A$AP Ferg links with his Harlem OG for some brand new heat off Ferg’s album Still Striving.
AN OPEN LETTER TO DONALD TRUMP By Wynne
Hailing from Portland, Oregon (another one!), 20-year-old Wynne (imagine a young Margo Robbie with bars) surprised me with this incredibly thoughtful and heartfelt rhyme addressing a whole host of issues swirling around our country and its fugazi President. I’m just going to go on record saying that Portland and the surrounding area are churning out soulful, interesting artists by the dozen and you’d be a fool not to be paying attention because Portland is definitely up next. As for Wynne herself, she describes her style as “Kendrick Lamar with a feature from Julie Andrews”…and if that doesn’t pique your interest, I’m not sure what will.
BROWN PAPER BAG THOUGHTS By DJ Clue Featuring Raekwon
Growing up on the west coast, DJ Clue and Funkmaster Flex’s respective album series were my first introduction to the mixtape format. When I went to DC for college, I began actually collecting the more consistent street tapes by Clue, Kay Slay, Flex, and others. Dj Clue’s The Professional remains an album I hold dear for several performances on it. On “Brown Paper Bag Thoughts”, Raekwon floats over a sinister track while DJ Clue somehow improves the record by screaming incessantly in the background.
SLOW DOWN By Dave East Featuring Jazzy Amra
Dave East drops the visuals for the cautionary jam “Slow Down” featuring vocalist Jazzy Amra. This is from last year’s outstanding Kairi Chanel album.
NEGUS by Sean Price & DOOM
Sean Price’s Imperius Rex, which is newly out this week, is quite the fitting farewell to the late MC. I’ve got to admit, though, that I thought the album version of “Negus” featuring Ike Eyez and DOOM was ab it awkward. I was really looking forward to hearing DOOM and P on this one, but Eyez’ verse smack in the middle broke up the chemistry in a way that just didn’t make sense. Sean and DOOM are more than enough of an event together for there to be another verse. The song is also being released as part of DOOM and Adult Swim’s The Missing Notebook Rhymes project, and this version is short an MC.
CRUSH ON YOU (Remix/Video) By Maliibu Miitch
Aspiring rappers used to rap over tried and true classic instrumentals in order to pay dues and show off their skills. In that spirit, Maliibu Miitch has apparently put a 2017 spin on that with a whole series of videos paying homage to female MCs like Lauryn Hill (“Doo Wop”), Eve (“Who’s That Girl”), Foxy Brown (“Gotta Get You Home With Me”), and Li’l Kim on this one. If you remember the “Crush On You” video, it was an event: wigs, furs, and all kinds of sass. Maliibu Mitch keeps the sass and tones it down for her own minimalist vibe here in her own version of “Crush On You”. I don’t know how old she is, but I’m feeling like NYC circa 1996 right now and that’s always a good thing, as long as the result doesn’t sound dated. I’ll definitely be looking out for more of her work in the near future.
PROACTIVE By Wes Wax Featuring The Last Artful, Dodgr & Juicebox
Producer Wes Wax enlisted The Last Artful Dodgr and JUICEBOX three years ago for this jazzy banger. Wax also has some pretty dope music over on Soundcloud, so be sure to show your support over there, because it won’t be possible to find little gems like this if they’re not on your favorite streaming services. #SaveSoundcloud
THE 3 LYRICAL Ps By Sean Price Featuring Prodigy & Styles P
Days in advance of his post-humous Imperius Rex release (one of the best album titles ever if you know the science), we get Sean Price along with the late Prodigy and Styles P over a minimalist Harry Fraud track. If you were looking for something to Nae Nae to, this is not it, fam. Pre-order the album and cop other merchandise over at Duck Down.
Rare Footage: Me reading the tracklist for Imperius Rex:
HORROR SHOW By DJ Shadow Featuring Danny Brown
DJ Shadow teams up with Danny Brown for another joint off of the DJ’s brand new The Mountain Has Fallen EP, which also features “Systematic” with Nas, that ice-cold surprise banger featured at the end of this past season of Silicon Valley‘s premiere.
ULTIMATE (BBNG SESSIONS) By Denzel Curry Featuring BADBADNOTGOOD
Denzel Curry breaks bread with BADBADNOTGOOD for an incredible live session, complete with psychedelics.