Weekly Fix #44 ('21)
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 next 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. The final section will be for projects that have had a Hot Deal-type release, but have recently come to streaming. Click here to see a list of previous Fixes.
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This week felt like a real-ass week, with tons of great music to experience. It was a bit overwhelming if I’m being honest; it’s been a minute since the workload has been this large, so things got pushed back a lot this week (it’s 3am on Friday morning right now, a full week after all this shit came out). I’m just glad I only had to pull one all-nighter to get the shit done, and I thank all y’all for the understanding and patience.
Get down below to peep some new Elcamino, Eyeree, Ransom & Rome Streetz, Planet Asia & Evidence, Big Sean, and SahBabii, among many others. All of it is amazing and deserves your ears.
I’m not gonna waste any more time with a huge intro, y’all got that shit last week so I’ll give you a break.
Peace.
==> LINK TO THA SOUPCORD <==
Here’s a link to the Week #44 (’21) Playlists
&
Here’s a link to the Week #44 (‘21) Singles
-----STREAMING PROJECTS-----
Ransom & Rome Streetz – Coup De Grace
Cover Artist: barnburnerr
I’ve listened to many albums while preparing for posts like these. Most times, I give an album a listen, then move on to the next one because I got a list of dozens to get through. Sometimes, I’ll run a track back here and there that is just unbelievable. Very rarely, I feel so strongly about something I’ll run the entire project back. I ran Coup De Grace back FOUR TIMES. FOUR. Before I finally had to rip myself away from it to get to the rest of what you see below. There are a few facts I want to spit about this album: every track has a verse from both Ransom and Streetz and they are all completely insane. Every beat on here is perfect spitter material, with none being too obstructive (maybe Bandeleros, but in a good way). Every feature is from an expert emcee who gives only their A game. Shit like this, shit like this album right here, is why I listen to hip-hop. It’s why I listen to fuckin’ music at all. The skill level here is just entirely above anything I’ve heard this year, on every level, and while I know that pool of albums is admittedly small, I know for a fact if I had listened to ten times as many albums in 2021 this would still be among the very best. Do your ears a favor: listen to this motherfucking album. If you like punchlines? Bars (although Ransom doesn’t fuck with that term, sorry bro)? Flows? The building blocks of this fuckin’ genre? Just listen to this shit y’all, goddamn.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Planet Asia & Evidence – Rule of Thirds
Cover Artist: Evidence
It’s wild to me that it took this long for an LP like this to materialize, given that the history between these guys goes so far back. Dilated Peoples and the Gold Chain Militia are two peas in the same old-school hip-hop pod, with Asia reaching back into the earliest days of hip-hop with his lyrics, while Evidence recognizes the impact the weirder side of hip-hop has had on the game (while still sounding distinctly purist). Still, for all of the things these two men have done apart from each other that had me looking for this match made in heaven, them coming together sidesteps those expectations and gives me something I wasn’t quite expecting. Expecting a spread of warm beats that Asia could wax poetic over, I was surprised to see a much darker theme throughout the album both sonically and lyrically. The Planet is more aggressive, taking a more violent stance on these beats, matching the more grinding and industrial nature of these instrumentals. I would say, instead of a smooth mixture, Rule of Thirds is like oil and water… that you violently shake up together then throw in someone’s eyes. Because these dudes are just gangstas like that. Listen to this if you want unorthodox flows spit over inventive and dark beats.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Big Sean & Hit-Boy – What You Expect
Cover Artist: [Unknown]
Hit-Boy had his hands all over Big Sean’s last album, Detroit 2, and given how well that relationship developed (and how many other projects Hit-Boy has been dropping with other rappers recently) I saw it as only a matter of time before this project came out. Both of these men are experts in their respective fields, undeniably, but I think they are a perfect match for each other more than most other collabs they could have done separately. A large part of it comes down to something simple: pockets. Big Sean, whenever he’s on his rapping shit, hates dead air in his songs, so whenever Hit-Boy goes nuts with the hi-hats Sean has no choice but to fill the track with syllables on syllables. That means every track here is a barfest, plain and simple, dipping for only one track into a slower more melodic speed. Trap banger after trap banger these two kill it, but I think the highlight is whenever they jump out of that comfort zone to look to the future: Offense is a scammers paradise, a frantic beat that features some of Detroit’s best in the young scene. This is only an EP, a mere whetting of appetite for something bigger (hopefully) coming down the pipe. But goddamn if it doesn’t slap just as much as a solid album. Give this a listen if you like good emcees and banging beats, point blank period.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Onjae Jordan & Tone Beatz – ALPHA
Cover Artist: texturesupreme
Today it’s pretty common to see albums done by a rapper/group and one producer. It’s also a lot more common nowadays to see albums done by one producer and a bunch of rappers (keep reading for one of those down below). But I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an album that is billed as a dual *producer* project; I’ve thought of the concept for sure wondering how it would work, and the way Jordan and Tone pull it off seems to be an every other track kind of deal (Tone, Jordan, correct me if I’m wrong cause this is how it sounds to me based on what I know y’all sound like). While the two have very similar styles, which means the album has some surprising cohesion that’s clearly a result of the natural challenge between the two to bring the best out of each other, I can tell Tone’s contributions from the *slightly* more eerie production (similar to work he’s done with Killy in the past). Sample-driven, spacey, menacing at times, and always coming with the unorthodox ambiance, the beats are everything you’d want from unique production. Besides the way the production comes together, the rest of the album with the various artists are a lot like other compilations you’ve heard, lots of dudes with tons of talent that all deserve more shine. Dudes like Killy Shoot, O The Great, and General Back pain I was familiar with and knew would be quality, but there are some dudes like G Fam Black and especially this motherfucker named Mrk Sx (apparently he’s a Detroit dude) who is a beast with the flow. Very solid project made up of quality beats and verses; what else could you want?
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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SahBabii – Do It For Demon
Cover Artist: [Unknown]
Barnacles was one of my favorite albums of last year, placing somewhere in my top 20 albums of 2020 (which, given the hundreds and hundreds of albums I listened to, is a huge deal to me). His newest project, Do It For Demon, has many of the same things that I loved about that project. The flows and beats are both scrumptious, but by far my favorite thing about SahBabii as an artist, are his amazingly creative lyrics. Colorful, unique, and gut-bustingly hilarious, he showcases the skills of a rapper who has taken every aspect of his craft to the next level. However, and what is the key difference between the Barnacles and Do It For Demon, is the subject matter of these songs, with this new album leaning into real situations that SahBabii has gone through and how it has affected him. Barnarcles was so whimsical and nonsensical, an incredibly fun album to listen to front to back, that the more reflective and genuinely emotional lyrics on Do It For Demon come as a shock to me. If you’re asking me, it muddies the waters a bit of my perception of SahBabii; on one hand, I’m all for artists progressing into other subject matters (while I do think this “sad reflective gangster” market is extremely oversaturated right now), while on the other hand his skill in poetic language is just unmatched. Both of these things exist on this album, sometimes simultaneously, which can be a bit confusing for me at points. I’m a big fan of this new album, and I think anyone who fucks with people like Lil Durk and Young Thug (SahBabii is a *clear* Thugger protégé, sounding damn near identical at some points) will fuck with it also. No features and 57 minutes is a tough ask, but give it a chance and you’ll find some very satisfying slick Atlanta trap music.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Reason – No More, No Less: Demo 1
Cover Artist: [Unknown]
We’re only looking at three tracks here, but much like Big Sean above the utilization of the time given is just superb. It’s filled to the brim with aggressive and creative wordplay, a menagerie of bangers and boom-bap beats, and overflowing with excellent guest features. Reason on the mic is so much hungrier than I’ve heard him before; whenever the man is on his take-no-prisoners rap shit, I can see why Top Dawg is the label for him, but I can still see those other skills, from the hook-making on down, are still honed. This is a very competitive EP, with each rapper seeking to outdo each other, which leads to every placement on here being of stellar quality. Ade and Zacari both give great hooks on their respective tracks. Wale is giving it his all on Not for Me. Benny, while only coming in for a few bars, still knocks it out of the park with the whole windshield crack line. Isaiah Rashad came correct on both of his appearances on here, with energy and vitality I rarely see from him. But something that surprised the fuck out of me was this Doe Boy verse over this boom-bap shit… yes, *that* Doe Boy; how he was able to kill it like he did I can’t comprehend, but my respect for him went through the roof with this one. There really is a lot to unpack in the short ten minutes, and I think everyone out there will fuck with most of not all of it.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Curren$y & Harry Fraud – Regatta
Cover Artist: 40fps
There are two things that are certain in life: death, and Curren$y projects. Saying that Spitta has a lot of albums is an understatement if there ever was one, but I don’t say that in any sort of negative way; Spitta has a lot of *good* albums, and Regatta is another in that long line. Curren$y also has a lot of albums with Harry Fraud specifically, and all of these projects rank among both artists best projects. There are no stakes with a Curren$y project: it’s literally just a dude getting high as a motherfucker, stepping in the booth and doing what he loves to do. The freedom, the effortlessness, the warmth, and, of course, the good beats, are why you want to listen to Curren$y. Now where is Regatta different from other Curren$y projects? Well maybe it’s got some more 80’s whimsy in the skits and samples than many of his other projects, but honestly this is a lot like some other Curren$y albums you’ve heard, in the best of ways. Hot August Nights and The Marina are some good places to go from here if you’re looking for more. Take this album out for a spin if you’re looking for some smooth vibes and that classic voice.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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-------SOUP’S HOT DEALS-------
Eyeree – Soul Khemist
Investment: $15.00
Cover Artist: Dani
If you’re tapped into a lot of these underground dudes I give the spotlight on here, you’ve heard some of Eyeree’s beats before. Supreme Cerebral, Ill Conscious, and many Tha God Fahim placements precede him, but this is the very first compilation project that he’s put out as a solo artist, and oh boy does it not disappoint. Let’s start with the emcees first: those guys I mentioned before have spots on here, A-level verses from those rappers all the way. But you’re also going to be treated to verses from a who’s who of some of my favorite artists: Raz Fresco, Ice Lord, Daniel Son, Asun Eastwood, Left Lane Didon, Planet Asia, and fuckin’ Elzhi are on this amazing project. But none of these guys would be able to pop their shit off (well I’d probably listen to Elzhi acapella but that’s besides the point) if they didn’t have some dope beats to spit over, and y’all gotta put Eyeree up into a special echelon of beatmaker after this one. His soul chops are immaculate, heartfelt and nostalgic in the choice of instruments but with that modern trend of the abrupt loops and vocal cuts. There’s even some DJ elements that Eyeree brings in through names like Ozroc and Luer. But really it’s just the levity, the clear joy of the craft that Eyeree brings about in his instrumentals that make this a positive listening experience, hip-hop for hip-hop lovers. Give this kind of wholesome hip-hop some support, and check out every one of these artists featured on here.
Cover Artist: DavidEnco
Kingston, Jamaica’s own Nomad Carlos is back with his newest album, off the heels of the fantastic album he dropped last year with The Artivist. Each new album I hear from this guy I can hear the screws tightening, the skill level and vision elevating, and Element Of Suprize is a sort of culmination of all of these things into what I consider to be Carlos’ best album, by far. The beats are all fantastic, most being mysterious and dark in a way that makes the lyrics more intriguing than they already are, with special mentions going to the beats on Reciprocate and Test Your Might, both of them being sunny and delightful breaths of air in an album that’s fairly dense and foggy. But where Nomad Carlos has clearly grown in the time I’ve been listening to him is in his lyrics, from his individual word choices on up to the focused topics of his songs. The wisdom in his lyrics, whether it’s street game or life lessons, comes across in every bar, and the collected way he delivers it makes the reception of his words easy. Whether it’s Shanice with it’s great storytelling or the powerful concept of The Reasoning, the way Nomad writes is some of the most thoughtful I’ve heard out right now. If you are looking for a Masta Killa of today, look no farther. Support my man on Bandcamp while you’re at it.
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Elcamino – If You Know You Know
Investment: $15.00
Cover Artist: queen.hornet
Elcamino has dropped a couple times this year already, projects that I need to catch up on for sure, but I’d be hard pressed to think this isn’t his best project in a while. The features on here are the flyest he’s had in a minute: Boldy James, Meyhem Lauren, Skyzoo, and Jae Skeese are all heavy-hitting spitters that Elcamino invites onto this project, really upping the stakes for quality rapping across this thing, bringing out the best flows and lyrics Elcamino can come with. All of these tracks are pretty short, and with the number of features on here you can rest assured you aren’t going to encounter a dull moment on this one. Besides the rapping and whatnot, you have amazing production from the one and only Camouflage Monk: great use of piano like always, crazy vocal chop on My Baby, inspirational strings on 3 Kings, and some really left field bass-driven shit on On Fire. Loving everything about this album, and I’m glad Elcamino is putting it up on Bandcamp only for everyone to support directly. We’re still out here waiting for a true-blue, honest-to-god album from you Elcamino; it doesn’t seem like you’re interested but you can put out a fuckin’ classic bro.
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Nejma Nefertiti – Jayne Wayne
Investment: €3.50 (~$4.79)
Cover Artist: Alter-Nativas
I absolutely love Nejma Nefertiti, well, at least I thought I did before this album right here… now I know that she is even more talented than I thought possible. Now, I peeped The Harvest at the beginning of this year and loved it, but I know that there is another project she’s dropped this year that I’ve missed, so take this statement with a caveat that Alter Ego might somehow be better: Jayne Wayne is Nejma’s best album, and y’all need to listen to this shit for real. So I liked The Harvest because of the way that Nejma reaches back into hip-hop’s earliest days, whether it be some of the genre’s earliest fem-cees or the nostalgic beat selection, but I love Jayne Wayne because of the ways she brings in some modern sounds into the mix. Crushed Peach and the title track are hard as fuck with the sub-bass and the drums, and Nejma attacks these beats in ways I had never heard from her before. If you’re looking for a powerful, well-versed, and detailed emcee spit over a great mix of beats from all areas of hip-hop, give this a listen, and drop a few dollars to support it.
Cover Artist: Nanlib
As one of Brownsville’s best, Rim is a surprisingly humble person. His music is not flashy or interrogative, but is rather a stroll down memory lane, bringing back some real positive 90’s vibes. Entirely produced by VS the Best, there is some clear inspiration to some of New York’s earliest sampling days; think like some Ali Shaheed Muhammad level shit around this motherfucker. Even the harder tracks on here like Lift It uP! sounds more like a rowdy block party than anything hardnosed or dangerous. Rim is clearly having fun on the mic, talking about hitting the block and chasing girls back in the day. In addition to being a prolific feature artist, Rim has been dropping pretty frequently, so I’m glad to hear this new project, and I can’t wait to see who else he can bring up out of his city. Keeping that real Sean P spirit alive in every way.
Spotify/Apple Music
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