no jumper
Riff Raff SODMG – Deion Sandals (Youtube, 2012)
The rap game’s Julio Franco continues what has become a weekly series of new videos with “Deion Sandals”. In what maybe one of Riff Raff’s funniest efforts yet, the tragically short song finds Riff Raff slap-boxing with penguins and turning down large-chinned floosies because they bear a striking resemblance to Jay Leno. He does all of this while wearing a pair of batting gloves, and presumably, toe-less footwear.
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“Okay Cupid” is the latest offering from one of our favorite songstresses, Kitty Pryde, produced by one of our favorite producers, Beautiful Lou. Though this may seem like a strange combination at first, the pair offer a surreal little number about adultery, drunk dialing, and inner-lip tattoos. The young Princess presents her usual tongue-twisting, self-loathing raps, before she breaks down into song near the end, singing the chorus to Frank Ocean’s “Thinking About You”. Lou’s translucent beat allows Kitty to further flutter forwards, until the song abruptly ends with an adorable little giggle tacked on the end.
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Khalil Nova – Tha Black Layne Staley (Chopped & Screwed) (No Jumper, 2012)
Akumasanti chopped & screwed Khalil Nova’s Tha Black Layne Staley for our second premier of this mixtape. Definitely worth grabbing this today, as Nova’s space vortex-aesthetic sounds even more extraterrestrial when slowed to a crawl.
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TKO Capone (feat. Lil Rich) – Swaggin’ N Yo Girlfriend (Self-Released, 2012)
- Yayo
TKO Capone continues to emanate from Chamillionaire’s spirit with this syrupy slow jam, another leak off the heavily anticipated Duck Season Vol. 1. Capone’s melodious rapping is absolutely perfect here for the late-night grooves presented to him, and even though this is clearly intended for panty-dropping, Capone spends most of the track focusing on himself, with his absurd punchlines. At one point, he talks about cutting off his haters, using the docking of a pitbull’s ears for the simile. There really isn’t anyone who thinks quite like Capone, and that unique sense of humor is what makes Capone stand out among his crowd.
Capone’s brother, Lil Rich, is introduced here, and he has the same rapid-fire delivery that Capone employs. Even though Capone totally owns the spotlight here, Rich makes an impressive debut, and he’s certainly one of the better rappers in Capone’s entourage. Back-up singer Malachi also adds a lot to the song, harmonizing with Capone on the chorus, and hitting some ridiculous high notes that’re the only thing that keep you from sinking into Capone’s sludgy backboard rattler.
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SoSanAntone & Beautiful Lou – Real Enough (Self-Released, 2012)
- Yayo
Little is known about SoSanAntone, aside from his obvious origins of San Antonio – but we know plenty about the maestro behind this song, Beautiful Lou. This is one of Lou’s many mellow offerings, an Southern-brewed instrumental just as serene as the clouds in the video’s background. Lou and SoSanAntone spend most of the video recreating the Snick intro with a giant orange couch, making you wonder if Coolio or Nick Cannon could pop out at any moment. Alas, they don’t, but SoSanAntone’s Texas-tinted double-time flow definitely pops off on Lou’s mellow anti-banger.
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Chief Keef – Back From The Dead (GBE, 2012)
by Yayo
Do you really need an introduction to Chief Keef? Since Keef’s “Bang” video went viral, it’s been hard to lurk the blogs without seeing all the coverage of Chief Keef. He’s 16, and lives on the South Side of Chicago. He’s on house arrest, he has a child, he lives with his grandma, and a deleted Wikipedia page suggested that he’s entangled in gang activity. Everyone wants to talk about Chief Keef, but few seem capable of covering the music he presents. Back From The Dead is his latest mixtape, and it’s acted as little more than a conversation piece, allowing critics and onlookers to dissect Keef’s personal life.
That’s understandable. Chief Keef is never going to be recognized for intricate wordplay, or technical mastery. His verses are blunt, singularly focused on the subject at hand. On “I Don’t Like”, Keef and associate Lil Reese spend five minutes making a laundry list of everything they don’t like. They hardly even attempt to rhyme, their verses consisting merely of non sequiturs suffixed by “that’s that shit I don’t like.” This wouldn’t work with anyone else – even Lil B, who is a direct point of influence in Keef’s unpolished style, would have a hard time getting this concept off the ground. Yet it’s Keef’s unbridled aggression that brings the song to life, and makes it one of the most compelling records of the year. The aggravated nature of his voice, lending to the message, making his frustrations of bootleg sneakers and pop singers all the more threatening.
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TKO Capone – Louis Gucci (Self-released, 2011)
Tulsa, Okahoma’s TKO Capone is a complicated rapper. On the surface, he appears to be the personification of hip-hop’s swag rap division. He’s rarely seen adorned in anything without a Gucci or Louis Vuitton insignia, and he is affiliated with both Riff Raff SODMG and Soulja Boy himself. Lyrically, he’s a cut above his peers, with a wide variety of flows reminiscent of Chamillionaire’s years past (appropriate given his penchant for rapping alongside a white Houston rapper), and a knack for putting a spin on mundane topics. Look beneath the layers of designer clothing and custom cereal boxes, and you find an independent rapper who’s been struggling for the better half of the last decade, and has even admitted to disliking the “swag” genre.
TKO Capone had been on the rise for the past year, but it’s been little more than steady. His popularity has been eclipsed by Riff Raff’s, despite being the more complete artist, and the lack of a true follow-up to last year’s excellent Tropical Swaggin’ Duh had kept Capone from fully capitalizing on the buzz “Louis Gucci” had built. That was all until a week ago – and now the rise of Capone seems all but inevitable.
One week ago, Capone’s “Louis Gucci” found its way on MTV Jams’ playlist late at night. According to a tweet from Capone, he had no idea his video was even being played that night. The video, which had a modest excess of 38,000 views, skyrocketed to a million over night. Then two million. Then three. As of this writing, “Louis Gucci” has almost reached eight million views, and isn’t slowing down any time soon.
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Marquis Mason
aye man, you know this is your boy marquisybear leflair bellofenito aka dj babywipes
but yo i just have this major irk with this unsettling news i got the other day. this nigga tyga got a signature shoe. with reebok. motherfucking reebok. yes, the same nigga who made coconut juice and looks like the apple jacks cinna-mon nigga without the dreads.
this nigga must think he’s allen iverson or some shit mane, are you serious? i mean when swizz beats did his shit with reebok we kinda looked the other way because i mean, swizz beats can do things like that it’s not like we really care anymore anyway. but tyga? with the horseshoe hairline? hell nah man that shouldn’t be right. why hasn’t gucci mane got a line of trap shoes with asics? suited for the ‘sophisticated young minority needing a both comfortable stance in his waiting period and a burst of speed in his “SHIT NIGGA RUN” moments’. but aye don’t these shits look like something converse scrapped? i don’t even think LIL WAYNE would wear these man. somewhere in the world jeremy scott is looking at these and laughing in pink velvet overalls and a sailors cap.
reebok better give ron isley a signature line pretty soon because the streets are not feeling this. someone call j money to make sure these don’t exist in the near future.
-marquis (your resident hating ass nigga)
Marquis Mason is our newest resident columnist. He’s entertaining. Follow him on Tumblr
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Western Tink – Chillin’ Like A Civilian (Self-Released, 2012)
Western Tink (interviewed by Andy McKeand last month) is a young rapper out of Austin, Texas and frequent collaborator with Beautiful Lou (also interviewed last year). Their highly anticipated Mobbin’ No Sobbin’ release is due out later this year, but for now, Tink has supplied us with this mini-mixtape, Chillin’ Like A Civilian. The first single, “Burr”, intricately incorporates Gucci Mane’s signature catchphrase into a mellow jam about life’s hardships. The rest of the tape features similar themes, the “Loft Music” sampling “Summerdonnasloft” being a tragically short example of this, as Tink writes a small verse that doesn’t stick to a singular subject, but manages to display Tink’s bittersweet poetry. The mob-centric “Now Or Naver”, itself a homage to the late Mac Dre, also finds Tink scrounging for suvival by any means, a mantra we can all relate to.
You can check the video for the first single, “Burr”, after the jump.
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Zone 6 Sinister – The Sixth Sense (D4L Records, 2012)
Zone 6 Sinister is a member of D4L records, and occasional Khalil Nova affiliate. Emerging from the notorious Eastside Zone 6 of Atlanta, Georgia, Zone 6 Sinister brings back a sound that’s been absent from Atlanta’s trap scene since the turn of the decade. One that Shawty Lo himself perfected on his only studio album, Units In The City. With a sound that’s reminiscent of L-O’s his own, but a sharper pen and a stronger ear for hooks, Zone 6 Sinister shines over a wide range of Zaytoven beats, as well as contributions from Lex Luger and other regional producers.
Watch the video for Zone 6 Sinister’s excellent “Spike Lee” after the jump
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Robb Bank$ – Counting (Youtube, 2012)
by Yayo
If there’s one trend that doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon, it’s young peoples’ yearning to revive music that was popular before they graduated elementary school. This is perfectly exemplified in the uprising of “trillwave”, a micro-genre of sorts that has been popularized by ASAP Rocky and Spaceghostpurrp in the last year. This obsession with reviving sounds that have laid dormant for years – decades, in some cases – has been successful in getting its disciples noticed, but has resulted in mostly mixed results musically. The cream of the crop manage to take the styles their predecessors employed, and update it for their generation to relate to. The rest – well, they’ve mostly been bland rappers spitting over 8Ball & MJG loops, chopping and screwing their voices more and more frequently in hopes of being listenable.
The well has been running dry since LiveLoveA$AP dropped last year, with many immitators following in Rocky’s footsteps. Upon first inspection, south Florida representative Robb Bank$ seems like yet another wave-rider. He raps over Clams Casino (not an original production, but Clams’ Rainforest single, “Gorilla”) and employs the same calm demeanor that Rocky does. The video for “Counting” is shot in a manner eerily reminiscent of Rocky’s “Peso” (though a young Mick Foley with a grill does open the video in a ridiculous manner), and Robb’s first verse focuses on little more than your bitch and snapping pictures of her. Then around the 1:20 mark, something happens. Robb drops a small gem about searching through his phone for nude photos of an ex, photos he’s certain have been deleted. There is some humility expressed within the following bars, and Robb becomes less of invincible player so many of his peers portray, becoming the sympathetic protagonist you want to root for.
From there, Robb Bank$ doesn’t let up, raising his voice on the following chorus, only have it fluctuate with each subsequent break. What was once an almost unrappable instrumental becomes one of the best uses of a Clams Casino beat in recent memory, with a heavy influx of anxiety cracking through Robb’s otherwise confident exterior. He believes the world may end in a year, but that only inspires him to make it further. He’ll send a squadron of goons to your house if you have a problem with him, but he’s too busy focusing on his future in business and accounting to get caught up in that life himself. He would prefer to be compared to Aesop Rock than ASAP Rocky – a brave statement to make considering the market’s current climate.
Robb Bank$’ “Counting” is first single from his new mixtape, Calendars, a tape that finds Robb trying to make time to play Yu-Gi-Oh somewhere in between deep sessions of weed smoke and regret.
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Khalil Nova – Blessed To Tha Bone (No Jumper, 2012)
- by Yayo
Khalil Nova’s Tha Black Layne Staley came out two weeks ago, but the Space Don is anything if not prolific. Blessed To The Bone is one of the less personal tracks from the mixtape, where Khalil gets sentimental about a back injury he suffered when he was only twelve years old. Despite mentioning this slight setback, he doesn’t dwell on it, instead focusing on the blessings that have followed and encouraging the listener to move forward. It really is one of the more positive songs on Black Layne Staley, being only the third track there, and that helps it serve as a prelude to the chaos that follows only a few tracks later. It reminds us that even when Khalil gets caught in his own twisted, warped vortex, that there is a human within the approaching nuclear explosion.
Light up, watch the new video for Blessed To Tha Bone now, and let the positive vibes sink in. If you haven’t already downloaded the tape yet, what’re you waiting for?
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