Don’t Miss This! Vol. 12 – Skulls, Headstocks and Percocet
2015 is doing much better than its predecessor when it comes to hip hop. The first semester had bombs dropping from Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Earl Sweatshirt, Czarface, Death Grips and Joey Badass, all of which are worthy of your time. For reviews of the latest Death Grips, Rocky and Czarface you can refer to our round-ups of some of the best records this year has offered us. Just stab here & here.
In this post, I want to talk about the goodie goodies that either just dropped or that I just found out. Stay with me.
Shahmen – All In The Circle
This record is dark. The production is minimalistic, consisting mainly of boom-bap beats updated with some eerie odds and trinkets here and there. The key element here is how Bless’ gravely voice intertwines with the low end sounds of the LP. His voice is deep and resembles that of an adult Tyler, The Creator, with an intricate flow and grown-up lyrical content. Many of the songs steer clear from the traditional verse/chorus/verse structure and last less than 3 minutes – an approach that grants this record a unique feel in today’s landscape.
This album popped up on my Spotify recommendations, and I slept on it for a while. After our very own Ron Deuce told me it was good, I finally decided to check it out. Man, I was violating. For those of you who yearn for that 90s NY rap, this record is for you. I’m talking Illmatic-era Nas, that old Wu-Tang feel in both beats & flow. The production in this EP is so smooth and satisfying, I’d gladly cop both the real thing and an instrumental version. Luckily, it’s up for grabs on the dude’s Soundcloud page. FFO: late night drives, bass lines, Timbs and Bally boots.
Future – Dirty Sprite 2
I never really got into Future. Even though Honest was wildly successful with fans and critics alike, it didn’t resonate with me. DS2 feels completely different. From the album starter “Thought It Was A Drought” – already my most played song of the year – to “Fuck Up Some Commas”, it becomes evident that the record straddles a line between introspection and the turn-up. This line, however, is often blurried, and you can sense an uneasy, human quality underneath the calm and collected rapper. In a year of strenuous work, family matters and a constantly neglected personal life, often times one resorts to alcohol and other substances for comfort, confidence. It seems that Future is doing the same. Healthy? Probably not. But it was just what I needed to hear this year.
2015 has been a great year for hip hop heads.
