The Weekly Dip 12/3
It’s now December so the festivities are ever so present & these artists on today’s Dip have all gifted us with some beautiful music so go ahead & rip that wrapping paper off of each of these installments, grab some milk & cookies, some eggnog & relax by that fireplace & let these records get you in that holiday spirit, regardless if only one of them has anything to do with the holiday.
Reek & Sage - R&S Side: 002
The Almighty Reek & Sage had already blessed us with the 1st installment of their “R&S Sides” with us & instantly blew us away with not only the songwriting & lyricism, which as Reek continues pushing his pen, only seems to further elevate him on a conscious as well as cosmic level. The same can be said about Sage’s production as well, which is ever so poignant, probably his most nostalgic sounding records to date & that only further continues on “002”.
Opening up with “The One”, it’s pretty self explanatory, Reek on here talking his truth with this swaggering confidence that’ll put the two’s & threes back in their place if they assume they could compare to his nonchalantly intelligent flow. In my opinion, bro has been solidified since I heard that “Believe in the Tree” album, that’s just classic, essential music & so is everything that has followed, that’s when they really came into their own for me personally.
Of course, it’s not a Reek & Sage anything without some familiar guests adding onto their beautiful music. Niko2K comes through sliding so elegantly over this subtle bop, making the ladies swoon over his confidence. Reek then comes through with some of the best opening lines in a verse I’ve heard. It’s so simple but I admire the female empowerment within them cause I’m so used to hearing records that are more so degrading but this is pure admiration, no discrimination, they love all the women. Levi can sing though & he hasn’t missed yet, his feature here leans more on the sing songy rapping & he executes it effortlessly, even his background vocals, he just has that soft voice that’ll lull you right into the fantasy that this record is.
King Kyle Lee, Famous/Lil Ken, SoSanAntone & Liveola - San Antonio On The Map (EP)
It had been rumored that King Kyle Lee, Famous/Lil Ken, SoSanAntone & Liveola were working on a collaborative project together since they had been seen on numerous occasions on social media in the studio. Throughout the year, it became evident more and more that actual music from these sessions would be gathered together but yet no announcement until the start of December when the EP “San Antonio On The Map” made way on streaming services. The project wasn’t a tug of war of style that many would assume since they have their own sound to them, but they worked in a unison form to bring out monstrous waves in the records. The quadruple force they bring to these tracks are insane, they showcase legendary efforts that they belong in the name of topic still with the careers they have seeing so many highlights. They demand respect from the young gunners of the city and they are sure getting it with this EP. They only have one featured on the project, which is from Izzy93 which they championed him to hold the torch in the city & be the face of this generation. I’m sure some visuals from the EP are in the works as we speak, and I can’t wait for them to appear on the surface to see the feedback from fans who’ve awaited this moment in history.
GRIP - Spatula
GRIP isn’t slowing down by a damn sight, I mean c’mon, I still haven’t recovered from the bar overload that is his debut under Shady but this is an over-overload, it’s not even fair at this point. It’s a simple track where he’s just popping his shit off, showing off his technical prowess, his skills as a lyricist are obviously what made Eminem gravitate towards signing him & what a fucking monstrous addition to the label he’s been, I don’t even wanna think about what else he has in store cause clearly it’s gonna hit as hard as everything else has in his run this year so spin this until then & study cause his skills require it, or else he’ll wack you over the head with that “Spatula”.
Krizz Kaliko - Snowfall
Krizz has been crushing it with his own label in Earhouse, who’s house, EARHOUSE! So far, all we’ve gotten are singles but they are all classic Krizz, he hasn’t stopped being the most electrifying man in music, regardless of how criminally underrated he is in the grand scheme of things but shoutout the big names who do acknowledge his talents like T-Pain. Here on “Snowfall”, Krizz makes it a fine point to find a reason to love, irrespective of the holidays & that hook just resonates like hell with me, I too wish I could hug my father, maybe he was showing me love in his own special & twisted way, thank you for always bringing out the emotion Krizz!
Nick Enaigbe - The Last Pimp Standin’ (EP)
First of all, I would like to bring attention to a tweet from Nick, where he stated his complete autonomy in his art, it’s admirable that he’s showing that, it can be done solo dolo, sure it’s gonna be more difficult not having these necessities at your disposal but it clearly has only made him go harder. If anyone asks, Dru Kelly sent me here, being that he’s where I 1st heard of this killer MC. It’s ironic that the man hasn’t even hit his peak yet but still he stand majestically on “Top of the Mountain” with the wind at his back, looking down on those below him but he’s so high up that he can’t even see them, vice versa.
His syllable play off rip on “Metal Gear” is insanity & Dru Kelly following suit, what could be more solid than that, he even rapped beyond the beat, the track is just so explosive! Zateb & Dallas Kaye are also sparring with Nick on the posse cut “LAMBS BLOOD”, making a toast to all the rappers slain in their paths, they’re bloodthirsty in their verses & that’s exactly what’s filling up their chalices, I’ll cheers to that!
Of course, after the bar overload he managed to give us in the 1st 3 tracks, we get time for some “meditation”, it’s important that we take time aside for it to get our mind right. I’d like to assume that someone who’s rapping at such an elite level would need to take care of their mental in order to come up with the things he writes & I’m glad he does cause the bars can only continue getting sharper from here, another impressive addition to his ever growing archive, which I highly recommend you revisit & study if you’re a Hip Hop nerd like me, it’s masterclass after masterclass & we appreciate these new lessons!
Apollo Black - El Sol Casete
Can we just take the time to appreciate how prolific the beautiful people over at Heart Break Records have been this year, they’ve released so much music this year & done just as many shows, they’re almost always hard at work it seems & it shows in the products they push! Apollo been putting in music for years & his sound continues to elevate with each project, though his work here on “El Sol Casete” is his most polished to date. I feel like this album is taking us throughout a day in the life of Apollo judging from the intro, which is hilarious, I’ve always loved skits like this. We then follow up with “Move” & let me just say that, I really admire how Apollo has always found beauty in the mundane, I’ve struggled so much with that but when you hear Apollo speak, you hear a man who’s overcome many hardships in his life to reach this state of bliss he’s now in & that makes my heart so warm.
I love his use of skits on this project, to me, that’s a pretty integral part to some records, plus we get to hear a bit of the process of him putting a record together with his people, which is awesome cause he just be spoiling us consumers at this point. Apollo does whatever the heck he feels like doing, so if he’s gonna be bumping his own music on his “Speakers” early in the morning, dammit he’s gonna do it, Adashdre can also concur. I must say that I enjoy seeing Basik alongside my Heart Break brothers cause he too is a rapping ass dude, an elite MC so it’s always beautiful to see our elites come together for a heater like this “MYB” record here.
Shoutout to all the mothers, grandmothers, sisters, girlfriends, wives, all the beautiful women that help us men live righteously, who love unconditionally, it’s important that we celebrate the strong women in our lives as Apollo does on this triumphantly gorgeous record “My Love”. I’m not big into anime but I admire Apollo always incorporating it into his art cause he’s a Sensei with the pen on “Sasuke Uchiha”. Even more hilarity on the “Let’s Go Fishing” skit, like do they mean actual fishes or fishing for some bitches or both, I don’t know but I haven’t been fishing in forever, they might get me to reel myself back into it. Apollo has crafted another magnum opus with this album, to me, it’s his most complete body of work to date, the most polished as well, he just honestly hasn’t missed a step yet. I gotta say, a day with Apollo black sounds like hella fun but also sounds like hella work.
No Rome - It’s All Smiles
After a slew of singles plus two really great EP’s under one of my favorite labels period, Dirty Hit, No Rome has finally blessed us with his debut album with the label & let me just say, it truly is all smiles! Off rip, I’m grinning big cause not only does “Space-Cowboy” have this nostalgic feel but it’s coupled with this futuristic industrialism in its musicality that makes it so chaotically gorgeous & the whole album really has that feel to it, “How Are You Feeling?” sounds like when you can’t get a hold of your emotions so you can’t really pinpoint how you’re feeling. Of course, the previously released “I Want U” is a true blast from the past & I have to believe the 1975 had something to do with it cause it just has that feel, even if it was simply influence.
Things get a bit dark & melancholy on the poignantly & depressively abysmal sounding “ITS *N0T* L0V33 (Winter In London)”, definitely a change of pace for the record but still maintaining that distorted musicality that I find absolutely breathtaking & the previously released single to follow snaps you back into reality, that song almost brings a tear to my eye cause I feel it really captures that frustrating anxiety that comes with waiting for someone who probably doesn’t want you or you’re better off without. Things get a bit more melancholically dark on the airy dreamscape “Issues (After Dark)”, which is honestly when my brain is running it’s most rampant. Overall, this is literally “Everything” I could’ve wanted from a No Rome debut album, just something so uniquely it’s own thing but still sounding very familiar at the same time & he even went back to his home in the Philippines to create this album, which makes it all the more poignant.
The War on Drugs - I Don’t Live Here Anymore
The War on Drugs is a criminally underrated group in my opinion, I wish more people would talk about their beautiful music but enough people, or at least the right people like Pitchfork be giving them their just due. On “I Don’t Live Here Anymore”, they craft yet another beautifully poignant project which just might be their magnum opus, at least musically speaking cause there’s so much to take in here. The subtle folk of “Living Proof”, the FM radio adult alternative of “Harmonica’s Dream”, the indie pop of “Change” or the 80’s tinged dreamscape that is “I Don’t Wanna Wait”, not to mention the songwriting on these records, as well as other standouts like “Victim”, the title track with a feature from Lucius, him shedding out of his “Old Skin”, just, this entire record is breathtakingly powerful & highly recommended, definitely one of the strongest records I’ve heard this year.
Jayla Kai - Epitome (EP)
On her debut EP, Woodstock’s own Jayla Kai puts years of songwriting experience due to her studying artists before her, as well as her current peers to craft something that is all her own. Starting with “I Can’t Lie”, we get some earnest introspection wrapped in this sincere subtly that is the musicality which is just so heartwarming, her voice is just so delicate. But she can also get a bit punky on the crushing “Apple Tree” which sounds just like the repeated crunching of apples. On “Paperread”, I love the choice of having her vocals be more of the focal point rather than the production, which is more in the background, it’s like her voice is another instrument in this mix. The folksy “Anthropology” or the triumphant “Old Town”, this EP is a promising debut effort from an artist who is clearly only going to grow from this point forward musically & with her songwriting if she’s already starting off this powerful!