Week #6 ('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.
——————————
Tek (Feat. Rome Streetz) – Glory
Smif-n-Wesson is about to start off 2021with some bombshells. I had no idea that Steele was going to drop an album this week (more on that in the Weekly Fix), but I did know that Tek has an album coming up at the top of March that I’ve been looking forward to. His first single with Conway was perfect, but Glory is MORE perfect in every way. The beat is a rush of uplifting horns (Wavy Da Ghawd on the beat) in front of a killer bassline, with very few drums to speak of; usually guys will limit the drums on a more dreary or scary track, but this is such a positive feeling of a track that it kind of throws you off. But the back and forth that you get from Rome and Tek is really the sight to behold on this one, a beautiful display of rapping from both of these emcees. It’s so rare to see an *actual* situation where bars are being traded, and the execution here is top tier. Priceless is a project I am looking forward to heavily.
————————————————
Drakeo the Ruler – Too Icey
The Truth Hurts, Drakeo’s next album, is set to release here before too long. Since being released from jail (and while he was in the pen), the dude has become one of my favorites on the West-Coast. His completely emotionless flow is incredibly cold, a perfect voice for the weirdly deadpan jokes and ultra-violent threats, coming across as a dude who is both not to be fucked with *and* not to be taken too seriously. Fans of ALLBLACK (but without any energy), Mike Sherm, and 21 Savage will fuck with this guy. The beats are also fantastic, and this track is no exception; he’s big on minimal bangers with piano and synth loops. Love everything he’s dropped recently, so I can’t wait for this new album.
————————————————
Cardi B – Up
First thing I thought of whenever I heard this song was Drake’s Nonstop. It has a similar sub-bass (but not nearly as hard), brisk pace, and a beat that demands to be attacked by a skilled emcee. Is Cardi the emcee you’re looking for? She does well; she’s not rapping circles around anyone, but her style is incredibly aggressive and in-your-face, the brashness of it making up for any sort of lyrical shortcoming. I think the flow is the thing people are going to be attracted to on this one, coming with a pretty fluid set of bars, better than most of her material for sure. So yeah if you are looking for a great banger to get into this week, this new Cardi B is a great choice.
————————————————
Ghetts (Feat. Pa Salieu & Backroad Gee) – No Mercy
This new Ghetts record coming up here in a couple weeks is looking to be one of the strangest London releases in a long time (then again, slowthai also releases in a couple days so we’ll see how it holds up to Conflict of Interest). Ghetts has always been a sort of cold and distant emcee, measured and collected in his rhymes and personality, but I think he takes that to the next level, especially on the instrumental front. The hook has this hilarious “doodoodoo” in it like some sort of robot, and the beat is this digital collage of snare and bass that is the definition of icey if there ever was one. Ghetts brings the warmth on his verse though, starting a trend of violent rapping that progresses through Pa Salieu’s disgustingly good appearance, and ending things off with the bomb-explosion-style of Backroad Gee. I love how everything is packed into a tight 3 minutes, a greatly entertaining listen for anyone who fucks with that London sound.
————————————————
Clyde the Mack, DaBoii, & Mike Sherm – 4x Crazy
I never heard Clyde’s name before this track, but I will give anything with both Mike Sherm and DaBoii on the track a listen. In front of this stripped back and bumping west-coast synth tune, these guys show how potent this style can still be in today’s game. Clyde the Mack is cool because, not only does he hold his own against these two monster on the track with him, but he has a great personality that comes across in this little spoken flexes he spits in-between all of the verses. Those verses are why you’re here though: like I said, Clyde is great, DaBoii dials back the crazy flow and delivers quality wordplay, and Mike Sherm has just got *that* voice man. The three together is a great combo, one that I hope to see more of in the future.
————————————————
Freddie Gibbs (Feat. ScHoolboy Q) – Gang Signs
I’m sure this isn’t the kind of collaboration anyone was expecting between Q and Gibbs, but, beyond the immediate surprise of hearing these two over a syrupy sweet pop-rap banger, I think this shit is actually tight as fuck. I mean actually tight, like straight to the point with the excellent hook, quick verse, and a quality feature from ScHoolboy. If these two weren’t rapping so quickly I’m sure the song could have extended out to four minutes, but Freddie and Q seemed to want to make as friendly of a banger as possible as fast as possible, and the result is something that can appeal to both the more casual listener and those looking for bars. I need a new Freddie Gibbs projects, that’s pretty much what it comes down to.
————————————————
Tkay Miadza & Yung Baby Tate – Kim
I had heard a couple songs from Tkay before this, but this my first time covering her in an official capacity here on TSDK, and I must say y’all I have been missing-the-fuck out. Tkay Maidza is craaaazy talented, both in her rapper/performer capacity and as a beat-curator (not sure who makes these beats she kills), with everything she touches being an explosion of sound and attitude. The beat is an industrial hellscape, complete with rattling sub-bass and harpsichord melodies for added oddity. Both Yung Baby Tate and Maidza are powerhouses on the microphone with crazy personalities and great rapping skills; great flows, funny lines, braggadocio galore. This is a great listen for all of you Yeezus and JPEGMAFIA fans.
————————————————
JID – Cludder
So JID actually dropped three whole tracks this past weekend. One was a track we here at TSDK were already familiar with, Ballads with Conway the Machine, that previously only existed on YouTube (for those who still haven’t listened: we got it on streaming now so go check it out). The second, Bruuuh, is a track that has existed for a while, which you’ll find more info on down below. But the third, Cludder, is an entirely new track, born of recent random nights in the studio from JID. It’s a drunken boom-bap cut with crispy snares and a nice brisk tempo, perfect for JID to start and stop his frantic flow on a whim. Lyrically, the man hasn’t lost an ounce of talent, a verbal acrobat flipping around the beat like a loose cannon who knows exactly what he’s doing. I think these tracks we’ve just received are things to hold us over until the real thing, so I wouldn’t expect an album any time soon.
————————————————
88GLAM – Urgent Messages
The boys from Toronto are back at it again, dropping another single with the Canadian media conglomerate 6ixBuzz in anticipation for that companies upcoming Canada’s Most Wanted mixtape. 6ixBuzz is gaining hella clout on the internet if the last few years are anything to go off of, and the incorporation of 88GLAM (which is arguably the most popular artist(s) they’ve gotten to record for them) is only going to grow this profile, ESPECIALLY if they keep getting tracks like this one. This shit is a motherfucking banger, with a great pop-trap beat backing up great flows and melodies from both Derek and Camino. I think these two dudes are extremely underrated for the amount of quality content they drop in that Canadian pop-trap scene, and it was definitely disheartening to see that they were dropped from XO last year, but I think their independent work will be at least as great as their labelwork if Urgent Messages is any indication.
————————————————
JID & Denzel Curry – Bruuuh (Remix)
The other track (besides Ballads) that JID dropped this week was a remix to a song that has supposedly been on his Soundcloud for many years now, but is just now getting the streaming treatment for all of his loyal fans. I never listened to it while it was on Soundcloud, so I’m making up for lost time here on this remix, but I’m glad to be able to hear that fans were satisfied with this one. Just like Cludder from earlier, Bruuuh is a great show of lyrical skill from JID, with the added intensity of Denzel Curry pushing the track into overdrive. Personally, I’m drawn to Denzel’s aggressive tendencies more than JID’s lethargic tongue-in-cheek style, but I think the two different emcees complement each other well in the context of the song. Listen to this if you want great punchlines and modern references spit with great skill.
————————————————
Marlon Craft – Get Off My Yard
Mr. Craft has an album coming out imminently, and he’s drummed up hype for the project with a couple of extremely strong singles. I don’t think State of the Union is placing on the album (a damn shame, seeing as it’s one of my favorite songs so far this year), but At The Door was a great intro to his solo style for me in any case coming off of that last Statik Selektah album. But Get Off My Yard, while still maintaining that sharp writing and killer voice, is able to channel his energy into something more fun and modern-sounding. I won’t say that I expect this to place on the radio, but the beat (done by none other than 6ix, who produces for a SELECT FEW rappers in the game today, the most well-known of which being Logic) is much more of a digital bumper than anything else I’ve heard him on, and a far cry from the soul-ish/sample-driven boom-bap of his past. The music video attached to this one is great too; give it all a shot if you fuck with great bars and high-energy.
————————————————
Polo G – GNF (OKOKOK)
It’s a bit short and one note, but I enjoy these kind of detours that Polo G has been offering up every once and a while. Polo’s flow is reckless and aggressive, the beat is a simple drum machine with a great use of pianos (but with big slaps of course); I really just wish all of these things could have lasted longer given the track is not even two minutes long. A feature would help (praying for a remix to this guy), but anyone looking for low-investment bangers will have their cravings satisfied with this one.
————————————————
Vic Mensa (Feat. Wyclef Jean & Chance the Rapper) – SHELTER
It’s weird hearing Wyclef Jean after all this time; literally the last time I heard this dude was that one Young Thug song from…*looks up date*…oh… oh my god. Well, let’s just say it’s been a long ass-time, and his voice hasn’t lost a bit of it’s stressed emotion. His chorus on here is impassioned and powerful, a great centerpiece to a track that is adorned with great, meaningful verses from both Vic and Chance. Mensa is all about the disgusting issues plaguing Chicago and other inner-city areas around the country, specifically addressing the affects of this terrible pandemic. I give both Chano and Vic props for being able to channel a lot of specific COVID-related problems and situations that make them seem much more down to earth and relatable. Chance the Rapper has, unquestionably, his best verse since Acid Rap, and that isn’t even hyperbole: talking about the plight of the homeless, the hard and sometimes hopeless situations the poor find themselves in, and laments that, in a heartbreaking line about Phillando Castille, even trying to defend yourself against the societal onslaught can lead to death. There’s a lot going on here, and it takes a few listens for it to wash over you the gravity of the track, but it’s worth every second. A beautiful track. Hopefully Vic has a real, full-length album on deck to show people out there just how special of an artist he really is.
————————————————
Moneybagg Yo – Time Today
Another track that barely breaks the 2 minute mark, Moneybagg’s newest single is a lot like his other songs; it has a quick and detailed trap beat, and Bagg is going in the entire time with a great flow and murderous bars. There honestly isn’t anything else to say about it: if you fuck with that rolling ATL trap sound (I know dude is from Memphis), then this will be another thing to add to your playlist.
————————————————
Bobby Sessions & Megan Thee Stallion – I’m a King
You know what they’re making a sequel to? Out of everything out there? Coming To America with Eddie Murphy. Did anyone ask for this? Absolutely not, but modern Eddie is a treasure so let’s let him have some fun. However, what brings us here today is a single released by Amazon that will be apart of this upcoming movie’s soundtrack, playing HEAVILY into the whole King/Queen/Royalty thing in its lyrics, almost a bit ham-fistedly. Playing out over a stripped-back and cheesy bit of afrobeat, Bobby and Megan talk about how grand they are and how powerful their children will be, but not in that serious way but more of a party flex way than anything. This track is a lot of fun in any case, featuring great rapping from both Sessions (who has a great ear for flows and vocabulary) and Megan (whose appearance here is a little unexpected, but she definitely kills it).
————————————————
