Heart Failure wouldn’t work if Torae didn’t have a sense of humor. His Valentines Day mixtape is all about rapper-specific relationship issues: ‘Why are you coming home at 3:30 in the morning?’ ‘You have to go on tour again?’ and of course ‘Who are those groupie bitches?’ Remember, this was the guy who was at the forefront of the boom bap revival in 2009 with an album called Double Barrel (that means guns).
It’s an homage to the “for the ladies” tracks that show up halfway through an album when the rapper thinks it’s safe to show you his sensitive side. It’s way more Hot 97 than you’re used to from Torae, but it’s still sample-based production and a vintage flow. The previously mentioned “Let It Go” is a favorite.
DJ Khalil has become the go-to producer for big luxurious beats. No mainstream rap release is complete without a shiny contribution for the Self Scientific alum. With a title like “I Don’t Need No Bitch,” an Aftermath staff producer on the beat, and a Devin the Dude verse, you’d expect this to sound like a Dre and Snoop reunion. But there’s nothing g-funk about it. Shit, “Kush” doesn’t even sound like a Dre and Snoop reunion (also produced by Khalil, incidentally).
Snoop Dogg is better known for his TV/movie/commercial appearances than music nowadays. He’s the weed smoking cartoon character who shows up when it’s time for a hip-hop joke. The leaks from Snoop’s new album indicate that he’s trying to be taken more seriously. “I Don’t Need No Bitch” is as dignified as it gets for a song about bitches from an album called Doggumentary.
It’s a dope track and a good look for uncle Snoop, but it’s probably a good thing he’s not billing Doggumentary as Doggystyle 2 anymore. For funkier sounds, see Jake One’s offering.
Last night, someone might have told you that Eminem had the best rap album of the year. He’s dead wrong. That award belongs to Roc Marci. Beneficence’s Sidewalk Science drops March 3. Update: Added clean and instrumental.
Willie the Kid has established himself as one the torch bearers of mobster rap. He and Styles enumerate Goodfellas imagery: trench coats, tommy guns, marble toilets, cognac, and vintage chandeliers. Willie’s new tape The Fly 2: The Transformation drops tomorrow.
The second single from the mysterious experimental outfit 3:33 is a surprising dose of malevolent boom bap, the vocal version of which appeared on Del The Funky Homosapien & Tame One’s 2009 album Parallel Uni-Verses. This is great for brooding and/or plotting grisly revenge.
The highlight from this project is “In” featuring Blu, Freddie Gibbs, and Homeboy Sandman, a song so overloaded with mismatched talent that it shouldn’t work. It seems like an obvious ploy: grab the most buzzing artists who respond to your emails and throw them on a song together, no matter how musically distant they are. See Consequence’s ill-conceived track with Roc Marciano and Kendrick Lamar — total waste of talent.
But “In” unites the trio under the banner of raw lyricism. That’s the common thread, after all; Blu, Gibbs, and Boy Sand are all whirlwind rhymers. The only drawback is that they sacrifice some individuality to find a common ground. Freddie and Boy Sand can’t be as gangster or quirky as usual and still mesh. Regardless, it’s a dream lineup. The rest of the EP is dope too.
I’ve steadily ignored Atlanta rapper Donnis, but I couldn’t ignore this. The story: Crada came up with the idea to sample Mista’s “Blackberry Molasses.” Organized Noize, who produced the original, found out and swooped in to ensure the song knocked just right. Donnis deservedly boasts, “This ain’t no sample, nigga. Rico Wade on the 808s.” Hopefully his project Southern Lights will have more Southern soul magic like this.
Word to Mobbdeen, producer Million $ Mano did the impossible and pulled something original out of “Bumpy’s Lament” even though Dr. Dre seemed to have locked that sample away with “Xxplosive.” I love how Freddie sings a heartfelt hook about the kind of hos he’s looking for. Get the track and watch the making of here.
Wale on his Boy Meets World swag. When ML brought Wale to his first Washington Capitals game, he got really excited when we asked him about his favorite Saved by the Bell episode. Watch the video for “The MC” below for some more traditional rap video imagergy. Both off More About Nothing.
