Either The Queen’s Gambit didn’t make me the expert on chess that I think I am, or Polo G needs better competition. Hardly any of the pieces have been touched. There’s no way this is any fun.
Yes.
Is the Tupac cosplay creepy?
I am all for Polo G putting an end to his Tupac bit. “I’m Tupac rebirthed,” he raps on the track, while dressed in all denim and a white bandana tied around his head, just like Pac. If Polo G insists on pretending to be someone from the past he should pick someone a little more obscure. Let’s see him channel Lil Cease in the “Crush on You” video!
Why does Polo G want to be a rap star?
Polo G makes being a rap star sound miserable. According to this song and video, he has to spend all of his money buying his friends BMWs. He can only drink champagne, which sucks, because you just know he wants a glass of Hi-C Orange sometimes. He’s hounded by the paparazzi. He has to play chess with someone who has absolutely no idea how to play chess. Worst of all, his record label forces him to hang out with a ukulele player. This video is a cautionary tale to anyone with dreams of rap stardom.
South Carolina’s Lisha G likes to rap over blown-out beats that could have once landed on an early Raider Klan mixtape, and “Real” is no different. Producer Splashmane’s twinkling melody sounds like it could backdrop the part of a ’80s slasher movie where the terrified teen has no idea that they’ll soon be fighting for their life, and the drums would probably make my room shake if I had a proper subwoofer. It’s perfectly suited for Lisha’s spellbinding vocals: “If you scared go to church, don’t be thinking that you real,” she raps amid the terror.
They need to hit the studio and lay this down for real
Sample flip of the week: A Lau’s “Royce” beat
The all-time pinnacle of bachata flips can be heard on Max B’s 2006 track “We Be on Our Shit,” which rewired the rule-breaking Dominican group Aventura’s “Todavia Me Amas.” A Lau’s sample flip of Prince Royce’s “Corazon Sin Cara” is not in the same league, but it still works extremely well. What’s disappointing is that it was given to the slightly uninteresting Slayter and ABG Neal. At least Neal is appreciative: “I’ma pull up in the Rolls Royce/You get locked and sing like Prince Royce,” he raps. But really, the track made my mind race through all the pieces of bachata hits I would like to see A Lau incorporate into his next flip. Maybe the bongo drums on Aventura’s “Obsesion” or the smooth guitar on Xtreme’s “Te Extrano”…
San Diego’s Lil Maru sounds like he’s singing through a roll of paper towels. His voice has a slight echo, but it sounds natural. This is not exactly unheard of, especially out West, and on “Issues” you hear traces of Yhung T.O., Aflacko, and 03 Greedo in the way he uses this chilly melody to weave between street politics, painful reflections, and not-so-romantic romance. He’s not exactly a lyrical mastermind—“I used to be broke, ghetto baby out the mud/When I’m in my feelings I’m just rollin’ up the bud,” he stoically sings—but the song is elevated by bouncy West Coast production and the smoothness of his delivery.
KD has heard Michigan Boy Boat
We need a livestream of KD experiencing Rio Da Yung OG mixtapes for the first time.
Ka$hdami: “Look N the Mirror”
The plugg sound is flourishing right now. Originally founded by producers like MexikoDro and StoopidXool, it is defined by lush melodies and choppy drums. The style has influenced a whole new wave of rappers and producers, and one of those happens to be the DMV-based tough talker Ka$hdami. On “Look N the Mirror,” which could be his breakout single, he puts a fresh spin on both the plugg sound and his local street rap scene. Like DMV rappers Xanman and Baby Fifty, Ka$hdami has an aggressive, no nonsense flow. Yet instead of gliding on the spare, nightmarish production synonymous with his region, he chooses beats that are soft and melodic. This type of twist isn’t just keeping plugg alive; it’s what makes it thrive.
