Weekly Fix #20

A phenomenal week for hip-hop: quality, quantity, long awaited albums, surprise drops, everything. Kanye finally dropped, which is what it is, but it seems like two different styles dominated two separate areas: the underground LP’s that came out were outstanding, and those mainstream singles hit it out of the park. Some of this stuff might not be on streaming services, so be sure to check out the links on here if you didn’t see it on the Playlists yesterday. As always, if you like any of the more obscure content, consider supporting them on sites like Bandcamp.

I also want to give a little shine to the new Wu-Tang show that wrapped up it’s first season on Hulu, Wu-Tang: An American Saga. It’s a little overdramatic, and I wish the music come-up was more in focus for the first half of the season, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. If you’re interested in the earliest days of the Clan, give it a watch.

Speaking of Wu-Tang, and to give everyone a little heads up, I’m going to see Wu-Tang this week in Colorado! It’ll be a drive and I’m taking a few days off, which means I’ll be away from my music station for a few days. I’ll see how it’ll affect my writing/listening schedule, but don’t be surprised if some of the content next week is slightly delayed…

Here’s a link to the Week #20 Playlist for y’all

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Kanye West – JESUS IS KING
Well. It’s here. It’s better than ye. Honestly, that’s about as far as I go. Listen, I’m a huge Kanye fan, I can find love for every project before ye, but this? JESUS IS KING? It’s not great. The mixing is truly awful, some of the tracks go nowhere and some are dreadfully short, and Kanye’s lyrics are painful at times. The beats and instrumentals are solid (shame about the shoddy mix though) and warrant a listen to see what Kanye was cooking up here. It’s is clear as crystal that this album needed much more time baking before it ever released. Also the Jesus Is King movie is a fucking trip; it didn’t add much to the musical experience… but it was something.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Dixon Hill & Guilty Simpson – Actus Reus
I haven’t loved a Guilty Simpson project in a long time, but this one is not only fantastic, but also one of his best. I love the loose theme of courts, law, jail, and legal troubles. Guilty is still as violent as ever, but now that he’s been around for a minute there’s a sense of wisdom from a ghetto sage coming through too. The beats here from Dixon Hill are phenomenal, with jazz/soul running deep; the warmth that comes from some of these cuts is awesome.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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38 Spesh – 1994
Utilizing a spread of re-created beats from the year 1994, 38 Spesh brings together literally everyone worth listening to in New York’s underground today. It feels…. incomplete? Despite having 20+ top-tier emcees, no one really got a large enough amount of time to shine; in fact, there’s a lot of empty instrumental space, or parts where Spesh talks shit while the beat runs. The beats are cool, but they’re just recreations; we don’t need to hear them again. A lot of the guests obviously recorded on garbage mics too, adding to the slap-dash sound. It’s good, but I wish Spesh cooked this one up a little more.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Planet Asia – A.G.E. (All Gold Everything)
It came out last week, but it was so under the radar I didn’t peep till early this last week. This is some old-school Gold Chain shit right here, with Planet Asia rapping his ass off like the Militia was still together. The beats he got for this one are perfect for him, and the features are exactly what he needs. The track with Tristate truly feels like a Gold Chain banger from back in the day. I’m not sure if this is a mixtape leading up to something bigger, but count me excited.

Spotify/Apple Music/Bandcamp

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Tha God Fahim & M. Stacks – Live and Let Dump
Lyrically, Fahim is slightly repetitive, but the instrumentals from M. Stacks mean this is a must listen, and pushes it up into one of Fahim’s best collaborations this year. Fahim just does himself here, and in fact he’s on less air-space on Live and Let Dump since the instrumentals and samples will often play out and run. It’s a chill and relaxed record; I just wish the chemistry was more pronounced between the rapper and the producer here.

YouTube/Bandcamp

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al.divino & Raticus – Cryptex Murderous Material
So Raticus, who I’m just learning about today, gives us two projects from two emcees on the same day. The first is this one here with al.divino, which is a darker experience overall. I’ve always loved divino’s gruff vocal quality, and he’s feeling right at home on these dusty boom-bap beats. Raticus wears his influences right on his sleeves, with the dark chambers of Wu-Tang being a clear inspiration. Love the guest features on here too, very collaborative effort.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music/Bandcamp

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Guapdad 4000 – Dior Deposits
Guapdad didn’t need to go this hard with the features; he did that for us and I’m glad for it. Guapdad proves he is a capable singer and rapper (maybe a bit cringy in the lyrics department but I’m willing to overlook that), and can put together a project that is wholly enjoyable. It reminds me of Tory Lanez’s Love Me Now from last year, where every track has something catchy and memorable about it. If you’re into slightly tongue-in-cheek R&B, this is for you.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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ALLBLACK & Offset Jim – 22nd Ways
This was the undisputed surprise from this week, given that I’ve always hated ALLBLACK, and that Offset Jim has been a no-name to me; this album fucking SLAPS. This project is Bay-Area to the core, with it’s crispy drum/synths and banging beats. I think it’s the beats that make ALLBLACK so palatable now, because his flow is so loose that it just doesn’t make sense anywhere else. Offset Jim also comes through with cool-blooded lyricism. I love the length, the *features* all kill it (especially DaBoii, goddamn), and the rock hard consistency from track to track. Must listen if you are into West-Coast music at all.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Quin NFN – 4Nun
Youngboy NBA already has enough clones, but this guy separates himself enough I think. He has melodic elements that an obvious rip of Youngboy, but some of the harder tracks have the bounciness of a DaBaby track. The instrumentals on here are quite varied, so you’ll find something to like if you like mainstream trap.

Spotify/Apple Music

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Mooch & Raticus – New York State: The Renaissance
The second Raticus project, this one a little more light hearted with the more gutter-rat-like Mooch. Mooch sounds like Westside Gunn, maybe grounded a little more in reality, and that gives less of a self-serious feel across the project. Like Cryptex Murderous Material, the Wu-Tang is a clear influence in these beats, specifically Tical/Return to the 36 Chambers era production, with it’s muddier, dissonant sound. I like al.divino’s project more, but this one will still scratch that itch for that old-school shit if you’re looking for it.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music/Bandcamp

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-------SINGLES-------

Roddy Ricch (Feat. Gunna) – Stay wit Me
Another quality track from Roddy, with a banging guitar/flute backed beat; it’s quality trap. It’s not as self-serious as his last single, so he and Gunna can play around a little with the flow making it a great listen. It’s a little short, but Gunna gets a lot of time to shine, and Roddy drops a catchy hook. I’m loving how this XXL Freshman class are willing to collaborate.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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RJ Payne (Feat. Freeway) – What We Doing
While I think RJ Payne does better over sampled material, I think this trap sound with the heavy sub-bass suits him well enough. This keyboards are a little corny pushing it into a “Halloween” direction, but the track slaps regardless. Freeway does alright on the feature, not doing anything too special. The hook is actually pretty good, it’s stuck in my head.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Dave East (Feat. Nas) – Godfather 4
The instrumental on here is fantastic with it’s luscious string section (lowkey kind of reminds me of the Always Sunny in Philadelphia theme), and spacious percussion. Nas runs this whole track, honestly feeling like it was his track at some point that Dave East picked up later. It’s also a little structureless, with no real hook and no rhyme or reason to why Dave pops in for a few bars, back to Nas, then returns for a slightly less than full verse later. It’s a good listen, but left me a little confused.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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G Perico (Feat. Wiz Khalifa) – Billie Jean
I’d be laughing at this shit if it wasn’t high-key fire. If you loved Billie Jean, but never felt like you could comfortably crip-walk to it, this song is for you. Perico always comes with swag, and with this classic bassline you can bet your ass he comes correct. Wiz Khalifa is a strange choice for a feature, but he flows well enough over that BASS. This cover art also has me dying.

YouTube/Soundcloud

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Kodak Black (Feat. NLE Choppa & DB Omerta) – Zombie
Did Kodak capture the spirit of Halloween here? Yes. The rrrrraaa rrrraaa rraaaa hook mixed with the pianos and keyboard in the beat have me spooked. This should play at any 13 year old’s Halloween party. I’m torn between thinking NLE’s verse is hilarious or trash; maybe it’s both but I love it.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Bankroll Freddie (Feat. Young Dolph & Lil Baby) – Drip Like Dis
Freddie doesn’t do much for me; nothing really unique about him. But Dolph kills his verse and is the best fit for this cavernous beat. Lil Baby is alright on the back end, but I’ve been finding he’s been lacking on his features recently, which is unusual given he’s always been a solid choice for a feature. It’s your standard fare trap music, listen at your own risk.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Berner (Feat. Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa) – La Plaza
I think Berner is disgustingly average and bland, but I have got to highlight this song for it’s good Snoop Dogg verse, fantastic Wiz Khalifa hook, and, most important and bizarrely, the amazing *RZA* beat. This sounds like a scene from Pulp Fiction or some shit with it’s sitar notes and Spanish horns; the RZA didn’t have to go this hard on this beat (and he also didn’t have to give it to Berner of all fucking people but here we are). This doesn’t make me excited for Berner’s next project, but now I have to at least give it a fair shot.

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Tyga (Feat. YG & Santana) – MAMACITA
Santana’s contributions on here are solid, making this a quality meeting of latin-trap/west-coast. Them electric guitars and the shouts in the beat mix well together. Now, is Tyga the best lyricist ever? I don’t need to answer that, but he does what he needs to do to make the track enjoyable. YG could have gone harder, but the biggest problem is after his verse it goes on for entirely too long. There needed to be a third verse on here (Blueface anyone??)

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Smino – Trina
It’s catchy, but there’s nothing in the verses that’s going to keep me coming back. The hook is stuck in my head, and the beat provided by Kenny Beats is a cute banger, but overall the track feels rather vapid. Also Smino can be slightly annoying with his wordplay sometime. I really expected more from this new crop of rappers coming from Chicago, but none of them seem to have the teeth to make anything worthwhile. (No, I haven’t listened to Saba’s projects, I’ll get there)

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Doja Cat – Rules
This beat is a vibe; woozy and smooth as fuck. Doja Cat, very surprisingly for me, raps her ass off on this cut, really finding the beat and playing with it. I didn’t think she was anything more than a meme, but I was glad to be proven wring with this track. The hook is also super catchy (not something I’m gonna be out here singing unless I’m with my GIRLS tho).

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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