendary enough, but one of the greatest narrators ever saying “a rat is a fucking rat, period”, is a highlight of 2020.
Savage Mode 2 is 15-tracks long, and it didn’t have any lead singles released prior. 44 minutes of never before heard 21 Savage lyrics on Metro Boomin instrumentals is nothing to complain about. The album starts off with Morgan Freeman “talking that real sh*t” on “Intro”. Freeman narrates throughout the entirety of the album, which really adds an iconic element that we didn’t know we needed. Hearing an 83-year old man talk about street terms is legendary enough, but one of the greatest narrators ever saying “a rat is a fucking rat, period”, is a highlight of 2020.
“Runnin” sets the tone perfectly. Metro samples Diana Ross’ “I Thought It Took a Little Time” to perfection. That track transitions seamlessly into “Glock in My Lap”, and it’s like that for most of the album. You can’t listen to this album on shuffle to enjoy the complete listening experience. “Mr. Right Now” features Drake. A feature from Toronto’s wonder boy immediately boosts the amount of listeners for your project, this isn’t news. However a line like “‘cause I used to date SZA back in '08” will guarantee a song to go viral, almost immediately, which it did.
“Many Men” is one of the best songs on an album that has an abundance of solid tracks. It even features a 50 Cent sample for the outro. Young Nudy & 21 Savage is an undefeated hip-hop duo, and they continued their streak on “Snitches & Rats”. “Steppin on N*****” included a flow & sound I didn’t expect on this project, especially with this song title. The upbeat track reminded me of a late 80s LA rap song, I say this because they took a lot of techno sounds for their production. The track was fire nonetheless. That was followed up with a more traditional sounding 21 Savage song in “Brand New Draco”, a personal favorite. “Said N Done” was the exclamation point on a well executed full length album.
“Many Men” is one of the best songs on an album that has an abundance of solid tracks. It even features a 50 Cent sample for the outro. Young Nudy & 21 Savage is an undefeated hip-hop duo, and they continued their streak on “Snitches & Rats”. “Steppin on N*****” included a flow & sound I didn’t expect on this project, especially with this song title. The upbeat track reminded me of a late 80s LA rap song, I say this because they took a lot of techno sounds for their production. The track was fire nonetheless. That was followed up with a more traditional sounding 21 Savage song in “Brand New Draco”, a personal favorite. “Said N Done” was the exclamation point on a well executed full length album.
Overall, Savage Mode 2 lived up to the expectations, and then some. On the same night Bryson Tiller made his return with his album, Anniversary, I still believe Savage Mode 2 will take home that number one spot on the Billboard 200 next week. You can really tell Metro Boomin took time off to really perfect his craft, as he is back to reclaim his spot as hip-hop’s top producer. I expect this album to be up there on the “top hip-hop albums of the year” kind of lists come December. Savage Mode 2 is out now on all streaming platforms.
Bryson Tiller Makes His Return With Anniversary
Written by Odin Najera
Bryson Tiller is finally back with his extremely anticipated album. This is easily one of the most anticipated albums of the year. The Kentucky native has been very busy this month as he dropped the deluxe edition of his 2015 debut studio album masterpiece, T R A P S O U L, a few days ago along with the music video of the fan favorite “Right My Wrongs” from the same album. Shortly after, the R&B star took to his social media to make the big announcement. His tweet read, “Real fans know the countdown started months ago. Anniversary 10/2.”
The album is 10 songs long, and a 31 minute listen with only one feature on one song, coming from none other than Drake. This is the latest studio album that the one and only Pen Griffey released was True To Self back in 2017, which was amazing, but fans were saying it couldn’t compare to his debut album. Not because of the lack of quality in his sophomore album, but because he set the bar so high for himself so early, it’s hard to be able to top that.
The album is 10 songs long, and a 31 minute listen with only one feature on one song, coming from none other than Drake. This is the latest studio album that the one and only Pen Griffey released was True To Self back in 2017, which was amazing, but fans were saying it couldn’t compare to his debut album. Not because of the lack of quality in his sophomore album, but because he set the bar so high for himself so early, it’s hard to be able to top that.
Prior to the release, Tiller hosted a listening party with his fans via Zoom the night before its release so that they could hear the album early. There on the zoom, fans were able to get the first look at the official cover art of the album and noticed that it is completely opposite of T R A P S O U L. Opposite color, and him facing the opposite way. This had fans trying to do some digging to figure out the meaning of this. The most popular theory being that, he has decided to turn around and go back to the old days and his old ways again. Or that this album is the alter-ego of Bryson on the debut album. That isn’t all that Bryson has been up to prior to the release. Bryson Tiller was spending a lot of time, money, and energy in the BLM movement and spreading love and preaching for equality. He dedicated a series of billboards in his native Louisville to the memory of Breonna Taylor. “You’ve brought the city of Louisville together like we’ve never seen before and we will never forget you,” read one. “We love you Breonna Taylor read another.” The album is out now on all mainstream streaming platforms. Go give it a spin!
Blac Youngsta & Moneybagg Yo Team Up To Give Us Code Red
Written by Arturo Ramirez
I was completely biased going into this album. I thought Moneybagg Yo & Blac Youngsta were absolutely mid (average) before listening to this project. However, after listening to it my opinion on these two have changed. They definitely stick to their same old flows, but they definitely show that they belong in the game. Code Red bolsters features from the likes of Yo Gotti, 42 Dugg, Ari, and others; but honestly it doesn’t take away from their own abilities to carry a song with a hook or a great verse.
“Truth Be Told” showcases Youngsta's ability to tell a story that really shines through. He paints a picture of being arrested because he was helping out family. “I met my cousin at the gas station, it was OV. They pulled me out the car, put me on the ground, said, You under arrest I realized my cousin took advantage of me at my best”. While it may not be at the level of a storyteller like Nas, he certainly has a way with words that I didn’t think possible of him.
“Truth Be Told” showcases Youngsta's ability to tell a story that really shines through. He paints a picture of being arrested because he was helping out family. “I met my cousin at the gas station, it was OV. They pulled me out the car, put me on the ground, said, You under arrest I realized my cousin took advantage of me at my best”. While it may not be at the level of a storyteller like Nas, he certainly has a way with words that I didn’t think possible of him.
Moneybagg Yo is probably one of the hottest rappers coming out of the south at the moment, and for good reason. His ability to keep things fresh all the while still using his same old ad libs and flow are certainly entertaining. From his rhymes about moving packs, to his more “intimate” songs like “Brain Dead” he certainly has earned his place in the modern era of hip-hop.
Honestly there isn’t much to be said about this album other than it’s certainly something I wish I had in my rotation during the entire summer. From its hard hitting street anthems and faster paced flows, to the two making light of the current pandemic and mentioning the clown in office, this album is a can’t miss.
Honestly there isn’t much to be said about this album other than it’s certainly something I wish I had in my rotation during the entire summer. From its hard hitting street anthems and faster paced flows, to the two making light of the current pandemic and mentioning the clown in office, this album is a can’t miss.
Tory Lanez Releases Surprise Project : Daystar
Written by Odin Najera
Tory Lanez is finally back and is out of the quiet darkness he has been in for the past couple months. He is back with a brand new album titled DAYSTAR. Throughout the album he sheds light on the Megan Thee Stallion incident that took place in July. The entire album is not just all dedicated to the situation though as Tory has typical songs that he would release on any other one of his albums.
Tory does what he does best, and continued to show off both his rapping and singing skills. Tory has shown us time and time again that he is one of, if not, the most versatile artists of this generation. Earlier today he took to Instagram and posted a screenshot of his tweet which said “To my fans… I’m sorry for my silence… but respectfully.. I got time today…… 9 PM PST.” The album has only one featured artist on two songs, fellow Toronto artist, Yoko Gold. Tory made sure to make this album very personal, as he even goes into how he loved Megan and had very strong feelings for her.
Tory does what he does best, and continued to show off both his rapping and singing skills. Tory has shown us time and time again that he is one of, if not, the most versatile artists of this generation. Earlier today he took to Instagram and posted a screenshot of his tweet which said “To my fans… I’m sorry for my silence… but respectfully.. I got time today…… 9 PM PST.” The album has only one featured artist on two songs, fellow Toronto artist, Yoko Gold. Tory made sure to make this album very personal, as he even goes into how he loved Megan and had very strong feelings for her.
On the intro track “Money Over Fallouts” Tory goes in on Megan and her friends lying and framing him about the shooting. “Megan people tryna frame me for a shooting, but them boys ain't clean enough” “Don’t ask me for shit when it get real, that’s my last favor/Can’t cry now cause imma laugh later/Girl you had the nerve to write that statement on that alpha data.”“Niggas, yall can play me/Yall can frame me/But imma reach the top/I would never put you in no danger, and if I did, you would’ve said it when you seen the cops.”
On the track “Look How GOD Works” Tory goes on to say that Megan lied about everything and the entire situation, claiming that he didn’t even shoot her. “Can’t believe she played the witness tryna make them statements/Grace of God you know the truth so I’m gone beat them cases/I would never put my hands on a woman dawg/I would never let it blam on a woman dawg/Cause if you know me then you know just how I’m comin dawg/Cause I done worked too hard to throw this out for anyone of yall.”
On the track “Look How GOD Works” Tory goes on to say that Megan lied about everything and the entire situation, claiming that he didn’t even shoot her. “Can’t believe she played the witness tryna make them statements/Grace of God you know the truth so I’m gone beat them cases/I would never put my hands on a woman dawg/I would never let it blam on a woman dawg/Cause if you know me then you know just how I’m comin dawg/Cause I done worked too hard to throw this out for anyone of yall.”
With the Toronto native’s statements now out it raises a lot of questions like, why did he wait so long to say this? It also split crowds, as nobody knows who to believe anymore. This also raised concerns about Meg and her people working for her and all the shady things they could be up to. This also makes people wonder, is Tory still “cancelled”? Are they going to cancel Megan after these allegations have been dropped just like they unfairly did to Tory? The album was originally released on Soundcloud, but is now on all streaming platforms. The album is 17 tracks, and is an hour and 7 minute listen. Go give it a spin!
North Carolina’s Toosii Releases New Full Length Project
Written by Odin Najera
Toosii has had an amazing 2020. He has just dropped his latest project Poetic Pain. This album is following up his breakout album that he released earlier this year, Platinum Heart, which charted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums and was released back in February. That album really got Toosii in the game and gave him that push that he needed to solidify himself.
The Raleigh, NC rapper possesses one of the most popular styles in hip hop. He has a very melodic flow, yet full of gritty hard hitting lyrics, most popularly done by Lil Baby. At first listen you wouldn’t be able to tell this is a New York rapper. The album is very versatile as this album has a great mix of hard rapping and soft melodic songs. He is showing extreme talent and achieving so much at such a young age as he turned 20 earlier this year in January. Although he’s gained a massive amount of popularity and success, the young rapper is far from dont proving himself and his place in the rap game. Toosii’s album is 17 songs and is a 57 minute listen, and through all of those songs he only has 2 features. Those being Lil Durk, and Summer Walker. This was a very interesting and bold decision as a lot of young artists in his position would have gone crazy on features while for Toosii, he’d rather show off his pure talent and hard work. The album was announced on September 9th when Toosii took to Instagram and posted the official cover art captioned “Poetic Pain the album September 18th #PreOrder tomorrow night.” Then on September 14th he released the song “Right Now” along with visuals on his youtube. The album is out now on all mainstream streaming platforms. Go give it a spin!
XXL Freshman, Baby Keem Releases Two New Tracks
Written by Arturo Ramirez
Baby Keem comes to us with a two song ep titled after the only two songs on the project. It’s his first “project” since last years “Die for my bitch”.
Hooligan bolsters a dark piano melody and hard hitting bass accompanied by a whistle in the background. On “Hooligan” he raps about emo bitches, and how he’s above all the rules. He spits about how he “can’t fuck with no corny bitch” he lets us know that he doesn’t follow the wave, he influences it. The song let’s us know that he has hooligans ready to act on his command.
Hooligan bolsters a dark piano melody and hard hitting bass accompanied by a whistle in the background. On “Hooligan” he raps about emo bitches, and how he’s above all the rules. He spits about how he “can’t fuck with no corny bitch” he lets us know that he doesn’t follow the wave, he influences it. The song let’s us know that he has hooligans ready to act on his command.
The second song on the project is titled “sons & critics freestyle”. It’s notably lighter in terms of sound. The beat has higher tones than the previous and goes on to state that he sees a lot of people he’s inspired musically. He talks about seeing real people getting drowned in a sea of critics and people that are just riding the wave.
My consensus on this two track project is that it leaves me wanting more from keem. Dude shows his ability to drop a hit at a moments notice and shows promise of becoming a staple in the California music scene, so long as he can keep this energy up.
My consensus on this two track project is that it leaves me wanting more from keem. Dude shows his ability to drop a hit at a moments notice and shows promise of becoming a staple in the California music scene, so long as he can keep this energy up.
Capolow & Kamaiyah Team Up To Give Us Oakland Nights
Written by Arturo Ramirez
It’s been 6 months since Capolow dropped a project (Room 304) & 7 since Kamaiyah dropped one (Got it made) and it’s been worth the wait. This 10 song project has few features, and for good measure; these two can feed off each other’s energy on the song and show us that they have good chemistry on a song together.
The cool opening of Oakland Nights is perfect with the easy hearing of their lead single “finer things.” Capolow & Kamaiyah let us know that they are Able to show us the finer things now.This easy listening song was produced by Trackademics. The project then goes to a instant party favorite with “Players Club”. Which has a faster paced tempo, harder bass and catchy flow.
The cool opening of Oakland Nights is perfect with the easy hearing of their lead single “finer things.” Capolow & Kamaiyah let us know that they are Able to show us the finer things now.This easy listening song was produced by Trackademics. The project then goes to a instant party favorite with “Players Club”. Which has a faster paced tempo, harder bass and catchy flow.
They follow up with an older fan favorite “Digits” which is and older song from Kamaiyah’s project earlier this year “Got it made”. My personal favorite “Rather give you” let’s us know he’d rather give you his girl before he gives you a dime. It also gives a us a different flow for Capolow. Reminiscent of an earlier bay sound.Then they kick off a synth heavy song with “Gimme dat”. Super melodic song that belongs at a party. They both ride the beat perfectly to give us a classic Bay Area song. “Gang Gang” bolsters not only the two MC’s we’ve been hearing this whole album but also vocals from RJmrLA further solidifying the connection from the Bay to LA. Letting their enemies know that they’re with all the smoke and they’ll rep they’re set anywhere even while they pop bottles.
The 8th song of the project features a Bay Area legend in Keak Da Sneak. The verse from Kamaiyah paints a portrait of a hard up bringing but all the while maintains how she came out unscathed and now she’s living the lavish life she deserves. While Keak Spits about how Oakland has been the city of dope since the 80’s and how he’s been getting paid. He also reminds us how the police are racially profiling and that it’s at an all time high. Capolow gives us more of the same braggadocios lyrics that we’re used to. Then they slow it down with a song for late night cruising with your girl. Capolow spits about he’s willing to spoil his shorty so long as she stays loyal to him. While Kamaiyah talks about a night time under the sheets but reminds us that she’ll be quick to cut him off if he steps out of line. “How I move” has a subtle guitar in the background and is the shortest song on the project at a minute and 32 seconds. This is a solo song with no other artists on the track. Capolow lets us know that he’s still with all the smoke. Raps about green dots and lets his enemies know that he’ll give them a bit of fame by putting them on the evening news.
The final song of the project is “So much money”. Kamaiyah has the opening verse and uses it to tell us she’s the shit and that no one is as cool as her and her crew. Calling out fake people and letting them know that they better keep the same energy when she catches em. He references Lil Baby with his line “4 pockets full in these robin jeans” he continues to go on a verse full of bragging about the money he has.
Kamaiyah & Capolow need to team up more because this project was amazing start to finish. They way they’re able to feed off each other and switch from their brag-a-docious lyrics to their ability to spit about gunplay is done well. The beat selection was spectacular and something that is lacking in other artists’ projects. They have something for a bunch of different venues; whether it be the club, a backyard barbecue or even just the car, you can bump the album.
The 8th song of the project features a Bay Area legend in Keak Da Sneak. The verse from Kamaiyah paints a portrait of a hard up bringing but all the while maintains how she came out unscathed and now she’s living the lavish life she deserves. While Keak Spits about how Oakland has been the city of dope since the 80’s and how he’s been getting paid. He also reminds us how the police are racially profiling and that it’s at an all time high. Capolow gives us more of the same braggadocios lyrics that we’re used to. Then they slow it down with a song for late night cruising with your girl. Capolow spits about he’s willing to spoil his shorty so long as she stays loyal to him. While Kamaiyah talks about a night time under the sheets but reminds us that she’ll be quick to cut him off if he steps out of line. “How I move” has a subtle guitar in the background and is the shortest song on the project at a minute and 32 seconds. This is a solo song with no other artists on the track. Capolow lets us know that he’s still with all the smoke. Raps about green dots and lets his enemies know that he’ll give them a bit of fame by putting them on the evening news.
The final song of the project is “So much money”. Kamaiyah has the opening verse and uses it to tell us she’s the shit and that no one is as cool as her and her crew. Calling out fake people and letting them know that they better keep the same energy when she catches em. He references Lil Baby with his line “4 pockets full in these robin jeans” he continues to go on a verse full of bragging about the money he has.
Kamaiyah & Capolow need to team up more because this project was amazing start to finish. They way they’re able to feed off each other and switch from their brag-a-docious lyrics to their ability to spit about gunplay is done well. The beat selection was spectacular and something that is lacking in other artists’ projects. They have something for a bunch of different venues; whether it be the club, a backyard barbecue or even just the car, you can bump the album.
Shy Glizzy Makes His Return With His Latest Project Young Jefe 3
Shy Glizzy is no freshman, as the 27-year-old rapper has been in the game for close to a decade now, demonstrating that he is a staple in his city and the game. His stories from the streets and his gritty upbringing can be heard all around the world. The Washington D.C. rapper is back with his latest album, Young Jefe 3. This is the 3rd album in his “Young Jefe” collection. It’s been six years since the release of the first Young Jefe and four years since the release of Young Jefe 2, but in between those, he has still been very busy releasing a plethora of music.
The album is an 18 track, 56 minute listen with a total of 9 features, although 3 of the songs have already been released previously. He obtained some big names for this tape with the features including: Meek Mill, Lil Uzi Vert, 3 Glizzy, Jeremih, Ty Dolla $ign, G Herbo, No Savage, Taliban Glizzy, and NoCap. Production was taken care of by BuddahBlessThisBeat, Zaytoven, and TM88. The songs that were previously released were: “Forever Tre 7”, “Lonely Vibes”, and “Right or Wrong” featuring Lil Uzi Vert. Shy Glizzy has gotten very much in tune with his emotional side lately as this and his last album, Covered N Blood, are his most personal and touching albums to date. He goes really into depth about the struggles he constantly was faced with and his rough come up. Songs like “Lonely Vibes”, “Only God Can Judge Me”, and “Like That” with Ty Dolla $ign and Jeremih. Ty Dolla $ign and Jeremih are 2 of the most prolific singers of this generation and the 3 of them do a fantastic job going back and forth showing off their melodic masterpiece. The album is out now on all mainstream streaming platforms. Go give it a spin!
Griff Tyler & Airplane James Team Up For “Guarded””
Coming out of Inglewood, California is Griff Tyler. The singer-songwriter is coming off of his single “Coffee”, which was released just a couple weeks ago. Tyler looks to maintain his momentum for his latest single, “Guarded” featuring fellow Los Angeles native, Airplane James.
The instrumental for this song was brought to us by producer Viper Beats (credits for Haiti Babii, Peso Peso, Nef The Pharoah, among others). The track consists of an evident love story, to go along with a catchy hook. These elements go perfectly with Airplanes James’ verse that matches the theme of the song perfectly. To go along with the brand new track, Griff Tyler released pairing visuals. The music video is directed by videographers Patrick Haynes & Will McBride, who have previously worked with Blxst, 1TakeOcho, and TeeJay3k. The duo were also responsible for the visuals for Griff Tyler’s “Coffee”.
“Guarded” is a melodic R&B track that still manages to be hip-hop and street. Griff Tyler & Airplane James team up to make a solid tandem. “Guarded” is out now on all streaming platforms, and the music video is out on YouTube.
The instrumental for this song was brought to us by producer Viper Beats (credits for Haiti Babii, Peso Peso, Nef The Pharoah, among others). The track consists of an evident love story, to go along with a catchy hook. These elements go perfectly with Airplanes James’ verse that matches the theme of the song perfectly. To go along with the brand new track, Griff Tyler released pairing visuals. The music video is directed by videographers Patrick Haynes & Will McBride, who have previously worked with Blxst, 1TakeOcho, and TeeJay3k. The duo were also responsible for the visuals for Griff Tyler’s “Coffee”.
“Guarded” is a melodic R&B track that still manages to be hip-hop and street. Griff Tyler & Airplane James team up to make a solid tandem. “Guarded” is out now on all streaming platforms, and the music video is out on YouTube.
Beat Boy Teams Up With Rucci & Big Sad1900 for “Shook Up” Visual
Beat Boy is a platinum independent super producer. He is responsible for a lot of the new sounds of this new LA generation of rappers. The producer is coming off his debut project, NewDre. It featured some of the best new artists in California such as, MBNel, Fenix Flexin, and White John, among others.
A standout track from this project is “Shook Out”, which features Rucci & BigSad 1900. Rucci kicks off the track with hard hitting bars like, "I'm up 100 racks, but I had better days". Followed by Big Sad's flashy "gave 10 to my lawyer, put 30 on my wrist, like Paul with the ball I don't hog I assist". The visuals for this track are out now on YouTube.
A standout track from this project is “Shook Out”, which features Rucci & BigSad 1900. Rucci kicks off the track with hard hitting bars like, "I'm up 100 racks, but I had better days". Followed by Big Sad's flashy "gave 10 to my lawyer, put 30 on my wrist, like Paul with the ball I don't hog I assist". The visuals for this track are out now on YouTube.
Mani Coolin Releases Visuals for “Cap & Gown”
A buzzing artist coming out of Los Angeles is Mani Coolin. He has put out projects like “Hope 4 The Youth”, “Here 4 Me Only” and “The Coolin”, all which displayed Coolin’s storytelling ability. He is making his return to the rap game with his newest single titled “Cap & Gown”.
The latest track’s visual from Mani Coolin is directed by 10 Fifty. In 2020, he’s graduated to a more braggadocious bravado as he embraces his place in the culture as head of the class. You can watch the visuals below.
The latest track’s visual from Mani Coolin is directed by 10 Fifty. In 2020, he’s graduated to a more braggadocious bravado as he embraces his place in the culture as head of the class. You can watch the visuals below.
LA’s Allelujah Dystopia Releases Visuals for “4th of July”
Coming out of the City of Angels is Allelujah Dystopia. He is a high energy rapper, who has been on the rise for the last couple of months. However, his entrance to stardom didn’t start with hip-hop. Before his rap career Dystopia was actually a child actor who appeared in dozens of movies and commercials starting from a very young age.
Since his career swap to recording artist, Dystopia has released multiple music videos that racked up nearly 100,000 views, and even earned an opportunity to have his music videos hosted by No Jumper’s YouTube channel. He looks to maintain his momentum with his latest track, “4th of July”. This is Dystopia’s best work yet. The track is produced by Miler, while the visual is directed by Dystopian himself. “4th of July” is out now on SoundCloud, and the music video is out on YouTube.
Since his career swap to recording artist, Dystopia has released multiple music videos that racked up nearly 100,000 views, and even earned an opportunity to have his music videos hosted by No Jumper’s YouTube channel. He looks to maintain his momentum with his latest track, “4th of July”. This is Dystopia’s best work yet. The track is produced by Miler, while the visual is directed by Dystopian himself. “4th of July” is out now on SoundCloud, and the music video is out on YouTube.
Big Sean Makes His Return With His 5th Studio Album in Detroit 2
A rapper who gets almost more mixed reviews than anyone is Big Sean. A guy who’s seen as high as top 5 in some people’s personal lists, but doesn’t make the top-15 in other’s. Despite some naysayers, Sean Don has been able to remain relevant for ten years now. Within this past decade, we’ve witnessed the Detroit MC’s growth from his club anthems that took his career to the mainstream (“Dance A$$”, “I Do It”, & “Guap”) in his early days to making music with more substance (most of Dark Sky Paradise). Now, Big Sean might be one of the luckiest rappers in the game over the last 10 years. He has been spoon-fed beats from some of this era’s best producers. Working with the likes of Kanye West, No I.D, Mike Will Made-It, and even a whole studio album executive produced by Metro Boomin. Whether or not the production played a factor in Big Sean not falling off, that’s subjective.
It’s been nearly 3 years since the last studio album, but that wait ended on Friday. Big Sean released the anticipated project, Detroit 2, the sequel to his 2012 mixtape Detroit. The album was announced back in March, and with this pandemic going on, a 6 month wait can feel like two years. The lead single, “Deep Reverence” featuring the late great Nipsey Hussle, came just a little over a week prior to the album’s release. The second and final single "Harder Than My Demons" came six days after the lead. The track caps off with Justin Bieber vocals. When it comes to production, Big Sean keeps the same core of producers in Key Wane, DJ Dahi, Hit-Boy, & No I.D, among others.
He starts off the album with “Why Would I Stop?”, a track that Sean uses to prove his haters wrong. On “Lucky Me” he touches on being diagnosed with a heart disease when he was 19 years old.
“I was diagnosed with a heart disease at 19
Could barely stand on my feet
Doctors said they had to cut it open, put a pacemaker on it to put it back on beat”
Now when the track list of the album was released, a thought that most of us shared was that there were an abundance of features. “Wolves” with a guest verse from Post Malone, is a recipe for a Billboard charting song. Ty Dolla $ign again proves he’s the king of R&B features once again on “Body Language” that also features Jhené Aiko. On this album, he has three “stories” performed by three iconic figures; Dave Chappelle, Erykah Badu, and Stevie Wonder. This added to the coherency of the album, and the story. I understand what Sean was doing.
In the heart of the album, there are sprinkles of braggadocio that the mainstream fans are hungry for. Tracks like “ZTFO”, “Respect It” featuring Young Thug & Hit-Boy, and “Lithuania” featuring Travis Scott are all songs that will translate well with his fanbase. “Full Circle” featuring Diddy & Key Wane is the standout reminiscent track, and there’s at least one on every Big Sean album. The tail end of the album includes some bangers. “The Baddest” is reminiscent of a 23 year old Big Sean. “Don Life” includes an instrumental that features a sample of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature”. It features a solid Lil Wayne verse, but a Meek Mill verse should’ve been on this track as well. Probably the most anticipated track was, Friday Night Cypher. A track that features some of Detroit’s hottest artists out right now like Tee Grizzley, Kash Doll, Sada Baby,Drego, Payroll Giovanni, Boldy James, and 42 Dugg. It also features two OG’s in Royce da 5’9 & Eminem, and a “Grindin’” sample that I wish had more of these rappers on. The final track of the album is “Still I Rise” featuring Los Angeles’ Dom Kennedy, and the outro is almost spiritual.
Detroit 2 is on pace for 125k first week, which is going to be behind 6ix9ine’s Tattletales “album”, for the top spot on Billboard’s 200 chart. This album is definitely part of Big Sean’s evolution, but it’s not going to be high on those “end of the year, top albums of the year” lists. There are some head scratching bars throughout these 21 tracks.There are definitely songs that are playlist adds, but there are tracks that you skip. Overall, the album could’ve been a lot worse, and there’s still going to be haters that call it garbage. It is what it is. Detroit 2 is out now on all streaming platforms.
Blxst Releases Anticipated Project : No Love Lost
The year of 2020 has been all Blxst, and rightfully so. The Los Angeles native has been on fire for two years straight actually, and he’s not done yet. This summer he has released some of the best music in the game. From arguably the song of the summer in “Slip & Slide'' where he teamed up with 1TakeJay. Followed with the lead single off this project, “Overrated”. As well as a Soundcloud exclusive in “Forever Humble''. There are visuals for all three tracks on YouTube. A Blxst solo project has been highly anticipated, and after having the summer on smash going into the fall season, No Love Lost is finally here.
No Love Lost is an eight track EP, that includes the lead single “Overrated” as well as the track “Hurt”, that was released back in 2019. Six fresh tracks in roughly 15 minutes of listening. The introduction track is “No Love Lost”, which like all of the songs on this project, are produced by Blxst himself. The music video was released on Friday as well. It acts as the second part of the story where the music video for “Overrated” left off. On “Wrong or Right'', an instant standout track, he really solidified the direction of the project. From that moment on you understood that this was going to be a more slowed down R&B approach. “Gang Slide” consists of a brilliant west coast instrumental and a catchy hook. The only problem argued is that the track wasn’t long enough. Tracks 5-7, Blxst really shows off his versatility as both a recording artist and as a producer. “Be Alone” shows exquisite storytelling, and it goes perfectly with the theme of the project. On “Just Say’N”, Blxst gives us different flows and cadences of his singing voice.
This project has a story, and is as coherent as it gets. This was a little bit different than his prestigious Sixtape-EP with Bino Rideaux, but doesn’t discredit this complete piece of work. We heard Blxst in his own element. There’s not too many artists that have the same hands-on approach where they both write their own music, as well as orchestrate the instrumentals. This just makes this project that much more special. No Love Lost is out now on all streaming platforms.
Lil Durk Releases New Single : “The Voice”
It’s safe to say that 2020 has been a rough year for a lot of people. Lil Durk however, is not one of those people. Throughout the year the Chicago native has been consistently putting out top tier music with releases such as Just Cause Y’all Waited 2,(including the deluxe), and his feature on Drake’s latest hit “Laugh Now Cry Later”, and now with his latest single “The Voice”. Lil Durk has not let this pandemic hold him back from any task as he has been continuously working. The song was 3 minutes long and was. irking short of another great Durkio track. His typical hard, gritty lyrics with a very melodic twist to it over a soothing yet exciting piano beat with sampled guitar riffs. The song was produced by Turn Me Up Josh, who has produced for Durk in the past and for other artists such as: Youngboy Never Broke Again, YNW Melly, Drake and Durk on “Laugh Now Cry Later”, and much more.
Along with the song, he also released a music video for it. The video was directed by CROWNSOHEAVY. The music video was almost as a huge flex as it bounced around shots of him in a private jet, him showing off some of his nicest cars, all his expensive jewelry from his chains to watches to grills, and even just him in his beautiful house. The vidLil Durk makes a bold statement in the track which went “I’m Durkio but I'm Chicago Jay-Z.” It is hard to tell because the G.O.A.T. conversation is all over Chicago and who they believe is the real G.O.A.T. of Chicago rap. Do you think Durk is the equivalent of Jay-Z in his city? The song is out now on all mainstream streaming platforms go give it a spin!
Wifisfuneral Releases Album Pain?
Written by Odin Najera
Wifisfuneral has just released his debut studio album, PAIN?. The album has been teased on his Instagram for months and it is finally here for fans to enjoy.
The 23 year old rapper has been making music for such a long time you’d think he was older. He got his start on Soundcloud and started picking up local attention. It definitely helped that he was from West Palm Beach, Florida. Just like fellow rappers: Ski Mask The Slump God and the late XXXTENTACION. The three made a ton of music together in their early years and came up together out of Florida. This really helped Wifi with his popularity, but he was always overlooked and never received the attention he deserved. Wifi dropped tape after tape after tape, and was continuously gaining more and more attraction. His popularity then skyrocketed in 2017 when at an XXXTENTACION concert, he jumped into the crowd as an attempt to crowd surf and he kicked a fan. The fan and some others proceeded to jump him and knock him out during the show. After that, Joe Biden and DJ Akademiks shined light on the incident, and Wifi took advantage, dropping 2 songs. 1 of which sampled Akademiks saying how he would’ve jumped Wifi too if he was the fan, and the other song being a song titled “JoeBuddenProbablyThinksICantRap. Both songs did great and he started to receive more and more support daily. He then ended up on the 2018 XXL Freshman List, which came to a huge surprise.
The 23 year old rapper has been making music for such a long time you’d think he was older. He got his start on Soundcloud and started picking up local attention. It definitely helped that he was from West Palm Beach, Florida. Just like fellow rappers: Ski Mask The Slump God and the late XXXTENTACION. The three made a ton of music together in their early years and came up together out of Florida. This really helped Wifi with his popularity, but he was always overlooked and never received the attention he deserved. Wifi dropped tape after tape after tape, and was continuously gaining more and more attraction. His popularity then skyrocketed in 2017 when at an XXXTENTACION concert, he jumped into the crowd as an attempt to crowd surf and he kicked a fan. The fan and some others proceeded to jump him and knock him out during the show. After that, Joe Biden and DJ Akademiks shined light on the incident, and Wifi took advantage, dropping 2 songs. 1 of which sampled Akademiks saying how he would’ve jumped Wifi too if he was the fan, and the other song being a song titled “JoeBuddenProbablyThinksICantRap. Both songs did great and he started to receive more and more support daily. He then ended up on the 2018 XXL Freshman List, which came to a huge surprise.
This album really came as a surprise when it was announced because earlier this year he briefly retired, and fans thought it was for real. The Palm Beach native has been receiving a lot of backlash from fans, as he lately has kind of taken a break from his usual hardcore gritty lyrics over tough hard hitting beats, for a more mellow R&B type sound. He has been experimenting a lot lately and the reactions from fans have been understandably mixed. The album includes 3 features from: Coi Leray, Smoove’L, and Mariah Angeliq. This album is mostly slow and melodic songs, a lot about love, which is really new for Wifi. Although a lot of songs are R&B-esque, he still goes back to his roots in some of the tracks, such as: “Motion”, “Front 2 Back Side 2 Side”, “Day Switch”, and “Screw Up”. The album is 14 tracks long and is a 38 minute listen. Pain? is out on all mainstream streaming platforms now, go give it a spin!
Young Sixx Releases New West Wave EP
March of this year feels like 2 years ago, and with all that’s happened this year, it makes sense. Well back in March, Young Sixx released his 6-track EP titled, New West Wave. The Southern California native actually grew up mainly in Germany, of all places. You can’t hear that in his music, however his international traveling leads to his worldly presence on every track he makes.
The Inland Empire doesn’t have the identity that Los Angeles or the Bay Area has when it comes to hip-hop. Young Sixx is here trying to change that. New West Wave features some of I.E’s standouts including Mike Wayne on the lead single and intro track, “Used To Be”. The track “Random” is a standout song from the project. With west coast sounds that are reminiscent to the early 2000s in LA. With this project already out, Young Sixx has another one on the way. 1X4 Tha I.E is on the way coming sooner rather than later. Until then, stream New West Wave out now on all streaming platforms.
The Inland Empire doesn’t have the identity that Los Angeles or the Bay Area has when it comes to hip-hop. Young Sixx is here trying to change that. New West Wave features some of I.E’s standouts including Mike Wayne on the lead single and intro track, “Used To Be”. The track “Random” is a standout song from the project. With west coast sounds that are reminiscent to the early 2000s in LA. With this project already out, Young Sixx has another one on the way. 1X4 Tha I.E is on the way coming sooner rather than later. Until then, stream New West Wave out now on all streaming platforms.
Nas - King’s Disease (Review)
Nas has always been considered one of the best MCs to ever do it. However, the Queens legend has been heavily criticized for poor beat selection over the years. With a career that has lasted over the span of nearly 30 years, Nas has worked with some of the best producers the game has ever seen. DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, The Alchemist, No I.D, the list goes on and on. After Kanye West made a promise to President Barack Obama that he would sole produce a Nas album, the two teamed up at Ye’s Wyoming ranch to give us Nasir in 2018. The album had mixed reviews, and you wonder if Kanye just locked the studio door & force fed Nas seven beats.
Not to discredit these great instrumentalists, but especially in recent years, Nas has had a problem with his beat selection. Maybe not to him, but compared to some of his peers, he has struggled in that field. However, Nas turned over a new leaf on his latest album, King’s Disease.
Not to discredit these great instrumentalists, but especially in recent years, Nas has had a problem with his beat selection. Maybe not to him, but compared to some of his peers, he has struggled in that field. However, Nas turned over a new leaf on his latest album, King’s Disease.
The thirteenth studio album from Nasty Nas is executive produced by Hit-Boy, a prolific beatmaker that has given us some of the biggest hip-hop records in recent memory. This is a collaboration that probably caught some people off guard, but if you know some of the people Hit-Boy has worked with in the past, it makes sense.
King’s Disease is 13-tracks long, and is a near 40-minute listen all the way through. It only included one lead single with the track “Ultra Black” that was released on August 14th. After shoutouts to Colin Kaepernick and Hall & Oates, the one line that made the real hip-hop fans proud was : “We going Ultra Black/ Unapologetically Black/The opposite of Doja Cat”. This made the album release that much more anticipated. Nas sets the tone with the first two tracks, “King’s Disease” & and the beautifully executed “Blue Benz”. The iconic lyricist uses “Car #85” to take a trip down memory lane with the help of vocals from Charlie Wilson. After a more subconscious take to start off the album, Nas shows his cockiness bravado on “27 Summers”, the only problem I had with it was that it was short of two minutes.
Don Toliver is on the hook for “Replace Me” where he puts his take on Ella Mai’s hit song, “Trip”. Big Sean takes on the second verse where he raps about his relationship with Jhene Aiko. If any one of these tracks gets radio play it would be “Replace Me”. One of the more popular rappers in the game right now is Lil Durk. The Chicago artist is featured on “Til The War Is Won”, where he handles the chorus and the second verse. This instrumental was perfect for both rappers’ style, and this is a definite standout track. Anderson .Paak is also featured on this album, for the track “All Bad”. A track that is perfect for a Sunday cruise in the whip. Nas pays homage to two late legends in Kobe Bryant & Nipsey Hussle. He then teamed up with fellow Fivio Foreign & A$AP Ferg. Nasir proves he can keep up with this new era of New York hip-hop.
After the mixed reviews from Nasir, some people were skeptical of another Nas album. Those same people will come around shortly to enjoy this masterpiece of a project. There are flashes of vintage Nas, however he was able to make music that wasn’t just for the old heads, but didn’t force a youth sound at the same time. From the lyrics to the production this has been one of the best albums of 2020, so far. Listening to this gave me the same feeling that I got when I saw Kobe drop 60 points in his final game. Nas is not finished yet. King’s Disease is out now on all streaming platforms.
Dave East - Karma 3 (Review)
A staple in modern New York hip-hop is Dave East. The Harlem native has been consistent since his breakout in 2016. On Friday, East returned to the game with Karma 3, his third installment of the Karma mixtape collection that dates back to 2017. This project comes just 9 months after his debut album, Survival was released, which debuted at number 11 on the US Billboard 200 chart. Within this last year, Dave East started his acting career. He starred as Method Man in the Hulu exclusive, Wu-Tang: An American Saga. Despite all the work and time it takes to be a lead role in a successful show, the 32-year old has managed to stay consistent in the studio and give us high quality music.
This mixtape didn’t have any type of rollout, just visuals for tracks, “Handsome”, “Believe it or Not”, and Menace. The music videos were all released within the last three months. The tracks weren’t released on streaming platforms at the time. Before the track list was released two days prior to the drop of the project, if you didn’t follow along with the optics, you probably didn’t know there was a Dave East project on the way. Regardless of the lack of promotion leading up to the release, the music speaks for itself.
This mixtape didn’t have any type of rollout, just visuals for tracks, “Handsome”, “Believe it or Not”, and Menace. The music videos were all released within the last three months. The tracks weren’t released on streaming platforms at the time. Before the track list was released two days prior to the drop of the project, if you didn’t follow along with the optics, you probably didn’t know there was a Dave East project on the way. Regardless of the lack of promotion leading up to the release, the music speaks for itself.
Karma 3 is 15-tracks long & a little less than an hour to listen all the way through. East sets the tone with the braggadocious track, “Handsome” which is produced by Little Island and Mike & Keys. It’s followed up by a collaboration none of us would really expect, and that’s with dancehall icon, Popcaan. The track is titled “Unruly”, and with the OVO-signee on the chorus the two artists together resulted in a stand out track. On “The City” with Trey Songz on the hook, producer Dougie orchestrated his take on the same Bobby Bland sample JAY-Z used on his classic, ‘Heart Of The City (Ain’t No Love)’. This was a special three track run to start off this project.
Dave East pays homage to Memphis hip-hop on “F**k Dat”. The track is produced by Three 6 Mafia founding member, DJ Paul. It features the king of the city, Young Dolph. Los Angeles standout, Bino Rideaux is featured on the heartfelt track “Blue Story”, which marks the second collaboration between Rideaux & East. The collaboration I personally was waiting for was with Benny The Butcher. The two New York MCs have really been heads of their state over the past couple of years lyrically. On the S.Dot produced “Stone Killer '', the pair did not disappoint as both rappers go back and forth with hard hitting bars. The outro track, “Believe it or Not” is a track that is perfect for a late night ride in the whip. It was the exclamation point on a superb project.
This is the best installment from the Karma series, and it’s not even close. There was definitely no signs of a sophomore slump, and he put together a mixtape that is better than his debut album. When the title “King of New York” is talked about, Dave East should be in that conversation. Karma 3 is out now on all streaming platforms.
This is the best installment from the Karma series, and it’s not even close. There was definitely no signs of a sophomore slump, and he put together a mixtape that is better than his debut album. When the title “King of New York” is talked about, Dave East should be in that conversation. Karma 3 is out now on all streaming platforms.
Young Dolph Releases Rich Slave Album
Written by Odin Najera
The king of Memphis, Young Dolph, is back with his highly anticipated album Rich Slave. Of the 16 songs, it only has 3 with features. All the features are big names including: Key Glock, G Herbo, and Megan Thee Stallion. You already knew how this album was going to sound. Those rough and gritty street lyrics over tough and hard hitting beats. That Memphis sound is so well received, you can automatically tell. Young Dolph is one of the older Memphis rappers, being 35 years old. He is a Memphis and hip-hop OG. He is a staple for all Memphis rap, also being referred to as the “Godfather of Memphis rap”, with such popular artists coming out from following his style and sound such as: Key Glock, NLE Choppa, BlocBoy JB, and much more. Dolph has been staying in his own lane and his own bag ever since he started his own independent record label “Paper Route Empire” (PRE). Ever since he has also been consistently putting pressure with his music.
This album was an extreme need from fans as earlier this year in March, the 35 year old Memphis legend announced some news that worried fans across the nation regarding his retirement from rap. Although we don’t necessarily know the reasons why he felt that way at the time, it was a breath of fresh air to find out he’s not leaving the game just yet. To help promote the album, Dolph came up with a genius way to bring more awareness with a chance for fans to win a custom 2018 Lamborghini Aventador, valued at $412,000. The only ways to win the prize is by pre-ordering Rich Slave or purchasing merch bundles from his online store, in which all bundles come with a digital copy of the album. Though the project is out now, the opportunity to win a new Lamborghini is stretching until Aug 20 at midnight. Dolph spoke on the reason for the title of the album saying it's the reality of being black in this country — You can have money, and you can be a benefactor and a leader in your community, but all people see is black skin. All the bullshit I heard about as a kid, we still face in today’s time. Over the years, they have given us a little bit of freedom but it’s only a temporary pacifier. Hopefully this album makes people understand that even though guys like me are doing well, we’re still affected by racism and inequality. It’s 2020, but the same stuff is still going on.” The album is 45 minutes and it does not waste a single second getting its point across. It is out now on all mainstream streaming platforms go give it a spin!
Drake Recruits Lil Durk For “Laugh Now, Cry Later”
When Drizzy Drake drops music, the hip-hop community stops what they’re doing and tunes in. This time it features Chicago’s Lil Durk. On Wednesday night Drake posted on Instagram announcing that new music would be released. Early Thursday, the news came out that Durk would be the featured artist, and that the visuals to the track would also be released.
Drake has been nonstop all quarantine long. From the release of his Dark Lane Demo Tapes collection, (which has been one of the top hip-hop albums of the year so far) to his DJ Khaled collaborations, “Greece” & Popstar.
“Laugh Now Cry Later” serves as the lead single to Drake’s sixth studio album that should be here sooner rather than later. The song title is inspired from Tupac’s back tattoo, which Drake also has on the wings of his Virgil Abloh designed private jet. He also has two diamond Tupac chains that are valued at $300,000 each. In just 2020 alone, the 6ix God has shown homage to multiple OGs in the hip-hop game. He sampled JAY-Z’s “Song Cry” for “When To Say When”, mimicked Eminem’s “Superman” flow for “Chicago Freestyle”, and showed love to his mentor Lil Wayne on “From Florida With Love”.
Drake has been nonstop all quarantine long. From the release of his Dark Lane Demo Tapes collection, (which has been one of the top hip-hop albums of the year so far) to his DJ Khaled collaborations, “Greece” & Popstar.
“Laugh Now Cry Later” serves as the lead single to Drake’s sixth studio album that should be here sooner rather than later. The song title is inspired from Tupac’s back tattoo, which Drake also has on the wings of his Virgil Abloh designed private jet. He also has two diamond Tupac chains that are valued at $300,000 each. In just 2020 alone, the 6ix God has shown homage to multiple OGs in the hip-hop game. He sampled JAY-Z’s “Song Cry” for “When To Say When”, mimicked Eminem’s “Superman” flow for “Chicago Freestyle”, and showed love to his mentor Lil Wayne on “From Florida With Love”.
The track is produced by Cardo, who also produced Drake’s biggest record to date, “God’s Plan” among other huge tracks for other big named artists. In the first verse I think Drake puts the rap beef between Pusha T & Kanye West to rest, with the line :
”Tired of beefin' you bums, you can’t even pay me enough to react
Been wakin' up in the crib but sometimes I don’t even know where I’m at
Please don’t play that n-gga songs at this party, I can’t even listen to that”
If before the year started you were to tell me that Lil Durk would be on a Drake lead single, I would’ve thought you were crazy. However, Lil Durk is having as good of a 2020 as anyone. His album Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 as well as the deluxe really catapulted the Chicago drill rapper’s career to the next level. Prior to the release, I saw a lot of Lil Durk slander on social media, but I bet once those people listened to his verse their opinions switched quite quickly.
”Tired of beefin' you bums, you can’t even pay me enough to react
Been wakin' up in the crib but sometimes I don’t even know where I’m at
Please don’t play that n-gga songs at this party, I can’t even listen to that”
If before the year started you were to tell me that Lil Durk would be on a Drake lead single, I would’ve thought you were crazy. However, Lil Durk is having as good of a 2020 as anyone. His album Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 as well as the deluxe really catapulted the Chicago drill rapper’s career to the next level. Prior to the release, I saw a lot of Lil Durk slander on social media, but I bet once those people listened to his verse their opinions switched quite quickly.
The visuals for the single were directed by Dave Meyers. The music video took place at the Nike Headquarters in Beaverton, OR. It features Drake playing (and getting beat) one on one with Kevin Durant in basketball, catching passes from Odell Beckham Jr. , getting blindsided by Marshawn Lynch, and a comedic cameo from Druski. This might have been one of the best music videos of the year. This is a track that has all of the elements to go number one on Billboard, and stay there for a couple of weeks. “Laugh Now Cry Later” is out now on all streaming platforms, and the music video is out now on YouTube.
XXL Releases Annual Freshman List
Yesterday, out of nowhere, XXL dropped their annual Freshman Class. Typically, the list is announced sometime in June, but with this whole pandemic it delayed the process a couple months. Some people were even questioning if there was even going to be a Freshman Class this year. There’s always some people you wish were on the cover, and maybe some artists you think are too successful to be considered a “Freshman”.
This year’s list consist of: Polo G, NLE Choppa, Baby Keem, Jack Harlow, Lil Tjay, Rod Wave, Fivio Foreign, Lil Keed, CalBoy, 24kGoldn, Chika, and Mulatto. Some of the people on this year’s list surprised me, because I would’ve thought they would decline to be on it due to their success. For example, Polo G, Tjay, and NLE Choppa all made significant noise last year, and I thought they were snubbed off the 2019 list. All three of these artists have gold and/or platinum records under their belt. It’s a constant trend for XXL to always be a year late when selecting their Freshman list. Fivio Foreign, even at 30 years old, makes sense to be a XXL Freshman. It’s ironic that he’s the oldest artist on the cover, but he’s the only “true freshman”. Fivio most likely took the place of the late Pop Smoke, who was confirmed to make this year’s class just right before he passed away.
Even though this list is pretty solid, there always are notable snubs. Some names that come to mind are Lil Tecca (who I saw multiple times on Twitter that he declined) and Don Toliver. Toliver’s type of music probably wouldn’t do well in a cypher, but his resume alone deserves a shot, even though I would’ve left him off as well.
There was a definite lack of Los Angeles talent on this list. Some artists should’ve had the opportunity, which XXL probably didn’t even look their way. Rucci, Reason, Bino Rideaux, and 1TakeJay are all rappers who would’ve represented the west coast in the best way possible.
Some of these artists on this list can actually rap, and I’m excited to hear these cyphers, which will all be produced by standout producer, Jetsonmade. There have been some more controversial lists in the past. This list is better than not having any list, which seemed like a possibility.
This year’s list consist of: Polo G, NLE Choppa, Baby Keem, Jack Harlow, Lil Tjay, Rod Wave, Fivio Foreign, Lil Keed, CalBoy, 24kGoldn, Chika, and Mulatto. Some of the people on this year’s list surprised me, because I would’ve thought they would decline to be on it due to their success. For example, Polo G, Tjay, and NLE Choppa all made significant noise last year, and I thought they were snubbed off the 2019 list. All three of these artists have gold and/or platinum records under their belt. It’s a constant trend for XXL to always be a year late when selecting their Freshman list. Fivio Foreign, even at 30 years old, makes sense to be a XXL Freshman. It’s ironic that he’s the oldest artist on the cover, but he’s the only “true freshman”. Fivio most likely took the place of the late Pop Smoke, who was confirmed to make this year’s class just right before he passed away.
Even though this list is pretty solid, there always are notable snubs. Some names that come to mind are Lil Tecca (who I saw multiple times on Twitter that he declined) and Don Toliver. Toliver’s type of music probably wouldn’t do well in a cypher, but his resume alone deserves a shot, even though I would’ve left him off as well.
There was a definite lack of Los Angeles talent on this list. Some artists should’ve had the opportunity, which XXL probably didn’t even look their way. Rucci, Reason, Bino Rideaux, and 1TakeJay are all rappers who would’ve represented the west coast in the best way possible.
Some of these artists on this list can actually rap, and I’m excited to hear these cyphers, which will all be produced by standout producer, Jetsonmade. There have been some more controversial lists in the past. This list is better than not having any list, which seemed like a possibility.
Lil Keed Makes His Return With Trapped on Cleveland 3
Written by Amr Sharaf
Atlanta’s very own Lil Keed, came out with his sophomore studio album, Trapped on Cleveland 3, on Friday. This is the third entry in the Trapped on Cleveland series, the first two were released as free mixtapes in 2018. Lil Keed has been taking over the streets of Atlanta with his high-pitched vocals and is a prodigy of the one and only Young Thug, so the similarity is there. People tend to compare Lil Keed to Young Thug’s impeccable run in 2015. Lil Keed was a key factor in the success that YSL Records had in 2019. His album was one of the best Hip-Hop albums of last year. Back again with another album one year later, Lil Keed drops his long-awaited album. He first teased the release of this album in November 2019.
After months of delays, it’s finally here. This album was released by YSL, an imprint of 300 Entertainment. Lil Keed received help from his teacher, Young Thug, as Thugger helped executive produce this album and gave us 2 big features on this 19 track album. Apart from Young Thug, Trapped on Cleveland 3 saw features from big rappers such as Travis Scott, Future, Gunna, Lil Baby, Ty Dolla $ign, and 42 Dugg. This album saw 3 singles prior to its release and they were all key contributions to this album’s success. Wavy was the first single of this album delivered by Keed before the official release date of the album. On the release of the album, however, it consisted of a huge feature from Travis Scott on the Wavy remix. Travis Scott was a vital addition to the remix while paying homage to the late Michael Jackson through his high-pitched adlibs. Fox 5 featuring Gunna and She Know featuring Lil Baby were the other two singles to drop before the release of the album. These tracks gave the album a lot of flavor. Some standout songs on this album were Obama Coupe, Zaza, Kiss Em Peace, and the Wavy Remix. Future went on to prove his dominance over features that he’s shared with us this year. Zaza was an example of this as him and Keed maintained great chemistry. Lil Keed’s high pitched vocals and Future’s raspy voice, along with their signature Atlanta style, fit together extremely well and we anticipate for more collaborations to come from the two of them. Keed’s ability to use his voice as an instrument really brought the album together and made it sound complete and energetic.
This will be the final establishment to the Trapped on Cleveland series. We expect to hear more music from Lil Keed as his brother, Lil Gotit, teased an upcoming deluxe version to this great album this past Friday.
Popcaan Releases Latest Project in Fixtape
On Friday, singer and songwriter, Popcaan released his full length project titled Fixtape. The Jamaican-born artist has been a staple in the dancehall genre over the last several years. Popcaan was a main inspiration for Drake when he adopted a similar sound back in 2016 for his album, Views. The relationship between the two resulted in Popcaan signing a deal to OVO Sound in late 2018. This is the second album of Popcaan’s that is produced by OVO, after his debut project with the label Vanquish, released back in December of 2019. Reggae isn’t necessarily a mainstream genre of music, however with a Drake co-sign there’s immediately a bigger fanbase for the Unruly don.
Fixtape is a 19-track album that included two previous singles. The TJ Records produced “Mamakita” served as the lead single which was released back in late March. That was followed up by “Buzz” which was produced by Two4Kay & Mini E5.
Fixtape is a 19-track album that included two previous singles. The TJ Records produced “Mamakita” served as the lead single which was released back in late March. That was followed up by “Buzz” which was produced by Two4Kay & Mini E5.
Now if you’re not from Jamaica you most likely don’t understand all of the different slang thrown into these lyrics. However, this will give the listener a different perspective. If you can’t get into these tracks based on lyrics, you can at least enjoy them based on vibes.
“Fresh Polo” featuring Stylo G & Dane Ray is a track that I only understood the brand names listed in the song, but don’t let that discourage you from listening. This isn’t mumble rap, there’s just a language barrier. “Twist & Turn” is produced by Nineteen85 (“Hotline Bling”, “One Dance”, & “Hold On, We’re Going Home”), and is the first of two tracks featuring Drake. It also features label mate PARTYNEXTDOOR, who also adopted this dancehall sound to his own music. This track is far from a disappointment, and is a definite highlight from this project. “Canary” is produced by prominent dancehall producer, Markus Records, and Popcaan drops a couple of NBA player name drops. “Unda Dirt” features Mo Bay and Portmore natives Masicka & Tommy Lee, not the drummer from Mötley Crüe. Both featured artists go ballistic for their verses, respectively. Masicka’s verse was actually recorded back in 2017.
“Fresh Polo” featuring Stylo G & Dane Ray is a track that I only understood the brand names listed in the song, but don’t let that discourage you from listening. This isn’t mumble rap, there’s just a language barrier. “Twist & Turn” is produced by Nineteen85 (“Hotline Bling”, “One Dance”, & “Hold On, We’re Going Home”), and is the first of two tracks featuring Drake. It also features label mate PARTYNEXTDOOR, who also adopted this dancehall sound to his own music. This track is far from a disappointment, and is a definite highlight from this project. “Canary” is produced by prominent dancehall producer, Markus Records, and Popcaan drops a couple of NBA player name drops. “Unda Dirt” features Mo Bay and Portmore natives Masicka & Tommy Lee, not the drummer from Mötley Crüe. Both featured artists go ballistic for their verses, respectively. Masicka’s verse was actually recorded back in 2017.
In the latter half of the album there are still multiple tracks worthy of a library add. Drake’s second feature is on “All I Need” for a more slow tempoed song, a track perfect for a night ride in Toronto. Canadian rapper, Preme & Popcaan exchange bars on “Murda”, and French Montana could’ve been worse for his featured verse. A slow track in “Friends Like These” helps give the album balance. “My Way” produced by frequent collaborator Louie V Music, serves as the outro, and helps the album finish off on a good note.
Throughout the project Popcaan finds pockets for a more rapping approach to go along with his more traditional melodic style. If you’re a new fan or a day one stan of Popcaan, there’s tracks here that appeal for both audiences. If you’re only here for the Drake features, I suggest sticking around and giving the rest of the album a listen. Fixtape is out now on all streaming platforms.
Throughout the project Popcaan finds pockets for a more rapping approach to go along with his more traditional melodic style. If you’re a new fan or a day one stan of Popcaan, there’s tracks here that appeal for both audiences. If you’re only here for the Drake features, I suggest sticking around and giving the rest of the album a listen. Fixtape is out now on all streaming platforms.
Blxst Releases Single Titled “Overrated”
One of the most consistent artists coming out of Los Angeles is Blxst. After a breakout 2019, the producer/rapper has been on fire all of 2020, and he’s not even close to being done. Just last month, Blxst teamed up with 1TakeJay to release one of top songs of the summer in “Slip & Slide”. On Friday, Blxst released a single titled, “Overrated”. The track serves as the lead single off his upcoming EP titled, No Love Lost that is set to release on September 4th.
Like most of Blxst’s music, “Overrated” is produced & mixed by himself. As another example that he is just as talented at both aspects of the music. West coast hip-hop love songs go as far back as the mid 80s, but even through all the artists that took this approach, Blxst still finds a way to separate himself from the rest and stay unique in his own way.
There seems like there is going to be a theme throughout this upcoming EP. The 2019 track, “Hurt” serves as the outro to the project, which makes sense. There’s definitely a lot of anticipation built up for these six never heard before songs. For now we are just going to have to settle with this lead single. “Overrated” is out now on all streaming platforms.
Like most of Blxst’s music, “Overrated” is produced & mixed by himself. As another example that he is just as talented at both aspects of the music. West coast hip-hop love songs go as far back as the mid 80s, but even through all the artists that took this approach, Blxst still finds a way to separate himself from the rest and stay unique in his own way.
There seems like there is going to be a theme throughout this upcoming EP. The 2019 track, “Hurt” serves as the outro to the project, which makes sense. There’s definitely a lot of anticipation built up for these six never heard before songs. For now we are just going to have to settle with this lead single. “Overrated” is out now on all streaming platforms.
NLE Choppa Releases Debut Studio Album
Written by Odin Najera
Memphis teenage phenomenon, NLE Choppa has returned to the music scene with his long awaited album Top Shotta. The album is full of hard hitting dangerous beats and even harder and gritty lyrics. The hardest songs on the album are easily “Who TF Up In My Trap”, “Shotta Flow 4”, “Can’t Take It”, “Gamble With My Heart”, “Made It Happen”, and “Depression”. The album is full of different styles , NLE shows that he has more than 1 sound in his arsenal. The features include Mulatto, Roddy Ricch, Chief Keef, and Lil Baby. The 17 year old soon to be father has made a huge name for himself in the past year, gaining enough traction and attention to be able to get such big features on his second album. He also added his latest “Shotta Flow” track, “Shotta Flow 5. The “Shotta Flow” series is a much loved series by fans and fans all around are wondering how far the young rapper will go with it.
Coming off of a great 2019, NLE needed a good album release because his last album Cottonwood was not received very well by fans. He got a lot of hate from fans and gained a lot of doubters, but he didn’t give up as he continued to release more music and kept going, gaining more and more attention everyday. For someone who’s 17, he raps like he’s 30 with all the things and trauma that he has been through in his early life in Memphis that he expresses in his lyrics. The album is full of simple, yet hard hitting, punchlines about weed, guns, sex, and killing. Typical rap, but there’s something about NLE that draws away from the other Memphis rappers and makes NLE different, and that’s his melodic side. Choppa sings a lot more than any other Memphis rapper has. Even though he draws a huge difference from other Memphis rappers, that doesn’t mean he does not fall into that rough style that Memphis is most known for. Sounding similar to Young Dolph, Key Glock, BloccBoy JB, Yo Gottie, Big Moochie Grape, and more. NLE is the youngest to grab that torch.
He also really wanted to put out a much longer project as opposed to his last. Cottonwood was 10 songs, 25 minutes. While Top Shotta is 20 songs and 1 hour long. Over double the time of the last album. Wanting to also show he has matured a lot over the past year, on August 4th he took to Twitter to say “I wanna be y’all favorite rapper cause I care deeper than just wanting to make a checc off this shit. I be wanting to help others in anyway I can; mentally, physically, and emotionally. I’m here for all y’all”. He signed a huge deal to “Warner Records'' back in mid 2019 and since then he promised that his next studio album would top everything he’s ever released. What do you think? The album is out now on all mainstream streaming platforms, go give it a listen!
Coming off of a great 2019, NLE needed a good album release because his last album Cottonwood was not received very well by fans. He got a lot of hate from fans and gained a lot of doubters, but he didn’t give up as he continued to release more music and kept going, gaining more and more attention everyday. For someone who’s 17, he raps like he’s 30 with all the things and trauma that he has been through in his early life in Memphis that he expresses in his lyrics. The album is full of simple, yet hard hitting, punchlines about weed, guns, sex, and killing. Typical rap, but there’s something about NLE that draws away from the other Memphis rappers and makes NLE different, and that’s his melodic side. Choppa sings a lot more than any other Memphis rapper has. Even though he draws a huge difference from other Memphis rappers, that doesn’t mean he does not fall into that rough style that Memphis is most known for. Sounding similar to Young Dolph, Key Glock, BloccBoy JB, Yo Gottie, Big Moochie Grape, and more. NLE is the youngest to grab that torch.
He also really wanted to put out a much longer project as opposed to his last. Cottonwood was 10 songs, 25 minutes. While Top Shotta is 20 songs and 1 hour long. Over double the time of the last album. Wanting to also show he has matured a lot over the past year, on August 4th he took to Twitter to say “I wanna be y’all favorite rapper cause I care deeper than just wanting to make a checc off this shit. I be wanting to help others in anyway I can; mentally, physically, and emotionally. I’m here for all y’all”. He signed a huge deal to “Warner Records'' back in mid 2019 and since then he promised that his next studio album would top everything he’s ever released. What do you think? The album is out now on all mainstream streaming platforms, go give it a listen!
Juice WRLD & The Weeknd Link Up For “Smile”
On Tuesday, Toronto superstar The Weeknd announced via Twitter that he would be releasing music with the late Juice WRLD. Back on September 10, 2019 Juice tweeted, “Me and The Weeknd would make a diamond record…”. He spoke the collaboration into existence, although unfortunately he isn’t alive to witness it happen.
Both The Weeknd & Juice WRLD have celebrated number one albums on the Billboard 200 chart in 2020. Abel’s After Hours is a piece of work that gets better with time, and has the potential to rack in numerous Grammy awards come late January. Juice’s first posthumous project, Legends Never Die, sold nearly 500k sales in the first week.
The Weeknd & Juice WRLD sounds like a recipe for a hit, but the audience had no idea what to expect musically leading up to Thursday night. However we all know that Juice & The Weeknd are specialists in making dark love songs. After a title change from “Sad” to “Smile”, the collaboration from XO & 999 is here.
“Smile” was a Juice WRLD leak from 2018, and once the fans got their hands on the snippet, it became heavily requested to be released on all streaming platforms. Some fans were disappointed that it wasn’t on the album, so a featured verse from a generational talent makes up for the wait.
The track is produced by Nick Mira, Juice WRLD’s go-to beatmaker, and the man who is behind some of the biggest hip-hop records of the last couple years. Such as Lil Tecca’s “Ransom” as well as Juice’s breakout hits “Lucid Dreams” & “All Girls Are The Same”.
Juice WRLD was known as a pioneer of the emo-rap subgenre, in fact he perfected it. “Smile” is another example of that. With a quality over quantity first verse to go along with a hook that will get stuck in your head after your first listen, this is another hit that was just chilling on a flash drive somewhere. The Weeknd takes on the second verse, and the Toronto R&B singer didn’t disappoint. His flow is very reminiscent of the one he used for NAV’s “Price on My Head”.
Now most posthumous tracks tend to sound forced with a guest feature, however “Smile” is not the case. CThe only problem I have is that we won’t get a chance to hear what else the two artists can come up with. “Smile” is out now on all streaming platforms.
Both The Weeknd & Juice WRLD have celebrated number one albums on the Billboard 200 chart in 2020. Abel’s After Hours is a piece of work that gets better with time, and has the potential to rack in numerous Grammy awards come late January. Juice’s first posthumous project, Legends Never Die, sold nearly 500k sales in the first week.
The Weeknd & Juice WRLD sounds like a recipe for a hit, but the audience had no idea what to expect musically leading up to Thursday night. However we all know that Juice & The Weeknd are specialists in making dark love songs. After a title change from “Sad” to “Smile”, the collaboration from XO & 999 is here.
“Smile” was a Juice WRLD leak from 2018, and once the fans got their hands on the snippet, it became heavily requested to be released on all streaming platforms. Some fans were disappointed that it wasn’t on the album, so a featured verse from a generational talent makes up for the wait.
The track is produced by Nick Mira, Juice WRLD’s go-to beatmaker, and the man who is behind some of the biggest hip-hop records of the last couple years. Such as Lil Tecca’s “Ransom” as well as Juice’s breakout hits “Lucid Dreams” & “All Girls Are The Same”.
Juice WRLD was known as a pioneer of the emo-rap subgenre, in fact he perfected it. “Smile” is another example of that. With a quality over quantity first verse to go along with a hook that will get stuck in your head after your first listen, this is another hit that was just chilling on a flash drive somewhere. The Weeknd takes on the second verse, and the Toronto R&B singer didn’t disappoint. His flow is very reminiscent of the one he used for NAV’s “Price on My Head”.
Now most posthumous tracks tend to sound forced with a guest feature, however “Smile” is not the case. CThe only problem I have is that we won’t get a chance to hear what else the two artists can come up with. “Smile” is out now on all streaming platforms.
645AR Teams Up With FKA Twigs For “Sum Bout U”
Written by Amr Sharaf
As 645AR continues his success in the music industry stemming from his breakout hit, “4 DA TRAP”, he returns to prove that he’s not just a one hit wonder as he drops a new track titled “Sum Bout U” featuring FKA Twigs. He took off with the help of TikTok as people found his incomprehensible music to be humorous and began using it for their TikTok challenges. Although his music blew up from there, the community did not forget about him. He went on to release a track titled “Yoga” which also was really successful.
645AR is back with his new track “Sum Bout U” with a really interesting flow. 645AR and FKA Twigs trade lines in this new single as she adapts to his unique style. Although there are a lot of similarities sonically when comparing this track to his other tracks, he shows that he has a lot more in his bag than we thought. He switches from rapping about gun violence and money to a romantic song showing off the diversity in his lyrics and subject matter. FKA Twigs really added an interesting twist to this track as it was surprising to hear the way she introduced herself on this track and traded bars with 645AR using his unique high-pitched style. Expect to hear this song all over social media over the next couple months.
645AR is back with his new track “Sum Bout U” with a really interesting flow. 645AR and FKA Twigs trade lines in this new single as she adapts to his unique style. Although there are a lot of similarities sonically when comparing this track to his other tracks, he shows that he has a lot more in his bag than we thought. He switches from rapping about gun violence and money to a romantic song showing off the diversity in his lyrics and subject matter. FKA Twigs really added an interesting twist to this track as it was surprising to hear the way she introduced herself on this track and traded bars with 645AR using his unique high-pitched style. Expect to hear this song all over social media over the next couple months.
YS & RonRon Link Up For “Oh Man” & Visuals
A rising rapper out of Compton, California is YS. Since his breakout track, “Bompton '' that was later remixed by OhGeesy & 1TakeJay, YS’s career trajectory is just going upwards. Just a couple of months ago the rapper teamed up with Los Angeles standout producer, RonRon to bring us the 10-track project, Street Icons. The tandem again linked up to bring us the single “Oh Man” that was released on July 29th. Even though the track was just shy of a minute and thirty seconds long, it’s still a west coast banger nonetheless.
The visuals for “Oh Man” are directed by Mr. RealMovie, who has previously worked with AzChike, Rucci, 1TakeJay, and White John, among others. YS is shown with his posse, flaunting 100 dollar bills, and flexing expensive jewelry. Which makes sense because the theme of the track is how YS started from the bottom, and now he’s making his way towards the top. Stanford Ave.’s finest is just getting started, and it’s going to be exciting to see what he comes up with next. “Oh Man” is out now on all streaming platforms, and the music video is out now on YouTube.
The visuals for “Oh Man” are directed by Mr. RealMovie, who has previously worked with AzChike, Rucci, 1TakeJay, and White John, among others. YS is shown with his posse, flaunting 100 dollar bills, and flexing expensive jewelry. Which makes sense because the theme of the track is how YS started from the bottom, and now he’s making his way towards the top. Stanford Ave.’s finest is just getting started, and it’s going to be exciting to see what he comes up with next. “Oh Man” is out now on all streaming platforms, and the music video is out now on YouTube.
Rob Markman & Doeman Team Up For “Easy Money Sniper”
Written by Noah Soria
Rob Markman is a distinguished hip-hop journalist, who has worked with MTV News as well as XXL, and is currently the Director of Artist Relations at Genius. However, since 2017 Markman has tried hand in rapping. In three years in the game, the New York native has already released two full projects in Write To Dreams and It’s Too Late at the Wake. Just this year alone, the Brooklyn MC has released 12 singles before August, that’s more than double of your favorite rapper. On August 1, Markman returned with his 13th single of 2020 with “Easy Money Sniper” featuring Doeman & DviousMindz.
Rob Markman took to Instagram to post a picture with himself alongside Kevin Durant (aka Easy Money Sniper) with the caption “The #NBARestart got me inspired or sumthin.” The track is produced by DviousMindz who is a frequent collaborator of Markman’s. Markman handles the hook and the first verse, where he starts with his take on JAY-Z’s “What More Can I Say”. That’s followed by numerous motivational bars. A couple of lines that stood out were,
”They ever doubted you this motivation to prove it
Tomorrow’s never promised so all that waitin' is foolish
Just understand they gonna laugh at first
And probably call it trash at first”.
Mexican-American rapper, Doeman shows out for the second verse. Dropping mob film references, a Tupac line, and a Marilyn Manson namedrop. However his best bar was his final line, and that was
“This Colin Kaepernick, callin' cap on these rapper's shit
All them actors ain't rappin shit, hungry and plus I'm passionate”
If you like real hip-hop that motivates you to be better, this track is for you. “Easy Money Sniper” is out now on all streaming platforms.
Rob Markman took to Instagram to post a picture with himself alongside Kevin Durant (aka Easy Money Sniper) with the caption “The #NBARestart got me inspired or sumthin.” The track is produced by DviousMindz who is a frequent collaborator of Markman’s. Markman handles the hook and the first verse, where he starts with his take on JAY-Z’s “What More Can I Say”. That’s followed by numerous motivational bars. A couple of lines that stood out were,
”They ever doubted you this motivation to prove it
Tomorrow’s never promised so all that waitin' is foolish
Just understand they gonna laugh at first
And probably call it trash at first”.
Mexican-American rapper, Doeman shows out for the second verse. Dropping mob film references, a Tupac line, and a Marilyn Manson namedrop. However his best bar was his final line, and that was
“This Colin Kaepernick, callin' cap on these rapper's shit
All them actors ain't rappin shit, hungry and plus I'm passionate”
If you like real hip-hop that motivates you to be better, this track is for you. “Easy Money Sniper” is out now on all streaming platforms.
Sleepy Hallow Releases The Black House EP
Written by Amr Sharaf
The Brooklyn drill scene is one of the most exciting and promising movements going on in the music world. Sleepy Hallow has proved to be a leader of this wave that has given us artists such as Pop Smoke (R.I.P.), Fivio Foreign, 22Gz, and frequent collaborator Sheff G, who is featured twice on Sleepy’s new project, “The Black House”. This EP comes following the release of Sleepy Hallow’s second LP, “Sleepy for President”, and his viral hit song “Deep End Freestyle”.
This Great John-produced EP gives us another look at Sleepy’s more melodic side, an aspect that sets him apart from his peers in Brooklyn and continues to show us that he is more than just another drill rapper. Even with a runtime of only 11 minutes, every single minute of “The Black House” is packed with hard-hitting drums, crafty flows, remarkable instrumentals from Great John, and cunning lyrics. Sleepy also manages to rap about a wide range of topics in this short project, such as love, struggle, trust, and much more. Jay Gwuapo and fellow Flatbush rapper Sheff G are the only featured artists on the project, and they deliver flawlessly while also synchronizing well with Sleepy Hallow’s unique sound. The intro, “Somebody” sounds similar to Sheff G and Sleepy Hallow’s recent collaborations on “Sleepy for President”, but with deeper lyrical content as he discusses his struggles as well as his upbringing. On “Different”, Sleepy presents a more rapid flow on an upbeat instrumental and Jay Gwuapo delivers with a melodic verse as they rap about navigating the issues that come with their recent success. “Perc Talkin” is slower-paced, but filled with introspective lyrics about fake love, gang violence, and Sleepy’s mental health struggles. Sleepy Hallow and Sheff G return to their drill roots on the sequel to previous collaboration “Don’t Panic” as they bring an aggressive and refreshing twist to this project on “Don’t Panic 2”. The outro to the EP, “Quarantine Boo '' is a romantic song with a Latin Pop-inspired beat that further showcases Sleepy’s versatility.
Overall, “The Black House” is a wonderful representation of Sleepy Hallow’s sound and keeps us excited for what he has in store for us next.
This Great John-produced EP gives us another look at Sleepy’s more melodic side, an aspect that sets him apart from his peers in Brooklyn and continues to show us that he is more than just another drill rapper. Even with a runtime of only 11 minutes, every single minute of “The Black House” is packed with hard-hitting drums, crafty flows, remarkable instrumentals from Great John, and cunning lyrics. Sleepy also manages to rap about a wide range of topics in this short project, such as love, struggle, trust, and much more. Jay Gwuapo and fellow Flatbush rapper Sheff G are the only featured artists on the project, and they deliver flawlessly while also synchronizing well with Sleepy Hallow’s unique sound. The intro, “Somebody” sounds similar to Sheff G and Sleepy Hallow’s recent collaborations on “Sleepy for President”, but with deeper lyrical content as he discusses his struggles as well as his upbringing. On “Different”, Sleepy presents a more rapid flow on an upbeat instrumental and Jay Gwuapo delivers with a melodic verse as they rap about navigating the issues that come with their recent success. “Perc Talkin” is slower-paced, but filled with introspective lyrics about fake love, gang violence, and Sleepy’s mental health struggles. Sleepy Hallow and Sheff G return to their drill roots on the sequel to previous collaboration “Don’t Panic” as they bring an aggressive and refreshing twist to this project on “Don’t Panic 2”. The outro to the EP, “Quarantine Boo '' is a romantic song with a Latin Pop-inspired beat that further showcases Sleepy’s versatility.
Overall, “The Black House” is a wonderful representation of Sleepy Hallow’s sound and keeps us excited for what he has in store for us next.
Top Songs Of July 2020
Click to listen to Apple Music.
Click to listen to Spotify.
Benny the Butcher & DJ Drama Present: Black Soprano Family
Griselda Records has easily been the most consistent hip-hop collective in the game for the last couple of years. The rap trio from Buffalo, NY made up of Benny The Butcher, Conway The Machine, and Westside Gunn have revitalized the grime style & sound that was made popular on the east coast in the mid-90s. They have become a staple in New York music, but also all of hip-hop. Since the release of Benny The Butcher’s 2019 project The Plugs I Met, and the success that came following, Griselda had the hip-hop community intrigued. With the world watching, the rap collective never took their foot off the gas, Benny The Butcher in particular. The 35-year old MC is also a part of another collective named, Black Soprano Family or BSF. The group consists of Benny, Ricky Hyde, Loveboat Luciano, Jonesy, and Heem.
BSF teamed up with the iconic DJ Drama to bring us Benny The Butcher & DJ Drama Presents Black Soprano Family. When most think of the term “Gangsta Grillz mixtape” they think about Lil Wayne’s Dedication series, or T.I’s The Leak. Projects that dominated the mixtape game in the early to mid 2000s. To see a rap collective with an East Coast 90s style matchup with a DJ who ran the south in the 2000s makes for an interesting collaboration.
Benny The Butcher & DJ Drama Presents Black Soprano Family is a 8-track project, but most know that Benny has always been quality over quantity, and that’s for the best. Prior to the release of this project, there were three singles put out, and that was “It’s Over” produced by Drama’s right hand man, Don Cannon. As well as “Da Mob” produced by DJ Shay & “Quarantine” produced by frequent collaborator, Chup the Producer. The two tracks shared a music video that was released three months ago. On “Quarantine”, with an electric guitar sample, Benny the Butcher annihilates the beat. Now the line that got me was
“They say power and fortune bring you Jordan rings
Hoes call me for Louis bags and abortion fees”. Now if that doesn’t make you bob your head, then I don’t know what will.
“Grams in the Water” features a hook by Dwayne Collins that is so smooth that you almost forget what the lyrics are about. Loveboat Lucciano & Jonesy share some special chemistry on “In Love With The Streets”, on yet another phenomenal instrumental. Ricky Hyde goes absolutely ballistic on “Ricky & Fonz”, which is a standout track on this project. Heem shines on “Valerie”.
The cadence & flow on these tracks sounds like it was recorded back in 1994. Nowadays that probably wouldn’t connect with the younger fan base, however these lyrics are as modern as they get. Listening to these MC’s in their early to mid 30s rap about tennis bracelets and Amiri jeans is something I wouldn’t expect, but it’s heat nonetheless. It’s safe to say there’s not one bad verse on this entire project, and to go along with that, the production on this project is borderline flawless.
If you were disappointed that this wasn’t a solo Benny the Butcher project, then you missed the whole point. This was about giving the rest of Black Soprano Family a platform to shine. On the outro of the track “Deal Or No Deal”, Benny says it himself, “I made all my niggas bosses, I made all my niggas capos”. All four of these rappers stepped up to the plate and delivered. Benny The Butcher & DJ Drama Presents Black Soprano Family is out now on all streaming platforms.
BSF teamed up with the iconic DJ Drama to bring us Benny The Butcher & DJ Drama Presents Black Soprano Family. When most think of the term “Gangsta Grillz mixtape” they think about Lil Wayne’s Dedication series, or T.I’s The Leak. Projects that dominated the mixtape game in the early to mid 2000s. To see a rap collective with an East Coast 90s style matchup with a DJ who ran the south in the 2000s makes for an interesting collaboration.
Benny The Butcher & DJ Drama Presents Black Soprano Family is a 8-track project, but most know that Benny has always been quality over quantity, and that’s for the best. Prior to the release of this project, there were three singles put out, and that was “It’s Over” produced by Drama’s right hand man, Don Cannon. As well as “Da Mob” produced by DJ Shay & “Quarantine” produced by frequent collaborator, Chup the Producer. The two tracks shared a music video that was released three months ago. On “Quarantine”, with an electric guitar sample, Benny the Butcher annihilates the beat. Now the line that got me was
“They say power and fortune bring you Jordan rings
Hoes call me for Louis bags and abortion fees”. Now if that doesn’t make you bob your head, then I don’t know what will.
“Grams in the Water” features a hook by Dwayne Collins that is so smooth that you almost forget what the lyrics are about. Loveboat Lucciano & Jonesy share some special chemistry on “In Love With The Streets”, on yet another phenomenal instrumental. Ricky Hyde goes absolutely ballistic on “Ricky & Fonz”, which is a standout track on this project. Heem shines on “Valerie”.
The cadence & flow on these tracks sounds like it was recorded back in 1994. Nowadays that probably wouldn’t connect with the younger fan base, however these lyrics are as modern as they get. Listening to these MC’s in their early to mid 30s rap about tennis bracelets and Amiri jeans is something I wouldn’t expect, but it’s heat nonetheless. It’s safe to say there’s not one bad verse on this entire project, and to go along with that, the production on this project is borderline flawless.
If you were disappointed that this wasn’t a solo Benny the Butcher project, then you missed the whole point. This was about giving the rest of Black Soprano Family a platform to shine. On the outro of the track “Deal Or No Deal”, Benny says it himself, “I made all my niggas bosses, I made all my niggas capos”. All four of these rappers stepped up to the plate and delivered. Benny The Butcher & DJ Drama Presents Black Soprano Family is out now on all streaming platforms.
Shoreline Mafia Releases Debut Album - Mafia Bidness
The wait is over. Shoreline Mafia’s debut studio album is finally here. Within these last three years the city of Los Angeles has witnessed the group’s career in its entirety. From their early success in 2017 with the group’s standout tracks such as “Musty” and “Bottle Service” that were played by every DJ at every Southern California function. To see the group’s music exceed the California border, connecting with artists from all across the country, and having their music into the hands of the mainstream audience. The group brought a new sound & style as an alternative to the typical LA hip-hop we were used to in prior years. This album has been in the works since right after the group released the mixtape ShorelineDoThatShit back in 2018, so after two long years Mafia Bidness is here.
The album is a total of 21 tracks long. The entire project is executive produced by Ron-Ron The Producer, and rightfully so because the producer has been with the group since the very beginning, as the man behind most of Shoreline’s biggest records. Throughout the summer, the group released five singles prior to the release of their debut album. With the lead single being “Gangstas & Sippas” featuring Q Da Fool, and then later remixed with a verse from West Coast staple, YG. That was followed by Lil Yachty featuring “Ride Out”, “Change Ya Life”, “Perc Popper”, and “How We Do It” featuring Wiz Khalifa that samples Montell’s Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It”.
After the introduction, the first track is “Run It Back” featuring the Watts native and who’s currently imprisoned, 03 Greedo. It samples Juvenile’s hit song “Back That Azz Up”. It’s an instant party track. The track consists of verses from all four Shoreline members which is a rare feat nowadays. The very next song, “All The Time”, OhGeesy takes on the song solo. On “F**k It Up”, Anticoch, CA native Mike Sherm and Fenix display great chemistry. One of the biggest features you could land in this day in age, regardless of genre, is Future. The Atlanta legend is featured on “Poe the Drop”, and he shines as usual. Fenix spazzes for the first minute of “Do the Most'' to go along with a solid verse from Duke Deuce. A definite highlight is ‘Hold On/ Musty Freestyle”, but only Drakeo The Ruler’s two year old verse on the “Musty'' instrumental. 1TakeJay & OhGeesy rap about what women they prefer on the Cypress Moreno produced track, “Bitches”. Kodak Black is another artist most wouldn’t expect on Shoreline Mafia’s debut album, but he raps the hook for “On the Low '', which is one of the better songs on the entire album. On “Fully Loaded” it features LA’s Nfant & Detroit rapper GT, who previously worked with Shoreline on the track “Swear To God''. The final track is “Bands” which was released back in 2018, and was probably put on this album to enhance sales.
Mafia Bidness is way long overdue. Some of these tracks felt very label controlled, but the tracks with the LA artists felt more organic. Fenix Flexin & Rob Vicious shined on this album, and with Fenix leaving the group after this release, we can definitely look forward to Fenix Flexin’s solo career. With OhGeesy & Fenix Flexin both set to release upcoming solo projects, the future of Shoreline Mafia is in doubt. This is the end of an era, and Mafia Bidness was the exclamation point on Shoreline Mafia’s time together. Mafia Bidness is out now on all streaming platforms.
The album is a total of 21 tracks long. The entire project is executive produced by Ron-Ron The Producer, and rightfully so because the producer has been with the group since the very beginning, as the man behind most of Shoreline’s biggest records. Throughout the summer, the group released five singles prior to the release of their debut album. With the lead single being “Gangstas & Sippas” featuring Q Da Fool, and then later remixed with a verse from West Coast staple, YG. That was followed by Lil Yachty featuring “Ride Out”, “Change Ya Life”, “Perc Popper”, and “How We Do It” featuring Wiz Khalifa that samples Montell’s Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It”.
After the introduction, the first track is “Run It Back” featuring the Watts native and who’s currently imprisoned, 03 Greedo. It samples Juvenile’s hit song “Back That Azz Up”. It’s an instant party track. The track consists of verses from all four Shoreline members which is a rare feat nowadays. The very next song, “All The Time”, OhGeesy takes on the song solo. On “F**k It Up”, Anticoch, CA native Mike Sherm and Fenix display great chemistry. One of the biggest features you could land in this day in age, regardless of genre, is Future. The Atlanta legend is featured on “Poe the Drop”, and he shines as usual. Fenix spazzes for the first minute of “Do the Most'' to go along with a solid verse from Duke Deuce. A definite highlight is ‘Hold On/ Musty Freestyle”, but only Drakeo The Ruler’s two year old verse on the “Musty'' instrumental. 1TakeJay & OhGeesy rap about what women they prefer on the Cypress Moreno produced track, “Bitches”. Kodak Black is another artist most wouldn’t expect on Shoreline Mafia’s debut album, but he raps the hook for “On the Low '', which is one of the better songs on the entire album. On “Fully Loaded” it features LA’s Nfant & Detroit rapper GT, who previously worked with Shoreline on the track “Swear To God''. The final track is “Bands” which was released back in 2018, and was probably put on this album to enhance sales.
Mafia Bidness is way long overdue. Some of these tracks felt very label controlled, but the tracks with the LA artists felt more organic. Fenix Flexin & Rob Vicious shined on this album, and with Fenix leaving the group after this release, we can definitely look forward to Fenix Flexin’s solo career. With OhGeesy & Fenix Flexin both set to release upcoming solo projects, the future of Shoreline Mafia is in doubt. This is the end of an era, and Mafia Bidness was the exclamation point on Shoreline Mafia’s time together. Mafia Bidness is out now on all streaming platforms.
Gunna Releases Deluxe Version For His Number One Album, Wunna
After an already exceptional 2020, Gunna is back for more, and has just dropped his deluxe version of his latest album, WUNNA. The original 18-track record includes an additional eight new songs. Among the eight new tracks it features hip-hop heavy hitters such as Lil Uzi Vert on “Relentless,” Future on “Street Sweeper,” NAV on “Nothing 4 Free,” Yak Gotti on “Wunna Flo”, and mentor Young Thug on “One Watch”. The deluxe version comes a little over two months after the original album was released back on May 22nd. WUNNA is arguably Gunna’s best work, debuting at No.1 on the Billboard 200 back in late May, topping his 2019 debut album Drip or Drown 2, which peaked at No.3 on Billboard. The Atlanta rapper’s sophomore album moved close to 111,000 records the first week. Along with the album, Gunna also released a music video for one of the stand out tracks from the album “DOLLAZ ON MY HEAD”, directed by Spike Jordan and Maxime Quoline. The video is really comedic, starting off with Gunna answering a facetime call from Young Thug while playing golf in his mansion as he tries to show Young Thug a golf trick shot, which lands in the neighbors cake that they bring as a housewarming gift. They then proceed to have a house party.
Gunna first teased WUNNA (Deluxe) on social media with an Instagram post telling fans to guess who would appear on the updated album. It was captioned “Wunna Deluxe this week!!! 4 FT… Guess Who?” The Atlanta native also took to twitter on July 18th and tweeted “Deluxe… 8 traccs!” All of the new songs are high quality tracks, instead of throwaways, but the stand outs are “Street Sweeper” featuring Future, “Nothing 4 Free” featuring Nav, “Dirty Diana”, “One Watch” featuring Young Thug, and “Gunna Flo” featuring Yak Gotti. The first track on this version of the album is “200 For Lunch”, the Taurus produced track will outlast any hype that this album received. The deluxe version has the 8 new tracks placed throughout the track listing, usually the deluxe tracks are put at the end of the album. This bizarre approach made for a whole different listening experience, and it was a creative idea that worked. More music videos from these new eight tracks are expected to release, so be on the lookout for that. WUNNA (Deluxe) is out now on all streaming platforms.
Gunna first teased WUNNA (Deluxe) on social media with an Instagram post telling fans to guess who would appear on the updated album. It was captioned “Wunna Deluxe this week!!! 4 FT… Guess Who?” The Atlanta native also took to twitter on July 18th and tweeted “Deluxe… 8 traccs!” All of the new songs are high quality tracks, instead of throwaways, but the stand outs are “Street Sweeper” featuring Future, “Nothing 4 Free” featuring Nav, “Dirty Diana”, “One Watch” featuring Young Thug, and “Gunna Flo” featuring Yak Gotti. The first track on this version of the album is “200 For Lunch”, the Taurus produced track will outlast any hype that this album received. The deluxe version has the 8 new tracks placed throughout the track listing, usually the deluxe tracks are put at the end of the album. This bizarre approach made for a whole different listening experience, and it was a creative idea that worked. More music videos from these new eight tracks are expected to release, so be on the lookout for that. WUNNA (Deluxe) is out now on all streaming platforms.
J. Cole Releases New Two-Track EP
Written By Odin Najera
J. Cole followed through with his promise to his fans this week with his latest LP release titled Lewis Street; after his original Fayetteville, North Carolina address, before moving to Forest Hills Drive. The LP contains 2 new songs titled “The Climb Back” and “Lion King on Ice”. These songs will also be featured on his already confirmed upcoming album, Fall Off. The two new singles are Cole’s first releases since the controversial track “Snow On Tha Bluff,” which dropped last month. The song was presumed to be a response to Chicago native Noname, who called out “y’all favorite top-selling rappers” for not using their platforms to speak out about police brutality. He teased his upcoming album back in 2018 on his last album KOD, on the final track of the album titled “1985 (Into to The Fall Off)”. Also during a November 2019 concert, when he presented a satirical political ad which stated, “"It seems like shit is all fucked up. The country needs a hero to turn to in these turbulent times. Jermaine Cole is that hero," the narrator said in the teaser. "A man whose humility knows no bounds... We need someone with big ideas and bold solutions... Make your voice heard. Vote The Fall Off for 2020.” The North Carolina legend produced “The Climb Back”, while he co-produced “Lion King on Ice” alongside Jetsonmade and T-Minus. We found out yesterday on Tuesday, July 21st who the producers were going to be after J. Cole took to Instagram to post a not at all cryptic message discussing his upcoming music, unlike most rappers. He posted the official cover art of the LP and captioned it “The Climb Back - produced by me, Lion King On Ice produced by J. Cole, T-Minus, and Jetson. First 2 songs from The Fall Off. Dropping tomorrow night at 10 pm. No date for the album yet, taking my time, still finishing.” Shortly after that jetsonmade tweeted “yall really bout to get Cole on jetson 808S, shit different.” Cole goes at rappers necks in the first track “The Climb Back” with lyrics like "I’m sending a warning, a problem with me is like the BET Hip Hop Awards I’m starting to see you/ n**gas don’t want it/I’m sick of this flauntin', from n**gas I know for sho ain’t got mo dough than Cole”, and "Trash rappers Ass backwards tryna go toe-to-toe/We laugh at ya, staff strapped up on top the totem pole/To blast at ya." While on “Lion King on Ice” he talks more about his come up story, his sacrifices he took, and his struggles with lyrics like, “I prayed for better days/Then found a better me/I got my head on straight.” The 35 year old rap veteran is known for his long breaks in between albums and fans are going crazy that the wait is coming to an end. Cole’s upcoming album will be his 6th studio album in 9 years. The EPis out now on all mainstream streaming platforms now. Go give it a spin!
Pop Smoke Releases Deluxe Version For Posthumous Album
Today, July 20, 2020 is the late Pop Smoke’s 21st birthday. Just over two weeks ago, on July 3, the Brooklyn MC ‘s debut studio album Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon release. As expected, the project received immediate success from within the hip-hop community. The album went on to sell 251,000 records the first week, which was the most first week sales for a posthumous album since Michael Jackson’s Michael back in 2010. The major accomplishment was later beat the very next week with the release of Juice WRLD’s Legends Never Die, which sold an astounding 508,000 records. Regardless of the records, Pop Smoke’s album speaks for itself. Now it is time for the highly anticipated deluxe version of Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon.
This deluxe version is fifteen tracks long, so the listeners are essentially getting a whole separate project. Some of these tracks have been previewed by Pop Smoke in the past, so his diehard fans are familiar with some of this newly released music. The first record is the 808Melo & Jess Jackson produced “Hotel Lobby”. It’s followed by back to back features from fellow New York drill rapper, Fivio Foreign for “Showin Off, Pt. 1” & “Showin Off, Pt. 2”. There were definitely some skeptical fans wondering why there weren’t more drill artists featured on the original album, so having Fivio satisfies a lot of listeners. “Iced Out Audemars” & “Woo Year” features DAFI Woo and Dread Woo, two rappers who were personal friends of Pop Smoke’s, and also fellow members of Brooklyn’s Woo gang. “Tsunami” featuring Davido & “She Feeling a Nice” featuring Jamie Foxx produced by WondaGurl, are both tracks with a tropical type sound, but Pop Smoke again flexes his versatility. Also, a Jamie Foxx and Pop Smoke collaboration is something we didn’t know we needed until now. On “Imperfections (Interlude)” Pop Smoke continues his salute to the 2000s, which he did multiple times on the original album, and this time he puts his take on Mario’s 2004 hit “Let Me Love You”. “Paranoia” is produced by The Elements & 808Melo once again, and it features Atlanta superstars Young Thug & Gunna. The original track also features Pusha T, who is managed by Steven Victor, who also managed Pop Smoke. The Clipse rapper’s verse leaked to the internet, and included lines dissing his nemesis, Drake. After a brief feud between Pusha T and Young Thug on Instagram about the verse being on the album, Pusha requested that the verse be taken off. Regardless, the final version of the track is still exceptional. Pop Smoke claims the “King Of New York” title on “Hello” featuring A Boogie Wit a Hoodie. The two worked together on the track “Foreigner” on Meet The Woo 2, but A Boogie’s verse eventually became a meme. This time around that will not be the case, because the Highbridge rapper delivered. “Be Clearr” again displays Pop Smoke’s melodic song, the track is destined to be a hit. The final two tracks are remixes of songs that were on the original album. “Diana (Remix)” features King Combs, who was on the original, and a new verse from Calboy. King Combs’ verse was heavily criticized on social media, but Calboy’s verse makes up for it. On the “Enjoy Yourself (Remix)” Karol G is replaced with a verse from Burna Boy. This version was leaked a couple of weeks before the original album’s release.
For a number one album, this is as good as it gets for a deluxe as it gets. At times, the original album sounded forced with high-profile features. However, on the deluxe these features seemed more natural, and it flowed better. Executive producers Steven Victor, 50 Cent, and Rico Beats did a solid job on helping deliver two new projects in the late Pop Smoke’s name. Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon (Deluxe) is out now on all streaming platforms.
This deluxe version is fifteen tracks long, so the listeners are essentially getting a whole separate project. Some of these tracks have been previewed by Pop Smoke in the past, so his diehard fans are familiar with some of this newly released music. The first record is the 808Melo & Jess Jackson produced “Hotel Lobby”. It’s followed by back to back features from fellow New York drill rapper, Fivio Foreign for “Showin Off, Pt. 1” & “Showin Off, Pt. 2”. There were definitely some skeptical fans wondering why there weren’t more drill artists featured on the original album, so having Fivio satisfies a lot of listeners. “Iced Out Audemars” & “Woo Year” features DAFI Woo and Dread Woo, two rappers who were personal friends of Pop Smoke’s, and also fellow members of Brooklyn’s Woo gang. “Tsunami” featuring Davido & “She Feeling a Nice” featuring Jamie Foxx produced by WondaGurl, are both tracks with a tropical type sound, but Pop Smoke again flexes his versatility. Also, a Jamie Foxx and Pop Smoke collaboration is something we didn’t know we needed until now. On “Imperfections (Interlude)” Pop Smoke continues his salute to the 2000s, which he did multiple times on the original album, and this time he puts his take on Mario’s 2004 hit “Let Me Love You”. “Paranoia” is produced by The Elements & 808Melo once again, and it features Atlanta superstars Young Thug & Gunna. The original track also features Pusha T, who is managed by Steven Victor, who also managed Pop Smoke. The Clipse rapper’s verse leaked to the internet, and included lines dissing his nemesis, Drake. After a brief feud between Pusha T and Young Thug on Instagram about the verse being on the album, Pusha requested that the verse be taken off. Regardless, the final version of the track is still exceptional. Pop Smoke claims the “King Of New York” title on “Hello” featuring A Boogie Wit a Hoodie. The two worked together on the track “Foreigner” on Meet The Woo 2, but A Boogie’s verse eventually became a meme. This time around that will not be the case, because the Highbridge rapper delivered. “Be Clearr” again displays Pop Smoke’s melodic song, the track is destined to be a hit. The final two tracks are remixes of songs that were on the original album. “Diana (Remix)” features King Combs, who was on the original, and a new verse from Calboy. King Combs’ verse was heavily criticized on social media, but Calboy’s verse makes up for it. On the “Enjoy Yourself (Remix)” Karol G is replaced with a verse from Burna Boy. This version was leaked a couple of weeks before the original album’s release.
For a number one album, this is as good as it gets for a deluxe as it gets. At times, the original album sounded forced with high-profile features. However, on the deluxe these features seemed more natural, and it flowed better. Executive producers Steven Victor, 50 Cent, and Rico Beats did a solid job on helping deliver two new projects in the late Pop Smoke’s name. Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon (Deluxe) is out now on all streaming platforms.
Joey Badass Releases Three New Tracks
Written by Odin Najera
Joey Bada$$ makes his extremely long awaited return to music! The Brooklyn rapper has been on hiatus from music for the past 3 years, his last project being All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ back in early 2017. He has just released The Light Pack which features 3 songs: “The Light”, “No Explanation (featuring Pusha T)”, and “Shine”. All 3 of these songs are full of crazy lyrics and amazing wordplay. These are also his first songs released under his new record label, Columbia Records. On July 12th he posted on his Instagram the logo that would be going on the project cover. The logo is the cross of the devil, raising many eyebrows and starting much controversy about Joey and his faith and whether he worships God or not. The next day on the 13th, he posted a photo of him from yet-to-be released music video and captioned the photo: “The rebirth. New music Friday 7/17.” This had fans going crazy because of how long Joey has been away from music. Then on the 14th he posts the official cover art with the caption: “It’s been 3 long years, so how bout 3 new songs for your Mind, Body, & Soul? LOVE to you ALL.” With Friday quickly approaching, the next day on the 15th he teased the music video for the first song on the project, “The Light”. All 3 songs are incredibly good, but the standout track is definitely “Shine”. Sampling Ron Ayers’ “Everybody Loves The Sunshine”, it gives the song a really old school type sound just like his older work. This song would fit perfectly on his 2015 album B4.Da.$$. Ron Ayers’ “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” has been sampled a number of times, most notably on Dr. Dre’s track titled “My Life”. The song “The Light” also had a very notable sample, dabbling with Jedi Mind Tricks “I Against I”, it gives the song a great melody and rhythm. The music video for the song “The Light” was released last night the same time as the project was released. The very first scene of the music video is a message from Joey Bada$$ which says, “On June 16th, 2020 I chose to partake in a traditional voodoo ceremony in search of rebirth. My purpose with this visual is to inspire black people to realize their power and take it back, as I did. Don’t be afraid of who you are, that;s their job. We are magic.” It then shows the ceremony taking place and it goes from there. He is a huge activist both for black rights and for COVID, donating over $25,000 to the causes. This project has raised a lot of questions between the hip-hop community and his fanbase on whether the 25 year old rapper will be taking another break to focus on other things such as his acting career, or if he will be making more time for music and be releasing another album very soon in the near future. The project is out now on all mainstream streaming platforms. Go give it a spin!
DJ Khaled & Drake Connect on “Greece” and “Popstar”
Toronto’s Drake and superstar DJ Khaled have a musical history that is nearly a decade long. The tandem first collaborated back in 2009 with the track, “Fed Up '' that featured Usher, Rick Ross, and Jeezy. In 2011 Drizzy teamed up with Khaled for their top 10 Billboard hit, “I’m On One” featuring Rick Ross & Lil Wayne. That track was followed up by the 2013 track, “No New Friends” featuring Rozay & Weezy once again. The latter two songs became anthems of the early 2010s, and beyond that. In the later years of the decade, they gave the people tracks like “For Free” and “To The Max”, and yet again they didn’t disappoint.
On Friday, We The Best Music and OVO Sound delivered two tracks that will be on Khaled’s upcoming 12th studio album. The OZ produced “Greece” is a track that was long anticipated by the Drake fans, since the song was teased and leaked by the 6ix God himself on Instagram live. The track displays a flow that we haven’t really heard from before when it comes to Drake. “Greece” has straight vibes, so this isn’t the track for the fans who only want to listen to Drake “rapping”. It features a couple of lines in French too, which is something new for Drake. Despite the track being heard by many through the song leaking, it still has Drake’s name on it, and therefore will chart high on Billboard.
The second track is titled “Popstar”, and it is also produced by OZ, but also includes credits from producers David X Eli. This displays a more traditional Drake. There were glimpses of this flow on tracks like “Landed” and his verse from “D4L” from the throwaway project, Dark Lane Demo Tapes. This is that turn up track, and when Drake releases two tracks at a time he always gives us one turn up track, and one mellow track.
These songs will definitely chart high on Billboard next week. With a Drake album coming sooner rather than later, these two tracks will have to hold us over until then. “Popstar” and “Greece” are out now on all streaming platforms.
On Friday, We The Best Music and OVO Sound delivered two tracks that will be on Khaled’s upcoming 12th studio album. The OZ produced “Greece” is a track that was long anticipated by the Drake fans, since the song was teased and leaked by the 6ix God himself on Instagram live. The track displays a flow that we haven’t really heard from before when it comes to Drake. “Greece” has straight vibes, so this isn’t the track for the fans who only want to listen to Drake “rapping”. It features a couple of lines in French too, which is something new for Drake. Despite the track being heard by many through the song leaking, it still has Drake’s name on it, and therefore will chart high on Billboard.
The second track is titled “Popstar”, and it is also produced by OZ, but also includes credits from producers David X Eli. This displays a more traditional Drake. There were glimpses of this flow on tracks like “Landed” and his verse from “D4L” from the throwaway project, Dark Lane Demo Tapes. This is that turn up track, and when Drake releases two tracks at a time he always gives us one turn up track, and one mellow track.
These songs will definitely chart high on Billboard next week. With a Drake album coming sooner rather than later, these two tracks will have to hold us over until then. “Popstar” and “Greece” are out now on all streaming platforms.
Juice WRLD Releases First Posthumous Album
For the second consecutive week there will be a big named posthumous album released. Last week, New York’s Pop Smoke released Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon, an album that gained immediate success as expected. The album did a remarkable 250k sales first week. Friday, the late Juice WRLD’s team released his first project since his sudden death in December of last year. Now this album did not have the anticipation that Pop Smoke’s did, but it’s not like people weren’t waiting for Juice WRLD music. It was known that the Chicago rapper had a deep arsenal of music in the vault since at least 2017, so the Juice WRLD fans had a lot to look forward to in this album. Legends Never Die is finally here.
Legends Never Die is 15-tracks long, and it includes four singles that were released prior to the album’s release. The lead single is “Righteous”, the first solo track released after Juice’s death. It was followed by “Tell Me U Luv Me” with Trippie Redd, “Life’s a Mess” with Halsey, and “Come and Go” with Marshmello. Juice’s team did a good thing with keeping the features minimal, and not forcing songs with verses from big named artists. Which is a frequent trend with a lot of posthumous albums. After the introduction track, the album starts off with a bang with “Conversations”, the track is produced by DJ Scheme & Ronny J. The track includes lyrics about devil/demons, his struggles with anxiety & depression, and his drug addictions. All are frequent topics in Juice’s music, and continue along with the rest of the album. On the Take a Daytrip produced “Bad Energy”, Juice again talks about coping with paranoia, and his drug addictions. The track was previewed on Juice’s Instagram Live back in June of 2019. “Blood on My Jeans” is produced by 808 Mafia’s Max Lord & Gezin. The track was supposed to include a version with Atlanta’s Gunna, but his verse was removed prior to the album release. “Hate the Other Side” is the second Juice WRLD & Marshmello track on the album, and it features a verse from fellow Chicago Native, Polo. It also features Australian rapper, The Kid LAROI, an artist who Juice mentored over the final year of his life. There are two official interludes on the album, but the one that stands out is “The Man, the Myth, the Legend”, it features interview clips with artists such as Young Thug, Eminem, Lil Dicky, and J. Cole giving Juice high praise after his death. The Skrillex produced “Man of The Year” is a standout track, and the proper way to end the album musically.
Legends Never Die is the exclamation point on the emo-rap phenomenon to the mainstream crowd. Lil Bibby, Juice’s friend & a person who took control in this album being released, took to Twitter to say l, “Damn it seem like y’all really want more songs on the album so ima give y’all what y’all want cuz I know juice would probably do the same. I see the list and recommendations of the songs y’all want too so if we go crazy on the first week then ima give y’all a deluxe too. Deal?” We know that Juice has an abundance of music in the vault, so we can expect even more fire for the deluxe. Juice may be one of the only rappers who can put out a second quality posthumous album. So we’ll have something to look forward to. Legends Never Die is out now on all streaming platforms.
Legends Never Die is 15-tracks long, and it includes four singles that were released prior to the album’s release. The lead single is “Righteous”, the first solo track released after Juice’s death. It was followed by “Tell Me U Luv Me” with Trippie Redd, “Life’s a Mess” with Halsey, and “Come and Go” with Marshmello. Juice’s team did a good thing with keeping the features minimal, and not forcing songs with verses from big named artists. Which is a frequent trend with a lot of posthumous albums. After the introduction track, the album starts off with a bang with “Conversations”, the track is produced by DJ Scheme & Ronny J. The track includes lyrics about devil/demons, his struggles with anxiety & depression, and his drug addictions. All are frequent topics in Juice’s music, and continue along with the rest of the album. On the Take a Daytrip produced “Bad Energy”, Juice again talks about coping with paranoia, and his drug addictions. The track was previewed on Juice’s Instagram Live back in June of 2019. “Blood on My Jeans” is produced by 808 Mafia’s Max Lord & Gezin. The track was supposed to include a version with Atlanta’s Gunna, but his verse was removed prior to the album release. “Hate the Other Side” is the second Juice WRLD & Marshmello track on the album, and it features a verse from fellow Chicago Native, Polo. It also features Australian rapper, The Kid LAROI, an artist who Juice mentored over the final year of his life. There are two official interludes on the album, but the one that stands out is “The Man, the Myth, the Legend”, it features interview clips with artists such as Young Thug, Eminem, Lil Dicky, and J. Cole giving Juice high praise after his death. The Skrillex produced “Man of The Year” is a standout track, and the proper way to end the album musically.
Legends Never Die is the exclamation point on the emo-rap phenomenon to the mainstream crowd. Lil Bibby, Juice’s friend & a person who took control in this album being released, took to Twitter to say l, “Damn it seem like y’all really want more songs on the album so ima give y’all what y’all want cuz I know juice would probably do the same. I see the list and recommendations of the songs y’all want too so if we go crazy on the first week then ima give y’all a deluxe too. Deal?” We know that Juice has an abundance of music in the vault, so we can expect even more fire for the deluxe. Juice may be one of the only rappers who can put out a second quality posthumous album. So we’ll have something to look forward to. Legends Never Die is out now on all streaming platforms.
SahBabii Releases Barnacles Album
Written by Odin.1k
Chicago born, but Atlanta raised rapper, SahBabii, released his latest project Barnacles. This album is a follow up to his ridiculously underrated 2018 album Squidtastic and 2017’s S.A.N.D.A.S. He has been compared to fellow Atlanta superstar Young Thug numerous times throughout his career, but what separates SahBabii from the other Atlanta rappers is his amazing one-liners and his exceedingly sexual-charged lyrics. The album has only one feature by his older brother T3, showing off his ability to make great music without needing a feature. Sahbabii and T3 have made a handful of hits in the past such as “Boyfriend”, “Sunny Days”, “Titanoboa”, and most famously, “Marsupial Superstars”. SahBabii didn’t start making music until he moved to Atlanta back in 2010 at the young age of just 13. The 23 year old rapper is also known for his extremely creative beat selections and how good his voice and flow match with the beat. SahBabii dabbles with some new melodies and shows off some new and improved vocals throughout the entire album. The album is 16 songs and is a 41 minute listen. The album also included the very sexual and laid back track “Tongue Demon” which SahBabii released a music video for yesterday on July 7th. This is arguably his best project to date. This is also his longest project to date. His whole career he has been highly overlooked and underrated and he is hoping that this could be the project that he needs that will get him the credit and recognition that he has deserved for years now. Sahbabii loves Japanese culture and he does not shy away from that, as he has showed off in the past, and continues to show off, his love for anime and other parts of Japanese culture is songs and music videos. Barnacles is out now on all streaming platforms. Go give it a spin!
Westside Gunn Releases Second Project in Less Than 3 Months
Griselda Records has been arguably the hottest label of this year. Who is fresh off of a BET award nomination for “Best Group”. Everybody knows that Benny The Butcher has emerged as one of the top MC’s in the game, period. With the release of Plugs I Met releasing last year, and the Buffalo native has a collection of fire features & singles that have released in 2020. Conway The Machine also has his fair share of high quality projects over the past couple of years, while featuring on some of the best albums of 2020. Earlier this year, on April 17 to be exact, Westside Gunn released the album Pray For Paris. An album that debuted on Billboard, and is among the top 10 hip-hop albums of the year (so far). Just two and a half months later, Gunn returned with another full length project.
Flygod Is An Awesome God II is the sequel to his 2019 mixtape, Flygod Is An Awesome God. The project is 14-tracks long, and it did not have any singles release leading up to the album drop. From the first look of the track listing, you can see that there aren't the same high-profile features that were on Pray For Paris. Don’t let this discourage you from proceeding to listening though. If you’re familiar with Griselda’s music at all, you know that the bars will always be there. The first musical track is “Michael Irvin”, a song with no hook, just a two minute long verse, and an interlude that features a news headline about the Cowboys wide receiver being indicted on drug possession charges. The next track is named after another retired athlete in “Jose Canseco”. The track features a verse from Stove God Cooks (who is featured on the project), and another interlude, but this time it’s a “Macho Man” Randy Savage interview. “Fck the Police skit” features audio from a real news report from the George Floyd protests in Buffalo, NY. It's both old-school, and it relates to the people now. These interludes and skits may not mean anything to some people, however it just adds to the nostalgia of the music. It's both old-school, and it relates to the people now. It’s crazy that the term nostalgia can be used to describe an album that dropped today. “Buffs vs. Wires” featuring Benny the Butcher & frequent collaborator Boldy James. This is probably going to be the stand-out track on the project, and that is probably due to everyone wanting to hear Benny rap. Who can blame them though? Another frequent collaborator is poet Keisha Plum, who is featured on back-to-back tracks in “Drive By Love” & “Rebirth”. The final track “Steve Behr” features a verse from Brooklyn underground MC, Rome Streetz. The production on the project was handled by Tarik Azzouz, Conductor Williams, Daringer, and Chuck Inglish among others. You can tell that the instrumentals used were meant for Gunn, and were not some random beats these producers just had on their computers.
Is this Westside Gunn’s best project, no. However it’s still a high quality album, that was not a bunch of throwaway tracks slapped together.
Gunn took to his twitter last month, and posted a tweet saying “U know the funniest thing about a WSG hater the first thing they say is I’m in 3rd place of GRISELDA don’t u think I know that 😂 Benny is my fam who u think made him sharp Conway is my bro who u think I looked up 2 I don’t even wanna rap & I’m a 🐐 I wanted to be Puff not BIG 🤷🏽♂️”.
The fact that rapping wasn’t even in the plan for Gunn is crazy, and now he has transcended to be one of New York’s best MCs today. At 37 years old, Gunn is able to show how old he is with the song titles, and the interludes at the end of the tracks, but still able to stay in touch with the younger audience with his lyrics while still touching on political problems that are really happening right now. Flygod Is An Awesome God II is out now on all streaming platforms.
Flygod Is An Awesome God II is the sequel to his 2019 mixtape, Flygod Is An Awesome God. The project is 14-tracks long, and it did not have any singles release leading up to the album drop. From the first look of the track listing, you can see that there aren't the same high-profile features that were on Pray For Paris. Don’t let this discourage you from proceeding to listening though. If you’re familiar with Griselda’s music at all, you know that the bars will always be there. The first musical track is “Michael Irvin”, a song with no hook, just a two minute long verse, and an interlude that features a news headline about the Cowboys wide receiver being indicted on drug possession charges. The next track is named after another retired athlete in “Jose Canseco”. The track features a verse from Stove God Cooks (who is featured on the project), and another interlude, but this time it’s a “Macho Man” Randy Savage interview. “Fck the Police skit” features audio from a real news report from the George Floyd protests in Buffalo, NY. It's both old-school, and it relates to the people now. These interludes and skits may not mean anything to some people, however it just adds to the nostalgia of the music. It's both old-school, and it relates to the people now. It’s crazy that the term nostalgia can be used to describe an album that dropped today. “Buffs vs. Wires” featuring Benny the Butcher & frequent collaborator Boldy James. This is probably going to be the stand-out track on the project, and that is probably due to everyone wanting to hear Benny rap. Who can blame them though? Another frequent collaborator is poet Keisha Plum, who is featured on back-to-back tracks in “Drive By Love” & “Rebirth”. The final track “Steve Behr” features a verse from Brooklyn underground MC, Rome Streetz. The production on the project was handled by Tarik Azzouz, Conductor Williams, Daringer, and Chuck Inglish among others. You can tell that the instrumentals used were meant for Gunn, and were not some random beats these producers just had on their computers.
Is this Westside Gunn’s best project, no. However it’s still a high quality album, that was not a bunch of throwaway tracks slapped together.
Gunn took to his twitter last month, and posted a tweet saying “U know the funniest thing about a WSG hater the first thing they say is I’m in 3rd place of GRISELDA don’t u think I know that 😂 Benny is my fam who u think made him sharp Conway is my bro who u think I looked up 2 I don’t even wanna rap & I’m a 🐐 I wanted to be Puff not BIG 🤷🏽♂️”.
The fact that rapping wasn’t even in the plan for Gunn is crazy, and now he has transcended to be one of New York’s best MCs today. At 37 years old, Gunn is able to show how old he is with the song titles, and the interludes at the end of the tracks, but still able to stay in touch with the younger audience with his lyrics while still touching on political problems that are really happening right now. Flygod Is An Awesome God II is out now on all streaming platforms.
Pop Smoke’s Posthumous Debut Album is Here
With everything that has been going on in the country for the last month, music has taken a backseat. While seeing videos of people across the world protesting, many people were seen bumping different variations of rap music through the streets. An artist that brought unity in the streets during this time, especially in New York, was the late Pop Smoke. His tragic February death has brought people together with his music. Even though he was an artist on the rise, his legacy has left an impact on the hip-hop scene. We’ve seen his career come and go in the last year. Now is the time for his debut album. Typically when an artist drops their first studio album, the audience anticipates for what’s next. We don’t have that luxury with Pop Smoke, and in an unusual way, this makes this project that much more special. After a delay for the release date, Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon is here.
The cover art for the project was initially designed by Louis Vuitton artistic director Virgil Abloh. After the internet got hold of the image, they went ballistic on the Off-White founder. Virgil, yet again, became a meme. It went to the point where Pop Smoke’s team abandoned the idea all together, and went in a different direction.
The album is 19 tracks long, and includes the now platinum certified single, “Dior”, as a bonus track. The official lead single is “Make it Rain”, featuring Rowdy Rebel. The diehards have heard a few of these tracks already due to leaks, but for the most part this is a brand new listen. On the intro, “Bad Bitch From Tokyo”, it’s clear that it was an unfinished track, and it was a smart decision not to force a feature to make the song “complete”. A subject of controversy on social media when the track listing was released was that Quavo has three credited features. The Migos rapper’s first feature is track two, “Aim for the Moon”. Despite the reasonable doubt, Quavo floats on all three instrumentals. On “For the Night”, the track features hip-hop heavy hitters, Lil Baby & DaBaby. It was a song that was destined to be a commercial success from the jump. On tracks like “Gangstas” & “Yea Yea”, Pop Smoke gives us a twist on his traditional drill sound. On “The Woo” Roddy Ricch and 50 Cent, who Pop Smoke has drawn comparisons to, hop on the 808 Melo produced track. At the end of the track, Pop Smoke pays homage to 50 with his version of the hit song “Candy Shop”. DJ Mustard produced “West Coast Shit” featuring Tyga & Quavo once more. A track that was highly anticipated was “Enjoy Yourself” featuring a Spanish verse from Colombian singer Karol G. On “What You Know Bout Love” producer IamTash samples Ginuwine’s “Differences”. Diddy’s son, King Combs, has an underwhelming verse on “Diana”. “Something Special” samples Tamia’s “So Into You”. Pop Smoke pays homage to 50 Cent one more time with “Got It On Me”. It’s Pop’s version of “Many Men(Wish Death)”.
Pop Smoke up until the release of this album, has been criticized for sounding the same on every song. His doubters said that this signature sound would eventually get old. Pop Smoke put those doubters to bed. Most of these tracks were experimental, but they worked. Pop Smoke’s brother, Mike Dee posted on Instagram to promote the album’s release. At the end of the caption he stated “ALBUM OUT NOW THIS WHOLE TAPE HAS TO GO PLATINUM BY HIS BIRTHDAY JULY 20 AND THE DELUXE WILL DROP”. The New York native was just finding more sounds for his musical arsonal, and unfortunately we won’t get a chance to see the future evolution of Pop Smoke. This is a bittersweet moment in hip-hop, but the world needed to hear this. Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon is out now on all streaming platforms.
The cover art for the project was initially designed by Louis Vuitton artistic director Virgil Abloh. After the internet got hold of the image, they went ballistic on the Off-White founder. Virgil, yet again, became a meme. It went to the point where Pop Smoke’s team abandoned the idea all together, and went in a different direction.
The album is 19 tracks long, and includes the now platinum certified single, “Dior”, as a bonus track. The official lead single is “Make it Rain”, featuring Rowdy Rebel. The diehards have heard a few of these tracks already due to leaks, but for the most part this is a brand new listen. On the intro, “Bad Bitch From Tokyo”, it’s clear that it was an unfinished track, and it was a smart decision not to force a feature to make the song “complete”. A subject of controversy on social media when the track listing was released was that Quavo has three credited features. The Migos rapper’s first feature is track two, “Aim for the Moon”. Despite the reasonable doubt, Quavo floats on all three instrumentals. On “For the Night”, the track features hip-hop heavy hitters, Lil Baby & DaBaby. It was a song that was destined to be a commercial success from the jump. On tracks like “Gangstas” & “Yea Yea”, Pop Smoke gives us a twist on his traditional drill sound. On “The Woo” Roddy Ricch and 50 Cent, who Pop Smoke has drawn comparisons to, hop on the 808 Melo produced track. At the end of the track, Pop Smoke pays homage to 50 with his version of the hit song “Candy Shop”. DJ Mustard produced “West Coast Shit” featuring Tyga & Quavo once more. A track that was highly anticipated was “Enjoy Yourself” featuring a Spanish verse from Colombian singer Karol G. On “What You Know Bout Love” producer IamTash samples Ginuwine’s “Differences”. Diddy’s son, King Combs, has an underwhelming verse on “Diana”. “Something Special” samples Tamia’s “So Into You”. Pop Smoke pays homage to 50 Cent one more time with “Got It On Me”. It’s Pop’s version of “Many Men(Wish Death)”.
Pop Smoke up until the release of this album, has been criticized for sounding the same on every song. His doubters said that this signature sound would eventually get old. Pop Smoke put those doubters to bed. Most of these tracks were experimental, but they worked. Pop Smoke’s brother, Mike Dee posted on Instagram to promote the album’s release. At the end of the caption he stated “ALBUM OUT NOW THIS WHOLE TAPE HAS TO GO PLATINUM BY HIS BIRTHDAY JULY 20 AND THE DELUXE WILL DROP”. The New York native was just finding more sounds for his musical arsonal, and unfortunately we won’t get a chance to see the future evolution of Pop Smoke. This is a bittersweet moment in hip-hop, but the world needed to hear this. Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon is out now on all streaming platforms.
Guapdad 4000 & Denzel Curry Team Up For “Lil Scammer That Could”
Written by Odin.1k
Guapdad 4000 and Denzel Curry have just linked up and released a new track titled “Lil Scammer That Could” as well as a music video to go along with the brand new track. The video is full of wild and cartoon-ish visuals that go along with the lyrics of the song. The video really shows off Guapdad and Denzel's true creative ability. The 2 rappers have been known for going crazy and over the top with their music videos, so when they got working and putting their minds together, they went crazy.
This collaboration really shows how music can bring people all around the world together. Guapdad 4000 is from Oakland, California and Denzel Curry is from Carol City in Florida. Both cities at the complete opposite ends of the country, they met and came together through music and delivered this to us. This isn’t the first song they’ve been on together, but this is the first song that these two, solely, collaborated on. This is a surprise track the two just sprung on the public earlier today. The track was produced by James Delgado, who earlier this year produced the anticipated song “Pop Shit” by Reason and ScHoolboy Q. The song is full of aggressive and strong lyrics over James Delgados tough beat, and it just goes together so well. Guapdad teaming up with Denzel Curry is just one of his most recent collaborations out of them all that Guapdad has been doing throughout quarantine in a little serious he has started known as “Rona Raps”. He has worked with Wiz Khalifa, Chris Brown, Bryson Tiller and more, to deliver us virtual freestyles on Instagram. The song is out now on all mainstream streaming platforms and the video can be watched below. Go give it a spin!
This collaboration really shows how music can bring people all around the world together. Guapdad 4000 is from Oakland, California and Denzel Curry is from Carol City in Florida. Both cities at the complete opposite ends of the country, they met and came together through music and delivered this to us. This isn’t the first song they’ve been on together, but this is the first song that these two, solely, collaborated on. This is a surprise track the two just sprung on the public earlier today. The track was produced by James Delgado, who earlier this year produced the anticipated song “Pop Shit” by Reason and ScHoolboy Q. The song is full of aggressive and strong lyrics over James Delgados tough beat, and it just goes together so well. Guapdad teaming up with Denzel Curry is just one of his most recent collaborations out of them all that Guapdad has been doing throughout quarantine in a little serious he has started known as “Rona Raps”. He has worked with Wiz Khalifa, Chris Brown, Bryson Tiller and more, to deliver us virtual freestyles on Instagram. The song is out now on all mainstream streaming platforms and the video can be watched below. Go give it a spin!
6lack Solidifies Return With 6pc Hot EP
Atlanta native, 6lack released a 6-track EP on Friday. The project is titled 6pc Hot EP. This is his first project since his 2018 sophomore studio album, East Atlanta Love Letter. From then to now, 6lack has definitely taken his time to release any solo new music. He collaborated with the likes of QUIN, Bea Miller, Jessie Reyez, Tinashe, and Vince Staples (for the Queen & Slim Soundtrack), among others. The R&B artist is a favorite among many, and it’s been that way since he released his debut album, FREE 6LACK, back in 2016.
6pc Hot EP has two singles that were released prior to the project’s release. The first single that dropped was “ATL Freestyle” produced by Gravez & FWDSLXSH. The second single is “Float” that has production credits from Nick Mira, Singawd, Jack Ro, and FWDSLXSH. Both singles did well due to both the anticipation behind the tracks since they are the first solo singles since 2018, and the quality of both tracks. Other producers featured on this project are Stwo, London Cyr, Timbaland, DJ Battlecat, and Brody Brown, among others. “Long Nights” features vocals from Ari Lennox, and 6lack tells a story about a one night relationship. There is only one listed feature, and that is arguably, the hottest rapper out right now. That is Lil Baby, who is featured on “Know My Rights”. 6lack pays homage to late NBA legend Kobe Bryant with the line, “R.I.P to 24, now my foot on the gas (Know that), yeah”. Both Lil Baby & 6lack state their opinions on where they rank in the music game. The music video was released Friday afternoon. 6lack talks about being quarantined, and his anticipation to “play again” on the final track, “Outside”.
This was classic 6lack, however we are still seeing the Atlanta artist enhance his music (both lyrically and sonically). As a fan, you should look forward to his third studio album, and this is just a taste of what’s to come. The next studio album will most likely be something special. 6pc Hot EP is out now on all streaming platforms.
6pc Hot EP has two singles that were released prior to the project’s release. The first single that dropped was “ATL Freestyle” produced by Gravez & FWDSLXSH. The second single is “Float” that has production credits from Nick Mira, Singawd, Jack Ro, and FWDSLXSH. Both singles did well due to both the anticipation behind the tracks since they are the first solo singles since 2018, and the quality of both tracks. Other producers featured on this project are Stwo, London Cyr, Timbaland, DJ Battlecat, and Brody Brown, among others. “Long Nights” features vocals from Ari Lennox, and 6lack tells a story about a one night relationship. There is only one listed feature, and that is arguably, the hottest rapper out right now. That is Lil Baby, who is featured on “Know My Rights”. 6lack pays homage to late NBA legend Kobe Bryant with the line, “R.I.P to 24, now my foot on the gas (Know that), yeah”. Both Lil Baby & 6lack state their opinions on where they rank in the music game. The music video was released Friday afternoon. 6lack talks about being quarantined, and his anticipation to “play again” on the final track, “Outside”.
This was classic 6lack, however we are still seeing the Atlanta artist enhance his music (both lyrically and sonically). As a fan, you should look forward to his third studio album, and this is just a taste of what’s to come. The next studio album will most likely be something special. 6pc Hot EP is out now on all streaming platforms.
IDK Releases Soundtrack Compilation Titled IDK & Friends 2
When you want to talk about underrated rappers, especially from the east coast, you can’t leave IDK out of the conversation. Although he was born in London, England, he was raised in Bowie, Maryland. On Friday, the rapper released a soundtrack for the Showtime documentary, Basketball County : In The Water. The compilation is titled IDK & FRIENDS 2.
IDK has been releasing projects consistently since his 2015 mixtape, Subtrap. This was followed by three more annual projects, before signing a label partnership with Warner Records in June of 2019. He was then able to please his studio debut album titled, Is He Real? The album featured hip-hop heavy hitters such as Tyler, The Creator, Pusha T, and JID ,among others. At 28-years old, it’s obvious that IDK is not a mumble rapper. His lyrical style over trap beats is a good recipe for longevity in 2020.
IDK & FRIENDS 2 is the sequel to his 2018 7-track compilation, IDK & FRIENDS :). It featured Maxo Kream, Rico Nasty, and Wale, among others. The first edition was showing off how versatile IDK can be. He was able to cater to his peer’s strengths, while also excelling on the different styles of beats. IDK did the same exact thing on this project, and added a few more “friends” to the tracklist. At only 9 tracks (which is really 8 tracks since the intro doesn’t contain music), it seems a little too short for a soundtrack, however this condensed project will leave you satisfied. There were two singles that dropped prior to the release of the compilation. The two are standout tracks, “MAZEL TOV” featuring A$AP Ferg, and “495” featuring Rico Nasty, YungManny, Big Flock, Big JAM, & Weensey. “495” has all the aspects for a hip-hop hit, and it’s surprising that more people haven’t blown it up yet. On “RILEY” both Xanman & IDK shine on the Blue Rondo produced beat. Producers with credits on the project consist of Ronny J, Wonda, Jetsonmade, Juicy J, and IDK himself, among others. “BULLETPROOF” featuring Denzel Curry & Maxo Kream has both a catchy hook, and hardcore verses. IDK displays a melodic side of him that is rare to hear on “END OF DISCUSSION”, IDK’s singing compliments PNB Rock perfectly.
IDK & FRIENDS 2 is a compilation that packs an abundance of high quality music into a 24 minute listen. IDK is just bragging at this point on how versatile he is as both a recording artist, and as a producer. With eight tracks there are at least six playlist ads for the casual hip-hop fan. IDK & FRIENDS 2 is out now on all streaming platforms.
IDK has been releasing projects consistently since his 2015 mixtape, Subtrap. This was followed by three more annual projects, before signing a label partnership with Warner Records in June of 2019. He was then able to please his studio debut album titled, Is He Real? The album featured hip-hop heavy hitters such as Tyler, The Creator, Pusha T, and JID ,among others. At 28-years old, it’s obvious that IDK is not a mumble rapper. His lyrical style over trap beats is a good recipe for longevity in 2020.
IDK & FRIENDS 2 is the sequel to his 2018 7-track compilation, IDK & FRIENDS :). It featured Maxo Kream, Rico Nasty, and Wale, among others. The first edition was showing off how versatile IDK can be. He was able to cater to his peer’s strengths, while also excelling on the different styles of beats. IDK did the same exact thing on this project, and added a few more “friends” to the tracklist. At only 9 tracks (which is really 8 tracks since the intro doesn’t contain music), it seems a little too short for a soundtrack, however this condensed project will leave you satisfied. There were two singles that dropped prior to the release of the compilation. The two are standout tracks, “MAZEL TOV” featuring A$AP Ferg, and “495” featuring Rico Nasty, YungManny, Big Flock, Big JAM, & Weensey. “495” has all the aspects for a hip-hop hit, and it’s surprising that more people haven’t blown it up yet. On “RILEY” both Xanman & IDK shine on the Blue Rondo produced beat. Producers with credits on the project consist of Ronny J, Wonda, Jetsonmade, Juicy J, and IDK himself, among others. “BULLETPROOF” featuring Denzel Curry & Maxo Kream has both a catchy hook, and hardcore verses. IDK displays a melodic side of him that is rare to hear on “END OF DISCUSSION”, IDK’s singing compliments PNB Rock perfectly.
IDK & FRIENDS 2 is a compilation that packs an abundance of high quality music into a 24 minute listen. IDK is just bragging at this point on how versatile he is as both a recording artist, and as a producer. With eight tracks there are at least six playlist ads for the casual hip-hop fan. IDK & FRIENDS 2 is out now on all streaming platforms.
Lil Durk Releases Deluxe Version For Just Cause Y’all Waited 2
Chicago star, Lil Durk, has just released the deluxe version of his latest album Just Cause Y’all Waited 2. Earlier today Lil Durk and Cole Bennett released the official music video for the song “3 Headed Goat” featuring Lil Baby, and fellow Chicago star and native, Polo G. The name of the song surely fits, as these 3 rappers have been having a fantastic year for themselves. This is not the first time Lil Durk has worked with Cole Bennett and it sure won't be his last. The first being for his song “Green Light”, which did really well, and now this is his second time working with Cole and they seem to really click together. The “3 Headed Goat” video gained over 1 million views in less than 6 hours and it is still gaining more rapidly. “3 Headed Goat” was one of the more popular songs from the original album and fans have been waiting for a video since the release of the original album back in early May of this year. The 27 year old rapper began to hype up the deluxe version of his album almost immediately. Just after a couple weeks of the album being out he started to speak on it and give information out about it on his social media platforms.
The original album was 15 songs and debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. The album has spent six weeks on the chart so far and is his second top 10 album after Love Songs 4 the Streets 2, which was released back in 2019. The Chicago Native’s latest album included features from Gunna, G Herbo, Lil Baby, and Polo G. The deluxe has 7 new songs making it a total of 22 tracks. “Pass the Water” “Denied in UK” “Support You” “When We Shoot” “Where They Go” “Watch Yo Homie” and “Outro”. None of the new songs on the deluxe version have any features. The entire deluxe album is about 57 minutes long. It is out now on all mainstream streaming platforms. Go give it a spin!
The original album was 15 songs and debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. The album has spent six weeks on the chart so far and is his second top 10 album after Love Songs 4 the Streets 2, which was released back in 2019. The Chicago Native’s latest album included features from Gunna, G Herbo, Lil Baby, and Polo G. The deluxe has 7 new songs making it a total of 22 tracks. “Pass the Water” “Denied in UK” “Support You” “When We Shoot” “Where They Go” “Watch Yo Homie” and “Outro”. None of the new songs on the deluxe version have any features. The entire deluxe album is about 57 minutes long. It is out now on all mainstream streaming platforms. Go give it a spin!
YouTube Sensation, FlightReacts Releases New Single Titled “Sum”
Written by Odin.1k
From Youtube, to basketball, to video games, to rapping. Clarence Javelli, AKA FlightReacts is a jack of all trades. He got his first taste of fame during the reaction era of youtube, and he was considered one of the best at the time. Flight does a lot more than just make reaction videos though. His basketball videos have been skyrocketing as he continuously teased about how much his game would improve in June. His record is currently 3-4 as of June 1st, beating TheFlightMike, Deshae Frost, and a 10 year old that called him out. While losing to Mikey Williams, FaZe Rug, Brawadis, and Amare Frost. He is also the biggest Golden State Warriors fan and he does not let that go unnoticed. The 24 year old youtube sensation also makes music just like a lot of other youtubers, but flight is arguably one of if not the best youtube rapper.
Flight has been releasing music since 2017 and every song he releases, he just gets better. He just released his new track “Sum” which is on all mainstream streaming platforms and youtube along with a visual for the song. He has been in a lot of controversy after being exposed for stealing lyrics, but he addressed that in his song “Disingenuous” in a bar, So what i took your bars/Fuck you gone do back”. Flight does not get the recognition he deserves because a lot of haters like to troll and make him rage. Born in Washington, D.C., he moved to West Palm Beach, Florida at a very young age and he stated in multiple videos and streams that Florida gave him a lot of inspiration and that he’s proud of where he’s from. His new song “Sum” is out now on all mainstream streaming platforms. Go give it a spin!
Flight has been releasing music since 2017 and every song he releases, he just gets better. He just released his new track “Sum” which is on all mainstream streaming platforms and youtube along with a visual for the song. He has been in a lot of controversy after being exposed for stealing lyrics, but he addressed that in his song “Disingenuous” in a bar, So what i took your bars/Fuck you gone do back”. Flight does not get the recognition he deserves because a lot of haters like to troll and make him rage. Born in Washington, D.C., he moved to West Palm Beach, Florida at a very young age and he stated in multiple videos and streams that Florida gave him a lot of inspiration and that he’s proud of where he’s from. His new song “Sum” is out now on all mainstream streaming platforms. Go give it a spin!
Pi’erre Bourne Releases Deluxe Version For 2019 Album
Written by Odin.1k
Producer/Rapper, Pi’erre Bourne has just released the deluxe version of his 2019 album, The Life of Pi’erre 4. Featuring his signature bass-heavy style, the 15 new tracks on the deluxe edition of his fourth entry see him settling into a hypnotic vibe, kind of like his work with Playboi Carti. The project was originally released last June, and he also dropped a collaborative project with Jelly, The Wolf of Peachtree, earlier this year. Pi’erre first announced the deluxe edition of the album on April 14th, and two days later he started tweeting lyrics of unreleased songs, teasing his audience. Almost 2 months after, he announced the release date of the deluxe version of the album, and he released the cover art 4 days later. The tracklist was released the day before the album was released on June 18th. The deluxe has 15 new songs, adding to the original 16, making the entire album a 31 song project. Mostly known for his amazing producing work, Pi’erre is also a great rapper. He showcases all his raps and beats through the The Life Of Pi’erre series which he has been releasing since 2016. The series originally started on Soundcloud, but he then quickly moved to the mainstream platforms with the releases of his later work. Pi’erre Bourne is arguably one of, if not the greatest producer in the game right now. He has worked with complete superstars such as Drake, Lil Uzi Vert, Kanye West, Playboi Carti, Young Thug, Young Nudy, 6ix9ine, and much more. He produced one of Drake's most anticipated songs this year, “Pain 1993” featuring Playboi Carti which was on his mixtape Dark Lane Demo Tapes, which was released earlier this year. Pi’erre also helped produce 2 songs on Kanye West’s album Jesus Is King, a couple of songs on his album Ye and he also produced a handful of songs on Lil Uzi Vert’s highly awaited album, Eternal Atake. Most notably though, he gained a lot o f his following after his work with Playboi Carti and the hit song “Magnolia” and Tekashi 6ix9ine and his breakout single “Gummo”. This is Pi’erre’s first ever deluxe, and it had fans wondering why he decided to release a deluxe when those songs could have been The Life Of Pi’erre 5. Pi’erre has an amazing, almost mesmerizing, flow that just fits his beats perfectly. Pierre holds nothing back on this deluxe making sure he makes the fans happy. The album is out and streaming now on all mainstream streaming platforms. Go give it a spin!
New York’s Slayter Releases His Best Project Yet
One of New York’s more underrated artists also released a mixtape on Friday. This time it’s Slayter, a rapper who has been making some noise on the east coast for the past 4 years. His sound, and music in general has made his way over here to California. He released his first official project of 2020 titled, WORLD GOT ME F****D UP, Vol.1. He released a five track EP, exclusively on SoundCloud titled, Dirty Winter earlier this year. The standout track was “Differences” produced by Xanman, which is nearing 100k listens. Slayter also paid homage to the west coast by releasing the track “Mob Shit” featuring California artists, Capolow & Fenix Flexin. With the whole “drill scene” popping off in New York this year, Slayter has been able to hold his own while staying in his own lane.
WORLD GOT ME F****D UP, Vol.1 has a cover that fits perfectly for times like now. It’s Slayter pressed up against the hood of the whip by two police officers, while there’s a huge fire happening in the background. With all of this happening Slayter still has a smile on his face. The tape is a total of 12 tracks, and includes three previously released singles. One of which has been one of the most successful songs of Slayter’s career in, “Louis V Umbrella” featuring Sada Baby. The other two singles are “Hood Famous” featuring Jacksonville rapper, Yungeen Ace, and the Trebel produced track, “Rosary” featuring RetcH. The features on this project are crazy. On “Diabolical '', Benny The Butcher did what Benny always does, annihilate the beat with both a strong flow & wordplay. That was followed up by strong verses from Smoke DZA & RetcH. On “Up The Score”, Brooklyn’s 22Gz handles the first verse, while Houston standout Maxo Kream handles the last verse. With Slayter on the hook, this track is one of the more underrated tracks, but overall one of the best on the project. Fellow New York native, Jay Critch hops on “Try Shit”, and the two don’t disappoint. The music video is out now. On “Catch In LA”, Slayter has a more melodic approach, and even though it seemed like an experimental type of track, it was still a track that should be in your playlist.
Slayter delivered with his best project yet. The features played a role, however they didn’t carry the project. The features all sounded natural, nothing felt like a label just threw an artist in the booth to be on Slayter’s new project. There are some good solo tracks on this mixtape. This is just the beginning I believe, and the future looks bright for the Uptown New York rapper. WORLD GOT ME F****D UP, Vol.1 is out now on all streaming platforms.
WORLD GOT ME F****D UP, Vol.1 has a cover that fits perfectly for times like now. It’s Slayter pressed up against the hood of the whip by two police officers, while there’s a huge fire happening in the background. With all of this happening Slayter still has a smile on his face. The tape is a total of 12 tracks, and includes three previously released singles. One of which has been one of the most successful songs of Slayter’s career in, “Louis V Umbrella” featuring Sada Baby. The other two singles are “Hood Famous” featuring Jacksonville rapper, Yungeen Ace, and the Trebel produced track, “Rosary” featuring RetcH. The features on this project are crazy. On “Diabolical '', Benny The Butcher did what Benny always does, annihilate the beat with both a strong flow & wordplay. That was followed up by strong verses from Smoke DZA & RetcH. On “Up The Score”, Brooklyn’s 22Gz handles the first verse, while Houston standout Maxo Kream handles the last verse. With Slayter on the hook, this track is one of the more underrated tracks, but overall one of the best on the project. Fellow New York native, Jay Critch hops on “Try Shit”, and the two don’t disappoint. The music video is out now. On “Catch In LA”, Slayter has a more melodic approach, and even though it seemed like an experimental type of track, it was still a track that should be in your playlist.
Slayter delivered with his best project yet. The features played a role, however they didn’t carry the project. The features all sounded natural, nothing felt like a label just threw an artist in the booth to be on Slayter’s new project. There are some good solo tracks on this mixtape. This is just the beginning I believe, and the future looks bright for the Uptown New York rapper. WORLD GOT ME F****D UP, Vol.1 is out now on all streaming platforms.
Fivio Foreign & Young M.A Connect on “Move Like A Boss”
New York’s direction musically, is the best it’s been in the past couple of years. New York hasn’t had a significant sound since the early to mid 2000s with the rise of 50 Cent & G-Unit, and Cam’ron & Dipset. This sound is “Drill Rap”. Now, this subgenre of hip-hop is nothing new. The southside of Chicago ran the early 2010s with Drill music, and birthed the careers of Chief Keef, Lil Durk, and Fredo Santana (R.I.P), among others. Although the same cities share the same name for their genres, respectively, the music doesn’t sound that similar. From the slang, to the actual accents that the artists have, there are significant differences. Now if you really want to compare the two cities you can say Pop Smoke is to New York, as Chief Keef is to Chicago.
Now since the passing of Pop Smoke, a new drill rapper has emerged to take the rap game by storm. That rapper is Fivio Foreign. If there was a “hip-hop rookie of the year” award, that award would easily go to Fivio Foreign. Just this year alone he has made a splash with features with Meek Mill, Pop Smoke, Lil Baby, and Tory Lanez. He also earned a feature verse on Drake’s Dark Lane Demo Tapes on the track, “Demons” with Sosa Geek. If that doesn’t solidify that he has made it, then I don’t know what does. Fivio released the track “Move Like a Boss” featuring Young M.A on Friday. The two rapped over the Saint Cardona produced instrumental. I wouldn’t consider Young M.A in the whole Drill scene, however she is one of the illest MC’s in the east coast, regardless of gender. The two connected, and released a fire track that New York should be proud of. “Move Like a Boss” is out now on all streaming platforms.
Now since the passing of Pop Smoke, a new drill rapper has emerged to take the rap game by storm. That rapper is Fivio Foreign. If there was a “hip-hop rookie of the year” award, that award would easily go to Fivio Foreign. Just this year alone he has made a splash with features with Meek Mill, Pop Smoke, Lil Baby, and Tory Lanez. He also earned a feature verse on Drake’s Dark Lane Demo Tapes on the track, “Demons” with Sosa Geek. If that doesn’t solidify that he has made it, then I don’t know what does. Fivio released the track “Move Like a Boss” featuring Young M.A on Friday. The two rapped over the Saint Cardona produced instrumental. I wouldn’t consider Young M.A in the whole Drill scene, however she is one of the illest MC’s in the east coast, regardless of gender. The two connected, and released a fire track that New York should be proud of. “Move Like a Boss” is out now on all streaming platforms.
Tee Grizzley Delivers on New Mixtape, The Smartest
One of Detroit’s most exceptional MC’s made his return to the rap game, with a new mixtape. Tee Grizzley released his project titled, The Smartest. This is the first project from Grizzley since his 2019 album, Scriptures. Since then, a lot has happened for Tee Grizzley. In August of last year his vehicle was shot at, and it resulted in the death of Grizzley’s aunt/manager, Jobina Brown. In 2020, the Detroit rapper has delivered numerous singles which includes the Hit-Boy produced “Red Light”, “Payroll” featuring Payroll Giovanni, and “I Spy.”
The Smartest is 17-tracks long, and it includes two singles. The lead single is “Satish” which was released back on September 20, 2019, a month after the tragic death of his manager and aunt. A track that is probably Tee Grizzley’s most raw, which says a lot because the majority of his music is exactly like that. The second single on this project is “Mr. Officer” featuring Queen Naija & members of the Detroit Youth Choir. The song is a response track to police brutality amidst the protests supporting the BLM movement. Both singles are produced by frequent collaborator, Helluva. Other credited producers include DJ Mustard (“The Smartest Intro”), Avedon (“Rap A lot”, “Covid”, & “Winning”), and Scott Storch (“Picture Of My City”), among others.
On “I Apologize, it features surprise vocals from Ty Dolla $ign. Fellow Detroit native, Big Sean collaborates with Tee Grizzley for the first time on “Trenches”. Sean pays a tribute to Grizzley’s breakout hit, “First Day Out”, to start off the track. Meek Mill hops on the Cypress Moreno & Omega produced track, “Lions & Eagles”. This is the third time the two have collaborated, with the first time being the “First Day Out Remix”, and the second being the 2017 single, “Beef”. A line that stood out to me was,
“Killed my auntie, let me live, boy, you foolish
When you die and go meet her, she gon' tell you you stupid”
On “Covid”, Tee & Lil Baby really touch on their thoughts on the pandemic. Grizzley says he’s been playing Call of Duty while in quarantine, and argues that he should be receiving a stimulus check too. “Slime” features Atlanta native and one of Young Thug’s protégés, Lil Keed. Grizzley gives a random shout out to the city of Anaheim, while Keed displays his take on the whole “baby voice” rap trend. “Everything” produced by P-Lo is a Bay Area type beat with a twist that only fits Tee Grizzley.
The Smartest is Tee Grizzley experimenting with different beats that sound like they come from all around the country. If this was your first Tee Grizzley project you listened to, you might not have known he comes from Detroit if he didn’t rep the city so hard in his lyrics. This was something different, he didn’t try to sing on this album, it was strictly bars. Tee proved once again that he has some of the best punchlines in the game. With Tee Grizzley at the helm, Detroit hip-hop continues to be in good hands. The Smartest is out now on all streaming platforms.
The Smartest is 17-tracks long, and it includes two singles. The lead single is “Satish” which was released back on September 20, 2019, a month after the tragic death of his manager and aunt. A track that is probably Tee Grizzley’s most raw, which says a lot because the majority of his music is exactly like that. The second single on this project is “Mr. Officer” featuring Queen Naija & members of the Detroit Youth Choir. The song is a response track to police brutality amidst the protests supporting the BLM movement. Both singles are produced by frequent collaborator, Helluva. Other credited producers include DJ Mustard (“The Smartest Intro”), Avedon (“Rap A lot”, “Covid”, & “Winning”), and Scott Storch (“Picture Of My City”), among others.
On “I Apologize, it features surprise vocals from Ty Dolla $ign. Fellow Detroit native, Big Sean collaborates with Tee Grizzley for the first time on “Trenches”. Sean pays a tribute to Grizzley’s breakout hit, “First Day Out”, to start off the track. Meek Mill hops on the Cypress Moreno & Omega produced track, “Lions & Eagles”. This is the third time the two have collaborated, with the first time being the “First Day Out Remix”, and the second being the 2017 single, “Beef”. A line that stood out to me was,
“Killed my auntie, let me live, boy, you foolish
When you die and go meet her, she gon' tell you you stupid”
On “Covid”, Tee & Lil Baby really touch on their thoughts on the pandemic. Grizzley says he’s been playing Call of Duty while in quarantine, and argues that he should be receiving a stimulus check too. “Slime” features Atlanta native and one of Young Thug’s protégés, Lil Keed. Grizzley gives a random shout out to the city of Anaheim, while Keed displays his take on the whole “baby voice” rap trend. “Everything” produced by P-Lo is a Bay Area type beat with a twist that only fits Tee Grizzley.
The Smartest is Tee Grizzley experimenting with different beats that sound like they come from all around the country. If this was your first Tee Grizzley project you listened to, you might not have known he comes from Detroit if he didn’t rep the city so hard in his lyrics. This was something different, he didn’t try to sing on this album, it was strictly bars. Tee proved once again that he has some of the best punchlines in the game. With Tee Grizzley at the helm, Detroit hip-hop continues to be in good hands. The Smartest is out now on all streaming platforms.
J. Cole : Snow On Tha Bluff Single Review
With everything that has been going on in the world right now, the only music that has been taken seriously are the songs with a message. A message that actually touches the audience through this vulnerable time. The people turn to these recording artists to use their platform to basically, just relate to them. Most of these artists can relate to them from the color of their skin, and therefore having the same problems as the normal everyday person. In a time like this, the real storytellers shine, hence the return of J.Cole, a hip-hop prophet.
The North Carolina-born artist is back with his surprise single titled, “Snow On Tha Bluff”. The song title comes from the 2011 film, with the same name. The cover art is a screenshot of his notes from his phone that includes the lyrics from the song. The date titled is June 4, 2020. The instrumental is entirely produced by Cole himself, and the beat isn’t doing too much. Which was probably intentional, because he wanted the attention of the song to be solely on the lyrics, and not on the beat. There is no chorus, only a 3 minute long verse. Cole strays away from the double-entendres, or any clever lines whatsoever. The track is very much straight forward, and in your face. The message he is displaying is as clear as it gets. He subtly talks about Chicago artist, and vocal anti-capitalist, Noname.
“My IQ is average, there’s a young lady out there, she way smarter than me
I scrolled through her timeline in these wild times, and I started to read
She mad at these crackers, she mad at these capitalists, mad at these murder police”
The people tend to turn to artists like J.Cole, who has never shied away from using his voice when it comes to any political issue. He was in Fayetteville, NC, his hometown, peacefully protesting with his people. Tracks like this is what separates J. Cole from the most of the MC’s that have come up in his era. When we needed him most, Cole delivered. “Snow On Tha Bluff” out now on all streaming platforms.
The North Carolina-born artist is back with his surprise single titled, “Snow On Tha Bluff”. The song title comes from the 2011 film, with the same name. The cover art is a screenshot of his notes from his phone that includes the lyrics from the song. The date titled is June 4, 2020. The instrumental is entirely produced by Cole himself, and the beat isn’t doing too much. Which was probably intentional, because he wanted the attention of the song to be solely on the lyrics, and not on the beat. There is no chorus, only a 3 minute long verse. Cole strays away from the double-entendres, or any clever lines whatsoever. The track is very much straight forward, and in your face. The message he is displaying is as clear as it gets. He subtly talks about Chicago artist, and vocal anti-capitalist, Noname.
“My IQ is average, there’s a young lady out there, she way smarter than me
I scrolled through her timeline in these wild times, and I started to read
She mad at these crackers, she mad at these capitalists, mad at these murder police”
The people tend to turn to artists like J.Cole, who has never shied away from using his voice when it comes to any political issue. He was in Fayetteville, NC, his hometown, peacefully protesting with his people. Tracks like this is what separates J. Cole from the most of the MC’s that have come up in his era. When we needed him most, Cole delivered. “Snow On Tha Bluff” out now on all streaming platforms.
Lil Baby : The Bigger Picture Single Review
Written by Odin.1k
Atlanta native, Lil Baby released his new track, "The Bigger Picture”. The new single is in response to the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, reflecting on police brutality and racial tensions in the US. In all honesty, the lyrics speak for themselves. Produced by Section 8 and Noah, the song samples Minneapolis news reports of the riots. The twenty-five year old rapper shares his experiences of racism, injustice, discriminatoin, and police brutality. The song is 4 seconds and 13 seconds long, and throughout the entire song he does not waste a second calling out for justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and all African-Americans around the world. This track is full of deep and meaningful lyrics, from speaking on how he feels about police brutality and racism, to what he feels we could all do to bring justice. “Every color person ain’t dumb and all whites not racist / I be judging by da mind and heart I ain’t really into faces.” “It’s bigger than Black and White / It’s a problem with the whole way of life / It can’t change overnight / But we gotta start somewhere / Might as well go ‘head, start here.” “It’s too many mothers that's grieving / They killin us for no reason / Been going on for too long to get even / Throw us in cages like dogs and hyenas.” Lil Baby is doing a great thing and using his platform for a fantastic cause. He is doing a lot more than these other celebrities who are doing the bare minimum and just posting to their social media. He also stated that he will be donating all of the proceeds of the song to Black Lives Matter, the Bail Project, the National Association of Black Journalists, and Breonna Taylor's legal team. You can tell this song means a lot to the young Atlanta rapper by the incredible emotion he shows in the music video. There are multiple shots in the video of him surrounded by other protestors with their fists up, all their signs, footage of violent riots, little kids and how hurt and affected they are, and also the elderly and how heart broken they are that they have to go through riots again because people still fail to treat other African-Americans like humans. It is truly shameful and heartbreaking. The song is out now on all mainstream streaming platforms. Go give it a spin, and don’t forget to do your part. #BlackLivesMatter
YG Releases Protest Anthem In “FTP”
Distraught. If I could use one word to describe the nation over the last couple of days, distraught would be perfect. The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25 sparked a rejuvenation in the Black Lives Matter movement, as it should. All around the country, there are people protesting, rioting, and looting stores. This subject touches home to the African-American community everywhere, but in the Los Angeles area it always strikes a nerve with the people. For example, the Watts Riots in 1965 left the city in its worst condition up until that time. The goal was to end mistreatment by the police. Almost 30 years later lighting struck twice, the city of LA rioted over the Rodney King verdict, and we know how the city turned out after that. While all of this is going on (and has been going on), the one platform we can all turn to in times like these, is music. To let people know what is really going on with police brutality, artists like N.W.A, Public Enemy, and Cypress Hill took their anger and experiences and put it on wax for the world to hear. In other words, this is not the time for a TikTok dance song. The people need substance, something with a message.
YG, the Los Angeles native, released the track “FTP” on Wednesday. YG has been very vocal about his political views. Back in 2016, he released the track “FDT” (F*ck Donald Trump) featuring Nipsey Hussle. The single was later remixed with verses from Caucasian rappers, Macklemore & G-Eazy. The police have been a topic featured in YG’s music since he came in the game. The protest track is produced by Swish and Larry J. The single was supposed to be released Friday, June 5, however the Bompton rapper didn’t want to wait for the record label. The artist talks about his fear when he gets pulled over by the cops, which a lot of everyday people can relate to. He also displays some clever lines that have to do with the police’s nickname, “Pigs”. The only thing this track is missing is a verse from the late great, Nipsey Hussle.
This is a protest anthem that I expect to hear at different protests across the nation. This was YG’s raw emotions laid out on a track. Most of the time that makes for the best real music. Through this time many people have spoken out, and have made very superb points on this topic. The one quote that really stood out to me actually came from NBA player, Jayson Tatum. He tweeted “ ‘Every cop isn’t bad’ we all can agree to but I want the same energy and attention given to every BLACK man is NOT a threat!!”. As of right now “FTP” is out now on YG’s SoundCloud, but expect it to be on all streaming platforms come this Friday.
YG, the Los Angeles native, released the track “FTP” on Wednesday. YG has been very vocal about his political views. Back in 2016, he released the track “FDT” (F*ck Donald Trump) featuring Nipsey Hussle. The single was later remixed with verses from Caucasian rappers, Macklemore & G-Eazy. The police have been a topic featured in YG’s music since he came in the game. The protest track is produced by Swish and Larry J. The single was supposed to be released Friday, June 5, however the Bompton rapper didn’t want to wait for the record label. The artist talks about his fear when he gets pulled over by the cops, which a lot of everyday people can relate to. He also displays some clever lines that have to do with the police’s nickname, “Pigs”. The only thing this track is missing is a verse from the late great, Nipsey Hussle.
This is a protest anthem that I expect to hear at different protests across the nation. This was YG’s raw emotions laid out on a track. Most of the time that makes for the best real music. Through this time many people have spoken out, and have made very superb points on this topic. The one quote that really stood out to me actually came from NBA player, Jayson Tatum. He tweeted “ ‘Every cop isn’t bad’ we all can agree to but I want the same energy and attention given to every BLACK man is NOT a threat!!”. As of right now “FTP” is out now on YG’s SoundCloud, but expect it to be on all streaming platforms come this Friday.
Problem Remains a Staple In LA With New Album Coffee and Kush Vol. 1
An OG in the west coast hip-hop scene has returned to music, late Thursday night. Compton rapper, Problem, has returned to the rap game with his new studio album, Coffee and Kush Vol. 1. Even though this is just his third studio album, this is his 16th project released since his career started back in 2006. 16 projects in 14 years is the definition of consistency, and is why I donned him the name “OG”. Problem has become a staple in the California rap scene, and especially in the Los Angeles area. When he releases a project, the people of LA listen, as they should. However all of America should listen, the country is going through it. I don’t need to go into further detail, because you already know what’s happening. Problem’s storytelling ability is essential for a time like this.
Coffee and Kush Vol. 1 is a condensed 10-track long project. There are three singles that made the album, and they were all released in the last month and a half. The first single, released on April 2, is titled “Don’t Be Mad At Me”. The track is basically a story about him fucking up with his girl, and how he wants her to stop being mad at him, I know it’s pretty self explanatory. The track is produced by DJ Kai, who produced multiple tracks on the album. The second single is titled, “G Shit”, which is song 9 on the track list. The track is low tempoed, and the beat samples Future’s “Married to the Game”. It’s produced by Grammy award winners in Larrance Dopson & Jairus Mozee. The third and final single is the “Janet Freestyle (Remix)”, a track where Problem’s storytelling ability really shines. He touches on the death of Nipsey Hussle, and the impact he made on his career before and after he passed.
“I ain't cry when Pac died
But I did when Nip did, maybe
Because I see a lot of me in bro, and
All the dope shit Nip did”
On the intro, “Coffee & Kush”, Problem sets the tone for his album right off the bat. “Where I Come From” is a track that’ll go perfect for riding in the whip, and will get a good reception with the crowd when Problem performs it live. On “Top of the Top”, the Compton MC reflects on his journey to where he is now in life. “Lamborghini” & “Family Ties” are two album cuts that stand out.
This is a quality over quantity project. With only 10 songs on the album, Problem still finds a way to leave hip-hop fans satisfied. It’s an easy 29 minute listen all the way through, but all of the music is high quality. Coffee & Kush Vol. 1 is out now on all streaming platforms.
Coffee and Kush Vol. 1 is a condensed 10-track long project. There are three singles that made the album, and they were all released in the last month and a half. The first single, released on April 2, is titled “Don’t Be Mad At Me”. The track is basically a story about him fucking up with his girl, and how he wants her to stop being mad at him, I know it’s pretty self explanatory. The track is produced by DJ Kai, who produced multiple tracks on the album. The second single is titled, “G Shit”, which is song 9 on the track list. The track is low tempoed, and the beat samples Future’s “Married to the Game”. It’s produced by Grammy award winners in Larrance Dopson & Jairus Mozee. The third and final single is the “Janet Freestyle (Remix)”, a track where Problem’s storytelling ability really shines. He touches on the death of Nipsey Hussle, and the impact he made on his career before and after he passed.
“I ain't cry when Pac died
But I did when Nip did, maybe
Because I see a lot of me in bro, and
All the dope shit Nip did”
On the intro, “Coffee & Kush”, Problem sets the tone for his album right off the bat. “Where I Come From” is a track that’ll go perfect for riding in the whip, and will get a good reception with the crowd when Problem performs it live. On “Top of the Top”, the Compton MC reflects on his journey to where he is now in life. “Lamborghini” & “Family Ties” are two album cuts that stand out.
This is a quality over quantity project. With only 10 songs on the album, Problem still finds a way to leave hip-hop fans satisfied. It’s an easy 29 minute listen all the way through, but all of the music is high quality. Coffee & Kush Vol. 1 is out now on all streaming platforms.
Shoreline Mafia & Lil Yachty Team Up For “Ride Out”
The wait is finally over. Los Angeles’ Shoreline Mafia and Atlanta’s Lil Yachty, have finally released their collaborative single titled, “Ride Out”. The song was first premiered on Adam 22’s “ No Jumper” YouTube channel. The video is titled, “When Lil Yachty met Shoreline Mafia”, which was a vlog that took place in the city of Atlanta. In the video Lil Yachty is seen crashing Shoreline’s studio session, and he hops in the booth himself. The video was posted back on June 3 of 2018. Nearly two whole years later, the track finally sees the light of day. This isn’t the first time Yachty has collaborated with Shoreline Mafia. On Drakeo the Ruler’s “Flu Flamming (Remix)”, both Lil Yachty and OhGeesy have verses. That was back in November of 2018. According to the “One Night” rapper’s tweet from May 20, 2019 he is a “Big Fan Of OhGeesy”. This is Shoreline’s second single off their long awaited debut album after they released the track “Gangstas and Sippas” featuring Q Da Fool back on 4/20.
“Ride Out” is produced by frequent collaborator & the man behind Shoreline’s style sonically, Ron-Ron. The track features group members Rob Vicious and OhGeesy. This was a wasted opportunity to have Fenix Flexin on the track, because he would have murdered this beat. Lil Yachty and Rob Vicious compliment each other's flow for a duo that we never knew we needed. Yachty raps about his critics who said he “fell off”. This is a good look for Shoreline Mafia to have a Lil Yachty feature on their debut album. Be on the lookout for a possible music video coming soon. “Ride Out” is out now on all streaming platforms. (First published on RosecransAve.com)
“Ride Out” is produced by frequent collaborator & the man behind Shoreline’s style sonically, Ron-Ron. The track features group members Rob Vicious and OhGeesy. This was a wasted opportunity to have Fenix Flexin on the track, because he would have murdered this beat. Lil Yachty and Rob Vicious compliment each other's flow for a duo that we never knew we needed. Yachty raps about his critics who said he “fell off”. This is a good look for Shoreline Mafia to have a Lil Yachty feature on their debut album. Be on the lookout for a possible music video coming soon. “Ride Out” is out now on all streaming platforms. (First published on RosecransAve.com)
Lil Yachty Finishes Off Atlanta’s Three-Peat With Lil Boat 3
The final chapter of Atlanta hip-hop’s three-peat is finally here. With Future debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 from his project, High Off Life, the bar was set high. Gunna answered the next week with the release of his second studio album, Wunna, which also debuted at the top spot on the Billboard 200. Now, it’s Lil Yachty’s turn to answer the call. Yachty released his fourth studio album Thursday night titled, Lil Boat 3. This is the third and final installment of the Lil Boat series of projects. The series started back in 2016 with Lil Boat, Yachty’s debut project that he released back in 2016, when he was just 19 years old. The mixtape featured hit tracks like “One Night” and “Minnesota” which helped catapult the Atlanta artist to the mainstream audience. The sequel, Lil Boat 2, released two years later in 2018. The album featured artists like Lil Baby, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Lil Pump, and Tee Grizzley who were all in the beginning of their careers. In between the releases of the Lil Boat series, Yachty hasn’t always delivered. A pure example of that is his debut studio album, Teenage Emotions, which was a flat out failure. The rapper has said that he wanted to revive his old 2016 melodic sound that the SoundCloud era fans really gravitated with.
Lil Boat 3 is a 19-track album that is executive produced by Kevin “Coach K” Lee & Pierre “Lee” Thomas, who are the founders of the label Quality Control, which Yachty is currently signed to. The album cover is a picture in black-and-White of Lil Yachty at the age of 2. Out of the 19 songs two of them were singles. “Oprah’s Bank Account” featuring Drake and DaBaby is the lead single, and the track was released back on March 9th. The music video also came out that day, which is a 9-minute short film where Yachty is acting as if he is Oprah herself. The second and final single is “Split / Whole Time” which was produced by frequent collaborator, and Yachty’s best friend, Earl on the Beat. The album’s first two tracks slow down the pace of the project, but after the two singles, the project really takes off. “T.D” featuring A$AP Rocky & Tyler, The Creator is a standout track off the album. The track is produced by 30 Roc and Lil Yachty himself, and the track features a sample from the iconic theme song “Tokyo Drift” by Teriyaki Boyz, hence the song title “T.D” which stands for Tokyo Drift. Yachty also received production credits on “Wock In Stock” and “Can’t Go”, he announced via Twitter. On the Mike WiLL Made-It produced track, “Pardon Me” featuring Future, Pluto himself delivers with the chorus and displays unique whistling type ad-libs. DY Crazy produced a carribean inspired instrumental for track 17, “Til the Morning” which features Lil Durk and Young Thug.
This project, like the previous two in the Lil Boat series, lived up to the expectations. This is a project that sounds better every time you listen to it. Yachty did a good job on bringing back old flows without making the music sound forced. A couple months ago, Yachty ditched his signature red hair for a more predictable look. This was to symbolize that now in his career, he has made a voice in hip-hop and can be known for his music, instead of his physical appearance. Lil Boat 3 is out now on all streaming platforms. (First Published on RosecransAve.com)
Lil Boat 3 is a 19-track album that is executive produced by Kevin “Coach K” Lee & Pierre “Lee” Thomas, who are the founders of the label Quality Control, which Yachty is currently signed to. The album cover is a picture in black-and-White of Lil Yachty at the age of 2. Out of the 19 songs two of them were singles. “Oprah’s Bank Account” featuring Drake and DaBaby is the lead single, and the track was released back on March 9th. The music video also came out that day, which is a 9-minute short film where Yachty is acting as if he is Oprah herself. The second and final single is “Split / Whole Time” which was produced by frequent collaborator, and Yachty’s best friend, Earl on the Beat. The album’s first two tracks slow down the pace of the project, but after the two singles, the project really takes off. “T.D” featuring A$AP Rocky & Tyler, The Creator is a standout track off the album. The track is produced by 30 Roc and Lil Yachty himself, and the track features a sample from the iconic theme song “Tokyo Drift” by Teriyaki Boyz, hence the song title “T.D” which stands for Tokyo Drift. Yachty also received production credits on “Wock In Stock” and “Can’t Go”, he announced via Twitter. On the Mike WiLL Made-It produced track, “Pardon Me” featuring Future, Pluto himself delivers with the chorus and displays unique whistling type ad-libs. DY Crazy produced a carribean inspired instrumental for track 17, “Til the Morning” which features Lil Durk and Young Thug.
This project, like the previous two in the Lil Boat series, lived up to the expectations. This is a project that sounds better every time you listen to it. Yachty did a good job on bringing back old flows without making the music sound forced. A couple months ago, Yachty ditched his signature red hair for a more predictable look. This was to symbolize that now in his career, he has made a voice in hip-hop and can be known for his music, instead of his physical appearance. Lil Boat 3 is out now on all streaming platforms. (First Published on RosecransAve.com)
Gunna Keeps the City of Atlanta on Fire With Wunna
Atlanta has been on fire, especially as of recent time. Last week, Future released his album, High Off Life. The album sold 170,000-185,000 units in the first week, which is the highest selling debut of Future’s career. This was his 8th studio album, and his seventh No. 1 album debut on the Billboard 200 chart. Trying to follow that up is difficult to do. With Future releasing last week, it is Gunna’s turn to drop his album. Wunna is the Atlanta rapper’s second studio album, after he released Drip Or Drown 2 in early 2019. Gunna had a breakout in the year 2018, when he released his mixtape Drip Season 3, which featured verses from Lil Uzi Vert, NAV, Young Thug, and Lil Yachty among many others. The YSL Records signed artist followed his solo project with a collaborative mixtape with frequent collaborator, Lil Baby. The project was titled Drip Harder, and it featured breakout songs such as “Never Recover” featuring Drake & “Drip Too Hard” which was nominated for a Grammy at the 2020 Grammy Awards for Best Rap/Sung performance. He then went on to be on the cover of XXL for the 2019 Freshman Class. As of late, Gunna has been the feature king when it comes to assisting other artists with verses or hooks. Young Thug’s “Hot”, Roddy Ricch’s “Start wit Me”, and Lil Baby’s “Heatin Up” are all stand out features for the Atlanta MC.
The album title, Wunna, actually has a deeper meaning to it. It’s an acronym that stands for “Wealthy Unapologetic Nigga Naturally Authentic”. It’s an alter-ego based on the rapper’s astronomical sign that correlates with the album’s artwork. The album itself is 18-tracks long, and it includes two singles “Skybox” & “Wunna”, which are back-to-back on the track listing. Some of the songs have been previewed before, which has left diehard fans anxious to hear the final product. Track 5, “Dollaz On My Head” produced by Mike WiLL Made-It & featuring Young Thug, was first featured on Instagram Live back in March of 2019. Track 17, “Do Better” has been teased multiple times since the summer of 2019. Right after the last album released, Gunna started working on this project, while on tour.
Wheezy has multiple production credits. Other credited producers include Tay Keith, Taurus, Turbo, and Keyyz, among others. “Cooler Than A Bitch” featuring Roddy Ricch, was destined to be a hit before even clicking play. The two both delivered on the Dunk Rock & TrePounds produced instrumental. Interscope Records signed artist, Nechie has been featured on Gunna projects since his debut mixtape back in 2016. The two rap about adderall, and drugs in general, on the track “Addys”. Houston’s Travis Scott has put out his best music of the year in the last couple of weeks, and he continues that run on “Top Floor”. Lil Baby & Gunna have not had one bad song together, and the young duo shines on “Blindfold”. Young Thug is featured for the second time for the outro, “Far”. Gunna shines on most of his solo tracks as well including “Met Gala”, “I’m On Some”, “Nasty Girl / On Camera” and “Feigning”. Gunna seems like he’s floating on beats at times with his laid back style & flow.
Wunna is Gunna’s opportunity to remind the audience that he is also a heavy participant in this Atlanta hip-hop scene. This is a version of Gunna we haven’t heard before. Expect a deluxe version of the album that will include features from the late Pop Smoke, and Lil Uzi Vert among others. This is a more artistic approach, rather than a street type of approach that was expressed in earlier projects. This correlates to where the Young Thug protege is in life. With Future dropping last week, Gunna this week, and Lil Yachty next week, the state of Georgia remains in good hands. Wunna is out now on all streaming platforms.
The album title, Wunna, actually has a deeper meaning to it. It’s an acronym that stands for “Wealthy Unapologetic Nigga Naturally Authentic”. It’s an alter-ego based on the rapper’s astronomical sign that correlates with the album’s artwork. The album itself is 18-tracks long, and it includes two singles “Skybox” & “Wunna”, which are back-to-back on the track listing. Some of the songs have been previewed before, which has left diehard fans anxious to hear the final product. Track 5, “Dollaz On My Head” produced by Mike WiLL Made-It & featuring Young Thug, was first featured on Instagram Live back in March of 2019. Track 17, “Do Better” has been teased multiple times since the summer of 2019. Right after the last album released, Gunna started working on this project, while on tour.
Wheezy has multiple production credits. Other credited producers include Tay Keith, Taurus, Turbo, and Keyyz, among others. “Cooler Than A Bitch” featuring Roddy Ricch, was destined to be a hit before even clicking play. The two both delivered on the Dunk Rock & TrePounds produced instrumental. Interscope Records signed artist, Nechie has been featured on Gunna projects since his debut mixtape back in 2016. The two rap about adderall, and drugs in general, on the track “Addys”. Houston’s Travis Scott has put out his best music of the year in the last couple of weeks, and he continues that run on “Top Floor”. Lil Baby & Gunna have not had one bad song together, and the young duo shines on “Blindfold”. Young Thug is featured for the second time for the outro, “Far”. Gunna shines on most of his solo tracks as well including “Met Gala”, “I’m On Some”, “Nasty Girl / On Camera” and “Feigning”. Gunna seems like he’s floating on beats at times with his laid back style & flow.
Wunna is Gunna’s opportunity to remind the audience that he is also a heavy participant in this Atlanta hip-hop scene. This is a version of Gunna we haven’t heard before. Expect a deluxe version of the album that will include features from the late Pop Smoke, and Lil Uzi Vert among others. This is a more artistic approach, rather than a street type of approach that was expressed in earlier projects. This correlates to where the Young Thug protege is in life. With Future dropping last week, Gunna this week, and Lil Yachty next week, the state of Georgia remains in good hands. Wunna is out now on all streaming platforms.
Key Glock : Son of a Gun Mixtape Review
Another thursday night means another night of great music releases. Right now we're focusing on Memphis rapper, Key Glock, and his recent mixtape release, Son of a Gun. Key Glock has been teasing this release for a while now. He first deleted all his recent Instagram posts and only posted photos of him and his mom (including the cover), and then later he posted the tracklist. He also posted on Instagram a tweet of a fan who said that the Memphis rapper makes hard hitting music so effortlessly, and in this recent drop he shows us how true that is. Key Glock has never shied away from telling us about his tough love relationship with his mother and he really shows us here, dedicating this tape to her. She was incarcerated for the majority of his early years growing up, leaving him to grow up with just his grandmother. Even though it was hard, they still maintained a great relationship.
This tape is 15 songs and it is a 43 minute listen with no features as usual. Key Glock has proved time and time again that he doesn’t need a feature to be successful or to make great music, especially on a tape as personal as this one. This is the first we’ve heard from the Memphis all star since his last album Yellow Tape released in late January of this year. Key Glock has been doing a lot for his label, Paper Route EMPIRE, being one of the more popular artists signed to the label. Paper Route EMPIRE is also home to other Memphis rappers such as Young Dolph, Big Moochie Grape, Kenny Muney, Jay Fizzle, and Bino Brown. If you love that rugged memphis sound, this is definitely for you. The 22 year old rapper never fails to provide the perfect vibe. If this tape doesn’t bring out the inner hustler in you, it isn’t in you at all. Key Glock takes a lot of pride in where he’s from, He likes to keep things tight with who he associates with let alone make music with. Although he’s only been in the game for a couple of years, Key Glock possesses that confidence and poise as if he’s been here before. Son of a Gun is out now on all mainstream streaming platforms, go give it a listen.
This tape is 15 songs and it is a 43 minute listen with no features as usual. Key Glock has proved time and time again that he doesn’t need a feature to be successful or to make great music, especially on a tape as personal as this one. This is the first we’ve heard from the Memphis all star since his last album Yellow Tape released in late January of this year. Key Glock has been doing a lot for his label, Paper Route EMPIRE, being one of the more popular artists signed to the label. Paper Route EMPIRE is also home to other Memphis rappers such as Young Dolph, Big Moochie Grape, Kenny Muney, Jay Fizzle, and Bino Brown. If you love that rugged memphis sound, this is definitely for you. The 22 year old rapper never fails to provide the perfect vibe. If this tape doesn’t bring out the inner hustler in you, it isn’t in you at all. Key Glock takes a lot of pride in where he’s from, He likes to keep things tight with who he associates with let alone make music with. Although he’s only been in the game for a couple of years, Key Glock possesses that confidence and poise as if he’s been here before. Son of a Gun is out now on all mainstream streaming platforms, go give it a listen.
Polo G Shows No Sign of Sophomore Slump on The Goat
Another Thursday means another new night for music. A week after Lil Durk released his album, Just Cause Y’all Waited 2, fellow Chicagoan Polo G released his project. The album is simply titled, The Goat. Polo G has emerged as one of the top young artists over the past year and a half. Tracks like “Finer Things” & “Battle Cry” were breakout hits for the 21-year old. However, the one track that really took Polo G’s name to the mainstream audience was, “Pop Out” featuring Lil Tjay that reached number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Last year, Polo G released his debut project, Die a Legend, which received high praise. Over the past year, the Columbia Records signed artist has become one of the most popular rappers to work with. On his 2020 single, “Go Stupid” featuring Stunna 4 Vegas & NLE Choppa, Polo warned us for better music. With the line, “I'm just focused on music, they say my last tape was a classic, but I got some hotter shit”.
On The Goat there’s 16 tracks, out of those songs there are three official singles. The three are “Heartless” produced by Mustard, the Mike WiLL Made-it & Tay Keith produced “Go Stupid” featuring Stunna 4 Vegas and NLE Choppa, and the WayneOnABeat produced “DND”. Other credited beat makers include Callari, Hagan, Hit-Boy, and The Superiors among others. Other than the singles, Polo G kept it simple when it came to lyrical features. 13 original songs, and only three of them feature another artist. On “Flex '', the late Juice WRLD has a verse, and the two artists both reflect on their lives before fame, but also displaying showboating bars. The song seemed like the two recorded this together, and it felt natural. Lil Baby hopped on the eleventh track titled, “Be Something”. BJ The Chicago Kid sings the chorus on the final track on the album titled, “Wishing For a Hero”. On tracks like “Martin & Gina”, “33” (named after Scottie Pippen’s number), and “Beautiful Pain (Losing My Mind)” Polo touches on relationships with girls, his opioid addictions, and losing friends to gun violence.
Polo G is a rising star in hip-hop. There was definitely growth from his first project to his sophomore piece of work. If he doesn’t turn down XXL, the Chicago rapper could be the centerpiece for this year’s Freshman Class. I would expect this album to sell more than Lil Durk’s did this past week, due to there being some promotion for this project. The Goat is out now on all streaming platforms. (First published on RosecransAve.com)
On The Goat there’s 16 tracks, out of those songs there are three official singles. The three are “Heartless” produced by Mustard, the Mike WiLL Made-it & Tay Keith produced “Go Stupid” featuring Stunna 4 Vegas and NLE Choppa, and the WayneOnABeat produced “DND”. Other credited beat makers include Callari, Hagan, Hit-Boy, and The Superiors among others. Other than the singles, Polo G kept it simple when it came to lyrical features. 13 original songs, and only three of them feature another artist. On “Flex '', the late Juice WRLD has a verse, and the two artists both reflect on their lives before fame, but also displaying showboating bars. The song seemed like the two recorded this together, and it felt natural. Lil Baby hopped on the eleventh track titled, “Be Something”. BJ The Chicago Kid sings the chorus on the final track on the album titled, “Wishing For a Hero”. On tracks like “Martin & Gina”, “33” (named after Scottie Pippen’s number), and “Beautiful Pain (Losing My Mind)” Polo touches on relationships with girls, his opioid addictions, and losing friends to gun violence.
Polo G is a rising star in hip-hop. There was definitely growth from his first project to his sophomore piece of work. If he doesn’t turn down XXL, the Chicago rapper could be the centerpiece for this year’s Freshman Class. I would expect this album to sell more than Lil Durk’s did this past week, due to there being some promotion for this project. The Goat is out now on all streaming platforms. (First published on RosecransAve.com)
Future Delivers Once Again With High Off Life
One of hip-hop’s most consistent rappers of all time released a new album. Future released his 21-track album titled, High Off Life, on Thursday night. The Atlanta superstar has been in a league of his own for basically the past 6 years. In 2014, he released projects like Honest, which featured hip-hop juggernauts such as Kanye West, Drake, Lil Wayne, and Pharrell. He then followed that up with Monster, an album that featured “Codeine Crazy”, a certified classic to his cult following. However, 2015 was the most crucial year for Future’s career. He then released three projects that year. The 808 Mafia executive produced 56 Nights, a number one album on DS2, and a Drake collaborative mixtape What A Time To Be Alive, all of which had tremendous success. From that moment on, Future has been a top tier rapper, and has never disappointed.
High Off Life is executively produced by DJ Esco. The moment that news broke out, Future’s fanbase erupted with excitement on social media. Other producers on the project include Tay Keith, Wheezy, Cubeatz, and DY among many others. There are five singles on this album. “Life Is Good” featuring Drake, “Last Name” featuring Lil Durk, “Tycoon”, “100 Shooters'' featuring Meek Mill & Doe Boy, and “Life Is Good Remix” featuring DaBaby & Lil Baby. The features on the album cuts are all A-list artists. Out of the 16 original tracks, it includes four new lyrical features. Track four, “Solitaires'' features Houston’s Travis Scott on a Wheezy produced beat. The two exchange bars about the diamonds in their jewelry, Future even makes a coronavirus reference with “Coronavirus diamonds, you can catch the cold.” This is a track that has all the ingredients for a hit, and I would expect radio play all across the country. Future and YoungBoy Never Broke Again collaborated for the second time on “Trillionaire.” The two released the track, “Right Or Wrong”, back in 2018, on YoungBoy’s Until Death Call My Name project. Frequent collaborator & fellow Atlanta legend, Young Thug also has a feature on the album. “Harlem Shake” is a simple song of the two bragging about the “trap money” the two have and how Future’s “Chopper makes him do the Harlem Shake”. “All Bad” featuring Lil Uzi Vert, has an instrumental that sounds like it belongs on Eternal Atake. The intro track, “Trapped In the Sun”, and track 11 “Up the River” are both tracks that shouldn’t be overlooked just because they don’t have a feature and are album cuts.
Future doing numbers, sales wise, has never been a problem. On this project I would expect the same result. The consistency has always been there with both putting music out, and the quality of the music. In other words, Future never has a problem with “quality over quantity”, because he puts out both equally. Future owns the Twitter world, most male users look up to his toxicity. This will only benefit album sales, along with DJ Esco executive producing the project. I would not be surprised if we see another Future album before the year ends. High Off Life is out now on all streaming platforms. (First published on RosecransAve.com)
High Off Life is executively produced by DJ Esco. The moment that news broke out, Future’s fanbase erupted with excitement on social media. Other producers on the project include Tay Keith, Wheezy, Cubeatz, and DY among many others. There are five singles on this album. “Life Is Good” featuring Drake, “Last Name” featuring Lil Durk, “Tycoon”, “100 Shooters'' featuring Meek Mill & Doe Boy, and “Life Is Good Remix” featuring DaBaby & Lil Baby. The features on the album cuts are all A-list artists. Out of the 16 original tracks, it includes four new lyrical features. Track four, “Solitaires'' features Houston’s Travis Scott on a Wheezy produced beat. The two exchange bars about the diamonds in their jewelry, Future even makes a coronavirus reference with “Coronavirus diamonds, you can catch the cold.” This is a track that has all the ingredients for a hit, and I would expect radio play all across the country. Future and YoungBoy Never Broke Again collaborated for the second time on “Trillionaire.” The two released the track, “Right Or Wrong”, back in 2018, on YoungBoy’s Until Death Call My Name project. Frequent collaborator & fellow Atlanta legend, Young Thug also has a feature on the album. “Harlem Shake” is a simple song of the two bragging about the “trap money” the two have and how Future’s “Chopper makes him do the Harlem Shake”. “All Bad” featuring Lil Uzi Vert, has an instrumental that sounds like it belongs on Eternal Atake. The intro track, “Trapped In the Sun”, and track 11 “Up the River” are both tracks that shouldn’t be overlooked just because they don’t have a feature and are album cuts.
Future doing numbers, sales wise, has never been a problem. On this project I would expect the same result. The consistency has always been there with both putting music out, and the quality of the music. In other words, Future never has a problem with “quality over quantity”, because he puts out both equally. Future owns the Twitter world, most male users look up to his toxicity. This will only benefit album sales, along with DJ Esco executive producing the project. I would not be surprised if we see another Future album before the year ends. High Off Life is out now on all streaming platforms. (First published on RosecransAve.com)
Trippie Redd & PARTYNEXTDOOR “Excitement” Single Review
Partynextdoor and Trippie Redd have collabed on a new track titled “Excitement”. Produced by On the Oz, this song is a 4 minute and 43 second listen. This track is very sensual and melody heavy. Trippie Redd and Partynextdoor both stick to what they both do best by singing in the track. It’s a mix of R&B and a little bit of Pop coming from Trippie Redd. “Excitement” is the follow up track to the rapper’s fifth EP A Love Letter To You 4 which has crazy features such as Juice WRLD, YNW Melly, Youngboy Never Broke Again, Tory Lanez, DaBaby, and much more coming with the deluxe edition. Featuring Young Thug, Lil Durk, Lil Tecca, G Herbo, SahBabii, and more. This track comes ahead of his yet to be confirmed album release titled Pegasus. The EP was Trippie Redd’s most ambitious release to date, being a 21-track instalment that gained over 125.9 million global streams in the first week of its release. Trippie Redd has spent much of the year teasing his upcoming project while releasing singles from his 2019 mixtape including ”Yell Oh” featuring Young Thug and ”The Way” featuring Russ. This is also the first we’re hearing from PND since his album PARTYMOBILE was released in March earlier this year. If you’ve ever wanted these two artists on the same track or wondered how they would be on the same track, go check it out. The song is out on all mainstream streaming platforms.
Reason & ScHoolboy Q “Pop Shit” Single Review
Reason and Schoolboy Q have linked up to deliver their new song "Pop Shit." This song comes following Reason releasing another single, "Might Not Make It," just a few weeks before. Reason has also been teasing that the two Top Dawg Entertainment artists will be joining forces on a track on Twitter since earlier this week. On Wednesday Reason Tweeted “Me and ScHoolboyQ got something for y’all friday”. "Pop Shit" also received visuals to go along with it as well, with Reason sharing a snippet of the video. This is one of the first appearances from ScHoolboy Q that we’ve gotten since he and Nez linked up on “Wild Youngster” earlier this year. Following the release of his last studio album Crash Talk, the TDE artist has been relatively quiet as of late, not even participating in TDE Appreciation Week at the end of last month. Although Reason has been dropping new music lately here and there, following his appearance on the J. Cole and Dreamville collaboration Revenge of the Dreamers 3. He has many placements on that album and has his own single on the deluxe titled “Might Not Make It”. Fans are hoping that all this music is going to build up to a project. 1 word to describe this track. Gritty. Full of thought and strong bars and metaphors this is a great track. It’s out on all mainstream streaming platforms. Go give it a listen.
Lil Durk : Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 Album Review
The artist who has remained relevant over the past couple years, while never selling out and staying close to the streets, is Lil Durk. Lil Durk also released an album titled, Just Cause Y’all Waited 2. This is the sequel project to his 2018 mixtape, Just Cause Y’all Waited. Lil Durk is from the Chicago area, and is responsible for helping to start that “Chiraq'' drill sound, along with Chief Keef, the late Fredo Santana, Lil Reese and G Herbo among many others. This is Durk’s first solo project since Love Songs 4 the Streets 2. Soon after, Lil Durk released the collective project, Family Over Everything, along with his OTF Crew (Only The Family) . From the end of 2019 until now, Durk has been on fire with the lyrical features. He has had features on Roddy Ricch’s Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial, Lil Uzi Vert’s LUV vs. The World 2, and on Murda Beatz’s “Banana Split '' with YNW Melly just to name a few.
The album is 15-tracks long and is a breezy 40 minute listen from the first song to the last. Out of the 15 songs there are two official singles. The Young T produced “All Love” & the Deezy produced track “Chiraq Demons” featuring G Herbo. Some beatmakers with production credits on the project include 12 Hunna, Tre Gilliam, Keyyz, KidWond3r, and Go Grizzly among others. On the introduction track, “Different Meaning” Durk doesn’t hesitate to get bars off, while still being able to tell a story. “3 Headed Goat” featuring Lil Baby on the hook, and a verse from fellow Chicago native Polo G is arguably the best song on the entire project. “Gucci Gucci” featuring Gunna, displays Durk rapping a catchy chorus, while Gunna spazzes on his verse. The Chicago rapper reminisces about drugs, love and the “olden days” on “Internet Sensation” which is track 9 on the project.
Lil Durk does not get the credit he deserves when it comes to his storytelling ability. No, he is not the most lyrical rapper, however you can hear the pain in his voice in most of these songs. The melodies displayed on this piece of work is just a reminder why most of these younger artists see Durk as an influence. With Lil Durk releasing his project this week, and Polo G set to release his album titled The Goat next week, Chicago rap is still in good hands. Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 is out now on all streaming platforms. (First Published On Rosecransave.com )
The album is 15-tracks long and is a breezy 40 minute listen from the first song to the last. Out of the 15 songs there are two official singles. The Young T produced “All Love” & the Deezy produced track “Chiraq Demons” featuring G Herbo. Some beatmakers with production credits on the project include 12 Hunna, Tre Gilliam, Keyyz, KidWond3r, and Go Grizzly among others. On the introduction track, “Different Meaning” Durk doesn’t hesitate to get bars off, while still being able to tell a story. “3 Headed Goat” featuring Lil Baby on the hook, and a verse from fellow Chicago native Polo G is arguably the best song on the entire project. “Gucci Gucci” featuring Gunna, displays Durk rapping a catchy chorus, while Gunna spazzes on his verse. The Chicago rapper reminisces about drugs, love and the “olden days” on “Internet Sensation” which is track 9 on the project.
Lil Durk does not get the credit he deserves when it comes to his storytelling ability. No, he is not the most lyrical rapper, however you can hear the pain in his voice in most of these songs. The melodies displayed on this piece of work is just a reminder why most of these younger artists see Durk as an influence. With Lil Durk releasing his project this week, and Polo G set to release his album titled The Goat next week, Chicago rap is still in good hands. Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 is out now on all streaming platforms. (First Published On Rosecransave.com )
Lil Tjay: State of Emergency Mixtape Review
Lil Tjay has just dropped his tape State of Emergency. It is a 7 song, 22 minute listen. Features include Pop Smoke, Fivio Foreign, Sheff G, Sleepy Hallow, Jay Critch, J.I the prince of N.Y., and Jay Guwapo. Lil Tjay has recently went under a lot of controversy and criticism after he sent shots towards fellow New York artists Tekashi 6ix9ine and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie claiming that he was the king of New York. A lot of people were angry with Lil Tjay for making these claims because his numbers simply aren’t at Tekashi’s or A Boogie’s level and he is being accused of clout chasing. This caused fellow Highbridge member, Don Q, to take to Instagram to voice his opinion on Lil Tjay and what he said. The next day Lil Tjay took to social media to apologize appropriately. Lil Tjay has teased this mixtape multiple times on his Instagram, starting with a post he posted on his 19th birthday. He then posted a video on Twitter announcing all the features that would be on the tape. The tape includes previously released song “Ice Cold”. Lil Tjay showed off his melodic style as he always does. The best song on this tape is “Zoo York” featuring Fivio Forgein and the late Pop Smoke. Produced by AXL Beats, the song goes into each rappers respected styles. This is Lil Tjay’s first mixtape that is on all mainstream streaming platforms unlike the others that are located on Soundcloud only. Go give it a listen, it’s out now on all mainstream streaming platforms.
NAV : Good Intentions Album Review
Another Thursday night, means another night of new music in the hip-hop community. New York has made the most noise over Thursday and Friday, due to Lil Tjay releasing new content & 6ix9ine returning to IG Live, as well as unleashing a new single. However, this album comes out of Canada. Rexdale native, NAV, returned to releasing music by dropping Good Intentions. Since 2017, NAV has released at least one studio project every year. Consistency with releasing music has never been a problem when it comes to NAV. After dropping the album, Bad Habits, last year, Canadian rapper has had a solid start to 2020 due to the features on other artist’s songs.
Good Intentions is an 18-track album that is executively produced by labelmates and mentors, The Weeknd & Cash. This is the second straight NAV project The Weeknd has executive produced. Out of the 18 songs, there’s only one single, and that is the Wheezy produced “Turks” featuring Travis Scott & Gunna which found success as soon as it dropped back on March 27th. On the instrumentals, Pro Logic received production credits on most of the songs on the project. Other credited producers include Wheezy, Mustard, Money Musik, and Dez Wright among many others. Another thing that NAV excels at is getting the best features on the right tracks. Lyrical features consist of Future, Travis Scott, Gunna, Lil Uzi Vert, Don Toliver, Lil Durk (who also released an album Thursday night), the late Pop Smoke, and two Young Thug features. Now if you just saw the tracklist, you probably would think that the features probably carried NAV, but that’s definitely not the case. On “Codeine”, Gunna’s verse just compliments the NAV sung hook, and the two delivered another solid joint to their two year long catalog. The second collaboration between NAV & the late NY drill rapper, Pop Smoke is “Run It Up”, a track showing how far the two artists came to become successful. On “Status” NAV & Lil Uzi Vert brag about the money, jewelry, and cars they own (Yes, I know these are common topics in hip-hop). On “Saint Laurenttt” you really get a vintage Nav type of feel. Almost like it was recorded in 2016 by how slow the tempo of the track is. “She Hurtin” is the lone love ballad on the album. “My Business” featuring Future is a track you could easily hear on the radio.
NAV is an artist who sometimes gets picked on in the media. Whether it’s about his race, or the fact that his sound is similar to the late Speaker Knockerz, NAV put out another solid piece of work. Ever since he released Reckless back in 2018, which was a musical disaster to say the least, the Rexdale native has been on top of his game musically. Expect the album to do solid numbers as well as chart high on Billboard. Good Intentions is out now on all streaming platforms. (First Published On Rosecransave.com )
Good Intentions is an 18-track album that is executively produced by labelmates and mentors, The Weeknd & Cash. This is the second straight NAV project The Weeknd has executive produced. Out of the 18 songs, there’s only one single, and that is the Wheezy produced “Turks” featuring Travis Scott & Gunna which found success as soon as it dropped back on March 27th. On the instrumentals, Pro Logic received production credits on most of the songs on the project. Other credited producers include Wheezy, Mustard, Money Musik, and Dez Wright among many others. Another thing that NAV excels at is getting the best features on the right tracks. Lyrical features consist of Future, Travis Scott, Gunna, Lil Uzi Vert, Don Toliver, Lil Durk (who also released an album Thursday night), the late Pop Smoke, and two Young Thug features. Now if you just saw the tracklist, you probably would think that the features probably carried NAV, but that’s definitely not the case. On “Codeine”, Gunna’s verse just compliments the NAV sung hook, and the two delivered another solid joint to their two year long catalog. The second collaboration between NAV & the late NY drill rapper, Pop Smoke is “Run It Up”, a track showing how far the two artists came to become successful. On “Status” NAV & Lil Uzi Vert brag about the money, jewelry, and cars they own (Yes, I know these are common topics in hip-hop). On “Saint Laurenttt” you really get a vintage Nav type of feel. Almost like it was recorded in 2016 by how slow the tempo of the track is. “She Hurtin” is the lone love ballad on the album. “My Business” featuring Future is a track you could easily hear on the radio.
NAV is an artist who sometimes gets picked on in the media. Whether it’s about his race, or the fact that his sound is similar to the late Speaker Knockerz, NAV put out another solid piece of work. Ever since he released Reckless back in 2018, which was a musical disaster to say the least, the Rexdale native has been on top of his game musically. Expect the album to do solid numbers as well as chart high on Billboard. Good Intentions is out now on all streaming platforms. (First Published On Rosecransave.com )
Young Thug & Chris Brown : Slime & B Mixtape Review
On Tuesday, Chris Brown and Young Thug released a collaborative tape titled Slime & B. This tape was released on Chris Brown’s 31st birthday. They announced the tape Tuesday morning or late Monday night depending on where you’re from. It was originally released on Soundcloud and then later released on major streaming platforms. The project is 12 songs and a forty-three minute listen. The features include Gunna on two songs, Lil Duke, Shad Da God, Major 9, Hoodybaby, and the king’s of the Bay, E-40 and Too $hort. This collab, although they have worked plenty times together before, nobody really expected it. It worked out great. Great beats, great singing, and great lyrics. Chris Brown showed off his R&B vocals and even showed off some rapping, while Young Thug did a mix of rapping and singing of his own. The best song is definitely a toss up between “Go Crazy” or “Big Slimes” featuring Gunna and Lil Duke. The last time Young Thug and Chris Brown worked together was in 2017 on Chris Brown’s track “High End” also featuring Future. This will be both artists first full length project since 2019. Indigo that was released by Chris Brown had major hits such as “No Guidance” featuring Drake, “Need a Stack” featuring Lil Wayne and Joyner Lucas, “Heat” featuring Gunna, “Emerald/Burgandy” featuring Juvenile and Juicy J and so much more.The album was 32 tracks and a two hour and four minute listen compared to the deluxe which was 42 tracks and a two hour and thirty-nine minute listen. So Much Fun that was released by Young Thug also had major hits such as “Hot” featuring Gunna, “Bad Bad Bad” featuring Lil Baby, “What’s the Move” featuring Lil Uzi Vert, “Mannequin Challenge” featuring Juice WRLD, “The London” featuring J. Cole and Travis Scott, and so much more. The original album was 19 songs and an hour and two minute listen while the deluxe was 24 songs and an hour and thirty-nine minute listen. This collaboration is one of the better ones we’ve seen this year. Definitely be prepared for more music from these two artists.
Kwe The Artist : From D-1 Athlete To Rising Artist (Interview)
Cover art for his latest single, “In My Head”. Out now on all streaming platforms
Kwe (pronounced Quay) the Artist took time to chop it up with me via Instagram direct message to discuss his past, what his influences are, and what’s to come in the future. The 25-year old artist is from Tampa, Florida and that’s where he resides today. Prior to making music, Kwe was playing football at Arizona State University. He played defensive line for the Sun Devils for three seasons. At the end of his time at the school, he found a new passion, music. Kwe even dropped out of his masters to pursue a career in music, and if that’s not dedication, then I don’t know what is. Personally, I learned about Kwe the Artist from Manny Wilkins, former ASU starting quarterback, who now plays for the Green Bay Packers in the NFL. “When I would send out tracks, Manny would get them first, that’s fam, they would blast that shit in the weightroom & locker room.” Wilkins (who raps under the name “5ive”) and Kwe even have a track together titled, “Vibe”, which is a slow jam that can be heard on all streaming platforms. The connections Kwe has made at ASU has ended up having his music played in multiple NFL locker rooms.
Kwe’s musical influences coming up included Young Thug, Drake, Lil Wayne, and Future among others. He also said his father was a big Bob Marley fan, and that Marley’s music was ingrained into Kwe. Some of the artists in his playlists now consist of Don Toliver, Kodak Black, PARTYNEXTDOOR, and Anderson Paak. When it comes to his own music, Kwe has plans on releasing a new project sometime this month that will be titled Stû. If you didn’t know, Kwe is also a producer. He says he handled a little chunk of the production on his debut project, Fetus, which was released back in 2018. “This upincoming tape will have multiple production takes with a tight knit few , Xjaybeats (TX) , Dsando (TX), and WoodyTaylor (London)”. The last question I asked was “What’s your dream collaboration?”. Kwe then answered with “Man good question, prolly Mike Dean or like Charlie Wilson. ''
Kwe the Artist is original, and as cliche as that sounds, it’s the truth. Does Kwe sound like the rest of these artists right now coming out of Florida? No, he doesn’t. My first reaction from listening to Kwe the Artist was that he sounds like a mixture of PARTYNEXTDOOR and Don Toliver. Right now that’s a damn good combination to have. His melodic flow on Houston trap beats is what makes Kwe a special artist. His last two singles titled “In My Head” & “Wasabi” are must-adds for any hip-hop fan. Stream Kwe the Artist’s music on all platforms, and be ready to hear Kwe’s name a lot real soon.
Kwe’s musical influences coming up included Young Thug, Drake, Lil Wayne, and Future among others. He also said his father was a big Bob Marley fan, and that Marley’s music was ingrained into Kwe. Some of the artists in his playlists now consist of Don Toliver, Kodak Black, PARTYNEXTDOOR, and Anderson Paak. When it comes to his own music, Kwe has plans on releasing a new project sometime this month that will be titled Stû. If you didn’t know, Kwe is also a producer. He says he handled a little chunk of the production on his debut project, Fetus, which was released back in 2018. “This upincoming tape will have multiple production takes with a tight knit few , Xjaybeats (TX) , Dsando (TX), and WoodyTaylor (London)”. The last question I asked was “What’s your dream collaboration?”. Kwe then answered with “Man good question, prolly Mike Dean or like Charlie Wilson. ''
Kwe the Artist is original, and as cliche as that sounds, it’s the truth. Does Kwe sound like the rest of these artists right now coming out of Florida? No, he doesn’t. My first reaction from listening to Kwe the Artist was that he sounds like a mixture of PARTYNEXTDOOR and Don Toliver. Right now that’s a damn good combination to have. His melodic flow on Houston trap beats is what makes Kwe a special artist. His last two singles titled “In My Head” & “Wasabi” are must-adds for any hip-hop fan. Stream Kwe the Artist’s music on all platforms, and be ready to hear Kwe’s name a lot real soon.
Mozzy : Beyond Bulletproof Album Review
Yes, most of the attention Thursday night went to Drake due to the release of Dark Lane Demo Tapes. However, there was another project that deserves it’s recognition. Sacramento’s Mozzy released Beyond Bulletproof, and after only just one day of listening it’s safe to say that this is among the best West coast projects to come out in 2020. This is Mozzy’s first solo project since his 2019 album Internal Affairs, which was very underrated and was high quality from first track to last track. Since then, the Empire Records signed artist has released three straight collaborative projects. Collaborating with Raz Simone, Gunplay, Tsu Surf.
Beyond Bulletproof is like most Mozzy projects, he speaks his truth and is a storyteller on west coast beats. Although I say this, none of the albums are repetitive. Mozzy has been able to evolve his sound, while still staying true to his roots musically. This album is 13 tracks long, and is a 41 minute listen all the way through. Out of the 13 songs, there are three official singles in the Mook on The Beats produced “Overcame”, the Mmmonthebeat produced “Betrayed”, and the Drum Dummie produced track “Big Homie From The Hood” (which is the outro track on the album). Other credited producers on the album are Jay P Bangz, Yung Lan, Music Majorx, and SephGotTheWaves among others. A theme throughout most of the album is reminiscing. On “The Homies Wanna Know” Mozzy reflects on the deaths of Nipsey Hussle and Tupac. The lyrical features consist of King Von, G Herbo, Lil Poppa, and Polo G among others. On the second track, “So Lonely” Shordie Shordie brings a west coast vibe on the hook of the song, even though he resides from Baltimore, Maryland. South Central’s Blxst sang the hook on Joey Fatts’ “Won’t Go”, which is now a hit in the streets of Los Angeles. He did the same thing on “I Ain’t Perfect” which is the seventh track on this album. Eric Bellinger hopped on the chorus for “Can’t Let You Go”, a song you can see yourself listening to on every California hip-hop radio station.
Do yourself a favor and check out this piece of work. Mozzy has emerged as one of the most consistent California hip-hop artists in the game. There’s a great balance of both that serious “conscience rap”, and that “feel good” turnt up music. Beyond Bulletproof is out now on all streaming platforms.
Beyond Bulletproof is like most Mozzy projects, he speaks his truth and is a storyteller on west coast beats. Although I say this, none of the albums are repetitive. Mozzy has been able to evolve his sound, while still staying true to his roots musically. This album is 13 tracks long, and is a 41 minute listen all the way through. Out of the 13 songs, there are three official singles in the Mook on The Beats produced “Overcame”, the Mmmonthebeat produced “Betrayed”, and the Drum Dummie produced track “Big Homie From The Hood” (which is the outro track on the album). Other credited producers on the album are Jay P Bangz, Yung Lan, Music Majorx, and SephGotTheWaves among others. A theme throughout most of the album is reminiscing. On “The Homies Wanna Know” Mozzy reflects on the deaths of Nipsey Hussle and Tupac. The lyrical features consist of King Von, G Herbo, Lil Poppa, and Polo G among others. On the second track, “So Lonely” Shordie Shordie brings a west coast vibe on the hook of the song, even though he resides from Baltimore, Maryland. South Central’s Blxst sang the hook on Joey Fatts’ “Won’t Go”, which is now a hit in the streets of Los Angeles. He did the same thing on “I Ain’t Perfect” which is the seventh track on this album. Eric Bellinger hopped on the chorus for “Can’t Let You Go”, a song you can see yourself listening to on every California hip-hop radio station.
Do yourself a favor and check out this piece of work. Mozzy has emerged as one of the most consistent California hip-hop artists in the game. There’s a great balance of both that serious “conscience rap”, and that “feel good” turnt up music. Beyond Bulletproof is out now on all streaming platforms.
Lil Baby : My Turn (Deluxe Version) Review
Lil Baby has been running it up for the past couple years, reaching super stardom. He has just released the deluxe version of his album My Turn. He added 6 songs. Two of which he previously dropped. He also added another song with rapper 42 Dugg who was featured on one of the better songs on the original album. Out of them all the best new song is a toss up between “Humble” or “We Paid” featuring 42 Dugg. 42 Dugg has been doing his own thing and getting solid numbers on his own, but ever since his collaborations with Lil Baby, his career has been rising more than ever. Lil Baby is very fond of the music video game adding 9 music videos to the deluxe version of the album. The album is 26 songs long and is an hour and 17 minute listen all the way through. Hype for the deluxe version started to build when Lil Baby released “All In” and “Social Distancing”. Lil Baby has been releasing singles throughout the year that tend to get viral off of dance challenges and Tik Toks. The most popular being “Whoa”. A lot of people say that this is why Lil Baby has been staying relevant while others argue that it’s just his ability to stay consistent with his single drops. Lil Baby has been dropping singles here and there for over a year and a half since the release of his last album “Street Gossip” back in November of 2018. The questions being raised now by fans is if Lil Baby will continue to just release singles and videos or if he’s going to also stay consistent with album drops. Expect to see & hear more from Lil Baby as he rises to an A-list caliber rapper. My Turn (Deluxe) is out now on all streaming platforms.
Drake : Dark Lane Demo Tapes Mixtape Review
Throughout 2020, Drake has been dabbling in releasing new music after a year when he released just an EP to celebrate the Toronto Raptors winning the NBA Finals (The Best In The World Pack). At the end of 2019 Drake put out the song “War” on SoundCloud and YouTube that displayed a very UK rap influenced flow. He hopped on Future’s “Life Is Good” which is still on the Billboard Charts to this day. Drizzy then put out the track “Desire” featuring Future as a Soundcloud exclusive, which has almost 16 million listens. Then he paid homage to two rap OG’s when he released “When To Say When” and “Chicago Freestyle” featuring Giveon. On “When To Say When” producer June James sampled Jay-Z’s “Song Cry” for the song’s instrumental. On “Chicago Freestyle” Drake mimicked Eminem’s flow from “Superman” for the track’s pre-chorus. Then with everyone in quarantine and the popularity of the app Tik Tok rising astronomically, Drake released the dance anthem “Toosie Slide” that debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
This timeline brings us to now. Earlier today, April 30th, there were rumors surfacing social media that Drake would release a surprise mixtape tonight. The 6ix God himself confirmed this via Instagram. In the post he announced the name of the mixtape in Dark Lane Demo Tapes. He also made the announcement of his 6th studio album releasing this summer. This tape is 14 tracks long, and even though most of these tracks were heard before from either SoundCloud or it leaked, now you can listen to these songs on all streaming platforms. One of the most anticipated tracks is “Pain 1993” featuring Playboi Carti. The track is produced by Pi’erre Bourne, and was rumored to be on Carti’s latest album (that we are still waiting on). Another track that the fans waited on was the JB Madelt produced “Demons” featuring New York artists Fivio Foreign and Sosa Geek. Brooklyn’s Fivio Foreign has had a breakout 2020, and is a XXL Freshman hopeful. A feature on a Drake song will just catapult both Fivio and Sosa Geek to the mainstream audience. “Not You Too” featuring Chris Brown is almost a sequel to the 2019 R&B hit “No Guidance”. An instant hit for the fans of Atlanta is “D4L Freestyle” which features Zone 6’s two best artists right now in Young Thug and Future.
This is not the album, and most of this music is not new to the common Drake stan. However, these are still quality tracks. This will be considered a mixtape, but probably will do big numbers. All fans of different sub genres of hip hop have at least one track that can match their music palette. From New York to Atlanta and back up to Toronto, Canada there’s a song on this tape for you. This is just an appetizer for the OVO faithful until the album releases in a couple months. Dark Lane Demo Tapes is out now on all streaming platforms.
This timeline brings us to now. Earlier today, April 30th, there were rumors surfacing social media that Drake would release a surprise mixtape tonight. The 6ix God himself confirmed this via Instagram. In the post he announced the name of the mixtape in Dark Lane Demo Tapes. He also made the announcement of his 6th studio album releasing this summer. This tape is 14 tracks long, and even though most of these tracks were heard before from either SoundCloud or it leaked, now you can listen to these songs on all streaming platforms. One of the most anticipated tracks is “Pain 1993” featuring Playboi Carti. The track is produced by Pi’erre Bourne, and was rumored to be on Carti’s latest album (that we are still waiting on). Another track that the fans waited on was the JB Madelt produced “Demons” featuring New York artists Fivio Foreign and Sosa Geek. Brooklyn’s Fivio Foreign has had a breakout 2020, and is a XXL Freshman hopeful. A feature on a Drake song will just catapult both Fivio and Sosa Geek to the mainstream audience. “Not You Too” featuring Chris Brown is almost a sequel to the 2019 R&B hit “No Guidance”. An instant hit for the fans of Atlanta is “D4L Freestyle” which features Zone 6’s two best artists right now in Young Thug and Future.
This is not the album, and most of this music is not new to the common Drake stan. However, these are still quality tracks. This will be considered a mixtape, but probably will do big numbers. All fans of different sub genres of hip hop have at least one track that can match their music palette. From New York to Atlanta and back up to Toronto, Canada there’s a song on this tape for you. This is just an appetizer for the OVO faithful until the album releases in a couple months. Dark Lane Demo Tapes is out now on all streaming platforms.
Lil Uzi Vert Releases Single “Sasuke”
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Jackboy : Self-Titled Album Review
Pompano Beach, Florida’s Jackboy released the best hip-hop project from Thursday night in Jackboy. He’s signed to Kodak Black’s Sniper Gang label which has a distribution deal with Empire Records. This is Jackboy’s fourth project under Sniper Gang. This almost feels like a debut album just by the quality of the music, and the fact that it’s self-titled.
The project is a complete 17-tracks long, and it features three singles. The released singles featured on the album are “Pressure” the intro track that features a phone call conversation with Kodak Black from jail, “Cleaning Crew” which is produced by Vicasso and is track number 7, and “Murda” which features Brooklyn’s Casanova. The other lyrical features include Lil Sean, YFN Lucci, Kodak Black, Blac Youngsta, and Warhol.SS. Some producers with production credits are Tay Keith, TnTXD, ForeignGotEm, Haj Slid, and Go Grizzly among others. This is a statement project for Jackboy, that he is a serious rapper who can very well be the next big thing coming out of Florida. You can tell that the south Florida rapper is trying out new flows, and for the most part he was successful. On “Freak” featuring Warhol.SS you can almost hear a Playboi Carti-like “baby voice”, and it goes well with the Kid Hazel produced instrumental. On “Can’t Be My Wife” Jackboy displays a melodic style on the slow jam. There’s a story behind every song, and that’s hard to come by nowadays in rap music. Some standout tracks are “Hate the B!tch”, “Critical Condition” featuring YFN Lucci, ''Freedom of Speech”, and the controversial “Diana Ross” which is the last track on the album. No two songs sound the same, when it comes to both lyrics and production. None of the lyrical features sound forced, and they all delivered on their verses. This is a well put together piece of work, and do not overlook it. Jackboy is out now on all streaming platforms.
The project is a complete 17-tracks long, and it features three singles. The released singles featured on the album are “Pressure” the intro track that features a phone call conversation with Kodak Black from jail, “Cleaning Crew” which is produced by Vicasso and is track number 7, and “Murda” which features Brooklyn’s Casanova. The other lyrical features include Lil Sean, YFN Lucci, Kodak Black, Blac Youngsta, and Warhol.SS. Some producers with production credits are Tay Keith, TnTXD, ForeignGotEm, Haj Slid, and Go Grizzly among others. This is a statement project for Jackboy, that he is a serious rapper who can very well be the next big thing coming out of Florida. You can tell that the south Florida rapper is trying out new flows, and for the most part he was successful. On “Freak” featuring Warhol.SS you can almost hear a Playboi Carti-like “baby voice”, and it goes well with the Kid Hazel produced instrumental. On “Can’t Be My Wife” Jackboy displays a melodic style on the slow jam. There’s a story behind every song, and that’s hard to come by nowadays in rap music. Some standout tracks are “Hate the B!tch”, “Critical Condition” featuring YFN Lucci, ''Freedom of Speech”, and the controversial “Diana Ross” which is the last track on the album. No two songs sound the same, when it comes to both lyrics and production. None of the lyrical features sound forced, and they all delivered on their verses. This is a well put together piece of work, and do not overlook it. Jackboy is out now on all streaming platforms.
Lil Gotit : Hood Baby 2 Album Review
Thursday night, means another night for new music. Travis Scott and Kid Cudi collaborated on the track “THE SCOTTS'' which is produced by Dot Da Genius and Take a Daytrip. YoungBoy Never Broke Again released his album, 38 Baby 2. Juice WRLD’s team released the first solo track since the rapper’s passing about five months ago in “Righteous”. The slow-tempoed melodic track is produced by longtime collaborator Nick Mira. Although we received a Playboi Carti single on April 16th in “@ Meh”, we are still yet to listen to the album. Carti took to Twitter to tweet “. MoNDaY” on April 16th, and then said that the wait was only 24 more hours on Wednesday April 22. That tweet was later deleted. Lil Uzi Vert was also set to release music as well, but nothing has come to fruition yet. One rapper who has kept his word and released a project is Atlanta’s Lil Gotit.
One of the multiple Young Thug protégés released the project Hood Baby 2 through Alamo Records. The 18 track piece of work is the sequel to Gotit’s debut project, Hood Baby that was released back in 2018, and took his career to the next level. This is the second project Lil Gotit has put out in 2020, so far. The first is his 12-track album titled, Superstar Creature which was executive produced by London on Da Track.
Hood Baby 2 is Lil Gotit’s most complete project to date. The lyrical features include Atlanta’s hip-hop all-stars which include Gunna, Lil Keed, Lil Yachty, and Future. Some beatmakers with production credits include Starboy, 10Fifty, DMC Global, Beat Dilla, and CakeBoy Bally among others. This project is the perfect example of what current hip-hop in Atlanta, Georgia sounds like. From the instrumentals, the lyrics, and the different flows used throughout the variation of the entire album. The only single featured was “Never Legit” which is track number four on the track list. Out of the 18 tracks there are definitely stand out songs. The first is “Off-White” which features Lil Keed. That track is followed by “Drip Day N Night” featuring Gunna and Lil Keed once more (Keed is on three songs in total). The song is the most “mainstream” like track on the entire project. You could see it being played on the radio, especially throughout the city of Atlanta. Future shines on “Yeah Yeah”, and Lil Gotit displays multiple flows. Now there are multiple songs that don’t have a lyrical feature that are still solid tracks. “No Klizzy” and “Hood Tracks” are both certified bangers.
Lil Gotit had my vote to make the XXL Freshman list along with Lil Keed. As long as these young rappers keep up the consistency with releasing music, the hits will come. Atlanta rap music is in good hands for many years to come. Hood Baby 2 is out now on all streaming platforms.
One of the multiple Young Thug protégés released the project Hood Baby 2 through Alamo Records. The 18 track piece of work is the sequel to Gotit’s debut project, Hood Baby that was released back in 2018, and took his career to the next level. This is the second project Lil Gotit has put out in 2020, so far. The first is his 12-track album titled, Superstar Creature which was executive produced by London on Da Track.
Hood Baby 2 is Lil Gotit’s most complete project to date. The lyrical features include Atlanta’s hip-hop all-stars which include Gunna, Lil Keed, Lil Yachty, and Future. Some beatmakers with production credits include Starboy, 10Fifty, DMC Global, Beat Dilla, and CakeBoy Bally among others. This project is the perfect example of what current hip-hop in Atlanta, Georgia sounds like. From the instrumentals, the lyrics, and the different flows used throughout the variation of the entire album. The only single featured was “Never Legit” which is track number four on the track list. Out of the 18 tracks there are definitely stand out songs. The first is “Off-White” which features Lil Keed. That track is followed by “Drip Day N Night” featuring Gunna and Lil Keed once more (Keed is on three songs in total). The song is the most “mainstream” like track on the entire project. You could see it being played on the radio, especially throughout the city of Atlanta. Future shines on “Yeah Yeah”, and Lil Gotit displays multiple flows. Now there are multiple songs that don’t have a lyrical feature that are still solid tracks. “No Klizzy” and “Hood Tracks” are both certified bangers.
Lil Gotit had my vote to make the XXL Freshman list along with Lil Keed. As long as these young rappers keep up the consistency with releasing music, the hits will come. Atlanta rap music is in good hands for many years to come. Hood Baby 2 is out now on all streaming platforms.
Joey Fatts : Still Cutthroat Album Review
It was an eventful day to say the least for hip-hop. Playboi Carti, Chase B, Lil Tecca, Westside Gunn, and DaBaby among others all released music. There is one project that shouldn’t be overlooked. That is Joey Fatts’ Still Cutthroat. The Long Beach native released his first album since his 2019 project, Chipper Jones, Vol. 4. Fatts is signed to his own label, Cutthroat Records which has signed artists like D Savage and the late Au$tin The Pacman. Joey Fatts has been pushing successful music since 2014. He has previously worked with Playboi Carti, A$AP Mob, Vince Staples (who is Joey’s blood cousin), and Lil Yachty among others.
Still Cutthroat is a breezy 10 tracks long, which includes two singles in “Brand New AMG '' featuring Larry June & “Fuc You '' which is the outro on the project. Joey Fatts, if you did not know, is a well known producer. He produced the majority of this album, with the help of beat makers such as Bishop, Mike D Exclusive, and The Futuristiks. The lyrical features include Feat Mike and Keys who hopped on “Picture Me Rollin’ Pt. 2”, Blxst (worked with Mozzy on “ I Ain’t Perfect” ) on “Won’t Go”, and JSMN (Kendrick Lamar’s “Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe”) who is on “Went & Did It”. The stand out tracks on this project are “Military Minded” which is the intro song, “Won’t Go”, and “Overdue”.
When listening to Still Cutthroat, you already know this is a west coast project just by listening to it. However, this is something we have never heard before, and that is what makes this album special. Like most Joey Fatts projects, the music is made by the streets for the streets, and not for the radio. Just because this album won’t place high on the Billboard charts , does not take away from the quality of the music. Still Cutthroat is out now on all streaming platforms.
Still Cutthroat is a breezy 10 tracks long, which includes two singles in “Brand New AMG '' featuring Larry June & “Fuc You '' which is the outro on the project. Joey Fatts, if you did not know, is a well known producer. He produced the majority of this album, with the help of beat makers such as Bishop, Mike D Exclusive, and The Futuristiks. The lyrical features include Feat Mike and Keys who hopped on “Picture Me Rollin’ Pt. 2”, Blxst (worked with Mozzy on “ I Ain’t Perfect” ) on “Won’t Go”, and JSMN (Kendrick Lamar’s “Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe”) who is on “Went & Did It”. The stand out tracks on this project are “Military Minded” which is the intro song, “Won’t Go”, and “Overdue”.
When listening to Still Cutthroat, you already know this is a west coast project just by listening to it. However, this is something we have never heard before, and that is what makes this album special. Like most Joey Fatts projects, the music is made by the streets for the streets, and not for the radio. Just because this album won’t place high on the Billboard charts , does not take away from the quality of the music. Still Cutthroat is out now on all streaming platforms.
Westside Gunn : Pray For Paris Album Review
On Friday Buffalo, New York artist Westside Gunn released his album Pray For Paris. This is his first project of 2020 after a productive 2019 where he released five albums. If you’re unfamiliar with Westside Gunn he is the brother of rapper Conway, and the cousin of Benny The Butcher. The three of them formed the independent record label Griselda Records. The style of rap is mid-90s, and very grimy to say the least. The production, although is at a high quality, takes a backseat to the rhymes displayed. Gunn, Benny, and Conway are all OG’s in the New York rap scene. Benny and Gunn signed a management deal with Jay-Z ‘s Roc Nation Label just last year with Hov serving as a mentor to both artists.
The album itself is refreshing to the hip-hop scene after having to listen to DaBaby’s Blame It on Baby. The cover art was designed by Off-White creator, Virgil Abloh (who’s a big fan of the artists signed to Griselda Records). The project itself 13 tracks long, and did not have any official singles out prior to the release. So we’re getting 13 original never before heard tracks, which is always a good thing regardless of the artist. The beat makers with production credits are the legendary DJ Premier, DJ Muggs, Jay Versace, and even Tyler, The Creator who is also a lyrical feature on “327” with Joey Bada$$. The Tyler feature is an unusual collaboration, because of how different the two’s musical styles are. However Tyler delivers on both production and his verse. This works out for both rapper’s careers, because now the grimy boom bap fans know that Tyler can rap & the Tyler fans now know who Westside Gunn is. The intro track “400 Million Plus Tax” is a reference to Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Salvator Munro’ piece that went up at an auction back in 2017. Roc Marciano’s verse on “$500 Ounces”, which also features Freddie Gibbs, might be one of the best verses of the year so far. DJ Premier produced the WWE inspired titled track, “Shawn vs. Flair'' which is song number 11 on the album. The outro is “Le Djoliba '' named after the Paris restaurant, and has an instrumental produced by Bohemia Lynch, but it sounds like it was produced by ‘95 RZA, that's just how good it is.
Pray For Paris is Westside Gunn’s attempt to crossover to the mainstream, similar to how Benny The Butcher did last year with The Plugs I Met. Hip-hop fans of all ages can enjoy this piece of work. Although this style of rap is “old head” friendly, the context of the lyrics can reach the younger crowd. I expect this album to be in the top 20 of most lists of top albums of the year when we reach December. Pray For Paris is out now on all streaming platforms.
The album itself is refreshing to the hip-hop scene after having to listen to DaBaby’s Blame It on Baby. The cover art was designed by Off-White creator, Virgil Abloh (who’s a big fan of the artists signed to Griselda Records). The project itself 13 tracks long, and did not have any official singles out prior to the release. So we’re getting 13 original never before heard tracks, which is always a good thing regardless of the artist. The beat makers with production credits are the legendary DJ Premier, DJ Muggs, Jay Versace, and even Tyler, The Creator who is also a lyrical feature on “327” with Joey Bada$$. The Tyler feature is an unusual collaboration, because of how different the two’s musical styles are. However Tyler delivers on both production and his verse. This works out for both rapper’s careers, because now the grimy boom bap fans know that Tyler can rap & the Tyler fans now know who Westside Gunn is. The intro track “400 Million Plus Tax” is a reference to Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Salvator Munro’ piece that went up at an auction back in 2017. Roc Marciano’s verse on “$500 Ounces”, which also features Freddie Gibbs, might be one of the best verses of the year so far. DJ Premier produced the WWE inspired titled track, “Shawn vs. Flair'' which is song number 11 on the album. The outro is “Le Djoliba '' named after the Paris restaurant, and has an instrumental produced by Bohemia Lynch, but it sounds like it was produced by ‘95 RZA, that's just how good it is.
Pray For Paris is Westside Gunn’s attempt to crossover to the mainstream, similar to how Benny The Butcher did last year with The Plugs I Met. Hip-hop fans of all ages can enjoy this piece of work. Although this style of rap is “old head” friendly, the context of the lyrics can reach the younger crowd. I expect this album to be in the top 20 of most lists of top albums of the year when we reach December. Pray For Paris is out now on all streaming platforms.
Bravo the Bagchaser : Born 2 Win Album Review
Earlier this morning Los Angeles rapper, Bravo The Bag Chaser released his album Born To Win. This is the artist’s third project on streaming platforms, with the first being Racin’ 2 Da Checc, Vol. 2 & Vol.1 that was later taken down from Apple Music..The projects have been put out through Break In Records. If you’re unfamiliar with Bravo, then you’re late. The buzz started in middle to late 2018, when the artist was just 17years old. The momentum carried into 2019, and even at a young age Bravo found success in both his featured verses and his solo work. He racked up millions of views for his music videos that have even been featured on World Star Hip-Hop on YouTube.
The album is a total of 15 tracks long. If there is one thing you take away from Bravo’s music it will be his consistency. There were three singles on this project that were all put out on SoundCloud exclusively. “Update” produced by SAMMYTHEP, “By Myself” (the outro on the album) produced by Laudiano, and Get Rich featuring AzChike which is produced by Cypress Moreno. The 18-year old truly sounds ahead of his time. The lyrical features on this album all fit the beats they rapped on, and are “underground” rappers who are all talented in their own sense. The only mainstream feature is Fenix Flexin of Shoreline Mafia, who is on track 10 “Switch Up”. The two put out a tape together titled BravoFlexin, and you can listen to that on SoundCloud. “Talk 2 Much” featuring White John & “Too Many Problems” are personal favorites off the album. “Young Legend” was the perfect fit for an introduction track. AFN Peso has a verse on “Drank”.
With the Los Angeles hip-hop scene losing Au$tin The Pacman and Mac P Dawg within just a couple of months of each other, this album is just letting the streets know that everything is all good. This isn’t a Billboard type of album, this is for the streets, and expect the music videos for these songs to do major numbers. The rapper tweeted, “I really don’t wana keep rappin on god. Shit was coo or whatever but it ain’t what I want”, to you Bravo I say the game needs you, and to keep going.
The album is a total of 15 tracks long. If there is one thing you take away from Bravo’s music it will be his consistency. There were three singles on this project that were all put out on SoundCloud exclusively. “Update” produced by SAMMYTHEP, “By Myself” (the outro on the album) produced by Laudiano, and Get Rich featuring AzChike which is produced by Cypress Moreno. The 18-year old truly sounds ahead of his time. The lyrical features on this album all fit the beats they rapped on, and are “underground” rappers who are all talented in their own sense. The only mainstream feature is Fenix Flexin of Shoreline Mafia, who is on track 10 “Switch Up”. The two put out a tape together titled BravoFlexin, and you can listen to that on SoundCloud. “Talk 2 Much” featuring White John & “Too Many Problems” are personal favorites off the album. “Young Legend” was the perfect fit for an introduction track. AFN Peso has a verse on “Drank”.
With the Los Angeles hip-hop scene losing Au$tin The Pacman and Mac P Dawg within just a couple of months of each other, this album is just letting the streets know that everything is all good. This isn’t a Billboard type of album, this is for the streets, and expect the music videos for these songs to do major numbers. The rapper tweeted, “I really don’t wana keep rappin on god. Shit was coo or whatever but it ain’t what I want”, to you Bravo I say the game needs you, and to keep going.
DJ Premier VS. RZA IG Live Battle Review
As quarantine carries on through the month of April, the internet is basically the only thing that keeps us entertained through this unusual time. A platform that has been used an excessive amount over the last month or so, is Instagram Live. Now various celebrities have used the Instagram feature just because they’re bored, or if they are a musical artist they might go on live to preview new music in the studio. Tory Lanez even started “Quarantine Radio” during this time. Iconic producers, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland started an Instagram Live series titled “Verzuz”, where two producers (and songwriters) battle each other for 20 tracks vs. 20 tracks. Swizz and Timbaland had the first battle, and then other producers dueled it out such as Boi-1da & Hitboy. Swizz Beatz then reached out to DJ Premier asking if he would be interested in competing, but was unsure who would be a good fit as an opponent. Now Premier has been in the rap game making beats for over 30 years now, and there’s only a few musical geniuses who have the catalog to even compete. One of those geniuses is RZA, the frontman of Staten Island’s Wu-Tang Clan.
Now these two hip-hop heavyweights put on a show for the 200,000 people tuned in to Instagram Live. Every major music journalist or radio personality tuned in including Ebro Darden, Zane Lowe, Charlamagne the God, and Rob Markman among others. The two producers were obviously very strategic with their song placement. They kept their biggest hits for the later rounds, however with these two Goliath’s going head to head, everything they played was a hit. The first haymaker RZA landed was when he played “Wu-Gambinos” off Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. In the next round, Bobby Diggs played “Protect Ya Neck”, which was followed by Premier answering with “Livin’ Proof” by Group Home. That was only the first of many classic song matchups which led to many viewers scoring the rounds as draws. When RZA fired with “Assassination Day” by Ghostface Killah, it was then followed up by “N.Y State Of Mind” by Nas. RZA played classics like “Method Man”, “Long Kiss Goodbye”, “Brooklyn Zoo”, and “Ice Cream” among others. DJ Premier played “Above The Clouds”, “D’evils”, and “Nas Is Like” among others. All of these hits led up to the matchup of the night. In the last round RZA played “C.R.E.A.M.”, when people thought he wasn’t going to include it in his setlist. The only song that could come close to matching the Wu-Tang Clan anthem that Premier had yet to play was “Mass Appeal” by Gang Starr. Even after the 20th round was over the two kept exchanging quality hip-hop, and it was a delight to watch. Even though this is a difficult time, the one thing we still have that nobody can take away from us is music. Saturday night was well needed in the hip-hop community. There were no losers at the end, because after watching those two legends duke it out with classics, we all won.
Now these two hip-hop heavyweights put on a show for the 200,000 people tuned in to Instagram Live. Every major music journalist or radio personality tuned in including Ebro Darden, Zane Lowe, Charlamagne the God, and Rob Markman among others. The two producers were obviously very strategic with their song placement. They kept their biggest hits for the later rounds, however with these two Goliath’s going head to head, everything they played was a hit. The first haymaker RZA landed was when he played “Wu-Gambinos” off Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. In the next round, Bobby Diggs played “Protect Ya Neck”, which was followed by Premier answering with “Livin’ Proof” by Group Home. That was only the first of many classic song matchups which led to many viewers scoring the rounds as draws. When RZA fired with “Assassination Day” by Ghostface Killah, it was then followed up by “N.Y State Of Mind” by Nas. RZA played classics like “Method Man”, “Long Kiss Goodbye”, “Brooklyn Zoo”, and “Ice Cream” among others. DJ Premier played “Above The Clouds”, “D’evils”, and “Nas Is Like” among others. All of these hits led up to the matchup of the night. In the last round RZA played “C.R.E.A.M.”, when people thought he wasn’t going to include it in his setlist. The only song that could come close to matching the Wu-Tang Clan anthem that Premier had yet to play was “Mass Appeal” by Gang Starr. Even after the 20th round was over the two kept exchanging quality hip-hop, and it was a delight to watch. Even though this is a difficult time, the one thing we still have that nobody can take away from us is music. Saturday night was well needed in the hip-hop community. There were no losers at the end, because after watching those two legends duke it out with classics, we all won.
Tory Lanez: The New Toronto 3 Mixtape Review
On Friday Toronto’s own Tory Lanez released his mixtape titled, The New Toronto 3. This is the first project he has dropped since Chixtape 5 which was only in 2019. The first The New Toronto released back on Christmas Day in 2015, with its successor releasing on New Year’s Day of 2017. Since everyone has been in quarantine for almost a month now, Tory Lanez has kept the fans entertained with “Quarantine Radio”, when his Instagram account goes on Instagram Live and wilds out. Earlier this week, the Toronto artist went to Twitter and Instagram to say that this will be the last project he puts out through Interscope Records. Back in 2015 he signed to Benny Blanco's Mad Love Records which is a subsidiary label that’s through Interscope Records. Lanez never said a specific reason why the label is dropping him, however it’s obvious that the reason is because the label was not on the same page as the artist when it came to putting out music Tory wanted. This is a “taste” of what is to come in future Tory Lanez projects, especially when it comes to quality of music.
The final product is a solid 16 tracks, and you can listen to the whole thing in just under 45 minutes. Now if you are a Tory Lanez fan and have listened to the previous two The New Toronto’s then you know that this is the exact opposite of the Chixtape collection. By opposite I mean that all the Chixtape projects are very R&B and melodic, or the “softer” side of Tory’s musical style. The New Toronto is the artist’s way of showing off his technical skills as a rapper. These projects are for the street dudes, while the Chixtape collection is favored by the ladies. However Tory does a great job of putting the highest quality possible in both styles of music.
There are three official singles on this project with, “Broke In A Minute”, “Who Needs Love”, and “Doing The Most” all making the cut. Tory kept it minimal with lyrical features, as he only has two with Mansa on “10 F*CKS” and Lil Tjay on “Accidents Happen”. There probably aren’t any radio hits on this project, but this is still good music. It even has a Conor McGregor intro on “Stupid Again”. It’s everything a New Toronto project should sound like, it’s unapologetic, braggadocious, it’s hip-hop. One other thing, there was no promotion for this project whatsoever. The future is bright for Tory Lanez’s music, as we watch him jump to an A-list artist in the music scene. The New Toronto 3 is out now on all streaming platforms.
The final product is a solid 16 tracks, and you can listen to the whole thing in just under 45 minutes. Now if you are a Tory Lanez fan and have listened to the previous two The New Toronto’s then you know that this is the exact opposite of the Chixtape collection. By opposite I mean that all the Chixtape projects are very R&B and melodic, or the “softer” side of Tory’s musical style. The New Toronto is the artist’s way of showing off his technical skills as a rapper. These projects are for the street dudes, while the Chixtape collection is favored by the ladies. However Tory does a great job of putting the highest quality possible in both styles of music.
There are three official singles on this project with, “Broke In A Minute”, “Who Needs Love”, and “Doing The Most” all making the cut. Tory kept it minimal with lyrical features, as he only has two with Mansa on “10 F*CKS” and Lil Tjay on “Accidents Happen”. There probably aren’t any radio hits on this project, but this is still good music. It even has a Conor McGregor intro on “Stupid Again”. It’s everything a New Toronto project should sound like, it’s unapologetic, braggadocious, it’s hip-hop. One other thing, there was no promotion for this project whatsoever. The future is bright for Tory Lanez’s music, as we watch him jump to an A-list artist in the music scene. The New Toronto 3 is out now on all streaming platforms.
Shordie Shordie: >Music Mixtape Review
On Friday Baltimore native, Shordie Shordie released his project titled, >Music. This is the artist’s first mixtape since his 2018 9-track project titled, Captain Hook. The lead single was “Betchua (Bitchuary)”, the track that helped the artist break out to hip-hop fans all across the country. Big time artists Wiz Khalifa and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie even hopped on for the official remix. Other tracks like “Voice Mail” and “Focused” helped show the audience that he wasn’t a one-hit wonder. Since then, Shordie Shordie has stayed consistent with releasing tracks. While doing this he kept his fans hungry for a new piece of work, and now they finally have it.
>Music is a complete 13 tracks, and is a 35 minute listen all the way through. The album only has one official single, and that is “Fucc Friends” which was released earlier this year. Now one thing Shordie Shordie does is post snippets of songs on his Instagram and on IG Live. Most of these songs have been heard of and waited on for a while now. A perfect example of that is “FDP” which the rapper released the music video for on January 24 of this year. “L.O.V” and “Rather Be” have also been highly anticipated by the Shordie Shordie faithful. The standout tracks on this project are the first three listed songs “Save a Little”, “Straight Forward”, and “Gotchu Like”. This gives the Maryland rapper a better case for the upcoming XXL Freshman cover. The album is an example of a great balance of heartbreak songs and tracks for the streets. Don’t overlook this project by any means. >Music is out now on all streaming platforms.
>Music is a complete 13 tracks, and is a 35 minute listen all the way through. The album only has one official single, and that is “Fucc Friends” which was released earlier this year. Now one thing Shordie Shordie does is post snippets of songs on his Instagram and on IG Live. Most of these songs have been heard of and waited on for a while now. A perfect example of that is “FDP” which the rapper released the music video for on January 24 of this year. “L.O.V” and “Rather Be” have also been highly anticipated by the Shordie Shordie faithful. The standout tracks on this project are the first three listed songs “Save a Little”, “Straight Forward”, and “Gotchu Like”. This gives the Maryland rapper a better case for the upcoming XXL Freshman cover. The album is an example of a great balance of heartbreak songs and tracks for the streets. Don’t overlook this project by any means. >Music is out now on all streaming platforms.
Top Tracks for March 2020
Click the photo above to listen to the playlist on SoundCloud.
Click the photo above to listen to the playlist on Apple Music.
Click the photo above to listen to the playlist on Spotify.
New Music : March 27
Turks - NAV & Gunna ft. Travis Scott
The last time the three of these artists collaborated they made the track “YOSEMITE” on Travis Scott’s Grammy nominated album, ASTROWORLD. That was back in 2018, and the three of these rappers have come a long way since then. After a forgetful 2018, NAV came back with a strong 2019 after releasing his successful album, Bad Habits. He looks to carry on his momentum into 2020. Gunna has risen as one of the best young rappers out right now after back to back successful years in 2018 & 2019. Travis is in the backseat for this track. The album is produced by Wheezy who is a frequent collaborator of Gunna. The trio raps about lavish foreign trips. Gunna shines above the rest.
Wetty - Fivio Foreign
The next big breakout artist coming out of New York is Fivio Foreign. The Brooklyn native has had quite a 2020 so far. Lil Baby and Quavo hopped on the remix of his breakout single, “Big Drip”. He exchanged bars with Tory Lanez on the track “K Lo K”. Casanova had the drill rapper featured on his single “D&D”. Fivio Foreign was featured on the late Pop Smoke’s February album, Meet The Woo 2. The up-and-comer has been busy the last couple of months, and this track is just another example of that. “Wetty” is out now on all streaming platforms.
Do The Most - Tory Lanez
Tory Lanez is not going to be falling off anytime soon. This is already the Toronto artist’s fourth single of the year. After releasing Chixtape 5 last year, a project where he displayed his vocal range as a singer, he has done nothing but rap since then. On all four tracks you can hear that there’s definitely a chip on Tory Lanez’s shoulder. This track is just to remind hip-hop fans everywhere how versatile Tory Lanez is. On this track he even mimicked his own flow from the track “KIKA” that was on 6ix9ine’s 2018 album, Dummy Boy. “Do The Most” is out now on all streaming platforms.
PARTYNEXTDOOR : PARTYMOBILE Album Review
The wait for a PARTYNEXTDOOR album is finally over. PARTYMOBILE is the first project from the Toronto R&B singer since 2017 when he released the 7-track EP titled, Seven Days. This is the first full studio album since 2016 when PARTYNEXTDOOR 3 (P3) dropped. The OVO label signee took to Twitter, and said that the album would be released sometime in February. On February 27th with most fans expecting an album to release, they were struck with disappointment. Instead of an album that received just a single titled, “SPLIT DECISION” and news that they would have to wait until March 27th for the actual album. With fellow Canada native The Weeknd releasing his successful album, After Hours, just last week it’s PARTY’s turn to answer the call. The only question is was the album worth the wait?
Leading up to the album release there were 4 singles in total. To cap off 2019 PARTY released back to back singles on the same night titled, “LOYAL” featuring Drake and “THE NEWS”. Puerto Rican trap artist Bad Bunny hopped on the “LOYAL” remix that was released in February. “SPLIT DECISION” was then released a couple weeks after that. So with 15 tracks on the album with 4 official singles, that gives us 11 original tracks. There are no other credited lyrical features on the album, and that comes as a surprise to none. Noah “40” Shebib handles most of the production as he does with most OVO artists. Standout tracks are “PGT”, “Turn Up”, and “Never Again” among others. There were rumors of Rihanna and PARTYNEXTDOOR single being released tonight. That came to fruition as “BELIEVE IT” was released. Expect to hear this track on radio stations everywhere . Don’t judge the project from the first listen. All of the previous PX projects have been able to remain consistent, and have been better each time you listen to it. PARTYMOBILE is out now on all streaming platforms.
Leading up to the album release there were 4 singles in total. To cap off 2019 PARTY released back to back singles on the same night titled, “LOYAL” featuring Drake and “THE NEWS”. Puerto Rican trap artist Bad Bunny hopped on the “LOYAL” remix that was released in February. “SPLIT DECISION” was then released a couple weeks after that. So with 15 tracks on the album with 4 official singles, that gives us 11 original tracks. There are no other credited lyrical features on the album, and that comes as a surprise to none. Noah “40” Shebib handles most of the production as he does with most OVO artists. Standout tracks are “PGT”, “Turn Up”, and “Never Again” among others. There were rumors of Rihanna and PARTYNEXTDOOR single being released tonight. That came to fruition as “BELIEVE IT” was released. Expect to hear this track on radio stations everywhere . Don’t judge the project from the first listen. All of the previous PX projects have been able to remain consistent, and have been better each time you listen to it. PARTYMOBILE is out now on all streaming platforms.
Melvoni : WHO TF IS MELVONI? EP Review
Rising 16-year old rapper from New York, Melvoni released an EP Friday titled, Who TF is Melvoni?. Now if you aren’t hip to Melvoni yet, well now here is your chance. The project is only five tracks long, however it’s the best possible sample of music for any new listeners. Two of the songs were already put out as singles. “Big Rocks” and the rapper’s breakout track that had the likes of Lyrical Lemonade and ELEVATOR talking about in “No Man’s Land”. The music video currently has 3.8 million views on YouTube in eight months. Only three new songs had the Melvoni day one fans irate, but they don’t understand that it was a business decision. It was only to grow the audience. Just a couple of days ago DJ Akademiks posted a video of Melvoni rapping a new song in the studio on his Instagram. That track is the first song on the project, and it is titled “NY”. Even though he is young and from New York do not brush him off, do not assume he is just another Lil Tjay or Smooky MarGielaa. Melvoni’s earlier work was more melodic, but now you can hear his progression as a rapper. You can hear the grittiness in tracks like, “DAYS OF THE WEEK”. The project is just an easy 15 minute listen of street raps from New York. Expect to hear more and more of Melvoni as the year goes on. He is set to have a real breakout 2020. Who TF is Melvoni? is out now on all streaming platforms, so check it out, DON’T SLEEP!
The Weeknd : After Hours Album Review
After 3 and a half long years of no full project from The Weeknd, the wait is finally over. The Toronto R&B singer released his long awaited album, After Hours. This is the first album since Starboy, which was released on Black Friday back in 2016. If you do not believe the anticipation then you should know that After Hours broke the record for most pre-saves in Apple Music history with 975,000. After Lil Uzi Vert had the past two weeks on lockdown with back to back projects dropping, it is not Abel Tesfaye’s turn. Throughout the whole COVID-19 pandemic, and most of everything cancelled, The Weeknd has said that he wants this album to help the world heal. The quality of this album will do just that.
The album is 14-tracks long, and the listing was posted via The Weeknd's Instagram. The listing didn’t name any lyrical features. Some may have just thought that there would be features that just were not credited. From just pop culture knowledge you know that the breakup/heartbreak references are most likely towards his ex-girlfriend Bella Hadid. There was speculation of a Drake feature, after the Toronto rapper said that OVOXO would still be happening. Since the two have been back and forth feuding for the past two years. Some people wanted a Lana Del Rey feature after she was featured on the last two Weeknd albums. The fact that there are no features just shows how serious Abel took to record this. There probably wasn’t a soul on the planet that could have matched the energy brought.
There were three official singles out prior before the release of the album. “Heartless”, “Blinding Lights”, and “After Hours” were all instant successes. While being the musical guest on Saturday Night Live he performed “Scared To Live” for the first time. Now if there is one thing The Weeknd does not get enough credit for is that he is so diverse with his songs. He knows that there are fans that only know him because of his mainstream songs, and he has tracks for those fans. He knows he has day 1 fans from House of Balloons, and he has numerous tracks for those people.
The project is mysterious and slow tempoed at times, but not boring and will put you to sleep. We all know Abel can be dark in his music, but we haven’t heard anything like this before. Tracks like “Escape From LA”, “Too Late'', and “Snowchild” are examples of The Weeknd storytelling at his best.
We have seen The Weeknd revolutionize as an artist for almost a decade now, as we see all of the greats change for the better. This is comparable to Stevie Wonder’s 1985 album In Square Circle, because of the way both artists experimented with new sounds they usually never made music with and ended up making masterpieces. I would not be surprised, actually I expect this album to sweep the R&B categories at the 2021 Grammy’s, and possibly take home Album of The Year for all genres. We are witnessing one of the best ever to do it.
The album is 14-tracks long, and the listing was posted via The Weeknd's Instagram. The listing didn’t name any lyrical features. Some may have just thought that there would be features that just were not credited. From just pop culture knowledge you know that the breakup/heartbreak references are most likely towards his ex-girlfriend Bella Hadid. There was speculation of a Drake feature, after the Toronto rapper said that OVOXO would still be happening. Since the two have been back and forth feuding for the past two years. Some people wanted a Lana Del Rey feature after she was featured on the last two Weeknd albums. The fact that there are no features just shows how serious Abel took to record this. There probably wasn’t a soul on the planet that could have matched the energy brought.
There were three official singles out prior before the release of the album. “Heartless”, “Blinding Lights”, and “After Hours” were all instant successes. While being the musical guest on Saturday Night Live he performed “Scared To Live” for the first time. Now if there is one thing The Weeknd does not get enough credit for is that he is so diverse with his songs. He knows that there are fans that only know him because of his mainstream songs, and he has tracks for those fans. He knows he has day 1 fans from House of Balloons, and he has numerous tracks for those people.
The project is mysterious and slow tempoed at times, but not boring and will put you to sleep. We all know Abel can be dark in his music, but we haven’t heard anything like this before. Tracks like “Escape From LA”, “Too Late'', and “Snowchild” are examples of The Weeknd storytelling at his best.
We have seen The Weeknd revolutionize as an artist for almost a decade now, as we see all of the greats change for the better. This is comparable to Stevie Wonder’s 1985 album In Square Circle, because of the way both artists experimented with new sounds they usually never made music with and ended up making masterpieces. I would not be surprised, actually I expect this album to sweep the R&B categories at the 2021 Grammy’s, and possibly take home Album of The Year for all genres. We are witnessing one of the best ever to do it.
Lil Uzi Vert: Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World 2
Album Review
What a year it has been, actually scratch that, what a week it has been in the world. With every major sports league suspending their season due to the coronavirus outbreak (execute Rudy Gobert?), there seems to not be a lot to be excited for in the pop culture world. At least we still have the privilege of listening to new music. The man responsible for making music exciting again, is Lil Uzi Vert.
As we await for other big artists to release their highly anticipated projects (The Weeknd, PARTYNEXTDOOR), Uzi has already delivered once this month. He released the long awaited album, Eternal Atake (you can read that review in the music section of the website) just last week. The album went on to sell an absurd 275,000 equivalent album units, and the second number one album on the Billboard charts in the rapper’s career.
Although the album was an instant hit, the real Lil Uzi Vert fans were wondering if they were ever going to hear the official audio of those older snippets and leaks. This is when this album comes in. This was originally supposed to be considered a “Deluxe Version” of EA, however the Philadelphia artist took to Twitter to announce it is Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World 2. A sequel to the 2016 album, Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World, a project that some may say is Lil Uzi’s best album to date. The cover art is a black version of the predecessor. After Eternal Atake being released at an unusual time, 7 in the morning, this project was released at another untraditional time of 5AM PST. The release time was supposed to be 9PM PST on Thursday night, however Lil Uzi took to Twitter saying that Spotify “broke”. Atlantic Records confirmed that the project would indeed release at 5AM PST.
This time around, the project is 14 tracks long, longer than expected after the rapper took to his Twitter and said there would be around 8 songs on the deluxe. There were about eight tracks that were leaked, or had snippets online that the fans were disappointed that they were not on EA. Those 6 other tracks were not ever leaked, so that means they were recorded fairly recently. He also announced the artists that would serve as lyrical features, and he stayed true to his word except for two artists. Lil Baby and A Boogie are not on this project, but Uzi did say that he is saving the song(s) they collaborated on for something bigger.
Now the artists that were actually on the album, delivered. The first feature is Chief Keef on “Bean (Kobe)” a track that has been leaked on SoundCloud and YouTube for about 2 years now. This was one of those eight songs the Lil Uzi die-hards needed. 21 Savage, who was also supposed to release a project today, is on track 4 “Yessirskiii”. Young Thug is featured twice as he is on “Strawberry Peels” with Gunna, and “Got The Guap”. Future, who is also known as Pluto, is the reason why Lil Uzi uses Baby Pluto, and Pluto is on track 5 “Wassup”. Uzi exchanges bars with Chicago native, Lil Durk on the KidWond3r produced track, “No Auto”. Young Nudy and Nav are also featured on the project. Producers Oogie Mane and Pi’erre Bourne handle most of the beats, while there are a couple of other beatmakers with production credits.
Probably the most anticipated song on the album is the intro, “Myron”. Which was first heard in a video of Lil Uzi Vert dancing on Instagram, about a year and a half ago. Another track is “Trap This Way (This Way)”, however the final version is easier on the ears then the original snippet. This project was started originally in 2017 right after LUV Is Rage 2 was released. This is better than Eternal Atake, and this will beat out EA for the number one album in the country. With these two projects releasing back to back weeks, it was definitely well worth the wait. Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World 2 is out now on all streaming platforms.
As we await for other big artists to release their highly anticipated projects (The Weeknd, PARTYNEXTDOOR), Uzi has already delivered once this month. He released the long awaited album, Eternal Atake (you can read that review in the music section of the website) just last week. The album went on to sell an absurd 275,000 equivalent album units, and the second number one album on the Billboard charts in the rapper’s career.
Although the album was an instant hit, the real Lil Uzi Vert fans were wondering if they were ever going to hear the official audio of those older snippets and leaks. This is when this album comes in. This was originally supposed to be considered a “Deluxe Version” of EA, however the Philadelphia artist took to Twitter to announce it is Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World 2. A sequel to the 2016 album, Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World, a project that some may say is Lil Uzi’s best album to date. The cover art is a black version of the predecessor. After Eternal Atake being released at an unusual time, 7 in the morning, this project was released at another untraditional time of 5AM PST. The release time was supposed to be 9PM PST on Thursday night, however Lil Uzi took to Twitter saying that Spotify “broke”. Atlantic Records confirmed that the project would indeed release at 5AM PST.
This time around, the project is 14 tracks long, longer than expected after the rapper took to his Twitter and said there would be around 8 songs on the deluxe. There were about eight tracks that were leaked, or had snippets online that the fans were disappointed that they were not on EA. Those 6 other tracks were not ever leaked, so that means they were recorded fairly recently. He also announced the artists that would serve as lyrical features, and he stayed true to his word except for two artists. Lil Baby and A Boogie are not on this project, but Uzi did say that he is saving the song(s) they collaborated on for something bigger.
Now the artists that were actually on the album, delivered. The first feature is Chief Keef on “Bean (Kobe)” a track that has been leaked on SoundCloud and YouTube for about 2 years now. This was one of those eight songs the Lil Uzi die-hards needed. 21 Savage, who was also supposed to release a project today, is on track 4 “Yessirskiii”. Young Thug is featured twice as he is on “Strawberry Peels” with Gunna, and “Got The Guap”. Future, who is also known as Pluto, is the reason why Lil Uzi uses Baby Pluto, and Pluto is on track 5 “Wassup”. Uzi exchanges bars with Chicago native, Lil Durk on the KidWond3r produced track, “No Auto”. Young Nudy and Nav are also featured on the project. Producers Oogie Mane and Pi’erre Bourne handle most of the beats, while there are a couple of other beatmakers with production credits.
Probably the most anticipated song on the album is the intro, “Myron”. Which was first heard in a video of Lil Uzi Vert dancing on Instagram, about a year and a half ago. Another track is “Trap This Way (This Way)”, however the final version is easier on the ears then the original snippet. This project was started originally in 2017 right after LUV Is Rage 2 was released. This is better than Eternal Atake, and this will beat out EA for the number one album in the country. With these two projects releasing back to back weeks, it was definitely well worth the wait. Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World 2 is out now on all streaming platforms.
Don Toliver : Heaven Or Hell Album Review
The wait for Don Toliver’s debut album is finally over. On Friday the Houston native released his follow-up to his 2018 mixtape, Donny Womack with Heaven Or Hell. Don Toliver first broke out of on the scene as a collaborator on Travis Scott’s Grammy nominated album, ASTROWORLD in 2018. The exposure from “CAN’T SAY '' went a long way for Don Toliver’s career. He was then signed to Travis’ record label, Cactus Jack. Listeners who became infatuated with the artist’s auto tune enhanced voice and wanted more music to listen to. The song “No Idea”, is one of the singles on the album, and became popular on TikTok. At the end of 2019, Don Toliver was featured on the Cactus Jack compilation, JACKBOYS. Toliver shined as he took lead vocals on the majority of the project, and really shined. With all of that momentum leading into 2020, the sky's the limit for the 25-year old artist. The timeline leads us to here.
Heaven Or Hell is a modest 12 tracks, and you can listen to the whole thing in just 36 minutes. However, this is probably the best 36 minutes of music you can listen to. The album starts out with the “Heaven Or Hell Intro” produced by WondaGurl, which sets the tone for the whole project. Travis Scott features with Kaash Paige (Parked Car Convos) on the second track, “Euphoria”. The third track was a highly anticipated snippet titled, “Cardigan”. Fans first got a taste of the track after watching a clip of Don Toliver in studio playing the song for Travis Scott and company in Travis’ Netflix documentary, Look Mom I Can Fly that premiered last year. A definite standout track is the Sonny Digital-produced, “After Party”, a song that came no surprise to Don Toliver die-hard fans, that it would make the album. Toliver had members of the Migos, Offset & Quavo on “Had Enough”. Fellow Cactus Jack signee Sheck Wes has a brief verse on “Spaceship”, arguably the best song on the entire project. Other standout tracks are “No Photos”, “Company”, and “Candy”.
The sound is something we haven't heard before, and is why I see Don Toliver having a successful and thorough career. He will be opening up for The Weeknd on the After Hours Tour this summer. This is Toliver’s statement piece, that will continue to give him success as 2020 goes on. This brings up a realistic question. Could Don Toliver be Travis Scott’s successor? Now it could be a stretch, because of how big Travis Scott has become, but it’s just a thought. Heaven or Hell is out now on all streaming platforms.
Lil Uzi Vert : Eternal Atake Album Review
The wait is officially over. Eternal Atake is finally here. After two and a half long years of no new Lil Uzi Vert album, it is now time. The Philadelphia native, just broke the internet with the early release of his album, Eternal Atake. The album was slated to be released on Friday, March 13. The rapper took to Twitter to say, “ YALL READY TODAY IS THE DAY!!! F**K NEXT FRIDAY WE DOING THIS NOW!!! #ETERNALATAKE BABY PLUTO.” Uzi released the album at about 7:30AM PST, so 10:30 AM on the east coast. This is the first Lil Uzi Vert album since he released Luv Is Rage 2 in October of 2017. Ever since then the anticipation of Eternal Atake began. Multiple snippets were released via Uzi’s social media, but after a while the Lil Uzi Vert faithful were not even sure if the album would even be released. Lil Uzi blamed the delay of the album on Don Cannon and DJ Drama, two guys who discovered Lil Uzi Vert and signed him to their record label in early 2015. There was speculation that Lil Uzi Vert had beef with long time collaborator, Playboi Carti (who has yet to release his album Whole Lotta Red).The uncertainty of the album ever being released started to die off in December of 2019 when the first single of EA was released, a dance anthem titled, “Futsal Shuffle''. Then on March 1st, another single was released. This time a homage to the Backstreet Boys, a track titled “That Way”. There was footage posted on social media saying that the album would be released in two weeks. Then Uzi posted three images on Twitter, and had the fans vote on what picture would be the album’s cover art and tracklist art. A confirmed date was then set for March 13, but I already told you the rest.
The album is 18 tracks long, including the two singles. There was only one listed lyrical feature, Syd, the lead singer of the group, The Internet. This came as a surprise to most, because Uzi typically has multiple lyrical features on his projects. Multiple standout tracks are the intro, “Baby Pluto”, “Venetia”, and “Bigger Than Life”. Just the day before the album released, Travis Scott had the sample for “That Way” cleared so that Uzi could use it on the track “Prices”. “P2” is part two to the 2017 mega hit, “XO TOUR Llif3”. I genuinely believe that Lil Uzi Vert remade the whole album, after realizing most of the original final product was leaked. That means that all of the original album is still in the vault. If the album were to not be leaked, and Drama & Don Cannon didn’t delay the release, I think we might’ve received the best version of Lil Uzi Vert possible. Expect a United States and World tour coming soon. Eternal Atake out now on all streaming platforms.
The album is 18 tracks long, including the two singles. There was only one listed lyrical feature, Syd, the lead singer of the group, The Internet. This came as a surprise to most, because Uzi typically has multiple lyrical features on his projects. Multiple standout tracks are the intro, “Baby Pluto”, “Venetia”, and “Bigger Than Life”. Just the day before the album released, Travis Scott had the sample for “That Way” cleared so that Uzi could use it on the track “Prices”. “P2” is part two to the 2017 mega hit, “XO TOUR Llif3”. I genuinely believe that Lil Uzi Vert remade the whole album, after realizing most of the original final product was leaked. That means that all of the original album is still in the vault. If the album were to not be leaked, and Drama & Don Cannon didn’t delay the release, I think we might’ve received the best version of Lil Uzi Vert possible. Expect a United States and World tour coming soon. Eternal Atake out now on all streaming platforms.
Drake : When To Say When & Chicago Freestyle
On Saturday, Drake released two surprise tracks on his Octobersveryown SoundCloud. The tracks are titled “When To Say When” and “Chicago Freestyle”. The two tracks were put together for a Theo Skudra-directed music video. “When To Say When” samples the Just Blaze produced track, “Song Cry” by Jay Z. When making the beat Just Blaze sampled Bobby Glenn’s “Sounds Like a Love Song”. Some footage of the music video was filmed at the Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, New York, where Jay Z grew up. Drake was spotted on February 8th in Brooklyn shooting the video, which people like DJ Akademiks tweeted about.
“When To Say When” is bars for bars. There’s no constant radio play for this one, and that’s a good thing. The track is produced by an unfamiliar face in June James, being this the first time Drake and the Houston producer collaborating. The Toronto rapper, still sounds like he has something to prove, and you can hear it in every line. The outro of the track could not be any more perfect.
“Chicago Freestyle '' is produced by longtime Drake collaborator Boi-1da. It features California singer, Giveon. Just about everyone thought Giveon’s voice belonged to Sampha from first hearing it. Sampha on a Drake song would of course make sense due to the previous collaborations (The Motion and Too Much among others). Giveon took to Twitter to clarify that it was him singing the hook saying, “That’s not Sampha!! That’s me!! Spread the word!!”. The 6 God paid homage to Eminem by mirroring the flow Em used on his hit track,”Superman”. This track reminds me a lot of “Too Much” just by the voice of Giveon, and how Drake is reminiscent in his lyrics. “Chicago Freestyle” is another installment of the AM/PM series (the name should be 10pm in Chicago).
The songs were put out as “leaks”, according to Drizzy. This isn’t the first time this year Drake has released a “leak”. He put out the song “Desires” that features Future exclusively on the Octobersveryown SoundCloud account. The fact that these songs are all on SoundCloud only, instead of streaming platforms shows that these are all throwaway tracks. These are not album-cuts and Drake is, in a way, flexing to the hip-hop scene that he is making an abundance of high quality music. This is definitely exciting to the listeners and fans, because if they love these throwaways then the expectations are through the roof. I expect Drake to be on The Weeknd’s After Hours album & PARTYNEXTDOOR’s PARTYMOBILE, both R&B albums that are dropping in March. Drake is going to have the summer on smash once again this year. “When To Say When” and “Chicago Freestyle” out now on SoundCloud, and watch the music video below.
“When To Say When” is bars for bars. There’s no constant radio play for this one, and that’s a good thing. The track is produced by an unfamiliar face in June James, being this the first time Drake and the Houston producer collaborating. The Toronto rapper, still sounds like he has something to prove, and you can hear it in every line. The outro of the track could not be any more perfect.
“Chicago Freestyle '' is produced by longtime Drake collaborator Boi-1da. It features California singer, Giveon. Just about everyone thought Giveon’s voice belonged to Sampha from first hearing it. Sampha on a Drake song would of course make sense due to the previous collaborations (The Motion and Too Much among others). Giveon took to Twitter to clarify that it was him singing the hook saying, “That’s not Sampha!! That’s me!! Spread the word!!”. The 6 God paid homage to Eminem by mirroring the flow Em used on his hit track,”Superman”. This track reminds me a lot of “Too Much” just by the voice of Giveon, and how Drake is reminiscent in his lyrics. “Chicago Freestyle” is another installment of the AM/PM series (the name should be 10pm in Chicago).
The songs were put out as “leaks”, according to Drizzy. This isn’t the first time this year Drake has released a “leak”. He put out the song “Desires” that features Future exclusively on the Octobersveryown SoundCloud account. The fact that these songs are all on SoundCloud only, instead of streaming platforms shows that these are all throwaway tracks. These are not album-cuts and Drake is, in a way, flexing to the hip-hop scene that he is making an abundance of high quality music. This is definitely exciting to the listeners and fans, because if they love these throwaways then the expectations are through the roof. I expect Drake to be on The Weeknd’s After Hours album & PARTYNEXTDOOR’s PARTYMOBILE, both R&B albums that are dropping in March. Drake is going to have the summer on smash once again this year. “When To Say When” and “Chicago Freestyle” out now on SoundCloud, and watch the music video below.
G Herbo : PTSD Album Review
On a well needed, kind of eventful night for music Chicago’s G Herbo released his album titled, PTSD. Now what stood out to me was definitely the album cover itself. It’s him holding the American flag, and replacing the stars are his deceased friends from Chicago. That is as powerful as it gets, and you can tell just by looking at the cover that this project is going to be different than previous Herbo projects. The album is 14 tracks long, and there’s only one single (In This B*tch) which is perfect because the more new music, the better if you’re the listener.
Now the album starts off with “Intro”, and I know how I said before that Pop Smoke’s “Invincible” was the best intro song so far. Well this intro is the best of the year so far. The track is produced by Don Cannon, who produced several other tracks on the project. Some other beatmakers on production consist of Chase Davis, DJ Victoriouz, DY Crazy, and D.A Doman among others. There are various lyrical features on the album as well. 21 Savage, BJ The Chicago Kid, Lil Durk, and Polo G are all featured. Georgia artist, Jacquees delivers a verse and hook on “Shooter”, a song that I expect to do well on various charts including Billboard . New York’s A Boogie wit a Hoodie has a verse on “Glass In The Face”, another song I feel will do well. The one song I feel like will do the best on the charts, and is the monster hit on this album, that track is “PTSD” the title track. The song features a hook sung by the late Juice WRLD, one of Herbo’s close friends (Juice WRLD is among the faces on the album cover), and verses from fellow Chicagoan Chance The Rapper and Philadelphia’s Lil Uzi Vert.
This album was surprisingly very good, because G Herbo has always been a freestyle/cypher style of rapper, and has not always been able to translate his rapping skills to his actual music. This was very well rounded, it had hard rapping, an R&B type of track, and a mainstream track. Again, it is still very early in the year, but this should be recognized on a top 50 albums of the year come December time. This is G Herbo’s best piece of work by far, and I see this taking his career to the next level. PTSD out now on all streaming platforms.
Now the album starts off with “Intro”, and I know how I said before that Pop Smoke’s “Invincible” was the best intro song so far. Well this intro is the best of the year so far. The track is produced by Don Cannon, who produced several other tracks on the project. Some other beatmakers on production consist of Chase Davis, DJ Victoriouz, DY Crazy, and D.A Doman among others. There are various lyrical features on the album as well. 21 Savage, BJ The Chicago Kid, Lil Durk, and Polo G are all featured. Georgia artist, Jacquees delivers a verse and hook on “Shooter”, a song that I expect to do well on various charts including Billboard . New York’s A Boogie wit a Hoodie has a verse on “Glass In The Face”, another song I feel will do well. The one song I feel like will do the best on the charts, and is the monster hit on this album, that track is “PTSD” the title track. The song features a hook sung by the late Juice WRLD, one of Herbo’s close friends (Juice WRLD is among the faces on the album cover), and verses from fellow Chicagoan Chance The Rapper and Philadelphia’s Lil Uzi Vert.
This album was surprisingly very good, because G Herbo has always been a freestyle/cypher style of rapper, and has not always been able to translate his rapping skills to his actual music. This was very well rounded, it had hard rapping, an R&B type of track, and a mainstream track. Again, it is still very early in the year, but this should be recognized on a top 50 albums of the year come December time. This is G Herbo’s best piece of work by far, and I see this taking his career to the next level. PTSD out now on all streaming platforms.
Lil Baby : My Turn Album Review
On Friday Atlanta rapper, Lil Baby released his album titled, My Turn. This is his first album since his 2018 project, Street Gossip, which was his best project until now. My Turn is Lil Baby’s 6th solo studio project under Atlanta’s Quality Control Music. The album is 20 tracks long, and a little over one hour long in total. Out of the 20 songs, only three of them were put out before the album was released. Two of them were put out as singles (“Woah” and “Sum 2 Prove”), and the other song was put out on the film, Queen & Slim’s soundtrack. The track is titled “Catch The Sun”, and it played during the movie’s closing credits (just to show you where Lil Baby is at in this rap game). On this project, Lil Baby kept some of the same producers from his previous pieces of work. This includes Tay Keith, Quay Global, Wheezy, ATL Jacob, and Murda Beatz among others. The lyrical collaborators consist of hip-hop heavy hitters such as Future, Young Thug, Lil Wayne, and Lil Uzi Vert among others. You can definitely tell where Lil Baby is at just by listening to this album. Tracks like “Commercial” featuring Uzi, is a message to all the people who have said Lil Baby has sold out or has become too mainstream. Songs like “Same Thing” produced by Tay Keith, have been highly anticipated by the fans, and rightfully so. A vintage Weezy verse takes any album to the next level, and that’s displayed on `Forever”. There are two tracks that you should not look over, and they are featured tracks that are definitely underrated. The first track is “No Sucker” featuring Moneybagg Yo, another Tay Keith produced track. The second track is “Forget That” featuring Rylo Rodriquez. If you’re unfamiliar with Rylo Rodriquez, he is Lil Baby’s protege if you will. Lil Baby took to Instagram just this week saying, “Signed To Me For No Money A Year Ago !! …”. These songs are all good tracks however, the one song that will probably get the most recognition other than the singles is “We Should”. The song features Young Thug and is produced by Wheezy. I would expect this album to chart very high when the first week sales release. I know it’s only February, but this could be a strong candidate for rap album of the year. Lil Baby’s My Turn is out now on all streaming platforms.
T.R.U & 2 Chainz: No Face No Case Album Review
On Friday, 2 Chainz and the T.R.U label collective released the compilation titled, No Face No Case. If you are unfamiliar with T.R.U (The Real University), it is a record label that was founded on January 6, 2015 by 2 Chainz himself. The artists on the label are; 2 Chainz, Worl, Skooly, Hott LockedN, and Sleepy Rose. This album is 15 tracks, and 42 minutes long. Now 2 Chainz is obviously the most known artist on the project, and he is on 8 songs, however you can tell he took a backseat on the project. Exactly how J.Cole was on Revenge Of The Dreamers III for Dreamville. I hope this doesn’t keep you from giving this project a listen. The label kept it very diverse for production, as there isn’t a producer who took on no more than two tracks. This gave these somewhat unknown artists an opportunity to show the audience their musical abilities with some of the best producers in the game right now. Some of the producers who worked on No Face No Case are Tay Keith, June James, Chophouze, and Fuse of 808 Mafia, among others. Now the only knock I have on this project is that 8 of the 15 tracks were released as singles within the past 9 months. The good thing about that is that most of the casual hip-hop fans probably have not listened to any of them, until hopefully now. The biggest single that was released, is arguably the best song on the project and that is, “Virgil Discount”. The guest features stepped up to the plate on this project. NoCap and Quando Rondo spit verses on the “How I Feel (Remix)”. Quavo took “Reliable” to the next level with the help of 2 Chainz and Skooly. NLE Choppa joins Hott LockedN on “Rocked Out”. If this is your first time hearing about this project, just take the time and listen. No Face No Case out now on all streaming platforms.
Pop Smoke : Meet the Woo 2 Album Review
Brooklyn drill artist, Pop Smoke released his sophomore album, Meet The Woo 2. The project is the follow up to his debut project, Meet The Woo, that was released in 2019. It featured his breakout hit “Welcome To The Party”. After finishing off 2019 as hot as any artist in the game after working with Lil Tjay, Calboy, and being featured on Cactus Jack’s compilation album, JackBoys. The New York rapper was set to have a huge 2020. He’s been in the public eye after being arrested for allegedly stealing a Rolls-Royce, and having his own episode of Complex’s Sneaker Shopping with Joe La Puma.
The album starts off with arguably the best rap intro of 2020 in “Invincible”. This track is produced by Yoz Beatz (who produced 3 total tracks all together on this project). Other beatmakers who worked on this piece of work are 808Melo, Wondagurl, CashMoneyAP, and Rico Beats among others. The sound and vibe of this project is somewhat diverse for Pop Smoke’s style, and you can sense that he is trying out different flows. This is evident in “Sweetheart” which Smoke’s voice sounds almost identical to Chief Keef’s. The track features Fivio Foreign, another young New York rapper (he has a new song out now with Tory Lanez). Pop Smoke mirrors the voice and cadence of a fellow New York artist in 50 Cent. You can hear the uncanny similarities in “Christopher Walking”. This makes sense because when Chief Keef was rising in drill music he got quite a few comparisons to 50 Cent as well.
Other standout tracks are “Mannequin” featuring Lil Tjay, “Shake The Room” featuring Quavo, and “Get Back”. Expect to see a lot of Pop Smoke in 2020. He is currently doing shows all around the country so look up the dates to see a show near you. Meet The Woo 2 is out now on all streaming platforms.
The album starts off with arguably the best rap intro of 2020 in “Invincible”. This track is produced by Yoz Beatz (who produced 3 total tracks all together on this project). Other beatmakers who worked on this piece of work are 808Melo, Wondagurl, CashMoneyAP, and Rico Beats among others. The sound and vibe of this project is somewhat diverse for Pop Smoke’s style, and you can sense that he is trying out different flows. This is evident in “Sweetheart” which Smoke’s voice sounds almost identical to Chief Keef’s. The track features Fivio Foreign, another young New York rapper (he has a new song out now with Tory Lanez). Pop Smoke mirrors the voice and cadence of a fellow New York artist in 50 Cent. You can hear the uncanny similarities in “Christopher Walking”. This makes sense because when Chief Keef was rising in drill music he got quite a few comparisons to 50 Cent as well.
Other standout tracks are “Mannequin” featuring Lil Tjay, “Shake The Room” featuring Quavo, and “Get Back”. Expect to see a lot of Pop Smoke in 2020. He is currently doing shows all around the country so look up the dates to see a show near you. Meet The Woo 2 is out now on all streaming platforms.
Brent Faiyaz : F**k the World Album Review
DMV artist, Brent Faiyaz released the 10-track project titled, F**k The World. This is the R&B artist’s second official project after the release of his debut album, Sonder Son back in 2017. This piece of work has no listed features for the second straight project. If you are unfamiliar with Brent Faiyaz you probably have heard his voice on the hook of the Grammy-nominated track, “Crew” by Goldlink featuring Shy Glizzy.
If there is one thing Brent Faiyaz should be recognized for, is that he stays in his lane without sounding repetitive in every song. That makes for a good listen, especially on this project. It’s a brisk twenty-seven minute listen all the way through the whole project. Now like most Faiyaz music it’s more of a laid back flow, with slow tempo instrumentals behind it.
The project starts off with a strong introduction track titled, “Skyline”. Brent Faiyaz, himself, handled most of the production on this project with help from a couple of other notable beatmakers. Producer, No I.D helped Faiyaz make the instrumental for the 7th song on the album, “Rehab (Winter in Paris)”. Dpat, (who has worked with Future, Wiz Khalifa, Tinashe, and earlier Faiyaz music) helped produce multiple tracks on this project. The same people who helped on the production also helped with the writing of the tracks as well.
Standout tracks from this strong selection are “Clouded”, “Been Away” and “Bluffin”. If you were unsure about who Brent Faiyaz is before you read this I strongly suggest you check out his music especially this project. If you have been a fan, Faiyaz is going on a nationwide tour so be on the lookout for tour dates coming to a city near you. F**k The World is out now on all streaming platforms.
If there is one thing Brent Faiyaz should be recognized for, is that he stays in his lane without sounding repetitive in every song. That makes for a good listen, especially on this project. It’s a brisk twenty-seven minute listen all the way through the whole project. Now like most Faiyaz music it’s more of a laid back flow, with slow tempo instrumentals behind it.
The project starts off with a strong introduction track titled, “Skyline”. Brent Faiyaz, himself, handled most of the production on this project with help from a couple of other notable beatmakers. Producer, No I.D helped Faiyaz make the instrumental for the 7th song on the album, “Rehab (Winter in Paris)”. Dpat, (who has worked with Future, Wiz Khalifa, Tinashe, and earlier Faiyaz music) helped produce multiple tracks on this project. The same people who helped on the production also helped with the writing of the tracks as well.
Standout tracks from this strong selection are “Clouded”, “Been Away” and “Bluffin”. If you were unsure about who Brent Faiyaz is before you read this I strongly suggest you check out his music especially this project. If you have been a fan, Faiyaz is going on a nationwide tour so be on the lookout for tour dates coming to a city near you. F**k The World is out now on all streaming platforms.
January : Top Songs of the Month
The first month of the 20s decade is coming to an end. In music 2020 started off hot, and it looked like it was going to be a hot month for rap music. After the first couple of weeks, the rap scene kind of cooled off with releasing of music. Some of your favorite artists may have dropped a single or an album, others may be waiting for February to release their project for final touch ups (PARTYNEXTDOOR). As always you can listen to the full playlist on Apple Music, Spotify, and SoundCloud. Just click the photos below to be directed to the streaming platform you desire.
One of the biggest songs of the month is the Drake and Future reunion on the track, “Life is Good”. The track charted on Billboard, and the music video has done well, you can check out the full review for this single in the music portion of the website. Lil Baby also released his single, “Sum 2 Prove”. The track is the Atlanta rapper’s third single for his sophomore studio album, My Turn. Memphis artist, Moneybagg Yo released his album, Time Served. The project is 15 tracks long. Some standout tracks are “U Played” featuring Lil Baby, and “Federal Fed “ featuring Future.
We saw the late Mac Miller release his first posthumous album since his September 2018 death. The Pittsburgh rapper’s team released his album titled, Circles. This is a 12-song follow up project to Miller’s Grammy-nominated album, Swimming. You can read the full article in the Music section of the website. North Carolina artist, Stunna 4 Vegas released his second studio album, Rich Youngin. Some standout tracks are “Do Dat” featuring DaBaby & Lil Baby, and “Up The Smoke” featuring Offset. Expect a huge 2020 from the Billion Dollar Baby label signee.
Fresh off of a 2020 Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album, Dreamville released, Revenge of the Dreamers III: Director’s Cut. This includes 12 new tracks. Standout tracks are “Up Up Away” featuring Vince Staples, and “Still Dreamin” featuring 6lack. Lil Tjay and Polo G released their single, “First Place” a year after their single “Pop Out” help both artists break out to the mainstream. Mick Jenkins released his 7 song project titled, The Circus. A standout track is, “Carefree”.
One of the biggest songs of the month is the Drake and Future reunion on the track, “Life is Good”. The track charted on Billboard, and the music video has done well, you can check out the full review for this single in the music portion of the website. Lil Baby also released his single, “Sum 2 Prove”. The track is the Atlanta rapper’s third single for his sophomore studio album, My Turn. Memphis artist, Moneybagg Yo released his album, Time Served. The project is 15 tracks long. Some standout tracks are “U Played” featuring Lil Baby, and “Federal Fed “ featuring Future.
We saw the late Mac Miller release his first posthumous album since his September 2018 death. The Pittsburgh rapper’s team released his album titled, Circles. This is a 12-song follow up project to Miller’s Grammy-nominated album, Swimming. You can read the full article in the Music section of the website. North Carolina artist, Stunna 4 Vegas released his second studio album, Rich Youngin. Some standout tracks are “Do Dat” featuring DaBaby & Lil Baby, and “Up The Smoke” featuring Offset. Expect a huge 2020 from the Billion Dollar Baby label signee.
Fresh off of a 2020 Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album, Dreamville released, Revenge of the Dreamers III: Director’s Cut. This includes 12 new tracks. Standout tracks are “Up Up Away” featuring Vince Staples, and “Still Dreamin” featuring 6lack. Lil Tjay and Polo G released their single, “First Place” a year after their single “Pop Out” help both artists break out to the mainstream. Mick Jenkins released his 7 song project titled, The Circus. A standout track is, “Carefree”.
Click the photo above to listen on Apple Music.
Click the photo above to listen to Spotify.
Mac Miller : Circles Album Review
On January 17th, the late Mac Miller released the album titled, Circles. This is the first posthumous album the Pittsburgh rapper has released since his sudden death from an overdose back in September of 2018. This project was supposed to release as a second part to the 2018 Grammy-nominated album, Swimming. A matter of fact, Circles’ recording process began in the midst of recording Swimming. It’s obvious that the sound is the same, due to where Mac Miller was mentally during that time he orchestrated both projects. The track list is 12 songs long, and it only included one single. The single is “Good News” a song that was released a week ago, it also came with a music video that became emotional to some of Mac’s diehard fans. Mac actually started the production process by himself. However Jon Brion completed the production on the album after Miller’s death. Some other notable producers on the album are ID Labs, the band Disclosure, and Shea Taylor. This isn’t like other artist’s posthumous projects that sounds like a compilation of throwaway tracks. This project has meaning, and that’s due to Mac Miller’s actual impact of all aspects of creating it. His team and Jon Brion did a good job of carrying on the artist’s legacy, but not milking the death to make money like what happens to other rappers nowadays. Tracks like “Complicated” and “Hand Me Downs” have already received media attention, and this is due to the connection it has made to the fan base. This is not a disappointment whatsoever, and you might enjoy it if you give it a listen or two. Circles is out now on all streaming platforms now.
Top Songs of The Week 1/6-1/13
Believe it or not these first two weeks of the new year, have been very eventful. You can tell who is going to have a big 2020, and who won’t in the first couple weeks. Some choices on this week’s list might surprise some people, or you might not know who the artist is. If you don’t know anyone of the artists, then consider yourself put on. The headline in hip-hop this past week was definitely seeing Future and Drake release their first collaboration since 2018 in, “Life Is Good”. The hit single came with the music video of 2020 so far, of course. Atlanta artist, Lil Baby released a new single titled, “Sum 2 Prove”. The track is a good way to start off the year, after the Quality Control signed rapper had a great last two years. Memphis artist, Moneybagg Yo released his new album titled, Time Served. The project was released on the 10th and contains 15 tracks. It features Summer Walker, Fredo Bang, Future, and Blac Youngsta among others. A couple stand out tracks are “U Played” that features Lil Baby, and “Protect da Brand” featuring DaBaby. This week's top songs go from Tennessee to California as LA artist, Bravo The Bagchaser released a collaboration mixtape with fellow Southern California rapper and member of Shoreline Mafia, Fenix Flexin. This has been highly anticipated around the area as both have released two singles in the past 9 months. The tape is titled, BRAVOFLEXIN, and is only available on SoundCloud. Out of the twelve songs, the standout tracks are “Keep It Real”, “Strapped Up”, and “Poles” featuring AFN Peso. Savannah, Georgia native, Quando Rondo released his album titled, Qpac. The project is as complete as can be and is 18-tracks long. The standout tracks on this body of work are “Marvelous” featuring Polo G, “Bad Vibe” featuring A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, and “Poetic Justice”. The full playlist will be down below on the Dead Presidents Apple Music, Spotify, and SoundCloud. Enjoy.
Click the photo above to listen to Apple Music.
Click the photo above to listen to SoundCloud.
Click the photo above to listen to Spotify.
Future and Drake Reunite on “Life Is Good”
On Thursday night, Future and Drake reunited to release their single, “Life Is Good” that also came with a music video. After both artists teased a collaboration all week long, when they were posting pictures of the two in the studio together on their Instagram stories. This may be a surprise to some, but others could’ve seen this coming a mile away. This will gain more speculation about a What A Time To Be Alive sequel. People have been expecting this more as of recent, especially in the last year. It’s been almost five whole years since the internet-breaking mixtape was released.
The song itself is basically cut into two parts. Drake takes the first half displaying bars bragging about a Patek Philippe timepiece that is designed by Virgil Abloh, and his “Manor house in Rosewood”. The first part is produced by OZ, who produced “SICKO MODE”, “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM”, and “U With Me?”. A bar from the Canadian rapper that stood out was, “Niggas caught me slippin' once, okay, so what?”. No clear explanation on what this is referring to, but it could be referencing his son Adonis, and that whole situation with Pusha T. Future takes on the second part of the song. This half is produced by beatmaker D.Hill.
The music video was released with the single. It features Atlanta’s 21 Savage, Lil Yachty, and producer Mike Will Made-it. It was directed by Julien Christian Lutz, who directed Future’s 2018 film, “Superfly”. You can watch it down below. “Life Is Good” is out now on all streaming platforms.
Overall, this was just a single that the two messed around with in the studio. I wouldn’t expect a full collaboration project from the two artists anytime soon.
The song itself is basically cut into two parts. Drake takes the first half displaying bars bragging about a Patek Philippe timepiece that is designed by Virgil Abloh, and his “Manor house in Rosewood”. The first part is produced by OZ, who produced “SICKO MODE”, “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM”, and “U With Me?”. A bar from the Canadian rapper that stood out was, “Niggas caught me slippin' once, okay, so what?”. No clear explanation on what this is referring to, but it could be referencing his son Adonis, and that whole situation with Pusha T. Future takes on the second part of the song. This half is produced by beatmaker D.Hill.
The music video was released with the single. It features Atlanta’s 21 Savage, Lil Yachty, and producer Mike Will Made-it. It was directed by Julien Christian Lutz, who directed Future’s 2018 film, “Superfly”. You can watch it down below. “Life Is Good” is out now on all streaming platforms.
Overall, this was just a single that the two messed around with in the studio. I wouldn’t expect a full collaboration project from the two artists anytime soon.
Lil Tecca Releases Music Video For “Bossanova”
New York native and 17-year old , Lil Tecca released a new music video Thursday night. This time it’s for his July single, “Bossanova”. The track was a single off Tecca’s debut project that was released back in August titled, We Love You Tecca. The track is produced by familiar collaborator and one of the best young beatmakers in the game, Nick Mira (producer of Ransom as well as others). The video itself is directed by Omar Jones, which came as a surprise to me. Most would assume that a Tecca music video would be directed by Cole Bennett and Lyrical Lemonade. Overall, this is an exceptional track that might’ve gotten looked over. The video is available to watch down below.
2020 XXL Freshman List, Was the Leak Fake? & Who SHOULD Be On This Year’s List
It is only the top of the year, and XXL Magazine doesn’t officially release their annual XXL Freshman Class for another couple months. However, we can still make predictions on who is on pace to make the list. After a list of artists of the supposed Freshmen was leaked recently, I’m going to pray that it was a fraudulent list. So let’s review the list, and make our own changes.
XXL seems to be a year late as of recent when it comes to the yearly selections. For example, Gunna, who was already getting recognition from his 2018 project, Drip Season 3. He was selected for the 2019 class instead of 2018. You could’ve made the case for most of the 2018 class that featured; Lil Pump, Smokepurpp, and Ski Mask The Slump God, who were all successful in 2017. Personally, I think that XXL plays it safe and selects obvious choices who would technically be “sophomores”, instead of actually seeking out new talents and putting them on this list.
If an artist gets snubbed one year, they may get asked to be on it the following cover. None of your votes matter for the cover, so don’t bother. This is one of the reasons why artists decline to be on the cover. XXL Magazine has just tried to be politically correct over the past couple of years, and they’re losing focus on the music aspect. At the end of the day, that's all this is about. So to get back to the topic of this article, let’s take a look at the potential selections for the 2020 XXL Freshman Cover.
For my ten artists, I mixed my opinion with what the magazine is looking for. On the “leaked” list they have people that don’t deserve to be on this once prestigious list (Doja Cat). Some of my artists should have been on this list last year, but like I said before XXL tends to be a year late on most selections. I am hopeful that none of my choices decline, if given the opportunity. It is understandable why artists choose not to be on this cover, because just look at who runs the selection process, a middle-aged white woman. With my list the people would be satisfied, and there aren’t any real snubs.
This list has lyrical, commercial, and trap all covered. No, I do not have a female artist, and in this day of age that is unrealistic. I have both music for the youth, and for the older hip-hop fans. The adolescence probably don’t know who Benny The Butcher or Pardison Fontaine, and the older people probably doesn’t know who Shordie Shordie or Lil Tecca is. This list won’t have any meme’s, nobody will get laughed at. The people on this list put in the actual work, and they put out quality music. This is THE list people want to see, and if XXL doesn’t make this happen then there should be a new list that recognizes real artists, and not artists who make music with no meaning.
If you aren’t familiar with any of the names listed below, then take the time to listen to their music. If their music wasn’t any good, they wouldn’t be here. Expand your musical taste and open the doors to new music, because that was the point when XXL started this idea.
XXL seems to be a year late as of recent when it comes to the yearly selections. For example, Gunna, who was already getting recognition from his 2018 project, Drip Season 3. He was selected for the 2019 class instead of 2018. You could’ve made the case for most of the 2018 class that featured; Lil Pump, Smokepurpp, and Ski Mask The Slump God, who were all successful in 2017. Personally, I think that XXL plays it safe and selects obvious choices who would technically be “sophomores”, instead of actually seeking out new talents and putting them on this list.
If an artist gets snubbed one year, they may get asked to be on it the following cover. None of your votes matter for the cover, so don’t bother. This is one of the reasons why artists decline to be on the cover. XXL Magazine has just tried to be politically correct over the past couple of years, and they’re losing focus on the music aspect. At the end of the day, that's all this is about. So to get back to the topic of this article, let’s take a look at the potential selections for the 2020 XXL Freshman Cover.
For my ten artists, I mixed my opinion with what the magazine is looking for. On the “leaked” list they have people that don’t deserve to be on this once prestigious list (Doja Cat). Some of my artists should have been on this list last year, but like I said before XXL tends to be a year late on most selections. I am hopeful that none of my choices decline, if given the opportunity. It is understandable why artists choose not to be on this cover, because just look at who runs the selection process, a middle-aged white woman. With my list the people would be satisfied, and there aren’t any real snubs.
This list has lyrical, commercial, and trap all covered. No, I do not have a female artist, and in this day of age that is unrealistic. I have both music for the youth, and for the older hip-hop fans. The adolescence probably don’t know who Benny The Butcher or Pardison Fontaine, and the older people probably doesn’t know who Shordie Shordie or Lil Tecca is. This list won’t have any meme’s, nobody will get laughed at. The people on this list put in the actual work, and they put out quality music. This is THE list people want to see, and if XXL doesn’t make this happen then there should be a new list that recognizes real artists, and not artists who make music with no meaning.
If you aren’t familiar with any of the names listed below, then take the time to listen to their music. If their music wasn’t any good, they wouldn’t be here. Expand your musical taste and open the doors to new music, because that was the point when XXL started this idea.
What The Freshman List Should be
Lil Tecca
Lil Tjay
Shordie Shordie
Benny The Butcher
Don Toliver
Pi’erre Bourne
Lil Keed
Lil Gotit
Pardison Fontaine
Polo G
Lil Tjay
Shordie Shordie
Benny The Butcher
Don Toliver
Pi’erre Bourne
Lil Keed
Lil Gotit
Pardison Fontaine
Polo G
Top Anticipated Albums of 2020
After a horrific year of music, 2019 is finally over. Most of the top artists took the year off to tour, or couldn’t get their music out due to record label complications, or just didn’t release any music for no reason whatsoever. 2020 is here, and all the A-list artists you missed in the previous year, there’s a good chance there’s new music coming sometime this year. Most artists take about two years to make and put out a new album, so if your favorite artist dropped an album in 2018, then in 2020 expect a new one. We’re going to take a look at all the anticipated music set to release this year. We’re going to cover all subgenres of both hip-hop and R&B.
The Weeknd - Chapter 6
In August the Toronto superstar tweeted “Album mode”. Abel hasn’t released a full album since Starboy, which released back in November of 2016. The R&B singer ended 2019 strong with two back-to-back singles, “Heartless” and “Blinding Lights”. A shoutout from fellow Canadian artist and former collaborator, Drake means there could be more OVOXO music coming this year. The Weeknd is due to have another monster year just like 2016, and at this point of his career, it’s almost a guarantee.
Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake
The Philadelphia rapper hasn’t had a full length project out since Luv is Rage 2. That released back in 2017, so in 2019 Eternal Atake was expected to be released to the public. Dozens of unreleased Lil Uzi tracks leaked to the public on platforms such as SoundCloud, YouTube, Spinrilla among others. Uzi Vert had problems with Atlantic Records, and DJ Drama & Don Cannon in 2019. This led to a signing with Roc Nation. At the end of the year the first single off of Eternal Atake in, “Futsal Shuffle 2020”. With a new label, nothing will stop Lil Uzi Vert will have a comeback 2020 year.
Young Thug - Punk
After a monster 2019 year, due to the release of his album So Much Fun. Punk was originally scheduled for a very late 2019 release date, but it was pushed to early 2020, so expect the album to come out sometime in February. Even after the success of his latest work, he is still keeping his consistency by releasing music regularly. The only other artist who puts out music as quick as Thugger is fellow Atlanta legend, Future.
J. Cole - The Fall Off
The only thing the North Carolina artist did in the past year was construct a Dreamville collective title, Revenge of the Dreamers III that received a Grammy nomination for Rap Album of the Year. As well as releasing his Grammy nominated single in “Middle Child”. His last body of work released in 2018 was , KOD that gained positive critical reception, like all of his projects. He has been in his bag musically as of late, so expect some of his best work on this next project. Cole has something to prove, and you’ll listen to the message on this upcoming project.
Drake - TBA
Now Drake has nothing left to prove, and if he’s releasing an album it would just be for the “love of the game”. Drake ended 2019 with his surprise track, “War”. Which featured a UK drill type of flow, similar to that of his “Link Up TV Freestyle”.He has said that he has reconciled his relationship with an old friend, The Weeknd and that new music is on the way. A new Drake album is always good for the rap game, and it will do well like always. After a somewhat lowkey 2019, expect another monster year upcoming.
Now other well known artists are expected to release their projects in 2020. Artists like PARTYNEXTDOOR, Playboi Carti, and Migos are also set to release projects this year. So stay tuned for release dates.
JACKBOYS” Review
On Thursday night, Travis Scott released a collective of songs from his Cactus Jack label. The release was announced on Travis Scott’s instagram page earlier Thursday. Shortly after the announcement was made a track listing of 21 songs were leaked onto the internet. It included a track titled “Goin Crazy” that features Kodak Black, Kanye West, and Sheck Wes. Another track that was long awaited was “Cardigan” by Don Toliver. The track was introduced on Travis Scott’s Netflix special, Look Mom I Can Fly. It was in a scene where the Jack Boys were in the studio going crazy over the newly recorded Toliver track. When the compilation released at 9pm PST, and there were only 7 tracks, the fans were greatly disappointed. Travis calls the 7 songs a “pack”. A possible two more 7-track packs are still in play, and fans believe this can and will happen.
The project starts with a remix of Travis Scott’s newest single, “Highest In The Room”. It features an all Spanish verse from ROSALÍA, and a verse from Atlanta’s Lil Baby. Lil Baby’s verse was heard before the original song was released, so people were surprised that it was a solo song. The verse sounds better now than it did when the snippets were leaked. On the rest of the project you can tell that Travis took a step back, and let his label mates shine on this platform.
Don Toliver shines on “HAD ENOUGH” featuring Offset and Quavo, and “WHAT TO DO?”. Sheck Wes, Travis Scott, and Don Toliver all do their thing on “GANG GANG”. A fan favorite is definitely “OUT WEST” by Young Thug that features a minimalistic Travis Scott verse. On the final track, “GATTI”, Brooklyn artist, Pop Smoke takes over with another minor Travis appearance. Let’s see if those 14 other tracks ever release anytime soon. For more news stay tuned.
The project starts with a remix of Travis Scott’s newest single, “Highest In The Room”. It features an all Spanish verse from ROSALÍA, and a verse from Atlanta’s Lil Baby. Lil Baby’s verse was heard before the original song was released, so people were surprised that it was a solo song. The verse sounds better now than it did when the snippets were leaked. On the rest of the project you can tell that Travis took a step back, and let his label mates shine on this platform.
Don Toliver shines on “HAD ENOUGH” featuring Offset and Quavo, and “WHAT TO DO?”. Sheck Wes, Travis Scott, and Don Toliver all do their thing on “GANG GANG”. A fan favorite is definitely “OUT WEST” by Young Thug that features a minimalistic Travis Scott verse. On the final track, “GATTI”, Brooklyn artist, Pop Smoke takes over with another minor Travis appearance. Let’s see if those 14 other tracks ever release anytime soon. For more news stay tuned.
EP.4 of The Dead Presidents Podcast
The new episode of the Dead Presidents Podcast is out now on both Spotify and Apple Podcasts. After a two week hiatus we are back, we apologize for the inconsistency. Click the photos below to listen now.
Click the photo above to listen to Apple Podcasts.
Click the photo above to listen to Spotify.
Top Producers of The Year
Since it’s the end of 2019, on this site we have really took these last weeks to reflect on the year of music. Now in recent memory this is arguably the weakest year of hip-hop music. However, every year there are people who still stand out and have themselves a great year. Today we are going to look at the producers, and who had a great year cooking up beats all year long. You might not know everyone on this list, but you definitely know the songs they have produced.
Now let’s start off with, in my opinion, an obvious choice in JetsonMade. If you don’t know who he is, he is a Carolina-raised producer who rose to fame when he produced DaBaby’s smash hit, “Suge”. The two were able to put each other in the ears of the mainstream fans. This year JetsonMade produced for Roddy Ricch, NBA YoungBoy, Jay Critch, and Lil Keed among others. He has received two Grammy nominations for “Suge”. If there was a producer rookie of the year award, JetsonMade won it back in August. At just 22-years old, we could be hearing his “JetsonMade another one” tag for years to come. Pi’erre Bourne has now become one of the more consistent producers in the game ever since he broke out onto the scene with Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia” back in 2017. He produced on Kanye West’s gospel album, Jesus Is King, on the track titled, “On God”. Now that alone tells you that Pi’erre Bourne is as good as they come for Kanye, a musical ball hog, to allow Pi’erre Bourne to do his thing. He also is a recording artist as well. He released his own 16-track album, The Life of Pi’erre 4, which is one of the most under appreciated projects to come out this year. The Atlanta producer produced an entire collaboration project with Young Nudy titled, Sli’merre. Pi’erre is a musical genius way before his time, and the audience doesn’t even know it yet.
Nick Mira is one of the producers really shaping music for the youth. After a breakout 2018 when he produced the late Juice WRLD’s hits like, “Lucid Dreams” and “All Girls Are The Same”, Mira was able to follow up with a very solid 2019. He produced Lil Tecca’s monster hit, Ransom and 5 more tracks on his album, We Love You Tecca. You could say he’s somewhat responsible for Juice Wrld and Lil Tecca’s success in the past two years. He was able to land a placement on Post Malone’s Hollywood Bleeding, as well as Young Thug’s So Much Fun. While being just 19-years old, the Virginia producer is a pioneer in the new wave of SoundCloud rap, and now the mainstream sound. Wheezy has taken over for Metro Boomin as the nucleus of the present day Atlanta rap sound. He formed the “3 Headed Snake” with Gunna and Young Thug. As well as being an important part of the production for the rest of Gunna’s album titled, “Drip Or Drown”. He then produced the majority of Future’s, Future Hndrxx Presents: The WIZRD. He then cooked up arguably the song of the year in, “Hot” by Young Thug featuring Gunna and a remix verse by Travis Scott. This was on Thug’s So Much Fun, which was mostly produced by Wheezy. Hit singles with Lil Baby, Lil Keed, and Future were all just the icing on the cake.
Other producers like LA’s Mustard, London On Da Track, and Take A Daytrip all had solid 2019 years to say the least. The people listed are pushing the culture, and you probably don’t even know it.
Now let’s start off with, in my opinion, an obvious choice in JetsonMade. If you don’t know who he is, he is a Carolina-raised producer who rose to fame when he produced DaBaby’s smash hit, “Suge”. The two were able to put each other in the ears of the mainstream fans. This year JetsonMade produced for Roddy Ricch, NBA YoungBoy, Jay Critch, and Lil Keed among others. He has received two Grammy nominations for “Suge”. If there was a producer rookie of the year award, JetsonMade won it back in August. At just 22-years old, we could be hearing his “JetsonMade another one” tag for years to come. Pi’erre Bourne has now become one of the more consistent producers in the game ever since he broke out onto the scene with Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia” back in 2017. He produced on Kanye West’s gospel album, Jesus Is King, on the track titled, “On God”. Now that alone tells you that Pi’erre Bourne is as good as they come for Kanye, a musical ball hog, to allow Pi’erre Bourne to do his thing. He also is a recording artist as well. He released his own 16-track album, The Life of Pi’erre 4, which is one of the most under appreciated projects to come out this year. The Atlanta producer produced an entire collaboration project with Young Nudy titled, Sli’merre. Pi’erre is a musical genius way before his time, and the audience doesn’t even know it yet.
Nick Mira is one of the producers really shaping music for the youth. After a breakout 2018 when he produced the late Juice WRLD’s hits like, “Lucid Dreams” and “All Girls Are The Same”, Mira was able to follow up with a very solid 2019. He produced Lil Tecca’s monster hit, Ransom and 5 more tracks on his album, We Love You Tecca. You could say he’s somewhat responsible for Juice Wrld and Lil Tecca’s success in the past two years. He was able to land a placement on Post Malone’s Hollywood Bleeding, as well as Young Thug’s So Much Fun. While being just 19-years old, the Virginia producer is a pioneer in the new wave of SoundCloud rap, and now the mainstream sound. Wheezy has taken over for Metro Boomin as the nucleus of the present day Atlanta rap sound. He formed the “3 Headed Snake” with Gunna and Young Thug. As well as being an important part of the production for the rest of Gunna’s album titled, “Drip Or Drown”. He then produced the majority of Future’s, Future Hndrxx Presents: The WIZRD. He then cooked up arguably the song of the year in, “Hot” by Young Thug featuring Gunna and a remix verse by Travis Scott. This was on Thug’s So Much Fun, which was mostly produced by Wheezy. Hit singles with Lil Baby, Lil Keed, and Future were all just the icing on the cake.
Other producers like LA’s Mustard, London On Da Track, and Take A Daytrip all had solid 2019 years to say the least. The people listed are pushing the culture, and you probably don’t even know it.
Top Songs of The Week 12/16-12/23
The top songs of this week includes Harlem legend, Cam’Ron, who released his new album titled, Purple Haze 2. Gucci Mane’s, East Atlanta Santa 3, has two tracks on this week’s list. Young Thug’s deluxe version to his August album, So Much Fun has two tracks that made this list. Bay Area rap group, SOB X RBE released their new project titled, Strictly Only Brothers. A couple stand out tracks made this playlist as well. OVO artist, Popcaan, released his new album titled, Vanquish. Two more standout tracks are on this list. You can listen to this 10-track playlist on both Apple Music and Spotify. Just click the photos below to listen. Enjoy.
Click the photo above to listen to the playlist on Apple Music.
Click the photo above to listen to the playlist on Spotify.
Who’s the 2019 Rap Rookie of The Year?
The 2019 year is rapidly coming to an end. As we look back at the year in music (hip-hop specifically), we see who broke out to have a monster year. Now the people talked about in this article definitely didn’t start rapping this year, but they probably had a song or two that helped launch their career to the mainstream audience. This question is definitely still up for debate. As well as past years. Like who was the 2016 rap breakout artist of the year? Lil Uzi Vert? 21 Savage? Lil Yachty? Kodak Black? That question could still be debatable to this day. Let’s take a look at who took the next step in their musical career in 2019.
Let’s start with an artist who is probably the rookie of the year to most people and that is, DaBaby. The North Carolina native had as big of a year as anyone. Now he is not a new artist, as he has been getting noticed since his 2018 project, Blank Blank. He also went viral for wearing a diaper at South By Southwest later that year. He started off his 2019 campaign with one of the top albums of the year, Baby on Baby that released back in March. It features one of the best intro tracks of the year in “Taking it Out”. The standout track from the project, “Suge” was looked at as the song of the summer. Other tracks that did well from that project were, “Goin Baby”, “Pony”, and “Baby Sitter” featuring Offset. “Suge” received two Grammy nominations. In September, the 28-year old artist was able to release a follow-up album in, Kirk. The only single from that project, “Intro” placed high on the Billboard charts. Songs like; “Bop”, “VIBEZ”, and “TOES” featuring Lil Baby and Moneybagg Yo, all blew up to do well on the charts. This may be an easy decision for fans, but let’s look at other artists.
Next up we got YNW Melly. Now I know what you’re thinking, how could he be considered a rookie of the year if he has been imprisoned since February. What he has been able to do at the beginning of the year, and able to continue the momentum while he has been locked up is undeniably respectable. Now he got a buzz when he released his mixtape, I Am You in 2018. However the buzz from the songs like; “Murder on My Mind”, “Virtual (Blue Balenciagas”, and “Mama Cry” really blew up in early 2019. His January album, We All Shine blew him up to the mainstream. His Kanye West featured track, “Mixed Personalities” charted on Billboard, and just like that the Florida-born artist was one of the top new artists. In February, when he turned himself in to the Broward County PD, his music only blew up more. In November a second album was released titled, Melly vs. Melvin, which featured his hit single, “223’s” featuring 9lokknine. Melly has had a solid 2019 musically, and hopefully he gets home soon.
Lil Tecca should also be in the discussion. He is an artist who completely blew onto the scene this year. With his hit single, “Ransom” the New York artist had all eyes on him. With his debut project, “We Love You Tecca” he followed up his big hit with other solid tracks. “Ransom” was definitely snubbed out of a Grammy nomination. At just 17-years old the future is bright for Lil Tecca.
Lil Tjay and Polo G are two more rappers who both had successful 2019 years. They started the year with their Grammy nominated track, “Pop Out”. That track opened up the floodgates for the mainstream audience to listen to their music.
Lastly, Roddy Ricch was another artist who changed his whole career within the past 12 months. He just released his album, “Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial”. It went number one on Billboard first week. He has three Grammy nominations, two are for his appearance on the late Nipsey Hussle’s, “Racks in The Middle”. He went from a local favorite to one of the top new artists in the world.
I know there are other artists who broke out such as, Lil Keed, Lil Gotit, NLE Choppa and others. Now who do you think was this year’s rap rookie of the year?
Let’s start with an artist who is probably the rookie of the year to most people and that is, DaBaby. The North Carolina native had as big of a year as anyone. Now he is not a new artist, as he has been getting noticed since his 2018 project, Blank Blank. He also went viral for wearing a diaper at South By Southwest later that year. He started off his 2019 campaign with one of the top albums of the year, Baby on Baby that released back in March. It features one of the best intro tracks of the year in “Taking it Out”. The standout track from the project, “Suge” was looked at as the song of the summer. Other tracks that did well from that project were, “Goin Baby”, “Pony”, and “Baby Sitter” featuring Offset. “Suge” received two Grammy nominations. In September, the 28-year old artist was able to release a follow-up album in, Kirk. The only single from that project, “Intro” placed high on the Billboard charts. Songs like; “Bop”, “VIBEZ”, and “TOES” featuring Lil Baby and Moneybagg Yo, all blew up to do well on the charts. This may be an easy decision for fans, but let’s look at other artists.
Next up we got YNW Melly. Now I know what you’re thinking, how could he be considered a rookie of the year if he has been imprisoned since February. What he has been able to do at the beginning of the year, and able to continue the momentum while he has been locked up is undeniably respectable. Now he got a buzz when he released his mixtape, I Am You in 2018. However the buzz from the songs like; “Murder on My Mind”, “Virtual (Blue Balenciagas”, and “Mama Cry” really blew up in early 2019. His January album, We All Shine blew him up to the mainstream. His Kanye West featured track, “Mixed Personalities” charted on Billboard, and just like that the Florida-born artist was one of the top new artists. In February, when he turned himself in to the Broward County PD, his music only blew up more. In November a second album was released titled, Melly vs. Melvin, which featured his hit single, “223’s” featuring 9lokknine. Melly has had a solid 2019 musically, and hopefully he gets home soon.
Lil Tecca should also be in the discussion. He is an artist who completely blew onto the scene this year. With his hit single, “Ransom” the New York artist had all eyes on him. With his debut project, “We Love You Tecca” he followed up his big hit with other solid tracks. “Ransom” was definitely snubbed out of a Grammy nomination. At just 17-years old the future is bright for Lil Tecca.
Lil Tjay and Polo G are two more rappers who both had successful 2019 years. They started the year with their Grammy nominated track, “Pop Out”. That track opened up the floodgates for the mainstream audience to listen to their music.
Lastly, Roddy Ricch was another artist who changed his whole career within the past 12 months. He just released his album, “Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial”. It went number one on Billboard first week. He has three Grammy nominations, two are for his appearance on the late Nipsey Hussle’s, “Racks in The Middle”. He went from a local favorite to one of the top new artists in the world.
I know there are other artists who broke out such as, Lil Keed, Lil Gotit, NLE Choppa and others. Now who do you think was this year’s rap rookie of the year?
Top Songs of The Week 12/9-12/16
This week was an eventful week in hip hop almost like always. Now this has been the first “Top Songs of The Week” in a little while. Artists from YoungBoy Never Broke Again, to KAYTRANADA, and even Lil Gotit make this week's edition of Top Songs of The Week. Let’s start with Philadelphia artist, Lil Uzi Vert. Lil Uzi Vert returned to the music scene after an 8 month hiatus from dropping original music. With his latest single, “Futsal Shuffle” Uzi has not only kept the fans listening, but also dancing doing the Futsal Shuffle as it has become a new online trend. Baton Rouge artist NBA YoungBoy, who was just released from jail off probation, released his latest single and breakup track, “Dirty Iyanna”. Which is his rendition of the late Michael Jackson’s hit song, “Dirty Diana”. An unusual concept for the hood rapper, but he was able to make it his own and a hit in his own way. Atlanta’s Lil Gotit released a surprise mixtape Thursday night titled, “Hood Fifty”. The 8-track project is completed produced by 10fifty and features frequent collaborator and fellow Atlanta artist, Lil Keed. The two rapped on one of the tape’s standout songs, “Wave Flow”. Now Compton’s Roddy Ricch released his debut album, “Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial” on December 6th, but the project shouldn’t of been unnoticed. There are two tracks, “PETA” featuring Meek Mill and “The Box” that made the cut for this week’s top songs. Young New York artists, Lil Tjay and Lil Tecca both released new singles to cap off breakout 2019’s. Lil Tjay released the melodic song, “Go In”. Lil Tecca released a statement track that is bar for bar titled, “ Why U Look Mad”. KAYTRANADA released his 17-song long album, Bubba. One standout track out of many solid songs is, “Gray Area” featuring Mick Jenkins. This weeks top songs will be available for both Spotify and Apple Music. Just click the photos below to listen. Enjoy.
Click the photo above to listen to Apple Music.
Click the photo above to listen to Spotify.
Lil Uzi Vert Returns To Music With New Single
Philadelphia native and rapper, Lil Uzi Vert returns to the music scene with his new single, “Futsal Shuffle 2020”. The song was released Thursday night.This is a dance track that has been used on Uzi’s Triller account. The track is the first single off his very long awaited album, Eternal Atake. “Futsal Shuffle 2020” is Lil Uzi Vert’s first single since the track, “Free Uzi” which was released back in March of this year. The song is produced by Brandon Finessin, Starboy, Mayyzo, and Loesoe. It also features snippets at the end of the song from Tyler, The Creator and well known journalist and interviewer, Nardwuar the Human Serviette. After Twitter rants, beefing with former mentor and producer DJ Drama, and leaving Atlantic Records all together to sign with Roc Nation in March, you can expect more music leading up to the album release sooner rather than later. Eternal Atake is definitely on the way, expect it at the top of 2020. For more hip-hop related news, stay tuned. “Futsal Shuffle 2020” out now on all streaming platforms.
Juice Wrld’s Album Sales Flourish After Death
On Sunday morning, Chicago rapper, Juice WRLD passed away at the age of 21 from a drug-induced seizure in a Chicago airport. Allegedly, the rapper was seen last taking an excessive amount of Percocet to avoid feds that were also at the airport. This is one drug that Juice WRLD is notorious for rapping about. There was 70lbs of marijuana as well as multiple Since then, the music scene has really locked in on listening to Juice WRLD’s music on all streaming platforms. Juice WRLD’s debut album, Goodbye and Good Riddance, which released back in 2017 is on pace to sell 75K album units this week. This album will be on the Billboard charts, as well as his huge hits, “All Girls Are the Same” and “Lucid Dreams”. His second album which was released earlier this year titled, “Death Race For Love” is on pace to sell 55K-60K album units. Now music success after an artist dies is nothing new, especially in this day of age. Some may say dying is one of the best things to happen to your career to keep you relevant. When an artist dies, it’s most likely in the news or will show up on social media. For a person who isn’t familiar with an artist, they will probably go on their phone and search their music up. So most of the people who are causing this resurgence of album sales are first time listeners. Some people have conspiracy theories that the label lets their artists who they know have drug problems, run wild and loose, so if the artist does happen to die it will make the label money. Juice WRLD’s death was a tragic moment in modern hip-hop, and he will be missed.
JR. Cruise’s New Video, “My Bih > Yo Bih” & Seeds album Review
Upcoming Los Angeles rapper, JR Cruise released the video to his song, “My Bih> Yo Bih” Wednesday afternoon. This this track comes off his debut project, Seeds, which is out now on all streaming platforms. The video was directed by DukeVision, who has worked on JR Cruise music videos before . This is the third music video off the album. Tracks, “Mary Kate” and “Samuel” both have videos that were released within the past 4 months. If you don’t know who JR Cruise is, then you’re late. People at Dead Presidents have been saying that this artist is on the verge to blow up. With the right connection, he can have a Roddy Ricch type of blow up. Unlike Roddy Ricch, J.R Cruise sounds like he’s from Los Angeles. With that laid back flow of his, it’s definitely that 90s low rider vibe. You can’t go wrong with this type of music, because there is nothing wrong with this music. This music is perfect for the old heads who miss that era of music in Los Angeles. The younger cats can get in to this too, because of the lyrics he displays. He doesn’t rap like he’s 40 years old, but he shows the sound from that period of time in the early 90s.
Top Songs of the Week 11/18-11/25
Click the photo above to listen on Apple Music.
Click the photo above to listen to listen to Spotify.
New PARTYNEXTDOOR Music
After a two year hiatus from original music, Toronto R&B artist PARTYNEXTDOOR released two new songs Thursday night. Drake announced new PX music at OVO Fest back in August of this year. The OVO signed artist has been songwriting for various of other artists, but hasn’t released anything, which has had fans wondering when new original music would be released. The first song is titled “Loyal” which features OVO mentor, Drake. The song is very upbeat which gives it that island feel. The sound was notable for being on Drake’s More Life project. A project which PARTYNEXTDOOR had a major impact on production as well as songwriting. The second song will most likely be overshadowed by the Drake collaboration. This is unfortunate because of how strong of a song the second track is. The track is titled “The News”. It is produced by Grammy nominated producer Bizness Boi. The song displays a slower beat that brings a nostalgic sound that PARTYNEXTDOOR has put in his earlier work. Hopefully these two new singles will be a sign of a new full album releasing sometime in the near future. Only time will tell.Both tracks are released on all streaming platforms. Stay tuned for more PARTYNEXTDOOR news.
Loyal ft. Drake
The News
Grammy Nomination Review: Predictions and Snubs
On November 20th the Grammy’s announced the nominations for this years awards. We’re going to focus on the hip-hop genre of music for this. We’re going to predict winners, and say some artists who were snubbed from nomination. Let’s take a look at this years nominees. Note that the cutoff for music turned in for nominations was August 31, 2019.
Best Rap Song
BAD IDEA
Chancelor Bennett, Cordae Dunston, Uforo Ebong & Daniel Hackett, songwriters (YBN Cordae Featuring Chance The Rapper)
GOLD ROSES
Noel Cadastre, Aubrey Graham, Anderson Hernandez, Khristopher Riddick-Tynes, William Leonard Roberts II, Joshua Quinton Scruggs, Leon Thomas III & Ozan Yildirim, songwriters (Rick Ross Featuring Drake)
A LOT
Jermaine Cole, Dacoury Natche, 21 Savage & Anthony White, songwriters (21 Savage Featuring J. Cole)
RACKS IN THE MIDDLE
Ermias Asghedom, Dustin James Corbett, Greg Allen Davis, Chauncey Hollis, Jr. & Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Nipsey Hussle Featuring Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy)
SUGE
DaBaby, Jetsonmade & Pooh Beatz, songwriters (DaBaby)
Predicted Winner: Racks In the Middle
The late Nipsey Hussle will take this one, not just because of his passing in late March. The Grammy’s robbed him of Rap Album of the Year last year when he was nominated for his West Coast classic, Victory Lap. “Suge” was definitely the song of the summer, and “A Lot” is definitely a catchy tune. However Nipsey and Roddy Ricch take the cake on this one, this one isn’t even close. Some notable snubs are “EARFQUAKE” by Tyler, The Creator, “Ransom” by Lil Tecca, and “Money in The Grave” by Drake, and definitely “Hot” by Young Thug.
Chancelor Bennett, Cordae Dunston, Uforo Ebong & Daniel Hackett, songwriters (YBN Cordae Featuring Chance The Rapper)
GOLD ROSES
Noel Cadastre, Aubrey Graham, Anderson Hernandez, Khristopher Riddick-Tynes, William Leonard Roberts II, Joshua Quinton Scruggs, Leon Thomas III & Ozan Yildirim, songwriters (Rick Ross Featuring Drake)
A LOT
Jermaine Cole, Dacoury Natche, 21 Savage & Anthony White, songwriters (21 Savage Featuring J. Cole)
RACKS IN THE MIDDLE
Ermias Asghedom, Dustin James Corbett, Greg Allen Davis, Chauncey Hollis, Jr. & Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Nipsey Hussle Featuring Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy)
SUGE
DaBaby, Jetsonmade & Pooh Beatz, songwriters (DaBaby)
Predicted Winner: Racks In the Middle
The late Nipsey Hussle will take this one, not just because of his passing in late March. The Grammy’s robbed him of Rap Album of the Year last year when he was nominated for his West Coast classic, Victory Lap. “Suge” was definitely the song of the summer, and “A Lot” is definitely a catchy tune. However Nipsey and Roddy Ricch take the cake on this one, this one isn’t even close. Some notable snubs are “EARFQUAKE” by Tyler, The Creator, “Ransom” by Lil Tecca, and “Money in The Grave” by Drake, and definitely “Hot” by Young Thug.
Best Rap Album
REVENGE OF THE DREAMERS III
Dreamville
CHAMPIONSHIPS
Meek Mill
I AM > I WAS
21 Savage
IGOR
Tyler, The Creator
THE LOST BOY
YBN Cordae
Predicted Winner: IGOR by Tyler, The Creator
If it was myself voting it would be Championships, because of the multiple hits, the features, and the production makes Meek Mill worthy of this award. Unfortunately, it’s not about my opinion. Tyler is a safe choice for the committee to vote for. It debuted as the number one album on Billboard. I was surprised that Tyler wasn’t nominated for more. Dreamville and YBN Cordae both put out solid projects, but they don’t stand a chance. 21 Savage will probably scare some voters away, no matter how good his album was. Tyler takes home this Grammy. Some notable snubs are CrasH Talk by ScHoolboy Q, and So Much Fun by Young Thug. Young Thug had arguably the rap album of 2019. The fact he was robbed of a nomination was beyond me.
Dreamville
CHAMPIONSHIPS
Meek Mill
I AM > I WAS
21 Savage
IGOR
Tyler, The Creator
THE LOST BOY
YBN Cordae
Predicted Winner: IGOR by Tyler, The Creator
If it was myself voting it would be Championships, because of the multiple hits, the features, and the production makes Meek Mill worthy of this award. Unfortunately, it’s not about my opinion. Tyler is a safe choice for the committee to vote for. It debuted as the number one album on Billboard. I was surprised that Tyler wasn’t nominated for more. Dreamville and YBN Cordae both put out solid projects, but they don’t stand a chance. 21 Savage will probably scare some voters away, no matter how good his album was. Tyler takes home this Grammy. Some notable snubs are CrasH Talk by ScHoolboy Q, and So Much Fun by Young Thug. Young Thug had arguably the rap album of 2019. The fact he was robbed of a nomination was beyond me.
Best Rap Perfromance
MIDDLE CHILD
J. Cole
SUGE
DaBaby
DOWN BAD
Dreamville Featuring J.I.D, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG & Young Nudy
RACKS IN THE MIDDLE
Nipsey Hussle Featuring Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy
CLOUT
Offset Featuring Cardi B
Predicted Winner: “Racks In The Middle” once more. The Grammy’s are going to give this one to Nipsey, but also because the competition is in the Crenshaw rapper’s favor anyway. “Middle Child” was definitely a hit, but the Grammy’s never seem to go J.Cole’s way, no matter how good of a year he’s had. “Suge”, like I said before was the song of the summer. Unfortunately, it can’t mess with Hitboy’s soon to be Grammy winning track. Some notable snubs are “Ransom” by Lil Tecca, and “Sanguine Paradise” by Lil Uzi Vert.
J. Cole
SUGE
DaBaby
DOWN BAD
Dreamville Featuring J.I.D, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG & Young Nudy
RACKS IN THE MIDDLE
Nipsey Hussle Featuring Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy
CLOUT
Offset Featuring Cardi B
Predicted Winner: “Racks In The Middle” once more. The Grammy’s are going to give this one to Nipsey, but also because the competition is in the Crenshaw rapper’s favor anyway. “Middle Child” was definitely a hit, but the Grammy’s never seem to go J.Cole’s way, no matter how good of a year he’s had. “Suge”, like I said before was the song of the summer. Unfortunately, it can’t mess with Hitboy’s soon to be Grammy winning track. Some notable snubs are “Ransom” by Lil Tecca, and “Sanguine Paradise” by Lil Uzi Vert.
Best Rap/Sung Performance
HIGHER
DJ Khaled Featuring Nipsey Hussle & John Legend
DRIP TOO HARD
Lil Baby & Gunna
PANINI
Lil Nas X
BALLIN
Mustard Featuring Roddy Ricch
THE LONDON
Young Thug Featuring J. Cole & Travis Scott
Predicted Winner: “Panini” Lil Nas X
This is the best category when it comes to nominations. All five songs are worthy of being nominated, there’s no real snubs you can argue for. If this was the BET Awards, or any other award show “Drip Too Hard”, or the T-Minus produced “The London” would take the cake. However, this is the Grammy’s, an industry plant’s best friend. Lil Nas X is as Grammy friendly as it gets. Even though he’s up against Nipsey Hussle, Lil Nas X will take home one of few Grammy’s.
DJ Khaled Featuring Nipsey Hussle & John Legend
DRIP TOO HARD
Lil Baby & Gunna
PANINI
Lil Nas X
BALLIN
Mustard Featuring Roddy Ricch
THE LONDON
Young Thug Featuring J. Cole & Travis Scott
Predicted Winner: “Panini” Lil Nas X
This is the best category when it comes to nominations. All five songs are worthy of being nominated, there’s no real snubs you can argue for. If this was the BET Awards, or any other award show “Drip Too Hard”, or the T-Minus produced “The London” would take the cake. However, this is the Grammy’s, an industry plant’s best friend. Lil Nas X is as Grammy friendly as it gets. Even though he’s up against Nipsey Hussle, Lil Nas X will take home one of few Grammy’s.
Top Songs Of The Week 11/11-11/18
We have moved from SoundCloud to Apple Music for our weekly playlists. You’re still able to click the photo above to listen to the playlist, or just search it up in your search bar. This week’s top tracks feature a couple songs off Boosie Badazz’s latest album, “Talk Dat Sh*t”. A Boogie wit da Hoodie released his new single off his upcoming project, “Artist 2.0”. The track is called, “Reply” and it features Lil Uzi Vert. Upcoming Memphis rapper, Kenny Muney released his new project titled, “Muney Talk”. It features Young Dolph, Key Glock, and Peewee Longway. If you haven’t checked out the new album make sure you do so. Tory Lanez just released his all 2000’s R&B sampled project, “Chixtape 5”, which was a long awaited tape. Delaware rapper, and former Cardi B ghostwriter, Pardison Fontaine released his new album this past week. It’s titled, “UNDER8ED”, and it features the likes of Jadakiss, Cardi B, Offset, and City Girls. Big K.R.I.T. came out with his latest single titled, “Ballad Of The Bass (My Sub V)”, make sure you give that a listen. Make sure you check out this weeks top songs of the week.
November 15th Music Review
November 15th was another busy week for hip-hop and R&B. Rappers, Tory Lanez, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, and the late Lil Peep among others, all released new music on Friday.
Tory Lanez - Chixtape 5 (Album)
The long awaited project from the Toronto artist is finally here. Chixtape 5 is a whole project with 2000s only samples. It has features from Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown, Mario, Jermaine Dupri, Trey Songz and many more. Play Picasso, Papi Yerr , Tory Lanez, and Sergio Romero among others are o n production. This project has been highly anticipated since 2017, right after Chixtape 4 released. You get that 2000s feel from track number one titled, “Jalissa’s Back! (Skit)”. All the different phone conversations, skits, and speaking parts make it feel like this project was made in 2005. To bring back the game’s OG’s is just the icing on the cake. This is the first Chixtape that Tory has an excessive amount of features. This may be due to the connections available for verses. Even though there is an abundance of features, I think Tory delivers his best music on some of the solo tracks. The only single from this project was “Jerry Sprunger”, a T-Pain featured track that samples “I’m Sprung”. Some songs from the project that stand out are, “Broken Promises” and “The Take” featuring Chris Brown. Chixtape 5 out now on all platforms.
A Boogie wit da Hoodie - Reply ft. Lil Uzi Vert (Single)
Bronx rapper, A Boogie wit da Hoodie teamed up with Lil Uzi Vert for the track, “Reply”. This new track serves as the second single from Boogie's forthcoming Artist 2.0 album. The first single, “Mood Swings” released about a month ago. This song is simply just about texting back. Uzi raps the chorus, "If I write you, girl, will you reply?/ Follow my commands, come on, girl, comply/ You only want me 'cause my life's televised/ And I can see all them lies in your eyes.” Boogie comes in for the final verse rapping, “ I'm gon' f--- you to this, make this one your favorite song/ And you even look sexy with no makeup on/ And you ain't gotta ask me, girl, just take it off/ I knew that you was nasty the way you take it raw/ I just hope that you don't think I'm crazy, girl”. Artist 2.0 is on its way stay tuned for more news.
Lil Peep - Everybody’s Everything (Album)
The late Lil Peep released the second album since his 2017 death. Everybody’s Everything is 19 tracks long, however the last four tracks are songs that were already put out on Peep’s SoundCloud. Gab3 is featured on three straight songs, “Fangirl”, “LA to London”, and “Rockstarz”. The notable features are Rich The Kid, iLoveMakonnen, Lil Tracy, and Diplo. Some of the original tracks that stand out are, “AQUAFINA”, “Moving On”, and “Belgium”. This album has a chance at charting but we will see.
Top Songs of the Week 11/4-11/11
Click the photo above to listen to the playlist. Xavier Wulf, Jacquees, Joe Moses, and Lil Baby among others. Enjoy.
Camp Flog Gnaw Review: Day 2
November 10th was the second and final day of Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw music festival. The whole day might’ve been more hectic than the first one. Maryland rapper, IDK’s setlist ran late due to DJ technical difficulties, which the crowd trolled and started to cheer. When IDK finally came out to perform he set the tone with his hit song, “42 Hundred Choices”. He followed with multiple songs off his latest project, Is He Real?. He spit a quick lyrical freestyle on his song, “24” instrumental. He even brought a fan out on stage to rhyme a few bars. Odd Future member, Taco performed his set on the Flog Stage. He started by saying it’s his last Camp Flog Gnaw, since he’s been doing this every year. The crowd got into songs like, “Backseat Freestyle”, “Highest In The Room”, “Pt.2”, and “Faneto”. This was the biggest audience of the night so far. He then brought out Jaden Smith to perform, “I” a song off his latest album, Erys. The DJ brought unity in the crowd when he played, “Stand By Me” by Ben. E King. “Chanel” by Frank Ocean was the final song of the setlist. English singer, Blood Orange performed his setlist at the Gnaw Stage. He started his performance by shredding a guitar solo as he walked on stage. He showed off his musical versatility by going to the piano to perform the song, “Saint” which is off his album, Negro Swan. Rapper, Goldlink went hard for his 45 minute set, despite fans leaving to go see BROCKHAMPTON on the main stage. The audience mosh pitted to his track titled, “Rumble”. The majority of the music the Maryland rapper played was from his latest album, Diaspora. Hits like, “Maniac” & “Cokewhite” featuring Pusha T had the audience interactive. He ended his performance with his Grammy-nominated single, “Crew” with a young man named Jackson rapping Shy Glizzy’s verse. Earl Sweatshirt was the last act of the festival at the Gnaw Stage. He came out the best possible way you can, with some Lil Wayne Carter II bumping. Earl played four unreleased songs mixed with Doris. He then performed all seven songs from his latest project, FEET OF CLAY. YG performed on the Camp Stage. His performance started out with a montage of all the news footage from his 2019 shooting incident. The first couple songs were from his 2014 west coast classic album, My Krazy Life. Songs like “BPT” & “I Just Wanna Party” had the crowd jumping from the front to the back, and even had a girl flash the camera. He performed songs off both Stay Dangerous and 4REAL 4REAL. A tribute video to Nipsey Hussle played, and “My Nigga” was performed. Stormy Daniels came on stage to join YG to perform “FDT”. DaBaby was performing cross campus in the middle of YG’s set. He started off with his former number 1 hit, “Suge” to get the crowd interactive from the jump. That was followed by “Goin’ Baby”, and “Walker Texas Ranger”. He then performed songs of his latest album, Kirk. Hit songs, “Intro”, “Vibez”, and “Toes” played while DaBaby performed in the middle of the crowd. Everyone crowded to the main stage to see the surprise guest. For weeks there’s been speculation of the guest being Frank Ocean. Tyler, the Creator came out first, and said “...can I bring out a couple friends?” The “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2” bass line hit the audience hard. A$AP Rocky came out to screaming fans to perform both, “LPFJ 2” and “Praise the Lord (Da Shine)”. Tyler then went back on stage and said, “... can I bring out another friend?”everyone cheered. The Don Cannon produced, “Money Longer” instrumental came on and everyone in the crowd knew instantly who was next to perform. Lil Uzi Vert had the crowd rapping “Yeah, it do not matter
Turned to a savage, pocket got fatter, she call me daddy”. The second and final song Uzi performed was his summer anthem, “Sanguine Paradise”. Tyler then came back on stage and said, “... can I bring out another friend?” once more. “Started From the Bottom” played from the main stage speakers. Drake came out to a mixed crowd, some were head over heels excited to see the Toronto superstar, others disappointed he wasn’t Frank Ocean. He performed a couple songs, then went on the mic to say, “I just wanted to see if I could run this little section and take it way way way back.” Some people just wanted him off the stage while others wanted more music. Drake touched almost most of his discography, but the crowd was just not having it. The ones who were fans and singing along with the songs were just simply outnumbered by entitled, “edgy” fans. Songs like “The Motto”, “Goin’ Bad”, and “Feel No Ways” were only a few songs that got any type of response from the audience. He tried to praise the crowd, to maybe get a better response, but that tactic didn’t work out. Drake finally walked off stage, and the crowd cheered. The fans were screaming from the top of their lungs for Frank Ocean, as if he could magically appear backstage. A message on the big screen finally appeared saying, “Thank you for coming. Get home safe.” The crowd walked out disgusted all because they couldn’t see Frank Ocean. Nobody even gave hints that Frank would be there, but the fans made rumors and everyone just expected Frank. The audience wanted what's new and edgy. Drake is an artist that is too accessible, too popular. The crowd wanted fashion, art, music, that they feel is still obscure. So the crowd felt like Frank Ocean speaks more to them than Drake does.Tyler was able to get not one, not two, but three A-List rap superstars to play his music festival, nonetheless. Tyler, the Creator took to twitter Monday morning saying how embarrassed and showing gratitude to Drake for even showing up. So that’s all for Camp Flog Gnaw 2019.
Turned to a savage, pocket got fatter, she call me daddy”. The second and final song Uzi performed was his summer anthem, “Sanguine Paradise”. Tyler then came back on stage and said, “... can I bring out another friend?” once more. “Started From the Bottom” played from the main stage speakers. Drake came out to a mixed crowd, some were head over heels excited to see the Toronto superstar, others disappointed he wasn’t Frank Ocean. He performed a couple songs, then went on the mic to say, “I just wanted to see if I could run this little section and take it way way way back.” Some people just wanted him off the stage while others wanted more music. Drake touched almost most of his discography, but the crowd was just not having it. The ones who were fans and singing along with the songs were just simply outnumbered by entitled, “edgy” fans. Songs like “The Motto”, “Goin’ Bad”, and “Feel No Ways” were only a few songs that got any type of response from the audience. He tried to praise the crowd, to maybe get a better response, but that tactic didn’t work out. Drake finally walked off stage, and the crowd cheered. The fans were screaming from the top of their lungs for Frank Ocean, as if he could magically appear backstage. A message on the big screen finally appeared saying, “Thank you for coming. Get home safe.” The crowd walked out disgusted all because they couldn’t see Frank Ocean. Nobody even gave hints that Frank would be there, but the fans made rumors and everyone just expected Frank. The audience wanted what's new and edgy. Drake is an artist that is too accessible, too popular. The crowd wanted fashion, art, music, that they feel is still obscure. So the crowd felt like Frank Ocean speaks more to them than Drake does.Tyler was able to get not one, not two, but three A-List rap superstars to play his music festival, nonetheless. Tyler, the Creator took to twitter Monday morning saying how embarrassed and showing gratitude to Drake for even showing up. So that’s all for Camp Flog Gnaw 2019.
Camp Flog Gnaw Review: Day 1
On November 9th, it was the first day of Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw music festival. It is a two day event. If you weren’t able to attend the event, or just wasn't able to see everything, here’s a review of day one. The first day displayed various music acts,carnival rides, merchandising stores for different artists, and more. The day started off with female rapper, Tommy Genesis performing. She performed her top songs, and even performed an unreleased track she titled, “Cinderella”. Odd Future rapper, Mike G followed, as he performed songs off his latest project titled, Exile. He also performed songs from earlier in his career, and the OG Odd Future fans rapped along during his set list. His Odd Future bandmate, Domo Genesis, had the most fan interactive performance up until that point of time. He frequently told jokes like a stand-up comic on stage. Joking about how he wanted Taylor Swift on a remix for one of his unreleased songs, and Dasani water being “McDonald’s water”. He had a tribute in the middle of his set to his late friend, Mac Miller. He performed the 2016 song, “Coming Home” which features Mac Miller, in a heartfelt performance. Going from the Gnaw stage to the camp stage to see Syd’s band, The Internet. For 45 minutes the crowd sang along to the group's biggest songs. The crowd oohed and aahed at guitarist, Steve Lacy’s solos. They were followed by rapper Juice Wrld. He performed songs off his latest album, Death Race For Love. You could tell that the crowd wasn’t there to hear those tracks. The crowd got back into it when he performed his verse on Lil Tecca’s “Ransom” remix. He paid a tribute to the late XXXTENTACION as he performed Ski Mask the Slump God’s “Take a Step Back”. The mosh pit anthem had the whole audience jumping from the front to the back. The tribute wasn’t over then. The Chicago rapper performed his melodic song, “Legends” which he released after X passed away. A montage of all passed music icons were put on the big screen behind him. He ended his set by performing his heartbreak anthems such as “Lucid Dreams”, “All Girls are The Same”, and “Lean Wit Me”. The founder of Camp Flog Gnaw, Tyler, The Creator followed Juice Wrld. He started his set with the intro to his latest album. The track is titled, “IGOR’s THEME”. The crowd was the most interactive it has been all night, and rightfully so. His mega hit, “EARFQUAKE” followed and everyone in the Dodger Stadium parking lot sang along. Three more songs followed, and then Tyler said, “to the people who only know me for IGOR, take the back seat for a few minutes. I’m gonna go through my discography real quick.” He performed songs off Flower Boy. Songs like “911/Mr. Lonely” and “Who Dat Boy” again had the crowd singing and mosh pitting. He ended his hour-long set with the outro from IGOR, “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?”. Atlanta rapper, 21 Savage had the last performance of the night. He started with songs from his latest album, i am > i was. He took a break mid way through his setlist, and then a montage of 21 Savage interviews about his ICE detention appeared on the big screens. He came out to perform his hits off his Metro Boomin produced album, Savage Mode. His song “X” had everyone rapping along. However his final song of his set was “Bank Account”. That wrapped up day one of Camp Flog Gnaw. DaBaby, YG, and Earl Sweatshirt among others perform day two. Stay tuned for a day two review.
November 8th Music Review
We might have witnessed one of the best days for new music of 2019. Music was released for every type of R&B and hip-hop fan. If you’re a street, west coast type of music fan, or a softer R&B singing type of fan. Music was released from all different regions of the country. If someone is saying music is dead, they are sorely mistaken. Every big artist who released music this Thursday night, delivered. Let’s take a look at the albums and singles that were released.
Jacquees - King Of R&B (Album)
Georgia native, Jacquees released his album, ‘King Of R&B’. After hearing this for the first time he might’ve made a legitimate argument as the king of R&B. The 14 track long album has featured verses from the likes of Tory Lanez, Young Thug, Gunna, and Quavo among others. This is Jacquees’ second studio album. It is executive produced by Birdman, as Jacquees is signed to his label, Cash Money. The only single on this project was a song that released back in September titled, “Verify” which features both Young Thug and Gunna. The eighth track of the project, “Warning” will be on the Billboard charts, since it’s an instant hit. That song is preceded by the Tory Lanez featured track, “Risk it All” which will be played in clubs from coast to coast. That smooth R&B flow that Jacquees displays on this work of art is impressive, to say the least. “King of R&B” out now on all streaming platforms.
Tank God - Bentley Trucks ft. Smooky MarGielaa, King Combs,& Tyla Yaweh (Single)
Producer Tank God (Rockstar by Post Malone), released a single with New York artists Smooky MarGielaa and King Combs, and Orlando up and coming artist, Tyla Yaweh. Don’t overlook this track. Smooky takes on the hook, rapping about Bentley Trucks, Vlone clothing, and fortune. King Combs appears on the first verse with his 90’s laid back, Mase-like flow. Yaweh handles the second verse. And MarGielaa closes out the song with a verse of his own. This is a braggadocios track from three young rap artists rapping on a well produced beat. “Bentley Trucks” out now on all platforms.
Joe Moses - Westside (Album)
Los Angeles rapper, Joe Moses released his long awaited album, “Westside”. This is definitely a street album from one of the realest street rappers. The album is 14 tracks long. Some of the features are RJmrLA, Young Thug, and Future among others. The singles are the club banger, “Stop It” featuring RJmrLA, the heartfelt track “Last Time” featuring Eric Bellinger, and the Metro Boomin produced, “Go Viral” featuring Future. RJ, Metro Boomin, and DJ Mustard are notable producers on this project. This album is Joe Moses solidifying his place in the rap game. You can hear the struggle in his voice in every track. Don’t overlook this album, give it a listen. If you’re blood or crip, from the bay or San Diego, or from the west coast or east coast, you have to respect this project from JM. “Westside” out now on all platforms.
Dave East - Survival (Album)
Let’s take it from the west coast to New York. Dave East released his first official album titled, “Survial”. This is one for the rap fans who like that nostalgic bar for bar music. The album is a complete 20 songs. It features Gunna, Lil Baby, Nas, and Teyana Taylor. The lead single is a track called, “Godfather 4” which features East’s mentor and legendary rapper, Nas. A Jodeci sample is featured on the eleventh track, “Alone” featuring Jacquees. The Harlem rapper pays his respects to the west coast on the track, “Devil Eyes” featuring California artists, Mozzy and Bay Area legend E-40. All of the features delivered. Dave East mixed both old and young artists for a solid piece of work. The outro is a heartfelt tribute to his late friend and fellow crip, Nipsey Hussle. The track features Snoop Dogg. It’s titled “The Marathon Continues”. “Survival” out now on all streaming platforms.
Tory Lanez - Jerry Sprunger ft. T-Pain (Single)
This track is the first single off Tory Lanez’s upcoming project, ‘Chixtape 5‘. It samples T-Pain’s 2005 hit, “I’m Sprung”. The rest of Chixtape 5 will all have 2000’s This song was first heard in December of 2018 after Tory played the song for T-Pain on the anniversary of his first album. The track was produced by Papí Yerr, who will most likely produce a majority of the project. Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, Snoop Dogg, Jermaine Dupri, and Ashanti will all be featured on the long awaited project. Chixtape 5 will release on November 15th on all streaming platforms. “Jerry Sprunger” out now on all streaming platforms.
88GLAM - Bankroll ft. Lil Keed (Single)
Toronto rap duo, 88GLAM released the single, “Bankroll” featuring Atlanta artist, Lil Keed.. “Bankroll” serves as the lead single for 88GLAM’s forthcoming studio project, which will reportedly hit streaming services and similar platforms in 2020. “Bankroll” out now on all streaming platforms.
Lil Baby - Woah (Single)
Atlanta rapper, Lil Baby released a new single titled, “Woah”. It’s produced by frequent collaborator, Quay Global. It’s a song that will appear on the Quality Control artists long awaited second studio album. Lil Baby raps, “Giving looks, I contribute to fashion
Drop a song, I be giving them captions”. This line is true after the 2019 Lil Baby has been having. He has become a superstar in the rap game, and he never disappoints when it comes to releasing new music. For more news on the release date and features of his new project stay tuned. “Woah” out now on all streaming platforms.
Drop a song, I be giving them captions”. This line is true after the 2019 Lil Baby has been having. He has become a superstar in the rap game, and he never disappoints when it comes to releasing new music. For more news on the release date and features of his new project stay tuned. “Woah” out now on all streaming platforms.
Top Songs of the Week 10/28-11/5
Another eventful week of hip-hop music, as new music was released all week long. To listen to the playlist just click the photo above, or go on the Dead Presidents’ SoundCloud. From HoodRich Pablo Juan, to DVSN, to Frank Ocean all sub genres of hip-hop and R&B were displayed by new music within this past week. Atlanta rapper, HoodRich Pablo Juan released his mixtape titled, “DMV” on November 1st. Three tracks from that project stood out to me the most. “Hoodrich”, “Skating on Ice”, and “Drop” are all quality solid tracks. Check out his project on all streaming platforms. R&B artist, Frank Ocean released a new track on all streaming platforms titled, “In My Room”. Frank raps over up-beat production credited to
Michael Uzowuru, a long-time collaborator of Frank’s who produced tracks such as “Chanel” and “Nights.” Another former Odd Future member released new music this past week. Earl Sweatshirt released his 7-track album titled, “Feet of Clay” on Halloween night. Overall it’s a strong project, and if you haven’t checked out the review I did for that project check that out. Two tracks that stood out were, “TISK TISK/COOKIES” and “EL TORO COMBO MEAL”. Young Thug and Gunna’s smash hit, “Hot” had a remix released this past week as well. This time it features a solid Travis Scott verse, a music video was also released. DVSN, Future, Miguel, and 21 Savage are also on this weeks top songs. You can check it out by clicking the photo above. Enjoy.
Tory Lanez CHIXTAPE 5 Release Date Announced
Tory Lanez is releasing his long awaited project, ‘Chixtape 5’ on November 15. The project will have only samples from the 2000’s. T-Pain’s, “I’m Sprung” and Chris Brown’s, “Say Goodbye” are confirmed songs that have been sampled and remixed. This will be the first project from the Chixtape series that will released for all streaming platforms. The wait has been so long because of clearing of the samples take time. Chixtape 4 was released on New Years Day of 2017 which featured all 90’s R&B samples. All the Chixtapes show off the Toronto artist’s singing and softer side musically. The producing is always on point, so expect nothing less than that. November 15th Chixtape 5 will be out on all streaming platforms. A review will be up that night.
Earl Sweatshirt Feet Of Clay Review
Former Odd Future member and Los Angeles rapper, Earl Sweatshirt released his album titled, “Feet Of Clay” Halloween night on the west coast. The album is 7 tracks long and it’s only 15 minutes long in total. It is executive produced by Sweatshirt himself. It has two features, Mavi and Mach-Hommy. The two producers credited on the album are The Alchemist and Ovrkast. “FOC is a collection of observations and feelings recorded during the death throes of a crumbling empire”, the rapper stated. This album is better than his last which released just 11 months ago titled, “Some Rap Songs”. That album felt incomplete, like it was just a bunch of interludes thrown together. This album is complete regardless of it only being 15 minutes. The beats are melodic and smooth, and Earl tells a story while flowing on each song. Their aren’t any skips and all seven songs are playlist adds. “El Toro Combo Meal” featuring Mavi stands out as Earl raps about reflecting on his progression in life. This album will continue to be underrated, and maybe that’s not such a bad thing. ‘Feet of Clay’ out now on all streaming platforms.
Top Songs Of the Week 10/20-10/27
It was a fairly busy week in hip-hop, but it’s always busy on a week where Kanye West drops an album. You can listen to the playlist by clicking the photo above, or going on the Dead Presidents’ SoundCloud. On this week’s top songs it features a couple of tracks on Kanye’s newest album, “Jesus is King” that released this past Friday. “Follow God” is the top song of the album, and I don’t think it’s very much a debate. ‘Closed on Sunday’ is also on this weeks playlist. Roddy Ricch has a single with Atlanta rapper, Gunna. It’s titled, “Start Wit Me”, and it’s produced by JETSONMADE. Oakland rapper, Guapdad 4000 released his debut album Dior Deposits , it includes features from Tory Lanez, 6LACK, Chance the Rapper, G-Eazy and Buddy, Denzel Curry, among others. He has two tracks on this weeks top songs. New York rappers, Dave East and Nas collaborated for a track titled, “Godfather 4”. Kodak Black, Tyga, Gucci Mane, and JR. Cruise close out this weeks top songs. Enjoy.
Jesus Is King Album Review
The wait is finally over, Kanye West finally released his album, “Jesus Is King” at 9 in the morning PST. After many delays and two album title changes it is finally here. First things first, this album was worth the wait. The 11-track album is Kanye’s ninth solo album, and first since his 2018 album, “Ye”. The whole album is executive produced by Ye himself. Yeezy returned to Wyoming in late September of this year to finish up the album. The album was fixed and tweak all the way up until hours before being released. The album is church music, if you couldn’t tell by the album title. There’s no cussing or profanity used by anyone on the album. Yeezy brought Virginia rap duo, Clipse (Pusha T and brother No Malice) together for the song, ‘Use This Gospel’. This is their first track together since 2009. Saxophone player, Kenny G has a solo smooth as silk on the outro of this track. Even though this is a gospel rap album, Kanye was still able to be lyrical and technical on the third track on the album, ‘Follow God’. Ty Dolla $ign features on the sixth track, ‘ Everything We Need’. This is Ty Dolla $ign’s third straight Kanye album he’s featured on. New Jersey native, Ant Clemons has back to back features on the album. Songs ‘Closed on Sunday’, ‘Follow God’, ‘Water’, and ‘Use This Gospel’ all stand out and will hit Billboard this upcoming week. The album will do well in first week streams and sales, just because it’s Kanye let alone the quality of this music. Hate him or love him as person, you can’t deny his ability and influence as an artist. No matter what religion you’re apart of, this music is something everyone can enjoy no matter age, race, or gender. A follow up project titled, “Jesus is Born” is SUPPOSED to be releasing on Christmas Day. This project will be up there for Rap Album of the Year come Grammy time. ‘Jesus is King’ out now on all streaming platforms, and in stores.
Gucci Mane Woptober II Review
Atlanta rapper, Gucci Mane released his album titled, “Woptober II” Thursday night. The sequel to Guwop’s 2016 album, “Woptober” is 13 songs in total. This is his 15th studio album. He went to Instagram with the caption, “Album so street! Y’all ain’t ready”. This is definitely a street album from the trap legend. The intro is the first single from this project that features YoungBoy Never Broke Again & Da Baby titled, “Richer Than Errybody”. The second single of the project is “Tootsies” featuring Lil Baby, it’s number 3 on the project. Tracks like “Big Boy Diamonds” featuring Kodak Black produced by London on Da Track and “Move Me” stand out. Kevin Gates, Quavo, and Young Mal also have featured verses. Tay Keith, Bobby Kritical, Cheeze Beatz, Da Honorable C.N.O.T.E,Doughboy, DY, and Lex Luger are among the producers on this album. Overall this is a very street album and Gucci delivered once more. “Woptober II” out now on all streaming platforms.
G-Eazy Scary Nights Review
Bay Area rapper, G-Eazy released his 8-song EP titled “Scary Nights”. There’s been one single off this project titled, “I Wanna Rock” featuring Atlanta rapper, Gunna. The track is produced by Toronto legend, Boi1Da. French Montana and Moneybagg Yo hop on the third track titled, “Full Time Cappers”. Tracks, “Big Ben” featuring Preme, “Demons and Angels” featuring Miguel andThe Game, and Gunna’s verse on “I Wanna Rock” are highlights on this project. Overall it’s a solid 6 out of 10. G-Eazy’s EP, “Scary Nights” out now on all streaming platforms now.
Top Songs of the Week 10/6-10/13
This weeks top songs include a strictly hip hop playlist. You can listen by clicking the picture above, and it will take you to the Dead Presidents’ SoundCloud. Now let’s get to the music. After NBA YoungBoy released his mixtape, ‘A.I YoungBoy 2’ the Baton Rouge rapper had two songs that stood out. Tracks, “Head Blown” & “In Control” made the cut. New York rap had its fair share of tracks on this weeks top songs. Rapper Lil Tjay has two songs, “No Escape” & “One Take” off his new album titled, ‘True 2 Myself’. A Boogie Wit a Hoodie & Lil Tecca collaborated on a track produced by Internet Money titled, “Somebody”. The music video is also out now. Wale, Gucci Mane, Lil Baby, and Pusha T are the remaining artists featured on this weeks top songs. Click the picture above to listen. Enjoy.
NBA Youngboy’s AI YoungBoy 2 Review
Baton Rouge rapper, YoungBoy Never Broke Again released the 18-track mixtape titled, ‘AI YoungBoy 2’. After being in and out of jail for the past two years the 19-year old released the sequel to his 2017 mixtape, A.I YoungBoy. He hopes the follow-up can receive the same commercial success like the first project did. Both singles from his September two song EP, “The Continuance” made the cut for the tape. Savanah, Georgia native Quando Rondo and time rapper, NoCap were the only two listed features on the entire project.
Mike WiLL Made-It, Buddha Bless, Louie Bandz, Jetsonmade, and Wheezy are just some of the producers on this project. The tracks that stand out are, “Head Blown”, “In Control”, & “Lonely Child”. YoungBoy made a solid sequel to his debut project. A.I YoungBoy 2 out now on all streaming platforms.
Lil Tjay’s True 2 Myself Review
New York rapper, Lil Tjay released his album titled, ‘True 2 Myself’. It released with a documentary that you can watch below. It’s 17 tracks, however 7 of them were put out prior to the release date as singles. It has two bonus songs that are both remixes of older Tjay singles, “Brothers” and “Leaked”. Lil Durk hops on “Brothers”. This collaboration is no surprise because Tjay has said that Durk has been an influence to him musically. Lil Wayne has a verse on the hit song, “Leaked” to conclude the album. Lil Baby, Jay Critch, & Rileyy Lanez are the other three lyrical features on this album. Some producers on this project were, JD On Tha Track, CashMoneyAP, Nagra, and many more. I wished this album had more new songs instead of seven singles and two remixes. This was a plot made by Columbia Records to raise the first week album sales. The songs that stood out that weren’t singles was definitely the introduction song, “One Take” & the 15th track, “No Escape”.
Thursday night a lot of anticipated music was released. Rappers, Boe Sosa, Travis Scott, Cam’ron, Danny Brown all dropped music, among others. Travis Scott releases his highly anticipated single, “Highest In the Room”. Cam’ron released his first single off his upcoming album, the song is titled, “Believe in Flee”. NBA YoungBoy and Juice Wrld collaborated on their new song titled, “Bandit”. Central California rapper, Boe Sosa released his long awaited project, “Sosa Story”. The album is 12 songs long. Detroit rapper, Danny Brown released his 11-song album, “uknowhatimsayin¿”. It features Blood Orange, JPEGMAFIA, and Run The Jewels
among others. Rapper Pop Smoke released the single, “War” that features a solid Lil Tjay verse. We didn’t cover every single piece of music that released, but we got all the major points. Check out all this music on all streaming platforms.
Travis Scott announced today that his long awaited single, “Highest In the Room” is releasing October 4th. He announced the release date on his Instagram page with the caption saying,
“ ‘DROP HIGHEST’ - bet
See u on the 4th”
This song is long awaited by his hard core fan base who follows different snippets and leaks. This song has leaked on and off SoundCloud for quite some time now. This would be the Houston Rapper’s first single of 2019. He hasn’t been releasing any of his own music this year but after selling out his entire tour, getting his own Netflix documentary, & having arguably the sneaker of the year with Jordan Brand, this has been a very successful year for him.
This week’s top songs features singles and stand out songs from albums that recently dropped. Just click the picture above to listen on the Dead President’s Young M.A is fresh off the release of her debut album, “Herstory In the Making”. The New York rapper has two songs on this weeks list. DaBaby & Kevin Gates both released albums this past weekend. Yes, both are featured on this weeks list as well. Lil Tecca & Lil Tjay both released new singles this past week and you can listen to both now on this weeks top songs. Enjoy.
Kanye West has announced a documentary about the making of his new album “Jesus Is King”. The Chicago rapper previewed the film at an event at Detroit’s Fox Theatre, and named it “Jesus Is King: A Kanye West Experience,”. He also held a similar event Saturday night at Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre. The documentary, premieres in IMAX theaters on Friday, October 25. The film follows West and a team of musicians at the Roden Crater, a new installation by the artist James Turrell in Arizona’s Painted Desert. James Turrell is known for his “light healing” art, which Kanye has implemented in his indoor Sunday services. The poster for the film is below. The album “Jesus is King” is supposed to release September 29th, but we’ll see if we actually get an album. As it was suppose to release the 27th. When the album does come stay tuned for a full review of the album.
Brooklyn rapper, Young M.A released her latest project titled, “ Herstory in the Making”. This is her long awaited debut album. It’s been three whole years since her hit single, “Ooouuu” was released. It features production from Zaytoven, Mike Zombie, Amadeus, and NY Bangers, among others. This is the follow up to the EP titled, “Herstory” that was released in 2017. The singles on this album are “BIG”& “PettyWap”. The whole album is 21 songs in total. Max YB features on “Sober Thoughts” & “NNAN” with Relle Bey. This album displays Young M.A’s raw rapping ability. Songs like “Smoove Kriminal” & “Stubborn Ass” are very street. This is a great debut album for the Blood rapper. “Herstory in the Making” out now on all streaming platforms.
Thursday night on the west coast, and midnight on the east coast, DaBaby released his second album of 2019. “KIRK” is out now on all streaming platforms. This is how you want to cap off a career year. The 13-song album is majority produced by Jetsonmade, who has produced “Suge”, “Goin’ Baby”, and a lot of DaBaby’s earlier music. London on Da Track, CashMoneyAP, and Kenny Beats are also producing features. The album starts with the only single, “Intro” which is more lyrical and conscious hip hop. It then turns to his turnt up sound, which is what he’s known for, in the second track titled “OFF THE RIP”. Stunna 4 Vegas’ verse on “REALLY” was the best feature on this album. I wouldn’t be surprised if songs like, “GOSPEL” with Chance the Rapper and Gucci Mane & “IPHONE” with the newly retired Nicki Minaj, were to blow up and get mainstream attention. Lil Baby & Moneybagg Yo did their thing on “Toes”. After being featured on this years XXL Freshman class, DaBaby used his cypher verse on the outro titled, “XXL”. Overall this is a great follow up to arguably the album of the year in, “Baby on Baby”. You now know that DaBaby will be here for a long time. “KIRK” out now on all platforms.
Charlotte rapper, DaBaby has announced that he is releasing his second album of 2019 this Friday. It is going to be titled “Kirk” after his late father. The lead single, “Intro” was released this past week, and now it’s the number 1 song in America. After the success of Baby on Baby that was released towards the beginning of the year, expect this album to be on the top of Billboard charts for a while. DaBaby has had the best 2019 of anyone, and he talks about how far he’s come on “Intro”. The review for the album will be coming Thursday night. You can pre-order “Kirk” now.
This week’s top song features DaBaby’s first single in 6 months titled, “Intro”. There’s also a couple of unreleased songs on this week’s top songs by Lil Tecca and Playboi Carti, respectively. Up and coming artist, Kwe The Artist’s latest single “Wasabi” makes the cut so check it out. We couldn’t leave out the Memphis scene, so we put in NLE Choppa & BlocBoy JB’s latest collaboration titled, “ChopBloc Part 2”. After releasing his emo-rap project this past weekend, Lil Tracy’s “Beautiful Nightmare” stood out the most. ABG Neal, K$upreme, Mcashole, and Yung Bleu are also featured. Check it out by clicking the photo above. Enjoy.
This past Thursday night, the classic rap duo, Gang Starr released its first song in 16 years. “Family and Loyalty” is the lead single to Gang Starr’s upcoming project. It features a classic chopped piano sample beat by DJ Premier, and the duo’s first collaboration with J. Cole. Cole has said that this will be his last feature, and tweeted “This a honor to be on this song.” The late Guru and Cole go back in forth on this classic beat. This is a refreshing track for the people who are sick and tired of this new generation of hip-hop. Be on the lookout for Gang Starr’s upcoming project.
Virginia Beach rapper, Lil Tracy released his 8-track project titled, “Anarchy”. This emo-rap album is dedicated to Tracy’s late friend and frequent collaborator, Lil Peep. “Bad For You” & “Beautiful Nightmare” were the singles put out prior to the album being released. This is Tracy’s most emotional piece of work he’s ever put out. The beats are a mixture of alternative-rock and trap. There are no features on this project. The tracks that stick out the most are “Halo”, “Beautiful Nightmare”, and “Tight Rope”. This sub-genre of rap music isn’t for everyone, but if you’re into that GBC & underground type of music this is definitely a project for you. “Anarchy” out now on all streaming platforms.
This past Friday, September 13th, Atlanta rapper K$UPREME & St.Louis producer, ChaseTheMoney released their collaborative mixtape, “Caught Fire”. The tape is a nine song project. It includes the Bhunna produced track, “Gucci Cologne”. The sound is very 808 heavy. These are songs perfect for the AUX in your car. Everyone knows the K$UPREME is old classmates with fellow Atlanta rapper, Lil Yachty. Lil Yachty has a feature with Chief Keef on the banger, “Hot Ham”. Earl On The Beat also has a production feature on the track , “Up Now”. “Chasin That Money” & “Hot Ham” are the songs that stand out the most. Overall this is a solid 9-track project. “Caught Fire” out now on all platforms.
Kanye West is releasing his 12-song album, “Jesus is King” on Friday, September 27th. This album was previously titled “Yandhi” and was only supposed to have 7 songs for a total of 21 minutes. He made the album announcement during a surprise appearance in Batesville, Indiana. Lil Wayne, Migos, Timbaland, 2 Chainz, & Ty Dolla $ign are rumored to be features on this album. After the Sunday Services that Ye has been having you can kinda tell what
DaBaby hops on Lil Nas X’s hit song “Panini” for a remix. It posted on YouTube about an hour ago. DaBaby has had arguably the best 2019 out of anyone in the rap game. Peep it down below.
Kid Cudi will headline ComplexCon 2019. ComplexCon will take place in Long Beach, CA for its fourth annual two-day get-together from Nov. 2-3. Cudi is also on the cover of Complex’s newest issue with Bape founder, NIGO. It’s titled “The Originators”. Kid Cudi made his first performance after his rehab stint at the first ComplexCon in 2016. His new album “Entergalatic” is set to release soon, so hopefully he might premiere some songs off the project. You can buy the tickets for ComplexCon on Complex.com.
Top Songs of the Week
The top songs of this week are now up on the Dead President’s SoundCloud. This weeks playlist contains a couple Lil Tecca songs off his latest tape “We Love You Tecca”. Jay Critch makes an appearance with his new “KD Freestyle”. IDK, Post Malone, and Bravo Tha Bagchaser also have tracks on the top songs of the week. You can listen to the playlist by clicking the photo above or search Dead Presidents on SoundCloud. Enjoy.
New York rapper and currently incarcerated, 6ix9ine’s former associate “Shotti” aka “TR3YWAY” is sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. He’s currently 37 years old. 6ix9ine still awaits his sentencing which will happen after he testified against his kidnappers next week in court. The internet is boring 6ix9ine’s trolling . Even though he “snitched” most people couldn’t deny how good the music was and what a run he was on. Obviously if 6ix9ine can come home soon there’s a chance we’ll hear more music from him. Stay tuned for more details on 6ix9ine’s sentencing.
Atlanta rapper, Lil Gotit has leaked his new mixtape, “The Real Goat” on SoundCloud. He leaked it because of frustration with his label, Alamo Records. The project was set to release this month but the record label planned on postponing the release date. Real name Semaja Render, has already had to postpone the release date for the same reason earlier this year. Gotit released the mixtape all on one track that is almost 50 minutes long on his official SoundCloud. Render’s plan might backfire because when the mixtape officially releases on all platforms his sales will be significantly low. If everyone has already listened to the tape on SoundCloud they probably won’t listen on anything else when it officially drops. To listen now just click the picture. For more details stay tuned.
After releasing his debut project last week titled, “We Love You Tecca”, New York rapper Lil Tecca is set to have the #1 rap album in the United States. The 17-year-old artist is on pace to sell between 55-65k this week. That beats out Young Thug’s projected, 50-55k for his second week sales of his recent album, “So Much Fun”. Lil Tecca will have the #4 album in all genres on the Billboard US Chart. Tecca’s debut album is among some of the top selling rap projects of 2019. He’s accomplished a lot in a short amount of time.
Netflix released a trailer for its first music competition series, titled, Rhythm + Flow. This show will star T.I, Chance the Rapper, and Cardi B as the judges. After the show being announced in early 2018, Netflix unveiled the first teaser for the series during Cardi B’s set at the Made in America Festival. The three-week, 10-episode series will arrive on the streaming service on October 9th. Stay tuned for more details
17 year old, Long Island rapper, Lil Tecca has released his debut project, “We Love You Tecca”. He’s had an eventful week. After getting his own episode for Complex’s Sneaker Shopping with Joe La Puma on his 17th birthday , and Kevin Durant shouting him out for his love for the KD 6. This is Tecca’s perfect time to release a project due to the recent promo. Tecca personally produced some of the tracks on this project along with Nick Mira and Danny Wolf among others. This album is very dancehall music, it’s very laid back but upbeat. This is the new New York, east coast sound. This is Tecca proving he’s not just a one hit wonder to the world after “Ransom” blew up. Some of the songs were already out or the snippet was put out on Tecca’s Instagram. It’s a very solid first project. “We Love You Tecca” out now on all streaming platforms.
Top Songs of August
In the month of August there weren’t that many huge singles out, however there were a couple of pretty big projects that have come out. From “So Much Fun” to Quality Control’s new collective to even Dom Kennedy’s collective. If you’re in to mainstream or more underground rap music, from coast to coast this list is for you. It was hard to put up 10 songs of the month since there have been some superb music coming out. You can listen to all these songs on the Dead Presidents’ SoundCloud. Just click any of the pictures down below and it’ll take you straight to the SoundCloud. Enjoy.
HOT - Young Thug ft. Gunna
This Wheezy produced track is fresh off Thugger’s new album, “So Much Fun”. This song will definitely chart high, and will have commercial success.
HOT - Young Thug ft. Gunna
This Wheezy produced track is fresh off Thugger’s new album, “So Much Fun”. This song will definitely chart high, and will have commercial success.
Big Tipper- Young Thug ft. Lil Keed
Another song off of “So Much Fun” this time it’s Lil Keed on the feature. This Southside produced song is one of the more slept on songs of this really good project.
Another song off of “So Much Fun” this time it’s Lil Keed on the feature. This Southside produced song is one of the more slept on songs of this really good project.
Pink Toes - Offset & DaBaby ft. Gunna
This joint comes from Quality Control’s new label wide collective. The recorder on the beat goes crazy with all three rapper’s different flows. DaBaby stands out the most, but still a strong verse from Gunna, and a fire hook from Offset.
This joint comes from Quality Control’s new label wide collective. The recorder on the beat goes crazy with all three rapper’s different flows. DaBaby stands out the most, but still a strong verse from Gunna, and a fire hook from Offset.
Once Again - Lil Yachty ft. Tee Grizzley
The Helluva produced track gives the audience “From the D to the A” flashbacks. This is another track off of the Quality Control Collective. The two rappers go back to back once more for another banger.
The Helluva produced track gives the audience “From the D to the A” flashbacks. This is another track off of the Quality Control Collective. The two rappers go back to back once more for another banger.
Back On - Lil Baby
This is definitely my personal favorite song off the whole QC collective. This joint produced by frequent Lil Baby collaborator, Quay Global.
This is definitely my personal favorite song off the whole QC collective. This joint produced by frequent Lil Baby collaborator, Quay Global.
Show It - Dom Kennedy
This track comes from the collective, “OPM Presents: Young Nation, Vol. 2”. This is one of the smooth tracks of a smooth project.
This track comes from the collective, “OPM Presents: Young Nation, Vol. 2”. This is one of the smooth tracks of a smooth project.
Shit I’m on - Dom Kennedy ft. Quentin Miller
Another song on the OPM collective this time it’s with a Quentin Miller feature. This song displays the lyrical skills of both rappers. This is one for the old heads.
Another song on the OPM collective this time it’s with a Quentin Miller feature. This song displays the lyrical skills of both rappers. This is one for the old heads.
Watching - RJmrLA
This is a track off of Compton artist, RJmrLA’s debut album. The album is title “On God”. Check out the album it’s very overlooked. This is the best song on the album in my opinion.
This is a track off of Compton artist, RJmrLA’s debut album. The album is title “On God”. Check out the album it’s very overlooked. This is the best song on the album in my opinion.
Fell in Love - Fenix Flexin
This is Fenix Flexin’s first single out on all streaming platforms. Be on the lookout for his collab project with fellow LA rapper, BravoTheBagChaser. It’s set to drop September 11th.
This is Fenix Flexin’s first single out on all streaming platforms. Be on the lookout for his collab project with fellow LA rapper, BravoTheBagChaser. It’s set to drop September 11th.
100 Racks - Offset ft. Playboi Carti
This has been heavily anticipated ever since the snippet came out on Offset’s Instagram live. This song is one of the best on the QC’s collective. This song is gonna blow up more than it already has.
This has been heavily anticipated ever since the snippet came out on Offset’s Instagram live. This song is one of the best on the QC’s collective. This song is gonna blow up more than it already has.
Houston Rapper, Travis Scott released his Netflix documentary at midnight. It’s titled “Travis Scott: Look Mom I Can Fly”. It’s about an hour and 25 minutes. It’s directed by White Trash Tyler, who has directed a number of Travis Scott music videos in the past. It takes place during the time he was recording his Grammy-Award nominated album, “Astroworld”. It talks about his rags to riches lifestyle all the way to his new role in fatherhood. It’s a very intimate documentary, and I suggest you check it out.
The late XXXTENTACION will be releasing his second posthumous album, “Bad Vibes Forever”. The album is said to have collabs from blink-182, Lil Wayne, Lil Nas X, Tory Lanez, Mavado, Ky-Mani Marley, Stefflon Don, Vybz Kartel and more. The album is set to have all types of genres of music. There’s going to be alternative rock, rap, and even a country song. X talked about this album in 2017 saying, “It will be a mix of genres you have seen me dabble with, if you are not a fan of me this is not an album for you, it is for core fans only." No exact release date is set yet, it’s set to release sometime this fall so stay tuned. R.I.P Janseh.
Atlanta rapper, Lil Gotit has 35 Tracks on his upcoming album “Hood Baby 2" Featuring: Young Thug, Quavo, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Tee Grizzley, Gunna, Lil Yachty, Blocboy JB, Lil Keed, and more. Zaytoven and Wheezy are among some of the top producers featured on the project. This project is a sequel to his 2018 album, “Hood Baby” which features: Gunna, Lil Keed, and HoodRich Pablo Juan, among others. A release date is set to be announced but it expect it soon. If you haven’t checked out Lil Gotit, I suggest you do so. His music is on all streaming platforms. For more details stay tuned.
Young Thug’s latest album, “So Much Fun” is set to sell 150k first week. He did put the radio hit “The London” on the album so that’s why it’s higher than previous Thug projects. With “Hot” featuring Gunna blowing up on the internet more and more, maybe the album sells more than 150k. This is a win for Young Thug because a lot of rappers haven’t had much success selling albums as of recent. I say the album goes for 160-175k by the end of the work week. Stay tuned for more.
Quality Control’s sophomore collective is even better than the first one. The intro with Gucci Mane and Lil Yachty gives you that feeling that this collective is going to be special, and that the city of Atlanta is in good hands. The intro is immediately followed by another Helluva Beat produced collaboration of Lil Yachty and Tee Grizzley titled, “Once Again”. Songs like Offset’s, “100 Racks” featuring Playboi Carti will be hits and blow up. Helluva, Tay Keith, Wheezy, Southside, Earl On the Beat, DJ Da Real are among some of the producers on this 36 song project. All of the people brought in to the studio to make this project possible delivered. Lil Yachty, DaBaby, Offset, and Lil Baby stood out the most rapping wise. Newcomers; 24Heavy, Duke Duece, Jordan Hollywood, and Marlo are going to be artists to look out for looking forward. “Control the Streets, Vol.2” is a good one, out now on all streaming platforms.
Young Thug’s latest album is everything Atlanta is standing for in this rap game. The album’s tone is set right away with the intro, “Just How it Is”. Songs like “Ectasy” displays his different flows and he’s going hard being a rapper. With features by artists from Zone 4 to Zone 6 like Lil Keed, Future,Lil Baby, Gunna, and 21 Savage. It also features a Lil Uzi Vert verse on the upbeat song “What’s the Move”. Rexdale’s very own Nav, features on the DJ Mustard produced track, “Boy Back”. Young Thug by himself delivered on all aspects. Wheezy, Southside, DJ Mustard and everyone else who produced on this project gave Thug some of their best beats. Everyone who featured on this gave some of their best verses. Expect to see this album on “album of the year” lists towards the end of the year. “So Much Fun” out now on all platforms.
Harlem Rapper, A$AP Rocky has been found guilty of assault for his Sweden incident. Unfortunately it will equal no jail time, because the judge ruled a suspended sentence. A suspended sentence is serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation. The victim will be paid for being assaulted, the amount is disclosed. It’s debatable if he deserved jail time which he does because he broke the law, and he had security with him for a reason. He knew he wasn’t a Swedish citizen and still put himself in that situation. For more details stay tuned.
This Thursday night is going to be huge for Atlanta rap. The Atlanta-based record label, Quality Control Music is releasing a 36 song label wide collective, ‘Control The Streets, Volume 2’. The first collective they dropped brought Lil Baby to relevance. Some of the features listed are Playboi Carti, Meek Mill, Travis Scott, & Gunna as well as other big rap artists. Tay Keith, Zaytoven,Wheezy , & Mustard are among some of the producers on this collective. Expect a lot of hits coming off of this label wide project. Young Thug on the other hand, is releasing his new album, ‘So much Fun’. J. Cole is executive producing the whole album. ‘The London’ will be on this album (shoutout t-minus). Atlanta is in it’s bag for this week, reviews for both projects with be on the site Thursday night.
A Juice Wrld remix of Lil Tecca’s hit song, ‘Ransom’ has surfaced the Internet. The Chicago rapper hops on the summer anthem for a verse. It’s not clear if it will be released soon, but the leaked remix is at a very high quality and it’s finished so it sounds as official as it can. To listen to the remix just click the picture above.
This past Friday, a new collective released. ‘Opm Presents: Young Nation, Vol. 2’ dropped on all platforms. O.P.M stands for Other People’s Money, if you’re a Dom Kennedy fan you probably already knew that. This collective is Dom Kennedy led, if the song isn’t his, then he has a feature on somebody else’s song. Jay 305, The Game, Quentin Miller, & Niko G4 among others are featured on this project. The sound is strictly west coast, you can hear it in all the beats. The project’s vibe is very laid back, there’s no 808’s and you can’t mosh pit to these songs. These are songs you can just cruise in your car in on a weekend. That’s not taking away from how good this collective is. This is one of the most slept on projects of the summer. If you get the chance check out O.P.M’s latest collective. It’s worth the listen. ‘Young Nation, Vol. 2’ out now everywhere.
A new Lil Uzi Vert song leaked. ‘Zoom’ has just been leaked. The song’s snippet was posted by Uzi on his Instagram in September of 2017. It was projected to be on his long awaited album, ‘Eternal Atake’. Since the album is not out yet,more and more leaks have been coming out. Hurry and listen ASAP before it gets taken down. The song is produced by Wheezy, and you can listen now on SoundCloud, click the picture to listen. Stay tuned for more Lil Uzi Vert and Eternal Atake news. Find all new leaks right here before anywhere else.
A new song from frequent collaborators, Travis Scott and Swae Lee recently leaked. The leaked is titled, ‘In my Head’. It’s a Travis Scott song with the Rae Sremmurd member listed as a feature. The song is very upbeat with a summer vibe. You can definitely see this being played on the radio. It is unknown which this will be on a new Travis Scott project or will be released as a single, if released at all. You can listen down below. Stay tuned for more details and updates about this leak and music news in general.
Top Songs of the Week
• F.N - Lil Tjay
Die Today - Lil Uzi Vert
• On one- RJmrLA ft. ScHoolboy Q
• Real LA Shit- RJmrLA ft. Joe Moses
• One Two - Ugly God
• Running the Streets- Rick Ross ft. A Boogie wit da Hoodie & Denzel Curry
• Maybach Music IV - Rick Ross ft. Lil Wayne & John Legend
Top Stories
Atlanta trap legend, Young Thug is rumored to be releasing his highly anticipated album next week. August 16 is the rumored release date. A track listing will be released soon with features & producers on his latest project. A new Young Thug solo project is long overdue, & the industry needs new music from him. Expect Metro Boomin, Wheezy, and Zaytoven and others on production. Stay tuned for more news for Thugger’s new project and if the rumor is even true or not.
Toronto’s own, Tory Lanez releases a ‘Suge’ remix with Joyner Lucas. It’s a 6 minute long remix of DaBaby’s hit summer anthem. After Joyner Lucas and Tory Lanez had a lyrical beef in November of 2018, the two kept it on wax and squashed it to collaborate on this remix. Expect more music from Tory Lanez coming soon he’s been working on his R&B tape, Chixtape 5 which will hopefully drop soon. For more details on new music and news from these two artists, stay tuned.
LA rapper, RJmrLA is releasing his debut album, ‘On God’. It’s set to release August 9th but will probably be out the 8th at 9pm pacific standard time. The lead single is “Time” featuring Young Thug. The track list has been out for some time now, and the remaining features are majority fellow west coast artists. ScHoolboy Q, Mozzy, Joe Moses, & Ty Dolla $ign are among some of the artists featured on this project. Expect some DJ Mustard type beats with that signature LA sound. If you don’t know who this artist is he’s collaborated with both YG & Joe Moses among others, and has gained popularity in LA as of recent. You can pre-order tonight and listen tomorrow night or at midnight if you’re on the east coast.
Atlanta rappers; Young Thug, Future, Lil Baby, & Gunna have announced that they’re working on ‘Super Slimey 2’. It will be a mix of ‘Drip Harder’ (2018 Lil Baby & Gunna tape) and ‘Super Slimey’ (2017 Future & Young Thug tape). You can assume that Metro Boomin, Tay Keith, Wheezy, & Zaytoven will be on production after pictures of them leaked in the studio with the four Atlanta rappers. Hopefully, a tour will follow the release of the project. Stay tuned for a release date and a track list.
At OVO Fest in Toronto, Drake announced that his OVO artist, PARTYNEXTDOOR will be releasing new music soon. He hasn’t released any music since his 2017 EP, ‘Seven Days’. A lot of people have been wondering about the Canadian artist. He went ghost on social media. There’s been different rumors and teases about new music & him writing for other artists. He’s probably been writing for Drake’s upcoming album. For release dates and news for PARTYNEXTDOOR, stay tuned.
Why Memphis is the Best City to Produce Rappers right now.
In the 90’s, Juicy J & Three 6 Mafia ran the Memphis scene. Today , Memphis has produced some of the top young artists in hip hop. Seshollowaterboyz artists, Xavier Wulf and Chris Travis are underground artists who both reign from Memphis. These artists have that “cloud rap” sound, other “cloud rap” artists are SpaceGhostPurrp & early A$AP Mob. Both Wulf & Travis have been popular in the underground since around 2013. In Xavier Wulf’s flow you can definitely hear a Bone Thugs-N-Harmony inspired type of cadence. They both listed Bone Thugs and Three 6 Mafia as key influences. This sound is more dark and relaxed, but yet fast paced at the same time.
There’s also another side of Memphis Rap. There’s more of a trap sound going on that started with Young Dolph. His flow is casual but confident at the same time. His relevance started in 2016 when he collaborated with O.T Genasis for the song, ‘Cut It’. In 2018, another Memphis artist blew up by the name of BlocBoy JB. His music was all produced by Memphis producer, Tay Keith, who later went on to produce for major artists such as Future, Drake, and Beyoncé. BlocBoy rose to mainstream stardom with his collaboration with Drake on the song, ‘Look Alive’. There’s also been other rappers that have blown up recently such as Key Glock and NLE Choppa. Both have similar flows to Young Dolph but still very original in their own ways. Memphis is the present and the future looks bright. The music the city has produced recently is undeniable because how good it’s been. If you haven’t heard of any of the artists I’ve mentioned in this article then check them out you’ll be surprised in a good way about what you’re listening to.
Chicago rapper, Chance the Rapper recently said that his 2013 mixtape, ‘Acid Rap’ is the greatest album of all time. Now to be technical it was a mixtape so it shouldn’t qualify for “the greatest album of all time”. ‘Acid Rap’ is Chance the Rapper’s best project to date and it is the project that put him all the way on. No matter how good that project was it wasn’t even the best project of 2013, let alone ‘greatest album of all time’. It’s not better than Childish Gambino’s “Because of the Internet” or Kanye West’s “Yeezus”, both rap albums that released that same year. Now I know he’s probably one of the more confident artists when it comes to their own music, but greatest album of all time is a stretch to say the least. Not to knock Chance the Rapper as an artist , but there’s simply been better artists since he’s been relevant, let alone every great artist before Chance. Now there’s been so many phenomenal rap albums, not including the great albums from every other genre of music. There’s no “correct” answer when it comes to this topic, but it’s safe to say that ‘Acid Rap’ is the greatest album of all time, is incorrect. I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion especially when it comes to music, but saying ‘Acid Rap’ is the greatest album of all time is like saying Kelly Oubre is the greatest basketball player of all time.
Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky, and two other suspects are reportedly free until August 14th, when the assault verdict will be announced. Unfortunately, he will be free to come back home in the United States. President Donald Trump took to Twitter to celebrate Rocky being freed. There’s no official proof that the President had anything to do with the rapper and the two other suspects, members of Rocky’s crew, Bladi and Thoto being freed.
Drake will be releasing ‘Care Package’, a collective of songs that were put on OVO Sound Radio, or were only on SoundCloud. It will be available Friday. Although this collective features no new music, all of the music will finally be available for all streaming platforms. If you haven’t heard any of the songs on this ‘project’, it has a J. Cole and a Rick Ross feature. Since it’s Drake & it’ll be put out as an ‘album’, it’ll probably chart. Boi-1da, Noah ‘40’ Shebib, and Vinylz are among some of the producers on this collective. They’re all frequent producers of Drake and OVO music. Some of this music goes as far back as 2012. If it’s your first time listening to these songs, or it’s been a long time since you’ve heard these songs, you should check this collective out because these songs were hits when they were first released and they’re still hits to this day.
The LA based radio station, Real 92.3 is holding a hip hop festival in the OC. It’s from August 10-11, in Anaheim at the Honda center grounds.On the first day, Future & Meek Mill headline. On the second day , newly incarcerated ASAP Rocky & Atlanta trap group Migos headline. Since the ASAP Rocky case is on trial in Sweden at the moment, don’t expect a performance from the Harlem rapper. His replacement is yet to be announced. You can buy the tickets at realstreet.frontgatetickets.com.
Top Songs of July
This month in music was the same as the weather, summer heat. All regions of the country showed out and dropped some high quality music the whole month, from start to finish. Now selecting the top songs were hard, there was a lot of music that released that was very high quality but I had to cut it down to the best of the best. You can find the whole playlist on the Dead Presidents’ SoundCloud. Tap the photo to hear the song. Here’s your top songs for the month of July.
Bossanova- Lil Tecca
This is a Nick Mira produced track that is a great follow up to ‘Ransom’. More to come from Lil Tecca, he announced his new project will release at the end of the summer, and he posts snippets of new songs on his Instagram regularly.
This is a Nick Mira produced track that is a great follow up to ‘Ransom’. More to come from Lil Tecca, he announced his new project will release at the end of the summer, and he posts snippets of new songs on his Instagram regularly.
That Gold Roses- Rick Ross ft Drake
This is the follow up song to ‘Money on the Grave’. The Maybach X OVO collaboration is almost 6 whole minutes of bars for bars with a Drake hook. This is a quality track by frequent collaborators Drake & Rick Ross.
She Ready -D Savage
One of the best tracks on the Los Angeles artists’ newest album, ‘Trust No one’.
One of the best tracks on the Los Angeles artists’ newest album, ‘Trust No one’.
100 Shells- Yung Bans ft. YNW Melly
Another collaboration between Atlanta artist, Yung Bans & incarcerated south Florida artist, YNW Melly. This is on Yung Bans’ newest album, ‘Misunderstood’
Another collaboration between Atlanta artist, Yung Bans & incarcerated south Florida artist, YNW Melly. This is on Yung Bans’ newest album, ‘Misunderstood’
Mayday - Chase B ft Sheck Wes & Young Thug
The long overdue release of this song came earlier this month. With a hook from Sheck Wes and a Thugger verse you can’t go wrong.
The long overdue release of this song came earlier this month. With a hook from Sheck Wes and a Thugger verse you can’t go wrong.
100 Shooters- Future ft Meek Mill & Doe Boy
The first of two singles this month from Future, features a Tay Keith beat and strong verses from Meek Mill & Cleveland-based rapper Doe Boy.
The first of two singles this month from Future, features a Tay Keith beat and strong verses from Meek Mill & Cleveland-based rapper Doe Boy.
Overtime- Big Sean
The song marks the return of the Detroit rapper. This song was immediately followed up by “Single Again”.
The song marks the return of the Detroit rapper. This song was immediately followed up by “Single Again”.
Antisocial- Ed Sheeran ft Travis Scott
This song has been leaked for months and was finally officially released on Ed Sheeran’s latest album, ‘No.6 Collaborations Project’.
This song has been leaked for months and was finally officially released on Ed Sheeran’s latest album, ‘No.6 Collaborations Project’.
Laneswitch- Lil Tjay
The JD On the Track produced single by Bronx rapper Lil Tjay is simply hard.
The JD On the Track produced single by Bronx rapper Lil Tjay is simply hard.
Reflection- Young Dolph & Key Glock
One of the better songs on Memphis artists collaboration project, ‘Dum and Dummer’.
One of the better songs on Memphis artists collaboration project, ‘Dum and Dummer’.
34-Odin McQueen
Buena Parks finest, Odin McQueen released his 5-song EP this week, “Blessing in Disguise”. ‘34’ is the toughest track on the project.
Buena Parks finest, Odin McQueen released his 5-song EP this week, “Blessing in Disguise”. ‘34’ is the toughest track on the project.
Spice LN- Maxo Kream
Houston legend, Maxo Kream released his album earlier this month, “Brandon Banks” there were a lot of good songs to pick from, but ‘Spice LN’ was my personal favorite.
Houston legend, Maxo Kream released his album earlier this month, “Brandon Banks” there were a lot of good songs to pick from, but ‘Spice LN’ was my personal favorite.
XXL Freshman List Review
This years XXL Freshman Class wrapped up its annual freestyles, cyphers,& roundtable interviews. Every year there are artists that you wish made the cover, and others that you would easily replace. Let’s go through the pros & cons of this years class.
Pros of The List
• DaBaby
The Charlotte rapper is having arguably the best 2019 out of any rapper. After dropping his album, “Baby on Baby” the rapper went from only being known by die-hard rap fans to being mainstream. He has, in my opinion, the song of the summer in his hit song “Suge”. Even though his freestyle and cypher verse were written and performed prior to the cover, he definitely deserved to be on this cover, and XXL was spot on in selecting him.
•Roddy Ricch
Roddy Ricch has been blowing up since he dropped the mixtape “Feed Tha Streets” in 2017. After a Meek Mill co-sign and releasing his hit single “Die Young” he’s risen to stardom. The Compton rapper sounds like he’s from Zone 6, rather than from south central Los Angeles. His freestyle and cypher were both strong. His spot on this years cover was well deserved.
•YBN Cordae
Cordae is the second YBN member to be on this list after YBN Nahmir was on the 2018 list. YBN Cordae is another North Carolina rapper who is very technical for his age and in this era of hip hop. He just released his debut album, “ The Lost Boy” which features Pusha T, Meek Mill, & Ty Dolla $ign. He’s a young rapper who brings that “golden era” of hip hop back with a modern twist.
Cons of the List
•Gunna
The Atlanta rapper had no business being on this years list. He should’ve been on the 2018 cover instead. He’s a credited and successful artist who doesn’t need XXL to boost his career, because the XXL targeted audience is already familiar with Gunna. He didn’t participate in any of the XXL Freshman activities so there was no point of him being on this list. It took away from an artist who could actually use this magazine to boost their career.
Replacement Artist: Lil Keed
•Lil Mosey
Personally, I’m a fan of the Seattle born artist’s music, but when it comes to XXL you should bring it to promote yourself and your brand. Mosey didn’t do that, with that being said there were better candidates from the start who would’ve performed better.
Replacement Artist: NLE Choppa/Lil Tjay
•YK Osiris
When it comes to R&B artists on the freshman list, it shouldn’t just be anyone it should be someone special, YK Osiris isn’t meant for this list. When it came to the cypher his style just simply didn’t match . XXL should’ve done a better job with their selections this year.
Replacement Artist: Lil Tecca
Pros of The List
• DaBaby
The Charlotte rapper is having arguably the best 2019 out of any rapper. After dropping his album, “Baby on Baby” the rapper went from only being known by die-hard rap fans to being mainstream. He has, in my opinion, the song of the summer in his hit song “Suge”. Even though his freestyle and cypher verse were written and performed prior to the cover, he definitely deserved to be on this cover, and XXL was spot on in selecting him.
•Roddy Ricch
Roddy Ricch has been blowing up since he dropped the mixtape “Feed Tha Streets” in 2017. After a Meek Mill co-sign and releasing his hit single “Die Young” he’s risen to stardom. The Compton rapper sounds like he’s from Zone 6, rather than from south central Los Angeles. His freestyle and cypher were both strong. His spot on this years cover was well deserved.
•YBN Cordae
Cordae is the second YBN member to be on this list after YBN Nahmir was on the 2018 list. YBN Cordae is another North Carolina rapper who is very technical for his age and in this era of hip hop. He just released his debut album, “ The Lost Boy” which features Pusha T, Meek Mill, & Ty Dolla $ign. He’s a young rapper who brings that “golden era” of hip hop back with a modern twist.
Cons of the List
•Gunna
The Atlanta rapper had no business being on this years list. He should’ve been on the 2018 cover instead. He’s a credited and successful artist who doesn’t need XXL to boost his career, because the XXL targeted audience is already familiar with Gunna. He didn’t participate in any of the XXL Freshman activities so there was no point of him being on this list. It took away from an artist who could actually use this magazine to boost their career.
Replacement Artist: Lil Keed
•Lil Mosey
Personally, I’m a fan of the Seattle born artist’s music, but when it comes to XXL you should bring it to promote yourself and your brand. Mosey didn’t do that, with that being said there were better candidates from the start who would’ve performed better.
Replacement Artist: NLE Choppa/Lil Tjay
•YK Osiris
When it comes to R&B artists on the freshman list, it shouldn’t just be anyone it should be someone special, YK Osiris isn’t meant for this list. When it came to the cypher his style just simply didn’t match . XXL should’ve done a better job with their selections this year.
Replacement Artist: Lil Tecca
Local rapper, Odin McQueen released his 5-song EP, “Blessing in Disguise”. The projects producers are 703 Crissy, Kid Ocean, and Black Mayo. It’s only up on SoundCloud for now, but it’s worth the app download if you don’t have the app. Project has a strong intro, and songs like “34” and “Crazy” are well-written & well put together. This is the OC rapper’s first project since “Hard Times” was released in 2018. “Blessing in Disguise” out now on SoundCloud. Check it out now, don’t sleep.
NEW MUSIC
Thursday, July 25th the rap game saw new music from all across the country. Lil Tjay from New York dropped his new single, “Laneswitch”. Memphis artists, Key Glock & Young Dolph collaborate on a full 22-song project titled, “Dum and Dumber”. Here in Southern California, D Savage dropped his long awaited project, “Trust No one”.
Lil Tjay
The Bronx rapper’s latest single is now out on all platforms. The track is produced by JD on the Track, who is a frequent collaborator with Lil Tjay and the young rap scene. This isn’t a dancehall track, I’ll tell you that for sure. Lil Tjay demonstrates his street Bronx flow. “Laneswitch” out now on all platforms.
Key Glock & Young Dolph
Two of Memphis’ finest, Key Glock & Young Dolph hit the streets with a collaboration project. With singles, “Baby Joker”& “Crashin’ Out”, the 22 song project has that Memphis sound that gets the people hyped. This is just an example on why Memphis rap now is doing what Chiraq was doing in the early 2010’s. “Dum and Dumber” out now on all platforms.
D Savage
Los Angeles rapper, D Savage dropped his 12 song project. The album opens up with his lead single , “Racks on Me” which goes dumb. The project’s only two features are verses from, HoodRich Pablo Juan & Mpr Tito. “Trust No One” out now on all platforms.
OTHER STORIES
Houston rapper, Maxo Kream released his latest album, “Brandon Banks” this past week. Three words to describe this album, DO NOT SLEEP. Maxo Kream has been active in this game for years, without getting the mainstream attention as other artists that’s come up from his era and area. This is his first album since after signing to Roc Nation in June. He talks about his struggle coming up in the streets of Houston. He also talks about his relationship with his father who’s been incarcerated throughout his life. Travis Scott, ScHoolboy Q, & Megan Thee Stallion are among some of the featured artists on the album. TJ OSINULU, D.A. Doman, Mike Dean, Zaytoven are among the producers on this project. If you call yourself a real hip-hop fan check this album out. “Brandon Banks” out now on all platforms.
After subliminal tweets from Drake & Future about a “What a Time to Be alive” sequel. The song “Big Mood” was leaked on SoundCloud today. Which has since been deleted, and there’s been fake songs by little to nothing SoundCloud rappers using the song title and cover page for clout, so avoid them. There’s no indication that this is a throwaway from the first mixtape, or a song that might feature on the next joint project if there even is one. It could also be neither and just a song they made within these last 4 years, just for fun. Stay tuned for more leaks or if there’s ever any release dates regarding a new Drizzy x Hendrix project.
Big Sean makes his long awaited return to the rap game with his first new single in 2 years with, “Overtime”. The track is produced by Hit-Boy, Key Wane, and the Tucker Brothers. Sean Don talks about the heartbreak he’s been through from the Jhene Aiko breakup and the death of fellow rapper, Nipsey Hussle during his hiatus from music. He also talks about how he influenced a lot of the new Detroit rappers now. That topic is up for debate but Big Sean deserves his credit in the Detroit rap scene. A new album from the Detroit artist is definitely long overdue and is definitely on the way, as he referenced he’s in “album mode“. The game needs a Big Sean album, that’s facts.
Future announces U.S LEGENDARY NIGHTS TOUR with Meek Mill also headlining. The two will be joined on tour with YG & DJ Mustard and Megan Thee Stallion. The tour opens August 28th and concludes on October 8th.
Top Songs of the Week
- “Baby” Lil Baby ft DaBaby
- “Ready Set Go”- Yung Bans ft xxxtentacion & 03 Greedo
- “Mayday”- Chase B ft. Sheck Wes & Young Thug
- “Undefeated”- Future ft. Lil Keed
- “Distractions”- Shordie Shordie
Atlanta rapper, Yung Bans dropped his long awaited album, Misunderstood. After internet feuds with fellow rappers Jaydayoungan & Lil Yachty about the albums name and the sound of the album, it is finally here for the world to hear. The album features YNW Melly, Nav, Lil Durk, 03 Greedo, as well as others.
Harlem artist, A$AP Rocky could be paid 2 million dollars if he’s found not guilty. Since his incarceration he’s had to cancel 12 Swedish shows, and he still has 7 left that are booked through September. He was estimated to make about $100,000 per show. He’s most likely to be held for 6 weeks.