Weekly Fix #45 ('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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There’s this weird feeling of being sick and feeling like you can get a lot more done when you’re just relaxing at home trying to recover, ya know? You think you’re gonna get everything clean, catch up on chores, and get done with an entire weeks worth of TSDK posts in one sitting; you know, the normal stuff. What really ends up happening is that I’m sitting in front of my computer feeling like death being like “it’s 10AM and I am in pain” that suddenly turns into “it’s 7PM and I am in pain and I have written two paragraphs”. It’s difficult, but ya boy Tha Soup Dude survived the ordeal.
This week was particularly potent with the music: I got 9 albums for you (and an update on that Elcamino album which just reached streaming, don’t forget that) that are all worth their salt, but they gotta share the spotlight with the fantastic singles that came out this week as well. Use those links down below to check out some of those amazing songs, and don’t forget to check out the playlists with everything in ‘em.
From $tupid Young to Jay NiCE, Bryson Tiller to Lord Juco, we got a wide variety of music to check out this week from a whole host of different emcees and producers. This is a hip-hop lover’s kind of week, so hop on down below and check out some of this dope shit.
Don’t forget about this new Discord I set up y’all, the illustrious Soupcord. We got some people on there ready for some discussion type shit, but mostly I’m just posting the kind of shit I’m listening to every day. But I want all of y’all on there cause it’s cool to talk to the Soup Dude family, know what I mean? So yeah there’s gonna be a big-ass link down below so go and check that shit out.
Also, Upcoming Heat is back online for y’all looking for a cool calendar of new releases to check out. For those who don’t know I put all of the albums I see coming down the pipe on this little digital calendar on TSDK; it’ll show you everything I know of coming in the future, as well as being able to go back and tell you about the previous Friday’s and their drops. Check out my Upcoming Heat right here.
I gotta give my condolences to the families of those who died out at Astrofest this past weekend. As someone who’s been to a Travis concert before, I *know* how fucked some of these shows can get. That crowd crush shit is 100% real. I thought I had been in some difficult situations at a show before, but I never even imagined something like this could happen at events that I used to go to pretty often. Wild shit to think about. Side note: fuck anyone who tries to defend the actions (or lack thereof) of any organization involved. While I have mixed emotions on Travis’ culpability personally, all organizers, security agencies, etc. need to be held accountable for this shit. And ESPECIALLY fuck anyone who makes up shit like people getting stabbed by rogue drug needles.
Back to the music.
==> LINK TO THA SOUPCORD <==
Here’s a link to the Week #45 (’21) Playlists
&
Here’s a link to the Week #45 (‘21) Singles
-----STREAMING PROJECTS-----
$tupid Young – No Help
Cover Artist: [Unknown]
When it comes to pure, no frills L.A. riding music, $tupid Young is among the best out there today. First off, Young has an amount of magnetism in his voice and flow that does need a bunch of other features to fill out his albums. His voice is sharp, his words seem spit with purpose, and the flows (while predicable if you know how others in Los Angeles sound right now) are air-tight. After all of this shit I’d said it sounds like I’m describing the perfect emcee, right? Well, kind of, yeah; $tupid Young is an artist that I’ve found that, while not reinventing the wheel or anything, “does not miss” as the kids would say. With No Help specifically, you can hear him reaching into more of a mainstream lane with some sung hooks, the slightest shade of some autotune, and some beats that sound like something Polo G would rap over; none of this detracts from $tupid’s unique artistry, and instead just shows how his skills can translate well into radio-ready music. At the end of the day, No Help is $tupid Young flexing his muscles, putting together 8 bangers together to show these people that this shit is real. If you want slaps, catchy hooks, and convincing rapping in that West-Coast style, you really can’t go wrong with this guy.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Bryson Tiller – Killer Instinct 2: The Nightmare Before
Cover Artist: [Unknown]
A little over a year ago we saw the return of young Tiller, artist of the R&B cult-classic T R A P S O U L, on his stellar return to form A N N I V E R S A R Y. Though he had his second album, True To Self, release in the meantime between those two albums, many people overlooked the album and felt that Tiller had dipped creatively out of his lane for well over four years. Now that the man is “back” and has some momentum behind him again, Bryson is taking things back to the very beginning by putting out a sequel to quite literally the very first thing he ever released as an artist, a mixtape called Killer Instinct he put out on Halloween back in *2011*, over ten years ago. Now, I haven’t listened to this tape, but I know that Bryson was looking to be more of a rapper’s rapper back in those days, and he channels that energy well on this new mixtape. He’s creating music ala Wayne here by taking some popular beats out today and putting that Pen Griffey spin on them; I don’t recognize many of the beats here to be honest, but there is a cool mix of quirky R&B here with some genuinely cool almost boom-bap cuts (think of beats that J. Cole might tackle on his more rappidy songs). I think something cool about this project that a lot of people would be interested in is that a big part of this project is showing off how good Bryson is at actually rapping; he got his bag from the melodies, probably why he shifted up so drastically from the original Killer Instinct, but the rap skills are still there, and whenever he flexes that muscle on this project it’s genuinely impressive. There’s some cool stuff to find here, but you’re gonna have to break down and get on Soundcloud to get access to it right now, but maybe we’ll see some streaming links someday. Bryson is dropping what I think is a Christmas album here soon… we’ll see how that goes… but this mixtape is still a welcome way to keep us fans fed.
Soundcloud
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Key Glock – Yellow Tape 2
Cover Artist: [Unknown]
I would normally look at a tracklist like this and instantly skip: 20 tracks, no features, the longest track on this thing being 3 minutes and 12 seconds. So, me giving this album a shot and ending up with something as good as I got was pretty surprising. There is some dead weight on here (20 tracks isn’t going to be perfect no matter how good of an artist you are), but the highlights on here fully outweigh any of the dull moments on Yellow Tape 2. Key Glock trades versatility as a rapper for smooth machismo and a reliable flow; his cadence is fairly predictable (the times whenever he strays too far from his comfort zone don’t pan out well), but it’s one of those “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” kind of approaches. I can also appreciate that Glock sees himself as a *rapper*, so there are very few instances where he tries anything melodic. As a Memphis native, you can see the influences laid out pretty bare, with guys like DJ Paul and Project Pat being clear references points along with modern guys like Yo Gotti and Young Dolph. The beats are distinctly ATL trap, but that’s really where this album shines the brightest in my opinion, because the producers behind these tracks are putting out some really detailed and banging instrumentals. Tracks like Juicemane, Ambition For Cash, From The Bottom, and Understood are truly some of the coolest trap beats I’ve heard this year, head-nodders that shine because of their relative simplicity. That’s really all there is to say: Key Glock is rapping well over great beats. A mixtape like this is for the fans, those day-ones who fuck with Key Glock and few other rappers, so they’re willing to eat up a 20 track project no problem; for people like me who consume so much music, Yellow Tape 2 is kind of a unicorn in that it warrants a listen despite the bloat. If you want some mindless music to feel cool listening to, this is your album this week.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Papoose – October
Cover Artist: [Unknown]
Papoose is treating 2021 the same way that Flee Lord treated 2020: putting out a project for every single month of the year for a total of twelve. Now, I’ve been gone for a hot minute, so the only project I’ve listened to from this series is the January entry, the first one, and that one was 100% fire. While October may not reach that bar, the bar is still incredibly high because Pap’s rapping ability is unshakable and has been for decades now. Every track, multiple times, you’re gonna run these bars back to marvel at some of the dope shit he says. He’s got this Nas-level thought process when putting together his bars, as you can tell that Pap is one of those people that’s constantly rapping lines in his head and coming up with amazing wordplay. Now, there’s only 7 tracks here, with many not being particularly long, so while there isn’t much meat on these bones you can still get a healthy meal, and some spices come up when guys like Capo and Fabolous are thrown into the mix. There isn’t too much more to say about it than that: if you fuck with New York City, like that deep Bed-Stuy shit, that “I wear this NY hat anywhere I go” type music, this will get the blood pumping for you.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Aminé – TWOPOINTFIVE
Cover Artist: farris, frankdorrey, & Nick Holiday
This is a very strange project, I’ll be up front about it. I feel like Aminé got a LOT of fans off his last album, Limbo, and, if you’re one of those people who’s reading this post right now, just know that this project is totally different than that shit. Limbo was breezy, mellow, low-key, and gentle, a statement from an artist who had a taste of fame and wanted to take a step back and really evaluate the feelings that come along with that. TWOPOINTFIVE, on the other hand, is much more attention-seeking in nature, spastic in it’s sounds but especially spastic in it’s drum patterns; the BPMs on here is cranked up to the max, like dance music or hyper-pop working as a rap canvas somehow. What TWOPOINTFIVE is, rather, is a continuation of the mixtape series started by ONEPOINTFIVE, a carefree and low-stakes project that sees Aminé doing what is essentially getting random feelings and experiments out of his system. The rapping is not at all the level of depth and introspection that we found on Limbo and it doesn’t need to be that way, but the difference could be pretty jarring for some of y’all looking for those kind of lyrics; many of the lyrics on here are just straight silly, hilarious in how simple and bold-faced they can be on their surface. If you’re into acts like BROCKHAMPTON, this will be right up you’re alley. It’s a small project with short tracks (no features too), so give it a quick listen and see if you fuck with anything.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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-------SOUP’S HOT DEALS-------
Lord Juco & Finn – Details
Investment: $20.00
Cover Artist: Art Fuentes aka ARF
If you don’t count Big Turks (which is difficult for me given that’s one of my favorite albums of all time), I think Details is Lord Juco’s best album, and incredible marriage of straightforward lyrics, superb instrumental samples, and truly transcendental vocal samples. Juco as an emcee is a much more reserved character than a lot of those out in the underground today; many people out there (and I mean this as no disrespect to y’all spitters out there) try really hard to make their shit technically superior than anyone else, or, in other words, y’all are trying to say the dopest shit in the dopest ways. Juco doesn’t get caught up in the grind like that, coming across in his steady flow and understandable stories as someone who is one of those humble, loyal goons in the mafia. He’s not a Tony Soprano, Walter White, or Teflon Don, but rather he’s one of those dudes who lives the life of the street grimy and can tell you succinctly about his day. Where this really turns into something truly amazing is when paired with a producer who approaches it from the opposite perspective. Juco is just telling stories of his life, but Finn makes these stories art pieces with the samples he pulls in, and how bold he is in presenting them. Grand and sweeping vocal loops, some familiar and some unique, mixed with vibrant guitar, horn, and bass samples is the name of the game here; when combined with Juco’s matter-of-fact lyrics, the vintage beats make this like watching a mob documentary from the 70’s. This shit is pure art, from the beats, the lyrics, on down to this amazing cover designed by Art Fuentes. Hell that doesn’t even cover the features here, bringing the best of Toronto with Daniel Son and Asun Eastwood, and some New York killers in SmooVth and Pro Dillinger (who has recently made his impression felt, watch this guy). Details is the best album I’ve heard this year from out of the Toronto scene, congratulations to Finn and Juco for this masterclass in hip-hop.
GoldEraMusic.com
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Jay NiCE, Døøf, & Sadhugold – UNKiND
Investment: $15.00
Cover Artist: ChopTheHead
A long time ago a guy named Delusional Thomas put out a fever dream of an album called… Delusional Thomas, taking a bunch of beats from Larry Fisherman, throwing Mac Miller on there, and ended up offering one of the most unique listening experiences of the 2010’s. Oh yeah and I should mention that Mac Miller was actually all of those people because he did all of it himself, because the man was truly something else. Whenever trying to live up to the stature of an album like this, there are certain things that you have to “get” about the concept: why separate the artists’ mind like this? Why strip back the beats like this? Why are we talking about comically dastardly behavior? WHY THE VOICE PITCH? While I could go on at length about these things in regards to Delusional Thomas, what you need to understand is that Jay NiCE, with Døøf and Sadhugold on the beats, *understands* what Mac was trying to do with the project. UNKiND is not parroting Mac’s project, but rather subtly innovating on it, updating the formula for the hip-hop of today. The lyrics come across faster, the beats are layered in instrumental fuzz, and, although this might be simple, the vocal manipulation shifts downwards instead of Mac’s upward. Thomas was a helium-sucking imp who reveled in the juvenile suffering of others, while Jay’s bizzarro-world form is this demonic word-bully, with the similarities coming in form of the bombastic nature of the lyrics that ramble from one horrid situation to another. In that sense, both Delusional Thomas and UNKiND are the perfect Halloween albums, artists dressing up as a diabolical character to explore more about themselves. The biggest difference between the two projects are the beats: Larry stripped the beats way back, barren and echoing to give the feel of a mind empty of anything but the tortured thoughts. Døøf and Sadhugold take a different approach: these *beats* are the tortured thoughts, almost painful in the industrial shrieks and static vomit that covers every track. If you want some really challenging material, hazardous sounds and lyrical devilry, this is the monster you’re looking for.
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Recognize Ali – Underground King II
Investment: $15.00
Cover Artist: Laki
I’ve missed a couple of Ali projects that have dropped this year, so I reach back to his album that he dropped about a year ago, Recognition, in order to come up with some comparisons here. That last project I had heard from him was damn near-perfect: Ali is a brutal emcee, never letting up across the duration of a project, so as long as we get some features to break up the barbarity, the length isn’t an issue with me (both have 18 solid tracks, mostly built out with hooks and multiple verses). Underground King II treads much of the same ground as this last project did, each track being thought out and full-bodied in a way a lot of rappers don’t take the time to do. Many dudes in today’s underground give out 2 minutes max on their tracks, but Recognize is of the old guard, wanting to really feed his fans, something that I appreciate greatly. So what does this dude sound like? Imagine someone who eats a bowl of nails for breakfast every morning, talking about ripping out your spine with his rap skills. Also guys like Kool G Rap and Big Pun. The beats have got that womp to them taken up to 11, but the best ones are those that use some crazy sample that increases the savagery. I’m glad that Recognize Ali drops as much as he does, and the respect he’s garnered in the game from the likes of those like Vinnie Paz, Lord Goat and Verbal Kent has been magnificent to see develop. Go and give your ears to one of the undergrounds grimiest motherfuckers.
Cover Artist: Geneviève L Richard
Alright, the elephant in the room: D-Track raps in French and I do not speak French. I don’t know what this dude is saying 99.9% of the time. I can still say that the way the dude attacks the beat in a language not native to traditional rapping, the shifting flows and usage of a lot of the French-specific… sounds? I really don’t know how to describe it in French but it’s the same admiration I have for German rappers who rhyme umlaut sounds and shit like that. All of that being said there isn’t much I have to say about the rapping other than if you want to hear something really unique in the genre I think you should check this out. What really drew my attention to this project, if I’m being real, is the fact that Nicholas Craven produced every track on this bitch, and the quality of instrumentals here reflect that high caliber. Very focused loops, honing in on one or two key sounds and repeating them in boisterous ways, has always been Craven’s M.O., a trait he retains on this project here. It’s fascinating to hear where he makes his chops, what parts of a sample he’s choosing to loop, and how tight he chooses to make it, and thinking about how a rapper will choose to approach one of his beats is a large part of the fun here. So that’s why Hull is in large part a breath of fresh air for me: the unpredictable Craven getting together with an emcee who I literally don’t understand represents something rare after all this time listening to hip-hop. Something I haven’t heard before. Get outcha comfort zone and get into that French-Canadian life.
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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-----NEW TO STREAMING-----
Elcamino – If You Know You Know
Cover Artist: queen.hornet
