Oct 3, 2020 Straight heat, obviously. (No @joeyp363 . Don't even think about it). Honestly, I’ve lost track. Despite a second round of lockdowns in London, work has been busier than ever and my listening habits have become increasingly erratic. Somehow the infinitely bizarre mix and match spiralling out of my YouTube subscriptions algorithm has become my primary source of music these past few months. There has been so much good music, I feel like I can’t keep up. Gigantic ‘event’ level albums come and go in the pace of a few days, and I’m diving into discographies of a seemingly never-ending stream of new artists, jumping from Bankhead to Compton to Brooklyn to Brixton. I’m obsessed but also frustrated that its not humanly possible to keep up any more. Only so many hours in a day I guess. Anyways, I’m planning to use this thread to chronicle what I’ve been listening to; artists, albums, EP’s, mixtapes, singles, even the occasional throwback. No specific goal in mind, just a way for me to keep track of what I’ve enjoyed (and what I haven’t). And as always, new recommendations always welcome!
Oct 3, 2020 Starting off with a Saturday Hangover edition: initial thoughts on the Friday drops October 2nd: 21 Savage & Metro Boomin - SAVAGE MODE II A lot of people forget that the first Savage Mode got a pretty mixed reception when it first dropped. It delights me to no end to see how much Savage has improved since then and the recognition and respect he now gets. Its no secret Metro remains in my top 3 producers of all time. I’m actually kinda glad he’s ducked outta the spotlight, only emerging from the depths to drop cinematic masterpieces like this. On first few listens - and with no hyperbole at all - this is the best thing either 21 or Metro has ever put out. YG - My Life 4Hunnid This sounds rushed. Very rushed. Like YG and his team wanted to capitalise on the success of FTP and hurriedly threw a bunch of leftovers together. To be fair, there’s enough material for a top-tier YG EP here. Some of these singles are taking me back to MKL/SB days. Pity. Westside Gunn - Who Made the Sunshine I’m astounded at how much music these guys make. It fells like there’s a new full length Griselda album every other week. They’re all kinda blending into one another now, especially Westside Gunn’s latest few drops. There’s a handful of keepers on here like there always are though, and 98 Sabers is an absolute SLAP. ALLBLACK - No Shame 3 You can tell ALLBLACK grew up on the steady diet of Oakland flavoured rap. The E40 and 2pac influences are strong. I haven’t listened to this all the way though just yet but enjoying what I’m hearing so far (after getting put on to ALLBLACK from last year’s full length collaboration with Offset Jim). Fivio Foreign - Bop It ft. Polo G Yep, this is it. This is the one. I was on the fence on Fivio for a while, but he's been on an undeniable upward trajectory for a while now. Somehow Kenny Beats has managed to wrangle up a beast of a South-Floridian-esque b-----r fused in with distorted drillish warps. Fivio is just straight up having fun. I mean s---, even Polo G sounds like he's having fun on this. LBS Kee'vin - Shining ft. 42 Dugg Ok to be fair this actually dropped last week but has managed to hold onto a spot in my still-in-roation playlist. Thats how you know its a keeper. Megan Thee Stallion - Don't Stop ft. Young Thug Ben Shapiro's worst nightmare. Not exactly gonna be in my playlist for very long but a fun song nonetheless. Its been a few years now and I'm still so f---ing happy Thugger's become such a mainstay in these big budget chart toppers. Denzel Curry - Live from the Abyss Does a song even really exist if its only available on Bandcamp? This is clearly just a warm-up but I like the sound of what Denzel's been doing since that Pig Feet joint with Terrace Martin.
Oct 3, 2020 I think you and FireSquad have wayyyy out-goated me by now! (but I am comin back for the crown)
Oct 3, 2020 Heat is still GOAT no denying that but I must say 98 Sabres is something else. Song of the year so far? Possibly. Just Blaze absolutely cooking up some Buffalo Wild Wings with that beat. Armani Caesar Salad doing gangsta things on the mic like the old Lil Kim. And lastly, Conway with the flow and hardest delivery I’ve heard since “Tragic Endings” rest of the album was meh. Wish it all sounded like 98 saber tooth tigers.
Oct 4, 2020 I mean in office-terms lol. Our office actually reopened on 1st Sep but then closed again 2 weeks later when the government guidelines changed again, so I'm back working from home
Oct 4, 2020 Artist spotlight: Spank Nitti James This is typical of how I discover music these days. A Freddie Gibbs binge session on YT leads me to a song that isn't on streaming services featuring a rapper I've never heard more than holding his own alongside Gangsta Gibbs over a simple but effective murky instrumental that sounds exactly like the barren Californian desert where the video was shot. Freddie kills it, as expected but there's something interesting about Spank Nitti James. He's halfway between Freddie's furious stream-of-conscious and the rapidfire new wave of west-coast rappers. This leads to another one, a massive head-b-----r, high-energy, blatantly west-coast back and forth collab with with Dudadamthang (what a stage name!). Now I'm intrigued and I've gotta check out a full project from this guy. His latest release is Wiggle Nation till my Cremation, released in June. The first song has me hooked. James' energy is infectious, he's barrelling over a gigantic, clean piano loop with no goal in mind, just a furious non-stop barrage of whatever comes into his mind. This s--- goes. The rest of the short EP follows suite, with highlights being Bomb p---- (which effectively samples the classic, eery chant from DPG's Death Row debut), Ain't Stepped On, another frenzied punchline spectacle and Pill Popper, which sounds like something from the Shoreline Mafia/Drakeo camp. Spank Nitti James is by no means a fully developed artist yet. He draws from disparate regional sounds and meshes them together into a sound of his own making. He may completely disappear off the map in the next few weeks or may continue to improve and attain some level of success. Who knows anymore? But he's already released an incredible volume of high-quality music and he's given me something to return to. If you like the songs I've posted then check out the EP.
Oct 4, 2020 Nice I love this westcoast/bay area sound and Spank Nitti definitely got the energy to match those type of beats. I frequently check out Thizzler's youtube channel for new bay area artists but I've never stumbled upon him, so thanks for the spotlight
Oct 4, 2020 Ah, gotcha! I know a lot of offices have kept their offices open with the guide of "you can work from home if you want to". I'm on track to reopen my pub on Monday. Anyway, back on track... Another grade A thread of Mr Stanfield!
Oct 5, 2020 Well s---, don't know if he's touching that classic we all know and love, but yeah Conway's verse on 98 Sabres was probably the highlight of the entire album
Oct 5, 2020 Weekday b-----r: Rio Da Yung OG & Louie Ray - Movie "This s--- sound like a movie," says grizzled punchline king Rio Da Yung OG as the beat crashes through the speakers like a big-budget action feature. Then its just a chaos of quotables; with fellow Michigan native Louie Ray at least having the decency to take pity on his foes - "let me cut my arms off before I ball, make it fair", but Rio in full-out opp blasting mode, "preparing for shootouts thats a week away". I use the word 'cinematic' to describe music a lot, but this one hits the mark perfectly.
Oct 5, 2020 absolutely. and I agree with you on the EP's highlights 42 Dugg is like Detroit's very own Lil Boosie and I've been listening almost daily to Young and Turnt 2 for weeks. not a huge fan of lbs kee'vin's parts on the song you posted, but the track still goes I'm also loving ALLBLACK's "running to the bag", another great song I would have never stumbled into without ya m8!
Oct 6, 2020 Weekday b-----r: GRIP - Finessin ft. Mick Jenkins GRIP hails from the same Atlantan school of TDE/OutKast style-meshing that the new wave of Dreamville affiliates (Jid, EarthGang) have taken to in recent years. Grip's debut Snubnose album, released almost exactly a year ago now is the same extended metaphor Nas used on I Gave You Power; channeling his perspective into that of a gun as it passes through dilapidated Georgian streets. Finessin is a highlight off that album, also featuring a blistering verse from Mick Jenkins. Fans of JID and Kenny Mason definitley check this out.
