I did not see this coming. Part time rapper full time lunatic Gucci Mane released a new mixtape, Trap Back, over the weekend and it’s actually pretty fucking good. Don’t get me wrong, Gucci was my main dude for a minute there, but I don’t think anyone would say he hasn’t been in a period of fallow lately, to put it lightly. Whether it be from drug addiction, stress from repeated incarcerations, laziness, or, y’know, legitimate and troubling mental illness, Gucci was off his game. The much maligned (though, I mean, it’s lower mediocre, not a travesty) BAYTL was probably the nadir.
Somehow, he was also sitting on Trap Back, which is a total gem. First off it’s got great production (Zaytoven, Lex Luger, Drumma Boy, and especially Mike Will who brings it hard as fuck) plus ill features from Future, 2 Chainz, Flocka and more. But the real star is actually Gucci. He sounds legitimately engaged, and though he’s not quite up to his highest highs (I’m gonna assume that will probable never happen) this is more than enough for me. I’m real happy about this, the utter fall of Gucci was pretty sad. Claw back homie!
First dude to randomly hit me up on twitter and impress me. I played the first song ont he album not knowing what to expect at all, and heard a dude that was kinda like Childish Gambino, then it hits the 50 second mark and dude’s true self comes out. Coon ‘N the Room is testament album. It’s “don’t look back raps”. This is what it sounds like when a young man in America intertwines his life with his music, and goes for broke. I dont’ know Zelooperz too well, but given the sound of his music I’d guess he’s a somewhat frustrated dude. It’s not a difficult feat in 2012 as a young man. The previous generation had a path that isn’t available to us, but we’re expected to outperform them. We’re expected to live lives filled with leaping bounds, but we all got prescribed cement shoes. So, instead of soaring through the clouds of American personal achievement a dude like Zelooperz gives us Coon ‘N the Room: 17 tracks of cement shoes kickin’ holes in the walls and smashin’ wack rappers’ faces to smithereens.
For a dude this young (he’s 18) what would you expect of him if he were, say working at a Best Buy? Would you expect him to be working on the floor? In the stockroom? At a register? Managing a department? Working with the geek squad? Based on what I heard on here dude is much more like regional management. The homie Catf1sh likened him to Big Sean. I can hear that. There is a similarity to the intonation, and the syncopations of Ze’s flow and Big Sean’s. But Big Sean is more like a commercial for a Maybach that you’re supposed to watch in awe (not happening), while Zelooperz is a dude whippin’ a C43 AMG and inviting you along for the ride. The thing they have in common is the thing that Ze does way better than Sean. Without trying, duh. He’s a natural.
Say you had a chef who made amazing Indo-Mexican fusion food. And that chef had an Indian dad, and a Mexican mom it would be pretty obvious where the inspiration for the crazy fusion food came from. But, with rap the constellation of influencers is still too diffused to even begin to see it. So, for a dude like Zelooperz who is very obviously blessed with a gift for rapping, where do you look to understand it? I don’t know. I’d like to think that one day I’ll have a better explanation for this stuff, but for now the explanation is all in the music. I’d suggest you take the time to really listen to what dude is saying, and try to figure out why he’s saying as well as what he’s telling us. It’s very obvious that the mind behind this stuff is both complex and observant. And so it’s no surprise that the music that comes out is both nuanced and forceful. Zelooperz understands how to flip back and forth between styles and not only paint a picture, but fill the room with movement. Keep a very, very close eye on this dude because he has everything he needs to do everything he wants, and he’s very very driven.
The video for Labba’s “Magazine” is from late last year, but it feels like it came from a Flatbush block party circa ’94. With Labba and Elephant Trunk rapping in patois over a beat that dreads and corner boys alike could rock, you end up with a song that perfectly represents Flatbush’s trademark mixing of Black American and Caribbean culture.
It doesn’t hurt that Labba kinda looks a slimmed down 2.0 version of Biggie chillin’ on the corner in the “Juicy” video. Now if the clip just featured someone getting jumped for talking reckless to someone’s girl it would perfectly encapsulate the experience of being at a mid nineties block party.
This 3 For 10 roundup comes from a non existant magical mixtape boutique. A New Age store where the clerks provide you with mixtapes based purely on emotion. It would be some wild conceptual shit, like holistic healing with crystals, but the crystals are mixtapes about cocaine distribution.
If you’re looking to feel cold and emotionless in your core we have a nice joint from Fred The Godson to numb you to the chaos of life. If you want to escape the problems of the world and relax into a world of absurd possibility we’ve got Riff Raff chopped up. Maybe you desire to elevate your spirit to a plane of lush warmth relaxation, for that we’ve got a new instrumental joint from Dirtybird B. All of that spiritual therapy for the price of free ninety nine and some karmic retribution. Who wants to go half on a pop-up shop? The New York Times will definitely cover this shit.
If you’re the type of cat that’s wild concerned with bringing New York rap back in its 1995 incarnation you’re probably more than familiar with Fred The Godson. You also probably don’t read this blog and have spent most of this global warming induced mild summer lamenting how you haven’t had a chance to wear your new Timbs. For the rest of the world, Fred may be a kind of a hard sell. Dude kinda sounds like Jim Jones, raps like Fabolous and looks like a giant infant with braids.
However, his recent City Of God tape with DJ Drama gives us a couple of reasons to check this dude, who might be a lost member of the Bebe’s Kids tribe. Dude comes through as a above average NY coke rapper once you cull out all the generic NY club tracks and shitty ballads. City of God gives us about 10 songs that feature Fred going in over some quality production that ranges from Lex Luger sound alikes to classic boom bap. On this tape dude sounds best over moody minimalist cocaine synth pieces. “Doves” with Pusha T features dudes rapping surprisingly about cocaine, but the combination of the cold track and Fred’s detached delivery sounds entirely on point for the remorseless dealer character he cultivates.
“How You Don’t Know Me” brings back Giorgio Moroder circa Scarface synths while Fred talks a bunch of shit. The best parts of this tape sound like a concept album about Nino Brown thinking about his life right before that old dude shot him in New Jack City. If Fred made that album he could easily carve out a lane for himself in the sea of Nautica and Northface rappers.
Riff Raff – Rap Game Larry Bird (2012) [SODMG] // Grade: B-
Sometimes screwing music works because you get a chance to really hear the intricacies of the song or pickup lyrics that you might’ve normally missed. In those instances the screw allows you to dissect the soundscape and let it wash over you. This is not one of those times. Rap Game Larry Bird is not an album that’s exceptionally deep in any way, the music is generally pretty sparse and the lyrics are absurdist rants from a dude who calls himself “the white Gucci Mane.”
While Riff Raff has a way to go before he reaches Gucci’s level of insanity, his brand of simple rhyming and bizarre boasts “I done shook dice with Larry Bird in Barcelona” are exactly the type of rap that sounds amazing chopped up into a hypnotic mix.While Riff Raff may never get a XXL rating on anything he ever releases this album is leading the race in “best album to get high to and play Mario Kart for 5 hours” award.
Instrumental hip hop feels like it should come entirely from California. Dudes out there have giant beach,es beautiful weather, great tacos and women with tans all year long, so it makes sense when they make albums that sounds like low level psychedelic dreams. That’s the reality of California living if I’m to believe the various documentaries of the state I’ve seen (Friday, Saved By The Bell, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The OC).
It comes as no surprise then, that the new album from producer Dirtybird B is the sort of chilled out head nodding experience that you could imagine yourself listening to on your first night at a beach bonfire after moving to LA from Brooklyn. Headphones turned up, relaxing in a light jacket in March, thinking about the possibilities of a new city while thinking “fuck winter.” Hard Work In Paradise is very reminiscent of the more chilled out Prefuse 73 productions or even a more rare joint like the first Dosh album. Really chill compositions that allow your mind to wander and go to beautiful places.
Quelle Chris remains busy! This dude is quietly grindin the year to dust already. The above video is nothing short of genius, and I think it gives you a hint at Quelle’s sense of humor. We kicked it a few weeks ago and dude was all about laguhs and good time. Pretty clear from that video. That being said head over to dude’s Bandcamp and pick up Bones For Girls, or one of his many other releases.
Nem270 be gettin their speakers MAD! MAD AS FUCK B! AND THAT IS BECAUSE NEM AINT EVER CAME WACK! AND THIS TIME HE CAME TO BRING THE MOTHAFUCKKKKKKINNN PAAAAAAAAAAIIIINNNN! Hardcore to the brain, well the motherboard. Nem just dropped Desktop Pain with UUU Tapes. You should probably expect more and more of this type of stuff as the Wave begins to spill over into more and more outlets. And expect more and more Nem, as we’ve got an interview coming with him sooner than later.
Ryan Hemsworth recently dropped his Kitsch Genius EP. If you remember the review for his last release A Way, then you remember that Ryan is nothing short of utterly amazing on the beats. And the cover is lookin oh so very Krautrock. I think Ryan’s take on making beats is really brilliant, and the way he folds together recognizable influences with prodigious technique is enough to make the most highly-regarded beat wizards feel insecure. Gandalf flow.
Last but not least, producer extraordinaire Marlee B just dropped this Off The Hip instrumental tape. And did you know dude raps too? And not just “he raps too,” but he raps really really well. Get familiar yo.
Other than remixing sixteen Ke$ha songs last year, André 3000 hasn’t been releasing much music. This saddens me. This saddens me because I really like André 3000 and Outkast. It’s like he’s just been doing nothing!..Or has he?
Gillette Fusion ProGlide Styler. Boom. Here he is. My boy Three Stacks, though seemingly up to not much, has really been spending time honing his craft, which now includes sponsoring razors. Or should I say, a 3-in-1 grooming tool. No, I think I’ll just say razors.
Who needs hip hop? Not me. Not André. We’ve got Gillette.
P.S. Adrien Brody is nicely transitioning his career from Oscar to “you know, that guy in that commercial.”
The more Raider Klan the better, that’s what I’m saying. In the time since we published our profile of this krazy krew a few weeks ago we’ve already gotten a new tape from Denzel Curry, and now there’s a full mixtape from ringleader SpaceGhostPurrp featuring all kinds of Raider Klan appearances. Although I guess now he’s SPVCXGHXZTPVRRP, in the continuing travails of their nomenclature. The X’s are taking over.
The mixtape is called God Of Black, but you coulda fooled me with the cover emblazoned with GXX XX BXXXK. Then there’s track titles like “MXXXXXXX MXXX”. Confusing? Sure. Awesome? I’ll go ahead and say yes. Do what you want young ones, we’ll follow. God of Black features Lil Ugly Mane, Metro Zu, and Amber London, plus a new iteration of “Suck a Dick.” Yes!
Ah to be a young rapper, on top of his game in NYC. Harlem’s Perrion really holds it down over a Myth Sizer beat in his new video for “Turn Off The Tide.” This shit is pretty up beat. That sunny day shit. That 60 degrees in February shit. That pep in your step shit.
“Turn Off the Tide” will be featured on Perrion’s upcoming mixtape From Paris With Love which will be dropping soon.
New Lil B! Damn, it feels like it’s been years since the BasedGod released any new material at al- oh wait. No it doesn’t. Not at all. Nevertheless, I’m always ready for new Lil B, and am quite prepared to put White Flame on blast all fucking weekend. So many Based Freestyles!
Much like the rest of his Flame and Bitch Mob mixtapes, White Flame is a return to the ridiculous misogynistic over-the-top absurdist Lil’ B, a character who has been in the background for a little to make room for Based-Tony-Robbins Lil B. Swag.
Tracks like “I’m Fabio” (see video above) signaled a welcome resurgence of “Bitch I’m _____” Brandon. And it doesn’t stop there! Basedgod been feeling might generous dropping videos like crazy from White Flame. On Saturday alone he blessed us with a grip of new ones. Good times were had by all. Thankyoubasedgod!
I don’t know when I first heard Chavis Chandler’s name, but it wasn’t long ago. And while it’s puzzling to me that I didn’t hear about him sooner, it’s becoming a common sentiment. For whatever reason(s) the last three years in the United States have incubated a number of artists spread throughout various semi-urban to urban pockets. As if we were all entreprenuerial winemakers stocking our cellars for the eventual launch of our vineyards, it would seem the end of 2011 was an excellent vintage. More complex than a trend the Wave seems to move in intervals that never cease, but at times reach an absolutely monstrous swell. Count Chavis amongst those who are contributing to that absolute monstrous part. If you were going to do one of those word clouds to describe this record you’d need lots of “beast mode” pixels, lots of “cool flow” pixels, and even some “oh damn dude can sing” pixels. Chavis is a well-rounded artist on his way to being a game-changing rapper.
Chavis records himself. I can’t remember if I’ve talked about it on the Bloglin at all, but I feel like the auto-tracking rapper is quickly becoming the most avant of the new age of rappers. As the whole world is changing, so too is rap and music at large. Whereas recording and releasing a record used to be the province of many hands, it has slowly distilled down to the work of small teams commonly made up of no more than 3 or 4 people at its core. Moving much more like cigarettes than massive tankers, the boat that rappers are in has become more nimble. But the boat rappers are in has also become more intimate. The difference between recording yourself, or being recorded by others is the one difference that can make or break you in this Ocean right now. For those who record themselves, there is a flourishing that cannot be head otherwise.
Just think about it, we’re stepping out of an era where artifice and posturing were the most important elements of rap. Most rappers weren’t really concerned with the craft, or the fact that they were making art. So, it would fall perfectly in line that they wouldn’t record themselves. Why bother recording yourself when you can hire someone else to do it? Thomas Kinkade anyone? The alternative that is emerging is for rappers to record themselves so that they can be more intimate with themselves, with their art, and thus with the audience as well. The result of Chavis’ music is clear: he is a very determined and focused dude, he has a good ear for sound, and he has style for days. Because he records himself we get to hear Chavis not only rapping, but also capturing himself rapping. It is a paradoxical thing, and one that harkens quite clearly back to DJ Herc.
The profound thing that Herc did was split time open, and he did it with the help of two turntables, and two copies of the same record. Through this odd, and seemingly innocuous combination of materials Herc was able to perform magic and literally break time open. With these special tools Herc then manipulated the flow of time back and forth between two points in space, and what came out was what we now call beats. For Chavis, and the emerging leagues of auto-tracking rappers it’s the same story: they’ve found a way to break time open, and take control of the flow of time. By recording himself, Chavis is not only rapping into broken open time, but also operating the hatch and regulating the flow. Again, maybe it’s one of these mall distinctions, but it’s a huge difference. And one that will probably not come to the fore for quite some time, but Chavis is an excellent place to start to undertand this more. And Breath of Fresh Air 2 is a pretty dope way to go about it.
