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)

Music Log

Future/Young Thug- Super Slimey

I feel like I’ve been waiting for this for years, Young Thug and Future two of this decade's biggest and most influential rappers have been rumored to be dropping a project and have been serving plenty of IG snippets and cryptic tweets flaming those rumors for the past few months. The flows here are diverse and creative which is par for the course with these two, Thug especially shows off some vocal chops here in songs like Killed Before and Real Love. The flows here are great and it certainly has more than enough quotable lyrics (“different color diamonds I’m a peacock”), the tape can feel quite stale when listening front to back. I feel this is more to blame on production, rather than on Thug and Future themselves. I think it’s time we get some new producers working with either of the duo, so we can see what they can really do. 3/5

Lil Pump- Lil Pump

I don’t know what to think of Lil Pump, I never really cared for the proverbial “real hip hop” circle jerk but I’ll be damned if I don’t find Pump’s music mindless. It’s simple, repetitive, and there’s really not much to it. No unique flows, wordplay, or even anything particularly interesting, yet I still find it impossible not to get hype to. The album works best as a shuffle playlist then as a whole project and sometimes that’s just what you need some quality mindlessness to escape reality, or maybe even confront it. Pump might not be around for long, regardless for now I enjoy the mindlessness. *eskeetit*/5

Smokepurpp- Deadstar

There would be no Lil Pump if it weren’t for Smokepurrp, Florida based rapper/producer and Pump’s bff. One can expect the same type of mindlessness found in “Lil Pump” to be found in Deadstar and one wouldn’t be wrong. Yet there is something that makes Smokepurrp and Deadstar seem way ahead of his peers. Purpp has an excellent ear for production, the beats here bang(BANG!) not only that but Purpp can craft some very catchy melodies and flows to go with these beats. Smokepurpp is definitely one of the more talented young rappers to come out of the Soundcloud scene and I look forward to seeing drop hits in the near future. I’ve heard the cries of Purpp being a blatant biter, I don’t disagree many of his flows sound similar to his others. I really don’t care of his similar sounding styles biting has been prevalent in hip hop since its beginning whether fans want to accept it or not, regardless I want to see what Smokepurpp does next. 4/5

Thouxandbanfauni- The Ex Files

2017 has brought a plethora of rappers dropping love themed projects, we’ve had projects from Future, Young Thug, Chief Keef, and now Thouxanbanfauni. Thouxan, one of my favorite SoundCloud rappers, is one of the more technically skilled up and comers yet can also drop catchy melodies without making it feel forced or contrived. The Ex Files is where Thouxan showcases this, keeping the theme focused on past exes and failed relationships yet not veering too far into that territory as not to lose the essence of his core sound. 4/5

21 Savage/Offset/Metro Boomin- Without Warning

2017 seems to be the year of self-titled releases and collab projects, this time it being 21 Savage, Offset, and producer Metro Booming over 10 tracks. 21 is back with his sleepy-murder flow paired with the deep haunting productions of Metro Booming, much like last year’s excellent Savage Mode, but this time with special guest Offset. Keeping this tape at 10 tracks was an excellent decision, considering the production style makes the tracks blend into the next. This is what I would call a working man’s trap tape, there is really nothing to criticize yet there is nothing really fresh or intriguing about it. 3/5

Trippie Redd- Love Letter to you 2

Trippie Redd has been one of the more impressive new artist this year, his earlier 2017 tape “Love Letter to you” is one of my favorites this year. It is easy to assume that I’ve been very hyped for this project to bring me new Trippie bangers. Love Letter to you 2 doesn’t fail to deliver quality bangers, showcasing Trippie’s catchy melodies in songs like “Bustdown” and “Today”. This time around though there are a few tracks which have a more pop sound (Deadman’s Wonderland, Back of My Mind) which aren’t bad, they just aren’t my favorite tracks. While LLty1 had basically no skippable tracks for me, I find myself skipping more than 1 song on this project. 3.5/5

Music Log

Trippie Redd- A Love Letter to You

Much has been said about rapper Trippie Redd’s similarities to Lil Uzi Vert in sound, not for lack of reason my first time listening to “Love Letter to You” left me repeating said claims of “Uzi clone” when mentioning Trippie Redd. That said there is a lot more to this tape than one would think after first listen. Trippie is definitely talented, throughout the project he displays a great sense of melody and clearly has a talent for coming up with weird yet enticing yelps and screams. Melodies aren’t his only strength, showing versatility with songs like Can You Rap Like Me where Trippie drops bar after bar of that “lyrical content” so many rap fans claim is missing in today’s rap. This is a pretty good project with greats songs and some diversity, I am very interested in seeing what Trippie Redd will do next. 4/5

Wintertime – Self Titled

Not much is known about rapper/producer wintertime, his social media presence is nearly nonexistent. Wintertime’s small internet buzz comes from a few collaborations with self-proclaimed “king of the teens” Lil Yachty, and a twitter discussion with buzzing “ignorant rap” sensations Smokepurpp and Lil Pump over claims of fraudulent biting. Nonetheless Wintertime still is pretty unique yet still fits comfortably in todays “weirdo rappers” (No Troy Ave) environment. There is clearly a great use of melodies here and Wintertime’s rapping style while not technically proficient comes off as simple yet entertaining and catchy, I can already here the word “mumble rapper” stamped into his name if he ever blows up. Also, there are tons of NBA references throughout the project which is something I always need more of in rap. 4/5

Tay- K - #SantanaWorld

Tay- K has been the subject of the rap twitters for a while now with the hit song “The Race”, much of the buzz comes not from the song but from the story attached to it. I don’t care much to go into retelling that story, neither delving into any of the Free TayK talk or the severity of the crimes he’s accused of. Everything that needs to be said has probably been said by now, and frankly all I care about is the music. That said there’s not much to this tape, nothing about it stands out, the beats aren’t anything groundbreaking and Tay-k’s rapping skills don’t really bring anything new or interesting to the table. His buzz currently is growing and I can imagine this tape was rushed to capitalize on said buzz, time will tell if he can actually prepare a solid concise project which can rightfully showcase whether he is good or not. There are maybe 2 or 3 bangers here that’s about it. 3/5

Youngboy Never Broke Again - AI Youngboy

Youngboy’s come-up seems to have happened so fast and it’s a testament to how hard the young rapper works. I’ve lost count as to how many projects he’s released since my initial introduction to him on 38 baby. New Orleans has a long history of great rappers with a long rap sheet, Youngboy is no different. One can only hope these legal problems are mere accusations and don’t deter another promising young rapper career (especially one from the NOLA, RIP BTY Youngn). This tape is great, Youngboy while handling his own as a rapper can also deliver some catchy hooks, and present some pretty emotional tracks which can be surprising coming from a 17-year-old. He shows a lot of promise and his work ethic is unmatched even by today’s standards, I have very little doubt by the time I post this he would have already dropped another project. 3/5

Lil Uzi Vert- Luv is Rage 2

2016 was an interesting and prolific year for Uzi Vert, he became a big name after dropping 4 projects (Luv is Rage 1 dropped in 2015 but its impact was mostly felt throughout 2016) all containing quality bangers. Uzi’s wave coming into 2017 was overwhelming, his mega hit XO Tour Life dominated streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. Yet unlike his 2016 year, 2017 was not a very prolific year. I’ve been anxiously waiting for this project yet in all honestly the hype was all for nothing, this is not a bad album, its Uzi being Uzi which is what you would want from an Uzi project. Yet nothing here really grabs your attention for long the production is pretty good, yet it never really feels like Uzi is doing anything great with it. The bottom point is not one song comes to being as catchy and undeniable as his other hits like XO Tour Life or You Was Right. 3/5

Movie Log

Kong: Skull Island

The original King Kong was released all the way back in 1933, since then there have been 3 different reboots (to my knowledge). I distinctly remember watching each of these versions, the original in an old VHS tape my grandparents owned in my childhood, the 1970s version through sporadic TV reruns, and the 2006 version featuring Jack Black and a licensed video game I enjoyed more than I should’ve. This new Kong is part of Legendary films new “Monsterverse” canon, sharing a connection with 2014’s Godzilla. Ironic because much like 2014’s Godzilla, there’s not a lot to this film. It’s nice to get a different Kong story instead of the traditional “Kong travels to NY” story. Yet it’s never enough to make this movie feel fun, it all feels like a dud, a monstrous dud.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2

Guardians of the Galaxy was a pleasant surprise when I saw it in theaters, I enjoyed it so much I called it the best sci-fi film to come out in 2016(take that Chewbacca). The characters are fun, the dialogue is entertaining, and the special effects and costumes look amazing. Marvel would seem to have the easiest job in coming up with a sequel, repeat the same formula, this time with known characters and personalities, and rake in the cash. That’s pretty much what Marvel does with Guardians 2. The special effects look amazing with vibrant colors and interesting designs for different types of aliens yet nothing here really blows me away.  Kurt Russell as Ego was a great choice and the way it was executed was something I particularly liked from this sequel. An enjoyable film just don’t expect it to be a life changing sci fi epic, or even better than the original Guardians.

Aliens Covenant

It seems Xenomorphs needed to be stuffed as quick as possible into the Prometheus story, I understand why yet I can’t help feel that this film is somehow a rushed project. While not a huge fan of Prometheus I would’ve like to see that story keep developing without going into full blown Alien story territory. The cast was solid with great performances from Danny McBride and a stand out Michael Fassbender. Ridley Scott continues to be a master of cinematography when it comes to shooting sci fi films, with breathtaking views hinged with a bit of uneasiness and classic Alien series claustrophobia. Despite all the great qualities in the film, it still feels like a retread of “Aliens” plot. There is nothing fresh to this film and overall it with a bit feeling of staleness to this series overall.

The Founder

Seeing Michael Keaton in an abundance of films lately is something that brings me great joy. As a huge fan of his it’s nice to see him bring his quirkiness to characters throughout different films. The Founder is no different for Keaton, this time portraying McDonalds “founder” Ray Kroc. Keaton is amazing in the role, grasping full attention of every scene he is in, which is pretty much the whole movie. The film seems to drag a bit at the end with some less developed characters, yet Keaton’s performance as Kroc is more than enough to make this an entertaining flick.