Weekly Fix #1 ('20)

Welcome to the Weekly Fix, where I go over everything that I’ve listened to that has come out within the past week. I’ll give a little blurb about the project/single with my feelings on it thrown in there, throw some descriptors and other artists names to give you an idea what the project/single is like, and link to all applicable streaming services/online stores where you can find the music.

Welcome to 2020! You can see the new numbering has started today, and from here on out the Weekly Fix will look just like it does right now: pictures, recommendations, links and all.

We’re still in that drought time of year, but the FLYGOD will always find the perfect time to bless us. The sounds of both 2020 and 2005 are present this week, with Westside Gunn showing us his beginnings and Big Ghost showing us where Hip-Hop is at right now (a good fucking place). Still, the quantity could be better; I’ll just use this time to go through my increasingly growing backlog of shit I haven’t gotten to.

Also, come and follow me on my Instagram that I recently learned how to use (@thasoupdude) (I swear I’m not an 80 year old man). Just another way for my peoples to keep up to date. Peace.

Here’s a link to the Week #1 Playlist (’20) for y’all

 -----PROJECTS-----

Westside Gunn – Flyest N***a In Charge, Vol. 1

An unreleased mixtape from 15 years ago was put up by the FLYGOD this week, and man if it isn’t a blast from the past. It solidifies the heavy influence that Ghostface Killah’s Supreme Blientele had on this man, with so many of the aspects of that record (the flows, lyrics, vocal inflections, irreverent and stream-of-concious lyrics, hell even the structure with the skits and featured artists) appearing here. This was an amazing thing to put out at all, with the rapping abilities of Westside Gunn all those years ago seriously impressing me. Actually getting to hear Machinegun Blak is such a trip too; like, the What Would Chinegun Do album just came out and now we’re getting to hear him… it’s crazy. If you ever picked up a mixtape in the early 2000’s, this album is a must-hear for you.

Recommended if you like: arrogant and fashionable lyrics, Ghostface Killah, old New York beats, very stream of conscious lyrics and delivery, The LOX, higher-pitched emcees, Madlib, old-school mixtapes, Freddie Gibbs, lots of guests, Raekwon, Wu-Tang Clan, soul-sampled beats, G-Unit

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Stu Bangas – Beats and Blood

There’s a very backpacker feel to this album, with most of the emcees being of the odd and wordy types rather than street gangstas. Also, a strange number of British rappers find their way onto this album, which was an unexpected treat. Stu Bangas brings the heat with his beats on this one, with funky DJ scratched tracks standing shoulder to shoulder with other darker and punchier boom-bap cuts; it’s a pretty good display of his talent on the boards. Also, that album art is fire as fuck.

Recommended if you like: R&B/Funk flavored boom-bap, 7L, The Four Owls, nice spread of beats, Kool Keith, quality beat loops, Hus Kingpin, soulful production, MF DOOM, British emcees, compilation tapes, Czarface

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Ugly God & Rizzoo Rizzoo – Uglygoblin

People are saying that Ugly God’s career is dead, but honestly projects like this, while they show potential for way more, are enough to keep me satisfied. While Ugly might be a bit of a dumbass lyrically, his flows are always on point, with the words he crams into each bar betraying a much more in-depth skill. Whoever produced this shit did their thing too, with all four beats being bangers. I’d never heard of Rizzoo Rizzoo, but he held his own in the face of Ugly. Overall, a solid project that leaves me wanting more from UG.

Recommended if you like: Famous Dex, very aggressive triplet flows, Lil Yachty, ignorant and youthful energy, YoungBoy NBA, digitized trap beats, NLE Choppa, shit that slaps, Soundcloud Rap

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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J-Hood & Big Twinz – Infamous N the Hood

I’m not gonna say the chemistry is running too deep with these guys (I mean very few people will have chemistry with someone like Big Twinz), but the tunes are alright. J-Hood has a great rapping voice, and he can get lyrically dexterous at times. The beats are a little flat, but for something that’s trying to encapsulate the older bling era New York it works well enough.

Recommended if you like: Mobb Deep, mid 2000’s New York, Fabolous, scratchy voiced emcees, Papoose, duos with very different energies, Sean Price, Jadakiss, The Game

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Left Lane Didon & JLVSN – Tha Shoulder Episode 9

Even though this project is only seven minutes long, I feel like it has the impact of a EP. The rapping from Didon is impeccable, with a confident flow and vocal quality that gives the tracks both a nasty and vintage feel to them. The beats are where this project comes together into a compelling whole, with JLVSN tapping into that soul/jazz vein that leaves you wanting more after the project ends (I guess it’s appropriate that it’s an episodic series…). This shit was too good to only be seven minutes.

Recommended if you like: soulful beats, Tha God Fahim, sparse hip-hop with good beat loops, Mach-Hommy, Jay NiCE, very short projects, Westside Gunn, slow but dense flows, Ghostface Killah, amazing wordplay, Rigz, Estee Nack

YouTube/Bandcamp

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-------SINGLES-------

Big Ghost LTD (Feat. Rigz, Mooch, Rome Streetz, Asun Eastwood, Rahiem Supreme, Recognize Ali, Estee Nack, Daniel Son, Ty Farris, & Lukey Cage) – Gladiator School

It was day-fucking-one of 2020 and Big Ghost has already dropped the posse cut of the year, with a literal who’s who of gutter, bloodthirsty emcees that goes on for well over 6 minutes. Every single one of these dudes kill this beat, which is a wavy and spacey boom-bap beat; a perfect loop for the onslaught of emcees. If you haven’t peeped some of these emcees, please get on this immediately because they are the future of this genre. I will say, despite there already being 10 rappers on here, that al.divino was sorely missed.

Recommended if you like: posse cuts, Jay NiCE, minimal and dark boom-bap beats, al.divino, electrically charged instrumentals, Hus Kingpin, quality beat loops, the best rappers in the game, Wu-Tang Clan, ultraviolent lyrics, Killah Priest, wide variety of styles and flows, Mobb Deep

YouTube/Soundcloud

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Your Old Droog (Feat. Prodigy) – Crab Cakes

It sounds older, and not just because Prodigy was taken from us years ago at this point, but also because Droog’s voice is more like his older, slightly more aggressive self. But it’s only his second verse: the first sounds newer, while the second one sounds older? It’s almost like this was a Prodigy track from his and Alchemist’s Albert Einstein LP (which probably featured Droog), and there’s now an extra Droog verse on the front. It’s still dope as fuck, and worth it to hear P again.

Recommended if you like: Mobb Deep, spacey and low-fi boom-bap beats, MF Doom, posthumous verses, Nas, older unreleased tracks, The Game, fantastic wordplay, Sean Price, cold-blooded lyrics, Jim Jones, Daringer, Griselda

Spotify

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Big Ghost LTD (Feat. CRIMEAPPLE, Estee Nack, Recognize Ali, Rahiem Supreme, Asun Eastwood, Rome Streetz, Rigz, & Mooch) – Clyde Frazier Minks

… bro. What? I wrote that shit for Gladiator School on the day it came out, and a day later we get this? TWO, back to back, posse cuts that stretch beyond 6 minutes with disgusting lyrics and a cerebral and synthy boom-bap hell? AND a beat switch? This motherfucker Big Ghost is fucking crazy… I suppose we’re about the be treated to album next week if his twitter is any indication. This is is about to be one of the craziest albums the underground has seen in a long time.

Recommended if you like: posse cuts, Jay NiCE, spacey and dark synths, al.divino, electrically charged instrumentals, Hus Kingpin, quality beat loops, the best rappers in the game, Wu-Tang Clan, ultraviolent lyrics, Killah Priest, wide variety of styles and flows, Mobb Deep, boom-bap

YouTube/Soundcloud

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Moneybagg Yo (Feat. Lil Baby) – U Played

While I enjoy Tay Keith’s beats, this is just a slightly faster and less inspired Never Recover, especially in the drum department. It still slaps though, so here I am. Moneybagg comes with the swagger he always does, and his pairing with Lil Baby make sense for an artist climbing up the relevancy ladder. I’m a fan of Moneybagg’s flow, and his hook is solid. Baby is seriously teasing people with these little 8 bars he’s giving out; if he could only make his features a little longer he’d be a stellar feature artist, but he always seems to leave me wanting more.

Recommended if you like: Project Pat, mainstream trap, Yo Gotti, Memphis music, T.I., triplet flows, Young Thug, lots of adlibs, Gunna, animated and unique voices, YoungBoy NBA, autotuned melodic rapping, Gucci Mane

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Che Noir (Feat. Ransom) – Prey

Noir is growing into a fantastic emcee in her own right; taking a lot of the same cues and rhyme schemes from 38 Spesh’s playbook, she’s capable in her own right to write great music. The same can be said for 38 Spesh the beat-maker, with the beat being more of a middle 2000’s sounding beat rather than a 90’s cut (however I would still like some higher-fidelity beats). Ransom on the feature, however, steals the show, and shows why it’s such a damn sham that he doesn’t rap more. Every feature this dude is on is fire, and his rhyme schemes/wordplay are always A1. I’m looking forward to Che’s upcoming project Juno, set to release very soon.

Recommended if you like: strong female emcees, 38 Spesh, mid 2000’s sampled beats, Benny the Butcher, great wordplay, Griselda, solid feature, Trust Gang, short tracks, Rapsody, low-fi hip-hop, Pharoahe Monch, Fred the Godson

 YouTube

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Quando Rondo (Feat. A Boogie wit da Hoodie & 2 Chainz) – Bad Vibes

Not gonna like, I love this fucking song. The hook and melody are catchy as fuck, all of the singing performances here are fire, and the beat is an ethereal and punchy trap slapper. Quando sounds veeery similar to YK Osiris on this cut, but since I like that dude so much this was just a fit for me. But what really brings me back are the features on this thing, with 2 Chainz (in one his few features in recent memory) coming with line after line of hilarious wordplay, and A Boogie *killing* it with the amazing flow and melodies. A Boogie really needs more praise for the way he raps, but he’s often clowned for some of his lyrics (understandably), but man if he worked on that he would be a perfect artist.

Recommended if you like: Lil Wayne, youthful trap energy, YoungBoy NBA, try-hard melodies, Lil Uzi Vert, inventive flows, Lil Skies, great punchline rap, Young Thug, nocturnal and icy trap beats, YK Osiris

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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