Weekly Fix #14 ('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 my first Weekly Fix in a long time! I’m ready to get back to the music, but I’ve picked a strange time to do it.

You see, there’s a massive virus going around right now, and with all of the quarantining and people having no money for basic necessities (let alone paying for streaming subscriptions or buying music), labels are pushing back album rollouts and releases, creating a sort of manufactured dry-spell for new music. Now, while major players are backing off from releasing right now, the more down-to-earth underground acts are still pumping out project after project of amazing material. In fact, depending on how you view The Cool Kids, all of my projects from this week are from quality underground artists, all of whom deserve your attention.

I’d like to personally thank everyone who’s stuck around with me through until today; it’s been crazy these past few weeks, but now that I’ve done my thinking and gotten back to a sense of normalcy, I’m ready to start giving you guys some great music to chew on. I said on my previous post but I’ll reiterate here: I’ve canned the schedule going forward, so I’m going to release things on my own time going forward. There also won’t be accompanying playlists until I get some shit figured out financially and logistically.

Let’s get this music shit started.

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Conway the Machine & The Alchemist – LULU

God damn… the first Griselda release of the year just set the bar incredibly high. At only 7 tracks (including the intro), and the darkness that Al comes with on this release, it’s very much like Conway’s own “The Plugs I Met’ when comparing the consistent quality. He even comes with some new ideas on here, like the track Calvin where he DEMOLISHES a more nimble and dreadful flow. We have a new Westside Gunn tape coming in the next few weeks as well, so the Buffalo boys are making up for a quiet first quarter, and then some.

Spotify / YouTube / Apple Music

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Tha God Fahim, Left Lane Didon, & Jay NiCE – Dump Life

You may as well have thrown Stack Skrilla and All Hail Y.T. onto the artist lists here, as both of them feature all over this projects that ends up being one of the best Dump-affiliated releases in a long time. Fahim is cementing himself as not only a prolific creator, but also a fierce advocate for those closest to him, namely the boys from Delaware. Left and Jay are supremely talented individuals that shine brighter than ever on this tape, and their skills in wordplay and power match perfectly with Fahim’s general wisdom. The beats are on that enlightened soulful shit too.

YouTube / Bandcamp

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Daniel Son & Finn – Dirty Dishes

You can tell that Finn and Daniel have a lot of chemistry together, because the beats here seem crafted specifically for Daniel Son’s range. There are some slower, more serious tracks, wonky and funny beats, and straight throwback to a great era of boom-bap on here, and Daniel takes every shift in tone in stride. The man never misses lyrically; not that he’s some sort of Black Thought, but he is consistent in the heartfelt effort he puts into his bars. The features on here also reflect Toronto’s top talent (along with a few New Yorkers for good measure), all of whom bring their A-game; this guy Black Nazi has killed every verse I’ve ever heard him spit. I’ll never turn down an album with an older soul like this one that seems like it was made with love.

Daniel Son’s Website

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CRIMEAPPLE – Jaguar On Palisade

First project in a while from CRIMEAPPLE that wasn’t produced entirely by one individual; this project has contributions from the usual suspects in Buck Dudley and The Purist, but also some welcome beats from Evidence, Sadhugold, and August Fanon. A good mix of nasty, soulful, and rocking beats. CRIME himself pulls no punches with his crazy race of a flow, and you can find a great combination of hilarious and cold-blooded bars all over this thing. Short, sweet, and potent, all while feeling entirely effortless on the part of the emcee. If you’re looking for modern underground hip-hop and great bars, this is for you.

Spotify / YouTube / Apple Music

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Various Artists – 1000Words

One of the most famous photographers in underground hip-hop, 1000Words has made connections in the industry to last a lifetime. He’s using those connections to curate an entire project, containing some of the genre’s most in-demand names and pretty much the entire roster of the Tanboys collective: Eto, CRIMEAPPLE, Rome Streetz, Flee Lord, Bodega Bamz, Che Noir, Nems, and Pounds all make appearances on here among many others. The prestigious cherry on top of this serving of greatness is the fact that the entire project was produced by none other than 38 Spesh, who really blows it away on the boards on this one. Good shit all around.

Spotify / YouTube / Apple Music

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The Cool Kids & Cardo – Got Wings

Very short EP, 3 tracks at 8 minutes, only leaves me wanting more by the end. While I’ve never dug too deeply into The Cool Kids discography, I’m familiar with both Chuck Inglish’s and Cardo’s work over the 2010’s and I’ve always been a fan. While I like the strangeness and versatility that the Kids bring on this project (showing they can do well with both Alchemist-like and modern beats), I do feel like Cardo really stole the show on this one with inventive melodies and an impressive spread of beats despite the short run-time.

Spotify / YouTube / Apple Music

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

Marshmello & Southside (Feat. Giggs & SAINt JHN) – Been Thru This Before

I have no idea where Marshmello fits into this track, but if he truly had any part in this then color me impressed. The beat is deep and scary pop-trap that is as crisp as many of Southside’s other material, but I’m having a hard time figuring out where Marshmello’s contribution is. But besides the killer instrumental we’re given here, we’re also treated with a great (if not rather by the numbers) Giggs verse, and a fantastic performance from SAINt JHN on both the hook and a biting verse. We’ll see if this leads to an album of somekind, but a great start for whatever they have coming (and a building hype for whatever SAINt JHN has coming for us this year).

Spotify / YouTube / Apple Music

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Gunna, Young Thug, & Turbo – QUARANTINE CLEAN

There has been a *lot* of material in the past few weeks using both the Coronavirus and the concept of quarantine as a way to remain relevant and up-to-date, and while this new single doesn’t really lean into the specifics of anything going on right now, the watery and silky nature of the beat paired with the ‘quarantine clean” refrain makes for a great Gunna single. Thug does his thing on the track, but maybe my expectations were a little high: I really wanted a little more from him here. I’ll be coming back to this track for a while until Gunna decides to release another album (Drip of Drown 2 was one of my favorite projects last year, sue me).

Spotify / YouTube / Apple Music

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Famous Dex (Feat. Rich The Kid & Tyga) – What I Like

Dexter takes a backseat on his own track here, with Rich The Kid taking hook and verse duty, but the track is just mindless enough to enjoy thoroughly as a bumping piece of Migos-style trap. Dex is far away from his prime, but he still has a bit of charisma left in him, while Tyga pads out the track a little with a serviceable verse. Nothing to write home about really on this one other than a sticky hook and an infectious beat.

Spotify / YouTube / Apple Music

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Drake – Toosie Slide

I honestly can’t tell if this track is a joke or if it’s such a bold-faced play to get TikTok streams that serves as a new level in Drake’s career. I don’t think the track is bad for what it’s worth: I like the hint on autotune on Drake’s vocals, the lowkey nature of the instrumental, and while the dance associated with this is pretty stupid, the melody on the hook is catchy enough. We’ll see if this blows up, but my money is on this track not making the waves Drake’s team is hoping it will.

Spotify / YouTube / Apple Music

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DaBaby – Find My Way

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice… not gonna happen. Remember the last time DaBaby dropped a track like this and everyone thought it was some sort of pivot? Definitely more of an emotional slant on this cut, but I don’t think for a second that this is permanent. This is the one off topical track amongst what I’m sure will be another album of bops, which isn’t a bad thing, and in fact I would almost prefer for him to stick with what he knows. The flow is here, the energy is here, and the sung hook is even impressive by DaBaby standards, but I’m gonna need some more ignorant shit from him on the album; it’s just what I go to him for.

Spotify / YouTube / Apple Music

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