The Weekly Dip 6/3/22

We’ve been on a bit of a hiatus, as previously stated but fret not, our weekly selections are all torpedos in the water, nothing but explosive bursts of energy, like volcanic eruptions at the bottom of the ocean, how’s that for an annual dip? Don’t let that stop you from hopping in, these waters are actually fine, only hyperbole.

King Khali - Leg Room (Video)

The Tarabully has his foot firm on the neck of the game, forget a chokehold, the industry as a whole is left gasping for breath on this exhilarating crash course of a lyrical onslaught. Don’t feel bad for the test dummies, they knew what they were getting into, let them kick the bucket. Speaking of which, does this man have to be pushing up daises before we give him his flowers? I mean sure, those of us who know, we know but, the industry need to open up them doors before he kicks them off their hinges, only to turn around to create his own doors, he has the keys after all. Quality, consistency, raw conviction, have all been some of Khali’s strongest qualities as an artist. He’s not afraid to continue pushing his pen, how could he not with Duvin crafting the perfect structures for him to speed towards, head on collision. Explains that bandage wrapped around his skull. Luckily he’s got an attentive nurse catering to his every need. From the content, to these beautifully edited visuals, by none other than Qntm.tx, that brash gusto, that arrogant braggadocio of his, it’s captured here like a lightning bolt. Khali never ceases to outdo himself with every output, it always exceeds its predecessors & records like this let us know that he’s forever hell bent on getting his respect, by any means. We’d be well advised to give it to him, the art has been speaking for itself & will only continue to amplify. Khali even doing a little co-directing as well so, it’s safe to say he may be more hands on with the lens these coming months, another feather in his cap. Couldn’t have been a more appropriate time to be wearing that cap & ironic enough, these raps are no cap but he’s sure as fuck busting them all over this track.

Shadoh - Front Of The Line (Single)

Before leaving the month of May, I had recently come across a single from rapstress Shadoh titled “Front Of The Line,” where she needs all the baddest b***hes to be at for the night. High-heeled while looking fine is what the women behind the red ropes are looking like, according to Shadoh, who’s leading the charge of women looking fly for the night. It almost mimics the same storytelling abilities you would hear from Too Short back in the nineties, which I love hearing the inspiration from OG’s to the up & coming talent making waves in the scene. It has this exotic production pressed from the beginning to end while adding a bit of Shadoh’s sultry favor to the record, which captives a party-filled anthem to blare out the windows on the way to the club. - Frank Campos

MsGold - Take A Shot (Single)

After teasing previews of an upcoming release the last few days, MsGold dropped a new single titled “Take A Shot” in the middle of the week that saw a visual dropped for the record, which is already seeing a plethora of views in only a few days. The hood-hopped single has MsGold delivering a strip club-anthem while the video has her and a few other honeys shaking ass on stage with the fast-paced rhythm progressing throughout the record. Posted in the club with a ton of bad b***hes, Msgold is creating a summer hit for the streets and a joint that can be heard in the club while dollar bills cover the atmosphere. From the alarm-racing production to the expensive taste that MsGold possesses in her flow, she’s raising up her glass to toast on the hustle she’s been on & it’s clear she gots another hit on her hands that will surely see fans expressing support and love for it in the upcoming weeks. - Frank Campos

Izzy93 - Pink Lemonade (Video)

Mixing promethazine with a cool refreshing drink and you got “Pink Lemonade,” which is the title of Izzy93 latest video release that Retro Moy behind the lens & Beats By Yayo on the boards for this visual drop that’s hitting 61K views & counting with just being out a few hours. I think this is the fastest release for Izzy93 to see that many views in a short period, and it’s easy to see why. He doesn’t waste time; he immediately dives into his signature efforts to keep the beat running while he lays down prominent lines in remarkable fashion. Leading more into the visual effects to captive his sound, Izzy93 is clutching at delivering an onslaught of bars in a witty manner that showcases him to see be a threat in the music scene of the city and one of the more elite artists holding it down in the forefronts of street raps. Ain’t nothing blocking Izzy93’s shine anytime soon, so let him be tremendous and watch him get brighter. - Frank Campos

King Iso - 6 PM (feat. Taebo Tha Truth) (Video)

Much love to Rock The Bells for premiering these visuals & showing love to the criminally underrated Strange Music camp, especially one of the greatest additions the label has ever seen in its 20 plus year span. Iso is one of the fiercest lyricists the game has seen & not only that, his music, all self produced by the way, is always pushing the topic of mental health at the focal point. Continuing on with this mini series of visuals off his latest “Get Well Soon” album, we get the video for my favorite off the album & like the record itself, it does not disappoint, only ups the ante. We catch back up with Iso during his court mandated group therapy meeting & clearly he has a lot to get off his chest. It’s currently 6 PM as he’s reminiscing on his time spent in the psych ward, alone with his thoughts in that padded room. Pretty soon, the walls start to feel as if they’re closing in on Iso & now all he can see is red. The distorted imaging of Iso & Taebo’s faces are a beautifully subtle callback to Iso’s Strange Music debut “World War Me”. Speaking of Taebo, he absolutely did what needed to be done on this hook. He, like Iso, got alot of melodies in them, they ain’t just elite lyricists. These two are out though, looking fresh & ready to tackle on the world again, refusing to allow anyone to box them back into that imprisonment they’ve worked so hard to get out of.

Morgan Gold - comeout

Morgan gets far more vulnerable on this open tome of a record. The second drop off her upcoming “Midas” album finds Gold coming to terms with her sexuality. Her opening statement will be painfully resonating for many. I can’t imagine the fear that comes with coming out to your loved ones, it seems they didn’t necessarily approve of her quote unquote, sinful ways. The way she’s tying everything into this religious theme is impeccably powerful, putting us directly into how it must’ve felt having to contain who she really is, that rosary becoming more of a millstone around her neck, suffocating her as she tries to play it safe. She even touched upon her having to switch up her tonality, all of that pressure rather than just be accepted. That’s nothing a child needs to be put through. Since then, she hasn’t come out, understandably so. Someone else’s comfort within themselves shouldn’t make anybody uncomfortable, regardless of what your beliefs are but still, you got people who will try to banish you for loving who you love. Since leaving her hometown, she’s gotten plenty of love, funny & sad how it always goes like that. Fortunately for her, the incessant chatter finally tapered off into oblivion as she moved away from it & unfortunately for them, they’re most likely still stagnant in life. 730 Skylar’s production on here is quite the warped ambience, the perfect atmosphere for Morgan to breathe this introspection over freely. From the raw conviction throughout the verses to the infectious hook, to of course the overall content, it’s heart rending stuff.

Gabby Annalyse - Birthday (Video)

It’s been a minute since we last heard from Gabby but her return is a sweet one with her sugary new poppy bop “Birthday”. Her quirkiness throughout this record is absolutely adorable & a giddily concise first offering of her year. You gotta love the Strawberry Shortcake fit she’s got going on here, it wouldn’t be too far off to say she’s her musically. That bubbly bon vivant personality of hers has never sounded more exuberant as she continues to show her versatility with every record. That’s the one thing that I really appreciate about Gabby, she’s always throwing a curveball at us, I never know what style she’s gonna toy around with next but that’s all part of the excitement. Kyle Bertrand went absolutely ridiculous with some of these shots of Gabby as well, the POV shots especially. Reed Washington too with the subtle little bed for Gabby to jump all over as she knocks this beat out like a pillow fight! After all these hits though & boy does she got plenty in her ever growing catalog, I’d say we’re long overdue for an album full of them!

Banco - Counting Paper (Video)

Still relatively fresh off the success of his magnum opus “BANC”, it looks like Banco has been counting even more paper as he continues to hustle his way through this industry. You know what’s so dope about these simplistic visuals. It’s not just all the beautiful people we see, the scenery, landmarks, you name it, it’s the fact that there is not a single shot of him counting paper in these visuals. You do realize how rare you have to be to pull that off right? There’s nobody quite like Banco in this game right now. Not only is his sound so utterly irresistible but we have to talk about his pen game. He’s one of these cats who only speaks when he has something to say, it’s never filler material coming out of his mouth as he’s delivering us these masterclasses on subtle braggadocio. He’s just humble bragging, as he should, forever in his element as he smoothly & nonchalantly tears through these records, just littering our listening pleasures with free jewelry everytime & we appreciate it Banco. Make sure to get your hands on one of those fresh collaborative tees you see him rocking in the video. Always pushing that product, the brand is DIOS after all.

Vintage Jay - Militia (feat. Sorte, Nawf$ide O’malley) (Video)

It’s nice to see Vintage Jay back behind that mic after sitting in the director’s chair as of late. Even more nice knowing that, we still got MC’s in this game who care about the craft, the art of rhyme, who appreciate the beauty of the three verse record, the posse cut of lyrical murderers. People be acting like there’s no place for that kind of rap but they are sorely mistaken. Nawf$ide O’malley comes through straight stirring that pot though he’s calmly executing a fairly simple verse. While most rappers rely on a whole lot just to get their points across, O’malley wastes no time getting straight to the point, speaking directly to those whom he’s referring to. Vintage Jay slides through marvelously, starting off with a little introspection, sounding a bit reflective, then perusing into some slight storytelling, offering a bit of hilarity & wit into his bars before he caps it off by beating these lames down two pegs. Sorté I gotta say though, for me personally, he stole the show here. His multisyllabic scheme he maintains throughout the entirety of his verse is impressive. All three gentlemen wax eloquently over this unique production, almost sounds like some snake charmer kinda tunes, that flute coupled with that subtle bop to the instrumentation is magnifico!

Reverie - Hail Mary (feat. YeloHill)

Continuing to build upon the hype for her upcoming Louden produced “No Chaser” album, Reverie returns with another intense offering, showcasing her “to be feared” skills as an MC, she can go toe to toe with anybody. On what is inarguably the best “Hail Mary” flip you’ll ever hear, these two take turns sparring, her firing off rounds like her pen is the machine gun she’s carrying on the “All My Heroes Are Dead” album cover, take that as another reminder that she’s a force to be reckoned with. YeloHill absolutely holds his own, which is a hard feat to keep up with someone like Rev, she has never sounded so fierce before, on all these singles but especially this one, it blows all the others out the water, her performance here is just jaw dropping. Anybody who’s been sleeping on her is about to get waken to death. Reverie fought hard to get to this point in her life, this juncture in her career but she’ll never forget where she came from, that beast is still within her, just begging a bitch to bring her out of hibernation.