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The playlist: hip-hop The playlist: hip-hop
(2 months later)
Common Common featuring Vince Staples – Kingdom
featuring Vince Staples – Kingdom Common returns with a Jesus Walks-style piece of gospel-inflected hip-hop. The Hype Williams-directed trailer set the tone with a Clockersesque intro involving sirens, flashing blue lights and black men being arrested. The track itself carries that on with a tale of living dirty, drug dealing and trying to survive in contemporary America. It's solid stuff, made even better by the appearance of Vince Staples, one of the most impressive young MCs to emerge in the last couple of years. Pals with Mac Miller and Earl Sweatshirt, he's got a grittier, matter-of-fact style that he uses to talk about everyday struggles on the breadline. If that sounds interesting then his Shyne Coldchain Vol 2 mixtape is well worth a listen. The full Hype Williams video for Kingdom will be out later in the year, as will Common's no doubt equally pensive album, Nobody's Smiling.
Common Sasha Go Hard – Feel So Good
returns with a Jesus Walks-style piece of gospel-inflected hip-hop. One of drill's standout MCs, Sasha Go Hard has developed from a scrapping, street-level provocateur into an artist courted by mainstream producers. On her mixtape Feel So Good she combines her earlier, tough Chicagoan drill with softer, synthy productions, including closer Out the Bottle, which was produced by Diplo. Lyrically she's just as defiant as ever, but this time she's even more verbose in the destruction of her enemies. The guest appearances aren't really much to write home about, but you get the impression she could happily carry the whole thing off by herself anyway.
The Hype Williams-directed trailer set the tone with a Clockersesque Uzi – Money
intro involving sirens, flashing blue lights and black men being Uzi is quietly emerging as an intriguing hip-hop oddity. Very much a product of the internet, his Tumblr is what you imagine a contemporary Bret Easton Ellis character might put together, with a mix of 35mm snaps of Wiz Khalifa smoking weed, some gifs of his model pals and other pics of the “North Hollywood goon squad”. His approach feels like the Bling Ring meets hip-hop and it's not clear whether Uzi and his running mates Ash Travers and Mike Waxx are making some well-curated suburban statement on the state of hip-hop or just taking the piss out of the whole scene, but either way a lot of big names are on board. A$AP Rocky, Fredo Santana, Big Sean and fellow lo-fi fan Lil B all make cameos in his videos, which are shot on VHS and feature levitating supercars. He also shot the video for Skepta's recent That's Not Me and Wiz Khalifa seems impressed with him – Uzi recently featured him on Khalifa's 28 Grams mixtape. This definitely won't be for everyone, but along with Young Thug and Lil B, he's ensuring hip-hop's weirdly self-referential side stays alive. If you're wondering what that sample is by the way, it's Real McCoy's 90s Eurodance effort Another Night.
arrested. Kool Keith featuring AG – Eldorado
The track itself carries that on with a tale of living dirty, drug dealing Speaking of hip-hop oddballs, Kool Keith has a new song out. This is surprisingly straight-laced for Keith, who serves up some stripped back boom-bap from his Demolition Crash double album. Eldorado bounces along with a simple bassline and an Eric B & Rakim sample from Lyrics of Fury. He does flirt with some trap-style productions on the album, but the rest of the album is a bit more challenging. Where I'm At harks back to his Dr Octagon days, with screwed drum loops and buzzing synths, all overlaid with lyrics so abstract they sound like they're from a Thomas Pynchon novel.
and trying to survive in contemporary America. It's solid stuff, made 20syl feat Oddisee – Ongoing Thing
even better by the appearance of Vince Staples, one of the most French producer/DJ/MC 20syl teams up with boom-bapping Brooklyn-based MC Oddisee for a slice of uncharacteristically synthy hip-hop. Oddisee usually delivers conscious-heavy verses over production that nods to DJ Premier and sample-driven hip-hop. This sees him traverse something a lot more energetic and mainstream, with 20syl carrying on the recent run of French producers (such as Mr Flash) joining forces with US MCs. It's been streaming at deep-house YouTube channels such as Majestic Casual and has certainly proved popular with their users – such as Reiko Horst, who cried: "Holly shit this is perfect ;-) !!!!". Bro James went with subtle understatement: "This is so sick. Instant playlister right here." And, indeed, it is.
impressive young MCs to emerge in the last couple of years. Pals with
Mac Miller and Earl Sweatshirt, he's got a grittier, matter-of-fact
style that he uses to talk about everyday struggles on the breadline. If
that sounds interesting then his Shyne Coldchain Vol 2 mixtape is
well worth a listen.
The full Hype Williams video for Kingdom will be out later in the
year, as will Common's no doubt equally pensive album, Nobody's
Smiling.
Sasha
Go Hard – Feel So Good
One
of drill's standout MCs, Sasha Go Hard has developed from a
scrapping, street-level provocateur into an artist courted by
mainstream producers. On her mixtape Feel So Good she combines her
earlier, tough Chicagoan drill with softer, synthy productions,
including closer Out the Bottle, which was produced by Diplo. Lyrically she's just as defiant as
ever, but this time she's even more verbose in the destruction of her
enemies. The guest appearances aren't really much to write home
about, but you get the impression she could happily carry the whole
thing off by herself anyway.
Uzi
– Money
Uzi
is quietly emerging as an intriguing hip-hop oddity. Very much a
product of the internet, his Tumblr is what you imagine a contemporary Bret Easton Ellis character might
put together, with a mix of 35mm snaps of Wiz Khalifa smoking weed,
some gifs of his model pals and other pics of the “North Hollywood
goon squad”. His approach feels like the Bling Ring meets hip-hop
and it's not clear whether Uzi and his running mates Ash
Travers and Mike Waxx are
making
some well-curated suburban statement on the state of hip-hop or just taking
the piss out of the whole scene, but either way a lot of big names
are on board. A$AP Rocky, Fredo Santana, Big Sean and fellow lo-fi
fan Lil B all make cameos in his videos, which are shot on VHS and
feature levitating supercars. He also shot the video for Skepta's
recent That's Not Me and Wiz Khalifa seems impressed with him – Uzi
recently featured him on Khalifa's 28 Grams mixtape. This definitely won't
be for everyone, but along with Young Thug and Lil B, he's ensuring
hip-hop's weirdly self-referential side stays alive. If you're
wondering what that sample is by the way, it's Real McCoy's 90s Eurodance effort Another Night.
Kool
Keith featuring AG – Eldorado
Speaking
of hip-hop oddballs, Kool Keith has a new song out. This is
surprisingly straight-laced for Keith, who serves up some stripped
back boom-bap from his Demolition Crash double album. Eldorado
bounces along with a simple bassline and an Eric B & Rakim sample
from Lyrics of Fury. He does flirt with some trap-style productions
on the album, but the rest of the album is a bit more challenging. Where I'm At harks back to his Dr Octagon days, with screwed drum loops and buzzing
synths, all overlaid with lyrics so abstract they sound like they're from
a Thomas Pynchon novel.
20syl
feat Oddisee – Ongoing Thing
French
producer/DJ/MC 20syl teams up with boom-bapping Brooklyn-based MC
Oddisee for a slice of uncharacteristically synthy hip-hop. Oddisee
usually delivers conscious-heavy verses over production that nods to DJ Premier
and sample-driven hip-hop. This sees him traverse something a lot
more energetic and mainstream, with 20syl carrying on the recent run
of French producers (such as Mr Flash) joining forces with US MCs.
It's been streaming at deep-house YouTube channels such as Majestic
Casual and has certainly proved popular with their users – such as Reiko
Horst, who cried: "Holly shit this is perfect ;-) !!!!". Bro James went with subtle understatement: "This is so
sick. Instant playlister right here." And, indeed, it is.