Great week for projects and singles, a bounce back from recent weeks. I didn’t have much time this weekend, so one project, Snoop Dogg’s I Wanna Thank Me, didn’t make it on the list or playlists, but I do want to say it’s ok. Go find that shit.
Here’s a link to the Week #10 Playlist for y’all
-----PROJECTS-----
Young Thug – So Much Fun
Reminds me a lot of JEFFERY in that it has a lot of different sides of Thug, generally more pop direction, and excellent features (besides Future… like what the hell is Sup Mate?). Beats across this thing are great, and Thug is in top form. The length is a problem; if you cut maybe 4-5 tracks out of here it would be one of Thug’s best albums, but as of now it serves as the most effective capitalization on his fame to date. Pop-Trap
Here’s the Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music link to listen to So Much Fun:
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Kill Em All – Kill Em All
DJ Muggs is BACK, coming off of his excruciatingly long three week hiatus since Medallo with CRIMEAPPLE. Teaming up with Mach-Hommy yet again, the second time this year, this time under the name Kill Em All, the duo outdo themselves. Mach is rapping his ass off, Fahim is all over this bitch, and Muggs is a G O D on these beats. Dark, nihilistic, old school hip-hop.
Here’s the Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music link to listen to Kill Em All:
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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A$AP Ferg – Floor Seats
Short EP from the A$AP #2. It’s a little all over the place sonically, with trap/R&B/…80’s synth?/whatever Pups is. It’s cool, but it doesn’t have me fiending for new music from the Trap Lord. Besides Rico Nasty, the features aren’t doing much for me either.
Here’s the Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music link to listen to Floor Seats:
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Nef The Pharaoh – Mushrooms & Coloring Books
Nef tries to fill a lot of different shoes, but does his best when over hard-hitting Bay beats. Nef can be a little obnoxious in vocal quality, but he has a handful of funny lines. The features are lame, except for Slimmy B from SOBXRBE. Colorful West-Coast/Bay-Area
Here’s the Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music link to listen to Mushrooms & Coloring Books:
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Cousin Stizz – Trying to Find My Next Thrill
The fact that this is a face, if not the only face, of the Boston scene is… troubling. It’s incredibly average, with a couple good beats. Stizz is basically monotone, and with only 2-3 guest rappers on this thing it creates a very flat listening experience. Maybe a few of the hooks are catchy, but besides that, and the Gibbs feature, there’s not much here. Trap…. Yeah.
Here’s the Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music link to listen to Trying to Find My Next Thrill:
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Danny Wolf – Night of the Wolf
A pleasant surprise, Danny Wolf really knocks it out of the park on the production front. Inventive and ear-grabbing trap beats. The guest artists here are hit or miss, with Lils Skies, Pump, and Tecca killing their features, while HoodRich Pablo Juan (who is on here twice for some reason) and Yung Buns needed to be cut. Don’t miss this short listen. Soundcloud Rap
Here’s the Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music link to listen to Night of the Wolf:
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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HO99O9 – Cyber Warfare
Experimental Hip-hop, punk, and metal come together for this short EP that sounds like I’ve been hit over the head and buried in a shallow digital grave. Harsh listening experience. JPEGMAFIA is an excellent feature that works well with the boys.
Here’s the Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music link to listen to Cyber Warfare:
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Smoke DZA & Green R Fieldz – ZOUR
Promotional EP for DZA and Fieldz’s upcoming tour, this is some glitzy, stoner-hip-hop. DZA does his thing on here, Domo and Roddy are good features, and a couple of the beats have quality samples. Green R Fieldz is lowkey terrible. Vibey Hip-Hop with some R&B elements.
Here’s the Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music link to listen to ZOUR:
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Quality Control – Control the Streets, Vol. 2
Alright, so I made the ultimate sacrifice and listened to all 35 tracks of this gargantuan clusterfuck, and I’m happy to report that only 75% of the album is trash. DaBaby is fire on his tracks, Offset is in good form, and Quavo even has some nice parts. But overall, this should never have happened, *especially* the last like 12 tracks with the underside of the bottom of the QC barrel. Pop-trap
Here’s the Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music link to listen to Control the Streets, Vol. 2:
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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-------SINGLES-------
JPEGMAFIA – Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot
I am SO ready to be disappointed by Peggy’s next project. This single is both a banger and blissful, with great lyrics and melodic elements. My only expectation for his next album is that I will be surprised, because you truly cannot expect anything from it. Experimental/Abstract hip-hop with some industrial elements.
Here’s the Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music link to listen to Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot:
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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BROCKHAMPTON – BOY BYE
My favorite of the three singles so far, BOY BYE has three incredibly satisfying verses from Dom, Matt, & Kevin. The Spanish guitars and amazing flows have this track sounding like it could fit right into SATURATION II’s tracklist. However, bearface’s part is… strange to say the least. Maybe he should stick to singing? But then again I said the same thing the first time Joba rapped and look where he is now.
Here’s the Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music link to listen to BOY BYE:
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Freddie Gibbs & Madlib (Feat. Oh No) – The Next Day
I can see why it wouldn’t have fit on Bandana, it’s not the strongest single and plays a little too heavy into the Jackson brother’s lighthearted weirdness to have fit well into the album. It reminds me of Scarface off of Pinata, maybe uses a similar sample? Some gangsta shit
Here’s the YouTube/Adult Swim link to listen to The Next Day:
YouTube/Adult Swim
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Swae Lee (Feat. Drake) – Won’t Be Late
Hella smooth track, with a great melody on the hook. Swae’s verse is vapid, but his vocal quality works wonders. Drake’s contributions are one of his better melodic features in a long time. The whole track reminds me of Views era Drake, which may sound like a bad thing, but imagine more in the vein of a Controlla-like track. Pop/Dance
Here’s the Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music link to listen to Won’t Be Late:
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Pete Rock & Skyzoo – It’s All Good
Skyzoo has always seemed like a vanilla MC to me, but with Pete Rock on the boards I feel like he’s stepped it up a bit. Good rhyme schemes, storytelling elements, and a strong hook. Pete’s instrumental is nostalgic with its boom-bap drums and piano flourishes. Old school boom-bap.
Here’s the Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music link to listen to It’s All Good:
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Don Toliver – Situation
Middle of the road melodic trap, nothing particularly stands out about it. The hook has a serviceable melody, and the verses set a vibe. But I expect a bit more from Toliver at this point. Pop-trap
Here’s the Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music link to listen to Situation:
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Jacquees (Feat. Lil Keed & Lil Gotit) – Hot For Me
I didn’t like any of the three artists involved in this track going into it, but this track may have changed my mind. The hook is on some Usher shit with Jacquees really hitting those notes and falsettos. Lil Keed and Lil Gotit play as Young Thug and Gunna respectively, and it works out well; weird flows and vocal inflections abound. The beat might be my favorite part, with these shrill synths paired with stripped down trap drums creating an intimate experience. R&B with Trap elements
Here’s the Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music link to listen to Hot For Me:
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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Guapdad 4000 (Feat. G-Eazy & Reo Cragun) – First Things First
Guapdad is another that I’ve never fully gotten behind, but he does well enough here. He has melody and humor, and that paired with a weird-ass vocal quality makes for a great Thugger template. Cragun on the hook is great, catchy and well written, and G-Eazy continues his feature killstreak with his trademark swagger. Pop-rap
Here’s the Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music link to listen to First Things First:
Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music
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