Driicky Graham – “Snapbacks & Tattoos” (Oxford, NC)
This is a pretty awesome advanced Luger beat with that little descending Transformer sound popping off and unfolding into something almost funky but then they had to soil it by putting someone named Driicky With Two I’s who raps like his name is Driicky With Two I’s on it. “Driicky Graham” is like a bad Drake alias as penned by an SNL staff writer for a skit about the Grammy Awards. And check out this backronym: [D]ope [R]apper [I]npsired [I]nto [C]reating [K]rafty [Y]outhfulness. Yo skinny people! Stop it! (Driicky was born in Newark and according to his Facebook bio, he is the little kid in the Lords Of The Underground “Tic Toc” video. Rap is old.)
Added: WZHT Montgomery AL (33); WFXA Augusta, GA (17); WEUP Huntsville, AL (11) +11

Soufside – “Hello” (Columbus, MS)
O hai, Soufside.
KZTS Little Rock, AR (15); KVSP Oklahoma City, OK (14); WJZD Blioxi, MS (12) +5

Fred The Godson – “Monique’s Room” (Bronx, NY)
This is a song that Fred The Godson wrote for the other side of the mirror. I’m not clear on if it’s a formal response to “Marvin’s Room” ala the Roxanne wars (I’m waiting for Honey Cocaine to drop a “Marvin’s Sister”) but yeah Fred The Godson, the guy who looks like a breathing Bug Out Bob really thinks he’s Drake all of the sudden. Also he accuses someone else of being irrelevant. And the saddest/strangest thing is that he’s actually pretty good at being Drake. Like this is not a bad song at all. It’s kind of based actually. Best youtube comment: “looks like u got the gut? and head of an elephant too lol”
WWPR New York, NY (10); WJKS Wilmington, DE (7), WDKX Rochester, NY (0)

Mike Jones – “Leanin On Dat Butter” (Houston, TX)
If you ever wanted to hear Mike Jones say “SWAG” now is your chance. It’s actually nice to know that his original formula of skulking around on really eerie beats is still pretty damn effective. This legitimately bangs.
KBTT Shreveport, LA (12)

Mr. Real Estate – “Columbiana” (?, LA)
A truly great rap name if ever there was one, a truly generic trap rapper if ever there was one. Not a bad one though. Plies-lite raps, T-Pain-lite hook. He sells coke though. And the beat knocks. In a great (if probably accidental) feat of SEO pimping, Mr. Real Estate has managed to slip a press release into the news feeds of countless Real Estate spam websites.
KBTT Shreveport, LA (7)

Cheeta – “Pocket Full Of That”
Oh good, 2 Chainz is influencing people. Beat is kind of insane in the way it deflates into Travis Porter claps. Props to Cheeta for taking a promo shot with an actual cheetah.
Added: KBTT Shreveport, LA (15); WJTT Chattanooga (8); WRBJ Jackson, MS (7)

Boobe – “Don’t Text Me” (Washington, DC)
Very excited to Boobe of the Oy Boyz getting some kind of play somewhere in the South. The guy is a triple veteran of DC trap rap and that’s exactly what this song about not wanting to get texts is. From Boobe’s under-publicized Gangsta Grillz, Boobe Trap.
Added: WEUP Hunstville, AL (8); KBTT Shreveport, LA (6)

V.I.C. – “Twerk It” (Atlanta, GA)
V.I.C. is back and he brought some claps.
WPEG Charlotte, NC (11)

LEP Bogus Boys f/ Freddie Gibbs & Dion Primo – “Kush & Leather” (Chicago, IL)
Another real rap record from real rap dudes. (I’ve always said that LEP is just the Chicago equivalent to the Oy Boyz, except with better management.) There is a Rick Ross remix, so that might be what’s pushing it over but even so this is some classical country rap and it’d be nice to hear it on the radio.
WFXA Augusta, GA (14); KJMM Tulsa, OK (12); WCGI Chicago, IL (7) +2

Stuey Rock – “Leanin” (Atlanta, GA)
Another one of those rap songs from Atlanta that sounds like a rap song from Atlanta.
WHTA Atlanta, GA (12); WJWZ Montgomery, AL (12); WEUP Huntsville, AL (9)

BJ Cash – “Hangtime” (Columbia, SC)
Have you ever thrown a white person at a stripper? It’s just like dunking a basketball.
WHXT Columbia, SC (15)

Youngest 1′s – “Babu”
This is the most blatant abuse of rap portmanteaus since that song above about Columbian Louisiana. Babu, for those who haven’t figured it out from the hook, slyly combines “Baby” and “Boo,” two words that mean the exact same thing, into a new word that means absolutely nothing.
WCCG Fayetteville, NC (18); WJUC Toledo, OH (15); WFXA Augusta, GA (14) +8

PBZ – “Bubblicious” (Memphis, TN)
Remember “Laffy Taffy”? This is basically the same idea except with a different sticky candy. Innovation.
WEUP Huntsville, LA (7)

Scotty Boi f/ French Montana & Rick Ross – “Lawyer Fees”
If Gunplay and the Triple Cs are the second string of MMG, then apparently there is an even lower class occupied by guys named Scotty Boi and, like, Trina’s son. Probably. This sounds like all of the other Maybach Music songs except that the rappers on it are saying the word “lawyer” a lot.
KBTT Shreveport, LA (14)

Twista – “Gucci, Louie, Prada” (Chicago, IL)
This is like the Chicago answer to that dumb “DOKE COPE CRANK SMURF” song from last year. Except with an explicit (unconscious?) Kreayshawn influence. But hey it is good that Twista is still getting on the radio somewhere. Better him than Busta Rhymes. There is also a Tyga remix but I will spare you all.
WGCI Chicago, IL (10)

Big Heavy AKA Doughboy – “Get Up And Go” (Stone Mountain, GA)
Is DJ Khaled a genre?
WJMI Jackson, MS (9); KBBT Shreveport, LA (0) + 2 More

Mykko Montana f/ Kcamp – “Do It” (Atlanta, GA)
Chamillionairic swag rap. Okay okay.
WHXT Columbia, SC (21); WHTA Atlanta, GA (13); KBTT Shreveport, LA (13)

Young Tone f/ Self Paid – “No Cuffin” (Atlanta, GA)
Swaglanta. I don’t know. I’m done.
WLZN Macon, GA (1)

DJ Diamond Kuts – Live On Power 99 04/07/2012
(Pt 1, Pt 2, Pt 3, Pt 4)

In my review of the new Nicki Minaj album I made an aside about how “Stupid Hoe” producer and Philadelphia DJ Diamond Kuts does a good job of connecting the dots of urban music anxiety in her mixshows. Since I know that nobody on the internet has the patience for appointment listening, I decided to rip her Power 99 set from last night and post it illegally here on the rap blog I used to run.

Diamond Kuts is quickly becoming one of my favorite DJs in the country, particularly in terms of taste and defining an aesthetic, which – as we’ve discussed previously – is the true mark of a great DJ. Over the course of 4+ hours she makes a strong case for Meek Mill and Nicki Minaj and Travis Porter and Beyonce and Bmore Club and New Orleans Bounce and Dancehall and Jerk Music and New Jack Swing all existing on the same direct timeline and proves so tasteful that I wasn’t even mad when she dropped LMFAO. It made sense sonically and semi-slept on recent classics like “Wobble” and “Look Back At Me” definitely help to compensate for such missteps.

Here is some crucial, if simple, DJing advice she gives in this all too short Urban Daily interview:

Do your research. Just study music. Don’t be biased. Play all types of music. There [are] so many different genres [of music out here] you don’t want to get stuck just playing Hip-Hop or just Reggae or just R&B. Just play everything, be real diverse. Just do your history and learn about the music that you’re playing and do your history on the crowd that you’re playing for.

Today is a day! It might even be the day. The greatest day in all of hip hop, even. The one in which XXL Magazine and Diet Mountain Dew announce their esteemed annual Freshman cover, highlighting some of the best and brightest rising rap talents. Their selection is as diverse as its ever been this year, too, featuring wide variety of rappers from the ones who are presently signed to Interscope to those who are about to announce their signing to Interscope.

Make no mistake, the XXL Freshmen isn’t about forecasting, or even recommendations. It’s about creating an argument and using that argument to remind us that XXL does still exist. Yes, this post only helps to perpetuate that cycle but whatever, it’s also a good excuse to analyze the careers of a few buzzed about rappers. And several “buzzed about” rappers. Hit the jump for the report cards.

Future
Bio: A walking can of Axe Body Spray.
Hometown:Atlanta, GA
Label: Epic
Past Year’s Parallel: Gorilla Zoe
# of Twitter followers: 117,735
Highest Charting Single: “Tony Montana” (#22 R&B/Hip Hop)
Skills: 6/10 Having trained under the esteemed Dungeon Family crest, Future can actually rap pretty well when he wants to, but that’s besides the point because he’s on some other other shit and is rarely interested in rapping well. Or at all – he’s said that rapping will comprise just 25% of his forthcoming Pluto. The rest will be autotuned spit gurgles. (This whole “skills” category is seeming a irrelevant at this point. Half of the artists on this list are basically mutant R&B singers who rap on the side and the rest are hyper technical showboats who “can rap” but do so in the most hollow sense.)
Creativity: 8/10 Autouned spit gurgles are fucking awesome!
Marketability: 8/10 Autotuned spit gurgles are fucking catchy!
Sustainability: 4/10 Autotuned spit gurgles get boring quickly!

Kid Ink
Bio: All of the worst traits of Tyga and Roscoe Dash combined, and then folded into Chris Brown’s body.
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Label: None? Though I’m going to assume he’s just secretly signed – in LA they pass record contracts to parents while their children are still in the womb.
Past Year’s Parallel: Donnis
# of Twitter followers: 139,228
Highest Charting Single: N/A
Skills: 5/10 When not singing aimlessly, he’s a half decent rapper in that sort of limbless post-Drake style.
Creativity: 1/10 Dude is a creative flatline. There isn’t a single original idea present in his catalog. He probably needs someone else to pick menu items for him at Denny’s.
Marketability: 6/10 Being completely unremarkable can be an asset in today’s complex music marketplace. He’s a blank canvas for the right cosigns and the kewlest sneakers.
Sustainability: 2/10 Best case scenario: he will sell 80k first week out and then everyone on earth will immediately forget he exists.

Danny Brown
Bio: A haircut that you may have read about on a blog.
Hometown: Detroit, MI
Label: Fool’s Gold
Past Year’s Parallel: Lil B
# of Twitter followers: 23,422
Highest Charting Single: N/A
Skills: 7/10 Danny knows how to rap.
Creativity: 9/10 First rapper to make a song about stealing copper.
Marketability: 3/10 Dude is far too sonically abrasive to crossover and probably smart enough to not try. Hipsters like him, but that audience tends to maintain a pretty low investment level when it comes to rappers. (It’s pretty telling that the bald guy’s video album review of XXX has twice as many Youtube hits as any actual Danny Brown music video.)
Sustainability: 7/10 Danny makes smart and emotive album oriented projects. While this is not necessarily the best method for gaining fans it’s a pretty surefire way to make sure the ones you already have are going to stick around.

Machine Gun Kelly
Bio: Like Yelawolf, but with none of the nuance or taste.
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
Label: Bad Boy(lol)/Interscope
Past Year’s Parallel: Yelawolf
# of Twitter followers: 274,968
Highest Charting Single: “Wild Boy” f/ Waka Flocka Flame (#98 Hot 100; #54 R&B/Hip Hop)
Skills: 4/10 I mean, I guess he can rap…
Creativity: 2/10 He seems like the type of guy who could swiftly create a meth lab, though he hasn’t yet figured out how to translate those talents to music.
Marketability: 8/10 He is white.
Sustainability: 7/10 He will still be white tomorrow.

French Montana
Bio: Max B’s Second Life avatar.
Hometown: New York, NY
Label: Bad Boy/Interscope
Past Year’s Parallel: Wiz Khalifa? Idk.
# of Twitter followers: 241,981
Highest Charting Single: “Shot Caller” (#124 Hot 100; #39 R&B/Hip Hop)
Skills: 3/10 French is a pretty sloppy rapper, if self consciously so.
Creativity: 7/10 He possesses a natural hook writing ability and an impeccable ear for beats.
Marketability: 7/10 His inherent goofiness will probably prevent him from breaking out as a national solo star but he could easily become the dominant hook singer of the moment ala T-Pain or Nate Dogg if he keeps knocking out cameos like “Stay Schemin” and “Everything That Glitters.”
Sustainability: 6/10 If that doesn’t work out he can forever live out his days on Koch, earning charity spins off The Funk Flex Red Cafe Mixhour.

Don Trip
Bio: The only traditional street rapper on this list. Or maybe the planet.
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Label: Interscope/Epidemic
Past Year’s Parallel: Meek Mill
# of Twitter followers: 51,047
Highest Charting Single: “Letter To My Son” (#98 R&B/Hip Hop)
Skills: 7/10 Neck and neck with Danny Brown as the best pure rapper on this list.
Creativity: 7/10 Don doesn’t flaunt it, but he’s an incredibly creative rapper with a knack for smart, subtle storytelling.
Marketability: 4/10 For all his talents, there doesn’t seem to be much of a lane in popular music for a rapper like Don Trip at the moment. He’s an old guard anomaly and he sticks out like the good kind of sore thumb in this list full of half retards and white retards. It seems unlikely he that would’ve even made the cut if it weren’t for the Interscope connection.
Sustainability: 7/10 Whatever happens nationally, dude should be golden forever in Memphis.

Iggy Azalea
Bio: A tall jar of Vegemite.
Hometown: A kangaroo’s pouch, Australia
Label: Interscope
Past Year’s Parallel: Prior to Iggy, XXL had never featured a female or an internationally born rapper on a Freshmen list. She is Jackie Robinson.
# of Twitter followers: 44,567
Highest Charting Single: N/A
Skills: 4/10 I mean, I guess she can rap but her delivery is forced and rehearsed to the point of being grating. It’s like skinny elbows flailing. It’s a solid rhythmic performance, she’s obviously studied better rappers and mimicked them to some success but she does it so mechanically that it’s hard to listen to. She’s like one of those kids who spends months learning specific Twista verses on Youtube. In fact I bet you could trace many of her flows directly to other existing rap verses, the weird Kendrick tribute above being the most obvious example. In short, she lacks soul. Because she is white.
Creativity: 1/10 At best she’s a biter, at worst she’s a puppet.
Marketability: 7/10 She is white. And pretty. But there’s a certain runway model coldness to her persona that might be off-putting to a mainstream audience. Her posture frightens me.
Sustainability: 5/10 White girls don’t usually age well.

Macklemore
Bio: A young white male.
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Label: Macklemore (!?)
Past Year’s Parallel: Mac Miller
# of Twitter followers: 44,178
Highest Charting Single: N/A
Skills: 6/10 There’s not a lot of heavy lifting going on in his raps but he’s less likely to pull a muscle that way.
Creativity: 6/10 He’s an idea driven rapper, that’s for sure. Think Slug from Atmosphere (the second most influential white rapper of all time), if he rapped about societal issues instead of sad girls. But with the exact same intensity. Every Youtube of his I watched was cloying serious, tracks about the dangers of syrup abuse, the plight of sneaker capitalism, Irish pride, his hometown rap scene. It’s nice that he has ideas and messages but it’d be nicer if he wasn’t quite so blunt with them. Ultimately though this sort of muted, statement oriented blue collar rap is obviously preferable to MGK’s energy drink music but it’s not for me, you or either of XXL’s regular readers. (I don’t know what the fuck this is but I’m just going to pretend I didn’t click on it.)
Marketability: 6/10 He is white but he is also very serious. That could work to his advantage if he goes full Kid Rock and starts making soundtracks for commercials that prominently feature billowing American flags. Or it could just turn party minded young people off completely.
Sustainability: 9/10 He is white and he is very serious. Whatever YTs he does manage to win over will follow him to his grave.

Hopsin
Bio: Like Tyler, The Creator, but with none of the nuance or taste. And with an added try-hard Tech N9ne edge on his flow.
Hometown: Los Angeles, LA
Label: Funk Volume
Past Year’s Parallel: Cory Gunz
# of Twitter followers: 74,133
Highest Charting Single: N/A
Skills: 6/10 I mean, I guess he can rap…
Creativity: 4/10 Much of Hopsin’s recent success is tied to him positioning himself as a rival and formal alternative to Odd Future. (In fact, I almost feel like his inclusion here is at least partially a response to Tyler turning down last year’s cover.) This is how twisted the rap underground has become – there is now a market for alternatives to the alternative rappers. Anyway, both acts are heavily indebted to Eminem’s style, in terms of both cadence and humor, but they diverge pretty drastically from there. Where OF loosened the flows up and added a layer of absurdism to his referential humor to reflect the Lil B/Adult Swim generation. Hopsin just tightens everything Em did and turns the jokes (which, let’s be real, were never that funny to begin with) self serious. His shit is really grating and over-perfomative in a drama club sense too. If you’re gonna borrow at least do it with a smile and some swag.
Marketability: 3/10 I don’t see his audience extending much further than Juggalos and that handful of kids who think they’re too cool to sit at the Odd Future table but are still interested in cutting themselves.
Sustainability: 8/10 The Juggalos are a loyal people.

Roscoe Dash
Bio: A singing mohawk with a chain wallet.
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Label: Interscope (hmm…)
Past Year’s Parallel: YG
# of Twitter followers: 206,931
Highest Charting Single: “No Hands” w/ Waka Flocka & Wale (#13 Hot 100 / #2 R&B/Hip Hop)
Skills: 7/10 I’ve written about this before but Roscoe absolutely does not get enough credit for his rapping ability. He can effortlessly snap out of his whiney sing song into a very tight double time flow. And, most importantly, he does it in a fluid and engaging manner that a lot of these Hospins and Iggys have almost zero grasp on. He rounds the edges off fast rap. That’s why he’s on the radio and they are inside of the Youtube.
Creativity: 4/10 Ehh… he’s got a nice style but his songs tend not to be about anything at all.
Marketability: 9/10 The go-to XXL safety choice. Between “All The Way Turnt Up” and the dominant “No Hands,” Roscoe is going on his third year as an established hit maker.
Sustainability: 7/10 He’s lasted this long, right?

Metro Zu – “Sell Ma Hoe“

from MINK RUG (Mixtape, 2012)

Metro Zu is a Miami crew that is loosely affiliated with SpaceGhostPurrp, or at least have a song with him. They are hyper-productive, their videos look like this and their songs sound different from other rap songs and they sample the Animal Collectors all of which inevitably adds up to them being the rappers that all of the weird just discovered rap through Clams Casino avant bloggers get really excited about in the near future. Which is perfectly fine. The Zu certainly wouldn’t be their worst choice. Mink Rug has some very high points, the highest of which is “Sell Ma Hoe.” It owes a lot to Lil B, which is to be expected at this point with young fringy experimental underground rappers, but the thing that separates it from most other young fringy experimental underground rap is how hook driven it is. Yes it’s wonderful being yourself and hilarious and weird and spontaneous and lo-fi but none of that has any value if you aren’t actually writing songs that are likable. B’s success was as much about his hook writing ability as it was his personality. “Sell Ma Hoe” is simple enough but it sticks to the inside of your brain, with its “second things first” nonsense and the sheer amount of conviction that’s put into the performance. You can imagine the kid pulling his arms into his chest as he croons, like some sort of demented preacher/pimp hybrid. (Prod. by Mr. B the Poshtronaut)

Torch f/ Meek Mill, Wale, Gunplay, Stalley & Young Breed – “Slow Down“

from UFO 2 (Coming Soon)

There should be a law in hip hop in which any and every rapper, regardless of house or creed, is required to jump on some old Ultimate Breaks And Beats shit once a year. It should be like tithing or a operational exam. Here all of MMG – minus the Bawse who could only phone in some ad-libs from WingStop – hits EPMD’s “Rampage” (or by extension Lowell Fulson’s “Tramp“) running. I can’t tell who of Triple C’s is rapping where in this lineup, because all of these guys went from sounding like Jeezy to sounding like Chubb Rock for this very special occasion, but they all come off. Meek is in his close-to-Peedi mode, which is always welcome while Wale probably has the weakest verse here, which is ironic considering he’s the only one of these guys corny enough to kick the words “one time for hip hop” in 2012. Show us, don’t tell us, Wale.

Rich Kidz f/ Waka Flocka – “My Life“
from Everybody Eat Bread (Mixtape, 2012)

Happy rap music! This is a straight up joyous song and video. Waka in the booth, cheesing with a loaded pistol talking about “I’m killing ‘em in Oregon!” It’s not completely discernible but I’m pretty sure that Skool Boy ends his opening verse with “Finally I’m not a teen!” which, if that is what he is saying, adds an extra dimension to the theme. Basically it’s a no mom I’m all grown up I can do what I want song. (Prod. by London On Da Track)

Alley Boy – “Intro“

Alley Boy – “Cops On The Block“

from Nigganati (Mixtape, 2012)

I haven’t seen anybody talk about this, because nobody talks about anything really anymore, but it was a pleasant surprise to hear Atlanta’s hardhead-in-residence Alley Boy open his latest tape with Kathleen Cleaver and Malcolm X vocal samples and then go into a winded (if not the most refined or articulate) political diatribe about conspiratorial discrimination and reading the Panthers on the intro. Not to go all hooray for political rap, it’s better than all of the other rap liberal on you guys (and I know Jeezy did it first) but yeah as someone who learned a lot as a kid from seeking names like these out in libraries at the behest of KRS and Wise Intelligent, I do love the possibility, however slight, of some little would-be goon being inspired to do the same thing today. When was the last time a significant so-called “conscious rapper” has even invoked the Panthers? Mos Def is out there rapping about his pants and yodeling or whatever the hell it is that he does. Alley’s “Cops On The Block” isn’t quite as focused in its rebellion or message but it is on that blind fuck the police tip and what it lacks in articulation it makes up for with sheer aggression. Waka to the remix please. (Prod. by Lil Neal, Bei Maejor)

Lil B – “Pussy On My Face (Based Freestyle)“

One of the (many) reasons that Lil B’s catalog has proved so divisive is that so much of it isn’t exactly meant to be consumed like more traditionally lyrically lyrical rap. He’s as concerned with creating a landscape of sound and an overarching vibe as he is with just offering words that say something. (This approach isn’t unique to B, obviously. Quite a few rappers take it instinctively and they too are typically dismissed as insufficiently lyrical or idiots by virgins who listen to Canibus.) This is something that he’d expressed explicitly – in the “Basedworld 1989” video notes – “let Lil Bs Voice Become one with the beat for you.” And if you consume it with that in mind, it becomes a lot easier to look past his obvious flaws as a rapper. So much of his work from his early Youtube period just *sounds* so fascinating as a pile up of timbres. And to a point, too. The best of it blew out the then current trap rap sensibility, burying it in shards of layer vocal tracks and overblown ad-libs. His biggest hits were just tripped out kaleidoscopic takes on the OJ The Juiceman aesthetic. I think that sort of expansion is what has been missing from a lot of his recent output. He more or less returned to just being a rapper who raps in a relatively straightforward manner. Which is cool, he’s definitely made some great songs with this approach – “Banga Luv” and “Februrarys Confessions” being the most recent examples – but the other stuff is just so much more immersive.

Released a few weeks ago (and then quickly deleted) “Pussy On My Face” isn’t just B’s long awaited return to the Based Freestyle methodology, it’s also the first song in some time where he seems to be consciously warping current rap trends into something more psychedelic, bending the autotune choke approach that has been all the rage in the Atlanta back around and on top of itself. It basically sounds like four Future songs playing simultaneously. Which might not be your thing, especially if you’re not a fan of a standalone Future song. Or of using music as a substitute for/complement to hallucinogenic drugs. But it’s fucking my thing so I’m going to post it here and then listen to it a thousand times in a row until my cabbage turns to cole slaw and my pupils drip lemon juice. Based God! (Prod. by The Cheff)

Young Thug – “Haiti Slang“

from I Came From Nothing 2 (Mixtape, 2012)

Then again, maybe B’s take isn’t that far left of where Atlanta’s actual post-swag mutant auto tune movement is standing at the moment. The oh so originally named Young Thug‘s “Haiti Slang” is also deeply indebted to the Future sound and every bit as wasted as “Pussy,” but with none of the pretense. It’s rap music to drown by peacefully. It’s the type of record you can wear like a coffin. It’s another analogy that I’m unable to think of at the moment because I’m too engrossed in this damn song. Plus it brings back that old izzle pizzle gibberish rap. I guess the era of Snoop and Snoop-inspired abuse is finally far enough behind us that it no longer seems tizzacky. (See also: Jose Guapo & Travis Porter’s recent “Guaponese“)

Philthy Rich f/ DB Tha General & Lil Mikey – “Fonk”

Philthy Rich f/ 2 Chainz – “True Religion Shawty“

from True Religion Shawty (Mixtape, 2012)

Like anyone else who isn’t David Drake or a 17 year old weed dealer from Modesto, I lack the attention span to keep up with the day-to-day thousand release sprawl of the Livewire camp. But then I hear songs like these and I feel guilty about that. “Fonk” in particular jams, with its bounced out mobb music revivalist beat and DB DBing all over it. Of course it would be nice if the track didn’t end so abruptly, but maybe we will see an unmixed version one day. Probably not.

Juvenile – “Mardi Gras“

Okay, look. It’s Juvenile doing a Rick Ross impersonation about six months too late and that is a little sad. But at the same time Juve managed to do a slightly better Rick Ross than Rick Ross usually does. Surely that counts for something? (via DGB)

Riff Raff & Action Bronson – “Bird On A Wire” (Vimeo, 2012)

I don’t even know what to make of this or where to begin. This is what it sounds like when doves cry. I do like how Action Bronson drags his fake Ghostface flow into a fake Drake flow. And also the part when Riff Raff combs his hair so hard that it eventually looks like Skrillex hair. Anyway, Harry Fraud is an immense talent, if you hadn’t noticed.

Schoolboy Q – “NiggaHs.Already.Know.Davers.Flow“

from Habits & Contradictions (Top Dawg, 2012)
The 2012 “Cre-A-Tine.”^[1] But for all the endless knowing that’s going on here the real highlights come when he breaks the pattern to declare I said I’m Quincy, bitch! It’s hard to sound menacing when your name is Quincy but Q sells it. (Prod. by Nez & Rio)

Young Moe f/ Fat Trel – “Tired Of Being Broke“

from Humble Hustle (Mixtape, 2012)
Heist records are basically the best kind of rap records and heist records are even better when they’re tag team heist records. So DC’s Young Moe and Fat Trel hit all the marks with “Tired Of Being Broke,” alternating duties on the first two verses and then going back and forth inna Nas and AZ style on the third. Also you have to kinda love Trel admonishing Jo, don’t smoke no cigarettes that movie shit’s so obvious. Dude is concerned with bucking cliches during a crime spree. And that instinct is also why he’s a better rapper than anyone else in his age bracket. (Prod. by Mr. Tretirus)

Yo Gotti – “Killa“

from Live From The Kitchen (RCA, 2012)
Though Gotti’s perpetually delayed Live From The Kitchen dropped with a pretty resounding thud it actually is a pretty solid effort. A lot of that has to do with Gotti’s raspy trap rasping of course, but I think more so it’s related to how much wiggle room his producers manage to find within the Lex Luger trap rap template. On “Killa” Shawty Redd (who, you know, is about a thousand times more talented than Lex Luger and has been working in roughly the same sonic space since Lex was in middle school) finds the middle ground between Luger land and Clam Casino jams while still eclipsing the redundancy that both of those dudes are prone to. I love how the hiccuped ether vocals gradually reveal a full hook as the track progresses. Gotti’s really showing his range here too, lapping around different pacing and flows and painting a fucking picture in the process – cut off the mic / cut off the lights / drop the drapes / make sure they white / stop the beat / take a break / bring in the snares [tat tat tat tat tat] / then drop the bass. It’s admittedly pretty lazy to compare dude to Jeezy at this point but they do share a tremendous talent for saying a whole lot with very few words.

Chief Keef – “Bang“
from Bang (Mixtape, 2011)
All it takes is one Worldstar video to push a conversation once limited to Chicago bus lines into the deep end of the rap blogosphere. “Bang” deserves attention though, even if Keef himself leaves much to be desired. He’s reasonably charismatic and has a strong adlib presence^[2] but dude is a pretty sloppy rapper and to no specific end. (It was only logical, then, that Lil B would jump on the remix.) I suspect that at least some of his success has to do with local politics of realness that will never make sense to us old people not from chicago. That, and the beat. This is another one for the Advancement of Lex Luger movement, except producer DJ Kenn expands the formula by contracting it. Because it’s basically just an endless loop of what would be a Luger intro, all build up and no drop. Listeners can draw off the energy within that fake build. In then sense it works a little like a “No Mo Play In Ga” for the modern goon.

Gucci Mane f/ 2 Chainz – “Get It Back“

I don’t know what’s gotten into Gucci as of late but I hope it never gets out of him. I mean he is back to spitting in his “Photoshoot” double time on here. And he’s doing it on top of what sounds like a Pimp C remix of the Tetris theme^[3]. Tity Boi is still Tity Boi. Gucci’s Trapback drops Super Bowl Sunday. This won’t be on it, I don’t think. (Produced by Mike Will)

Future – “Deeper Than The Ocean“

from Astronaut Status (Mixtape, 2012)
Sad Future is sad. (Prod. by Will-A-Fool)

St. Joe Louis f/ Tom Chase, Al Kayduh & Elete Wright – “Kinda Strange“

This is some decidedly post-ASAP Rocky underground rap shit but particularly well executed. Regional bias in full effect, I’m feeling pretty good about the little axis of talent forming around the North Jersey Brick Bandits/Jersey Klan axis as of late but not good enough to actually figure which rapper is rapping which verse on this song but the last dude especially kills it with the follow strict standards / solid gold Brick Bandits / Garden State n***a / home wherever my kicks is planted dismount. (Prod. by DJ Tim Dolla)

Lil B – “Banga Luv”

from Gold House (Mixtape, 2012)
I wrote about this a little already on Tumblr last night but it’s outstanding enough to warrant another mention. B quite calmly splatters some quintessentially Based game – N**gas think I’m a bitch but the earth beside me – over a mellow antibanger in the DJ Fresh column. It’s a very necessary counterpoint to all of the joyless anger and general sloppiness that bogs down the rest of the tape.

Starlito – “Believe It Or Not“

from For My Foes (Mixtape, 2012)
Starlito goes in over Frank Ocean’s “We All Try,” which would be suspect as fuck if he was any other rapper. But Lito is on the very short list of rappers dynamic enough to actually make something happen on top of a popular ass beat in these days of everyone lazily jacking beats for blog looks.^[4] The thing about Lito is he fucking gets it – the difference between biting and influence, the difference between creativity and just creating. He even spells it out on the track’s closing bars. You should listen to what he has to say if you are a rapper and you should watch the the For My Foes musical if you are a person who breathes or uses hand soap.

Tumblin’ Essentials:
BJ The Chicago Kid f/ Kendrick Lamar – “His Pain”
Nicki Minaj – “Stupid Hoe”
Raekwon f/ CL Smooth & Sauce Money – “Silk”

_{[1] I also hear traces of that Breeze flow in French Montana’s “Off The Boat” verse. This can only mean that now is the time for Cool Cutta to finally make his comeback.
[2] Yes that’s a thing that I just made up but will continue to use.
[3] Which, as I just now learned, is titled “Korobeiniki.”
[4] The others: Fat Trel, Meek Mill and absolutely no one else.}

Damn things are getting real with the net as ever before. If you haven’t yet noticed Megaupload, the greatest and least ad-ridden file hosting site has been seized by the powers that be. This is a big problem and not just for Swizz Beatz’z's barber. You see, Megaup was the principle host for the many mix tapes and compilations that I’ve posted on this site over the years. So I’ve taken to reupping everything in the very loosely dubbed CB Mix Series on Mediafire, which hopefully will not be crushed by a government that desperately wants to control what it doesn’t understand in the near future. It might be wise to grab these while you can. Hit the jump for a dozen tapes of Bounce, Based, Bass, Cranks and much more.

Bounce For Relief Vol. 1 (2005)
Bounce For Relief Vol. 2 (2010)
The first and last of the CB mixes, released as a show of support in the wake of Katrina and in an attempt to shed some much deserved light upon the then completely overlooked (now heavily documented) scene of New Orleans bounce music.

Lil B – Based Blunts Vol. 1 (2009)
A very small selection of the thousand or so songs that Lil B was pushing via Myspace during his productive Based Freestyle period. (This is the only artist sanctioned mix in the series.)

A-Town Rap & Bass ’85-’92 (2009)
A double length look at the Pre-LaFace/Dungeon/Jermaine Dupri days of ATLien hip hop.

The Guidelines: A West Coast Indie Rap Compilation ’94-’00 (2009)
A look at the West Coast indie rap boom of the mid to late ’90s – Hieroglyphics, Living Legends, Project Blowed, etc., etc.

Angelic Wars: The Goodie Mob B-Sides, Cameos & Remixes (2009)
Just what the title says, a gang of non-album Goodie cuts.

The Best Of The Blunts Vol. 1 (2008)
Fifth anniversary compilation that I think offers a pretty through cross-section of the type of music I was covering in the early years of the site. High gravity LMAO at this comment: I can only pray that I am not still running this blog in 2013.

$64 Cologne: The Pimp C Productions (2008)
A non-comprehensive survey of Pimp C’s deep underground production discography.

Scarface Ultimate 90 (2008)
Entry level Scarface playlist that I made For Vibe and then bootlegged for you.

Z-Ro’s Finest (2008)
Entry level Z-Ro playlist that I made for you and then bootlegged for you. J. Prince can’t see me, I’m the invisible man.

Crank Dat Trendwatch Vols. 1 & 2 (2007)
A very important and nearly complete document of the Crank Dat Spinoff mania that hit the internet in the wake of Soulja Boy.

The World Takes: The Best Of Trenton Rap, ’86-’91 (2007)
Classic rapps from my home of Central New Jersey – Poor Righteous Teachers, YZ, Tony D and more.

1. Waka Flocka Flame f/ Kebo Gotti – “Grove St. Party” (Prod. by Lex Luger)
2. Waka Flocka Flame f/ Gucci Mane, Wooh Da Kid, Slim Dunkin & Frenchie – “2 Deep” (Prod. by Mike Will)
3. French Montana f/ Waka Flocka – “Choppa Down” (Prod. by Billionaire Boyscout)
4. Waka Flocka Flame f/ Slim Dunkin & Wooh Da Kid – “Bickin Back, Bein Bool” (Jaye Neutron)
5. Waka Flocka & Slim Dunkin – “Twin Towers 2 Intro” (DJ Burn One)
6. Waka Flocka Flame – “Stereo Type” (Prince)
7. Gucci Mane f/ Birdman – “Mouth Full Of Gold” (Drumma Boy)
8. Waka Flocka Flame – “Round of Applause” (Lex Luger)
9. Waka Flocka & Slim Dunkin – “Koolin It” (Lex Luger)
10. Gucci Mane & Future – “Stevie Wonder” (Drumma Boy)
11. Waka Flocka Flame – “Rap Game Stressful” (Zaytoven)
12. Plies f/ Gucci Mane – “PD” (Zaytoven)
13. Ludacris f/ Waka Flocka – “Rich & Flexin” (FKi)
14. Gucci Mane – “Gucci Tarintino” (Mike Will)
15. Treal Lee & Prince Rick f/ Waka Flocka, Slim Dunkin, Ace Hood & Translee – “Thowed Off (Remix)” (Mr. Hanky)
16. Gucci Mane & Waka Flocka Flame – “So Many Things” (Fatboi)
17. Wooh Da Kid – “I Prefer” (Southside)
18. Gucci Mane & Waka Flocka Flame f/ Ice Burgandy – “I Don’t See U” (Southside)
19. Frenchie f/ G-Baby – “Stacks On Stacks” (Unknown)
20. OJ Da Juiceman – “H20” (Justice League)
21. Waka Flocka Flame – “Clap” (DJ Speedy)
22. Frenchie f/ Slim Dunkin – “Scream My Adlibs” (Southside)
23. YG Hootie & A-Wax – “Aliens” (Unknown)
24. Waka Flocka & French Montana f/ Prodigy – “We Mobb” (Havoc)
25. Wooh Da Kid f/ YG Hootie & Ice Burgandy – “Ain’t” (Unknown)
26. Bo Deal f/ Mello G Bianca – “Safe Sex” (Unknown)
27. French Montana f/ Waka Flocka Flame – “Move That Cane” (Southside)
28. Gucci Mane f/ Waka Flocka & OJ Da Juiceman – “What I Do” (Drumma Boy)
29. Waka Flocka Flame f/ Kebo Gotti & Bo Deal – “Robot Rapper” (Southside)
30. Slim Dunkin f/ Wooh Da Kid, D-Bo & Capp – “Fight Night” (Sonny Digital)
31. Waka Flocka Flame f/ P Smurf & Mouse – “Brick Squad Monopoly (Southside)
32. Slim Dunkin – “Blindside (Southside)
33. OJ Da Juiceman – “Where You Been?” (Lex Luger)
34. Waka Flocka Flame f/ Wooh Da Kid, Frenchie, YG Hootie, P Smurf & Bo Deal – “Everything Brick Squad” (Lex Luger)
35. Ice Burgandy f/ Waka Flocka & French Montana – “Love Me Hate Me” (Unknown)
36. Gucci Mane & V-Nasty f/ Slim Dunkin – “Push Ups” (Zaytoven)
37. Slim Dunkin & D-Bo – “Death Around The Corner” (Unknown)
38. Wooh Da Kid – “Feeling Good” (Southside)
39. Waka Flocka Flame – “Lil Debbie” (Unknown)
40. Frenchie – “So Gone” (Unknown)
41. Wooh Da Kid f/ Frenchie – “Follow Me” (Unknown)
42. Blair Maxberry – “What If I Die Tomorrow?” (Unknown)
43. Gucci Mane f/ Waka Flocka & 8 Ball – “Pancakes” (Drumma Boy)
44. Joe Moses – “How We Do It” (Montell Jordan)
45. Waka Flocka Flame f/ Fetti Gang, YG Hootie & P Smurf – “Turnt Up N***az” (Unknown)
46. Yung Joey – “Ayo” (Unknown)
47. Gucci Mane f/ 50 Cent – “Recently” (Drumma Boy)
48. Slim Dunkin & D-Bo f/ Waka Flocka – “Nik After Nik” (Southside)
49. Ice Burgandy – “Wake The Game Up” (Purps)
50. Paperboy f/ Waka Flocka, Boss Kane & Playmaker – “Pump Fake” (Unknown)

It’s the end of the year again and at the end of the year we make lists. So here is a list of rap songs that either mattered or should have mattered in 2011.

It was a confusing year for rap. Where last year saw a minor renaissance for underground rap movements across subgenres this year saw many of those movements commodified by industry, blinded by hype, flooded by posers or simply frozen in the face of expectations. None of this slowed the pace of production either, making for a whole lot of rap that was just good enough but almost never great. And even if you did manage to keep up with it all, it still was hard to hear the music underneath the din of all of the conversations about the music. At least half of those were about Tyler, The Creator of the rap group Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All who, for a brief moment at least, justified the whole mess with one hell of a mission statement in the form of a song (and a popular music video that you can watch at home on your computer.)

Keeping up with mainstream rap in 2011 was a slightly easier task, if only because nearly every rap song to hit national radio was exactly the same as the last one. Either it was Drakey or it was Lugery. This wasn’t a conscious choice, but it occurs to me that the two real world hits in the top three just so happen to be among the only significant real world hits that managed to sidestep that binary. Watch The Throne may have been a goddamn mess but at least Kanye and Jay managed to do what no one else has in a few years – create a single strong enough to cut through hip hop demographics and appeal to basically everyone within the culture. As much as I love to pick apart their every misstep, they are occasional geniuses and “Nunderscores In Paris” is one of those occasions. (I’m not quite ready to make the same concession for the bizarre and unholy alliance of Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes & Diplo but they too managed to make a pretty amazing record against all logical odds.)

Beyond that top 3, everything feels fragmented here. 50 songs is no longer enough to offer anything close to an adequate wide frame survey of modern hip hop and the gaps here are pretty glaringly obvious. But whatever, hopefully you enjoy listening to the songs that I did include. Every year I spend entirely too much time explaining its methodology and preemptively defending my choices. If you’re still looking at this site chances are you already know how the game goes, you know my biases. If you are just joining us, I suggest you read through past entries to get a feel for how things work. In short: all omissions come from a deep-seated place of personal hatred, all inclusions were purchased by the artist’s label with Louis bags full of drug money and deadstock No Limit CDs in their original ugly rubber cases. Take it to the comments if you’ve got a problem with that. Unless, of course, your solution involves you putting the word “real” in front of the words “hip hop.” In that case please take it somewhere else.

1. Jay-Z & Kanye West – “N_____s In Paris” (Def Jam)
2. Tyler, The Creator – “Yonkers” (XL)
3. Chris Brown f/ Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes – “Look At Me Now” (Jive)
4. Meek Mill – “House Party” (MMG/Warner)
5. Kendrick Lamar – “Rigamortis” (Top Dawg Ent.)
6. Danny Brown – “30” (Fools Gold)
7. Juicy J – “Who Da Neighbors” (Mixtape)
8. E-40 – “My Little Grimey N***a” (Sick Wid It)
9. Waka Flocka Flame – “Bickin Back, Bein Bool” (Mixtape)
10. Mr. Muthafuckin’ Exquire – “Huzzah” (Youtube)
11. Lil Wayne f/ Rick Ross – “John” (Cash Money/Universal)
12. Wiz Khalifa – “Big Screen” (Mixtape)
13. Treal Lee & Prince Rick f/ Waka Flocka, etc. – “Throwed Off (Fuck Everybody) (Remix)” (Collipark)
14. 151 Feva Gang – “Kush Groove” (Youtube)
15. Mellowhype – “64” (OFWGKTA)
16. Webbie f/ Lil Phat – “What’s Happenin” (Trill/Asylum)
17. Lil B – “Motivation” (Mixtape)
18. Cousin Fik – “Water In the Bo” (Sick Wid It)
19. TKO Capone – “Louis Gucci” (Youtube)
20. Gunplay f/ Waka Flocka – “Rollin” (Mixtape)
21. Young L – “Loud Pockets” (Mixtape)
22. G-Side f/ SLASH - ”Came Up” (Slow Motion Soundz)
23. Big Sean f/ Nicki Minaj – “Ass (Remix)” (GOOD/Def Jam)
24. 2 Chainz – “Spend It” (Duffle Bag Boyz)
25. Tony Yayo f/ Lil B – “Based” (Youtube)
26. DJ Quik – “Ghetto Rendezvous” (Mad Science)
27. ASAP Rocky – “Peso” (Youtube)
28. Rocko f/ Plies – “Goin Steady (Remix)” (Atlantic)
29. Short Kidd f/ Chetta Da Kid – “Vulcha” (Youtube)
30. Pete Rock, Smif N Wessun f/ Freeway – “Roses” (Duck Down)
31. Fat Trel f/ Young Moe – “Bitchez Started Klokkin” (Mixtape)
32. French Montana f/ Waka Flocka Flame – “Choppa Down” (Mixtape)
33. Pusha T f/ 50 Cent & Pharrell – “Raid” (GOOD)
34. Trouble – “Bussin” (Duct Tape)
35. Wale – “Bait” (MMG/Warner)
36. Roc Marciano – “My Persona” (Fat Beats)
37. YC f/ Future – “Racks” (Universal)
38. Bo Deal f/ Mello G Bianca – “Safe Sex” (Mixtape)
39. Future – “Magic” (Mixtape)
40. Stalley – “Pound” (Mixtape)
41. Pac Div – “Anti-Freeze” (Universal)
42. Don Trip & Starlito – “4th Song” (Mixtape)
43. Big Krit 8Ball, MJG & 2 Chainz – “Money On The Floor” (Def Jam)
44. Riff Raff – “Larry Bird” (Youtube)
45. Mouse On Tha Track – “Swagger Fresh Freddie”
46. Zeroh – “I Was Sad” (Tumblr)
47. B.O.B. f/ Lil Wayne – “Strange Clouds” (Atlantic)
48. Boldy James – “I Sold Dope All My Life” (Youtube)
49. Tyga f/ Pharrell, Snoop & The Game – “Really Raw” (Mixtape)
50. Kreayshawn – “Gucci Gucci” (Columbia)

Best rap: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008; 2009; 2010.

Recent Adds is the series where we check terrestrial radio charts to see what independent records have been added to the playlists recently. The idea is that it will help shine some light on semi-significant or at least payola’d out songs that slip below the blogosphere. Mostly it just results in me making fun of rap names until I overdose on Lex Luger synth sweeps. It’s been almost a year since the last installment so there’s a lot to talk about. Some of it’s actually good. Most of it features Yo Gotti.

Rocko – “Goin Steady” (Atlanta, GA)
It’s hard to take Rocko seriously, what with his Real Househusband of Atlanta status and all, but then he goes and makes very viable – if unmemorable – radio records like this and last year’s “Maybe” and you’re like “oh, okay, I guess that guy exists for a reason.”
Added: WHTA Atlanta, GA (64); WJWZ Montgomery, AL (52)

Young T – “Let Me Check My Fresh” (Dallas, TX)
Dallas’ stronghold on Southern rap radio has weakened in favor of Lex-Lite tracks which is a shame because theirs is an infinitely more adaptable sound. This is Travie/Roscoe rap through a D-Town lens. Which is actually a kaleidoscope effect, presuming the old boogie stuff had some influence on those guys.
Added: KBTT Shreveport, LA (7); KRRQ Lafayette, LA (7)

Young Ghost f/ Yo Gotti – “He Ain’t Got It” (Chicago, IL)
Over the past year it’s been consistently shocking how frequently Yo Gotti’s name pops up in this column. He’s a good rapper, don’t get me wrong, but his profile still seems much lower than his actual presence. But this turtle crawl rise to semi-prominence makes for an interesting case study in hip hop marketing. It’s a simple model – where many rappers rush to spread their music to as many ears as possible, guys like Gotti aim smaller (Waka is another example of a guy who does the same, though obviously he has more of an above ground push going on). For years he’s been jumping on records with tons of local rappers of moderate esteem and then let it make a small ripple locally. When he’s in DC, for example, he’ll record with a street credible dude like Garvey The Chosen One. He’s taking the slow rise of, say, a Bun B instead of risking a quick burnout. This is how underground legends are made. And it’s starting to pay off, with random Gotti cameos getting minor play all over the country. Though this track with its Fex Fuger moves in particular might not be the best example because it didn’t actually get any spins. But Young Ghost’s people are probably psyched to have Gotti’s name on the cover of their tape and that will go a long way. While the rest of you bums are begging bloggers to
Gotti is out there networking with his peers.
Added: WRPB Youngtown, OH (0)

T-Man – “Touch Me” (St. Louis, MO)
Grown and sexy stuff that I cannot abide by. At first I thought this was going to be an product personification track about ladies shoes ala “187 Proof” and “Drink The Pain Away” but then dude gave up on the concept about two bars in.
Added: WHHL St Louis; WEUP Huntsville, AL (25); KIPR Little Rock, AR (22) +2 More

Trina f/ T-Pain – “Ghetto” (Miami, FL)
It’s good to know that Miami radio still supports Trina and its even better to know that she’s back to spitting hard raps and off whatever diva aspirations she had with her last album. But this is a pretty forgettable record and unlikely to catch on beyond hometown charity. T-Pains sudden evolution from major pop entity to sort of washed up guy who loans his voice to sort of washed up rappers for singles has been unexpected. But it’s kinda cool, like he’s reached a level where he made a ton of money and is just gonna record songs with the rappers he likes. Or maybe I’m giving him too much credit and Slip N Slide had to dip deep into their Rick Ross money to pay for this track. (Assuming Trina is even on Slip N Slide anymore.)
Added: WEDR Miami (12)

Fred Marshall – “It’s Friday” (Atlanta, GA)
I was hoping this would be a Rebecca Black cash-in rap. It’s not. Nor is it notably fun fun fun.
Added: KNDA Corpus Christi, TX (22); WEMX Baton Rouge (10) + 1 More

Lil Kee f/ Dorrough & Juicy J – “Buss It Wide Open (Remix)” (Tampa, FL)
This is like the midpoint between Nelly and Mannie yet it doesn’t quite feel right. Maybe modern radio rap isn’t supposed to be this happy when not produced by Flo-Rida or the Black Eyed Peas? This is still a more productive career move for Juice than just jumping on whatever blog bait he’s been cutting lately.
Added: WEDR Miami (32); WJZE Toledo (25) + 20 More

Josh X-An-Tus f/ Ghostface Killah – “I Don’t Care” (Queens, NY)
Not a full on rap record, per se, but the fact that a song that prominently features Ghostface (two verses!) and sampled Primo-styled drums is getting some burn nationally is a cause for celebration. X-An-Tus is a Juliard-trained pianist and his last name sounds like that of a Power Rangers villain. There are also regional targeted remixes featuring Nipsey Hussle and Ace Hood which might be what’s boosting its spins, sadly. (It’s always sad when Ace Hood’s music is played anywhere.)
Added: WFXA Augusta, GA (19); WZFX Fayetteville, NC (17) + 25 More

Mims (Notgonnagoogleit, NY)
Remember Mims? He’s back and Lex Lugered. This was produced by the real Lex, who needs to stop devaluing his brand by selling beats to Mims and Mimstypes.
Added; WCCG Fayetteville, NC (14)

Tity Boi f/ Yo Gotti – “Boo” (Atlanta, GA)
Mo Gotti. I should probably be paying more attention to Tity Boi but I still can’t get over the name.
Added: WHRK Memphis, TN (64); WJWZ Montgomery, AL (32)

Mo Pain f/ Yo Gotti – “Meet Me In The Tunnel” (??)
The frustrating thing about the Twitter era is that it makes it tough to find even basic biographical details about artists. A few years ago I could’ve easily hit an artist like Mo Pain’s Myspace and found out his hometown and life story by way of a poorly edited and formatted press bio. Now he just lists his twitter location as (you guessed it) “TUNNEL.” So I don’t know where he’s from. But he’s got a great rap name and a serviceable enough lead single, all “Gridin’” water drops and d-boy boasts. Your Boi Yo Gotti makes his third appearance here. Jeezy’s on the remix too.

Gena – “My Dip In Da Club” (East St. Louis, IL)
Finally, an East St. Louis rapper of moderate national acclaim. This is surprisingly and annoyingly infectious.
Added: KNDA Corpus Christi, TX (75); WPEG Charlotte, NC (25) + 17 More

Yo Gotti – “We Can Get It On” (Memphis, TN)
Noticing a pattern yet? This is an unforgivably soft record.
Added: WHRK Memphis, TN (58); KNDA Corpus Christi, TX (27) +7 More

SJ Boyz f/ Jamm Boyz – “501′s”
Another track of indeterminate origins. I presume this is from somewhere in Louisiana given the sound and fashion sensibilities. Probably Baton Rouge. It knocks. Mouse/Trill inspired stuff, complete with Triggerman interpolations.
Added: KBTT Shreveport, LA

Scripture f/ DJ Bay Bay – “Big Knots” (Shreveport, LA)
Mark my words: Fake Lex Luger beats is going to be a genre that old white people and foreigners get into in ten or fifteen years. They’re gonna fly a just freed Big Meech over to the Jazz Cafe to sign autographs.
Added: WEMX Baton Rouge, LA (1)

T-Scott – Wanna B’s (Little Rock, AR)
I don’t even know what to say about these songs anymore. Project Pat’s supposed to be on a remix.
Added: KIPR LIttle Rock, AR (21); WRBJ Jackson, MS (11)

(Recent Adds update: An entire year and just seventeen Wizards victories later and “Do The John Wall” has been picked up by Universal and is still getting minor burn in such major markets as Wilmington, DE and Toledo, OH. Meanwhile Suga Shizz, the Kentucky based creator of the dance >was murdered last fall.)

If you haven’t yet noticed, most of my day-to-day hulkshare coverage has been taking place over at Tumblin’ Erb. Still sometimes things get backlogged and that’s when the old New Rap Music column rears its head. Which is what is happening now, right before your eyes.

E-40 f/ Beeda Weeda & Work of the DB’z – “In The Morning”

from Revenue Retreivin’ (Sick Wid It, 3/29)

Trying to pick a single track to feature out of the 40 that 40 is about to drop next Tuesday is like trying to choose your favorite member of the Dungeon Family (it’s not necessarily Andre goddammit). Minus a few very minor missteps the second round of Revenues is two and a half solid hours of impeccable spittums and blink and you miss it imagery Ooooh sinister mob shit / choppers all in the closet / hydrogen lamps in the attic / warm broccoli spinach and cabbage / vacuum sealer on the counter / right next to the money counter / that’s right next to the scale / for weighing nuts and fruits not yayo / that’s my excuse if they take me to jail. I went with “In The Morning” for that open, in part, (Beeda and Work hold their own here too) but also that. Goddamn. Beat. There’s one song on Overtime Shift (which, on first listen, is feeling like the superior sibling) that opens with an approximation of the THX deep note test sound. Not the most original conceit – Dre did it (and was later sued) – but it seems like an apt metaphor for 40′s production selections right now. Every song has me feeling like the goddamn Maxell man. Wig blown completely back. This ties into what I was saying about Pharoahe Monch a few weeks ago – with age the most technically effortless rappers have the curse of becoming predictable in their unpredictability. The best way to combat this staleness is by continuing to expand the production palette. As out as 40′s beats get he’s still miles ahead, but new sonics bring out the best in him.

Freestyle Fellowship – “Welcome“

I had perhaps unfairly written off the impending Freestyle Fellowship reunion project too early. The LA quartet is comprised of some of the greatest breathing raw talents that rap has ever produced but they also have a chronic streak of underachievement. Much of their recent solo output has been a far cry from their heyday and this is their third reunion in about twelve years, where the two previous ones haven’t quite delivered and they aren’t getting any younger. The few crew tracks that have leaked thus far have been passable but frustratingly conservative and far from awe inspiring. But over the past few days Jupiter has been leaking very lo-fi rips of their recent recordings (96kbps is the new Maxell hiss – though weirdly the files I downloaded were actually ripped at like 400+ kbps?) via his Soundcloud page and it turns out these guys are still outstanding rappers when they want to be and, more importantly, masters of setting an atmosphere. “Welcome,” with its upright bass and endearingly rambling styles upon styles raps, recalls the mystical shamanic vibe of their very underrated late ’90s Shockadoom sessions. The crew fell apart before that album was ever completed. Hopefully they can keep it together this time around.

Mellowhype f/ Casey Veggies – “Less“

from Tumblr (Internet, 2011)
Once major concern about the sudden ascension of Odd Future is that it might prove to stifle their creativity. The theory is that an early buzz period has the tendency to leave young artists in a state of arrested development. They might feel like they’ve already “made it” when their sound and swag is still in its early developmental stages. But to worry of such things is to ignore the rapid improvement that Hodgy has been showing in recent months – as a studio rapper, as a performer, as a personality. The difference between his appearance at the first New York show and Hodgy a few weeks ago in Philly is immense. From wallflower to riot starter in a matter of months. (Though admittedly there’s still plenty of room for improvement in terms of actual on stage rapping from the entire crew, as anybody watching the recent SXSW clips with a critical eye has noticed. Hopefully that will come with time.) On here, as well as this random track they’ve been performing, he’s really toying with fast flows in was he hasn’t in the past. When I talked to Hodgy for the Billboard piece one of the few things he mentioned (when he wasn’t in a deep internet gaze or getting intimate with the fan made Odd Future bong that was bestowed upon him earlier in the night) was that he’s a big Yelawolf fan. This can only be seen as a positive influence. Casey offers a nice laid back counterpoint to Hodgy’s chops and I’m loving the Hawaiian shirt vibes of Left Brain’s beat (actually those flutes are feeling a little Freestyle Fellowshipish in their own right. Like many Odd Future songs this one has absolutely nothing to do with rape, homophobia or satanism.

Shady Blaze – “Dreamin’‘”

Green Ova’s Shady Blaze rapped his ass off on the recent Shady Bambino Project but it was buried in a purposeful fog. This is common of the Main Attrakionz camp – their fuzzy and underwater production sensibility is fascinating, but so strong that it sometimes draws away from the acts of rapping. So it’s nice to hear Blaze do a little something different here and in a context where his rhymes – a firm balance of poverty and pride – are placed in the forefront. (produced by Ryan Hemsworth)

Snoop Dogg f/ Pilot – “Gangbang Rookie“
A simple future-summertime knock from Jake One. This slaps so peacefully that it deserves a rapper with a pulse. For now Snoop will do. And, for what it’s worth, Pilot is certainly no Lil Malik.

The Jacka & Freeway ft. Fed-X – “So Many Animals“

Jacka and Freeway’s bicoastal collaboration album is shaping up to be one of the more interesting records of the year. Jack is gonna be Jack, he has his style and audience and is comfortable but his linking with Free might prove to be a good look for Philadelphia’s most recognizable bearded man. Free has always been a skillful rapper but seems to have gotten stuck in a rut of one dimensional hyper focus in recent years. Maybe the Jacka project is what he needs to pull him out of it. “Animals” features Jack’s Mob Figaz partner Fed-X and is some very distinctive production all parties involved, crunchy IDM drums and new age synth washes and it works well enough. As Lil B once said of some Nicki Minaj record, it makes me feel like I’m ice skating.

K Gates f/ Lil B – “Rare Greatness“

from Walking On Hellfire (Mixtape, Coming Soon)

And speaking of the Based God, after recording a couple thousand songs with virtually no guest appearances or cameos he continues his string of completely random collabs here. For “Rare Greateness” he links with very underrated New Orleans rapper K Gates and gets pretty badly outshined, particularly in the presence department. Gates just has a much better natural rap voice. Still B’s been very vocal about his New Orleans love as of late and it’s nice to see that being reciprocated. Produced by Curren$y collaborator Monsta Beatz, the track a nicely mellow horn driven affair although it does reflect a slightly disturbing trend of New Orleans talents getting sucked into the Curren$y/Blu Roc/Ski Beatz/Jets assembly line because that’s the only way blogs are going to pay attention to them. This is what Gates used to sound like. See also: Fiend’s recent transformation from fight music to smoker’s lounge sounds.

Pusha T f/ 50 Cent – “Rain“

from Fear Of God (Mixtape, 2011)

The defining factor of the Clipse/Re-Up hot streak – two near perfect albums and two classic mixtapes – was how insular their vision was. From out the gate they nailed this mournful future apocalyptic drug dealer aesthetic and stuck to it. On the rare occasions they had guests from outside the camp – Jermaine Dupri, The Lox, Slim Thugga – they pulled them into the world of the Clipse, not the other way around. When they rapped over other people’s beats they were relatively obscure ones, clearly hand picked to cater to their style (See: Nas‘ “You Know My Style,” Show & AG‘s “Next Level,” and even the big/only WGIFC 3 standout – Jim Jones’ “Emotionless“) Doing this – creating your own tiny universe – should be the highest aspiration for any artist. This is why Pusha’s recent turn as Kanye’s Louie bag boy has been so frustrating. It pulls him down to the level of just a rapper, not a member the esteemed Clipse. Suddenly he’s doing trap/yacht rap with Rick Ross or rhyming over “Speakers Going Hammer” Some might call this branching out but I call it caving in. Who knows though, maybe that’s what needs to happen in order for him to sell records. I doubt it.

There might even be a simpler explanation for his relative malaise – maybe he just needs The Neptunes. The Clipse (or half the Clipse) without the Neptunes is always going to feel like a Guru solo album (RIP GURU THO BUT YOU KNOW IT’S TRUE). On first listen this single Tunes banger is the only thing on Fear Of God has me feeling anything more than a nebulous “it’s aight” kanyeshrug response. And in todays over-saturated market “aight” is a more damning analysis than, say, “fuck this shit!” and certainly a low point for a guy who was once one of rap’s most moving artists. Anyway Fif sounds good as hell here too and it’s very exciting to hear him pulled into the aforementioned Clipseverse. One of the many perks of his fall from commercial grace is that it puts him on a level where he can do small records like this, non-hits with talented rappers for the fuck of it. And Pharrell does something close to an Ab Liva impression on the hook which is just weird.