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Weekly Fix #3 ('20)

Weekly Fix #3 ('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.

Some great shit this week, both long awaited projects and surprise drops filling out another good week. There are a lot of fantastic underground albums to go through, but the mainstream was dominated by pretty much one name: Eminem. Whether or not I like the album, it’s still gonna do massive numbers, and I wish everyone involved in the project (Royce da 5’9” especially) all the best in the world.

My Upcoming Heat page has really ballooned up in the past week, with the next month being stacked with great projects that I’m looking forward to. If you didn’t know, it’s a calendar of upcoming releases (both albums and posts on my page), and I highly recommend checking out that page every once in a while to see what I’m looking at coming down the pipeline. This week, 38 Spesh announced four albums coming in the near future, three for February, we have a stacked Valentines Day with an Importred Goodz tape with Daniel Son, Vinnie Paz’s new LP, and a new project from the $UICIDEBOY$. Hell, next week alone we’re looking at Tha God Fahim, Guilty Simpson, and Recognize Ali. So yeah, bookmark that Upcoming Heat page and stay up to date.

I do have a little something to say about a certain album that you won’t find in my list here. Circles, Mac Miller’s first (and hopefully last; let the man rest) posthumous album released this week, and while the sound, styles, and singing remind me too much of The Beatles for me to *really* enjoy it, I do acknowledge that it is an entirely appropriate ending to a career that deserved to go on much longer than it did. The lyrical content is stunningly relevant to his passing and the aftermath of emotions associated with it, and I think everyone should at least listen to the album once to get a sense of where Mac was before he died. It really puts a lot of things into perspective. Rest in Peace Mac.

 

Here’s a link to the Week #3 Playlist (’20) for y’all

-----PROJECTS-----

All Hail Y.T. & Tone Beatz – The Spoils of Babylon

AC All Hail Y.T. & Tone Beatz - The Spoils Of Babylon.jpg

Chris Skillz dropped his project last week, and All Hail Y.T., another Delaware emcee, follows suit with a fairly conceptual project. Both Chris and Y.T. join forces with a single producer, with Skillz going with Zain and Y.T. with Tone Beatz, but it’s cool to see that they both kind of go left field with their ideas. Y.T. goes more abstract and galactic with his sounds, with lots of world-building samples referencing Babylon as a city and the ethics surrounding those concepts. Y.T. himself is a great rapper, and employs many of the mainstays in the Delaware scene like Jay NiCE and Left Lane Didon on the features. There’s a lot of knowledge being spit on this album, go check it out.

Recommended if you like: very vibey hip-hop, Chris Skillz, lots of respect for the 90’s, Ab-Soul, abstract concepts, UGK, sonically varied albums, conspiratorial lyrics, GZA

YouTube/Bandcamp

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Hus Kingpin – End of a Decade

AC Hus Kingpin - End of a Decade.jpg

For an album of assumed B-sides (some of these tracks sound 3-4 years old easily), it’s satisfying for a fan of Hus’ work. Many of the beats are spacey and enigmatic, the large number of quality features and posse cuts on here are fantastic, and Hus is his usual sexually deviant self. Really it’s just more dope shit for true fans, and if you fuck with Kingpin or SmooVth you should be right at home here. Shoutout to Hus for always keeping his fans fed with new music; a lot of these tracks didn’t have to see the light of day but Hus came through for us.

Recommended if you like: Killah Priest, abstract and left-field hip-hop, Westside Gunn, guttery emcees, Planet Asia, disjointed flows, SmooVth, lots of pimping lyrics, Fred the Godson,

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Observe Since ‘98 – Royaume Du Sauvage

AC Observe Since '98 - Royaume Du Sauvage.jpg

This isn’t you’re typical sampling producer just dropping a compilation tape: there’s something unsettling and deeper to the instrumentals and samples on this album, like a sense of dread or danger. I’d almost say this is an equivalent of instrumental horrorcore, but with the score of underground rappers sprinkled throughout you’re pulled into a more traditional space. Observe’s sample choices here are obscure, often drawing from sources outside of the English sphere, disorienting you even more. I love the verses from cats like Lucky Seven, Mooch, and Elcamino on here, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love the instrumentals more.

Recommended if you like: compilation tapes with lots of features, Madlib, underground hip-hop, The Alchemist, gritty and gangsta lyrics, a darker The Avalanches, dark and mysterious sampled production, great sense of atmosphere

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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The Professionals (Madlib & Oh No) – The Professionals

AC The Professionals - The Professionals.jpeg

We’ve been waiting a while for this project to come out, and now that it’s here I’d say that, while it didn’t quite meet the huge expectations, it’s still a solid entry into the Jackson brother’s discography. Madlib kind of dialed it back on this one, focusing more on classic boom-bap sounds interspersed with his trademark off-the-wall and obscure vocal samples. Oh No is the brother that shines brightly on here, with his junkyard presence and, surprisingly, his ear for good hooks making the album a great listen. I would have liked to have heard more features on here, where while Elzhi and Chino XL are undoubtedly legends (the rest of the CDP Crew and The Alchemist are uncredited features for some reason) there are tons of emcees that would have fit perfectly on here (MED, Blue, Freddie Gibbs?).

Recommended if you like: punchy and funky hip-hop, The Alchemist, weird and unpredictable sampling, Daringer, forceful and charismatic emcees, Kool Keith, consistently good hooks, Guilty Simpson, early 2010’s underground hip-hop, Blu, Sadhugold

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Stunna 4 Vegas – RICH YOUNGIN

AC Stunna 4 Vegas - Rich Youngin.jpg

In comparison to his close friend DaBaby, Stunna leaves a lot to be desired lyrically. His wordplay needs work, but his limitless energy, blurted flow, and the banger beats that he chooses to rap over show an artist with a ton of potential. Also, there are some tracks on here that are less than two minutes that either need a good feature or a second verse, otherwise they’re just taking up space (which is a shame because some of them have great beats that are just being thrown away). The features on here are all pretty great, with a special shoutout to Lil Baby for *murking* his verse on DO DAT; it ranks up there as one of his best features ever for sure.

Recommended if you like: disjointed and punched-in flows, BlocBoy JB, lots of energy, DJ Paul, sparce and bouncy production, Famous Dex, triplet flows, DaBaby, youthful arrogance, Boosie Badazz, Southern accents, Smokepurpp

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Wais P & Statik Selektah – Chinchilla

AC Statik Selektah & Wais P - Chinchilla.jpg

This is the first Wais album I’ve heard of, despite the dude being around for over a decade now. It’s great, with his overwhelmingly pimp demeanor coming out strong across the short 8 track runtime. The bars aren’t the strongest and most lyrical, but his delivery is ferocious and charismatic to the point where I don’t really mind. Statik Selektah does a great job on the boards, especially on the back half of the project with the more soulful cuts. Features are Statik’s usual suspects, all of whom do their thing, but Paul Wall on the last track was a special treat.

Recommended if you like: loud and provocative emcees, KXNG Crooked, great sampling work, Termanology, soul/funk samples, The Alchemist, pimpin music, short projects, Sheek Louch

Spotify/YouTube

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Eminem – Music To Be Murdered By

AC Eminem - Music To Be Murdered By.jpg

I want to be 100% clear: I am not recommending you listen to this entire record. 85% of this album is not for me at all, and it ranks down there in Revival-status of…. unpleasant…. Eminem releases. However, there are a couple tracks that are actually great on here: You Gon’ Learn, Godzilla, Yah Yah, Lock It Up, and I Will are all pretty ok tracks, and deserve a listen. Again, I do not endorse this album, but don’t let those few tracks go by you. Give credit where credit is due.

Recommended if you like: Revival, parts of Marshall Mathers LP 2, choppy and robotic flows, Logic, rapping fast as fuck, hating your stepdad, Hopsin, being angsty, Beethoven

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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

Royce da 5’9” (Feat. Westside Gunn) – Overcomer

AC Royce Da 5'9 - Overcomer.jpg

Definitely the best track produced by Royce that released this week (shoutout to his tracks on Eminem’s LP, great placement), but I still have a few observations. First off, and this probably doesn’t need to be said, but his flows and subject matter are dead-on point with some truly enlightened wisdom being spit from Nickle (Westside fits the beat like a glove, but I won’t say that he’s talking anything he hasn’t talked before). The beat before the drums kick in is beautiful, with a very simple vocal sample containing so much soul and emotion, however, I think the kicks and snares are a little unnecessary (and not quite mixed low enough into the beat, it’s a little distracting), especially when Royce speeds up his flow to match a certain drum passage. Again, I love the raw emotion shown on the minimal beat, but it feels a little overproduced otherwise.

Recommended if you like: Griselda, emotional tracks, Black Thought, simple beats loops, The Alchemist, prominent vocal samples, Nas, topical lyrics, paced and intricate rhyme schemes, woke lyrics

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Planet Asia & 38 Spesh (Feat. Fred the Godson & Elcamino) – Learned From OGs

AC 38 Spesh & Planet Asia - Trust the Chain.jpg

38 is about to kill February, with four albums with four different emcees (one for himself) dropping, all produced entirely by Spesh. Planet Asia is one of those three lucky cats, and this is a single from that upcoming project, Trust the Chain. Spesh kills the beat, which is a pretty straightforward boom-bap instrumental, providing the backdrop for Fred the Godson to do his thing, Planet Asia to wrap the song up nicely, and Elcamino to demolish his verse and drop a great cocky hook. Elcamino, who is also one of the three artists about to get their own Spesh produced project next month, drops one of his best features in recent memory, which not only gets my hype for Asia’s record but also for his own, called Martyr’s Prayer.

Recommended if you like: good storytelling rappers, Dave East, gritty wordplay, Griselda, slight melodic elements, Kool G Rap, golden age hip-hop, GZA, raspy and nasally emcees

YouTube

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Che Noir (Feat. Planet Asia & Street Justice) – Crown

AC Che Noir - Juno.jpg

The second 38 Spesh album coming in February is Che Noir’s Juno, and the second single from that is this guy right here, Crown. The beat is rudimentary boom-bap, but it allows the emcees to spit raw facts at you without too much distraction. Che Noir is a straight-shooter of an emcee, willing to tell the dirty details of her come-up unflinchingly, while also spitting crazy wordplay at you a lot like her mentor Spesh does. Planet Asia is his normal, wise self on this cut, while Street Justice is as raw as he is street-wise. I’m eagerly awaiting Juno, and, as always, trUUUSSst.

Recommended if you like: confessional struggle lyrics, 38 Spesh, solid rhyme schemes, Griselda, young blood mixed with grizzled veterans, Eto, simple but effective beat-loops, Trust Gang, chill and relaxed hip-hop, Conway the Machine, boom-bap

YouTube

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Thundercat (Feat. Steve Lacy & Steve Arrington) – Black Qualls

AAC Thundercat - It Is What It Is.jpg

It’s short, sweet, lush, and zany: pretty much like any other Thundercat track. He mostly takes the backseat on the track, providing the hook and of course his rubbery bassline, while Lacy and Arrington take on the more involved vocals. I wish Thudercat had more of a vocal presence, as the track kind of feels aimless without him at the helm, but I’m left feeling happy and fuzzy inside after hearing it so it’s alright. He’s got a new record coming out in April, It Is What It Is so look forward to that.

Recommended if you like: Pharrell, groovy basslines, The Neptunes, weird shit, laid-back instrumentation, tracks that shift sound several times, Flying Lotus, goofy singers, cute melodies, , The Doobie Brothers, organic live bands

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Rich The Kid (Feat. YoungBoy NBA) – Money Talk

AC Rich The Kid - Money Talk.jpg

Rich and YoungBoy are a perfect match for each other on this track, with Rich’s unchanging triplet delivery (and at times hilariously stupid bars) matching the quality hook brought by YoungBoy. The beat is a little dime-a-dozen, but it’s a well structured pop-trap song that deserves a listen regardless. I will say that RTK needs to switch shit up sometimes, because his flow and repetitive lyrics can get tiring, especially across an entire project. I have no hope that he’ll change this going into whatever album this single is a rollout for, but a man can hope.

Recommended if you like: pop-trap, Migos, triplet flows, Lil Yachty, melodic rapping, YBN Almighty Jay, catchy hooks, Hoodrich Pablo Juan, ignorant trap lyrics

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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2 Chainz (Feat. Future) – Dead Man Walking

AC 2 Chainz - Dead Man Walking.jpg

The hook is stuck in my head, not sure if it’s a good or bad thing yet. But 2 Chainz is darker and edgier than usual on this cut, a welcome change, while his lyrics are mixed with odd threats and hilarious one-liners, like usual. Future comes back with a pseudo-King’s-Dead delivery on here making me think this was recorded around the time that song was popping off. The beat is unfortunately pretty repetitive, but I like the menacing pianos enough not to complain about it.

Recommended if you like: murky trap beats, Lil Wayne, funny lines and deliveries, Young Thug, autotuned rapping, Lil Baby, dark pop-rap, Big Sean, earworm hooks

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Yung Gravy & bbno$ – Welcome to Chilis

AC Yung Gravy - Welcome to Chilis.jpg

Gravy & bbno$, name a better duo… I’ll wait….. nothing? Wait what Method Man & Redman? Eric B & Rakim? Simon & Garfunkel? Yeah no, I’m not hearing it. This shit sounds actually like I just walked into a Chili’s. This is what would play on the radio while I’m sitting down ordering my seafood pasta shit. (This song alright, go listen to it)

Recommended if you like: Applebees, Juicy J, mindless trap bangers, RiFF RAFF, memes, having your bitch stolen by Gravy, Blac Youngsta, Public Enemy

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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YSN Flow (Feat. Quando Rondo) – Want Beef? [Remix]

AC YSN Flow - Want Beef (Remix).jpg

I’m loving the twang in this beat: the crisp trap hi-hats and the guitar chords give it this desperado feel to it. The melody and chord progression are super satisfying, and I love how Quando continues YSN’s flow on his verse to provide some cohesiveness. They aren’t saying much, but the flair of the autotune and the melody make this and easy track to run back and listen to again. Also, the flow is relentless on this track, going from verse to hook to feature to hook seamlessly giving you really no room to breathe.

Recommended if you like: guitar based trap beats, Polo G, milky and unstoppable flows, YoungBoy NBA, slight autotune, Lil Durk, melodic rapping, YK Osiris, banger beats, Gunna, great hooks

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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All Hail Y.T. & Tone Beatz - The Spoils of Babylon [2020]

All Hail Y.T. & Tone Beatz - The Spoils of Babylon [2020]

Week #3 Playlists ('20)

Week #3 Playlists ('20)