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therappundit · 7 years ago

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September 2017 - *PlayLi$t of the Month*

Summer ‘17 is a wrap, folks. It closed with Mother Nature unleashing a few hurricanes from the south, which is a pretty accurate representation of how angry the world feels in 2017. Apocalyptic weather reports, horrible politics and threats of war from other nations aside...music remains as reliable of an escape weapon as possible, and while hip-hop writers may have differing opinions about whether there was a single song that owned the summer (sorry, “Bodak Yellow” ain’t for me), most would agree that there was a lot of strong releases across the board. Fittingly, I’m closing out the summer with one last extended playlist of my favorite tracks from the past month...

1. “Calisthenics” - Nolan The Ninja feat. Royce Da 5′9

https://soundcloud.com/nolantheninja-1/calisthenics

(Sweeeeeeet. One of Detroit’s finest connects with Detroit’s absolute finest - Team Royce all day - to unleash some razor sharp bars over a cricket-laden, soulful instrumental. This reminds me of the type of underground gems that would premier on The Wake Up Show around the 2:15 AM EST mark back in the day, and anything that channels that vibe will always stay on repeat through these headphones. Cop that new Nolan album when it drops next week.)

2. “Bullet Club” - Conway feat. Lloyd Banks & Benny

https://massappeal.com/conway-the-machine-bullet-club-lloyd-banks-benny-premiere/

(Only during a month of non-stop heat would a cut like this not own the #1 spot on my list. Consider #’s 1-3 this month a 1a, 1b, 1c situation. To say that G-Unit’s top punchline spitter sounds well at home alongside Conway and Benny over a moody Daringer beat would be a huge understatement. More Griselda + Lloyd Banks combos, please!)

3. “Doomsayer” - DOOM & The Alchemist

https://www.spin.com/2017/08/doom-doomsayer-stream/

(When MF DOOM starts dropping loosies every week, you know it’s a blessed year for hip-hop. DOOM and the mighty ALC connect for a beautifully dark masterpiece of a track.)

4. “JUNKY” - BROCKHAMPTON

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AR7SenR2Hc

(WOW. This is what you can call an attention grabbing verse. There may be hotter verses that drop in 2017, but I doubt that there will be one that grabs the spotlight quite like Kevin Abstract stepping up to the plate to counter homophobia. Ameer goes in, too. This might be my favorite track off of SATURATION II, but this whole album is pretty damn impressive.)

5. “383 Myrtle” - Mach-Hommy feat. Billy Woods

https://mach-hommy.bandcamp.com/track/383-myrtle-feat-billy-woods-beats-by-evidence

(Billy Woods and Mach-Hommy drops fire verses over a somber Evidence instrumental, and the result will definitely have you clamoring for more collaborations amongst this trio of talented underground elites. DUMPMEISTER is another jewel in Mach’s crown, as he continues to be one of the freshest rap artists to emerge in the last few years...at least for those able to contribute the $’s to purchase his projects.)

6. “NMIM” - Wiki feat. ACAB & Slicky Boy

https://hypebeast.com/2017/8/wiki-no-mountains-in-manhattan-album-stream

(The former Ratking MC delivered a powerhouse of a NYCentric album with No Mountains in Manhattan. He taps into a subterranean city vibe that I honestly haven’t heard since Company Flow and Cannibal Ox. While those are admittedly some pretty big shoes to fill, I can easily see this album inspiring a lot of Wiki’s peers to step their game up and put their heart and soul into their sound.)

7. “5200” - Maxo Kream

https://soundcloud.com/maxo-kream/5200a-1

(I’ve been waiting for Maxo Kream’s tape all year and it seems like he’s finally revving up the engines for a release in the near future. Maxo just dodged some terrifying conditions in his home of Houtson thanks to the sh*tstorm that was Hurriance Harvey, so obviously any delays in future music releases is completely understandable. Lucky for us, we have this smooth track to tide us over. Maxo’s flow is so potent it’s hard for me to picture him being anything but a household name in this game for years to come.)

8. “Olympian” - A$AP Ferg feat. Dave East

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsrJdy_7YZQ

(Ferg’s been on fire all summer, but this bouncy collaboration with fellow Harlemite Dave East has the making of a sleeper smash hit.)

9. “Hot Pepper” - Action Bronson feat. Meyhem Lauren & Jah Tiger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otRJC960u6g

(Bam Bam’s back! Rather than reinvent the wheel with Blue Chips 7000, Bronson delivered what he does best: hilarious quotables, banging beats, and an off the charts personality. Meyhem’s potent verse makes this one an early standout.)

10. “Red Light” - EarthGang

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq_G21yehKs

(EarthGang has been earning a lot of acclaim for their new RAGS EP, even racking up some comparisons to Outkast. While that’s probably not a fair comparison to make, it’s not an outlandish one. These Spillage Village MCs are delivering southern-fried lyricism at a level even Andre & Big Boi would have to appreciate.)

11. “Shteef” - DRXQUINNX

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZUnjC9dqc8

(I don’t know too much about the Chi-town rapper/producer, but I know him from working with Denmark Vessey, and that’s a strong enough co-sign for me. This one is just a fly head-nodder that reminds me of the type of gem that would show up on a Black Milk album. This is not good, it’s GREAT hip-hop, and I am really looking forward to DRXQUINNX’s upcoming Richard Pryor project on 9/29.)

12. “Long Time” - Nino Man

https://soundcloud.com/imninoman/long-time

(Manhattan is making a nice showing this month, eh? Nino has quietly been doing his thing in NYC for a while, but he just recently seemed to master his craft. After co-signs from NY icons like the Lox, “Long Time” feels like the type of tightly woven street single Nino might not have been able to own a few years ago, but for me it confirms that he has really arrived. Looking forward to hearing more from Mr. Brown.)

13. “Triumphant” - BEWARE & Chavis Chandler feat. Payroll Giovanni & Royce Da 5′9

https://www.fakeshoredrive.com/2017/08/premiere-beware-unites-detroit-on-triumphant-featuring-payroll-giovanni-royce-da-59-chavis-chandler.html/

(More Royce? Why the hell not. Producer BEWARE provides the back-drop for three very different Motor City MCs to speak their “Started From The Bottom” bars.)

14. “People Say” - Wu-Tang Clan feat. Redman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI02VfEXQKk

(Sooo I guess the Wu is releasing new music again? Or at least RZA is emptying the vaults? Well whatever brought us this spoonful of soul from the sons of Shaolin and Redman, I’m not complaining. Hot damn, Method Man has really still got it.)

15. “Made For This” - Wiki feat. Ghostface Killah

https://genius.com/Wiki-made-for-this-lyrics

(More from Wiki, as he secures a high profile co-sign from Ghostface. If we can’t seem to get a DOOM and Ghostface Killah project, maybe WikFace is possible? I would happily take a project featuring more joints like this one.)

16. “Tiger Bone” - Planet Asia & Apollo Brown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epsmArWfNvE

(I criticized this Anchovies album when it dropped, simply because I am such a big fan of both Apollo Brown and Planet Asia and I felt that this one didn’t resonate with me as much as previous projects. Well, since then it’s grown on me. A lot. PA delivers, and while the sample usage is not as a fresh as I had hoped, Apollo did his thing as well. The two artists have undeniable chemistry.)

17. “FYBR (First Year Being Rich)” - A$AP Twelvyy, A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ant, A$AP Ferg, Key & Playboi Carti

https://soundcloud.com/asapmob/fybr-first-year-being-rich

(A slight tweak to the original “L.Y.B.B.”, Twelvyy lets the rest of the crew jump on board his original 2016 loosie for a bit of a twist on the original concept. 2017 might not actually be the first year that the Mob can call themselves rich, but if they keep on bringing this level of energy to every track, they may still have their richest years to come.)

18. “B2KK” - Joseph Chilliams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1psXx8QUGY

(I am not 100% sure how Joseph Chilliams came on the scene, whether he is being serious or if he’s just a goofy kid or what, but I will tell you this: he is the most interesting MC to come out of Chicago since Chance The Rapper. You will be hearing a lot from him, I promise you.)

19. “Off The Bench Pt. II” - Westside Parlé

https://soundcloud.com/westsideparle/off-the-bench-ptii

(BX on the rise. Westside Parlé is slowly climbing to the top of the NYC food chain. Press play on this one and you will quickly learn why. The crossover potential is there, plus the guy can straight-up rap.)

20. “Nobody Move” - Lil Eto feat. Agallah & Milano Constantine

https://soundcloud.com/lil-eto/nobody-move-ft-agallah-x-milano-constatine

(Rochester general Lil Eto has gradually been racking up heat, continuing to turn heads towards the upstate New York rap scene. Nothing too heady happening here, just a bunch of hard MCs waxing hard bars over a hard beat...and there’s nothing wrong with that at all, especially when we’re talking about MC’s of this type of cloth.)

*Honorable Mention - Bonus Cut*

“Blowin’ Minds (Skateboard)” - A$AP Rocky, A$AP Nast, A$AP Ant, Chief Keef & Playboi Carti

https://soundcloud.com/asapmob/blowin-minds-skateboard-feat-a

(Call it a guilty pleasure pick, but something about the bubblegum beat and the Keef hook just works for me! This is one of the catchiest joints off of Cozy Tape Vol. 2.)

Still In Heavy Rotation:

4:44 by JAY-Z

http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/jay-z-4-44-upcoming-album-new-mixtape.117283.html

Rosebudd’s Revenge by Roc Marciano

http://onsmash.com/music/roc-marciano-rosebudds-revenge-album-stream/

[ICYMI: Last month’s list below]

https://therappundit.tumblr.com/post/164278148766/august-2017-playli-t-of-the-month

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