Weekly Fix #27 ('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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There was a lot of music, but I felt like this week was easier to get through for some reason. You’ve just got to take it one day at a time folks, try your best every day; some days are good and some aren’t. Music is here to get us through these times, whether it’s to help you remember the good times, distract you from the bad, or give you the power to make your bad times good through your own strength. Don’t know why I got all philosophical here, but just take care of yourselves.
This week we had a healthy number of meaty albums to dive into from the likes of Flee Lord, the immortal Pop Smoke, and the one and only FLYGOD. Lots of good material that hopefully place on albums as well, with singles that are bring the pop sphere to you in a big way: yeah, we had two singles with Kanye (both fantastic), but we also got A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Blueface, Yo Gotti, and Tory Lanez bringing the heat this week. Don’t forget to check out that Playlist link down below for a quick and easy way to listen to all of this stuff.
Next week is looking like a great week as well. Sahbabii’s Barnacles came out mid-week, and I’m already enjoying the hell out of that, but we’re also getting the first Juice WLRD posthumous album this Friday, a Summer Walker project, Daniel Son drops again, and the long-awaited collaborative project between the queen Che Noir and Apollo Brown. Keep your ear’s peeled this upcoming weekend, and come and check out my Upcoming Heat page here on Tha Soup Dude’s Kitchen to see what’s coming up on Friday and beyond.
Thank all of you fools for reading my shit here on TSDK. Keep ya heads up, tap into this music shit, support these artists, and I’ll keep doing my part to keep you guys fed.
Here’s a link to the Week #27 Playlist (’20) for y’all
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Here’s a link to the Week #27 (’20) Art Appreciation post
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Westside Gunn – Fly God Is An Awesome God 2
The Flygod tweeted himself that this project was going to sound more like his earlier Hitler Wears Hermes mixtape series, specifically the 2nd and 3rd volumes, and I have to say I agree with this for the most part. Stylistically and from a fidelity point of view, Westside Gunn is throwing it back to those sounds, stripping any sort of studio gloss from his vocals and scoring this album with a spread of sharp vocal soul samples looped in simple yet effective pattens. But I think it undersells the project to just say he’s regurgitating older sounds, because, while his earlier work was almost exclusively Daringer-produced, you get a whole spread of beats from both huge names in hip-hop’s underground and lesser-knowns hand-picked by Gunn for their enormous potential. What this means is, while some of the tracks line up in tone to Westside’s earlier work, there are still some newer vibes like JR Swiftz Lil Cease and Chuck Inglish’s Drive By Love. It’s different from Hitler Wears Hermes 7 and the original Flygod Is An Awesome God tape by a little, not nearly as dark as Wwcd, and not nearly as light-hearted and soulful as Pray For Paris was. It occupies this healthy middle ground between all of his projects. Any Griselda fan will like this, and anyone out there who fucks with the underground hip-hop scene will find something to love here.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Pop Smoke – Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon
There was a lot riding on this album’s success, and it seems like the entire industry was coalescing behind this album’s release. Brought into fruition by none other than 50 Cent, Pop Smoke’s long-awaited debut album, which by a cruel stroke of fate is also his debut posthumous album, can be difficult to pin down. Pop Smoke was the undisputed leader and trend-setter in the burgeoning Brooklyn Drill subgenre of hip-hop, taking the digital melodies and subterranean sub-bass of UK Drill and applying a slight trap spin to the formula, as well as tailoring rap flow to a completely different drum pattern. It’s a kind of uniqueness that presented an entirely fresh feeling here in America, something capitalized upon by Pop Smoke’s uniquely smoky and abrasive voice. Meet The Woo, both the first and second installments, set our expectations high for how he was going to spread this sound nationwide on his debut, but what we have here instead is Pop Smoke essentially diversifying his bonds in different sounds. Whether this was Pop Smoke’s vision all along (he did often state he was the most diverse rapper you’d ever hear) or this is a label decision to increase this albums marketability I’m not sure, but the trademark sound Pop Smoke came riding in on can be found here, but it’s shoulder-to-shoulder equally with heavily auto-tuned melodic cuts, straight-up pop trap, and even some club cuts. I will also say that, while I love the majority of the features on here, some of them simply do not belong, like KAROL G and King Combs being simply uncomplimentary to Pop Smoke’s style. My final thoughts on this are that I love the majority of what is presented here, but the real cuts that I wanted to see from this man are either few are far between or dreadfully short. Still, anyone who’s around for modern hip-hop, great music to workout or ride around with a good sound system, 50 Cent, Migos, and any of the UK rappers like M Huncho, Headie One, and D Block Europe, will like this album. RIP POP SMOKE.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Flee Lord – Alter Ego Fleeigo Delgado
Lord Flee is on a roll man, one that’s been almost two years and running. The guy seems dead set on dropping at least once a month, which seems to be catching up to him seeing as this project was supposed to be Loyalty and Trust 2, but wasn’t quite finished in time for this month. This project, as said by Flee himself, is merely a collection of unreleased tracks from his vault and some collaborations that haven’t yet seen the light of day. The first half of the project is some of Flee’s best material this year, with some uniquely quirky boom-bap beats and great guest verses from Jay Worthy, TND Riley, and Elcamino. The second half would have been just as good had it not been for the very short track-times, with 1-2 minutes being the average. Just a *little* more effort would have made this project a super solid listen, and while it’s still great for a Flee Lord project I think his last two (especially that Lucky 13 project) set the bar higher than this project managed to leap. Guys like Bodega Bamz, Eto, Griselda, and The LOX are great places to go after this project, and anyone who already is familiar with these guys will feel right at home here. If you liked this, go and give Flee Lord’s Lord Talk 2 a listen; I think it’s one of his best.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music/Bandcamp
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FastLife – FastLife 3
This is my first project from FastLife (his collaborative project with Madhattan from earlier this year is still in my backlog of stuff to listen to from my time away), but I’ve got to say I’m very impressed. There is a grimy street energy behind this guy and the beats he hops on; it s sliminess that seems to get on you with the thick and raw instrumentals and the nasty deliveries. I say deliveries because, depending on the kind of instrumental he raps over, he can switch up his flow that shows a versatility amongst the other artists in his lane. Sometimes he can come at you with the flurry of rhymes in the way someone like Estee Nack or al.divino would, he can slow it down and slime it up like Rim Da Villin, and even get down and dirty boxer-style with his flow in the way a Benny the Butcher or Rick Hyde would. FastLife is sort of like a jack of all trades, both in flow and in beat selection, because the spread of is not unlike someone like Conway the Machine or Flee Lord: you get a majority of raw boom-bap bangers, but there’s also some oddities with left-field samples and beats that have that wonkiness to them while still being hard as fuck (not unlike someone like Westside Gunn). There are even some more trappy takes on boom-bap that make their way in here; you couldn’t make this tape sound more New York if you tried. Good flows, grimy lyrics, good spread of beats, and great features from characters like Flee Lord, Rome Streetz, and Rick Hyde make this a very enjoyable and hard-hitting listen for those of you who like this newer brand of compelling New York hip-hop.
Bandcamp
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G4 JAG & DirtyDiggs – Keep Goin
It’s short, probably the only negative thing about this EP I have to say, but man does this project pack a punch. I’ll be real with you guys: I wasn’t always the biggest fan of JAG; his monotone and suuuuuper deep voice threw me off, and, to my great shame, I wrote the guy off. But he had his album Still Surviving earlier this year that had me questioning myself, his collaborative cut with The Musalini Scriptures in the Sky just a few weeks ago that made me feel stupid for not getting on this train earlier, and now this superb project entirely produced by L.A.’s smash-duo producers DirtyDiggs. I’ve gotta spotlight JAG’s great lyricism and experiments with flow on this project, a trend that has been really impressing me recently; he is most comfortable whenever slowing his delivery down to molasses, but he shows several times that he can speed things up and make it more intricate, and with that low delivery it really is a sight to behold. It’s like a cold punch from a heavyweight boxer, but it can be strange because he’s rapping about a lot of personal and reflective content, like family and fakeness in the rap game. G4 doesn’t waste a track on this thing, and for that he gets all of my kudos. DirtyDiggs is still on a killing spree right now, with their amazing ear for oddball samples having yet to dull. They take these weird loops and obscure sounds and infuse them with the hale sunshine of the west-coast, whether that be with some funk or soul samples just depends on the vibe. I wouldn’t say these beats are tailored for JAG, but that he beings his own energy to this kind of production that makes it unique on it’s own. Overall, if you’re into emcees like Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes, all of Griselda, and Flee Lord, then you need to give this project a spin.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Buckwild – Fully Loaded
Buck is one of the most legendary hip-hop producers of all time, being apart of the hugely important D.I.T.C. clique from the late-90’s , but he’s also made a name for himself through a series of collaborations here within the past decade. Many tapes with Celph Titled, Meyhem Lauren, and most recently Rochester’s Pounds. Buckwild doesn’t have one approach to making a beat: obviously the shit is going to be dusty, but the whole record isn’t discordant chamberish boom-bap, sprucing up the swank factor with various traditional basslines and spicier-than-vanilla funk samples. You have Little Brother making an appearance on this record: if you can think back to the duos album of the past, you have a pretty good idea of how this album is going to sound by comparison. It’s a great spread of beats, not stealing the show from the emcees on deck but still making am impact. Speaking of the emcees, the underground has assembled like the Avengers on this shit to give us a crazy varied tracklist. You get the legends with Little Brother and Raekwon, long-standing underground emcees like Chuck Strangers and Chris Rivers, and a pantheon of hot boom-bap cats in todays game like Rome Streetz, Fly Anakin, Rasheed Chappell, and Asun Eastwood. Everyone fits the vibes they are given perfectly, and looking at it as a compilation project curated by a producer, there are very few examples of better execution from this year. If you’ve been looking for true-blue hip-hop to tide you over… I guess until time reverses and we’re in the 90’s again, then you won’t find a better album this week.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music/Bandcamp
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Cousin Feo – Belegen Kaas
A very short project, but the sort of motif that Feo has going on is unique and compelling enough to sound like a fuller listen. Now, I know nothing about Football (or any sport for that matter), but I can appreciate someone taking the time to craft tracks that reflect individuals and their personalities/styles/work ethics, and that’s exactly what Cousin Feo has done for this group of famous Footballers. As someone who grew up in a Southern Los Angeles household that placed great value on both music and football, Feo uses the music to channel these roots into ways that we can all partake in. The instrumentals are brash and riotous, much like a crowd of fans during an important matchup, and make liberal use of vocal and harshly mixed samples; it’s a vibe that can be both serious and all in good fun depending on the track. Feo often collaborates with those in the Canadian sphere of hip-hop, especially Lord Juco (who also has a deep love of Football) of Big Turks fame, and that influence can be seen on this record as well. The shouted and direct delivery and rhyme styles of Feo have similaries to those of people like Daniel Son and Asun Eastwood (the latter of whom features on the project), and if you like those guys you’ll be in for a treat on this one. The features are another great aspect of the project; with a guest on almost every song, the project sort of feels like a string of football matches in and of themselves, pitting Cousin Feo against some of the hottest spitters in the underground right now like Asun, Adonis, Skunkz, and the Deleware destroyers Jay NiCE and Left Lane Didon. If you like the grimy underground right now, guys like Westside Gunn, Rome Streetz, Rigz and Mooch, and Estee Nack, then give this short album a run through.
Bandcamp
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Gucci Mane – Gucci Mane Presents: So Icy Summer
So I wouldn’t go into this project thinking that this is a new Gucci Mane album, because it’s totally not. Instead what we get here is a vault of unreleased collaborations with Gucci’s close acquaintances and contemporaries stacked on top of one another for the first half of this tape, while the back half of a showcase of talent on Gucci’s 1017 music label, with a gauntlet of solo tracks from the lesser knowns associated with the labels head honcho. So you need to look at this in two distinct parts, with the first being the Gucci Mane album. Gucci is leaning heavily on his guests and features, even when it’s his own track, and has decided that he’s also going to rely on his singing and autotuned chops for a majority of his record. It’s odd to say the least, making for one of the least Gucci-sounding records in his discography, but there are some moments like the opening track where it lines up well and doesn’t sound too corny. The artists like Young Thug (who appears three times), Future, and Young Nudy all deserve a place here, keeping you engaged from one track to the next. Despite this, it’s still not Gucci Mane’s best work, and I obviously would have preferred for him to have stuck to his harder trap roots. The back half of the record is really a mixed bag, with rappers like Pooh Shiesty and Foogiano being okay on the mic, but rarely does a solo track with them feel substantial, and adding in features from Lil Baby doesn’t seem to help the feeling. The only track I think really goes off well is the last track, So Icy Boyz, where it feels like the chemistry is appropriate. The first half of the record is for people who want to hear Gucci try something new in terms of melodic rapping and outright singing, an if you like people like Young Thug and Future you’ll like it well enough. But the second half is only for people who are heavily invested in the Atlanta street scene, and willing to sort through some roughage to get to the good stuff; if you are a fan of people like Marlo, Trouble, Doe Boy, etc, you can find some new material on the back end of the project.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Kanye West (Feat. Travis Scott) – Wash Us in the Blood
I was not the biggest fan of Jesus is King, I won’t hold you. I could give a shit about the religious imagery or whatever; my problem is that the record felt like the man could give a shit about the care he put into the writing and mixing of the final product, a common problem with Kanye that never got as bad as it eventually did on that project. This new single right here is a breath of fresh air in that regards, because everything about this single screams “foresight”. The writing, while slightly repetitive and a bit general, is out to give you a specific message about the state of the world today, undistracted by random chic-fil-a lines and what have you. There’s a random (and painfully short) Travis Scott feature in the middle of the track, but at least it stays on topic with the revolutionary nature of the music. Probably the most positive thing about this track in my eyes is the work that was put into arranging, mixing, and overall production on this track: it feels… finished! All of the vocal wonkiness and distortion feels premeditated, and the beat (while it most definitely has Yeezus vibes to it) feels hard-hitting and futuristically fresh. If you’re a fan of Kanye West I think we finally have a solid single to hang out hats on as classic Kanye, and I haven’t felt this good about a Yeezy album rollout since the days of The Life of Pablo. If you don’t like Kanye West… please take the time to go and work on yourself a bit.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Ty Dolla $ign (Feat. Kanye West, FKA twigs, & Skrillex) – Ego Death
Dolla has come through with a seductive and bumping dance club banger; the bassline bangs and the synthwork is great, loving the minimal percussion on the majority of the track too. Ty’s verse is great, sexy and all that, but I think we’re all here to listen to this stacked guest list more than anything. twigs has a great performance on the back end of the track, fitting much more snugly into this relatively positive and carefree song than I thought she would with a great vocal performance and more traditional singing delivery. Skrillex doesn’t completely overtake the track like he normally would, so I’d say his tastefulness in regards to his work here is to be applauded. But it’s Kanye West that is the MVP here, again continuing verses and concepts that seem more thought out than anything he’s done for years. His verse is topical, speaking on the concept of movements in the modern era and the power of action over speaking and typing. My favorite part of this track by far is the random intro to Kanye’s verse, where before he starts rapping he asks us to “wait for this train to go by”, whereby we’re treated to a literal train speeding by us screaming “FREEEEEE”; it’s oddity that I’m so happy to hear from Kanye again. If you like club music, electronic vibes, music to dance to, Miguel, Sean Paul, and Life of Pablo Kanye West, then you need to hear this.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire – Black Mirror
Yo… this shit is beautiful. This is a statement that I would NEVER have thought to apply to Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, but it’s 2020 man and here we are. Usually you go into an eX track expecting crazy sex bars, jokes, explicit and graphic lyrics about fuckin or beating somebody’s ass, etc., but this track is different from almost any track he’s ever put out. Black Mirror is a track dedicated to eX’s Uncle Shingo, and man that helped shape him into both the person and the artist he is today, for better or worse, and a man who recently passed away. eX goes into great detail of growing up with this man around, getting into his vinyl stash as an introduction to the power of music, trying on his shoes while he wasn’t around, and even watching his uncle knock-over a local convenience store from the surveillance tape that he also stole. There is pain and reflection in these bars that would be compelling coming from someone like Kendrick, but hearing them from someone like eX shows me just how deeply he felt for this man, and the track takes you along to feel that pain with him. But, in an even bigger stroke of genius, he reflects on how the image of his uncle as a figure is something that all young black men in America can benefit from, coming to the conclusion that having someone to look up to and see yourself in (a Black Mirror, if you will) will do more good for you than almost anything in the world. The absolute craziest part of this single is whenever he ties this concept directly to the Willie Lynch theory, saying that modern portrayals of black men on websites like Worldstar are directly and negatively affecting black culture by showing black men in positions of weakness; Wille Lynch says that by showing powerful black men destroyed, you take away that power for generations, and the way eX is able to tie that directly into modern events and cultural phenomena is genuinely incredible. eX is saying that he survives and prospers today in the way that he does because he had a powerful black man to look up to, and the lengths he goes to explain that relationship is nothing short of amazing. None of this even touches upon the superb Madlib beat, which the perfect instrumental for this detailed and emotional breakdown. Listen to this.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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A Boogie wit da Hoodie & Don Q (Feat. Lil Uzi Vert) – Flood My Wrist
It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from Don Q, and I don’t think there’s anyone better for him to reappear on the scene with than is close collaborator A Boogie. Don is a lower-register emcee, more akin to a darker gangsta rapper than anything, and A Boogie is obviously one of the most melodic rappers out there today. But to make this collaboration work, both artists had to give a little, with Don Q making a bit more of an effort to fit a more pop formula, and A Boogie griming up his sound with a ferocious delivery. It makes for a stellar track with great subterranean energy, made double by a banging trap instrumental. I just can’t get over the way that A Boogie plays with flow, and this track is one of the catchiest approaches he’s taken in a while. Lil Uzi may be the odd man out here, but he still kills his performance during the middle part of the song. I don’t know why, but with Uzi’s verse cozied up in the middle like it is, framed between two huge artists, this track feels like one of the 2000’s club bangers that is presenting hella star power. If you like dark and bumping trap beats, Drake, 21 Savage, melodic rapping, and great structured radio hits, then get this in your rotation immediately.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Blueface (Feat. 03 Greedo & Flash Gottii) – Traphouse
What an odd fucking track. On one hand, I like Blueface on this track; he compliments the vibe of the instrumental better than I ever thought he could. But, one the other hand, this track is literally not Blueface’s track: this track came out over a year ago and placed on 03 Greedo and DJ Mustard’s collaborative project Still Summer in the Projects (sans Blueface with Shoreline Mafia in his place). Why Blueface and his team chose to basically remix a song that wasn’t even his as a single towards whatever project he has coming is a baffling decision, but at the very least the music is good to listen to. 03 Greedo is on the hook like he was on the original track (dude is still in prison, and seeing as he just lost out on parole it’s probably going to be for a long time), and I’m loving it just as much as I did then. The sunset-evoking beat and the genuinely nostalgic timbre of Greedo’s voice makes for one of the most compelling performances from the crooner I’ve heard from him; it’s so good that I’m not even bothered he doesn’t have a verse here. Flash Gottii is an okay addition, but if we’re just pulling the original song directly why not just keep Shoreline Mafia instead? If you like expertly produced west-coast emotional gangsta music, goofy emcees and singers, Young Thug, Nef The Pharaoh, and Lil Yachty, then give this track listen.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Tory Lanez & Kevin Gates – Convertible Burt
What is wrong with this man Tory Lanez? Does he not have an off-switch? A sense of “I don’t need to go this hard on a track for FAST A FURIOUS for gods sake”? Apparently he doesn’t because he demolished this beat, with a disgustingly hard flow and some hilarious lines that have this big 50 Cent “fuck you” energy to them. Lanez has said time and again that rapping fast like this is the easy part, and he’s demonstrated this concept to us time and time again in impressive fashion. Kevin Gates plays more of the featured role on this single, trying to match the energy that Tory brings; in his later career Gates has leaned heavily on autotune, and that trend continues on this cut. The performance is impressive, with Gates showing yet again that he never skimps on verses he gives to other artists. Another huge plus with this track is the absolute banger of a beat, starting quickly and hitting us with woodwinds and a detailed trap blueprint. The jungle of hi-hats and snares is seen as a challenge to Tory it seems, for he flows over the motherfucker like butter. So yeah, for a track that’s attached to what will surely be a terrible movie (I’m sorry, I don’t fuck with cars), this track is way better than it has any right being. I’m thinking if you like Kodak Black, Meek Mill, uptempo bright trap beats, fast flows, and some autotune thrown in there, then you can’t go wrong with this song.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Teejayx6 (Feat. NLE Choppa) – Punchin
This track could have been normal young trap flair, but these two emcees decide to derail the track with flows that are truly bonkers. I’m still not 100% sure if I would call it “good” persay, but they are unique as fuck. So both of these guys have two verses on this single, verses that start up normally but end up with the artists totally losing the beat and just sort of yelling aggressively at you in truly manic and strained ways. Teejay is a little more relaxed (but just barely), but NLE is a total madman on this beat bro, a barbarian with words, sometimes ignoring the pocket of the beat entirely and hitting you with just straight words and violence. He does this cool strained and cracked delivery where he makes his voice go super high, goofy but still hard as nails, similar to the stuff he did on his last Shotta Flow track. Honestly, the intensity of the track is the real reason why you’re all going to want to check this track out: the beat is serviceable (but since it’s ignored it’s like, why bother?) and the hook is catchy enough to be a single. You Memphis motherfuckers will love this, and all of you that like Moneybagg Yo, Yo Gotti, Lil Wayne, hell even you Soulja Boy fans out there, you will all love this. Listen if you like super high energy southern trap music, off-beat music, and young spitters.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Yo Gotti – Recession Proof
One thing you can never fault Yo Gotti for: his beats. The man has a crazy array of talent behind him, from producers to writers to star kids on his label, and they always come together to deliver a quality sounding track/project. This beat in particular is one that is throwing me back to an earlier time in hip-hop, let alone trap music in general; the snares are crisp, the sub-bass is rumbling, and that huge vocal sample that loops incessantly gives me vibes of some late-career Clipse or some early 2010’s G.O.O.D. Music output. It’s powerful, tasteful, and really gives Yo Gotti’s performance this sense of importance and leadership. I applaud the topicality and relative focus of the track, with Yo Gotti speaking on the bullshit going on in the world today in regards to this virus going around, while also using it to flex about his wealth and status in the game. It straddles the line between conscious and gangsta pretty well, something that I think Gotti is getting better at as he’s getting older. Of course, there’s no beating the man’s accent, which is as identifiable and unique as ever. I’m sure Gotti has an album coming soon, and as a single this gets me excited for another solid offering from the trap legend.
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