Weekly Fix #28

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/online stores where you can find the music.

While the underground sought fit to make this Collaboration Week, with some amazing combinations of talent making themselves known, the mainstream was almost completely silent. I guess because Christmas is this week and people didn’t want to go up against the ancient evil that lays waste to the charts every holiday week (AKA god-awful Christmas music AKA Mariah fucking Carey), there were only two singles… which are both from the $uicideboy$. So yeah, we got some good shit from people like Hus Kingpin, The Alchemist, and Sean Price (RIP), but nothing that’s gonna chart.

I also want to take the time to explain something: I try as hard as possible to keep the negative out my writing, because at the end of the day I’m here to recommend you music that I loved listening to that week. But sometimes projects aren’t perfect, and I’d like to let you know about something that, amongst an otherwise enjoyable project/single, could be a problem for some people. What I want Tha Soup Dude’s Kitchen to be is a place where people can go to find new music that I like, and if you trust my cosign I hope you will like it too (because some of these dudes/ladies DESERVE the shine). So yeah, negative “reviews” and shitting on people is not my MO here, just want to make that known.

Here’s a link to the Week #28 Playlist for y’all

-----PROJECTS-----

Hus Kingpin & SmooVth – The Connection Tape
I think together with the instrumentals Hus and SmooVth create sounds you haven’t heard before. It sounds like if the Illuminati put out a mixtape with the piercing digital samples and the spacey, sticky instrumentals. I will say that these two have one of the strangest voice combinations: Hus is like a raspy sewer rat that can rap, but SmooVth is borderline spoken word poet with his monotone and paced delivery. There are some A1 collaborations on here too, Rome Streetz taking the cake in that regard.
Recommended if you like: nasally and gutter voices, Westside Gunn, free-flowing and disjointed rhyme schemes, futuristic boom bap beats, Roc Marciano, short tapes, Meyhem Lauren, Quelle Chris,

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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The Alchemist & Boldy James – Boldface EP
Despite being 15 minutes, the flow, variety, and confident rapping of this EP rivals full length albums. In terms of other Alchemist projects from the year, it ranks damn near first place in the risks taken; I mean Alan makes a trap beat on this motherfucker and it SLAPS in a way that only he can create. Boldy James… bro this guy is so underrated. His delivery is understated and suave, but his rhyme schemes and wordplay betray the truth of a masterclass emcee that has been in the game for a long time. An easy but rewarding listen.
Recommended if you like: monotone but evocative rappers, Quelle Chris, short but jam-packed projects, Earl Sweatshirt, sample-based beats, Daringer, minimal but emotional instrumentals, good storytelling, Griselda, strong rhyme schemes,

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Flee Lord & Grafh – Dirty Restaurant
Flee Lord steps it up a bit here with Grafh, coming through with a quality project. I would have liked to have seen more features, and some of the mixing is a shoddy, but this ranks up there with Flee’s project with Spesh as one of his best projects. Grafh is also in top form here, and while I’m not sold on his voice/delivery yet, but his wordplay is incredibly inventive and thoughtful.
Recommended if you like: a manic and shrill rapper mixed with a super low-key monotone rapper, Benny the Butcher, vanilla boom-bap beats, Eto, New York hip-hop, 38 Spesh,

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Sean Price & Lil Fame – Price of Fame
*This* is how you make a posthumous album. Ok so it’s a bit cheating because most of this material was made before Sean Price died with the intent to be released exactly like this as a collaboration with Lil Fame, but still the chemistry and thoughtfulness is how you should be treating the dead. These beats are punchy with an almost cartoonish devotion to the mid 90’s creatives like DJ Premier and Pete Rock. Sean never provides a dull moment, and Lil Fame’s literal shouting never gets old; all of the features here kill it too, especially the Smif-n-Wesson boys goddamn.
Recommended if you like: old men being aggressive, Guilty Simpson, funny and violent lyrics, very traditional boom-bap beats, Your Old Droog, some strong song concepts, Biggie Smalls, unique flows and word choices, Gangstarr, good posthumous albums, DMX

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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wifisfuneral – Ev3rything Sucks
I’m incredibly surprised at how well this tape turned out. All of wifis music before this was just a little too edgy for me, but this EP has some real bangers on it, some I could even see being on the radio. Tracks on here are well written and structured with great hooks. Although he was a Freshman last year, he seems to be finding a good lane.
Recommended if you like: Soundcloud rap, XXXTENTACION, South Florida rap, Lil Pump, young spirited trap music, Smokepurpp, punk music, Trippie Redd, sparing singing, strong hooks, banger beats,

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Farma Beats – The Shadow Man
While I;m unfamiliar with most of the guests here, the beats are cool and odd in some ways. The samples used here are hallowenishly evil, like an old horror movie or some shit. Although, I think Farma is as good as he is because he doesn’t rely on one style or one sound, making this short project feel so much more substantive. The guests range from forgettable to some stellar performances, with Supreme Cerebral putting himself on my radar heavily with his appearance here.
Recommended if you like: boom-bap beats, Graymatter, gross and gutter hip-hop, old mixtape era, underground lyricists, Rome Streetz,

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Eto & BodyBagBen – Integrity
I think, while the beats on his last project were better, Eto still is giving it his all on every project he’s been on so far, and this EP is no exception. There are personal bars on here, blood-thirsty and ultraviolent bars, but it all comes together as a statement on where he lives and the things he’s gone through. The biggest issue I have is that, while the beats are pretty ok, the DJ work in the scratching and the samples are a little rough, with a lot of the chops and loops not really fitting into the track as smoothly as even one of Eto’s other collaborations, Front Row. But still, being one of the most prolific underground rappers is admirable on it’s own.
Recommended if you like: Spanish/latino rappers, Westside Gunn, rapping about drug-slinging, personal struggle lyrics, Tha God Fahim,  nasally and slurred rappers, Flee Lord

YouTube

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Curren$y – Back at Burnie’s
Smooth and intoxicating trap production, monotone bleating from Curren$y, and a nice spread of features are par for the course with any Spitta project, and this one is no different. I’d say it’s slightly better than the original Burnie’s. If you’re a fan of Curren$y then this will be up your alley.
Recommended if you like: spacey trap vibes, Lil Wayne, silky smooth instrumentals, Paul Wall, consistently ok rappers, good features,

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Statik Selektah & Stunna Gang – Powerful Musik
I’m always down for more Statik, and his frequent collaborator that I’m finding myself liking more and more is this Haile Supreme person, but I don’t know how I feel about Stunna Gang. He’s a totally capable emcee, but I feel like he suffers from Skyzoo syndrome in that he’s just so… vanilla? Also, the lack of any other features besides Haile Supreme was a disappointment. The beats are consistently good, so don’t think Statik skimped on this project.
Recommended if you like: Skyzoo, Locksmith, hip-hop with a neo-soul heart, sampled instrumentals, solid wordplay, personal lyrics, underdogs,

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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NLE Choppa – Cottonwood
It’s a solid offering from one of Memphis’ most promising stars right now. His aggressive delivery and violent lyrics, occasionally hit with a sprayed sheen of autotune, is much like other operating in the same lane, and while he doesn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel, he is still enjoyable to listen to. I wish there were more features on here, because I know there’s gotta be a line of dudes who want to collaborate with him.
Recommended if you like: YoungBoy NBA, autotuned vocals, Kodak Black, ultraviolent lyrics, BlocBoy JB, juvenile sexual lyrics, Three Six Mafia,  

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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Young Thug – So Much Fun (Deluxe)
So Thugger dropped 5 new tracks, one of which is the remix to Hot that he released a few weeks ago. They’re alright, but I can see how they didn’t make the cut the first time around. Also, since I have the original version of the album, this was my first time experiencing the Machine Gun Kelly addition on Ecstasy, which was…. Unneeded.
Recommended if you like: Future, melodic trap rapping, Gunna, sunny trap bangers, Lil Wayne, strained and odd singing, Roddy Ricch, Lil Keed, YFN Lucci

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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

$uicideboys$ – Fuck Your Culture
The first of two singles from the upcoming $$Bs tape is an alien trap banger. Piercing sirens and slaps abound here, and Scrim and Ruby are sounding more like Three Six Mafia than ever with their flows and their occultic lyrics. I like the subdued evil energy on this track, and it being so short also increases enjoyment.
Recommended if you like: Pouya, heavy slappers, Three Six Mafia, fast triplet flows, Xavier Wulf, edgy lyrics, Bones, tracks that sound evil, City Morgue, short tracks, Ghostmane

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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$uicideboys$ – Scope Set
Slaps just as hard as Fuck Your Culture, but it’s a little more spacey and vibey in it’s instrumental. The Boys also reign it in a bit for more measured and sinister flows, but it’s still every bit as cutthroat. There are these cool kicks in here that sound exactly like the ones used in A$AP Rocky’s Babushka that I thought was neat. These two singles have me looking forward to what the $uicideboy$ have for us with their project coming out I February.
Recommended if you like: Pouya, heavy slappers, Three Six Mafia, fast triplet flows, Xavier Wulf, edgy lyrics, Bones, City Morgue, short tracks, Ghostmane

Spotify/YouTube/Apple Music

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