Weekly Fix #44 ('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 where you can find the music. The bottom section will be devoted to projects that have Bandcamp or online webstore links, to give a greater highlight to those artists who you can support directly. Click here to see a list of previous Fixes.

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Alright, so I’m pretty sure my people here in the United States are focusing on something else entirely, but I’m going to drop this new Weekly Fix out here so y’all can pick up on some new music to keep sane. It really seems like Busta was some sort of prognosticator when he dropped “Extinction Level Event”… For those of you who’s stomachs can handle some music right now, keep this shit tabbed and come back when you’re ready.

Lots of good albums regardless: Busta Rhymes, King Von, Dizzee Rascal, two great duo albums with M Huncho/Nafe Smallz & Eto/Flee Lord, and a great comeback from MadeinTYO. Go and support some albums from some underground artists, guys like 38 Spesh & Street Justice, Jay NiCE/Ru$h/The God Fahim, E L U C I D, and Ill Bill. Do not forget, I repeat, DO NOT FORGET about this amazing album that Big Ghost and UFO Fev just dropped; if you go check out anything this week, please go and support this shit. There will be streaming links for that Ghost of Albizu tomorrow; check in on next week’s fix for the details.

Tomorrow, there are a couple of people to keep your eyes on: NAV and Wheezy have a collab album out, 38 Spesh and Elcamino (lord willing), and Doe Boy & Southside are all slated to release tomorrow. Keep up with this shit over on my Upcoming Heat page which is a nifty calendar you can use to keep tabs on things coming down the pipe in the future.

I’d like to thank all of you for keeping up with my crazy shit over here on Tha Soup Dude’s Kitchen. There is a lot of crazy shit going on in both my life and in all of our lives right now, but I’m still trying to keep up with this. I’m trying to do justice to all of the artists I cover here on the site. But it’s hard… so yeah I’m very appreciative to y’all who understand.

Here’s a link to the Week #44 (’20) Playlists

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Here’s a link to the Week #44 (‘20) Singles

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Here’s a link to the Week #44 (’20) Art Appreciation post

-----STREAMING PROJECTS-----

Busta Rhymes – Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God

Cover Artist: Chanelle Rose

I haven’t fucked with a Busta Rhymes album like this before, and while this is mostly because his previous efforts have suffered from that “skilled rapper /= skilled album-maker” maxim in hip-hop, this album benefits from some killer production choices that already elevate it above his other albums. Lots of Nottz and Rockwilder do wonders for the old-school feel of the album, and some spare appearances from the likes of DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and 9th  Wonder only increase that production profile, in addition to more than a couple credits to Busta himself. Whenever it’s at it’s best, the beats feel nostalgic and fresh (like that The World is Yours piano on the opener, shit had me tearing up no lie), but The Dragon still adventures into some newer or more melodic sounds, like on YUUUU with Anderson .Paak, or the R&B cuts with Mariah/Mary J. Blige. Busta on the microphone has not lost a single bit of his edge, proving time and time again why he’s your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper. There are really no… explosions of words on here for a lack of a better term; I’m not saying it’s all subdued, but he’s leaning more into his funny character and slightly more woke lyrics rather than flashy flows. Finally the features really do their jobs on here, showing that, even if you don’t believe that this man is a legend (which… what is wrong with you), you DAMN WELL better know that hip-hop as a genre is going to come behind this man and support him: you get Q-Tip, Kendrick Lamar (with Michael Jackson in spirit), Rapsody, M.O.P., and none other than motherfucking Rakim Allah laying down a verse. I can’t even name the last time Rakim was on a legitimate feature, but damn he really came through on this one. Hearing Rakim and Busta over that Nas beat… it’s special moments like these, ones of reverence for the craft and respect for those that came before us, that keeps this genre we inhabit alive, and what will continue to draw me back for decades to come. I will say, this shit is a bit long, like way too long, but there are gems buried lightly in the dirt here. Give this a shot if you want some of that real dusty shit.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Dizzee Rascal – E3 AF

Cover Artist: Ben Drury

I didn’t think this project would ever come out, I had almost given up hope on it after like 5 release dates came and went. But now that I’m here and sitting with it, I’d say it was worth the wait. At a very tight 10 tracks, 33 minutes, Dizzee wastes no time with half-baked ideas and incomplete songs: everything on here is well-written, expressive, energetic, and bangin’, a testament to both the producers and Rascal’s own brand of technical rapping. He shows mastery of pretty much every sound in modern UK hip-hop, as well as those that had led up to this point: there’s some Drill in here, Dancehall, pop-rap, Garage, and of course there is a consistent Grime influence, which is a no brainer given Dizzee is a hero of the genre. A rare criticism coming from me, but there might have been too many features on this bitch, I’ll say it. I love Kano, Ghetts, Frisco, D Double, and the Smoke Boys, but it got to a point where I wanted to hear more Dizzee, especially given there’s only ten tracks here. Still, the features kill it, especially the Grime emcees, and has me wanting more Dizzee Rascal features out there amongst the younger crowd (we got that new Chip track this week, check that shit out too). Overall, this is a just a solid release from someone who knows how to put together an album, and any lovers of London music will love this too.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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King Von – Welcome to O’Block

Cover Artist: [Unknown]

This shit is FIRE, like surprisingly good to me coming from a scene that I respect heavily but have never really gotten into like that. People like G Herbo, Lil Bibby, old-Durk, Keef; they’ve never really appealed to me before in the traditional hip-hop sense, but the energy and aggressive tendencies I recognize as key to making the landscape of hip-hop today (especially Sosa). But I think King Von here has a very clear head on his shoulders: he raps cleanly, precisely, and with a biting aggression that distills the Chicago bluntness to a speedier, more technical, and straighter flow with little to no slop. His lyrics run like a lot of what the Chi has gravitated towards in recent years; ultra-gang-violence mixed with reflective street tales, largely consisting of murdering motherfuckers and lamenting on why their homies were taken from them (or why they ratted to the police). It’s a revolving door of topics, but the delivery is so entertaining and has such stakes and drama placed on it that you can’t help but get sucked into the world. This is where I think Von has a leg-up on pretty much anyone else in the city right now: he compromises very seldom, sticking to his shark-like delivery for a vast majority of the album, and his demeanor lends credibility to his stories and boasts in ways that very few can match. He doesn’t have the melodic skill, but he doesn’t need it, because his traditional raps are more than adequate. The production is also full of some straight BANGERS guys; ChopsquadDJ (who has one of the best producer tags in the game without a doubt) comes with the big guns on this one, with almost every track having his skilled fingerprints on it. Add in some killer Tay Keith and Wheezy, and you have a potent spread of hard-nosed trap beats that rival the better albums in the mainstream. Listen to this if you want straight-up murder music.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Flee Lord & Eto – RocAmerikkka 2

Cover Artist: Manuel “Cep” Concepcion

I’ve got to give major props to Eto here, who produced this entire album front to back, coming with the most cohesive spread of instrumentals he’s put to wax so far. They can be dusty, yes, but they thrive in this deadly space of clear drums and droning synths, much more forward and pervasive than the beats of many of his contemporaries (and different definitely from the beats that his compatriot Flee Lord usually raps over, I mean the guy did a tape with Pete Rock recently). The rapping is about what you would expect from the two, hitting all of those gangsta/mafioso notes that they are so good at hitting. The chemistry between the two has always been top notch, and that same feeling of comradery and understanding still rings through clear here on the sequel to their first collaborative tape. Unlike the original RocAmerikkka, there are actually a couple of outstanding features on here, with Jai Black, G4 JAG, and especially Willie The Kid making their impressions felt. These guys put out so much work, and collab with so many artists, it really just comes down to “if you fuck with the artist, you’ll fuck with the project”, so that same sentiment applies here. Listen if you want to hear some quality underground hip-hop from two of the genre’s most prolific figures.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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M Huncho & Nafe Smallz – DNA

Cover Artist: MRE®

There is a consistency and attention to detail that these two gentlemen always seem to hit on their albums, coming with catchy flows and fire melodies on almost every track they grace. On both M Huncho’s Huncholini the 1st and Nafe’s Goat World from earlier in 2020, I could see the real potential that these two had to shake up UK Hip-Hop’s melodic game, with an above-average team of writers and producers behind these guys that few in that scene have. So, it was only natural that they come together on a full-length project, the ultimate in fan service from two guys who are really just out there having fun on the same wavelength. In terms of comparisons to people over here in the States, I would give you two names: Lil Baby and Lil Uzi Vert, clear influences that they have fused with their unique accents to accelerate the spread of American influence over in Britain by a substantial degree. Other acts like D-Block Europe have also been quick to capitalize on this sound, but I think this album here is a pretty pure distillation of the British slang/melodic style and the American trap soundscape. I would have liked to have seen more features on here, and maybe not all of the tracks feel as collaborative as they could have been, but it’s about everything I wanted it to be, with every track being at least a banger. Listen to this if you like the modern sing/rap styles of people like Young Thug, Gunna, Lil Baby, or Travis Scott.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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MadeinTYO – Never Forgotten

Cover Artist: Roby Dwi Antono

TYO’s best project, hands down. The guy is not a master lyricist, I want to get out ahead and say this, because there is a lot of repetitive lines and what seems like shitty writing on the surface of this record. But, like other guys such as Playboi Carti, it’s all in service and whole-hearted dedication to the vibe, establishing that the things he’s saying (over and over) is really just meant to fold into the beat. You can easily listen to this while cleaning some dishes or something like that, because it’s more of the tone and flow of the voice over the instrumentals that is engaging. And these beats really do some amazing things across the tracklist here: the vast majority are done by K Swisha, someone who has been around in TYO’s career for a long time, being the one who rocketed him up into stardom with the iconic Uber Everywhere. His production is pretty flawless across the record, being able to imbue a beat with cute and playful vibes better than almost any trap producer I can think of; think of people like Pi’erre Bourne. They are so fun and bouncy, very far from any sort of hard-nosed gangsta beats, and it’s a welcome change from the usual super-serious type-beats we get in today’s game. There are also a ton of people featured on this record, populating the record with people that you might actually want to tune in and listen to (again, that’s not shade to TYO, who does his own thing well): Young Nudy, 24hrs (TYO’s brother by the way), J Balvin, Wiz Khalifa, Cam’ron (definitely not expecting that one), and Chance the Rapper all fit into the vibes well, and show the artists off in a more light-hearted capacity. A very easy and comfortable listen, so give this a shot and save some songs off of this thing.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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-------SOUP’S HOT DEALS-------

Big Ghost LTD. & UFO Fev – The Ghost of Albizu

Investment: $15.00

Cover Artist: Big Ghost LTD.

This album has the rare honor of being an album that I IMMEDIATELY ran back, listening three times before I moved on (and I had fucking 20+ albums that I listened to this weekend). This album is basically flawless, with every verse, feature, instrumental, and skit/sample being perfectly placed with the goal of wasting not a minute of your time. Big Ghost has been one of my favorite producers in these past few years, but (and I have probably said this for several of his last couple projects) I think he has truly outdone himself with this motherfucker: his sample game can’t be matched, period, whether he’s looking for a more soul-centric vibe or a deadly boxcutter vibe, he creates beats that evoke these tones effortlessly. The man is a genius on the beat on the beat in any sort of vague sense, but the layers of genius extend down into some of the Hispanic influences in some of these beats, which work fantastically with Fev and some of the clips found here. UFO Fev is a rapper that I saw hella potential in on his tapes with Statik Selektah and Termanology, but I’ll be honest and say that I never expected him to reach a high like this so quickly in his career. There is nothing particularly groundbreaking about his rap style or his lyrics, it’s just that every bar is executed with precision, every bit of wordplay hits, all of the reflection and musings feel in-place, and the flows are crafted meticulously to fluid rhyme schemes. I could see it before, but now having heard him execute at such a high level of focus I can see that this man’s pen is sharp as a dagger, someone that I can see going on to become a highly respected figure in this genre. Features, including some melodic appearances from Jose Santiago and Red Inf, as well as hard-nosed and flawless guest verses from cats like Nems, Ty Farris, and Mooch, are both the icing and the cherry on top of this exquisitely baked cake. I got nothing else to say about this masterpiece: listen. Now.

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Lo.Ceasar (YL & Starker) – Lo.Ceasar 2

Investment: $25.00

Cover Artist: Derek Balarezo

I was put onto the Starker at the beginning of this year, so I never had the chance to go back and listen to the first Lo.Ceasar tape, but if this tape is any indication then I have been missing out. This album has a rich and warm feel to it, with the production (which is mostly done by people I had never heard of) is very intelligent and hazy, feeling very cohesive in it’s muddled brown/gray sounds. In a lot of ways it reminds of some spacious and cloudy beats that Madlib could have come up with, with odd samples and vintage loops ruling the day. But I think real influence here comes from other parts of the underground today, with artists like al.divino (both in production and rapping), Fly Anakin, and Estee Nack sounding like they could have been right at home on these instrumentals. The short track lengths also gives you the perfect amount of time to warm up to the sounds, and warrants repeat listens easily. The emcees on here, New York natives, float over these beats in marvelous fashion,: YL is the more traditional and true-to-form hip-hop emcee, hitting pockets in satisfying and predictable ways, but Starker is a great foil with his very wordy and rushed style (very much like divino). The back and forth between these guys is engaging and fun, fitting well in front of these lower-stakes instrumentals. An easily digestible, fun, and satisfying listen; give this a chance if you fuck with shit like Madvillain, Tha God Fahim, and al.divino.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Ill Bill – La Bella Medusa

Investment: $9.99

Cover Artist: Adam Padilla

Bill has been in the game for longer than some of us have been alive, so to see that his career is still successful after all of these decades is a real sight to see. He has a shitton of projects under his belt by this point, so I could point to a whole host of projects that I feel are just as fresh as this one, but I give props to Le Bella Medusa for sticking to the thing that Ill Bill does the best: rapping about murdering people. Bill is nothing if not in-tune with his fanbase, dedicated to making sure that his fans are fed with the music they want to hear, and this tape is no exception. I’ve never known Ill Bill to be the most technical rapper in the world (but he does have a few moments on here where he really surprises me), but his steady and deadly cadence is enough to have you afraid of his presence, like a monster in a horror movie on the microphone. The beats sort of follow that horrorcore aesthetic, being very over-the-top and campy boom-bap bangers, perfect soundscapes for him and his fellow killers to spit flames over. His fellow killers include some huge names right now, from CRIMEAPPLE to Lord Goat, Tony Yayo, Nems (who has some of my favorite bars on two different albums this week, the fucking madman), Vinnie Paz, and an unexpectedly fire performance from Tech N9ne. There is a lot to love about this album; anyone who fucks with some Gravediggaz, Cypress Hill, Immortal Technique, and that old Jedi Mind Tricks shit needs to get on this one.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Jay NiCE, Ru$h, & Tha God Fahim – An Album Called Classic

Investment: $25.25

Cover Artist: FRKO

There is just no better place to go for these silky bars about being and yachts and drinking champagne than these boys right here. Jay and Ru$h are already veterans in this sphere, having a talent for relaying the details of the finer things in life on some Roc Marciano and Jay-Z levels (the former being a clear influence both subject-matter-wise and in some of the flows these guys employ). Fahim is closely associated with this scene, having collaborated and produced for most of the rappers from Delaware worth their salt, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard him get this luxurious on a project before. Don’t get me wrong, Fahim has wisdom to spit anywhere he goes, but it’s nice to hear him sort of let loose and rap about random nothings for 20 minutes. Which brings me to my only complaint about this album… it’s too short. I needed more guys! 7 tracks, Intro and Outro included, is a tease, and, while I enjoyed the FUCK out of Quelle Chris’ appearance on Kalamata Olives, I needed some Lefty on here. The beats on here still continue to impress despite having heard so much of this style this year; Wolf Wilson comes through with a spread of beats that utilizes excellent samples, great spacy loops, and very subdued drums to create a smooth listening experience. If you enjoy hearing about how comparatively boring your life is, listen to this short, but vintage and stylish, offering from three of the underground’s best.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Small Bills (E L U C I D & The Lasso) – Don’t Play It Straight

Investment: $8.99

Cover Artist: Machell Andre

I’ve listened to a few of E LU C I D’s project in the past, and I’ll be 100% honest and say I really don’t know what the hell is going on here. This album is good, but it’s like trying to read Sanskrit transcribed into Latin written on an ancient worn tablet found in the ruins of a long-buried temple. It is SO cryptic and esoteric that you need a lot of time to sit down and really decipher what this man means in his bars, and a week is simply not enough time to come with a coherent interpretation of this message. His word choice is dark but potent, and his flows can be disjointed, placing impact on individual words and phrases, and often you’re left wondering why he’s put the emphasis on certain words, and what it means in the larger frame of the track. The words are really some of the only things you have to grab onto, because The Lasso comes with beats here that are very spacey, ethereal, and hands-off, offering very sparse drum patterns and spare samples to keep you grounded. This is intentional in two ways: one, the focus of this project should be on the words he is saying, and two, I feel like space and time are key points in the topics E L U C I D comes with on the album, so the vibe of the instrumentals match that perfectly. Lots of lowkey features from a spread of his closest collaborators bring the album together from track to track. A weird, but rewarding project for those who put in the time to understand it.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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38 Spesh & Street Justice – Community Service

Investment: $11.99

Cover Artist: Manuel “Cep” Concepcion

38 Spesh came out with a bang at the beginning of this year, but took a significant time off to set up his winning lineup here at the end of 2020. He’s got a solo project, one with Elcamino, probably another one with Che Noir, and now we’ve got this fantastic project with Street Justice to lump on the winners’ pile. In addition to being another clear progression in the clarity and skill in 38’s beatmaking, I think this is a fantastic start to Street Justice’s career as an emcee, showing that he has all of the deep topical, storytelling, and evocative word-choice skills of some of his closest contemporaries. He’s able to convincingly tell stories of his neighborhood, the people that grew up there, the drug trade, his fallen brothers, and of his skills and accolades during his short career, all while maintaining excellent rhymes schemes and solid flows. He’s hit all of the right talents on the head with this project, and I can’t wait to see where he goes from here. It seems like a lot of the Trust Gang believe in this dude’s promise, because Che Noir and Planet Asia show up to make the features side of this project rock-solid as well. Like I said, these are some killer 38 Spesh beats; I wouldn’t say his best, but he’s getting to a point where they are consistently fire, and I’m always looking forward to hearing more of his work in the future. Listen to this if you like that classic hip-hop feel.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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