New Rap Music
Quickly, some new joints for the late night crew.
Webbie f/ Pimp C & Lil Phat -”Money Getting Taller“
from Savage Life 3 (Trill Ent., Coming Soon)
A word to the wise: don’t let Pimp C spit first from beyond the grave. He is going to outshine you by simply rapping about his dick. He passed away two years ago today. Rap suffers still.
Waka Flocka Flame f/ Cartel & La Chat – “Call Waka“
One of the more revealing things about that rambling Gucci tour scam expose in Ozone was that Waka is in fact the son of community organizer turned Gucci Maneager Debra Antney. I imagine that there was an awkward “you know my boy wants to be a rapper too” conversation and Gucci was too kind or high to be like “uhh…” and then Waka was born. Regardless, Waka is fun, picks good tracks and rides them well enough. So maybe rap nepotism isn’t all bad. (Still I would glady sacrifice Waka if it meant Charles Hamilton also went away forever.) This is one of those beats that Simon Reynolds should listen to. All theremin crawl. Also La Chat is infinitely better than Nicki Minaj. I’m just saying. On both counts.
XO – “Do It”
Whitefolkz – “Lose Myself“
I recently mentioned this at the City Paper blog but I think a big part of why the DC scene has flourished as of late is that the backpack/college dudes have been able to integrate with the street dudes. The best of these rappers not only merge the two styles but quite effortlessly step back and forth between the two and then go somewhere else entirely. XO shit goes hard in a soft way and Folkz has improved so much as a rapper in recent times. Although I think another white rapper already had a song called “Lose Yourself.”
Kanye West – “I’m So Appalled“
The most exciting rap rumor I heard all year was that Kanye’s next album would just be him rocking an old school drum machine and maybe a single synth. (Of course, I can’t find any links that mention this rumor right now so I might have just made that up.) I’ve often imagined a modern day producer would be so bold, to sit down with an 808 and an SP daisy chained Mantronix style. Just to prove a point. And Kanye is really the only producer so masochistic to do such lo-fi rap crap. “I’m So Appalled” seems like a step in that direction. It’s “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” played at an 808s energy level. This is supposed to be on Diddy’s album, presumably with Diddy rapping or doing something to extend its length.
Soulja Boy – “The World Is Yours“
Soulja gets #based once again, but this time he extends his aspirations beyond just aping Lil B. He expands the formula. That’s what’s interesting about the based lifestyle. It’s the first rap movement in a long time that expressly encourages originality. It’s okay to be different, Soulja Boy. (Via Blast at Phila)
WarrenJae f/ Playboy Tre – “Sleep“
There aren’t enough raps about dreams anymore. Well, dreams in he aspirational MLK definition of the word, sure. And then there’s that guy The-Dream. But the actual ones that happen when you go to sleep, not so much. This has been out for a while but then I forgot about it and then it came back to me in a dream.
Eightball & MJG f/ Lil Boosie – “Ten Toes Down (Remix)“
Dream lineup right down to the Drumma Boy beat.
Mullyman – “Sky Is The Limit“
I’m not in love with Mully’s rapping on this track in particular, but it’s notable because he is repurposing Lil Wayne’s “Sky Is The Limit” with the title and hook and not, mind you, the Willy Wonka weird Mike Jones flop of a single that Wayne himself jacked the instrumental from. It’s a third generation dub. The mixtape has pretty much evolved past the beat jacking era, now that Zaytoven can churn out an exclusive beat faster than your DJ can plug in his “instrumentals” usb. And because, lets be honest, most boring emcees just build their raps into the format of whatever hit they’re adapting. But at the peak of his hyper productivity Wayne (as well as the now equally uninspired Thorten Bros) often made a strong case for the old model, breaking down instrumentals entirely and rebuilding them into something new. No case was stronger than “Sky Is The Limit” which actually became a minor hit in its own right (5x plat on youtube) on the back of Jones’ failure (not even youtube gold). I doubt most (Mullyman included) even realize that it was a Mike Jones original. This is the difference between Wayne of his prime and No Ceilings’ Wayne and the difference between real leather and that shit in your house. (Baltimore’s Mullyman is a good rapper and probably deserves more attention than simply being a springboard for a “has Lil’ Wayne fallen off?” discussion. But maybe he should have owned that shit better. Or maybe he should have called Zaytoven.) (Via Mumbosauce)
December 4th, 2009 at 4:22 am
Pimp C + Webbie, and ‘Ball & ‘G + Boosie for the win.
Lil’ Phat is my fav’ weed carrier right about now.
December 4th, 2009 at 5:43 am
I heard that Kanye rumor too. Heres a link (that will link to the article):
http://www.sohh.com/2009/11/kanye_west_reportedly_in_the_studio_w_ne.html
December 4th, 2009 at 9:16 am
re: kanye, lo fi rap crap? I know you like Spanish Fly
December 4th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Not going to listen until later, but I’d just like to reiterate that your “New Rap Music” posts are my favorite thing on the raps Internets.
December 4th, 2009 at 9:44 am
“Gucci Maneager”
this is why we love you noz
December 4th, 2009 at 9:51 am
i also thoroughly enjoy coming here from the day to day
rest eazy mr butler for sure. sigh.
December 4th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Waka Flocka Flame is an ass rapper: as in, he defines ‘feculent’
December 4th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
SO IS KANYE GONNA CLAIM H E INVENTED 808 STYLE NOW??? I REMEMBER HE CLAIMED SPEEDY SOUL VOCALS ABOUT A DECADE AFTER RZA BECAME FAMOUS FOR IT….NOTHING KANYE DOES IS EXCITING SORRY FELLAS….
December 4th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
My girlfriend is french-canadian, and when she made me tea the other day (fuck you, I have a cold) the mug it came in featured this weird characature of a feline, graced with the phrase “Le Chat”. She told me that it’s french for “The Cat”*
So, I guess what I’m asking, is whether or not La Chat’s rap moniker is some sort of weird Hypnotized Minds pun (like, “Muthafucka, this right here be that PUSSY!!”) involving a hilarious reappropriation of deliberately mispronounced pronounced French? Or do I smoke too much, and her government name is just “Helen Chat” or something? Help me out, Memphis and/or Internets. I’m losing sleep over this.
*At least, it is when it’s spelled that way, and pronounced effeminately like “lah shaaht”.
December 4th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
http://screwheadsonly.blogspot.com
Is it me, or does Pimp throw a shot a Jeezy in his verse? Not that it matters at this point.
December 4th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
mayn hearin dis new Pimp iz so wonderful mayn RIP PIMP C day mayn im wearin mah ‘Quit Hatin De South’ shirt an ima be c hiefin on sum’n all day in tribute ta Sweet Jones. Hiz verse on dis song here mayn iz incredible iss so amazing ta hear new Pimp again whut happened ta hiz solo dat wus supposed ta drop in 09?
December 4th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
That XO is nice. I haven’t heard much from dudd. What else would you guys recommend from him?
December 4th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
If you dig on XO and the backpack-meets-streets shit in general, you should check out Muja Messiah out of MPLS (he was on that Atmosphere song that you heard about St. Paul Slim from). Thee Adventures of a B-Boy D-Boy was my favorite rap album of 2008.
http://www.myspace.com/mujamessiah
December 4th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
I (predictably) love that Kanye beat. On his best days, he’s an idiosyncratic rapper, too. I think it counts for something that he (almost) always sound like he really, really means it, too. And yeah, XO all day. He can change it up, too. His stuff the Diamond District album sounds really different from his stuff on the last two solo tapes.
December 4th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
“That XO is nice. I haven’t heard much from dudd. What else would you guys recommend from him?”
The Diamond District album with Oddisee and Yu is nice if a little more on the traditionalist side. Takeover 2 is probably my favorite of his solo tapes.
December 4th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
wow, this kanye song is a lot more muscular than i thought it’d be. his flow sounds a bit darker here, kinda like the rolling monotone pusha t or malice have (though with nowhere near the spiteful snarl they possess). suits him well on these barer beats.
and everyone needs to live based. rap desperately needs the original, fresh perspective it can potentially bring. i myself try to be more based everyday
and fuck that ten toes remix go harddddd
December 4th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
@ Stunt :
in French, “le chat” stands for the (male) cat, whereas “la chatte” stands for the (female) cat.
also “la chatte” = “pussy” in French slang.
@ everybody reading this :
R.I.P. Pimp C, check out the tribute radio show i hosted 2 years ago that i just re-upped on the 187 Prod website to commemorate his passing:
http://www.187prod.com/187-Show-183-R-I-P-Pimp-C-Tribute.html
December 4th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
best “new rap” post in awhile… so much good music here!
December 4th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Anyone know about the likelihood of a third Damage Control tribute this year?
December 4th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
been listening to “Call Wacka” since I first heard it on the “Wacka Flocka Myers”-tape, made my day when I finally saw the NO DJ-mp3 on DGB/TnT. That beat is prob my fav “dark” beat of 09, that La Chat is on it is so fitting, it really has that Memphis hypnotic feel. Hypnotic in the literal sense: I can listen to this over n over almost compulsory. Oh and La Chat kills it.
December 4th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Lil Phat is not a weed carrier. According to Boosie he’s the CEO of Trill Ent.’s son. And the fucker just throws him on songs to get him shine.
December 4th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Yep all of this edition is pretty great, ‘cept the last i guess. Posk, if you hit the x.o. tag on that post noz links you’ll find some nice vids and links to other downloads if u wanna have a listen. I think he’s a bit boring on the hook here above, but it’s still a nice track. I think that “hard in a soft way” sound is exactly what works about x.o. for me. Stunt: There’s a poster by Steinlen called “Le chat noir that gets reprinted a lot, i wonder if that’s what was on yr cup? I always just sort of assumed La Chat was a pussy reference, for no good reason, it must be said. She’s great here but since she got this facial expression out of project pat she’s good forever anyhow.
December 4th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
yup yup “I’m So Appalled” gets heavy rewind
“Praises due to the most high Allah, praises due to most fly, Prada…
…champaign wishes, 30 white bitches, I mean the shit is fuckin ridiculous”
wacka wacka wacka, wacka be
December 5th, 2009 at 12:25 am
“re: kanye, lo fi rap crap? I know you like Spanish Fly”
I didn’t mean crap in the pejorative sense.
December 5th, 2009 at 1:44 am
oddly enough I made a similar observation about Lil Wayne taking ownership of the Mike Jones beat when someone else from Baltimore did a remix of it: http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=17289
December 5th, 2009 at 5:49 am
“She’s great here but since she got this facial expression out of project pat she’s good forever anyhow.”
LOL
December 5th, 2009 at 5:50 am
(sry dont know how to make it link like u did)
December 5th, 2009 at 8:40 am
[...] BLUNT RAPPS » New Rap Music [...]
December 5th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
@ Still Tryin
Yeah it was a few days ago. U can find all three online. I might post em all tonight if I find time.
December 6th, 2009 at 12:15 am
the ball&g track cuts off before boosie’s verse
December 6th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Waka Flacka> Charles Hamilton, really? One of them has talent accompanied by arrogance, one of them is a weed carrier with little-to no talent.
December 6th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Waka Flocka needs to sit down.
I’m interested by Soulja Boy’s based turn – totally not what I ever would have expected out of him.
December 8th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Is the beat to that 1st one a Pimp C leftover too? Sounds like it, and it’s dope (of course).
December 11th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
i have a feeling that this wacka flack waca dude is really about to blow up. and it depresses me.
December 13th, 2009 at 11:20 am
To this “David” dude…
Rza stole the sped up Soul Sample style from 4th Disciple. Who Kanye HIMSELF credited in an interview when said interviewer tried that “Rza is Jesus” slick shit.
Kanye loves Wu. He says it about a million times. Quit trying to ‘out’ the man.
December 24th, 2009 at 10:53 am
greatttttttttttttttttttttttttttt awesome