RSSYuuuuuuugggh
Fuck it. I’ve listened to this four times in a row. It deserves its own post. The beat is absolutely groundbreaking in its complex simplicity. Can you comprehend the level of difficulty in that drum pattern? This is exactly the kind of weirdness that we should demand of producers in a post-”Milli” world.
Soulja’s attempt at double time rapping is sort of amateurish but also really admirable. He’s challenging himself. The thing about rapping that’s rarely acknowledged is that anyone can improve with practice. The problem is that most famous rappers are too self absorbed to do just that. Maybe all the ridicule that SB’s recieved in recent years has left such a chip on his shoulder that he might actually let himself grow into a good to great emcee one day.
68 Comments, Comment or Ping
walkmasterflex
between this and that rich boy track i’m so excited about the post-”milli” rap landscape
Jan 19th, 2009
noz
See I’m not all that into “Drop,” it sounds a little too derivative.
Jan 19th, 2009
walkmasterflex
i mean, it’s basically a milli rehash, but the drums are pretty nice on it
Jan 19th, 2009
duncan
umm haha? right?
Jan 19th, 2009
Fosterakahunter
he might actually let himself grow into a good to great emcee one day.
Are you really out of your f”*king mind? I’m pretty sure this kid has no aspirations at becoming a good or great emcee, or even knows what that entails. You’re whylin, fam. I effs with the blog, though.
Jan 19th, 2009
Mookie
Hey can we link up? http://defthought.blogspot.com/
Jan 19th, 2009
CC0oC
I´ve never understood the Soulja Boy-hate. I mean, the kid is actually funny, the “Crank That”-song WAS jammin´, and this shit was hot. If you think all hiphop should sound like Ghostface in 1994, well, tough luck.
BTW I NEEEEED THIS BEEEEAT!
Jan 19th, 2009
jordan s
this sounds like grime to me and i say that as a compliment. imo soulja has the most distinct production sound in the south next to drumma boy, and i think if he plays his cards right he might be able to string along an anti-ron browz career as a huge pop star -> reliable, singular rap producer, which would be funny because he’s gonna go down as maybe the biggest one hit wonder of the decade once those lists start to be made up.
budding soulja fans should check out this track he did w/ gucci that was on soulja’s mixtape this summer and eventually his (good, highly inconsistent) album.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4tRd3KSqkA&eurl=http://somanyshrimp.com/2008/11/soulja-boy-gucci-mane.html
Jan 19th, 2009
Jez
“Can you comprehend the level of difficulty in that drum pattern? This is exactly the kind of weirdness that we should demand of producers in a post-”Milli” world.”
I like this blog and everything but WTF!? Are you on crack? “Difficulty”? “weirdness”? “Milli” was good shit and this track is ok, and SB actually does a kinda nice job on the mic but the beat is everything but “groundbreaking in its complex simplicity”. That’s just crazy.
Well I’m gonna listen to this a few more times, see if I can detect the complexity.
Jan 19th, 2009
quan
That beat bangs. I mean, Soulja Boy can still eat a d*** but hey, that beat is nuts.
Jan 19th, 2009
nick_sweep
ho-lee shit.
first pharell makes a dubstep song and now soulja boy makes a grime track!!!????
who made this beat then?
Jan 19th, 2009
hotbox
I’m hoping that Noz is being sarcstic here.
Jan 19th, 2009
Yayo
This beat is sorta like grime, but not all the way. That is what makes it next level. Soulja Boi incorporates some of that UK mentality with the “Po! Po!”s n shit, but he doin his thang.
Haters, step yo hategame up yo!
Jan 19th, 2009
Im from the uk
Sounded more like some week attempt at a grime remix of love lockdown, with some piss poor rapping over the top. I struggle to believe you are being serious; if you want music in this vein but actually good then you could do worse than listen to some real uk stuff.
Jan 19th, 2009
noz
“you could do worse than listen to some real uk stuff.”
Yes but then I would have to hear real uk accents as they stumble over outdated hip hop signifiers like “pelle pelle” or whatever.
I’m not sure why you guys think I would joke about this. Is it really that much of a stretch to suggest that any rapper could one day be good if he actually tries to be?
I assume Soulja produced this himself.
Jan 19th, 2009
ANU
beat is great
grime drums are much more steely
Jan 19th, 2009
MAYNHOLUP!
Z-Ro > Soulja Boy
dis song here boring if anything. u muss be chiefin on sum laced reggie miller Noz mayn.
Jan 19th, 2009
slizzard
wait, someone explain to me how “milli” changed the landscape of rap
Jan 19th, 2009
beez
Beat is ridiculous. Especially the 808 “woodblock” bit. Allways like to hear people fucking with their drum machines properly.
Jan 19th, 2009
ANU
“wait, someone explain to me how “milli” changed the landscape of rap”
It had a lot f success, so it will influence a lot of people
Jan 19th, 2009
Dan Love
I thought exactly the same thing as ‘Im From The UK’: this sounds like a very cheap grime rip off. Have a look here if you’re interested.
Skepta freestyle:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uxPF9Vl3zwM
Wiley freestyle:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FKzc385G5wU&feature=channel
Jan 19th, 2009
noz
“Z-Ro > Soulja Boy”
Well obviously.
Jan 19th, 2009
Métal Hurlant
VERY much like grime. An obvious comparison would be “i luv u” which is just as challenging though admittedly it doesn’t change its pace and structure like this does. http://youtube.com/watch?v=tntRTRkp2GY
Jan 19th, 2009
Tray
I don’t see what’s that great about the beat, saying that a drum pattern has a high degree of difficulty is like saying “oh my god, do you realize how obscure that sample is.” Yeah, I appreciate it was hard work for the producer, but that fact doesn’t necessarily make the beat any better for the listener. He has the foundation of a great beat here, but I’d like a little bit of melody, bassline, something. Other than that, though, sure, I could see Soulja Boy becoming a good rapper. He was great on Shopping Spree, pretty good on Gucci Bandana, respectable enough on Bird Walk.
Jan 19th, 2009
STEVE
I like this beat but I think you could get the same results with a bootleg version of fruity loops and a couple hours of time to kill.
Jan 19th, 2009
Malcolm
“VERY much like grime. An obvious comparison would be “i luv u” which is just as challenging though admittedly it doesn’t change its pace and structure like this does. http://youtube.com/watch?v=tntRTRkp2GY”
Yeah, I agree. The soulja boys beat is hot but hardly “absolutely groundbreaking”. Sounds like a high-end dubstep or grime riddim.
Jan 19th, 2009
ketan
> See I’m not all that into “Drop,” it sounds a little too derivative.
Yeah, that’s what i was saying when i first heard it.
> Yuuuuuuugggh
Yeeeee-ikes
This is pretty genius and I approve this message. I mean, my cousins who wouldn’t know Rakim from Ron Artest LOVE this guy and he’s breaking his new album with THIS?! Who cares if it’s similar to grime, or if it’s not THAT amazing a beat (although it is to me…it builds perfectly), or if he’s not that great a rapper? This adds weirdness to the most mainstream of hip hop in a way that the Neptunes and Timbo used to do, before they got boring as bologna (ps. i’m not feeling the beat on Yes at all). The fact that he’s doing this after apparently being the biggest douchebag in rap in ‘08 is extra nice. I mean, what better way to shut people up than to drop this?!
Having said that, I have my doubts that the mainstream will love this.
–
Dan Love – the first run of that Skepta freestyle is MENTAL…he’s really with it. what else should i check by him?
“you might as well have bought shisha” !!
Jan 19th, 2009
ANU
“I like this beat but I think you could get the same results with a bootleg version of fruity loops and a couple hours of time to kill.”
skills vs creativity
where do you guys hear similar drums in grime ?
Jan 19th, 2009
ketan
^^ the comment on Skepta should’ve read “he’s really Project Blowed with it.
Jan 19th, 2009
walkmasterflex
“where do you guys hear similar drums in grime ?”
i think it’s the general sparseness of the track, and the electronic, buzzy sound of the bass kick; it does sound similar to some of the stuff off the first dizzee rascal album
Jan 19th, 2009
Tray
“This is pretty genius and I approve this message. I mean, my cousins who wouldn’t know Rakim from Ron Artest LOVE this guy and he’s breaking his new album with THIS?!”
He’s not. It’s just a freestyle. His latest album dropped a few weeks ago and the first single, while somewhat challenging (to the point where it got absolutely no play), was nothing like this.
Jan 19th, 2009
ketan
oh. i guess i’m not good at keeping up with dude.
at least he’s using it for promotional purposes for the new album.
Jan 19th, 2009
MAYNHOLUP!
i know you know dat Z-ro is better den Soulja Boy Noz, but until you rep Ro to some degree on dis site outside de comments, i aint gonna stop keepin Rother on de pulse mayn cuz dude is a beast.
Z-Ro > Young Dro
Z-Ro > Killer Mike (I love Killer Kill as much as anyone too)
Z-Ro > The Coup
Z-Ro > Lil Wayne
Z-Ro > Kanye.
Jan 19th, 2009
nick_sweep
>first pharell makes a dubstep song and now soulja boy makes a grime track!!!????
btw, i didn’t mean this as a bad thing. i think it’s actually pretty awesome.
*waits for the instrumental to surface*
Jan 19th, 2009
petter417
shit is raw
Jan 19th, 2009
david
i dont know….sounds liek some miami bass to me….nothing new here
Jan 19th, 2009
jordan s
when i said it was grime i was talking mostly about the sparseness of the track and the stuttering qualities of the beat and not necessarily the sound of the drums but the pattern. that said it doesn’t not sound like soulja boy.
Jan 19th, 2009
Jez
ok, this is mad. It must have been a while since you guy heard some good beat programming if this blow you minds. And you must have slept on grime if you think THIS is what it sounds like. This track is simple and clean, yes. It is not hard to make and it’s not groundbreaking. Milli wasnt groundbreaking either but at least that was a great track. And it had Wayne on it. Don’t get me wrong, i think this joint is alright but take it easy.
Jan 19th, 2009
deej
“Yeah, I agree. The soulja boys beat is hot but hardly “absolutely groundbreaking”. Sounds like a high-end dubstep or grime riddim.”
man the only thing more annoying than kneejerk uk music or soulja boy hate is faux-jaded superiority about dubstep producers being way more ‘groundbreaking’ or whatever. i call bullshit
Jan 19th, 2009
no
I think yall are tripping. Soulja boy= internet blabber multipication.
Crank dat was and is good. There’s a difference between wack and overexposed. If this or if Crank dat were some no name random rap dude people would give him props. He got lucky. Fuck it I’m trying to be lucky too..
It ain’t groundbreaking but dude has obviously shown some potential, some hustle, show a youngin some love..
Jan 19th, 2009
Thaddeus Clark
This reminds of me of some early Too Short – a drum machine and raps…in a good way…
Jan 19th, 2009
SukedowN
“I wouldn’t dare punch in mixed company. Jesus.”
I think if Bun B saw this, he might tear up a little.
Jan 19th, 2009
Jay (d)eff Kay
Sheeit. This is actually pretty nice. Soulja Boy trying harder is the last thing i expected. So props to him. I can see people killing this beat.
I’m not super familiar with grime so my really lazy connection is the new wave of hyphy/bay area production. They seem to being doing lots with empty space and off kilter beats.
Jan 19th, 2009
Jim
I like it. Anybody got it on MP3 so I can take it with me?
Jan 19th, 2009
mark p.
I was definitely a major SB hater last year, but this ain’t bad. “Grime” was the first thing I thought of too, but it’s only because some of the drum sounds are similar to the ones you hear in, like, half of the grime songs ever made, but it doesn’t have the garage influence and moves completely different rhythmically. His flow is alright, too. Still nothing special, but I’d listen to this before Shawty Lo.
Jan 19th, 2009
duncan
i kinda dig this now. just needed multiple listens.
mp3 via youtube: http://www.zshare.net/audio/54192348ef27ff8a/
Jan 19th, 2009
jay1
whoever thinks soulja boy wrote that is insane. also, i hate the fact that i like that beat.
Jan 19th, 2009
MAYNHOLUP!
real talk can SOMEONE explain why de Nah Right comments be more complicated den dis drum pattern (sarcasm, but really those posts make no sense whatsoever mayn)
Jan 20th, 2009
Tray
Because the Nah Right commenters all know each other and speak their own mysterious language. It’s not worth trying to figure out though.
Jan 20th, 2009
MZA
I’ve been bumping s-beezy since Crank Dat became a myspace phenomenon.. he’s been steadily improving ever since he dropped that Teen of the South mixtape with DJ Scream last year, and his latest album, iSouljaboytellem, is honestly one of my favorites of ‘08. I’ve always defended the kid because I thought he may have potential, but wasn’t really sure of it myself. This just proves he’s continuing to go in the right direction, and by the next year, he maybe one of the best up and comers in the mainstream.
Jan 20th, 2009
titchyschneider@gmail.com
really into this song. reminds me of old grime like ‘pull up that forward’ but kinda via crunk/the south. great beat. id like to see more producers doing stuff like this post-a milli rather than just copying a milli.
Jan 20th, 2009
cooper
2003 called and it wants its grime back. seriously, you’re digging too hard.
Jan 20th, 2009
Abs
the beat sounds like a typical grime instrumental from 2003 or something!
You won’t really hear a lot of grime with a beat like this anymore, it’s become to overproduced these days, there’s still bassy heavy tunes getting made but they aren’t as abstract or interesting as the old ones.
Check grime artists like Durrty Goodz, Ghetto, Trim, Kano, Dizzee Rascal etc..
http://www.myspace.com/officialdurrtygoodz
Jan 20th, 2009
ketan
on some neville-rondsadt shit, i don’t know much (about 03 grime), but i know (this reminds me of some 2000 phuturistix garage shit). or even current dupstep.grime stuff (although that’s much better). not in a technical way…just the same spirit of creativity.
Jan 20th, 2009
Tray
Jim Jones has hopped onto Noz’s favorite song, raps into eight different autotune machines:
http://www.zshare.net/audio/54427633fade9c73/
Jan 21st, 2009
DEMO
…wrong post before
SB is the underdog right now, even in all of his grandiose Rich Nigga Shit. I couldn’t help but cringe at all of the criticism he received from the Hip Hop Gatekeepers. What would Bambataa do? I couldn’t even imagine (and I don’t think they could either) what it is like to be born in the 1990.
Jan 21st, 2009
Newaged
Lets remember the kid is 18. Bun B, he is not, but I’d like to see where this goes. And say what you want, but he def kept MY attention.
Jan 21st, 2009
j
im sorry but i totally cant buy this. the bass drum is pretty hot, but the other sounds are totally weak samples. plus soldier boy has totally weak hooks and flows. gimme a break. maybe if someone who was a decent rapper was on the beat i could get into it.
Jan 21st, 2009
slizzard
nah I didn’t mean “how did that happen” I mean “what are those changes” [the ones it had on the landscape]
Jan 22nd, 2009
ketan
> maybe if someone who was a decent rapper was on the beat i could get into it.
maybe if decent rappers weren’t so lazy/clueless about selecting their beats, soulja boy wouldn’t seem so dope.
Jan 22nd, 2009
noz
Just for the record, this doesn’t sound like any grime I have ever heard.
Jan 22nd, 2009
dave
The beat is absolutely terrible and embarassing, Is this shit for real?
Sounds like it was made on fruity loops buy a 5 year old.
Jan 23rd, 2009
BLAO
I also just listened four times. I think SB is doing it right here. Doesn’t sound like grime? If I was Lady Sovereign I would love to get my hands on this beat. SB is certainly small-time, but I agree there is no reason he can’t improve.
Jan 25th, 2009
Magnus
This post is the goddamn truth. At least this guy is trying, while other mainstream rappers like KW and lil wayne just lay back and suck more and more, this dude is actually going the right direction.
I don’t like his music, but damn do I respect him now.
Jan 28th, 2009
Jason
Black Milk’s “Give the drummer sum” is a great beat in it’s complexity and simpleness, this beat is s-h-i-t!
Jan 29th, 2009
the truth aka MixmasterB
how is this groundbreaking? it is a basic beat that everyone else usually does to “try” to be different. maybe if i heard the instrumental without SB’s non-rappin ass on it, than i can have somewhat of a better listen. I do not see how this is groundbreaking, unless yall do not get out much or just listen to pop music
Mar 27th, 2009
Therm
Umm, all the dudes saying that this beat has noises that you never hear: That’s an 808 kit. There’s some kinda saturation distortion on the bassy kick, and some reverb on the rest of the kit. It’s all tastefully done, but don’t act like this isn’t the same 808 kit that has dominated southern rap production since time immemorial.
May 6th, 2009
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