Music Log April 2018

Lil Yachty- Lil Boat 2

Remember when Lil Yacthy was known as “that dude with the red hair”, it’s wild that Trippie Redd has supplanted him off that position.  It’s been around 2 years since Lil Yachty first blew into the scene, seeming like an heir to the “killed hip hop” stamp put upon a new rapper every calendar year. Not much has changed since then, yet certainly time has passed. Here we are in the year of our lord 2018 where Lil Yacthy, seeming to recapture that spark of youthful & creative energy found in the original Lil Boat mixtape, drops his latest project “Lil Boat 2”. While the original mixtape didn’t break any new ground, it had a sort of youthful air about it with its video game inspired (sometimes not even inspired more like ripped straight out of) instrumentals and the newness of Yacthy’s Meatwad-esque voice.  In place of that solid instrumentation found in the original, here it is swapped for a more current palette from talented producers like Pierre Bourne, Southside, DJ Durrell and others which while not bad can certainly feel stale in the current rap atmosphere. This staleness honestly feels much worse because of the lack of energy displayed by Yacthy throughout the project, not one verse stands out and every guest verse outshines his on every single track. A generic project shouldn’t necessarily be bad, but I wouldn’t even consider this project generic I would rather call it so damn stale it’s rotten. 2/5

Yung Bans- Yung Bans Vol 4

Solid rookie Yung Bans comes through with a new 6 (!) track project capitalizing on his steadily rising buzz. There’s not much left for me to say about Yung Bans that I didn’t already say in my previous Yung Bans Appreciation Post™ (with playlist!). Everything here is par for the course what you would expect from an average Soundcloud rapper project, decent production, catchy hooks and a couple guest features from a few nobodies (and Lil Yacthy). This project feels like Yung Bans had a few throwaways he decided to release just to keep his name buzzing until he decides to release his mainstream debut. While not all that impressive id still keeps an eye on what Bans plans to do next. 3/5

XXX Tentacion- ?

You either love him or you stan him, Internet weenie sensation XXX Tentacion is back with his newest project “?”. Last years “17” was one of my favorite projects of the year because of its short length and cohesive track list, and for some reason X decides to go the complete opposite with around 18 tracks featuring a myriad of styles and no real cohesion. But alas we are in the year 2018, year of the streaming numbers, things like “cohesion” and a “track by track” flow are stupid things of the past and these artists need these damn plaques, how else can they quantify their own clout? There’s a little bit of everything here and it really showcases X’s versatility, there’s depressive sing-songy X, Punk-rap (eww) aggressive screaming X, rappity-rap X, and even a Spanish X (which I like to call “Equis”). There are certainly a few gems here depending on your taste, more than enough for one to consider this a pretty good project. The only problem is that is all scatter brained and feels more like a playlist than an actual project. But hey it’s got a scene stealing Matt OX feature and could we really ask for any more? 3.5/5

6ix9ine- Day 69: Graduation Day

The king of NY, and his patented brand of trolling have finally given the world a debut project and I can safely say its not bad. Mr. Nine displays a certain energy that while certainly not unmatched, comes off as quite peculiar and definitely stick to the brain. While enjoyable there is really not much to say about this tape if you’ve heard his most popular tracks, Keke, Kooda, Gummo, Wombo (I made one of those up, guess) then you’ve pretty much heard this tape in it’s entirety. And while that sounds like a diss, it’s not 6ix9ine’s music works best in short bursts, and for the time being it’s quite entertaining. 3.5/5

Music Log

Lil Skies- Life of a Dark Rose

I can already see the hate emanating from a few readers as they see another “Lil Rapper” embroidered with face tats, and that’s okay hate if you must, just hear me out. Lil Skies is a pop rapper, he makes easy breezy songs that are catchy and fun. If you come into this album expecting that you will be pleasantly surprised. There isn’t really a bad spot on this album, at 14 tracks the album is a fun smooth listen filled with catchy hooks, sappy bars (sappy bars>>>>), and some pretty good 2018 production. 4/5

Quavo/Travis Scott- Huncho Jack

Another month another rapper collab tape, this time is the long awaited(?) Quavo & Travis Scott tag team. This one had been rumored all the way back in late 2016, when Bad and Boujee was everywhere and people were giving credit to Donald Glover for its boost in popularity(lmao). Yes 2016 was trash, and this mixtape is pretty close to trash too. There’s nothing here really interesting, save a for a few quality instrumentals. Quavo and Travis just drone on in autotuned (this is proof there can be such a thing as too much autotune) lifeless “verses”, not once saying something remotely interesting. This is a dud and much like a lot of other collab tapes will probably be forgotten soon. 2/5

Moneybag YO/ NBA Young boy- Fed Baby’s

The hardest working young man in rap, NBA Youngboy joins forces with the also prolific Moneybag Yo. Moneybag has been dropping constant tapes throughout the past few years, showcasing his nice flow and delivery and an aura of experience not really seen in most of his contemporaries (mostly because they are all barely 20+ years old. I enjoyed this collab tape almost as much as Super Slimey, yet I felt it sort of dragged on at some certain points. Contrary to popular belief there is such a thing as too much NBA Youngboy and you can feel it throughout this tape, the same could be said for Yo yet his verses usually feature some clever wordplay or humor to keep me entertained. At 14 tracks Fed Baby’s isn’t overly long, but some of these tracks could’ve been left off and you would’ve had collab tape of the year right there. Regardless, this tape is fun you just need to remove the filler. 3/5

Gunna- Drip Season 3

YSL records upstart Gunna drops his yearly Drip Season tape for the 3^rd year in a row, and contrary to his past iterations, I’m paying attention now. Gunna can seem like a Young Thug clone, that’s pretty much what he is at the core, but he seems to be coming onto his own in this tape. He flows throughout the tape in fun and creative ways in a smooth sing songy flow that seems oh-so smooth (it drips). In all honesty Drip Season 3 strengths lie in its solid features and great beat selection. Gunna keeps things interesting throughout this tape with some of the best instrumentals I’ve heard in rap tape this year (so far) and has just enough solid features to keep things fresh from track to track. It would be nice to see if Gunna can become a better writer and make his verses a bit more interesting but for now this is a solid tape, and the YSL records rapper has definitely grabbed my attention. 3/5

Chief Keef- Dedication

22-year-old rap game OG, Chief Keef dropped around 5 projects last year of all varying quality and styles. Dedication, his last tape of 2017 and quite possibly his best serves as solid reminder of why the young rapper has been so influential in most of today’s most popular artist. Contrary to his earlier and personal favorite, Thot Breaker, Dedication is a strictly rapping project. Keef flexes his variety of flows throughout the project, keeping things interesting while way more polished than his previous tapes. Straight bangers are offered throughout this tape which is always pretty common place in Chief Keef’s music, yet with a more polished and focused effort, which definitely pays off. Thot Breaker continues to be my favorite project of his from last year, but Dedication definitely closes a solid year for the already rap game OG Chief Sosa. I say all that to say this: “The beat on Kills is the hardest thing of all 2017 and Keef never fails to flex on hard beats” 4/5

YUNG BANS APPRECIATION POST (w PLAYLIST!)

It’s already that time of the year where a bunch of new rappers seemingly come out of nowhere with buzzing singles and tasteless face tats. While there have been plenty of new rappers who have caught my attention in this first month of 2018, none seem to intrigue me more than *young* Atlanta upstart, Yung Bans. Bans at first listen doesn’t really seem much different to his contemporaries, if left judged by his lyrics one wouldn’t think much of him. Yet to judge Bans by just his lyrics would be ignoring his sleepy sing-songy flow that seems so damn effortless, so smooth. If the world where a fair place his song Right Through You would be held in some type of museum. While very young, it’s easy to see Yung Bans potential throughout his slew of loose tracks in Soundcloud. I’ve made a playlist of some of my favorite tracks too share with all you fools who haven’t hopped on the Bans wave. And if you are steady watching like I am, you probably already know Bans is up for a big 2018.

Splash Tapes Top 10 Project List Thing

End of the year lists are stupid, yes, I am aware, but if I ever want to be taken serious(?) by the Internet music zeitgeist I need to play the game baby. So here it is a list of my top 10 projects of the year (with numbers!) and also as a bonus, a list of projects I liked but didn’t really want to think about placing them within numerical ranking nonsense. Hipster pettiness aside here it is the SplashTapes(trademark)-end-of-the-year-because-everybody-else-does-it-list.

10. Kendrick Lamar- Damn

Internet nerd’s favorite rapper dropped an album this year and it sold well (MORE THAN DRAKE!). Kendrick having successful album sales is something I thought would bring me joy, not because I’m one of those internet Kendrick stands(eww). It’s more due to the fact that I thought I would never have to hear the phrase or variation of “real hip hop doesn’t sell”. Nevertheless, I was wrong, I still hear it word to Lil Pump Gucci Gang haters. Kendrick is good, at rapping words. I don’t know what else to say, I guess you can play this album backwards, or buy the special edition which comes with the track list in reverse.

9.Goldlink- At What Cost

While this is a great album and I look forward to more Goldlink in my life, this deserves a spot in the list just off the strength of Crew. Yes, Crew is better than Kendrick’s whole album.

8.Tyler the Creator- Scum Fuck Flower Boy

It’s nice to see how much Tyler’s subject matter has changed over the years, his growth from Bastard to SFFB has been interesting and I’m always interested to see what he’s doing next. Scum Fuck was definitely an improvement over his former album, Cherry Bum. While I enjoyed this album, I honestly feel that Tyler will one day drop a classic project but this one just isn’t it. Hopefully he doesn’t lose interest in music and become a perpetual “cool guy” a la ASAP Rocky.

7.Trippie Redd- Love Letter to You

Trippie Redd is annoying, he starts stupid IG beefs, looks like a human sized Good Guy doll, and has unhealthy obsession with the number 14. On a side note doesn’t it seem weird that some new rappers are embracing numbers lately? I would’ve never guessed numerology to be prevalent in hip hop word to Tekashi and his horrible 69 face tats, I digress. Trippie Redd is the new and groomed Soundcloud superstar, already primed for a huge 2018 following cosigns from the likes of Travis Scott, Drake, and Lil Wayne among others. So, if you’re like me and find Trippie annoying, then brace for a heavy 2018 filled with loud yelps and the number 14. Petty whining aside Love Letter to You, LLtY for short, is one of the projects I kept coming back to in 2017 consistently. Trippie is very versatile, he can hit you with bangers, love songs, and even rappity rap spiritual miracle BARS. He shows it all in LLtY, and clearly knows how to make a good song. I can see him becoming huge maybe even boring very fast, regardless Love Letter to You is indeed, good.

6. Migos- Culture

Migos are the culture, at this point no one really argues that. They are pretty much everywhere in 2017 and everything that could be said about this album has been said, so I’ll keep it short. It’s good, I like it, and Big on Big being the best song is basically undisputable. Also, Takeoff “won” this album lest not forget that.

5.Smokepurpp- Deadstar

2017 has been the year where the “soundcloud rapper” strikes back, gone are the days of the term being used as demeaning or indicative of struggle. There has been a lot of quality music released throughout the streaming service along with a large group of new stars. Deadstar to me seems like the perfect capsule of this soundcloud scene. Smokepurpp along with Ronny J captures the prevalent sounds in underground/internet rap today and showcases them all in this project with songs barely reaching the 2-minute mark. Honestly, it’s this simplicity that kept me coming back to Deadstar, aside from the excellent production which at times sounds like a horror movie score. While other rappers are busy taking their stupid raps seriously, Smokepurpp indulges in his stupid raps all while ingulfed in a druggy haze and keeping everything short, sweet, and to the point. That’s project of the year material right there. Also, someone please give Ronny J some type of award.

4.Future & Young Thug- Super Slimey

You know trap production is getting tiring when upon my first few listens of Future and Young Thug album it felt boring. Instrumentals on Super Slimey aren’t outright bad it’s just the rapping is so good I really want to hear it on something other than (mostly) Southside beats. My gripes aside, Future and Thug shine bright in this, it really shows how far ahead of other rappers they are, stretching words until they sound like brand new ones, switching flows mid song with ease, dropping catchy melodies in bunches, dropping amazing verses while sounding so sick and hoarse one would assume Future was dying. There aren’t many others doing it better than these two, a fact that’s pretty much undeniable once you step out and see how much they have already influenced rap.

3.Sahbabii- Sandas

At first glance it can be so easy to dismiss Atlanta rapper/crooner/baby-thugger Sahbabii as just another Atlanta rapper gene spliced from the DNA of recent stars like Young Thug and Future. One isn’t even wrong in that assumption, Sahbabii sounds nearly identical to a Barter 6/ Rich Gang leaks era Thugger to the point it actually was off putting to me at first. That being said, SANDAS at 12 tracks, SLAPS. Songs like Marsupial Superstar, King of the Jungle, Purple Ape have been in steady rotation for me throughout the entire year. On one hand I can see how many can call this tape derivative, but there is definitely something here that sets SANDAS apart from others. Sahbabii’s catchy melodies, memorable quotes (“how you suck dick but don’t eat string beans?”), and occasional zoological reference set Sah’ apart from some of his peers.  If there is one thing I am excited for in the coming year(s), it’s to see what Sahbabii can evolve into once he takes this sound and molds it into his own thing. Much like Young Thug did molding Lil Wayne’s sound into his own creative entity. Play this tape in your car or with some quality headphones and shut the fuck up while enjoying these celestial melodies.

2.Future- HNDRXX

Finally, the world has brought us the Future album where he sings. I feel as if I’ve been waiting for this ever since I first heard Pluto, specifically Turn of the Lights. Hearing Future croon about past, present and future (intended) love woes is the welcome change we have all needed. Don’t get me wrong I’ve loved most of what Future has dropped through ought his prolific 2015-2017 run, yet the full-blown love album is something he’s never done in his career and is sorely needed. Future excels in HNDRXX drowning the sweet pop productions with his heavy vocals, never quite letting one escape the foggy codeine laced underbelly in Future’s music. HNDRXX brings a pop sound to Future’s world and not the other way around, that is what keeps me coming back to it rather than discarding it as I would any other pop/ radio friendly album. “Before I tell a lie won’t tell you nothing” Future belches out in the intro track “My Collection”, a smooth sounding intro with pulsating bass where Future reminds us that even though this is his “love album” you are in his world just a part of his collection. Also Use Me is the most beautiful song of 2017 and I would’ve like to see it get more attention, nevertheless this is the future(intended) and no one really cares about anything anymore.

1.Playboi Carti- Self Titled

It took close to 2 years for Playboi Carti to drop his debut project, after gaining significant buzz without ever having released a full project. Count me amongst the elite few who consider those 2 years completely worth it because this is one of the best albums I’ve heard all year. Playboi Carti has perfected the ad-lib and has made a masterpiece where songs sometimes feel as one long running mesh of adlibs and chants dripped in so much perpetual “coolness”. ASAP Rocky, resident “cool guy”, signed Playboi Carti to his ASAP Worldwide imprint close to a year ago. Its pertinent that I mention that because Carti has achieved what we all thought ASAP Rocky would do, make cool music for cool dudes to wear cool clothes too. Unfortunately, Rocky is too busy wearing the clothes and making uninspired mid ground music covered in cool dude shine while Playboi Carti is revolutionizing the game by barely rapping, coming up with THE BEST adlibs, and carefully sprinkling them over our lord and savior Pierre Bourne’s heaven-sent instrumentals. I say all that to say this, Playboi Carti dropped album of the year.

Other stuff I liked this year:

• ·         Slime Ball 1/2 and Nudyland
• ·         Live Shyne Die and UnotheActivist feats.
• ·         Wintertime (all the time 365)
• ·         This Old Dog
• ·         Benny Sings- Art
• ·         That Drake song with Black Coffee and Jorja Smith
• ·         Young Thug feature verses
• ·         Ele A el dominio
• ·         Almighty feature verses
• ·         Lil Peep (RIP)
• ·         Dua Lipa
• ·         Havana (oh nana)
• ·         Cardi B
• ·         SZA’s CTRL
• ·         Milo’s Who Told You to Think
• ·         Soulja Boy IG beefs
• ·         17
• ·         Thouxanbanfauni
• ·         Tay k’s Santana World
• ·         Tame Impala’s Currents
• ·         Kodak Black
• ·         BBB
• ·         Ronny J beats
• ·         Smino’s BLKSWN
• ·         NBA Youngboy 2017 output
• ·         Bad Bunny
• ·         Ozuna, also our lord and savior
• ·         Chief Keef 2017 output especially Dedication and Thot Breaker
• ·         Street rappers making love albums
• ·         Beautiful Thugger Girls was great albeit not my favorite Thug album and also shame on 300 or Thug himself for not dropping more videos for the bundle of potential hits in that album (RELATIONSHIP)
• ·         Bandcamp artist (ILY)