Week #2 ('21) Singles

Welcome to my Singles post, where I go over all of the loose songs released over the past week so. These are songs that are not currently attached to projects, and may either be promotional singles for an upcoming project or songs dropped at the random whim of the artist. I’ll show you the single, where to find it out in the wild, and a little blurb about it for my thoughts/further context. Click here to see previous Singles posts.

——————————

Lice (Aesop Rock & Homeboy Sandman) – Ask Anyone

The best tribute to DOOM that we’ve gotten thus far; although I don’t keep a ranking of these tracks or anything like that, I don’t see any reason why this isn’t the best tribute song I’ve ever heard. Aesop is telling stories of meeting DOOM, deciphering his lyrics with all of his friends, identifying with his zany tales… it is heartbreaking to say the least, as Aes is talking, truly, as if he has lost family. Sandman speaks more on how DOOM the emcee affected his personal development of style, and how groundbreaking and genre-defining the Villain was in life, and how respecting his legacy in death can be as easy as keeping that caps lock on FOREVER. The pain is here, the reverence is here, putting everything over DOOM’s Poo-Putt Platter instrumental (or Datura Stramonium for you Special Herbs heads out there) being the keystone to bringing up all of those feelings. I’m not crying, you’re crying…ok I’m crying… and you’re crying… we’re crying… god what a loss for hip-hop…

————————————————

Desiigner – Amen

I have to give it to Desiigner man: for someone who has by and large earned the reputation on the internet for “falling off”, he can still come through with some really good tracks. Why he’s not able to turn this clear talent into actual projects I think will be one of hip-hop’s greatest mysteries, but it’s tracks like these that show that the man has talent with hooks, melodies, and even flow. I could see something like this being on the radio (maybe 3 years ago), with the dense and processed drums matching well with the thought-out vibes and melodies. If you’re looking for some old Future-sounding trap music, this is about is good as you’re gonna get.

————————————————

Conway the Machine & Big Ghost LTD – Toast

Ghost and the Machine have a SECOND (technically third if you count Griselda Ghost, which you totally should) album coming out in February, and to get people siked for it we have a brand new single. I usually know what I’m getting into with a new Big Ghost track; he doesn’t wow with me his radical departures from his sound as much as he does with his deep mastery of traditional hip-hop. But I have to say that this instrumental did surprise me a little, being electric and almost 80’s synth sounding, giving me some heavy Alchemist vibes back whenever he went for those space-faring keyboard samples. Conway over the beat is even stranger, but it works on that Raekwon “intergalactic kingpin” level. I can’t speak highly enough of this track, so get out there and give up some scratch to a producer who deserves it.

————————————————

Unknown T – WW2

You want some of the coldest and chilling authentic Drill music coming out of the UK, you don’t have to look farther than Unknown T. This dude’s voice is like a street ghost, talking about murdering people in this super low buzz of a voice, but he’s also got that unique London flow; if you’re looking for some comparisons I can see someone like President T being an influence (Maybe it’s just the power of the T). The beat is also a deadly banger, very minimal with crisp drums that a lot of this scene trades in, maybe even more potent than the usual darkness. We’re still waiting for a true Unknown T album, and I hope that song like this end up placing on it.

————————————————

YG, D3szn, & Day Sulan – Hit Em Up

I’ve been hearing that YG’s new album was heavily inspired by Tupac, so seeing this track called Hit Em Up I was like “wow he’s really taking it to heart”. What we get is not exactly the case; the song is a banger, but not as much in the sense of Tupac as much as it is… Pop Smoke? Yeah we get a Brooklyn Drill cut from YG, bringing along some hot street talent to make this a great lead single to his next album. I think this D3szn guy has so much more passion than anyone else on the cut, but I think YG is comfortable taking the backseat to some of the younger generation. If you’re looking for some crossover East/West Coast material, this is the track for you.

————————————————

RG (Feat. Mozzy, $tupid Young, & Boosie Badazz) – Life On The Line

Hailing from San Diego, I can’t say I’ve ever heard of RG before this track right here, a remix to one of his most popular songs I could find on Spotify. He’s got the energy needed to differentiate himself from the others on the coast for sure, and his beat selection is pretty on point for the slightly darker gangsta edge he’s going for. The original track only had Young and Mozzy on there (both of whom do fantastic on this track by the way), with this new cut adding a great appearance from Boosie on the end, who fits into the theme and vibe of the track well. I’ll be keeping my ears out for more music from RG going into 2021; he seems to drop a ton of singles over full albums, but I’ll try and keep up.

————————————————

Key Glock – Off the Porch

This barely sounds like a Key Glock track to me if I’m being honest. The beat on this thing is DARK, like bottom-of-a-well-sounding kind of trap, like a what a cave monster would bump in his damp dungeon kind of dark. The sub-bass and synths are so oppressive and hard, almost like a caricature of what Memphis Rap would sound like if created for a cartoon. Maybe this affects my view of the vocals, but I don’t recognize Key Glock here with that deeper delivery; maybe I just haven’t listened to enough of his music, but I’m still very impressed with the hellish vibes the song has going for it regardless. If you’re looking for the most authentic horrorcore kind of trap music I’ve heard in a minute, this is the nightmare for you.

————————————————

Marlon Craft – At The Door

I first heard of this guy on that Statik Selektah album that dropped a month or two ago, and since then I’ve been waiting for something new from him to drop so I could really sink my teeth into his style. This guy has a deep, husky, and seemingly streetwise voice to work with, pushing out some real thoughtful poems with his words about the way life seems to work. I would say just from first impression that he would be from Houston, given that he sounds a lot like guys like Slim Thug and Bun B, but he’s actually a NY cat. Great lyrics, reflective piano-backed beat, solid hook and wordplay; this guy has it all.

————————————————

slowthai (Feat. A$AP Rocky) – MAZZA

Alright so slowthai is a person that I am slowly warming up to whenever he releases a track that is harder and more hip-hop inspired like this one. He jumps from different styles often, so whenever he release something that is more in my wheelhouse of sound I feel like he tries harder to nail the vibes, and goddamn he really pulls it off on this one. His flow is very washed and all over the place, but his lethargy and debauchedness is infectious, and listening to his high-pitched squeaks over this laid-back and cloudy trap instrumental almost makes me want to go to sleep (in a good way, like a lullaby-that-slaps kind of way). Major credit is due to slowthai for getting an actual RAP VERSE out of A$AP Rocky, one of my favorite rappers who never seems to drop anymore. The video is pretty sick, so go check that out too.

————————————————

Russ (Feat. Lil Baby) – UGLY

My whole perception of this dude has changed with that one EP; y’all might have a problem with how easy I switch it up, but if you show me you have true talent, I will always be there to support your ass. UGLY is nothing like what was found on CHOMP, but I can still appreciate the solid rapping, great feature from Baby (even if it is a bit low energy; again, spoiled by CHOMP), and a particularly strong hook that has been stuck in my mind since I heard it. I don’t know if this dude is looking to drop yet again I the near future, but I’ll be sure to listen and report back when he does.

————————————————

Saweetie (Feat. Doja Cat) – Best Friend

There’s been a lot of songs out there about the great bonds of friendship between two besties, and Best Friend is another solid entry onto that list. Lots of booty-bars, clubbing, being there for one another, and being willing to fuck up anyone who badmouths your buddy. The beat is nice and bouncy, playful enough for these two, who have never really taken the whole thing seriously to begin with (especially Doja). If you’re looking for no-frills fun, this is the track to go to.

————————————————