Week #50 ('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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Nyck Caution (Feat. Kota the Friend & Erick the Architect) – Product Of My Environment
The storytelling on this track is on another level ladies and gentlemen, with all three dudes on here speaking on their early childhoods, talking about how they got their nicknames, how they got their start in the hip-hop game, and how their family life as a youth led to the lives that they lead today. The lyricism is on-fucking-point, with every bar having something to add, another little detail about them that allows you to connect with this deeper. I don’t think I can pick one of the three that does the best, but I will say that Kota’s description of his upbringing is both heartbreaking and slightly relatable. The title, Product Of My Environment, is not framed as either good or bad persay, it’s a recognition of the reality that everything that happens shapes you in one way or the other, and embracing that reality allows you to speak on life from a place of wisdom rather than anger or pain. Nyck has a project coming out in January, and this is the perfect way to get me ready for it.
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Benny the Butcher – 3:30 In Houston
Griselda has a MOVIE coming out at the top of next year of all things, a huge step up as a collective from operating in fashion and music. While this move has heavy 2000’s vibes to it (think guys like DMX and Nas expanding their credits into the film game), this song, which places on the official soundtrack of the movie (which is called Conflicted by the way), is Benny the Butcher in a mode that we have heard him in before, recently. He is angry, aggressive, and menacing on this track, speaking directly on the recent robbery attempt in which he was shot (dude says he’s rapping from a wheelchair, which should be a pathetic flex but is so fucking hard in context). The instrumental from Daringer and Beat Butcha is icy and punchy, sounding like it would have fit well into Wwcd easily. While the movie might not be the best movie ever (it looks like a low-budget film, but I’ll give it a shot if I get the chance), I think the soundtrack is going to be fire.
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Daz Dillinger & Capone (Feat. Kurupt & N.O.R.E.) – Guidelines
It’s amazing to me that two legends like Daz and Capone would have met so far along in their career, on the Drink Champs podcast of all things, but now that they’ve linked up to make music it’s OVER for all of you “east-coast / west-coast” muthafuckas. It’s actualy really creative how the beat itself is a literal blend of L.A. and New York styles, incorporating what sounds like a Tribe Called Quest bassline (maybe Scenario) with the Dr. Dre-inspired gangsta keys of old Compton riding music. But what is even more surprising to me, and something I’ll be sure not to doubt again in the future, is the capacity for these old dogs to come through with music that sounds just as fresh as their earlier material. Well, ok, Kurupt sounds like the years have gotten to him a little, but N.O.R.E. is killer on this hook, and Daz and Capone are still sharp and deadly after all of these years. If this is supposed to lead to an album, sign me the fuck up.
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Funkmaster Flex & King Von – Lurkin
While coming from Flex is an odd sight, I’m grateful this fantastic Von track was able to see the light of day. I LOVE the beat, being a mystical and string-laded trap beat that I wouldn’t have guessed would have been a good fit for Von but I was pleasantly surprised. He’s still completely wild and bloodthirsty on the track, not changing his persona at all in the face of the easier-going beat. Coming off of his last album, I was eagerly awaiting whatever Von would have done next, but it’s good (and heartbreaking) that it seems like the quality of music was going to get even better greater. If you fuck with the true Chicago version of Drill, you will fuck with this shit right here.
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WESTSIDE BOOGIE (Feat. Joey Bada$$) – Outside
We are witnessing a massive rebrand in front of our eyes: you may be more familiar with WESTSIDE BOOGIE than you think, seeing as he is the same Boogie that is signed to Shady Records, adding the “WESTSIDE” into his name to differentiate himself from the massive pop-star A Boogie wit da Hoodie (although I have just been calling him Boogie from Compton and that has been working well for me). It’s been a minute since his last album, almost two years, and he’s finally revving up that engine again with a new single, one that I think is a lot more energetic and lively than the material found on Everythings for Sale. He brings on Joey Bada$$ to help him out on this track with a great verse, appropriate given that I think BOOGIE is taking a lot of cues from the nostalgic New York stylings Badmon rode in on back in the day. I’m hyped for the new album for sure, but no release date yet to talk about.
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Erick the Architect (Feat. Loyle Carner & FARR) – Let It Go
Erick is two-for two this week, appearing both on that Nyck Caution track and coming with his own heat on Let It Go. This song is a touching reminder to everyone out there to treasure what you have while you have it, a message that is brought to us by some very thoughtful artists in the rap game right now. I have been a Flatbush ZOMBiES fan for years now, going all the way back to their initial D.R.U.G.S. tape, and those who have been around for that long know that Erick is one of the most underrated producers and rappers in hip-hop, and tracks like this show how deep his genius goes. His voice is both full of life and sullen, able to convey emotions effortlessly, and his rap flows and wordplay are absolutely nothing to scoff at either. Erick is talking about the relationships with his family on some real shit with this track, bringing in a great talent in FARR to nail the hook, and a standout performance from the deeply thoughtful Loyle Carner. Every bit of this track is beautiful, from the amazing verse on down to the flowery hip-hop beat. I can’t wait to see if this leads to another Architect project.
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Kembe X (Feat. Guapdad 4000) – Too Bad
Loving the plucky slapper that the two chose as a backing beat on this one; it’s like a harp or some shit, mixing heavenly instrumentals with hard and crisp trap drums. Kembe murders this shit too, crazy flows and switch-ups on this thing, demonstrating his technical skills more than I have heard from him in a long time; sometimes you just gotta get on the mic and tear that shit up to reaffirm to people you still got it, and this track is definitely that. But Guapdad wasn’t about to just let Kembe take the crown here, because he comes with his own technicality and aggression that you see when he isn’t on his melody shit. Guap is funny, goofy, and an all-around good time to listen to on here, a perfect feature to a solid pop-trap track. Kembe has had a couple of singles so far in 2020, so it’s only a matter of time before he drops an attached project.
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Fredo Bang (Feat. Sada Baby) – Big Steppa
Fredo is one of the best guys out there making simple, no-frills trap music, period. He’s following in the footsteps of Kevin Gates almost to a T, garnering a huge cult fanbase that respects (and rightly so) his attention to melody and hooks, better than average rapping coming from someone in his category, and his AMAZING set or producers that back him up, from DJ Chose to Hardbody. This song pretty much reinforces and supports all of these things, not really pushing the trap envelope as much as exercising a formula that hasn’t broken yet. The X factor in the track is bringing in Sada Baby to join in on the fun, giving the song a wild and rowdy element to it. I didn’t cover Fredo’s last project on TSDK (I personally think the man is better in the single game than albums), but maybe this new album will pique my interest.
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