The Weekly Dip 3/25/22
We usually hit y’all with the disclaimers before but truthfully, who has time for all that, we’re trying to get straight to the music, to the visuals, so sit back by the pool, beach, any body of water really & bask in the sun before entering today’s dip!
TYLYNN & LITEPOLE - BOTS FREESTYLE (Video)
I believe I came across TYLYNN when it was either King Iso or Tech N9ne she was with at Strangeland Studios recording God knows that but I’m gonna go ahead & say the latter cause that’s what my memory is recalling, though Tech would obviously fuck with her. Anyhow, this little freestyle here is my first true introduction to one of the most elite spitters I done ever heard. The bars are so heavy on this one, just such an onslaught of lyricism being hurdled at you, you barely have time to think about just how many lead balloons are flying over your head. Records like this are a reactor’s nightmare, “headache rap” is what they would label it & that’s fair but I’m all here for the headaches, make me think TYLYNN, that’s what good emceeing is all about! The visuals as well are as all over the place as her flow is, really quirkily ambidextrous if you ask me!
Defiant Darius - Sublime Intro (Video)
JAH sent me here when I came across this gentleman scrolling through her Instagram stories the other day. I always make sure to peep any music that people I respect & admire are tuned into so here we are & this good brother does not disappoint. A plus that his name is of the alliterative aliases, anyone who knows me knows I have a deep affinity for such. You know once you hear those piano keys & that choir’s vocals just soaring to the highest altitudes, echoing all throughout this empty church, that you’re about to get that God energy music. It’s a beautiful testimonial, as Defiant waxes eloquently about overcoming his own demons whilst still maintaining his faith in God. There’s a lot of important messages littered throughout his performance here that can really alleviate some of those who may be lost on their spiritual journey. It’s always beautiful to see people remain resilient, even after so many ills in this world try to keep you down & falter your faith but with God on his side, Darius is defiant as ever!
Concept & APBeatz - Woes (feat. Apollo Black) (Video)
I’m a simple man, I see Apollo Black, I’m immediately tuning in. The man is a master of the Lo-Fi subgenre of Hip Hop & he continues to be, whether on his own records or as a featured guest. I can’t say I’ve heard of either artist or producer but what a fine introduction to these gentlemen this is. I love artists like this cause, they do care to have the sound be as musically pleasing as can be, it’s easy listening, therefore, it makes it easier for the focal point to be on their lyricism, which I’m certain is what they’re hoping to attain. AP Beatz knew what he was doing when he made this beat both soothing & knocking. Concept goes into detail about the “Woes” he’s faced both in his personal life & through this music thing. Apollo follows suit & together, the two make another anthem for the working man.
HOODLUM - 3AM (Video)
It’s only right that our San Antonio icon in HOODLUM, continue this momentum of his, after being the first artist out of our city to appear on a major platform like No Jumper & that he does with another visual to follow up its predecessor in “BORN 2 DIE”. On “3AM”, Ace The Shooter continues to capture these beautiful shots of not only HOODLUM but Cali itself, I believe that’s where there at, I’m not geographically inclined but clearly they are. It’s just nice to see good people make it out of our city & flourish. HOODLUM’s flow just seems to be getting more & more elite, as does his lyricism, which is feverish as can be on this cut. Yet another indicator of what we can expect on, whenever he blesses us with another album, full of this same calming menace he delivers with every effort.
Mount Westmore - BAD MF’s (Video)
I don’t understand why more people aren’t as excitedly giddy as I am about this project. These OG’s of ours have been teasing it for quite some time now, yet, we’re barely on single 2 but boy is it satiating that thirst any of us might’ve had for that authentic west coast flavor. Supergroups are usually always monumental feats in the culture & I truly believe this album is gonna deliver. Snoop, Ice Cube, E-40 & Too Short however, were not the names I would’ve ever had in mind for a supergroup but it works extremely well cause all of these voices are recognizable & literally everything they’ve done to this point, I mean, these guys really are some “BAD MF’s” to have maintained longevity for over 3 decades plus & I don’t care that that’s redundant, we need to keep reiterating the importance of the fact that our legends are still out here, having fun & contributing dope shit to the culture, at a time where it is so needed!
beabadoobee - Talk (Video)
I’m glad we’re getting more beabadoobee but truthfully, I’m still not over the work she blessed us with on “Our Extended Play”, she really skyrocketed into one of my personal favorite artists with the records she created on that project but that was merely an EP, as it seems now, we’ve been blessed with the 1st taste of what we can expect on her upcoming “beatopia” album, marking it as her follow up to her impeccable last album under Dirty Hit titled “Fake It Flowers”, but while that album showed a more vulnerable side of her, this single is indicative of her possibly switching gears to an even more Alternative side of her, I mean this record is crushing & unlike anything we’ve heard from her thus far. The visuals alone remind me of the “Last Resort” visuals, which clearly were the inspiration for them & even the record itself contains just as much angst as that record has. This single will surely hold fans over til she blesses us with another or possibly just the whole album without a follow up single but there’s also merch available for pre order as well so no time to “Talk”, get on that!
Still Woozy, Remi Wolf - Pool (Video)
Funny that I’m actually feeling dizzy at the moment & Still Woozy’s latest has a lot to do with that. I gotta be honest, my first time ever hearing anything from Still but Remi Wolf is one of my personal favorite artists at the moment so I trust that a song will be great if she’s attached to it in any sort of capacity. Still Woozy & Remi play so marvelously off one another though, even without the sheer fun we see them having in the simplistically giddy visuals, both have such a softening tonality to their earnestness displayed throughout their respective vocal performances here. The record itself is a bit bittersweet, a little melancholy even as they suffer a little separation anxiety after meeting by the pool & then going on about their lives. But hopefully they can meet in the middle at some point, whenever time permits them.
$terlz - Bad News (Video)
It’s always a pleasure when Instagram actually promotes something random on my profile that’s worth my time, I’ve found a good amount of great artists that way & $terlz is just the latest case. This record here really spoke to me, as I’m still learning to cope & adjust to a life without someone I hoped to spend it’s entirety with. $terlz really encapsulates how fleeting our emotions really are & I believe once you understand that, it’s easier to let go but letting go, especially when your clearly attached, maybe even anxiously so as he appears to be, will never be an easy task. It’s almost like he’s tip toeing along the precipice of spiraling, though he’s working overtime to keep himself from falling deeper into the abysmal thoughts that are clouding his mind, let alone shattering his glass heart into several shards that seem impossible to piece back together. Although the person on the other end may see him as quote unquote “Bad News”, the fact that he’s willing to be this vulnerable, like an open tome, simply proves otherwise.