Tag: Rap

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New Music

Dreamville & J. Cole – Revenge of the Dreamers III

R.O.T.D III has set the bar for collaborative albums in 2019. Recorded over 10 days at Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta, the album has one of the most unique origin stories of any collaborative project to date. Rappers were left to their own devices in a sea of producers and musicians scattered throughout the building, with the only direction being to make hits. A total of 35 artists, along with 27 producers, worked on what would become the final project, with at least 124 tracks not making the cut. That being said, what did make the cut was fantastic. This album is chock full of songs that will surely be everywhere this summer. Anthemic, instant-hits like Down Bad, Wells Fargo, and Middle Child are accompanied by more subdued boom-bap tracks like Swivel, Sleep Deprived, and Sunset, creating a colorful mixture of sounds and styles. The sheer amount of talent on this album is too much to name, but many, like EARTHGANG, JID, and Buddy, gave such noteworthy performances that this project will surely cement their spots as modern hip-hop mainstays. Albums like this don’t come around often; do yourself a favor and put aside an hour to listen to it. 










Categories
New Music

Lil Keed – Long Live Mexico

After nearly a year of teasing the project on social media, Atlanta’s newest rising star, Lil Keed, has released his debut album, Long Live Mexico. While he doesn’t stray too far from his Young Thug-esque sound that has drawn criticism, Keed manages to distinguish himself and carve out his own corner in the ever-growing Atlanta rap scene. The album is bursting at the seams with star-studded features from artists that complement Keed incredibly well, with the exception of NAV. Despite the lengthy 20-song track list and hour runtime, the album does not seem nearly as long. With a majority of the album’s tracks flowing seamlessly into each other, the album feels like one cohesive unit that doesn’t burn out the listener with identical and repetitive songs, as many recent rap albums seem to do (looking at you, Migos). This is due, in part, to the robust roster of producers that had a hand in the album’s creation and kept the project interesting, including Pi’erre Bourne, JetsonMade, and, of course, ATL’s own MetroBoomin. This album by no means a 10/10, but still a strong studio debut nonetheless, adding Keed to the long list of Atlanta rap icons. 


Categories
New Music

Injury Reserve – Injury Reserve

The experimental rap trio Injury Reserve returns with the release of their highly anticipated self-titled debut album. The album starts out incredibly strong with Koruna & Lime and Jawbreaker, which is hands down one of the most unique rap songs in modern history, with well-placed features from Rico Nasty and Pro Teens. Aminé’s verse on Jailbreak the Tesla marks another fantastic feature, on a standout track on the album nonetheless. Rap Song Tutorial hilariously lives up to its name and comes together to form a punchy track likely to get any crowd going. Best Spot in the House brings a new sound to the album, with a guitar-oriented beat and mellow deliveries from Stepa and Ritchie. One of my favorite pieces of the album comes from New Hawaii, with a Chromeo-style vocoder solo halfway through, followed by a soulful DRAM feature. The album ends on a jazzy high note with Three Man Weave. Parker Corey holds nothing back and shows his production chops on this project with some of the most creative and impressive beats I’ve ever heard. Literally my only complaint is that QWERTY Interlude is just that, an interlude, when it would be fantastic as a full track.

Categories
New Music

Tyler, The Creator – Igor

The multi-talented Tyler, The Creator follows up his critically acclaimed Flower Boy album with a self-produced project titled IGOR. The album begins with a surprising vocal performance from Lil Uzi on IGOR’S THEME, and it’s all uphill from there. While the vocal mixing on EARFQUAKE leaves much to be desired, I THINK makes up for whatever the previous song lacks, as Tyler raps with a Kanye-esque flow over a bouncy trap beat with intermittent R&B vocals and beautiful, synth-filled bridge. Additionally, the beat breakdown halfway through RUNNING OUT OF TIME is god-tier and reminds us of Tyler’s growing production ability.  NEW MAGIC WAND is a standout track, with a dark, distorted bassline driving the song. WHAT’S GOOD, another standout track, kicks the energy up to 10 with a fast-paced beat and fiery line delivery. This is followed by the vastly different GONE,GONE/THANK YOU with a catchy refrain reminiscent of 70’s soul. The track switches up twice, first to a vibey slow jam with a verse delivered in Tyler’s signature style, and then to a harmonic, arpeggio-filled outro. This project is significantly different than anything the Odd Future alum has released before and speaks to how diverse Tyler can be.

Categories
New Music

Rico Nasty & Kenny Beats – Anger Management

The dynamic duo of Rico Nasty and Kenny Beats have released their collaborative and appropriately titled project, Anger Management. This album is incredibly high energy, with equal parts attributed to Rico’s enthusiastic delivery and Kenny’s hard trap beats. The LOUDPVCK alum pulls out all the stops with incredibly unique production, especially on Cheat Code and Big T*****s in collaboration with Baauer, as well as on the track Mood. Things takes a surprising turn on Hatin’ with a surprisingly calm beat sampled from Jay-Z’s Dirt Off Your Shoulder. The album includes fantastic features from rap duo EarthGang and rapper Splurge, who all complement Rico incredibly well and make for bouncy hip-hop tracks that might be the standouts of the album. Rico takes a more serious tone on Sell Out, discussing her built-up anger, everything that comes with fame and, fittingly, being viewed as a sellout. Rico closes the album with a track titled Again, where she surprises fans by singing melodically over a classic trap beat. This project was nothing special, but not disappointing in the slightest. It was a testament to Kenny Beat’s exceptional production ability and Rico’s undeniable energy, and I look forward to more collaborations between these two.