Rapper Big Pooh - Sleepers

Released: February 8, 2005

So out of everybody in Little Brother, I've been through a solo project from 2 of the members on this blog. I reviewed Connected back in 2015, a project from Phonte and producer Nicolay as the duo The Foreign Exchange. I reviewed 9th Wonder's Dream Merchant series just last Summer. But what about Rapper Big Pooh and his solo shit?

Although not really the star of the trio, Rapper Big Pooh is definitely not to be slept on. He definitely has his great moments on Little Brother songs, whether it's "Cross That Line" or "Tension", and he can certainly snap on beats when he's solo. In fact, he got a more consistent discography than Phonte (especially if we're not counting Te's Foreign Exchange work), dating all the way back to Sleepers, which is today's topic.

Recorded from late 2003 to November 2004, Sleepers served as Pooh's debut, coming a year after The Foreign Exchange's Connected and around the same time 9th Wonder released the first volume of The Dream Merchant. The 14-track album features production mainly from 9th and Khrysis, with Median, Joe Scudda, Phonte, O-Dash, Spectac and Murs providing guest verses.
Yes, Big Pooh isn't the best rapper out, of course, and was a little inferior when rapping with Phonte on Little Brother joints, but Sleepers is a nice 45-minute showcase of the fact that the Virginia native can really hold his own without his partner's presence, as he builds his chemistry with rappers like Joe Scudda & O-Dash over 9th Wonder and Khrysis production. The album title definitely does reflect most of the content, just some soulful shit to vibe out to, preferably during late nights. The album follows a theme of both insomnia and needing to wake up, with movie skits playing here and there throughout the project.

For me, the only forgettable track on Sleepers is the opening track "I Don't Care", my least played song and I always forget how it goes. No pun intended, but I actually didn't care about that song. But as soon as we get into "The Strongest Man", that's when the album gets real consistent from start to finish. Produced by the one and only 9th Wonder (and mixed by Khrysis by the way), it's a song that helps to set up the soulful knocking mood expected on the album; delivering bars such as "Got the whole game sprung, not fingers and toes/Everybody's all froze like heroin's in their nose/Addicts, I suppose say my product is lethal/My pen been compared to a hit of that diesel". Plus, it bangs hard as hell on my gym playlist, ha! "Heart of the City" is already one of the more introspective cuts on the album, as Pooh takes us on a trip to his hometown, painting a picture of the inner-city life struggle. "Just Friends" is a chill vibe, where Pooh tries to explain to a friend that he isn't looking for a relationship, and just wants to be friends with benefits. This line sums it up: "I just wanna be your friend with privileges/not talkin' on' the phone all night about, where I was or who unless we went out, don't fuss and pout/'cause you know how I do, always chill with the crew but make time for you". The song is pretty catchy, and I enjoy Pooh's delivery on his verses. Not to mention, the drums, courtesy of Khrysis, are harder than bricks.

Unlike Phonte's soulful, feel-good vibes displayed on his Foreign Exchange discography, Sleepers mainly consists of good old-fashioned hip-hop: straight bars and some good chemistry with most of the guest appearances on the album. It isn't that long into the album until Phonte jumps on a track with Rapper Big Pooh and "Every Block" is one of the funkier, feel-good joints on the album, beat courtesy of 9th Wonder. Both 'Te & Pooh deliver some solid verses, and although Phonte does his thing, Pooh slightly had the upper hand on this one, being one of his stronger Little Brother moments (yeah, I count this as a LB song even if it's on the Pooh solo project, haha).
O-Dash appears on two joints, which are some of the more introspective and personal cuts on the album. On "Live Life", Pooh, Dash & Spectac delivers some touching verses, with Pooh touching on his damaged relationship with his older brother. "My Mind" sees Darien Brockington provide a hook on the most beautiful song on the album, as Pooh & Dash rap about lost ones, whether family, friends or a partner. Dash even has his own interlude, appropriately titled "Dash's Interlude", where over Nicolay production, he provides a little 20 bar verse, which was pretty decent. "Scars" is definitely another highlight on the album as Pooh links up with Median & Joe Scudda for a slightly emotional cut to deliver some killer verses. Pooh did his thing but it's so hard for me to decide on who had a better verse between Median and Joe. Median was so amazing with his delivery, he floated hard on that beat. But Joe managed to hit deep with his verse, even letting the "Cut Me Deep" sample speak for him.

Sleepers is very notable for its production, carried heavily by 9th Wonder & Khrysis. Nicolay & Little Brother manager Big Dho both provide a beat each though. "Scars" is easily the best instrumental on the album, the way 9th chopped that Curtis Mayfield sample just amazed me. And then Rapper Big Pooh, Median & Joe Scudda's verses to top it off! "Between the Lines" is some feel good Summer type music, where Pooh keeps it simple, attempting to get his crush's attention with hints, but she's clearly not paying attention. Produced by Big Dho, "The Jungle" is basically just a sample loop, but it still remains such a smooth song on the album. The Murs- assisted cut "Now" serves as a 9th Wonder remix to an early song called "Keep the Bling", originally produced by Khrysis, and both Pooh & Murs do their thing on this joint, especially Murs. Speaking of Khrysis, he delivered hard with his production, with "Live Life" banging harder than a bitch, "My Mind" being the most beautiful song on the album and the drums on "Just Friends" hitting real good. The album finally concludes with "The Fever", where over a sombre instrumental from Khrysis, Pooh spits about him and his music being seen as the cure for the sick; coming with bars such as "They say the kid, yo it doesn't exist/I've been known to be prescripted, hand to hand to handle the fix/a contraband landed me on the list, want an issue, phlegm ripped tissue, I popped the cassette/diagnosed the disease that's been given to vets, I'm a hero outta town and come home to threats". It ends the album so calmly, adding on to the late night theme the album provides throughout.

Overall, Sleepers is a solid showcase of how well a rapper who was seen as the "weakest link" in the trio can hold his own on a full-length album for 45 minutes. No, it isn't as great as the feel-good vibes on The Foreign Exchange's Connected, and lyrically there are a lot more better moments on 9th Wonder's Dream Merchant series. And hell no, it doesn't hold up to most of Little Brother's projects from 2003-06. But Sleepers is still such a great album, consisting of good ol' regular hip-hop vibes and fire production. Pooh manages to show off much better moments solo than in LB, where most of the time, he completely pales in comparison to Phonte. But hey, at the end of the day, Pooh can still out-rap a lot of rappers. And this album is proof of that.

Recommended Tracks: "Scars", "Live Life", "My Mind", "The Strongest Man", "Now", "Heart of the City", "Between the Lines"

Playboi Carti - Die Lit

Released: May 11, 2018

In April 2017, ATL rapper Playboi Carti released his self-titled debut mixtape. The mixtape featured the hit single "Magnolia", along with the Lil Uzi Vert-assisted banger "wokeuplikethis*". Carti first got his breakthrough in 2015, with the singles "Broke Boi" and "Fetti" with Maxo Kream & Da$h getting a lot of buzz. The next year, he became an affiliate of the A$AP Mob after signing to the AWGE label, and appeared on the two volumes of the Cozy Tapes series.

Fast forward to 2018, and "Magnolia" was one of the biggest hits from last year, and fans are now waiting for his long-awaited debut ALBUM. It had been speculated by fans that he'd drop on May 11, after a number of songs started to leak. But the news came to a surprise for the rest of the mainstream audiences, when A$AP Rocky revealed Carti's album title and cover.

Die Lit serves as the 21 year-old rapper's debut album, following up his self-titled mixtape from last year. Mostly continuing the chemistry between Carti and producer/rapper Pi'erre Bourne (other producers also contribute including Maaly Raw and Don Cannon), the album is slightly longer, featuring 19 tracks with guest appearances from Skepta, Bryson Tiller, Chief Keef, Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug and more. Apart from "Magnolia", "wokeuplikethis*" and maybe "What", most of the songs I heard from Carti wasn't really hitting for me (probably because trap isn't my go-to music most of the time), and his contributions on the Cozy Tapes from A$AP Mob were annoying, pointless trash. I'll give him props for his hooks on "Walk on Water" and "Frat Rules" though. So getting to this album, I was expecting a little better after hearing my Twitter timeline gas the album up (someone even said it was top 8 AOTY so far, ha!). However, it was... meh.

However, first of all, I gotta give it up to Pi'erre Bourne, cos that guy is actually real talented, seriously. Carti is a shit rapper but the chemistry between him & Pi'erre works so well, especially with his flow and sometimes melodic styles. "Choppa Won't Miss" and "Home (KOD)" were key moments on the album, in terms of production. I can even add "Right Now". But other than that, I don't even know why I had expectations for a trap rapper that isn't even lyrical or has big substance in his music. Die Lit was mid for me. Yeah, trap music isn't my cup of tea, but even in that genre, there are times a rapper has delivered (Modern example: Travis Scott's Days Before Rodeo and Future's Monster). For an album with 19 tracks, only like 6 or 7 tracks connected, especially during first listen. As for the rest... forgettable mediocre bullshit. "Love Hurts" was a disappointing single from Carti & Travis, I expected it to bang harder than that, but it just ended up being a trash forgettable joint on the album. "R.I.P." had a decent beat but I didn't enjoy Carti on it. Only the line "Fuck that mumblin' shit, Fuck that mumblin' shit/Bought that crib for my mama off that mumblin' shit" caught my ear (not that it was a mindblowing bar or anything). So far, "Shoota" is the weakest joint from Carti & Uzi, especially after "Lookin" and "wokeuplikethis*", but it's whatever though. And "Pull Up" was average.

But enough complaining, let's get onto the good moments. Carti happens to complement most of Pi'erre's beats so well, and most of the time he doesn't even rap about shit. "Choppa Won't Miss" is my favourite song on that album, from when it leaked a few days before release and even now when on the album. The hook is catchy as hell, and I enjoyed both Carti and Young Thug's verses, especially Thug. He killed that shit, man! The intro "Long Time" started off the album pretty well, reflecting on how things have gone for him since he blew up and dropped his mixtape. Well, that was just the hook, his verse is pretty generic but the flow is nice and the beat is so great! "Right Now" is another catchy joint, and Pi'erre makes an appearance, contributing a little verse. Both of them don't only work well together as a rapper/producer combo but also together as just rappers as well. Not only is the beat is nice, but the verses are pretty enjoyable. "Home (KOD)" and "Foreign" are some other solid cuts on the album, And Carti came through with a great flow, which makes for a very catchy and memorable listen on those songs.

The features, they're OK. Some do their thing, some others were mid. Skepta happens to provide a decent contribution on "Lean 4 Real" with his flow. Pi'erre Bourne works so well with Carti as a rapper, and "Right Now" is good evidence of that. Travis Scott's contribution on "Love Hurts" was disappointing. Chief Keef on "Mileage" made for a pretty good vibe. And maybe it's my bias against Nicki, but I wasn't feeling her on "Poke It Out"; her delivery came across as very annoying and the bars didn't make it any better for me. Yes, Carti isn't any better but his style managed to get me vibing to his verse more. It could've worked better as a solo Carti song.

Overall, for the most part, Die Lit manages to succeed at what it's supposed to be: a compilation of bangers with catchy deliveries and banging production. However, for my ears, it's not that great. Just like its predecessor, it falls flat here and there, but you're able to at least find something to vibe to. It's not supposed to be a deep, lyrical album and that's OK. But most of the tracks really don't engage me enough to go back to the album too much. The main thing I can say is... nothing really, ha. It is what it is. Check the album for yourself!

Recommended Tracks: "Choppa Won't Miss", "Right Now", "Long Time (Intro)", "Home (KOD)", "Lean 4 Real", "Foreign"

Discography Review #1: Skyzoo (Phase One)

Now here's somebody I've been trying to fit in my review schedule for some time now, ever since last Summer.

I knew about Skyzoo for a while, but never really got to his music fully. I remember him being on a Boondocks mixtape, but I skimmed through all of that. At the time, the only thing I heard was his feature on Little Brother's "Speed Racin'". Plus, I went through like 1 or 2 of his tracks. But I finally found the light last Summer after listening to one of his projects, Cloud 9: The 3 Day High for the first time. I was banging him out to the point he was my top artist on Spotify.

Sitting with his discography for a good 9-10 months, Skyzoo has grown to be one of my favourite rappers right now. The Brooklyn bred rapper has improved and matured so much as a rapper, and it seems that he doesn't get enough credit for that. From spitting some hard street shit on mixtapes like The City's Favorite to reflecting on being black and preparing to be a father on In Celebration of Us, Sky really has provided a consistent discography for over a decade. And I've really been sleeping on it for so long. But hey, it gets like that for everybody.

So it's only right to go on a little journey through his discography. Sky got a big discography, so we dividing this in phases/parts. This is Phase 1, going through the projects leading up to his debut album The Salvation. Phase 2 will drop probably... Lord knows when, ha. Anyway, let's get into it... the one and only S-K-Y-Z-O-O!

The City's Favorite

Released: 2005

This ain't Skyzoo's very first project, he had a few released before. But this is the one Sky counts as the start of his discography, especially one of the projects leading to his then-forthcoming debut. Released around 2005, The City's Favorite was hosted by DJ Absolut, featuring a solid mixture of original songs and freestyles over some of the hottest songs at the time. Sky was getting a lot more buzz around this time, getting cosigns from Cam'ron, Lil Kim and the late Sean Price. This also marked some of Sky's first official work with 9th Wonder, who provided production on "Let It Bang" (which would later be on The Dream Merchant 2) and the title track standout "The City's Favorite". Khrysis also came through with a banging instrumental for "Turn It Up", which Sky absolutely RIPPED! J Dilla even got a few beats on there, as Sky raps over "History" and Zeqway jumps on "In the Streets". Can't forget !llmind, who did "Sick wit the Slang", which is such a banger, one of my favourites; and Sky did his thing as usual. Zeqway is also on "Black Out" with Sky & Torae, and all three of them murked that beat. Sky jumps on a few popular beats including 50 Cent's "Window Shopper", Rhymefest's "Brand New", Jeezy's "Go Crazy" and Kanye West's "We Major"; and he came through with the rhymes. His flow was nice as well. Overall, a solid project which showcases Skyzoo's dope lyricism and delivery over some hot beats.

Recommended Tracks: "Sick wit the Slang", "The City's Favorite", "Turn It Up", "In the Streets", "Black Out", "History"

Download here!

Cloud 9: The 3 Day High (with 9th Wonder)

Released: September 12, 2006

This one happened to be Skyzoo's breakthrough project, entirely produced by the one and only 9th Wonder (or 9th Wonderful Tunes, as Sky liked to call him). The joint project consisted of instrumentals from beat CDs 9th gave to Sky and this was apparently made in three days, hence the name "The 3 Day High". Sky & 9th show great chemistry on Cloud 9, with no features to back the Brooklyn rapper up. This was also the first project I heard from him last Summer, I couldn't stop playing it. The instrumentals on here bang so hard, and Sky was really spitting, especially on "The Spirit", "Way to Go" and "The Bodega". He even gets to storytelling on "Extreme Measures", spitting such a long verse that it's so easy to miss the story. "You & Me" is such a relaxing cut, where Sky raps about how he and his girl are meant to be together. It's your corny lovey-dovey type shit, but 9th's instrumental is so beautiful, it really complements the verses and hook really well. Yeah, overall, this is a nice project, a great prelude to his then-forthcoming album, with high replay value, dope production from 9th Wonder and hard rhymes from Sky.

Recommended Tracks: "Way to Go", "You & Me", "Bare Witness", "Live and Direct", "The Bodega", "Stop Fooling Yourself", "Mirror, Mirror"

Corner Store Classic

Released: July 19, 2007 / 2008 (iTunes remix version)

Hosted by Mick Boogie and the legendary DJ Kay Slay, Corner Store Classic was released in Summer 2007, continuing off the recognition Skyzoo gained from The City's Favorite and his joint effort with 9th Wonder, Cloud 9: The 3 Day High. Like his previous mixtape, this is another decent mixture of original joints and freestyles over old and new beats. Skyzoo did his thing over the Nutmeg instrumental for the intro. "Like a Shotgun" is OK, but doesn't compare to the original Platinum Pied Pipers song. Same with "Straighten It Out", the Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth song is too much of a classic. Skyzoo does get Torae, Zeqway & Yatta Barz over a Dilla beat for "They Don't Want It", and they ripped that. The original cuts outshines the freestyles, as usual though. Sky & Tor also link up with DJ Premier for some bangers with "Get It Done" and "Click". "Hold Tight" is an absolute banger, thanks to the chemistry between Sky & Black Milk. And "Cop 'n Go" has insane replay value, an ode to the corner stores in Brooklyn, and what they normally purchase there; Sky, Maino & Sha Stimuli really delivered some heat. Skyzoo also remixes the Jesus Price Supastar cut "You Already Know" by Sean Price, providing a new guest verse (he was originally on the hook), in which he did his thing on.

There's a retail/remix version of the mixtape, available on iTunes, that was released the following year. This compiles mainly new songs and remixes of the mixtape tracks. The remix of "Bragging Rights" sounds a lot more better than the original one, produced by Khrysis. It's a lot more hardhitting and makes it more easy to appreciate Skyzoo's verses. Sky also sounds better over the remix of "Straighten It Out", I think the tape would've worked so better if that version was on there instead of the original freestyle. Black Milk jumps on the "Hold Tight" remix, with both of them sounding so great together, as Skyzoo proclaims in an entirely new verse: "You wanted Jigga and Dilla on a track, you got it". New songs include "I Shine" and "So Close", both of which could've worked on the actual mixtape. But yeah, nonetheless, Corner Store Classic is solid, Skyzoo does his thing on most of the tracks, but just a few things could've made this mixtape hit real harder.

Recommended Tracks: "Hold Tight" (both the original and remix), "I Shine", "Bragging Rights" (preferably the remix), "Cop 'n Go", "All Over the World", "Click", "Get It Done", "They Don't Want It", "Play Your Position", "Ride Out"

Download here or check out the retail remix version down below:

The Power of Words

Released: April 17, 2009

In 2008, Skyzoo went without releasing a single project, as he was working real hard on two projects he was planning to release the following year: another mixtape and also his long awaited debut album. The Power of Words served as a prelude to Sky's debut The Salvation, which, at the time, was scheduled for a Summer release. This project also marked his signing to 9th Wonder's label Jamla Records. Hosted by DJ Drama & Statik Selektah, the mixtape was slightly different from his previous two, featuring original production throughout and no freestyles over hot/recycled beats. Skyzoo is a lot more consistent on the mixtape, with hardly any skips. "Clearer Hearing" is a dope opening to the tape, as Sky comes through with a little verse to get us going. "Bells & Whistles" is a chill yet bumping tune, shout out to !llmind; and Sky delivered with the flow and verses. "No Pretending" features some headbumping production from Khrysis, which reminds me a little of DJ Premier's sound; and Sky rips the hell outta that beat. Sky links up with Big Remo, Rapsody & GQ for the Jamla posse cut "We Are Jamla". GQ & Sky killed that song, but Rapsody was alright. "Say What You Say" is a main standout on the mixtape, as Rapper Big Pooh & Naledge guest star on the song, providing some killer verses (in my opinion, Naledge was the best outta the three). I could name all the great songs on here, but yeah, this is probably better than Corner Store Classic. A really consistent mixtape, which served nicely as a prelude to The Salvation.

Recommended Tracks: "Say What You Say", "We Are Jamla", "Bells & Whistles", "No Pretending", "We Belong", "When I Rhyme", "The Don Cheadle Effect", "Left 4 Dead", "Alphabet Soup", "Clearer Hearing"

Download here or stream below:

The Salvation

Released: September 29, 2009

After the release of The Power of Words in April 2009, Skyzoo's long-awaited debut The Salvation got pushed back for a little while, from a Summer release to an Autumn release. The album was finally released in September. Unlike the previous tapes leading up to this very album, The Salvation is a lot more personal and introspective with no guest appearances, an album Sky has been planning to drop since he started rapping at 8. Not only was Sky signed to Jamla with 9th Wonder, but also secured a deal with Duck Down Records, home of the Boot Camp Clik (Sean Price, Buckshot, Smif-n-Wessun etc). This also saw a change in Skyzoo's sound overall, as instead of just aggressive and hard tracks, Sky continued to consistently make thought-provoking material on later projects including Live from the Tape Deck, Music for My Friends and The Easy Truth.

The Salvation features many highlights, which makes for a consistent debut from the Brooklyn rapper. "The Opener" sees Sky reflect on his goals, his area changing and what he writes in his music. "The Beautiful Decay" is where Sky touches on his upbringing in New York and also the state's hip hop culture since the South Bronx decay in the 70s. The culture is a beautiful art form yet a product of a damaged environment. "My Interpretation" is such a wavey cut where Skyzoo raps about having such a feeling like you can fly away from everything. The music video is a solid complement to the song too. "Under Pressure" is another relationship joint from Sky & 9th Wonder, with Sky dedicating the song to his other half, as he raps about wanting to be the best man and being under pressure while doing so. "For What It's Worth" is about Sky trying to make the most out of his life, but feels that time is slowly running out. "The Necessary Evils" is a powerful storytelling joint where Sky delves into the life of a hustler/drug dealer, and how you can make a lot of money out of this. This album is consistent with the content and production, and Skyzoo really delved deep into his life for a lot of great songs; hardly any weak moments. Overall, the best project out of the bunch so far.

Recommended Tracks: "For What It's Worth", "My Interpretation", "The Beautiful Decay", "Metal Hearts", "Easy to Fly", "Penmanship", "The Shooter's Soundtrack", "Dear Whoever", "The Necessary Evils"

Buddy & KAYTRANADA - Ocean & Montana

Released: May 19, 2017

When I first checked out Buddy and his music last year, I didn't have a great first impression on his debut project Idle Time. There was like one or two great songs on there, but the rest of the mixtape was just forgettable grade A mid! The 24 year old Compton rapper/singer (real name Simmie Sims) was discovered by the legendary Pharrell when he was 18, starting to work with him on new music. 2014 was the release of Idle Time, and I didn't like it. The two EPs he released last year, on the other hand... yup, this was it.

For now, let's focus on the first of those two, Ocean & Montana. We'll get onto Magnolia another time. Buddy linked up with Haitian-Canadian producer KAYTRANADA for this project, consisting of 5 tracks. Now I rate Kay heavily. His funky electronic sound has made hip-hop and R&B shift so much further, providing some dope production on upbeat Summer jams like GoldLink's "Meditation", The Internet's "Girl", Mick Jenkins' "Your Love" and Anderson .Paak's "Lite Weight". His 2016 debut album 99.9% was such a solid effort, featuring contributions from notable names such as Syd, Craig David, Phonte, Karriem Riggins and Vic Mensa. Now with this project? More fire production to add to his resumé. The whole project just screams SUMMER so much, you would've wished it was longer than just simply 5 tracks. Damn, at least somewhere between 6 and 10.

Ocean & Montana is just a 17-minute crash course, which is creative as hell and showcases some great chemistry between Buddy and the Haitian-Canadian electronic/hip-hop producer. You would've thought Kay was carrying this project heavy, but Buddy comes through with some wavey flows, catchy hook and some dope verses. Their sounds both seem to mesh so well, and it makes this project have so much replay value, even when it ain't the Summer.
The EP starts off with "Find Me", a relaxing opener when Buddy raps about spending his time smoking and drinking all by himself, as he hopes for someone to find him and love him. He also reflects on his family's words, rapping "My sister say I'm changing a lot/Someone by the water finally made it straight outta Compton/Father calling me like 'Son we hardly see you at all, Yeah I know you out here shining but you can't do it all by yourself'". While it features some reflective content, it still remains a nice and ambient cut you can easily vibe to. The second song "Guillotine" is my favourite song on the EP, and the one I play the most. Buddy delivers a hook which is a homage to the OutKast song "SpottieOttieDopaliscious", and his two verses are solid as usual, with a confident flow and a catchy bridge to make this song what it is.

"World of Wonders" is a chill and relaxing Summer tune, with a tropical Afrobeat/dancehall style added to it. Interpolating Nelly's "Flap Your Wings", there's nothing much to it other than Buddy singing and coming with a feel good vibe. "A Lite" continues the feel good, relaxing Summer vibes, as Buddy gets in the mood to smoke and party. "Love or Something" is such a great two-stepper, and a nice way to end the EP. It's probably my favourite song on the EP, with them feel good vibes. The hook is real catchy as usual, and it's been in my head so much recently. Buddy's verses were cool, and his flow was tight, but KAYTRANADA's instrumental is the golden part of this song. Makes you wish there was more songs.

Overall, Ocean & Montana is a solid body of work. It's such a wavey vibe from start to finish, suitable for the Summer. Buddy & KAYTRANADA really have some chemistry, and these 5 songs leave you wanting a lot more from them. Their sounds mesh so damn well! Buddy is now prepping for his upcoming debut album, likely dropping sometime this year. Hopefully, he and Kay link up again for some more wavey and laidback joints.

Recommended Tracks: EVERYTHING, including "Guillotine" and "Love or Something"

The Selects #1: Knucks

It was around November last year, I was scrolling through Twitter, where one guy I followed was sharing some music from an artist by the name of Knucks, and how he was starting to become his "favourite rapper overnight". The way he was sharing and tweeting about him, I decided to check the rapper's music out... and I was impressed.

Hailing from Kilburn, North West London, Knucks is a rapper/producer with a pretty versatile style in the UK rap scene, blending UK rap elements with jazzy and soulful vibes from the States. Originally dabbling in Grime at a young age, he started to get into the UK rap sound after being sent to boarding school in Nigeria. The 24 year-old artist is known to use a lot of vintage/old school soul samples for his songs, chopping them up with trap-style drums. He also has a movement #NoDaysOff, which is his opening tag for most of his songs. In 2014, Knucks released his Nas-inspired debut tape, Killmatic, which included the song "Told You" (which premiered as a music video on SBTV later in 2015). But throughout 2016 and 2017, Knucks has been making a lot of waves as GRM Daily & SBTV were premiering his videos, with songs like "Breakfast at Tiffany's", "Vows" and "Frostbite" getting a decent amount of views & plays on SoundCloud, YouTube and streaming services. Blogs & magazines were putting him on articles, expecting him to be the next one to blow and all that. And it seems he might continue to have another good year, he even dropped a single with Not3s earlier this month, and it sounds wavey as usual.

Knucks has yet to drop another full-length project though, and everything he's been dropping post-Killmatic have been singles and SoundCloud loosies. So I decided to take my time to go through some of the singles he has dropped throughout the past 2-3 years, whether they're on Spotify, SoundCloud or YouTube. This is the start of a new series on this blog called The Selects. where I go through the loose singles and throwaways of a particular artist, and select a few of them to share my thoughts on. Let's go!

[NOTE: The song titles are underlined with the link for you guys to listen.]

Breakfast at Tiffany's
Had to start with this one. Released in June 2016, and named after the book and film of the same name, this single happened to be his breakthrough cut, and I love it so much. Knucks' flow is A1 on this one, and he floats over the beat like it's nothing. The beat is fire as hell too, and Knucks flipped that soul sample so well, the drums are hella solid. He delivers with the hook, it's a real catchy one and I enjoyed his verses heavy. Something you can easily vibe out to, a certi tune.

The Jump
Now this is the one, the type of shit you can play while you riding out through the night. Knucks samples another laidback soul song as usual, and the beat bangs so hard. His lyricism throughout his 2 verses are decent, sliding in a Roll Safe reference ("Mandem say they swagga bad but I don't see it too tough/Ith's kinda mad cause all I see is bootcuts"). And the way he kicked off the song was dope as hell, I loved those first two bars ("Boo yah, brand new like Grand Puba/Mr Big Kahuna talk the panties of a chula"). The hook is dope as hell, and it's where I enjoy the flow a lot, with references to Trump & Chris Martin/Coldplay. Such an enjoyable cut, definitely my favourite out of his singles!

Frostbite
Aight, so this was taken from the GRM Daily compilation The Shortlist, which features a line up of UK rappers who are happening to get some buzz at the moment. And this song was pretty decent. Knucks uses a sample that doesn't sound too old-school ish, but still keeps the ambient and chill vibes. He comes through with a nice flow, especially around the hook and the beat knocks as usual. His verses are also solid, rapping about how he worked hard to get to where he's at now, and showing off how cold his bars are.

Big Kahuna (Freestyle)
Back to the laidback soul sample beats now. But here, Knucks lays off the sing-song flow, delivering two verses with no hook. It's kinda an introspective track, which, at the time, saw him reflecting on the old days, touching on how lowkey he can be and his authenticity in his music. He ends his last verse, looking forward for the coming year (which, since he released this around Summer 2016, was 2017). This one was really a wavey one, another song where Knucks came through, as usual.

Cannes (feat. WizzyWow)
Knucks delivers one long verse, and unlike the rest of his tracks, producer/singer WizzyWow is on the boards providing the heat, so the use of soul samples isn't here as usual. At first, Knucks does his usual content, showing off about how he came up and gained fans. Wizzy contributes some background vocals around the middle of the track, and then... the beat switch came up, changing the mood up as Knucks raps about ties he's wants to leave behind and trying to keep his pride. It's a dope song, with a banging Summer vibe, but also an introspective feeling like "Big Kahuna".

Vows
One of Knucks' most recent tracks, which premiered on GRM Daily around the end of last year. Knucks flips another soul sample, but switches his drums up to more of a UK drill style, and it delivers, especially with the bass. His flow is real enjoyable on this one, and he floats over the beat with his verses like it's nothing. The sample is heavenly too. And the music video definitely complements great with the song, especially having the model and all that.

Turnover
A slower and soulful joint from Knucks, compared to the rest that I reviewed. The type of shit to vibe out to when it's dark. His verses on here are great, and the vibe is strong. I enjoy the beat heavy, probably my favourite beat out of all the songs I've reviewed. And his flow is so relaxing, he really floated all over that beat. Whole song is so slow and laidback.

Cake
Knucks is actually known to drop some new music around his birthday (which is in November). First "21 Candles" in 2015, then "From Rome, With Love" in 2016 (which also mainly reflected on his holiday in Rome). "Cake" is the recent birthday cut, released last November as a SoundCloud loosie. Here, a 23 year-old Knucks reflects on the year he had when he was 22, touching on the friends he lost, the buzz he's been getting from his music, and the money he has made throughout the year. The reversed sample is sick and the drums are hella tight on this one. But then, the beat switches... and it bangs so HARD! Knucks switches up the flow here, and is a lot more energetic. The soul sample is a lot more smoother, and GAWD DAMN, the bass on this beat is A1. His verse on here is a little forgettable and quick compared to the first part, but the hook & beat definitely brings this part together.

Black Milk - Sound of the City, Volume 1

Released: October 18, 2005

2002. The year Detroit group Slum Village dropped their second album. Trinity (Past, Present & Future) was the trio's first album without J Dilla as a main member (although he provided a few beats) but was the first with Elzhi. The album featured production from a big variety of producers. Black Milk was part of that variety. Being another musician from Detroit, he was 18/19 at the time, getting his first major beat placements with "What is This" and "Trinity (Interlude)", both on the SV album. As time went on, he started to collaborate with the group a lot often, even when they turned into a duo. Black then linked up with Young RJ, forming the production team B.R. Gunna. The duo contributed heavily to SV's next two albums, producing majority of the albums and with Black Milk providing some additional vocals and hooks.

Sound of the City, Volume 1 was the album that happened to show off Black's rapping skills more. Before, he was known for spitting occasionally, and most of the time, he would just provide hooks and additional vocals. Entirely produced by Black himself (obviously), the album is known to be short and snappy, with the 16 tracks equaling to a runtime of only 40 minutes; with features from many Detroit rappers including Slum Village members Elzhi, T3 & the late Baatin (all separate appearances, not together), Fat Ray and Phat Kat.
Interludes and instrumentals also come in between the songs, helping to make this album a pretty comfortable listen. "Dirty Guitar" is my favourite of the bunch, and so funky yet bangs so hard. "Dirty Horns" is short but funky as well, providing that 70s groove to it.

Black's skills on the mic now have definitely improved, with projects like Glitches in the Break and If There's a Hell Below providing some interesting content from the Detroit rapper/producer. But his raps weren't too bad on his debut. There was room for improvement, of course, but his delivery and flow was a key part to this album, especially on songs like "Swing Dat Far" and "Holla Like You Know Me", some of my favourite cuts off SOTC. After starting the album off with a bang, shouting out his fellow Detroit artists over a bumpin' instrumental, "Nigga What" gets to the point very well, the flow is nice, the bars are decent, and the beat knocks so hard. "So Gone" is one of the more upbeat cuts, and the way Black flows over the beat is just amazing. He was in his BAG! And the beat was A1 as well, that sample is heat.

The features came through, but in most cases, outdo Black on his own track unfortunately for him. Phat Kat & T3 deliver on "Danger", and Black does his thing with the flow, but I think Phat had a slightly better verse. Elzhi spun everyone on the title track, making Fat Ray & Black's verses sound so unnecessary in comparison. I'll say Black did have a better verse than Que Diesel on "Holla Like You Know Me", that flow was on point. Baatin is solo dolo on "Eternal" while Black acts as the hypeman. 'Tin sings instead of rap, and errr... it adds on to the song well, at least. NameTag killed "Bang Dis Shit", one of my favourites, and he spun Black on that. The beat just knocks so hard, MY LORD!

The production on SOTC is solid too, full of soul samples and some aggressive moments here and there. The title track "Sound of the City" bangs so hard, and Black, Elzhi & Fat Ray did their thing, especially El. "Pimp Cup" and "Swing Dat Far" are both some chill ass tunes to vibe out to. The latter is one of my favourites, being an ode to them big booty women. It's the flow and beat that gets me, and I enjoy the fun energy over the track. "Duck" is just a little interlude about protecting yourself in the streets, but the sample loop is so intriguing, even if Black didn't do much with it. Same with "Applause", another soul sample loop where Black goes off on one verse. "Eternal" is the one that is different from most of the album, not only does Black not provide vocals but the song gives a slightly aggressive rock vibe while Baatin comes with his soft singing.

Overall, Sound of the City is nothing special, in comparison to his later work. But it's a short and snappy effort with a some pretty good moments, from "Pimp Cup" to "Holla Like You Know Me". The production delivers, with the soul samples and aggressive drums. The features did their thing, from Phat Kat to Que Diesel. It's a nice showcase of the Detroit sound, and Black was real decent on it. With his new album FEVER dropping this coming Friday, it's interesting to hear how much Black has progressed as a producer and rapper. Someone that definitely deserves a lot more credit in hip-hop.

Recommended Tracks: "Sound of the City","So Gone", "Bang Dis Shit", "Holla Like You Know Me", "Swing Dat Far", "Dirty Guitar", "Pimp Cup"

Quasimoto - The Unseen

Released: June 13, 2000

Meet Quasimoto, the alter ego/side project of Madlib, arguably one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time.

In the early 90s, Madlib, Wildchild & DJ Romes formed the group Lootpack. They made their first appearance on Tha Alkaholiks' 1993 debut album 21 & Over, which Madlib also provided production on. They were noticed by Peanut Butter Wolf at Stones Throw after releasing their debut EP in 1995; and eventually, would sign to the label.

Quasimoto made his debut on Peanut Butter Wolf's debut My Vinyl Weighs a Ton on the song "Styles, Crews, Flows, Beats". The origin of Quas came from Madlib's decision to rap on his own beats. He wasn't too fond of his own voice, with his friends in his hometown of Oxnard normally clowning him about how deep it was. So he decided to rap slowly to his beats, and then speed his vocals up to create Quas's high pitched voice. PBW encouraged him to release more music under the alias. Madlib followed his advice, releasing "Hittin' Hooks" and "Microphone Mathematics" later on. June 1999 saw the release of Lootpack's debut Soundpieces: Da Antidote, and the following year, Quasimoto finally released his debut The Unseen.

The Unseen serves as Quasimoto's first album, as well as Madlib's solo debut (technically). The album gives such a psychedelic vibe, featuring 24 tracks, with guest appearances from Mr. Herb, M.E.D. & fellow Lootpack member Wildchild. Quasimoto is basically Madlib's imaginary friend throughout the album and they both go through some humourous, outlandish and entertaining events; also getting high and listening to music. Quas's high pitched helium ass voice interplaying with Madlib's regular monotone voice is a common moment throughout the album, adding heavily onto the dark, druggy and psychedelic vibes we hear on it.
After the intro skit, "Welcome to Violence", the short track, "Bad Character" makes it real clear who we're really dealing with here as Quas delivers two violent and aggressive verses with his high pitched voice. "Low Class Conspiracy" is one of the best songs on the album, and a creative moment on The Unseen. Even with the beat knocking hard AF, the content is pretty interesting as Quas touches on police trying to harass him and his crew, focusing on how police deal with crime in lower class environments around America; likely leading to police brutality. "Come On Feet" is about Quasimoto trying to avoid trouble. Madlib's real voice interplays with Quas's so well, with some Melvin Van Peebles samples here and there to communicate effectively with Quas's verses, which certainly does make this track what it is. "Jazz Cats, Pt. 1" sees Madlib & Quas go back and forth naming the Jazz artists they enjoy listening to from George Benson to Dizzie Gillepsie. "Green Power" has an interesting concept, focusing on the importance of green: money & weed; and Madlib & Quas provide some solid verses.

The production is definitely something to talk about, and Madlib was an alien on the boards, with the samples, the drums, the scratches; everything! "Boom Music" bangs so hard as Madlib & Quasimoto deliver a verse each about how they love to listen to old-school hip-hop. "Bluffin'" features such a calm piano sample, where Madlib & Quas go back and forth calling out phony rappers that aren't really about what they say. "Astro Black" is such a nice song to vibe to, with the dope boom-bap beat as Quasimoto raps about getting high and trying to hit. "MHBs" is more like a smooth and soulful interlude to me, but Madlib's real voice takes over this time, rapping about watching out for gold diggers. "Axe Puzzles" also features a calm sample with Madlib putting some hard drums over it for Quas to come through with some violent and harsh lyrics. I could talk so much about how good the beats are on here, whether it was the beat switches on both the title track and "Return of the Loop Digga", the dark vibes on "Basic Instinct" or the Italian sample on "Real Eyes", but it'd be hella long.

The line up of features is small on The Unseen, but they good too. "24-7" is where Madlib & Quas links up with MED who comes through with a dope verse before the beat switches. Quas doesn't provide a verse, but does some adlibs as Madlib's actual voice takes over for a verse; and he does his thing, to be honest. MED was a little better tho. "Discipline 99" is a two-parter, about how wack MCs need to be disciplined. Mr. Herb features on Pt. 0, but does he really count as an appearance? Meh, it's whatever. Both Madlib comes with a little verse, which was alright. Quas doesn't do much tho, just a few lines. Herb seems to be another high-pitched character, and I kinda like the flow on his verse. Pt. 1 features fellow Lootpack member Wildchild, whose verse is pretty good, and complements well with Quas's verses, over the ominous but calm instrumental.

With psychedelic vibes, banging production and incredible sampling from the Loop Digga himself, The Unseen is such a dope listen. The features are decent, and the interplaying between Madlib & Quas's voices is a key moment. The range of topics are nice too, adding onto such an experience, going from aggressive lyrics on "Bad Character" or reminiscing about old school music on "Boom Music" to Madlib rapping about gold diggers over a soul sample instrumental ("MHBs"). Madlib shows he has a great ear for samples, from jazz to spoken word, or Italian music. This really could go down as one of my favourite albums ever, everything about it is so good; and even with 24 tracks, it doesn't fail to impress me.

Recommended Tracks: "Boom Music", "Low Class Conspiracy", "Astro Black", "Basic Instinct", "Real Eyes", "MHBs", "Axe Puzzles", "Return of the Loop Digga", "Microphone Mathematics", "24-7", "Jazz Cats, Pt. 1", "The Unseen", "Discipline 99, Pt. 1"