Weekly Fix #26 ('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. Click here to see a list of previous Fixes.

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God, it seems like every week I have to get on here and say “the week was shit except for music”. I’m tired ladies and gentlemen; but, if you’re like me, I always look forward to music to get me through the days, weeks, and months, and I always look forward to putting you guys on to great music.

It was one thing after the other this week, with the exhaustion of this new job and the small amount of time I have the spend on anything, but it was hit with a depressing twist midway through this week with the death of Stepa J. Groggs of Injury Reserve fame. I wrote a lot about Injury Reserve’s album last year, even giving it my #10 spot on my Album of the Year list. A large part of what I loved about the group was Groggsie’s introspective lyrics, on both their self-titled album and all of their other projects. I looked forward to hearing grown-man raps from him, talking about his all of the vices of his younger life; it gave a truly human portrait to a man that could be any one of us as his age. I really don’t know where the group goes from here… RIP to Jordan, my heart goes out to his family (and his children…4 of them…) and to his groupmates, Ritchie and Parker.

This week there was a lot of music to sift through, but I’ll always have y’alls backs. A lot of the content I was expecting ended up as great listens, but it was the unexpected projects that left me reeling: Nick Grant and Tae Beast gave us that quality conscious and thoughtful rap, a lot of solid vibes and melodic work from Bankrol Hayden, and the new group Iron Wigs (consisting of Verbal Kent, Vic Spencer, and Sonnyjim) setting down a remarkably stand-out debut project full of character and pizzazz. That’s not even touching the singles, which brought a that west-coast energy this week with great tracks from Shoreline Mafia, Tyga, Guapdad 4000, and Blueface (with a couple of great YG features to match).

Next week (today; again, I’m sorry this shit took so damn long to put out) I’m looking forward to a lot of albums from a lot of huge artists. First off, we have the sequel to Westside Gunn’s Flygod Is An Awesome God, coming right off of the heels of Conway’s last project, which itself is coming right off of the heels of Westside’s last album Pray for Paris (by the way, where the fuck is Benny??). The long awaited and much anticipated debut album from the late rapper Pop Smoke will be discussed, both the content of the music and the travesty that was its initial album cover. Keep your eyes out for Sahbabii, G4 JAG, and Gucci Mane as well. Come see all of this and more on my Upcoming Heat page, which lays out this information in an easy to read calendar and list form.

Big thanks to everyone who tunes in every week, those of you who have given great feedback, and to all of you artists who continue to put out amazing music. All of you are the reason why this shit work here. See y’all next week!

Here’s a link to the Week #26 Playlist (’20) for y’all

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Here’s a link to the Week #26 (’20) Art Appreciation post

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Iron Wigs (Sonnyjim, Vic Spencer, & Verbal Kent) – Your Birthday’s Cancelled

I’ve listened to all three of the artists associated with this new trio, and some of the Sonnyjim and Vic collaborative, material out there, and while it doesn’t blaze new grounds as far as any of these three artists are concerned (especially Sonny and Vic), the combination here is still fun to listen to, featuring probably the best performances from the three that I’ve heard so far. The entire LP is produced by London’s Sonnyjim, a fact that is abundantly evident in the styles of instrumentation found here: there is a molasses-like lethargy to the beats, slowing things down to keep pace with Sonny’s own relaxed delivery. In that way it almost sounds like a Sonnyjim solo project, a vibe that Vic Spencer and guys like Quelle Chris (one of the features here) are able to slip into easily. Spencer is really the punchline machine on this project, with almost everything he says being either over-the-top gangsterisms or hilarious comedy raps; his voice and heavy accent demands attention, sounding not so much like his native Chicago as much as other southern centers like Atlanta and Houston. That brings us to Vic’s fellow Chicagoan Verbal Kent, the last member of the Iron Wigs trio. It’s an odd match, with Verbal’s biting and rabid delivery contrasting heavily with Vic’s drawl and Sonny’s monotone, but Kent elevates the trio to something that is more than the sum of it’s parts. The varied natures of the emcees, the slow jazziness of the instrumentals, the consistency of the lyrics, and the handful of appropriate features from the aforementioned Quelle, Roc Marciano, and CRIMEAPPLE make this a natural fit for all of you underground hip-hop lovers out there.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music/Bandcamp

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Nick Grant & Tae Beast – God Bless the Child

God damn these beats are soulful as a motherfucker. Listen, I like Nick Grant, dude can rap for days in ways that remind me very much of the old school TDE energy brought from Kendrick Lamar and Ab-Soul, but Tae Beast absolutely killed this shit on the boards. Tae has always been a maestro, but he’s really channeling that 9th Wonder/Kanye West genius on this project, and even though it only runs 5 tracks long it feels like it has the instrumental heft of a full-length LP. Grungy guitars, stellar basswork, hard-hitting and crunchy drums, and, most importantly, amazingly soulful vocal samples looped to perfection. I can gush all day about how essential these beats are in the culture, but I also have to give credit where credit is due towards the young Nick Grant, who keeps up with these beats in style, and has a precise and relentless flow that would blend in well with many of the other names on the TDE roster. The stories that Nick Grant weaves are those of living in America as a black man, and the hardships and cultural tribulations that comes with that life. If you’ve ever liked anything that came out of Top Dawg Entertainment, especially Kendrick Lamar, and are also fans of other New York talents like Joey Bada$$, Anoyd, Kirk Knight, and Nyck Caution, then give this shit a chance.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Family Gang Black – Ventilation

I’ve heard this guy many times on albums from both Daniel Son and Asun Eastwood, and every time I’ve heard him I’ve wished he had a project to hang his hat on, because the potential for something groundbreaking from Family Gang Black (I guess formerly known as Black Nazi?) was very high. I think this album, his debut album, is that hat-rack of a project. There’s old true-blue hip-hop energy to this guy, with a rabid and poisonous delivery reminding me of the gruffness of U-God. I love how he can show a mastery of flow when it comes to the more boom-bap-ish beats, but still step out of that comfort zone and destroy a more modern trap instrumental on W.T.S., showing a versatility that a lot more underground artists nowadays are more willing to show. This album also feels like a real project, with shades of heartfeltness over the difficulty of his struggles growing up and seeing his friends die, the problems that plague his neighborhood, and his own mountain to overcome to get into the hip-hop industry at all. The execution of this project, the things we learn about Family Gang Black over the course of it, the variety, and the careful selection of two features from his two closest collaborators make this album a great mission statement for who the man is as an artist. He’s banking on his skills as a rapper to carry him forward, and, as other artists like Rome Streetz and Ty Farris have shown, bars reign supreme in this genre. Listen to this if you like hard-nosed and aggressive hip-hop, bloodthirsty emcees, and relatively well-rounded projects.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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IDK – IDK & FRIENDS 2 (Basketball County Soundtrack)

I loved the original IDK & FRIENDS, so going into this project (with a tracklist that, in my opinion, wasn’t as impressive as the original) I was expecting great things. While it doesn’t reach the heights of the original in terms of variety, nor the focus of his last album Is He Real?, IDK comes through with a great spread of collaborative tracks, that show again how deep his connections in the game run. The dude rarely does features for anyone outside of a specific group in hip-hop, the Denzel Curry’s and the other spitters of the world, but he has no qualms bringing in artists outside of his sphere to beef up a project of his own. You get Denzel and A$AP Ferg, but you also get some curveballs like PnB Rock and Wale, simultaneously doubling down on his heavy distorted trap leanings (like the track Tooth Fairy produced by Ronny J) and his more recent melodic detours (like the tracks Live for It and End of Discussion). While it sounds like variety, it all stays close to things that you could find on some more edgy radio or even a 2K soundtrack (maybe the reason why he subtitled this album Basketball County Soundtrack?), and I would have liked to have seen more traditional hip-hop found on here like the original EP. If you’re looking for a very sharp and strong character to listen to, one with a focus on punchlines and catchy hooks, and brings in some really great guests to back him up, then give this album a listen. With all the features and beats I’m sure everyone will find a track to love on here.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Max B – Charly EP

I’m admittedly late to the Max B wave, with the project he put out before this one the first full listen I’ve given to the man. I liked what I heard, and saw that his legendary position in the game would allow him to reel in the best of New York’s feature artists, as well as solid beats that fuse old-school soul sampling with harder early 2010’s drums. The beats continue to impress on this new project here, with some great samples laced through to give this clean and heavenly R&B feel. There’s only 5 tracks, and they chose the best instrumentals to represent this guy with no filler at all. I’m a little disappointed there are no features on here, which is compounded by the fact that Max’s rapping, and especially singing, is the weakest part of the record. Don’t get me wrong, Max B can hold his own in a verse, and his mixture of pimping, rockstar lifestyle, and gang-running bars can entertain in many instances, but his delivery is consistent to the point of going stale, and his singing is just barely shy of “so-bad-it’s-good” territory. I would compare his singing to Styles P or Westside Gunn flexing their pipes, so if you’re ok with their singing you’ll be ok here. This EP is pretty airtight sonically, and runs at just enough time to stay interested in Max’s peformances, so if you’re looking for some 2000’s inspired hip-hop (from a legend of the time no less), then give this EP a run through.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Bankrol Hayden – Pain is Temporary

Is this dude an industry plant? Probably; from what I can tell he popped up on the scene a year ago, releasing this debut album on the heels of some fantastically catchy singles, seemingly written explicitly to capture that youthful trap audience. It has heavy melodic soundcloud vibes, with characters like Lil Skies, Yung Pinch, and iann dior coming to mind as similar characters, and follows pretty much in the same blueprint as those artists, but seemingly with a much higher budget. The studio gloss on this album is visible from space, where the beats are great trap skeletons built upon with smart instrumental melodies, and Hayden being childlike and clean as bleach in terms of his delivery definitely point to him having substantial studio heft behind him. Is this a bad thing? Nah, I think the music is good enough to stand on it’s own, and if I were to venture a guess I’d say this kid is going to get a lot bigger. The sticking power of tracks like Costa Rica and Brothers are impossible to overstate, and his style is getting more and more mainstream as time goes on. He might not end up being the biggest thing, but I can see him getting some serious recognition. You even get a little more depth in the lyrics than most people in his lane, with personal stories like the one on the intro track Divorce where he literally details the pain of his parents splitting. Maybe it’s a little angsty, but I appreciate the kid thinking that we would want to hear about his actual life for a change rather than mindless acid raging. So if you like these singing/trapping/angsty kids with a bit more of a friendly spin to it (and some great features from Polo G and Lil Baby), then I think you’ll thoroughly enjoy this project.

Spotify/Apple Music

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6LACK – 6pc Hot EP

I wish that I connected more to this EP than I ended up connecting, because every project I’ve heard from this this dude thusfar have been in constant rotation. I love the way 6LACK plays with melody and his voice, always in this elfish higher tone, but there’s a distinct emotional sadness in his delivery that never fails me. To me maybe it was just the brevity and lack of focus of the project, because you look at the track with Lil Baby, which is a great track that reflects a lot of the sentiments being thrown around right now in the wake of George Floyd, you get an entirely different feel that the other more general sadboy tracks. Don’t get me wrong, those tracks are nothing to scoff at by any means, it’s just his past projects have this importance and vulnerability to them (genuine vulnerability not melodrama) that seems to be missing from this project. The beats are still great, with low-key trap moods being standard fare for 6LACK, and you won’t be disappointed here. All of that being said, if you like dudes like Bryson Tiller, and some older guys like Trey Songz and Usher, I think you’ll have a good ol’ time here.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Black Geez & Eto – Flour City Street Bible Chapter 2

I never got into the original Flour City Street Bible project that these two put out, nothing personal it just never made it into my rotation. Let’s just get this out of the way: Black Geez isn’t the greatest rapper you’ve ever heard. He had the vocal quality of people like G4 JAG and 38 Spesh, but his wordplay and flow don’t match up to some of the genres best. That being said, the heart and drive that this guy has, and the conviction of his delivery, is actually very admirable, and if I may offer a suggestion to those listening: just stick with it. This album says a lot about who Black Geez is a person as well as an artist, offering a portrait of himself and his city in a way that strikes me as like a poet or an oddly-rhyming bard. It does help that he has connections in both the Loyalty or Death and Trust Gang collectives, and brings in the mentioned JAG and Flee Lord, as well as 38 Spesh and Klass Murda to represent respectively. Eto’s production has never been a problem for me, and that sentiment continues on this project. He makes one rapping appearance, but solely produces the entire record, bringing his incredibly raw and fuzzy boom-bap sensibilities to the instrumentals, maybe with a pinch more of sunniness and nostalgia that you might not find on a record of his own. I think these two make a great team in the grand scheme of things, and I’d love to see more from them in the future. If you like dudes like Griselda, then this will be for you.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music/Bandcamp

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RiFF RAFF – Vanilla Gorilla

I was not expecting to like this project nearly as much as I do. Like I’m actually flabbergasted that RiFF RAFF of all people managed to put out a more true-to-form Florida Soundcloud album that Smokepurpp did last week (not saying Florida Jit is bad, just saying that it’s progressing past his roots). A huge part of this is that it seems like most if not all of these beats were made by none other than Ronny J, and not only this but it’s either material that was made years ago or Ronny tapped into that primal and hard-hitting production style once again to deliver the hits. Front to back, these beats slap, HARD, with the completely bananas bass notes blowing your entire system apart with it’s brashness. Great instrumental melodies, no one beat overstays it’s welcome or gets stale, and overall everything feels very fresh and alive despite being a years old style. In some sort of weird twisted way, thinking back to some of this subgenre’s saints like Lil Pump and Ski Mask, RiFF RAFF’s completely stupid lyrics and flows make this project an even more enjoyable listen; his last album, Cranberry Vampire, was complete garbage because he tried to hard to remain relevant with the melodies, but this album was the first project in a long time where I felt like RiFF was having fun, and it shows in the quality of the music. Like I said, the lyrics are dumb as a motherfucker, but I’ll be damned if they didn’t have me rolling sometimes. There is even a great cadre of features that show up to support in a major way, from the predictably cold HoodRich Pablo Juan, on up to fucking Soulja Boy delivering a blindsidingly *good* verse, all the way up to FUCKING Snoop Dogg who doesn’t disappoint in the slightest. So yeah, listen to this RiFF RAFF album, you might be just as dumfounded as I am right now.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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88GLAM – New Mania

First thing’s first: (I’ll eat ya brains) there is a lot of filler on this album. This album is 18 tracks long, just around 45 minutes, and it easily could have been half of that. Lot of half-baked ideas here, which would have warranted a skip this week were it not for the highlights of the album. There are some tracks on here that are fantastic, strangely fantastic given the overall mood of throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks. Tracks like Dance For Me, One Call Away, and Drive are some top-tier modern ultra-clean pop rap, especially on the production front. For the most part, the instrumentals sound like a lot of labor went into them, making them shiny and metallic, and the futuristic vibes are a great pairing for 88GLAM, a duo who has historically been lazer-focused on these kinds of pop/hip-hop/R&B sounds. The two friends do as well as they normally do, giving me vibes similar to artists like Lil Skies, Lil Uzi, and, most importantly, NAV; there is a sort of robotic and stiffness to their vocals, but it plays more into the computerized and digital natures of the duo rather than laziness. If you like NAV, solid melodies, and some amazing pop-trap production with fantastic melodies and chord progressions, then give this bloated album a skim and cherry pick the quality tunes.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Yungeen Ace – Don Dada

This is another album this week that has flashes of brilliance dulled by a completely bloated tracklist. Yungeen Ace sticks out from the line-up of NoCap, Quando Rondo, and of course YoungBoy NBA because his voice is smoother, maybe more comparable to someone like Jacquees than any of those three kids. It’s Trap/R&B that blurs the line more than many other albums that exist in the same lane, and in that sense I’m behind what he’s putting down. But the man needs a filter, because for every genius melody and well-crafted song you get one that was clearly destined for the cutting room floor, finding life somehow on this album. The title track, I’m the One, and Don’t Know What I Seen are doubly potent because they are backed by great instrumentals laced with great melodies, and in a positive I can say that, while being slightly formulaic and over-reliant on the piano as a crutch, I had no problems vibing to the production on Don Dada. That’s really it: this project isn’t re-writing the melodic-trap playbook, but it sticks to the rules faithfully enough that anyone who is a fan of the subgenre can find some tracks to love, albeit with a little bit of sifting and digging.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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

Jack Harlow (Feat. DaBaby, Tory Lanez, & Lil Wayne) – WHATS POPPIN

This is an absolute banger, every rapper here brings great energy and character. I’ve heard of Jack on a couple tracks (most recently his feature on Smokepurpp’s album Florida Jit), but this single is the one giving me the best impression of him as a charismatic individual. His hook is great from the ground up, and his delivery is labored and whiny (but in a good way), bringing the track together in a very impressive way given the talent found on the guests. DaBaby is out here SMOKING this instrumental with his trademark flow, but ratcheting up that speed and doggedness to a new level. Wayne doesn’t skimp on the back end of the track, with some great punchlines and a great use of his auto-tunchi part of his artistry. But Tory Lanez? Bruh? Jesus this motherfucker goes WAY too hard on this track, like he completely sunned everybody on this track, he sunned motherfuckers that weren’t even on the track, yeah he sunned DaBaby and Wayne but he also sunned *Drake* on this motherfucker, he sunned Kendrick on this motherfucker; How? Because that’s how fucking insane his verse is. The dude literally doesn’t stop rapping for like 30+ seconds, it’s incredible. Anyway yeah this track is really good as like a novelty “too-hard-for-life” kind of way, and I’d love to hear more of these shows of technical skill from these and other titans in the game.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Guapdad 4000 (Feat. Denzel Curry) – Lil Scammer That Could

Guapdaddy is on a goddamn roll right now, with single after single that never seems to diminish his luster in the game right now. The reason why I love Guap so much is that he’s both hilarious and talented, like Young Thug mixed with the dumbassedness of Lil B. He’s constantly cracking weird jokes and spitting references to pop culture shit, but he’s also hit you with lines out of the blue like “big weird; stop actin’ like R. Kelly lil bruh” that are so potent in their comedic delivery. He did this across the entirety of his debut album, on his last EP, and is continuing it on this new single. This song in question is one of his harder trap songs, eschewing melody for a more strained and technical rapped delivery; I love how his voice devolves into shrieking whenever he’s trying to act hard, and the cracks and gaps in his voice add to his goofball persona. Despite the song sounding hard as fuck, nothing about what he’s saying is actually hard, most of it is literal nonsense meant to get a chuckle (which it does). Denzel Curry on the other hand, right at home amongst this instrumental that sounds ripped straight from one of his or Smokepurpp’s albums, doesn’t disappoint with a thrilling flow and some very memorable moments of his own. He’ not leaning on the comedy as much, but some of his faux-sung parts are enough to keep at this self-aware ridiculousness. Like I said, Young Thug and Lil B seem like influences here, so if you like them you’ll like this. Lil Pump (but much more structured), Famous Dex, EARTHGANG, and J.I.D. are some other artists that scratch this same itch, so if you like them you’ll like this.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Lil Mosey (Feat. Lil Baby) – Back At It

Someone must have recently told Mosey to step his game up, because his past few singles have been leaps and bounds better than Blueberry Faygo, which I personally think is a boring track. The beat, rhymes, flows, and featured guests are all on another level than his previous work, and actually have me excited to see where this kid is going to go. I’ll be 100 and say that during his whole XXL debacle he had going on last year, I did not see how this kid was going to make it in the game, but seeing him actually trying to make substantial music now has me looking at him in a different light. First off, the flow is tight, with great triplets (punched-in but whatever, not everyone is perfect) pieced together to facilitate a smooth and well-oiled listen. The kid actually seems like he’s rapping too, rather than just spitting whatever is on top of his mind at the time, which has always been one of biggest problems with him, and you can see the effort taken (whether by him or his ghostwriters is irrelevant) to make the substance of the track slightly more engaging. The beat is a brisk and breezy trap banger, with these cool bells and whistles that give it an icy tone. Finally, I’m a fan of bringing in someone like Lil Baby to add some star power to his image, adding this to his collaboration with Gunna and he’s building up a great repertoire of connections. I will say that I find it hilarious that two of Lil Baby’s most recent and high-profile features are mixed like complete ass, with his verse on Polo G’s album being way too quite one some “NAV on YOSEMITE” shit, and now on this Mosey track he’s WAY too fucking loud, like I just started cracking up when I heard this shit. All of that being said, I think this is some solid pop-trap, and if you like whatever people call mumble rappers nowadays, high-class trap beats, and well-made radio hits, then you know what to do.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Tyga – Ibiza

The first thing that needs to be said about this is that DJ Mustard did a fantastic job lacing this beat with a solid horn sample; it might get a little overbearing and repetitive as the track wears on, but the swankiness of it is very bold, and just like Mustard’s solo album that came out last year, shows that the producer is willing to make instrumental statements on the color and vibrancy of his music. The drums are crisp, the slaps are loud, and the whole package comes together into a very satisfying loop. Does Tyga take full advantage of the gold given to him? Not really, but I never expect Tyga to knock it out of the park; he pretty much does what he always does on a track, and that’s remain listenable. I’ll give him points for a catchy hook, which is usually not a problem when it comes to songs from Tyga, but his lyrics remain repetitive and routine. In this spirit, if you like mindless party music with slick flows and nasally emcees, but, more importantly, you fuck with the west-coast vibes on the instrumental side (especially if you like brass; this is a must-listen for you horn lovers out there), then run this single through a few times.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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JPEGMAFIA – The Bends!

This is a great track for those of you who are looking for solid melodies and weird song structures, AND you are on that Fuck Donald Trump shit like most hip-hoppers are. It’s not as weird and left-field as some of JPEGMAFIA’s other material, but it still has that sharp wit and edge to it that is classic Peggy. There also isn’t any one part of the song that I would say steals the show, with the track sort of meandering between ideas and melodies, occasionally stopping to say something direct and antagonistic towards Donald and his supporters. The Bends! doesn’t sound like it will place on any sort of album that Peggy has coming, given the topicality and unfocused nature of the single, but I’m still enjoying this moderately-paced stream of music that he’s been putting out recently. If you like odd music with a sarcastic and cheeky edge to it sitting within a loose trap framework, with the melodic sensibilities of some younger cats like Lil Uzi Vert, then give this a shot.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Calboy (Feat. Fivio Foreign) – Rounds

One of the first times I’ve heard a Brooklyn Drill crossover that doesn’t *quite* hit it off from the jump. I think Calboy, and probably by extension many of the Chicago emotional crooners, probably won’t fit as comfortably over these styles of beats as the more freeform rappers like A Boogie wit Da Hoodie and Rich The Kid have in recent months, but I can still enjoy the track for what it is: a slightly awkward crossover. Calboy does his thing (which I think is fantastic whenever in the confines of his own environment), and in fact his flow is very impressive on this cut. But what does he really bring to this sound? If he did this over a southern instrumental it would be hard as fuck, but as it is here it just sounds like cashing in on an in-demand sound…. Which I guess I can’t be upset with, because at the end of the day I like the song. While Fivio obviously sounds perfect over the beat, I would have liked his contribution to have been longer (which is a common complaint I have with some of his recent features). If you want to see how far this subgenre has come in invading neighboring subgenres with a truly new sound, give this single a listen. Think guys like Lil Durk and Jaqcuees, but throwing them in the Brooklyn Drill deep-end and see if they’ll swim. Listen if you like good melodies, Pop Smoke, solid crossovers, and bassy and heavy digital beats.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Blueface – Finesse the Beat

I’m still baffled on why people turned on Blueface so quickly. He released the honestly trash project that put him on the map, put out a much better EP called Dirtbag that everyone seemingly hated (I don’t understand it), released by far his best project in Find the Beat that everyone ignored (again, I don’t understand), and now he’s got a few singles out and it’s crickets. The dude is getting better by the day, and people out there wishing for him to start “rapping off-beat again” need to realize that that was a gimmick that did not really sound good, but it sure was funny to listen to as a meme. This track is a legit west-coast smooth banger, with the repetitive pianos and mesmerizing hook defining him more as official an artist than his low-fi memes ever did. He seems to understand, basically, how to make a good song, and the DNA of a Blueface song is as strong at it ever was. Maybe my criticism is that it’s playing it a bit too safe; I’d like to see him get crazier with his deliveries, more comedic with his lyrics, and bring in some more appropriate features like Shoreline Mafia, SOB X RBE, and Nef The Pharaoh. If you like irreverent and low-fi west-coast music (think shades of YG and Vince Staples), mixed with the playfulness and comedy of bay area rappers like E-40, then give this a spin.

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Lil Loaded (Feat. YG) – Gang Unit (Remix)

Man the West-Coast really came correct this week, and Lil Loaded added to that excitement. The strange part is that, despite Lil Loaded’s origin in Dallas, Texas, his style is undeniably Los Angeles, imitating many of the styles of contemporaries like Shoreline Mafia and Nef The Pharaoh, specifically hopping on the variety of youtube type-beats that would be used by West-Coast rappers. This track came out a while ago, but it’s taken until now before some of the more notable names in that scene are accepting the young man, with 2010’s gangsta rap legend YG being the first up to plate batting for Lil Loaded. The track is not cutthroat or pimp music like a lot of music from out of LA, opting more for a kiddish disrespect of the system (a vibe that YG is still able to tap into effectively despite his veteran status in the game). If you like young music, soundcloud rappers, and slappin West-Coast vibes, then give this kid a shot.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Shoreline Mafia (Feat. Q Da Fool & YG) – Gangstas & Sippas

This one has a similar feel to that Tyga track that I wrote about earlier: while it’s not nearly as exciting as a DJ Mustard horn sample, there is a still a recurrent horn sample that plays out throughout the track. It’s definitely more rudimentary that Ibiza, being the same note tapped incessantly rather than a dynamic up and down, but it’s simplicity actually makes it really enjoyable to me. It sounds very DIY, like some real street music from kids with a MacBook who decided to make some music on GarageBand; nothing wrong with that, it just doesn’t sound like super-studio quality. It’s the emcees and the hook that carries this song as far it goes. The hook is very down to earth, with the attitude and ignorance giving me both old-school Dre and Snoop vibes as well as the more drug-oriented Atlanta raps (maybe even some 2000’s influence; Nate Dogg and all that). The Shoreline boys to great on the track, but the beat and their performances are pretty par for the course from the group. It’s the features where the action really kicks up, with a great energetic and adversarial performance from YG, sounding a lot younger leading me to believe the verse is from a while ago, and another from Q Da Fool, who may not being the most enlightened lyrics in the world but his flow brings a nice change of pace from the other parts of the song. This song is modern LA to a T, and if you like solid street-cruising music, grimy street kids acting cool, and a great variety of West-Coast rapping styles and flows, give this a shot.

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