Week #39 ('20) Singles
Welcome to my Singles post, where I go over all of the loose songs released over the past week so. These are songs that are not currently attached to projects, and may either be promotional singles for an upcoming project or songs dropped at the random whim of the artist. I’ll show you the single, where to find it out in the wild, and a little blurb about it for my thoughts/further context. Click here to see previous Singles posts.
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Tha God Fahim & Your Old Droog – Mailman
I’m loving the spooky piano loop on this one, the perfect lead-in to the month of October; a Goosebumps type beat for sure from Fahim. The Dump Gawd is hitting a great flow on here, steady and true, and a couple of scheme changes that have me impressed. Droog comes with a lot more of a sinister and aggressive vibe than he usually does, but that might just be his usual delivery given a bit more weight being in front of this punchy and enveloping beat. There have been a whole host of singles that have come out before this DumpYOD or Tha YOD Fahim or whatever this tape is called comes out, and every one of them has been fucking fire. Looking at some more AOTY material if you’re asking me. No streaming yet on any of these singles, but stay tuned for the official album.
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Polo G – Epidemic
Polo is a master of lacing these melancholy piano beats with his trademark sad reflections, and he’s really just doing what he does best on this single. The hook is a standout, with a great catchy and emotional melody behind it, with the verses hitting some of the same notes but not quite reaching the potency of the chorus. Loving a lot of the lyrics and wordplay he comes with on here; nothing too flashy, but still enough to feel poetic. I wish there were more tracks like this on his GOAT project that came out earlier this year, because this would have been a quality lead single for that album. Is Polo coming out with another album in 2020? We’ll see, I’m all for it.
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YG – Out on Bail
This is a good song, with cute little guitar and harp loops, and a drum section that you can FEEL. Very odd choice for a single leading up to his next album (which comes out next week by the way); it has a decently catchy hook, but it really seems… repeatable rather then memorable if that makes sense? Like I can see this being made to appeal to the TikTok crowd, and within the context of the album I’m sure it will be just fine, but on it’s own it doesn’t hit me like a lot of YG’s other material. Listen to this if you want some music to ride around and feel swaggy to.
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Bryson Tiller – Always Forever
Man. Bryson Tiller. Let me tell you I was 100% on this dudes motherfucking TEAM back in the day, swore this dude was next up. He definitely has had some hits (Exchange hits the soul every time), but after that first album he grew a bit distant. Whether it’s from label issues or industry fatigue, who knows, but Pen Griffey making a comeback in 2020 is something that I am totally ready for, and this single has me ready to believe we got something special coming. Maybe some of you won’t be able to connect to this guy like I do, but his voice is just so magical to me amongst everyone in the R&B world; passionate yet in-control. His melodies are perfect, his falsettos are perfect, I can’t get enough of it. This track is a bit short and formless, but I will take what I can get (like the new deluxe version of T R A P S O U L he put out this week) when I can get it. Any of you sensual R&B lovers out there need to give this a shot.
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Reason (Feat. Vince Staples) – SAUCE
TDE’s least-visible member is FINALLY gearing up to drop a project here in the next few weeks. I don’t remember if his last album was actually released on TDE, but this time around I hope that Reason gets the shine and love he deserves…. Well at least I had *hoped* that, until this past week whenever he dissed Logic out of the blue, an insignificant event that the internet has latched on to as an outlet to channel their dissatisfaction towards TDE as a whole. It’s cringy, and all of you motherfuckers out there need to realize that TDE owes us…..nothing at all. If people like SZA and Isaiah Rashad want to take the time they need to maker their albums *worthy* of a long wait, then by all means use that time. Anyway, got a bit sidetracked there; this single is another great lead-in to the album, having this dark yet playful nature that Reason can really stretch in. Vince is a great accompaniment, coming through with one of his best features in recent memory. Please give Reason a chance people, stop all of this in-fighting.
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Travis Scott (Feat. Young Thug & M.I.A.) – FRANCHISE
Probably the most bizarre lead single that Travis has ever come out with, but I think I like it? Honestly I don’t know how I feel about it; it has cool elements like Thug’s verse, M.I.A.’s completely bonkers appearance on here (not like, fire, but literally like it’s nonsense), and Travis’ last verse is pretty alright. But the structure is really sloppy, it never feels like it’s going anywhere so you never really know where you are, and Travis’ bars can be a bit cringy. Still, I have said this before and I’ll say it again; there has not be a Travis Scott single yet that hasn’t grown on me substantially, so I’m giving this weird-ass track a chance. If there is a Scott album this year, I will be a very happy man (I’ll even take that Travis/Cudi album at this point).
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YXNG K.A (Feat. J.I. The Prince of N.Y. & Lil Tjay) – It Is What It Is (Remix)
As the crater of influence that A Boogie with da Hoodie created in the modern New York trap landscape grows larger, more and more individuals emerge that scratch that certain itch I have for melodramatic and clean melodic hip-hop. Now that we have this new Drill wave sweeping NY, the combo of those kids and the newer production style is leading to some really interesting progressions, ones that guys like Tjay and J.I are at the forefront of. Another newcomer, YXNG K.A, had a hit of his own this year, and remixing the song does a lot to make it even more memorable. The hook was already standout, but the great verses from the features make this a must-listen for anyone wanting to keep up with the modern New York mainstream.
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YK Osiris – Money Keep Coming
In a strange turn of events, I think the hook is the weakest part of this record, trying a bit too hard to be cute and reach into a register that Osiris can’t *really* hit. But the verses on this thing are fantastic, with great personal lyrics reminiscing on his impoverished childhood, sung in this endearing and memorable melody. For some reason the internet isn’t really interested in hearing what this kid has to say, but I think anyone that values melodic rappers can find something to love here.
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38 Spesh & Street Justice – Honor & Glory
I’ve seen Street Justice on many different Trust-affiliated projects over the past year or so, showing up for the first time on my radar on 38 Spesh’s A Bullet For Every Heathen. His power isn’t so much in a biting or solid flow or rhyme scheme, bordering more on a spoken-word poet with a loose cadence. I think in that year he has found a more solid rapping foundation, and this single has me excited for my first full length project from the Rochester emcee. Having the whole thing produced by Spesh himself is an added treat, making this a release you don’t want to miss. Look for the project, Community Service, on October 9th.
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Tropico & Rich The Kid – G Wagon
Recent signee to RTK’s Rich Forever label, Tropico is looking to get a push from hip-hop’s self-proclaimed CEO. Not hating in Rich in the slightest, the support he provides his artists in the industry is a very admirable trait these days when people are more concerned about their own clout, but I’ve always wished he could diversify the sound of his roster a bit more. I think Tropico gets at the heart of that, bringing more of a true melodic and smooth sounding sound to the group, and while this single’s not like ground breaking material anything, it’s a vibe, and sometimes that’s more than enough.
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