Week #40 ('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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Internet Money (Feat. Don Toliver & Roddy Ricch) – Lemonade (Remix)
So whenever and remix like this comes around, I almost always use some software to combine the original and the new version together into one super track. But since everyone else is getting only the new version, I have to tailor my words a bit, and I’ll say that this version without NAV and Gunna is slightly disappointing. Don’s verse doesn’t have nearly as much energy, bringing the track down a little in excitement, but Roddy Ricch definitely should have been included on the original cut; I love how he utilizes the original melody in his verse so well, and is quite dynamic with his singing and rapping too. The original track is one of my favorite songs in 2020, so the bar was admittedly high, but I think the remix is at least good listening.
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RiFF RAFF, Yelawolf, & Ronny J – Million Dollar Mullet
I was not expecting this. First, I loved Jody’s last album, which really threw me for a loop, and now he’s coming through with a random single that is also a goddamn banger. I’m not ready to be excited for RiFF RAFF singles, but if they keep coming out like this gut-buster right here then maybe I’ll have to start being prepared. RiFF is funny, with great lines and dumbass wordplay, and Yelawolf matches the insanity with his own brand of weirdness. But it’s the beat, oh lord it is the beat that is killing me on this one: Ronny J turns it up to 11 with the distorted bass…. And that’s pretty much it. The song is a beast off of the strength of that alone.
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Fivio Foreign, Kenny Beats, & Polo G – Bop It
Now this is the kind of work that Fivio needs to be really leaning into if he wants to get that universal love. Catchy, unique, and a killer beat from the god-man Kenny Beats all make it one of my favorite Fivio songs ever. A couple of things make this standout from the usual Drill material he puts out (which is still fire by the way): one is the pace of the track is much faster, so you still get the flows and weird bullet-point style he comes with, but you get to the action quicker. The Kenny beat is also a great touch, making it slightly left-field and highly-digital, which I think, much like over in the UK, is where the subgenre will eventually go. Third is getting guests like Polo G to completely spaz on his verse like MY GOD; it’s not at all in the same flow, and it occasionally slips off of the beat, but there is a heart behind his verse that is second-to-none, crazy energy. Solid single, I need a Fivio project very, very soon.
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Tha God Fahim & Your Old Droog – Yom Kippur Freestyle
These two can really do no wrong can they? Every single track they’ve put out in the last few weeks have been total fire, with excellent beats and killer bars from everyone involved (especially Your Old Droog; this man’s pen is on another level). There was even a track called Charles Barkely that they dropped too that I didn’t include on my lists because it felt like I was posting what would end up being the entire album before it even dropped. But maybe that’s their plan: drop the entire album on YouTube? Whatever the case, this Yom Kippur Freestyle is just as fire as the last, with crazy horn samples and crisp rolling snares, and some Jewish culture bars from Droog to continue his newish focus on his heritage. So many crazy one-liners on here…AND it’s just straight bars, no bullshit hook. Listen to this if you want that hip-hop injected into your brainstem.
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Megan Thee Stallion (Feat. Young Thug) – Don’t Stop
I didn’t end up saving WAP in my library… I know I know, it just wasn’t hitting me like it was everyone else (and not on some Ben Shapiro shit, that clown can drown in all the dry pussy he can get). But this single right here is amazing, very confrontational in a way that doesn’t feel… theatrical? Putting my finger on why I like this song and not WAP is something I can’t do right now, but just know that the performances on this track are solid, with aggressive verses from Megan sandwiching a gross and grimy verse from Thugger. As much as I love the emcees here, this beat is really what sells this track for me: it’s like a synthesizer being brutally murdered, harsh and industrial. Some people probably will think the beat is annoying, but it really gets me going for real, hella hype. I’m sure Megan has another project coming this year (and I wouldn’t be surprised if this and WAP end up placing on it), it’s just a matter of when.
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Small Bills (ELUCID & The Lasso) (Feat. Koncept Jack$on) – ET Diamond
I stumbled upon this one while browsing YouTube the other day; I was surprised I hadn’t heard something with ELUCID and decided to take a chance. This track is wonderous, disturbing, cathartic, and meditative in a way that only ELUCID can give you. If you aren’t giving the bars your full attention, what the man is saying may as well be a garbled subspace transmission, because the density and word choice is weird in a way that is second only to the subject matter. Space travel, where we come from, consciousness… it’s some heavy shit. Koncept Jack$on is a person that I didn’t expect collabing with ELUCID, but in the context of this track it makes a lot of sense. The production is incredibly hands-off, pretty much what I would expect from a space-themed track. ELUCID and this producer named The Lasso have an LP coming out soon, and after this track you bet your ass I’m excited for it.
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Gorillaz (Feat. Elton John & 6LACK) – The Pink Phantom
What a legendary combination here: the voices of Damon Albarn, 6LACK, and Elton John all work off each other magically, laying the vibes on thick for the entire song. This song is a very slow burner, crawling along, jumping between the artists seemingly at random. The contrast between Elton’s very traditional singing performance (which has this mysterious energy to it) and 6LACK’s ultra-processed vocals is definitely my favorite part, meshing together much better than I was anticipating. My only complaint is that there were several opportunities to end the track, and maybe it goes on a bit too long for my taste. This Song Machine thing that Gorillaz have going on right now wasn’t quite doing it for me at first, but each song seems to be getting cooler and better.
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Queen Naija (Feat. Lil Durk) – Lie to Me
First thing’s first: if you sample Tupac in any way, your track is automatically in my rotation. There have been way more of these tracks recently I’ve noticed, a testament to his enduring influence in the game. I think it’s a cool update on the original track, using the piano chords behind a wall of modern trap drums, and it gives the track a sense of nostalgia, a yearning for earlier times, which fits well with the themes of a toxic relationship. Naija’s voice is as beautiful as ever, with a very catchy and well-written hook making this one of her more standout singles recently. Lil Durk doesn’t have much speaking time on here, but he makes his impression felt. Just some solid hip-hop/R&B for y’all.
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Desiigner – Molly
Best Desiigner track in a long-ass time, and while that may not be saying much, I think you all need to give this a listen and make a judgement for yourselves before writing this one off. There is a rock-solid hook woven into this song, obviously being one he’s been saving for a good moment, that has this party energy that is just infectious. I will say that this definitely takes from the Future playbook, like some older Future from like his Honest or Monster days, but I think it’s always been that monkey on his back that the man just needed to sit down and admit: he’s heavily influenced by Hendrixx, and he may as well just accept it and make the music he wants to make. I love the heavily autotuned angle, his voice being so dynamic and full whenever the computers get ahold of it, and plays in well with the banger trap beat behind it all. I think it’s about time to give Desiigner a second (third?) chance, because I know he has greatness in him.
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CHASETHEMONEY (Feat. Duke Deuce) – Jack N Jill
This guy has, along with many of his frequent collaborators, have been bubbling just under mainstream trap for years now: guys like Lucki and Valee have been popular in their own circles for a long time, but they’ve never been able to make that crossover official, which isn’t a diss towards them at all, but instead a testament to their willpower to make whatever music they like hearing, despite how the public may perceive it. Jack N Jill is by no means a bad single (in fact, getting someone like Duke over a beat like this is pretty much a no-brainer at this point), but it is a bit short (a common element of CHASETHEMONEY’s work), and doesn’t really have anything standout about it besides a funny little hook on it. If you like minimal but punchy trap music, I think this will be for you.
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A$AP Ferg (Feat. Monica) – Big A$AP
Recently Ferg… I wouldn’t say “got into a spat” but rather “was dragged into petty bullshit” by some members of the A$AP Mob who are not all proud of their fellow members’ HUGE success. Some people said that Ferg was no longer a part of the Mob… which is absolutely ridiculous. Ferg and Rocky are the two biggest names in A$AP and it’s not even close, and Ferg even says so himself, along the lines of “how can you kick out the biggest member?” This single right here (which was unceremoniously added onto the end of his recent Floor Seats II tape) was meant to “clear the air” on the subject, but I don’t think it really spent enough time addressing the issues. What the track is, however, is an inspiring-sounding throwback sound to early New York, with the sung hook being happy and nostalgic, and Ferg dialing back his weirdness for more candid and personal bars. It’s pretty good, but it doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the Floor Seats vibe if you ask me. Listen if you want more A$AP Ferg in your life.
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