Weekly Fix #5 ('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.

A crazy number of great projects and singles came out this week: tons of great underground content and mainstream content to dig into here, so strap in. These underground albums in particular are spectacular, but we can’t discount Weezy who drops his… god it’s gotta be the 13th or 14th album by now. He’s still got it for sure, shoutout Lil Wayne for being relevant for two decades in the mainstream.

Last week was my “Toronto Week” as it were, and y’all Canadians showed serious love. Asun Eastwood even showed me some love for the Sewer Science write-up I did, and for that I’m extremely grateful to my dude. There is a whole host of projects coming from this city that still need shine, so you can bet I’ll be talking about projects from Toronto again. Hell, Daniel Son has a project with Imported Goodz this Valentine’s Day, we’ll see what happens.

I’d like to give a little attention to my Write-Ups list that I just created. It’s nothing space age or anything, just an alphabetical list of all the artists and projects I’ve covered in my 7 months of writing (can’t believe it’s been that long, Christ), and I’ve had people request for a page to be able to look at everything. As of right now I’m up to 33 write-ups (again, fucking crazy for me), and more will come out every week. I’d like to highlight my JPEGMAFIA one, Guilty Simpson & Dixon Hill, and my Jay NiCE & Farma Beats write-ups as ones I consider to be some of my best work, so come over the page and see what’s up.

Valentine’s Day is looking like a big day for drops, but next week has a couple good prospects. V Don is releasing a compilation album with all kinds of names on there: Rigz, Dark Lo, Dave East, etc. A single from that was dropped today and is down in the singles section somewhere. Also, something that has me crazy excited, The Alchemist and Boldy James’ new LP, The Price of Tea in China; the feature list on this is crazy too, with Vince Staples, Freddie Gibbs, and Evidence making appearances. Come look at what’s coming on my Upcoming Heat page.

Here’s a link to the Week #5 Playlist (’20) for y’all

-----PROJECTS-----

Dueling Experts (Recognize Ali & Verbal Kent) – Dueling Experts

This album is 90’s as fuck, pretty much using Enter the Wu-Tang as a blueprint to recreate amazing sounds. All of these beats sound like some ’93 shit, with hard and dusty drums, faster paced and perfect for spitting over. The kung-fu and martial arts samples are everywhere as you would expect, adding to the time-capsule feel of the album. But it’s the rappers that really send this shit home, with Verbal Kent playing the more wordy and technical foil to Recognize Ali’s bloodthirsty and fiery threats. It really seems like a duel of swords on this album, short tracks with no hooks for the most part, and Ali and Kent going back and forth with no-bullshit, just bars. Crazy good album.

Recommended if you like: literally 36 Chambers, Wu-Tang Clan, fast flows with old-school wordplay, Gang Starr, good mix of ultraviolent and comical lyrics, Kool G Rap, short tracks

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Fly Anakin – At The End Of The Day

The boys out of Richmond are at it again, with Fly Anakin dropping a few weeks after Kahuna and Monday Night with this new album here. Anakin can rap for days, but he also has these endearing singing parts on here, funny tracks and skits, and brings on great guests with Nickelus F and ANKHLEJOHN checking in. Graymatter and Foisey are all over this thing, with a couple great All Ceven beats, and the final track an incredible Sadhugold cut. Overall, this feels like a very complete album that gives a very good look of Anakin as a artist, and a great place to begin with the fantastic Richmond scene right now.

Recommended if you like: murky and old R&B-inspired hip-hop, A Tribe Called Quest, short but varied tracks, Madlib, low-fi and raw beats, Westside Gunn, high-pitched and fiery emcees, odd sample choices

YouTube/Bandcamp

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Tha God Fahim – Lost Kingz

Tha Dump Gawd hasn’t traditionally been one to hype up individual releases, and usually you wake up and see “Oh, Fahim dropped something new”. Well that hasn’t been the case with his past two releases; his tape with DJ Muggs was telegraphed months in advance (making it one of his best, if not his best, project to date), and now Lost Kingz got a good month of hype building around it. It pays off, with the largely self-produced project, while not sounding as flawlessly executed as Dump Assassins was, shows the work put into it created a project with purpose. Some weird hooks aside, the lyrics are here, the beats range from tight vocal loops to soulful strings, and the features (TWO Mach features) all kill it. Here’s hoping Fahim sticks to this scheme, because it’s working.

Recommended if you like: Killah Priest, lots of philosophy, Sunz of Man, self-produced albums (for the most part), Jay NiCE, very DIY sound, RZA, consistent flow, Graymatter, low-fi hip-hop, boom-bap with a weird side

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Estee Nack & Friends – #MINIMANSIONDUST VOL.4

With the majority of the production being handled by the Nackman himself (under the production alias Mr. Rose), you can expect the production on here being obscure and abrasive samples, looped to create this bastardized boom-bap. It’s trippy, like taking mushrooms in Wonderland, but it’s incredibly unique and interesting to listen to. Estee Nack on the mic is a bit more difficult to decipher, and what may sound like shouted nonsense at first betrays an understanding of life and wisdom that few of these older guys in the younger game have. His flow and presence on the mic are the most important and characteristic things about him, and this album gives you more of just that, as well as bringing on many close collborators like ???, fellow Tragic Allies member Codenine, and al.divino.

Recommended if you like: CRIMEAPPLE, shouty and wordy delivery, Tha God Fahim, abstract and sample-heavy beats, al.divino, in-your-face beats, Vinnie Paz, movie-samples

Bandcamp

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Da Buze Bruvaz & Giallo Point – Adebesi Hat [Recut]

Finding the original Adebisi Hat to compare this to has been difficult, so I can’t really speak on how different this new recut is in comparison to the album it’s based off of. Still, this album is pretty much a 35 minute bar-fest, with these two dudes, Him-Lo and Clever1, really channeling a somehow harder and more rugged Rock and Ruck from Boot Camp Klik. It doesn’t let up across the entire LP, and over these relatively low-key boom-bap beats it accomplishes putting these dudes right in your face. Wordplay is on point too. Highly recommend this shit.

Recommended if you like: Heltah Skeltah, unrelenting flows, Freeway, hard-nosed and brutish lyrics, U-God, hardcore boom-bap beats, Wu-Tang, lots of aggression, Meyhem Lauren, Cousin Feo

YouTube/Apple Music/Bandcamp

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Lil Wayne – Funeral

I seem to be in the minority that thinks this is at least three times better than Tha Carter V. The way I’m looking at it, honestly, C5 should have been scrapped; the production was dated, and the filler and unfitting features really brought the album down. But Funeral on the other hand is what I expect from an artist embracing the sounds of the new age with grace and evolving his sound to fit the new hip-hop landscape. Is there autotune? Yes. But is Wayne still rapping his ass off on a large majority of the album? YES. The wordplay is here, the features are waaaay better, and the harder trap beats get some real hype going. At 24 tracks, there’s going to be filler, but honestly that’s better than being boring, which this album rarely is. So yeah, this is the kind of Weezy I want going forward.

Recommended if you like: tons of wordplay, Young Thug, autotune, Travis Scott, fast and intricate flows, Eminem, good mix of modern trap and pop-rap

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Yo Gotti – Untrapped

I think there’s a lot of good ideas on this project, and his acceptance of really digital and blown-out beats are a welcome change from the cheap laptop beats of the mid-2000’s. In fact, Gotti has always been up on these trends, and I think people should be more up on his work for the culture (even if his albums aren’t like 10/10’s). Good features and great beats are what will keep me coming back to this album, and some personal tracks that Yo Gotti throws in there too.

Recommended if you like: T.I., Atlanta hip-hop, Gucci Mane, trap music, Young Jeezy, modern pop-trap, Big Boi, heavily accented emcees, Moneybagg Yo, cookin’ crack, OJ Da Juiceman, crazy and distorted trap beats

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Russ – SHAKE THE SNOW GLOBE

I feel like people are going to hate this because it’s Russ (the memes are great I’m not trashing those), but there’s some good stuff on here. Whenever he’s not trying to hard, the singing comes across as endearing and warm, kind of singer-songwritery, and his rapping at least has some technical skill to it. The features are great, with the rappers Rock Ross, Devin the Dude, & Benny the Butcher, while not really fitting with his style, providing some great highlights on the LP. I mean, this is pop-rap to a T, bordering on that vanilla rap shit, but it’s got enough good going for it to warrant a listen. Do with that what you will.

Recommended if you like: Maroon 5, pop rap, Ed Sheeran, mostly singing but some good rapping too, Locksmith, Smokepurpp (lol), low-key but dramatic production

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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

A$AP Ferg – Value

God damn son this is hard as fuck. Serious Trap Lord vibes from this cut, something people have been wanting for years now. It sounds like it would be perfect in a concert setting, with the bass turned up to 110% and the crowd throwing hands. The hook is pretty sticky too, if a bit simple and Migos-inspired. I also love how there’s that “yeah ho” in the background, creating that “tear the club up” feel so well. Yeah this track has me excited as hell for whatever Ferg has coming this year (as well as all the other A$AP members in fact, with Rocky’s single from last year)

Recommended if you like: Waka Flocka Flame, hard as fuck trap music, sub-bass, Three Six Mafia, old A$AP music, funny and animated flows, Denzel Curry

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Gang Starr (Feat. Method Man & Redman) – Bad Name (Remix)

I don’t even know what else to say to this remix other than “this is great, more of this please”. Honestly, if Premier took this album and threw on tons of features from old school dudes I wouldn’t even be mad. The track is a celebration of what made the 90’s so cool (and shitting on kids nowadays), and by bringing two of the best from the golden age on to rap with Guru it really cements that legacy. Redman in particular is a powerhouse on this one, and while Method Man kills it I think his verse should have been longer.

Recommended if you like: DJ Premier, old-school boom-bap, RZA, causing a ruckus, LL Cool J, smooth flows, animated flows, great wordplay, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, one of the best to ever do it, Wu-Tang Clan,  R.I.P. GURU

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Bryson Tiller & Lil Yachty – For Nothing

This instrumental is the kind of shit that gets me through life, you feel me? It’s just a guitar. Some chimes. Otherwise, it’s just Boat and Bryson getting emotional. Yachty sounds like he used to on this cut, with his autotune and melody sounding like some of his best vocal performances off of his debut mixtape; I’d kill for him to sound like this again. Bryson is a bit scant on his own track, but his falsettos are beautiful and unique in that quaint way that only he can pull off. The whole thing comes together as reflective and regretful, but these two guys actually making me feel some type of way again has me going back to their earlier work.

Recommended if you like: Chris Brown, minimal and soft-spoken indie-ish instrumental, 6LACK, emotional tracks, KYLE, raw and reflective lyrics, Summer Walker, melodic hip-hop, good vocal performances

YouTube/Soundcloud

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Drake & Future – Desires

Yo what the fuck, What a Time to Be Alive 2 might be real, and it *might* be fire? This track still feels like a track featuring the other artist, sounding like a Drake featuring Super over a cool chippy synth melody. The track phases into a more Drake-centric cut that’s more melodic in nature, but I’m willing to take it in smaller doses like this. The instrumental is really the star here, sounding like a perfect mix of hard trap from Future’s end and smooth and sensual R&B Drake is talented at making. Yeah I guess I’m looking forward to a new Drake project, who knew. Also, it’s only on Soundcloud for some reason right now? Strange.

Recommended if you like: Frank Ocean, singing Drake, Bryson Tiller, great melodies, Quentin Miller, beat switches, Lil Uzi Vert, computerized trap, Travis Scott, slow and low-key drama

Soundcloud

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Lil Nas X (Feat. Nas) – Rodeo (Remix)

Alright so Nas had to come in here and show you who the *Big* Nas is, the OG Nas. He murked his short appearance here with some great rhymes and a solid flow, which I wouldn’t say matches Lil Nas’ approach at all (or the overblown and western trap beat for that matter), but it always makes me feel good to see oldheads embracing the younger generation. I wouldn’t call this passing the torch at all.. like hell no… but the little Nas/Lil Nas gimmick is fun enough to rock out to.

Recommended if you like: Lil Yachty, pop-rap, Lil Uzi Vert, “wot in tarnation” type beats, Kool G Rap, dense and stylistic trap beats, Travis Scott, hip-hop gimmicks

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Young Nudy – No Go

Nudy is flowing like a motherfucker on this one. Usually he sounds like he’s about to pass out whenever he’s rapping (which isn’t always a bad thing) but for this single right here the dude goes stupid over this banger of a trap beat. Seems like that Dreamville spark rubbed off on this guy right? He released that Pi’erre Bourne tape about a year ago now, so he’s probably gearing up for another album here soon; if he can maintain this quality (and get some good features), I think the boy is in good shape.

Recommended if you like: blown out trap music, Young Thug, bangers, HoodRich Pablo Juan, fast flows, Murda Beatz, slurred speech and accents, Gucci Mane, shorter tracks, Playboi Carti, slime

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Elcamino & 38 Spesh – Young Lordz

Although it’s rather short, both Elcamino on the vocals and Spesh on the boards come through for us on this first single from their upcoming LP Martyr’s Prayer. Elcamino is consistent as hell, with all of his verses having this endearing underdog quality to them, and this track is no different. But I think 38 Spesh’s beat steals the show here, sounding like a triumphant Greco-Roman victory painting, with it’s soaring wind samples and smooth guitars. I would have wished for either a second Elcamino verse, or a great feature on here, since the track only clocks in at 2 minutes, but I’m still anticipating this new album for sure.

Recommended if you like: Griselda, slightly melodic rapping, Che Noir, great sampled based production, Westside Gunn, short tracks, Ka, Roc Marciano, flutes

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Royce Da 5’9” – I Don’t Age

Pretty much the opposite of Overcomer; it’s faster, punchier, his flow is more hectic and deadly, and he’s speaking on a lot of different issues rather than a couple of key points. Also, his wordplay and rhyme scheme are crazy as hell with rhymes he’ll leave alone for multiple bars before returning. I will say I think he’s a little buried in the clutter of the beat, which is more low-fi and a denser wall of sound in comparison to his last single (which has grown on me tremendously I might add). If he’s really self-producing this shit, he really couldn’t have done a better job showcasing his skills between these two tracks.

Recommended if you like: A Tribe Called Quest, MF DOOM type beats, Madlib, crazy intricate rhyme schemes, Pete Rock, topical rapping, Elzhi, dense and cluttered boom-bap beats, Black Milk, DJ Premier

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Headie One – Charades

Headie is probably the best of the UK Hip-Hop class right now, having both rapping and singing on lock. For having a voice that’s cold and distant, whenever he does a more melodic track like this one you can still feel some of the shit he’s going through. He has a fast flow throughout the whole thing, but with that hint of autotune it adds that much more emotion to the shit he’s saying. This guy has the potential to get even bigger in his market once he gets out of prison (#FreeHeadie), and this track here is a great example of how he’ll do it.

Recommended if you like: good mix of rapping and singing, M Huncho, fast UK flows, D-Block Europe, UK Hip-Hop, Stormzy, sloppy accents, Krept & Konan

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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V Don (Feat. Elcamino & 38 Spesh) – Since 16

I love the beat on this thing: the spooky key melody and the drums that get flatter and slappier on the verses are classic V Don. The whole thing really lives up to the name of this incoming album, Black Mass. Elcamino is great on the beat, being a sort of chameleon that can blend into any kind of production thrown at him. But 38 Spesh was unexpectedly laced into this instrumental, buried under some film-grain-like distortion while he raps the normal about drug houses and being the big boss he is. Great single, looking forward to the record on the 7th.

Recommended if you like: Daringer, scary beats, Griselda, distorted and grainy instrumentals, Wu-Tang Clan, RJ Payne, drug rap, Rigz, emcees with charisma, Dark Lo

YouTube

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Justin Bieber (Feat. Kehlani) – Changes

This is way better than his last single, which was just flat out boring to me. Changes is slightly more dynamic in structure, and Bieber’s vocal delivery is understated in a sexy and flattering way rather than creepy on Yummy. Kehlani could have had a bigger part in the song, but I think their harmonies at the end of the track compliment each other well. The beat is another positive for me, which is very minimal with its low-range and delayed drums and this vocal sample that sounds like it’s submerged in water; the deeper you listen the more little details you can pick out, showing a lot of love went into making the instrumental work. The hook doesn’t really get you as much as that melody does, and I’ve found myself thinking of it a lot since I’ve heard the track. While this is good, I’m still hesitant about this upcoming album…

Recommended if you like: solid melodies, Chris Brown, intoxicating pop instrumentals, Trey Songz, minimal and atmospheric beat, Ed Sheeran, vocal harmonies, Post Malone, short and repeatable tracks, Bryson Tiller

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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KSI (Feat. Trippie Redd) – Wake Up Call

While the hook is incredibly well written and sure to be a hit amongst all the youtuber youngsters out there, I feel like Trippie didn’t put enough of his own unique spin on it. Any number of singers could have made it great, but we got what we got and it’s catchy and I like it. The verses are pretty forgettable, as I don’t think KSI has that spark that makes a great artist on the mic. He also doesn’t play into his Britishness on this song at all, which was one of the only things on his last single that I found appealing about him. Trippie carries this and makes it worth the listen.

Recommended if you like: YouTube rappers, XXTENTACION, solid feature, Lil Peep, catchy hook, good melody, trap beats, novelty songs, Dave

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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